Chapter Five #2
They were back in the break room. They spent a lot of time here between jobs, drinking coffee and relaxing.
Working at the sanctuary wasn’t like anything Rowan had experienced before.
There were a lot of small jobs to do, and when an animal came in, a lot of work to do all at the same time before stopping and having to wait to see what happened.
He and Thomas had things to do, but no one would say anything if they took a break before heading out to the kennels to clean.
Hell, Rowan would be surprised if Shane left his office at all.
Apparently, he’d been helping Thomas out here before hiring Rowan, but now that Rowan was here, he didn’t need to anymore.
Rowan wasn’t quite sure what Shane’s job was, and he didn’t care.
He only cared that he could spend time with Thomas, and no one had anything to say about that.
“He was,” Thomas confirmed. “But I’m pretty sure he did it because he thought I was sad or something.”
“Well, weren’t you sad at the thought that Finley was going to be stuck here for longer?”
“Yeah, but Seth suspects that I’m hiding something from him.”
Rowan grinned. “Again, aren’t you?”
Thomas pouted. “You know I’m hiding something from him. I just don’t want to disappoint him.”
Sometimes, it worried Rowan to think that if he hadn’t found out Thomas’s secret, Thomas still wouldn’t have told anyone what he was doing.
It was his business if he didn’t want to, but it was clear that he needed support.
Rowan could provide that now that they were friends and hopefully more, but he should also have the support of his family, and the only reason he didn’t was that he didn’t want to disappoint them. That was a little sad.
Rowan’s family had always supported him. They’d always supported his sister, too. When she’d decided to leave the pack, their parents had given her as much money as they could spare. They’d known she wouldn’t be happy if she stayed, and that was their main priority.
Rowan wished he could convince them to leave the pack, but he knew they never would, and he couldn’t blame them.
They were older, and they’d only known the pack their entire life.
They’d been raised with those traditions and rules, and they didn’t have a reason not to follow them.
They hadn’t had a child at sixteen without being married.
They would never be in a relationship with someone of the same sex or a human.
Life with the pack was probably peaceful for them, and that was what Rowan wanted for them.
But not for himself. He’d wanted to find his own place, and he had, or at least, he thought so. It was still early days, especially with Thomas, but Rowan was hopeful.
“Should I pour you a coffee?” Thomas asked.
Rowan smiled at him. “Please and thank you.”
Thomas’s cheeks flushed, as if he was flustered. Rowan liked making him feel like that. He wanted to see that flush more often. He wanted to see how low it went.
But he was at work, which meant he needed to stop thinking about that.
It was getting harder to keep his hands to himself when they were at the sanctuary, though.
He always wanted to be close to Thomas and to touch him.
He wouldn’t subject anyone to that kind of behavior, though, least of all Thomas.
He deserved to be respected, especially at work.
Rowan slid into one of the empty chairs at the small table and smiled at Thomas when he placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.
They had more kennels to clean, but that was one part of the job that Rowan wasn’t looking forward to.
He wanted to keep everything clean for the animals, but a lot of the time, the poor animals were terrified of them.
They needed to be careful so that they wouldn’t try to escape, lash out, or hurt themselves to get away.
That was why cleaning them was a two-person job.
Rowan had taken care of the kennels he could do on his own, but he was going to need Thomas for the rest.
When Thomas sat down in front of Rowan, Rowan reached out to squeeze his hand. Thomas blinked at him, visibly flustered, and Rowan smiled. That seemed to fluster Thomas even more, and he rolled his eyes.
“Are you flirting again?” he asked.
Rowan grinned. “I don’t know. Am I?” He didn’t seem to be able to stop smiling when he was around Thomas, and he liked that.
When he’d moved, he’d been worried that he wouldn’t be able to make friends or find a partner.
The friends he’d had when he’d lived with the pack had been his childhood friends.
He’d never had to worry about whether or not they would be in his life.
He’d never had to actively work to make friends because they’d known each other since birth.
