Todo had been very much involved in making sure Wale was found. It was already a week but they had not made any progress finding him. Wale had always been good at hide and seek, but then, they were not children anymore. Where could he have gone to? From Todo's sources, Wale never left the country and that meant he was within.
Growing up, Wale often went alone and hid at his parents house whenever frightened. His escapades made uncle Frank frantic. They'd look for him together. Kind thought many times how alone Wale must feel. When his parents passed away, none of his relatives were willing to take him in despite knowing his predicament. Each of them would return him back to uncle Frank the moment they discovered they had to take care of him with no access to his parents money, even if he was to surpass eighteen years of age, he would still not be allowed to directly acquire his parents assets. It must have been lonely having no one therefore, when Wale disappeared the last time, he had been found sleeping at his parents grave. Uncle Frank took him back to the hotel and requested Kind's parents if Kind could take some time off from school to spend time with Wale.
For a long time, Wale had had nightmares, but those days had been among the worst. He would scream in his sleep calling for help. When he awoke, he had begged Kind not to go away. For weeks, Wale didn't utter a word therefore Kind made a pact to stay with him forever as long as he started talking again. Wale didn't trust easy however, after sometime of being together, his nightmares stopped and he was back to his normal self. Sharing those vulnerable moments brought them together, the pact sealing the deal. That was when Kind started becoming protective of his best friend.
Wale stood out in school. He never wanted to mingle with anyone. He'd shy away when girls approached him too and the more he avoided people, the more he was rendered an outcast. Kind was active in sports, he enjoyed it very much. Besides, if he was feared, then no one would attack Wale. And so, his plan worked. He'd become popular but not feared, so popular everybody liked him. However, since he spent most of his time with Wale, everyone eventually befriended him too. Soon enough, Wale was accustomed to people around him. Girls were curious to know him more and would often ask if he had a girlfriend. It gave Kind a bittersweet feeling.
When Kind turned sixteen, his parents held a celebration for him and of course Wale was present. He was happy with all his presents and gave some of them to Wale. They'd shared his room together, opening each present one by one. There was one particular gift that grabbed both of their attention. A pink envelope; in it was a love letter. Wale opened it and read it out loud with such emotion. It was a love confession addressed to Kind. It had been written with deep feelings, a letter full of promises of love, a future, an in-depth description of wanting to belong to him. It may have been a joke to Wale but to Kind, he felt a blood rush all over his body. He remembered looking at Wale smiling, depicting a girl in love, a part of him wanted to make him stop reading the letter yet another part of him wanted him to go on.
Earlier that semester, he'd liked another boy in his sports team but found out he had a girlfriend. He was willing to confess if given a chance yet, little did he know society may not accept his feelings or consider him normal. The older he grew the more silent he became of expressing himself. Maybe if he told Wale of his insecurities he might judge him too.
Overtime, it hit him he'd been paying more attention to Wale that even while asleep, he'd dream of him too. Wale would creep into his room in the middle of the night and crawl in his bed whenever he was having nightmares. He'd pay attention to his breathing, his heartbeat and whenever Wale would fidget in his sleep, he'd hug him closer and whisper in his ear, 'it's okay, go back to sleep.' Wale would calm down afterwards. It wasn't long before Kind kept going back the memory of Wale reading the letter in the pink envelope, wondering , if Wale had been the one who had written that letter, maybe... just maybe he'd accept and go out with him.
Soon after, Wale grew so tall and became the center of attention once more. Kind felt he couldn't compare to the many beautiful girls that wanted to date Wale. He thought it wise to give him space. Puberty had not been kind to him with large pimples popping on his face with every waking day. Wale constantly made fun of him for it. By the time they were graduating, he was about the same height with Wale and his acne had started clearing up. Wale had always been flawless it made him jealous, but he loved him for it. Soon enough they were in collage, his acne gone at last. He'd admire himself, concluding he looked better than before his breakout. He'd taken care of himself, worked out nonstop so Wale could notice him but he never did. Wale had other things in mind like hooking him up with every girl he found pretty, and that's when Swalha and Cherry came in.
A gentle tap on Kind's temple startled him. Todo had been trying to get his attention for sometime but he'd been distracted. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought." Todo looked at Kind then bent for a kiss. "It appears there is new information. Wale got in touch with my team and warned he'd like to be left alone, that the search to stop and he was willing to come back, but under one condition." Todo took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. "He asks that you join him in his hidden location."
Kind was watching Todo closely struggle to remain calm. He must really love him if he was willing to disclose the location of his competitor. Standing up from his seat, he embraced Todo and said, "thank you for this Todo, but he is no longer my burden to carry. We should meet Swalha together with Cherry and let them know he has been found."
"Except I fear we haven't found him yet. The reason I haven't updated you for a while is because Wale has been careful to only use public transportation so we can not track his car, he transacts with cash instead of card and his phone is untraceable. Additionally, he seems to have people protecting him. According to my sources, Wale didn't directly contact them, someone else did. His name was Frank. He was the one who asked after you on behalf of Wale." Kind could tell by how Todo spoke, he was extremely fatigued, but then from what he said, Frank might know Wale's whereabouts. Why hadn't he thought of his uncle before? Wale had always kept in touch with him. "You should get some rest Todo, it has been an endless week and you've done a lot you needn't do." Ending their embrace, Kind walked to the kitchen and suggested they eat something. Todo had been up all night following news of the search, he hadn't been eating and sleeping well. "You worry too much about me and that warms my heart." Todo came from behind and put his arms around Kind's waist, pulling him close. "Do not bother yourself with that. I ate something while you slept. Besides, I need to make an impromptu trip unrelated to the matter at hand. It will take a day or two however upon my return, I promise to get proper rest."
Kind put his hands above Todo's, resting his head on his lovers chest. They stood in the kitchen neither of them saying a word to each other. Todo couldn't help but worry about Kind. He pretended he didn't care though if that had been true, then he wouldn't be tossing and turning in his sleep. Kind was after all the one who had kept him awake every night. It was best he end this matter as soon as possible.
In about an hour, someone came to pick Todo. Everything had been prepared for him so they headed straight for the airport. On his way, Todo wondered about the future of his relationship. Kind had just started being more and more affectionate towards him then this had to happen, unsettling everything and he blamed Wale for it. Soon, he'd confront him, one man to another and end this. He couldn't imagine a life without Kind now that his feelings for him ran deep, but he had to make this trip for his own sanity too, even if it meant doing it behind Kind's back.
Just as they were about to take off, he reached for his phone to make a call. It rang for a long time before someone finally picked up. "I'll be landing in half an hour therefore I hope you can keep your promise to meet me. Let us end this today."