Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

trust her. Mei will tell you that I was a jerk at first, and that’s probably true.
It was hard for me to trust someone like her again.”
“But you did.”
Hugo shrugged. “She earned it. She’s not like anyone else. She knows the
importance of what we do, and she doesn’t take it for granted. But above all
else, she’s kind. I don’t know if I can adequately explain how significant that
is. This life isn’t an easy one. Day in and day out we’re surrounded by death.
You either learn to live with it, or let it destroy you. My first Reaper didn’t
get that. And people paid the price because of it, innocent people who didn’t
deserve what happened to them.” He looked down at his hands, eyes dull in
the dark. “Nancy came back. She rented an apartment in town, and most days,
finds her way here. She doesn’t speak. She sits at the same table. She’s
waiting, I think.”
“For what?”
“Anything,” Hugo said. “Anything to show her that those we love are
never truly gone. She’s lost, and all I can do is be there for her when she
finds her voice again. I owe her that much. I’ll never push her. I’ll never
force her into something she’s not ready for. How could I? I already failed
her once. I don’t want that to happen again.”
“It wasn’t you. You didn’t—”
“It was,” Hugo snapped at him, and Wallace could barely keep from
flinching. “I could have done more. I should have done more.”
“How?” Wallace asked. “What more could you have possibly done?”
Before Hugo could retort, Wallace continued. “You didn’t force Lea through
the door. You didn’t cause her death. You were here when she needed you
most, and now you’re doing the same for her mother. What more can you
give, Hugo?”
Hugo sagged against the railing. He opened his mouth, but no sound came
out.
Without thinking, Wallace reached for him again, wanting to reassure him.
His hand went right through Hugo’s shoulder.
He pulled away, face pinched. “I’m not really here,” he whispered.
“You are, Wallace.”
Three words, and Wallace wasn’t sure he’d ever heard anything more
profound. “Am I?”
“Yes.”