Toadette's Story

Chapter 61 - Bond Restoration

“She’s worried about you burning down the kitchen when she’s about as dangerous when left on her own.” I pushed Minh T. out the way and looked into the kitchen. “What in the…?”

Breathing heavily, my mom didn’t take any sudden steps. There was so much syrup on the floor that you could taste the maple. On the counter was also fresh cornbread. Cornbread, syrup, all of that checked out; she never lost her love for that meal, huh? Well, what the hell happened to cause this kitchen to get all syrupy?

And smoky, let’s not ignore that. When Penelope stepped up, I pushed her to the ground. All the heat seemed to come from the microwave.

Minh T. took a peek. “Oh my gosh, Miss T. Ana, did you—”

“I think I set the microwave to 20 minutes instead of two.” She set down a faded photo, sighing. “I’m going to scream in the next ten seconds, so brace yourselves.”

As she let out a shrill yell, I ducked and clenched my teeth. I felt a shiver. Once I was certain she was mumbling every dirty word in the book under her breath, I went forward.

“I take it you’re gonna want this place cleaned.”

“Please.” She constantly blew on her soles, using paper towels to scrub the scorching syrup off of them. But the sheets would just break off every time she dragged them. “Fucking shit!”

“Might wanna calm yourself,” I said with a smirk. “Don’t want Her Highness’ daughter here getting a dirty mouth too, would you?”

“I know how to use and not use words.” Penelope groaned as I patted her head.

“You’ll slip up someday.”

“DT, what’s with that face!?” Mommy screamed.

“I’m just… How didn’t you see all this smoke above your head when you were in the…?”

Screaming, she yanked her hair out. Then with paper towels clinging to the bottoms of her feet, she stomped all the way to the bathroom.

I blinked twice. “Yep, that’s the her I know.”

We three Toads and this out-of-place human were assigned to cleaning duty. Minh T. got to soaking up all of the leaked syrup from the tile. Indeed, her feet got pretty sweet. But we both knew she wasn’t dumb enough to walk on the carpet with sticky soles. Penelope scrubbed the walls and appliances, noting how she’d never felt so much like a commoner before now. While those two handled much of the syrup, DT worked on airing out this toxic smoke. It wasn’t ideal, but he opened the balcony doors and let the smoke leak into the rainy outdoors.

Me? I had my feet kicked up on the couch and made sure everything was going smoothly.

At the same time, I had Penelope give me that picture that Mommy was looking at. Twenty minutes went by with me staring at every detail of it. Damn, I couldn’t remember exactly when this was, but I was younger in it. It was just me and her in the photo, smiling.

The school never questioned why I had an eyepatch for this picture. Pretty irresponsible, looking back. Ah! This was third grade, after Minh T. thought I kissed a boy and went around telling everybody.

I wish I knew what the correct emotion to feel was. Nostalgia or anger, or could I combine them?

“I still remember that.”

I sat up. “You were how many years old? What do you…” Then I remembered the other unfortunate thing DT recalled.

He grabbed the photo and held it up to the light. “You know, I never knew why she always took things out on you.”

“When you’re a boy, life gives you excuses to act a certain way. When you’re a girl, just having a boyfriend is a shortcut to making your parent a murderer.”

“Well, least you didn’t have to worry about that.”

I sighed. “If there’s one thing you can take solace in, it’s that you’ll always be her favourite.”

“TT, I don’t…”

“May I finish?” I placed a finger on his lips. “It’s not even something I can be mad about anymore. You’re the only child she’s had for this past bit. Be happy.”

DT’s eyes stayed on the photo. “I’m going to sound lame for asking this, but did you hate me?”

I struggled to gulp.

“Another lie on its way?”

“I hated her.” I hugged him so tightly that it forced a small tear out of my eye. “I know I said I hated you a lot back then. But it was just all the attention she gave you. You were her everything, while I was just the unnecessary one she’d rather not have had. I never stopped loving you, and there’s still no timeline in which I don’t wanna have a brother.”

The more I talked, the more I could feel DT shaking.

“I mean, Minh T. was always jealous that I had a brother and she didn’t.” I rubbed his cap. “I don’t think she wanted just any random old brother, though.”

While I didn’t hear him cry, he was still clinging to me even after I’d let him go. And when I saw his face, it was clear we both had some lumps in our throats. The way he spoke was heavier.

