Chapter Three #2
He was working himself to exhaustion, and while it was tempting to say something about it and ask him to slow down, it wasn’t Rowan’s place.
Thomas was young, but he was an adult and old enough to know what he was doing.
More than that, he and Rowan weren’t friends.
Technically, they were nothing more than coworkers right now.
Rowan was touched that Thomas had trusted him with his secret, but he realized it had happened mostly because he’d stumbled onto it.
He was pretty sure that Thomas would never have told him what he was doing if that hadn’t been the case.
“Hey, I need that,” Thomas said as he bumped into Rowan’s side. He was reaching for something on the shelf, and Rowan barely had time to move. Thomas was leaning against him, pressing their bodies together.
It was enough to shock Rowan. He didn’t think he’d imagined it when he’d realized that Thomas was keeping a distance between them.
He wasn’t sure why or what had changed, although maybe the fact that Rowan knew about Thomas’s studies and was helping him meant that Thomas had decided he could trust him.
He seemed more comfortable with him, at the very least.
Rowan still stepped aside to give Thomas more space.
Thomas smiled at him, grabbed whatever he’d been reaching for, and turned away.
Rowan watched him move, telling himself not to be a weirdo.
They were at work, and they were barely friends.
He wasn’t about to spook Thomas by having a weird reaction to his vicinity.
He was pleased, though. He hadn’t expected Thomas to relax so quickly around him. He wanted them to be friends, but he’d felt like it wouldn’t be possible before. Now, he wasn’t so sure. With Thomas more relaxed around him, Rowan believed he had a chance.
“You know, our job is to clean up before and after the examination,” Thomas said lightly.
Rowan blinked. He was pretty sure Thomas was teasing him. “Are you saying I’m not doing my job?”
“Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.”
Rowan laughed. “Fine. You’re not wrong. I was daydreaming.”
Thomas quirked a brow. “A good daydream, I hope.”
“Just thinking. What do you need me to do?”
Thomas had been at this for a lot longer than Rowan, and he didn’t hesitate to give Rowan pointers on what to do. Thankfully, they’d cleaned the room well after it had last been used, and the fox was on the examination table just ten minutes later.
Rowan and Thomas hovered around, even though they weren’t needed for this part.
Thomas had explained that he liked to do that in case the animals reacted badly.
Not all the vets wanted their help, but a few were always grateful.
Dr. Reeves had mentioned that she didn’t want to sedate the fox if she could avoid it, so having Rowan and Thomas there meant that if the fox reacted to what she was doing, they could help her control it.
It might be wounded, but it was still a wild animal. It could still bite.
The fox reminded Rowan of Thomas more than the rabbit had. The rabbit had been cowering and not fighting back, but that wasn’t what Thomas did. Thomas was strong. He might not think that he was, but Rowan could see it.
Thankfully, the examination didn’t take too long.
The fox did try to bite Dr. Reeves, but Rowan and Thomas subdued it without using sedation, and it settled down after Dr. Reeves gave it painkillers.
It was still snappy and scared, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t change until they were done and could put it back in its cage.
“The break is clean,” Dr. Reeves declared. “It should heal without too many problems.”
“Will we be able to release the fox into the wild once it has?” Rowan asked.
“That’s the goal. Most of the time, we don’t want to keep the animals here. They shouldn’t be kept here. If they can be returned to the wild, it’s the preference.”
“Most of them do,” Thomas commented. “Hopefully, this fox will heal quickly.”
Rowan couldn’t help but think about Finley.
The dog didn’t feel like he belonged in the sanctuary.
He wasn’t a wild animal. He should probably have been transferred to a shelter, but it was clear that everyone, including Thomas, was attached to him.
It made Rowan wonder why Thomas didn’t want to adopt him.
Rowan had no idea where Thomas lived, though, or if he had the space, time, and mental capacity to take care of a big dog.
He’d thought about taking Finley in himself, but he lived in an apartment.
It wouldn’t be possible. He was pretty sure no one was going to get Finley out of the sanctuary, but it didn’t feel right to have the dog live here once he was healthy.
