Talk To Me

4. The proposal

At long last, Wale found herself alone with Kind. She'd been waiting months for a private moment like this, but the last few weeks had been an endless grind of work and deadlines.

Every attempt she made to catch up with Kind outside of work had been rebuffed, usually accompanied by flimsy excuses that tested her patience.

Wale's plan was working well since she initially had intended to make Kind drunk enough to spend the night as they used to while in university, and seeing that midnight was fast approaching, she didn't bother to notify her best friend of that. While watching Kind yap on about why he'd been preoccupied at work, her mind was more on other things as she reminisced over her childhood memories, her closeness to Kind, and when he'd began keeping secrets from her. A smile escaped her when Kind stood up and began searching for something to eat in the fridge.

Kind had several stages of intoxication. First, he'd begin dancing to any music even if it were only playing in his head. Secondly he'd grow exceedingly quiet as the onset of level three begun when he'd grab anything edible to eat as soon as he'd compensated his silence with a detailed story or two. However, in the recent days, Kind had been keeping his guard up and this new secrecy of his which caused Wale displeasure.

"I had a plan and you are a vital part of it K." Wale said however, her best friend only stared at her without a word, his expression plain and unreadable.

After a brief pause, Kind poured himself another glass of wine, completing his third bottle of the night. "You only use the name K whenever Cherry isn't around."

"It's not a nickname for everyone to hear..."

"I think I'd rather help you deflate that ego of yours, show Cherry and the world that you're not the emotionally stunted girlfriend everyone thinks you are," Kind interrupted, clearly done with pretending. He wanted to get this over with and fulfill his promise to Cherry.

Wale blinked, taken aback. "Are you hinting that I did something to Cherry? Did he say something?"

"When are you two going to tie the knot, dummy?" Kind shot back, his gaze dead serious.

'What? I just wanted to get you drunk and have you confess your feelings but you want to talk about my boyfriend? Marriage?'

"Don't give me that look, Wale. Ten years is a long time to date someone so you two have to make it official and documented. He'll leave you if you keep dragging your feet."

Wale couldn't help but chuckle. She felt more amused than startled by the sudden shift in conversation, and she wasn't about to let Kind steer the night towards Cherry. She had her own agenda. "Actually, I was planning to propose to you tonight. That's why I insisted on this little weekend rendezvous, K."

"Ow shut it! I'm being serious dummy." Kind frowned then gulped the remnants of the wine in his glass, an act that excited Wale further.

"Careful, K. You're a lightweight, remember?"

"Don't even try that with me! If you don't like Cherry, end it already! I'd hate to date you if I was him!"

Wale smirked, delighted at how easy it was to rile her friend up. "If you were him, K, I'd treat you very differently." Her grin widened, enjoying how flustered Kind was becoming. A drunk Kind was always so much easier to play with. 'I know he put you up to this, and I can see how much you're bitting your tongue just to let the words out of your mouth. Be that as it may, if this is the game you've chosen, I'll play along.'

"You're really getting on my nerves. Are you going to marry him or not?" Kind asked, his eyes boring into Wale.

They were sitting close on the couch, something Wale had engineered intentionally, waiting for Kind to reach that telltale quiet stage. Wale leaned in, relieved that Kind, for once, didn't try to shy away. "You always call me annoying when I hit a nerve. And you only call me 'dummy' when you're nervous. So, which is it? Are you going to marry me or should I just go ahead and ask Cherry to take your place?"