“What happens from here? I mean, I know you’re gonna leave us again. You have to.”

I rubbed my feet together. “We got phones. You can call me. I’ll try to visit every few months. Look, I know you want me around, but this was always gonna happen. If I didn’t have my whole situation, the only difference is that I would’ve lived here until you turned about 18.”

“Still would’ve meant more time together.”

The longer he didn’t move, the more I knew he needed more of an embrace. I rushed over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then wrapped him in my arms.

It was like soothing him when he was a little kid. I didn’t care how wet my shoulder got or how snotty my chest got.

“Toadette, do you want to help?” Minh T. paused before entering the living room.

“One second,” I mouthed, continuing the hug. And when DT willingly let me go, nodded and went to his room, I joined the girls in cleaning up the kitchen. Penelope took note of the speed with which I was scrubbing the counters.

“Don’t break your arm, Miss Toadette.”

“I’m fine,” I softly said, with a small smile. “Things are getting better for me.”

As the evening wore on, the rain refused to let up. I still picked at my piece of cornbread, eating it slowly as I continued to look at the old photos. I thought I would have stopped at the one album the girl had pulled out, but now I was going through them all. Penelope seemed forever stunned by how red my hair was back then.

“It’s natural, but you look like a little demon child.”

“I could’ve been your best friend,” I chuckled before looking down. “Considering some of the things I did back then, that’s a pretty apt description.”

“Ew!” Penelope pointed at a pic of me and Minh T. sitting on an air mattress. Specifically, she pointed at my feet, which were covered in all sorts of black stuff. “I can literally smell this picture. Shouldn’t she be the one with dirtier feet?”

I shrugged. “You’d be surprised. When wearing closed-toed stuff, she actually wore socks way more than I did. Didn’t want blisters. This pic was from when she stayed at my old house and after we were playing outside. So that black stuff right there is just raw shoe filth from my sneakers.”

“That I wanted to lick up so badly.” Minh T. poked me. “Hey, I know you’re reminiscing, but you gotta come back someday, Toadette.”

“Never left,” I said, finally putting the cornbread in my mouth. “How’s he doing?”

“I mean, he ain’t the happiest, but it’s not like he’s gonna keep you here by any means necessary.”

“That’s good.”

She lowered her tone. “And if you didn’t come here, he’d still be blaming himself for your ‘death’.” Smiling, she pulled me out of the chair. “You can’t undo everything, Toadette, but you can certainly make things better.”

“What are you doing?”

“Good news is that your mother is not badly burnt, although her feet are pretty sore. Ain’t surprised, that’s the type of crap that happens when you’re standing in molten syrup.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I offered to rub her feet, and you know how much I’d love that.” She stepped closer, whispering. “But I really think you oughta do it.”

I mockingly laughed. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy with smarts.”

“Minh T., I’ve done a lot of ridiculous stuff since I’ve been in this city, but if you think I’m gonna do something as ass-backward as rubbing my mom’s feet... Have you forgotten who she is?”

“No. But just like your bond with Dane T., this is one you need to at least try working on.”

“Why?”

Her eyebrows dropped. “Because your little stunt messed her up just as much. I’m not even forcing you here. Say the word, and I’ll go in and help her out. I’m just saying, if I were you, I’d at least want to get some closure on this before going home.”

Damn her and her truthful words… I couldn’t stand how many times Minh T. was right on this trip.

I sighed. “After that reveal, I don’t feel comfortable being alone with her for long.”

“I’ll be there with you.”

“Penelope!” I looked back at the table. “I want you to… Are you eating my cornbread?”

She dropped the fork. “Better me than Miss Minh T.”

“Seriously, what is with you guys today?” she groaned.

My mom was the last person who deserved this kind of treatment, especially from me. But if I was going to do it, the least I could do was put some effort into it. Better to be seen as someone who was trying to fix things than as a girl who didn’t care.

It wasn’t like it took much. All I needed was some oil, which Minh T. gave me from the bathroom. Baby oil, but it worked for massages.

Alright. Deep breaths, Toadette.

I let Penelope open the door to my mom’s room and, determined not to look like a mess, walked in with a straight face. It wasn’t easy, especially with the strong smell filling my nostrils. Clearly the scent of her bedroom had followed us from the last house. Yep, that smell of permanent incense.

