It's A Hoot (mxm)

Chapter 9

He spent the last few minutes of his time unpacking things until he had to leave for work.

The weather had gotten colder, making store traffic slower. Toren sat behind the register reading for the most part, while Pop's was sorting out orders in his office. Landon was in class, so it was quiet on top of it all.

The door bell rang and he looked up to see a man walk in. He looked familiar, but Toren couldn't quite place it. He had a tidy appearance, clean, but free. He was definitely not a country person by his outfit alone. He had "city" written all of his slacks, pristine jacket, and polished shoes. His easy smile made Toren a little wary. It almost felt fake.

"Welcome to Pop's hardware," he greeted when the man just stared at him. "Anything I can help you with?"

This seemed to snap him out of his daze and his smile turned into a triumphant grin. "Hi, yes actually. You're Toren Grettly right? Man it's been a long time, you've gotten thinner, have you lost weight?" He walked towards Toren, who leaned back when there was only the counter between them.

"You are...?"

"You don't remember me? It's Caledon, your cousin, we talked on the phone a few days ago." He opened his arms in a gesture to himself.

The uneasiness Toren had woken up with began to settle in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like the way it made him feel. This was the cousin? He was hoping they'd never run into each other. That, Caledon would just give up and go home. However, he seemed more resourceful than Toren liked.

"Right..." He murmured in response. Their phonecall replayed through his head. The more he thought about it the stranger it seemed. He could only ask, why?

"How are you doing?"

He sighed, "well I'm at work."

"So you're really moving here? This small town? Big downgrade from the city, don't you think?" Caledon leaned against the counter, glancing around the store.

"It's peaceful," he shrugged. Maybe Caledon would just leave after he got what he wanted. If talking was even what he wanted. He was starting to think there was more to it.

Caledon made a face and chuckled, "guess it's charming in it's own way. Get yourself a place here in town?"

"Sort of," he replied. It was beginning to get awkward and normally he could care less, but Caledon was setting his owl on edge. That was hard for an ordinary human to do. He was usually a very laid back person.

"I heard it helps to talk about your struggles. I'm happy to listen, since I, you know, knew your parents. They were pretty cool people. My mom used to tell me stories of how her and Aunt R-"

Toren slammed his palm down on the counter with a strength he didn't know he had. It shuddered from the blow and made Caledon jerk back from him, surprise riddling his features.

Toren grit his teeth and forced out a smile. "Excuse me, I have work to do. Perhaps another time," every word was muttered through his clenched teeth, his jaw ticking in response to the bound up muscles.
Who was Caledon to suddenly walk in there an act like he knew what was best for Toren? Like he knew his parents the way Toren did?

He grabbed the box of items people brought up but never bought, walking away to put them back on the shelves. He struggled to breathe normally, to remain calm.

Caledon didn't say anything, much to his relief. He just stared at Toren's back before he finally left.

He sighed and sagged against the shelves, closing his eyes. He still felt anxious and he now knew why. Caledon. His cousin. He sent this worried yellow flag flashing through his mind. Something was terribly wrong about his presence. What could he possibly want?