Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

Wallace’s eyes stung. He blinked rapidly, unable to meet Hugo’s gaze.
“You can’t say that. You don’t know what it’s like. It’s not fair.”
“What isn’t?”
“This!” Wallace cried, waving his arms around wildly. “All of it.
Everything. I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this. I have things to do. I have
responsibilities. I have a life. How can you say I have a choice when it
comes down to becoming like Cameron or going through your damn door?”
“I guess the denial was there all along.”
Wallace glared at him. “I don’t like you.” It was petulant and mean, but
Wallace couldn’t bring himself to care.
Hugo didn’t rise to the bait. “That’s okay. We’ll get there. I won’t force
you into anything you don’t want to do. I’m here to guide you. All I ask is that
you let me try.”
Wallace swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Why do you care so
much? Why do you do what you do? How do you do what you do? What’s the
point of all of this?”
Hugo grinned. “That’s a start. There might be hope for you yet.”
And with that, he walked up the porch stairs, Apollo bounding up beside
him. He stopped at the door, looking back at Wallace still standing amongst
the tea leaves. “You coming?”
Wallace hung his head and trudged up the stairs.
Hugo yawned as he closed the door behind them. He blinked sleepily,
rubbing his jaw. Wallace could hear the clock in the front tick, tick, ticking.
Before he’d fled the tea shop, the seconds had seemed lost, stuttering and
stopping, stuttering and stopping. It sounded as if it’d smoothed out. It was
normal again. Wallace didn’t know what that meant.
“It’s late,” Hugo told him. “Our days start early here. Pastries needs to be
baked, and tea needs time to steep.”
Wallace felt awkward, unsure. He didn’t know what was supposed to
happen next. “Fine. If you could show me to my room, I’ll let you be.”
“Your room?”
Wallace ground his teeth together. “Or give me a blanket and I can sleep
on the ground.”