She was lying in her queen-sized bed, her invisible eyes penetrating me. The longer she looked, the more the voice in the back of my head screamed, “Abort mission!”

The footsteps of the other two could be heard behind me, and as one of them closed the door, I lifted the bottle of oil.

“I hate…” I bit my lip. “Make this easy for me.”

“TT, I don’t need a…”

“You don’t deserve a massage.” I just had to slip one insult in. “But DT’s in his room, the kid here’s not a pro, and if Minh T. does it, it’s never gonna end.”

I marched to the foot of her bed and lifted the covers.

Right away, I jumped back. Having red soles was normal, especially for a sweat-producing Toad like myself. But my mom’s feet looked like they had been sunburnt on the beach. The warm light bulbs didn’t draw out any shine on her feet, so there was no sweating. In fact, when I touched her right foot, she let out a shrill yelp.

But I maintained my grip. “Best get comfortable. Same goes for you two.”

“Huh?” Penelope cocked her head. “I thought you wanted us to help?”

“By holding a bottle for me?” I looked at Minh T. “If you’d like your feet rubbed, get in the bed.”

I couldn’t tell which girl got off her ass faster. Minh T. bumped my mom on the left, and Penelope jumped on the right. Giggling, they wriggled under the sheets while my mom’s jaw remained slack.

“Your daughter should at the very least be decent about this, ma’am,” Penelope said, curling her toes.

“I love the super generous Toadette.” Minh T. lifted her left foot, trying to hide the blush on her face. “And would you look at this? I don’t have those dreaded dirty feet today.”

The only bad news for my mother was that she would have to buy a new bottle of oil after this. I waited for her to wipe that dumbfounded look off her face, but eventually I had to get started. Obviously her feet were sensitive to the touch, so it would be better if I chose one of the other girls.

“Since someone is… Which one of you wants to go first?”

“You can start with me.” Minh T. licked her lips. “Treat me as a warm-up, I don’t mind.”

As if I didn’t already have enough practice with her in her sleep…

As room-temperature baby oil soaked my hands, I wiggled my fingers. Then, fighting the urge to blush, I grabbed Minh T.’s foot. Yep, it was already plenty doughy, but I could knead it until it was as soft as possible. But the first thing I did was rub the soles of her feet with my palms, just to soak them in the oil. As they began to shine, they immediately gave the impression that they were sweaty. Mmm…

Fuck. No blushing! No horny! Fucking foot fetish!

The best way to calm myself was to not even think about her feet. I could concentrate on other things, like imagining paint drying on the wall. Of course, that would only work until one of them needed me to react, but it was a solution of sorts.

Whereas my eyes were on Minh T.’s foot, her eyes were locked onto my face. It really was like she was trying to catch my poker face slip. Now, as I squeezed the sides of her foot, she started to let out moan after moan. It wasn’t like she was leaning back or anything. She was leaning forward, really enjoying every detail of this massage. And when I finally pressed my thumbs into her arch, I could feel the shiver travel from her foot to her spine.

“Someone’s passionate,” she squealed with a sigh. “Yeah, squeeze harder…”

“Careful what you wish for,” I warned. Whether she could tell or not, the tension in my arms meant I could easily squeeze her foot to the point where she felt pain. So far it had been a slow, cautious squeeze. The more pressure I applied, the wider her smile became.

Penelope wiggled her toes in anticipation. Kids and their impatience, I swear… But my mom, well, at least she finally closed her mouth. There was still a look of confusion on her face, though; I could tell by the way her lips were slanted.

One of us was going to say something. Either she would, as usual, or it would be me.

Minh T. threw her head back and cooed. Wow, she really liked the pressure I was applying. All I did was move my thumbs up and down the middle of her feet, nothing complicated. Yet that was all it took to make her react like that.

The only thing that would be better would be if I sucked on her toes. If only I could…

“Don’t get too crazy now.” She pulled her feet back slightly. “I appreciate all this pressure, but too much and your fingers are gonna get tired quick.”

I nodded. And so I turned to Penelope, whose feet were sore with excitement.

“When was the last time I got a good rubbing from you?” Penelope scratched her head. “Was it in that creepy forest?”

Minh T. yawned. “Wasn’t that long ago, but probably feels like an eternity in royal time, huh?”

