Talk To Me

18. Down and dirty

It had been a fortnight since Wale had shown her face at the office. She'd taken some time off, what with all the drama swirling around in her life, and she needed to focus on winning Cherry back. He'd been reluctant at first, no surprise there, but eventually, he'd agreed to meet Wale a few times. Of course, Wale had followed him to Swalha's place, knowing full well that Swalha would likely slap her again. Honestly, the woman had a powerful backhand, but that wasn't enough to deter Wale. She went anyway.

Fortunately, Cherry had been alone, getting ready to dash off to Kind's flat. He seemed in quite the hurry, so Wale had tagged along, mainly because when she'd woken up that morning, Kind had already vanished without so much as a note. Typical of him to do so.

At Kind's place, Wale and Cherry had talked for hours, mostly about their future. Midnight had approached, and still, no sign of Kind. Cherry had eventually shooed Wale away, promising to meet her again, and naturally, she'd complied, despite feeling rather smug.

Driving to work that morning, Wale felt positively buoyant. Kind hadn't picked up her calls for two weeks, but surely that was just him being his usual stubborn self. She was convinced he was working behind the scenes to patch things up between her and Cherry, given how cooperative Cherry been lately. Any day now, he'd come running back into her arms, and everything would be as it should, as it were before.

Her mood soared even higher when she spotted Kind at his desk. Ah, the prodigal friend returns! Wale told herself to respect Kind's space, just for a bit. She wouldn't push too hard for after all, Kind wasn't one to hold a grudge for long, and sure enough, when Kind greeted her, Wale felt reassured. The past was in the past. Even so, he couldn't resist the urge to bother him a little seeking his attention.

"I've missed you, K. Why've you been avoiding me again? You don't answer my calls either."

Kind, always the professional, shot her a warning glance. "Tell that to Cherry, please. You and I are not dating, and we're at work. Try to remember that I don't owe you an explanation of how I live my life."

But Wale, of course, ignored the warning. "Thanks for working your magic behind the scenes, K," she said, that irritatingly self-satisfied smile spreading across her face. "Cherry and I have been meeting quite a lot these past two weeks, and I think it's all thanks to you. He's coming back, I can feel it."

What on earth was this idiot on about? Kind blinked, incredulous. He hadn't seen Cherry in over a week. The last time they spoke, he'd politely kicked her out of his flat. Sure, he'd felt guilty afterward, but there was no changing that now. After all, she hated him anyway. "I haven't spoken to her for two weeks, Wale. If she's coming back to you, it's all her decision. Stop giving me credit for things I've got nothing to do with."

Wale waved it off as though Kind hadn't spoken at all. "You're so modest. You never take the credit you deserve. Anyway, I need a favour, just one last thing. After work, could you come with me to my parents' house? I've been renovating it since you abandoned me for three months with that lover of yours. I've managed without you, believe it or not." The smugness in her voice was unmistakable.

"No," Kind replied bluntly. "I've got plans." He stood and walked off towards Human Resources, leaving Wale sitting there, grinning like a cat who'd got the cream. She watched Kind's retreating figure, and suddenly remembered the bite mark she'd given him that night. Ah, if only she'd had the nerve to tease him about it while he was awake. She could have so much fun with that, but not now, better not. Things were complicated enough already. Besides, Kind wasn't some random fling. They had history, and history made everything messy.

Cherry had told her to keep her distance from Kind, and that was the deal if he was going to give their relationship another shot, but how could she? She needed Kind. He was like a brother to her, no, more than a brother. He was definitely family, the only one who'd dragged her out of the darkness when they were kids. She wanted to protect Kind, to keep him safe from the world. Part of her even fantasised about locking Kind away somewhere only she could find him. Madness, of course. Kind would fight back, and he fought dirty. Wale rubbed her cheek, remembering the time Kind had landed a right hook on him during one of their childhood scuffles with no care that she was a girl. Yes, best to avoid that.

When Kind returned to his desk, Wale was still lost in thought. He ignored her entirely, packing up his things.

Wale blinked at the nonchalance from her friend. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I handed in my resignation when I came back," Kind replied matter-of-factly. "I'm surprised you didn't know, considering you've always got your nose in my business." With that, he finished packing and walked out, offering Wale nothing more than a quick farewell.

Wale froze, her entire body going cold. Resignation? No, that couldn't be right. She'd thought the bite mark would work, thought it would remind Kind that he belonged to her, not that blasted Todo. Panic rising, she shot off towards HR. She was ready to do whatever it took to block Kind's resignation, consequences be damned.

"You can't just barge in here demanding things like that," the HR head said icily. "Remember your code of conduct."

But Wale was past caring about codes of conduct. Her desperation was palpable. If Kind's resignation went through, there would be nothing to hold them together. "Get the CEO on the phone," she snapped. "If this isn't sorted out, I'll have to consider selling my shares."

Wale didn't like to pull rank, but she was desperate. Her family owned a significant chunk of the company, and while she hated using that as leverage, she wasn't above it today. A phone call interrupted her thoughts, and she smiled wickedly as she answered. "Get your people to listen to me, or I'll sell the lot. And when the company tanks, you can explain to the board the reason why."

She hung up and strode to the lift, determined to find Kind before it was too late. Luckily, there wasn't much traffic, and within minutes, she was at Kind's apartment complex. As she pulled into the car park, she spotted a familiar figure, Todo, of course, holding hands with Kind. They looked around guiltily before sharing a quick kiss. Wale's blood boiled, and before she could stop herself, she slammed her hand on the horn, startling the pair of them. They darted off like frightened rabbits, still holding hands. That stung to the core even more.

Fuming, Wale grabbed her phone and called Swalha. "We need to talk," she growled.

"What's this about?" Swalha asked, sensing her foul mood.

Wale didn't mince words. "I know you know Kind's secret, that he's been in love with me since high school. Can we meet, or do I have to storm into his flat and join him and Todo in whatever they're getting up to right now?"