Once the fox was back in its kennel with its leg set, Dr. Reeves disappeared into the office, leaving Rowan and Thomas behind to clean.
It was one of their duties, and Rowan didn’t mind.
It was a quiet part of his day. He loved working with the animals, but he didn’t mind having a few minutes to relax his mind, either.
He didn’t have to be careful when he was cleaning. He didn’t have to think.
But he couldn’t avoid thinking about Thomas.
The man was right there, working next to him.
He was in his element, moving easily and quickly, clearly knowing what he was doing.
It was a stark contrast with the way he behaved when they were studying and when Rowan had found out what he was doing.
It made Rowan even more curious about the circumstances around Thomas’s life and the fact that he didn’t have his high school diploma.
It was clear it was a sore spot for him, but Rowan wasn’t sure if Thomas would answer his questions.
He wasn’t going to ask them. Rowan wasn’t about to put their fragile friendship in jeopardy just because he was nosy.
He was glad Thomas seemed to trust him more now.
That was what he’d wanted. He hoped that eventually, they’d call each other friends, but even if they never did, he was happy to be a person that Thomas could trust. He couldn’t be sure, but he felt like maybe Thomas didn’t have many people like that in his life.
He’d mentioned his family and not telling them that he was studying, so maybe Rowan was wrong, but he couldn’t help but wonder why Thomas couldn’t tell them.
Would they judge him for it? They had to know he didn’t have his high school diploma.
“Are you daydreaming again?” Thomas suddenly asked.
Rowan blinked at him. He’d been caught, hadn’t he? “Busted.”
Thomas shook his head, smiling. “You’re very distracted today.”
Rowan couldn’t tell Thomas that he was distracted because of him. It wasn’t his fault, and he didn’t want to fluster Thomas. He needed to get his head on straight and focus on the work he was being paid to do. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Usually, it’s me, though. I’m not used to having to ask someone else to focus.”
“At least you have a good excuse. I don’t.”
Thomas shrugged. “Everyone can be a little distracted sometimes. You don’t need a reason to be.”
“Maybe not, but we have work to do.”
Thomas’s smile widened. “Maybe you should start working, then.”
He was right, and Rowan set out to do just that. He needed to stop obsessing over Thomas. It wouldn’t do him any good. He and Thomas were friendly, and for now, that was all that mattered and all it could be.
But maybe that could change. Maybe that would change.
* * * *
THOMAS WAS ALWAYS SURPRISED by how patient and encouraging Rowan could be.
He wasn’t sure why. When they’d first met, he’d expected Rowan to be brusque and focused on his job, and he was, at least most of the time.
He’d been especially distracted lately, and Thomas couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with him.
He looked across the diner table. Once again, they were surrounded by books and notebooks, as well as two cups of coffee.
Rowan was tapping the pen he was holding on the table, going over the math quiz Thomas had just done.
Thomas wasn’t sure how Rowan could understand the stuff enough to be able to correct Thomas’s work, but that was probably why Thomas didn’t have his high school diploma.
He really hoped he’d never have to use this kind of math again once he was done.
It bored him as much as it made him anxious, which was saying something.
“It’s pretty good,” Rowan eventually said.
“Is that a roundabout way to tell me that it’s not a disaster?”
Rowan grinned. He looked almost boyish like that, which made Thomas wonder how old he was. He was definitely older than Thomas’s nineteen years, but Thomas couldn’t pinpoint how much. He didn’t think that Rowan was older than twenty-five, though, if even that.
Which made what he’d done more impressive.
He hadn’t just left his family home. He’d left his pack and his entire life behind to start again here in Mayport.
It couldn’t have been easy, and Thomas imagined that it still wasn’t.
He remembered what it was like to be a newcomer.
Most people had been welcoming, so that wasn’t a problem.
No, the problem was that everything was new.
When Thomas had arrived in Mayport, he’d felt out of place and like he didn’t belong.
He’d been afraid to talk to people because he didn’t want to bother them.
He’d tried to make himself invisible so that they wouldn’t remember he was there and possibly kick him out of the pack, but that had become impossible to do after Theo started dating the alpha.