What I did to Minh T., I largely did to Penelope. Although, as I tried to squeeze her foot hard, I learnt that her resistance was less than Minh T.’s. With a small apology, I continued the massage at a slower and softer pace.

Her feet were as soft as ever in my hands. No smell, no dirt, nothing to take away from them. After holding so many larger adult or teenage feet in my hands, something was refreshing about giving an innocent massage to a slightly innocent child.

“Appreciate the feet you have while you’re young,” I said with a chuckle. “Soon they’ll get all wrinkled, and it can even hit you in your teens.”

“You know, I thought about that, but is it really that bad?” She let out a giggle as I scratched between her toes. “Mother naturally has slightly wrinklier feet at her age, but I haven’t heard you say anything negative about the actual look of them.”

“Wrinkles are normal. It’s just that less is usually better.”

Just as I said that, Penelope crinkled her toes several times. I took the opportunity to run my finger up her wrinkled soles, drawing a good laugh from her. As much as wrinkles aged feet, I couldn’t deny that they made me smile inside. Just the way the texture changed, like running my finger through a series of valleys…

Penelope stared intently at her feet. “I wonder if my feet will be like Mother’s when I’m older.”

“Maybe, Penny,” Minh T. said. “Mira, with parents, you get one or the other. I have my father’s feet, all wide and plumpy instead of thin. And Toadette…”

Even though she maintained that smile, I saw her smack headfirst into that mental block. Hell, I couldn’t have helped her. I didn’t even know what my father looked like to fully understand the traits I had borrowed from him. All the features I inherited from my mother were obvious. The originally red hair, the sharper chin… Maybe I got my longer feet from her, but for all I knew, the bum whose dick I shot out of had freakishly long toes that he used as fingers.

It’d be nice if a certain somebody would weigh in on this.

No. Why let my attitude continue to be so sour? All I had to do was finish massaging Penelope’s feet, treat the witch’s, then wash my hands and be done with her for the night. The more I let my anger at her bubble, the rougher I became with Penelope’s feet. If I ever felt her feet jump, which happened four times, it meant I wasn’t being as gentle as I should’ve been.

“Considering what I smelt in the back of that car, I think stinky feet run in your mom’s blood,” Penelope said, looking at my mom. “No offence, ma’am, but you guys really need to wash your feet.”

For nine minutes I gave Penelope’s feet a special treatment. Now it was time to deal with my mother’s.

Immediately making me nervous was the sheer size of my mom’s feet. They weren’t as big as Peach’s, and Daisy’s might have been a little bigger. But they were still larger than most feet I’d been dealing with. I guess when you deal with average-sized feet for a while, both bigger and smaller feet leave you in a state of shock.

She needed more oil than the others. Being careful not to spill too much on the actual sheets, I squirted the substance directly on her feet. It started at her toes and was just about to drip from the balls of her feet. And that’s when I stopped the oil with my palms, beginning to spread it up and down her feet.

If I were a little girl again, this would be the part where she’d kick me in the face and tell me how much of a pathetic daughter I was.

But now that I was bigger, perhaps she realised that I wasn’t going to let any of that fly. It’d explain her quietness.

As for the size of her feet, it meant that my hands were exhausted after only two minutes. The thickness meant that I’d have to apply more pressure, and at this point, I had worked my fingers to the bone.

“You shouldn’t be panting like that, Toadette.” Minh T. snapped her fingers. “I can tell it’s your hands. Take a break, there’s no rush.”

And give that bitch the chance to call me a weakling again? Absolutely not. All I had to do was improvise.

Slurp!

Both the lick and the sound that followed had everyone staring at me.

The oil exacerbated whatever disgusting taste my mother’s feet had, but did it look like I gave a damn? I went in for a second lick, all the way from her fat heel to her cruel toes. My hands may have been out of commission, but my mouth certainly wasn’t. And after having so many feet in my mouth, what was two more?

“What the actual fuck are you doing, TT?”

“Don’t talk!” I forced her toes into my mouth. “Just shut up and watch.”

I sucked on her toes aggressively, my brows furrowed as I looked at her. What had been a neutral expression on her face was now one of absolute terror. And I couldn’t have been happier.

