Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

“You can’t ever go to them,” Wallace said slowly. “See them in person.
They’re a … reminder?” That didn’t feel quite right. “A door?”
Hugo nodded. “They’re photographs of places I can’t even begin to
imagine. There’s a whole wide world out there, but I can only see it through
these little glimpses. Do I wish I could see them in person? Of course I do.
And yet I would make the same choice all over again if I had to. There are
more important things than castles crumbling on cliffs over the ocean. It took
me a long time to realize that. I won’t say I’m happy with it, but I’ve made
my peace because I know how crucial my work is. I still like to look at them,
though. They remind me how small we really are in the face of everything.”
Wallace rubbed at his chest, the hook aching. “I still don’t get you.”
“You still don’t know me. But I promise I’m not all that complicated.”
“I don’t believe that for a moment.”
Hugo watched him for a long moment, a slow smile forming. “Thank you,
Wallace. I appreciate that.”
Wallace flushed, hands tightening on the railing. “Don’t you get lonely?”
Hugo blinked. “Why would I? I have my shop. I have my family. I have a
job that I love because of what it brings to others. What more could I ask
for?”
Wallace turned his face back toward the stars. They were really something
else. He wondered why he’d never noticed them before. Not like this. “What
about…” He coughed, clearing his throat. “A girlfriend. A wife, or, like…”
Hugo grinned at him. “I’m gay. Probably would be pretty hard to find me a
girlfriend or wife.”
Wallace was flustered. “A boyfriend, then. A partner.” He glared down at
his hands. “You know what I mean.”
“I know. I’m just playing with you. Lighten up, Wallace. Not everything
needs to be so serious.” He sobered. “Maybe one day. I don’t know. It’d be
kind of hard to explain that my tea shop is actually just a front for dead
people to have pseudo-intellectual conversations.”
Wallace scoffed. “I’ll have you know I’m extremely intellectual.”
“Is that right? I never would have guessed.”
“Asshole.”
“Eh,” Hugo said. “Sometimes. I try not to be. You just make it so easy.
What about you?”
“What about me?”