Rowan had been a bit lonely when he’d first moved, and some days, he still was. He realized that he truly only had Thomas in his life, and that probably wasn’t healthy considering the way the relationship was going. He wanted more people.
He just wasn’t sure how to make friends.
He was friendly with a lot of people. It seemed like they liked him, or at least, they always had a smile for him and remembered him, but he wasn’t sure how to take that to the next step or even if he should.
He was sure that most of these people already had close friends and didn’t need him in their lives, but he wanted to try.
He wanted to settle down in Mayport because he was pretty sure that this place was going to be his home for the rest of his life, or at least, until Thomas left, and that wasn’t something Thomas was considering. His family was here, so why should he?
No. They would stay in Mayport and build a life here. Eventually, Rowan would meet Thomas’s family, and hopefully, he could become friendly with them, too. He wasn’t sure how he’d make friends, but he’d learn.
This was why he’d left his pack, after all. He’d wanted a fuller life, and to learn how to live it.
He was.
* * * *
“I HAVE GOOD NEWS,” Rowan declared as he walked into the break room.
Thomas had both his hands wrapped around his cup of coffee. He wasn’t cold, but it felt reassuring and comforting. The mug was warm, and the coffee was warming him up from the inside out. “What news?” he asked because he needed some good news.
Well, the fact that the deer had survived was good news, even though it would be a while before they could release it, if they ever could.
It was doing okay considering how extensive its wounds had been, and something might still happen, but Thomas was hopeful.
The deer would make it, but there was no way to know what that would look like from the other side. Only time would tell.
“I just crossed paths with Doctor Reeves. She said the rabbit is ready to be released.”
Thomas knew what rabbit Rowan was talking about.
It was the one that had arrived during Rowan’s first day, when Thomas had been so wary of him.
He still remembered the way he’d behaved, and he wondered if he should apologize.
He didn’t think Rowan would want him to.
All of that was behind them now, and they were friends.
It was good. Thomas wanted friends. He wanted to be friends with Rowan.
He also wanted to kiss him.
That was a little problematic. Thomas wasn’t sure how to go about it.
He should probably ask one of his siblings, but he already knew how they’d react, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with it.
They were going to coo over the fact that at nineteen, he finally had his first crush, and the thought made him want to cringe.
At the same time, he wanted a chance with Rowan, and he was pretty sure that on his own, he wouldn’t get anything.
“So, I’m not entirely sure how this works,” Rowan said. “I’ve never released an animal before.”
Thomas put down his cup of coffee on the counter. “Well, it’s a good thing that you work with an expert.”
Rowan laughed. “I do, don’t I?”
“I’m an expert in a lot of things.”
Rowan’s voice was softer when he answered this time. “I’m sure you are.”
Thomas told himself not to be flustered. This was a perfectly normal conversation between friends. They were bantering, and it was nice.
He cleared his throat. “Only because I’ve done this several times before. We’re going to take the rabbit to a safe area where we know there aren’t any predators. That way, we’re giving it a fighting chance.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“You were part of the rescue. It’s only fair that you’re part of the release, too.”
Rowan’s smile illuminated the room. There was no other way to describe it. Seeing him like this made Thomas want to lean over and kiss him, so instead of doing something stupid, he picked up his coffee again. “But first, I need to finish this.”
Rowan laughed again. “You do that. I’ll go get everything ready.”
“You don’t even know what you have to get ready,” Thomas pointed out. “We can do it together.”
That was what they did. Thomas drank his coffee as quickly as possible without burning his mouth, and by the time he was done and they left the break room, Rowan was bouncing on his toes.
He was excited, and Thomas understood why.
After what had happened with the deer and the fact that it would take a while for it to get better, they needed something good.
Releasing the rabbit would be very good.
It was always a relief when they were able to do something like that, and Thomas was glad he could give it to Rowan.
Rowan was good at his job, but this kind of work could take its toll on people.
Thomas would know. He’d been at it a while.