Although I couldn’t ignore how bizarre this must have seemed to Penelope and Minh T. The former was simply dazed, and Minh T.’s face was red. Red with arousal and probably embarrassment. If they wanted to have their toes sucked as well, all they had to do was ask. But their feet had already been rubbed to the point where they’d just be a couple of greedy mice.

My mom’s feet would have tasted like burnt feet even without the oil. Not the dirtiest I’d ever tasted, far from it. But they were noticeably harder on the part that forms the footprint. You know, every part except for the arch and the areas under the toes. It was like she had calluses.

I was just waiting for them to taste like waffles, considering all the syrup her feet soaked in.

As I nibbled on the ball of her right foot, I decided to take a quick whiff. Just to see what it smelt like. All I could detect was a hint of oatmeal-scented soap, which was a relief compared to the thought of it smelling worse than my own feet.

I’d soaked most of her right foot with my spit in about three minutes. I now nibbled at the heel, sometimes gently, sometimes roughly. Anything to provoke some kind of further reaction from her.

But there still wasn’t one.

If that didn’t make her jump, then I knew what would. Smirking, I slid my tongue between the toes of her left foot.

“Oh!”

And now that my mouth had given my hands a chance to rest, I could use them to rub her right foot while I wet up the left. I squeezed her heel between my palms, applied as much pressure to the ball as I could, and even put my fingers between her toes.

“What is she doing?” No matter how low she kept her voice, I still heard it.

“Your daughter, not mine.” Minh T. leaned back against the pillows. “I have no earthly idea what she’s doing.”

I tried to put all five of her toes in my mouth, but it was another reminder of how I had my work cut out for me when it came to larger feet. Penelope’s smaller feet could fit in my mouth with no problem, but these things? Yeesh. The three middle toes alone were enough to choke me. But even if I didn’t suck on them all at once, they were soaked to the point where I’d just be showing off. Heh, not that there was anything wrong with wanting to flex my muscles once in a while.

With how little saliva remained in my mouth, it was time to pull back.

I stood and made my voice loud and clear. “This sort of thing is one of the many reasons I still work for Her Highness. And she has no plans of replacing me because I’m just that damn good at what I do.”

I’d wait all night for her response if I had to. Until I got it, my feet would not move from this spot.

“You don’t have to prove things I already know about you.”

What? How the hell was I supposed to respond to that? She didn’t know this about me.

She looked at Minh T. and Penelope. “Please give us some space. Thanks.”

Great, make the atmosphere heavier… As soon as the door closed, I knew it was just me and her. My feet were still planted in that one spot, looking at her drenched and wrinkled feet.

“You can sit, TT.”

“I’m fine right here.”

Her prolonged silence finally brought me to the side of the bed. But I didn’t go under the sheets or do anything to make myself comfortable. I just say with my legs crossed and my fists clenched.

“First things first. I can only tell you that I’m not happy with the way I treated you so many times before it’s redundant. I know I’m sorry, you know that too. It’s just up to you whether you accept it or not.”

“Still up for consideration.”

She came closer. “When I say I knew this about you, I’m not talking about…whatever the hell you just did here. Just that I know you’re not as dumb as I made you feel growing up.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“What?”

I lowered my head. “Every time you belittled me, saying I was worthless and destined to be some skank on the side of the road selling one-star blowies—it was all projection of the highest order.

“I wasn’t the smartest Toad, but you treated me as if I had special needs. I feel sick even saying that considering even the mothers of those kids treated them better. Only special thing I needed was for you to care about me.” I paused, taking a breath to avoid losing control. “I don’t know if you were jealous that I had a better upbringing than you did, or if you were afraid I’d end up like you. Single, poor, with two kids and unable to hold down a single job.”

“All of that can be true. I mean, you were a better mother to your brother than I was.”

I raised a brow. “Was I? He was the only one you actually tried to raise.”

“Yeah, I treated him way better than I treated you. But even after having him, I was still getting fired left and right, partying every other night… Meanwhile, you were the one teaching him how to walk, talk, use the bathroom, do simple math. TT, you even breastfed him when you were nine years old and we didn’t have drinks. You did everything that I wasn’t.” She glanced up at me. “Plus, I wasn’t completely unaware of some of the things you and Minh T. were up to.

“Hmm?”

“That time Minh T. got stuck in that quicksand in one of those caves at Koopa Troopa Beach, and you were the only one there to save her that day.”

