Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

Nelson rose from his chair, tugging the leash from Apollo’s mouth. The
dog thought they were playing and tried to pull it back. Wallace jerked from
side to side, smiling so wide he thought his face would split in half. Apollo
eventually let go, barking at Wallace’s feet as Nelson pulled him toward the
table.
“Has it steeped long enough?” Wallace asked as the scent of … oranges?
Yes, the scent of oranges filled the tea shop.
“It has,” Hugo said. His hands shook as he lifted the teapot. Mei put her
hand on the back of his to steady him. He poured the tea into each cup. Once
he’d finished, he poured more tea into a little bowl with the same markings
as the teacups. He set the pot down before lifting the bowl and placing it on
the floor in front of Apollo. The dog sat in front of it, head cocked as he
waited. “It’s ready.”
Cameron hesitated before leaning over the teapot, inhaling deeply. “Oh.
That’s…” He looked up at Hugo with wide eyes. “I know that smell. We …
had this orange tree. In our back yard. It was … Zach liked to lie underneath
it and look up at the sunlight through the branches.” He closed his eyes as his
throat worked. “It smells like home.”
“Hugo knows what he’s doing,” Wallace said. “He’s good like that.” He
looked at all of them. “How does it go again?”
They knew what he meant. “The first time you share tea, you are a
stranger,” Mei said.
“The second time you share tea,” Nelson said, “you are an honored
guest.”
Hugo nodded. “And the third time you share tea, you become family. It’s a
Balti quote. I took those words to heart because there’s something special
about the sharing of tea. Grandad taught me that. He said that when you take
tea with someone, it’s intimate and quiet. Profound. The different flavors
mingle, the scent of it strong. It’s small, but when we drink, we drink
together.” He handed each of them a cup. First Cameron. Then Mei. Then
Nelson. Wallace was last. The tea sloshed as he took the cup from Hugo,
their fingers close but not touching, never touching. He was careful as he
spun in air, pointing his feet toward the ground as Nelson tied off the leash
against a table leg. “Please, drink with me.”
He waited for Cameron to go first. Cameron lifted the cup to his lips,
inhaling again, eyes fluttering shut. His lips curved into a quiet smile before