Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

CHAPTER
5
Wallace had never been a fan of tea. If pressed, he would say he never really
saw what the fuss was about. It was dry leaves in hot water.
And it probably didn’t help that he was still staring at the man known as
Hugo Freeman. He moved with grace, every action deliberate, almost as if he
were dancing. He didn’t reach out to help Wallace to his feet, but instead
motioned for him to pick himself up off the floor. Wallace did, though he kept
his distance. If there ever were a god, it would be this man, no matter what
Mei had told him. For all he knew, it was another trick, a test to see how he
would act. He needed to be careful here, especially if he was going to insist
this man give him back his life. It didn’t help that the cable seemed to connect
the two of them, stretching and shrinking depending upon how close they
were to each other.
Apollo sat at Hugo’s feet near the counter, staring up adoringly at him, tail
thumping silently against the floor. Mei helped Nelson toward the counter,
though he was grumbling that he could do it himself.
Wallace watched as Hugo picked up the steaming pewter teapot from the
tray. He raised the pot toward his face, inhaling deeply. He nodded and said,
“It’s had time to steep. Should be ready now.” He looked up at Wallace
almost apologetically. “It’s organic loose leaf, which didn’t seem to fit what
I know of you, but I have a pretty good track record for such things. For all I
know, everything you like is organic. And peppermint.”
“I don’t like organic anything,” Wallace muttered.
“That’s okay,” Hugo said as he began to pour the tea. “I think you’ll like
this.” There were four cups, each with a different floral design. He motioned
for Wallace to take the cup with the flowers that rose along the sides and into
the interior of the cup.