Talk To Me

37. A good man

Todo was in her study, glasses perched at the end of her nose, deep in thought, when Wale strutted in. Todo looked up with a weary sigh. "Need something, Wale?"

"Busy?" Wale asked, looking like she already knew the answer.

Todo shook her head, half-expecting some Kind-related drama, but decided to wait and hear Wale out.

"I just wanted to thank you for all the help finding Kind," Wale said, and before Todo could even blink, she turned on her heel, clearly set to leave.

Todo was left blinking in disbelief. That was it? A "thank you," no frills, and a quick exit? "You are an unbelievable piece of work, Wale. Let me guess, Kind sent you to say that?"

Wale paused mid-step, rolling her eyes. Yes, Kind had indeed sent her, but she turned back to face Todo with a mischievous grin. "Alright, fine, I'll stay. But fair warning, it's still about your favorite topic: Kind."

Todo groaned. "If this isn't about his actual well-being, I suggest you get back to wherever you crawled in from."

"Oh, it is about his well-being, be it mental, physical, and...otherwise," Wale said with a grin, settling back into her chair. "Actually, I came for advice. You know, tips. On how to be a good lover for Kind. I mean, you do have some experience, right?"

Todo's face went blank. Wale's nerve was something to behold. Wale, looking entirely too pleased with herself, continued, "I read a lot about romance while on the island, even practiced, but let's be real, practice books aren't quite like the real deal. Any trade secrets? Techniques?"

Before she could finish, Todo launched her laptop in her direction, narrowly missing Wale's head. "Get. Out."

Dodging the flying device, Wale didn't budge. "I'm serious! Who else would I ask? You're Kind's only ex I actually like!"

Todo realized she was on her feet, fists clenched. She took a deep breath, slumped back into her chair, and spun around to avoid Wale's smug expression. She really should've known Wale was here just to mess with her. The woman only took things seriously when Kind was in danger.

Wale leaned forward, feigning innocence. "Honestly, Todo, I didn't think you were still this rattled about him. I mean, you're a good-looking lady; I figured you'd moved on."

Todo spun back around, glaring. "Please don't mock me in my own house, Wale. I've had about all I can take from you today. You've thanked me, so please, go."

"What about your poor laptop?" Wale pressed. "Happy to replace it, by the way. But seriously, you haven't even given me any tips yet."

Todo took a long, frustrated breath, giving in just to get Wale out of the room. "Fine. A good lover makes a good lover. There, that's all I've got. Now, please leave."

"So...you're saying I should let Kind love me entirely? Well, that's new. Never thought of that before," Wale mused, rubbing her chin as if she'd just uncovered some profound truth. "Being completely romanced by Kind...yeah, we might try that tomorrow."

Todo just watched, glancing down at her poor discarded laptop. What did Kind see in this woman? Todo cleared her throat. "Look, not every woman can be loved entirely. You have to be willing to surrender to a man like Kind. It's...an art, let's say. One that involves choice, trust, and all that good stuff. And this little heart-to-heart we're having? It's over. I'm not your romance coach."

"But we're talking about Kind here! I don't care about anyone else. Maybe there's some path I haven't crossed, some secret fetish of his? He told me a good lover takes care of his partner, so here I am, trying to learn from the best."

Todo couldn't help a small, sly smile at how serious Wale was about this! "I still can't believe he'd choose you to be a lover to," Todo muttered aloud, and Wale's eyes went wide with shock and pride. Realizing what she'd said, Todo looked away. "Stop picturing it, for heaven's sake!"

"Wait, so he was good?" Wale's curiosity couldn't be tamed. "I mean, so you chose him? Someone of your calibre? Submissive? Guess I'm even more impressed with him now that he managed to tame the likes of you. Tell me, what must I do to become like you?"

"Enough! This conversation is over!" Todo slammed her hands on the table, leaning in close. "Is there anything else you need before I lose all self-control?"

Unfazed, Wale leaned in, mimicking Todo's posture. "Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes."

"No one asked you to do that, and by the way, try to keep the volume down. The whole house heard you two during the day. Kind's still recovering, even if he's too stubborn to admit it. A good partner knows when to hold back."

Wale grinned, feeling victorious. As much as she'd come to annoy Todo, she also realized that Todo still genuinely cared for Kind. Maybe she could respect that. "Alright, just one last thing, any tips on how to woo him? You know, to make it official."

Todo snapped. "Get. Out!"