“You know about that?”

“It was pouring that day, and both of you were in that phase where you wanted every day to be an adventure. And I know this because, apart from this whole mess with you running away, you know damn well that she can’t lie for shit.”

I chuckled. “Well, I told her not to go deeper without me. She was lucky I was there or things would’ve gotten really bad. I’m kinda shocked you didn’t tear me up when we got back.”

“You were twelve. And I was already focused on doing better by that point. It just didn’t go into fruition until, well…”

“I get it.”

Before she could make a move, I bit my lip and hugged her. It was quick, about two awkward seconds, but it made her smile wide. And her look of shock this time around came with a blush.

“I’m never going to forget my childhood, and I don’t know if I’ll feel completely comfortable around you again.” I slowly stroked her legs. “But if you’re really sorry for everything, I’d… I’d be a moron to not give you another chance. Mommy.”

Smooch!

Right next to my lips was a hot mark. And once again she smothered me with a hug so tight that I could barely breathe. At least this time I could let out a giggle.

***

“You don’t know how much stress you have lifted from my shoulders now, Toadette.”

“I feel like even more of a dumbass, though.”

“You shouldn’t.”

I shook my head. “I’m gonna feel like one forever. And it’s thanks to you.”

“Wait a sec, what’d I do?”

“Give me useful advice that I gave the middle finger towards for so long.”

The apartment building’s basement might have been stuffy, and I hated having to swat at the mosquitoes, but it was nice to have some greater privacy with my best friend. We simply sat across from the elevators, legs extended and shoulders together.

“Hey, better late than never.” Minh T. began pushing her feet closer to mine.

“But you know… I’m still happy I didn’t listen until this trip.” I completed the action, making our soles engage in a slow kiss. “If I hadn’t been in my position of homelessness, I wouldn’t have tried going to the castle when I did, meaning these past two-ish months wouldn’t have ever happened. And quite frankly, I feel more alive than I would’ve living in Mushroom City.”

She covered her cheeks. “Are you… Are you happy you know about my…?”

I curled my big toe on the top of her foot, slowly nodding.

“I… I…” I bit my lip. “I don’t have this fetish, but the longer I’ve been around you, the more and more I see the positive sides of…feet.”

She burst out laughing, playfully slapping me. “Glad I could introduce you to the dark side. Now that you’re in, you ain’t getting out, sister. You can either chill on the surface forever, or you’ll discover how deep the rabbit hole really is.

Which path I’d go down, that was still a mystery.

Our chatter quit when the elevator doors opened.

“Okay, I ain’t surprised Minh T.’s down here, but I’m a little shocked you are.”

“Boy, what are you trying to say?”

“You tend to like being nasty. I mean, you know what your feet look like, right?”

“I just don’t care about a little dirt on my feet, that’s all.” Minh T. brushed the minimal dust off her toes. “What’s happening? Come here to join us?”

“You get to have her back in Toad Town. I’d like to have my sister while she’s here, that’s all.” He lifted a game disc. “And that Penelope girl—I didn’t expect her to be an expert on games. But she’s making things pretty dang interesting. You guys wanna join, or…?”

I got up, motioning for Minh T. to do the same. “If it’s got more of that waggle stuff, I’ve already lost. But dang it, I’ll try.”

DT lit up. “Losers get stepped on by me if I win.”

“Y’all can ride the elevator, but as for me, I’m gonna go up all those 24 flights of stairs and get my toes real dusty. And if I win, second-place loser’s gonna suck my right pinkie, third-place loser’s gonna suck the left one, and fourth-place loser’s gotta suck my both my big toes at the same time. How’s that for a bet, Dane T.?” And without wasting time, the girl was already making her way up, her footsteps resonating through the narrow corridor.

DT gulped. “Okay, she’s also somehow good at games, so…”

“Hey, if we lose, we’ll be losers together,” I reassured, hopping into the elevator.

As soon as the door shut, I felt warm spit on my cheek. I giggled so loudly that people on the other floors had to have heard me, meanwhile DT was trying to get me to shush.

“I love you too, DT,” I said, mimicking the baby voice I’d speak to him with. “C’mere!”

“TT! TT! Please!” And as he tried to fight me off him, we both tumbled into the corner, where I pecked him all over his flustered face. “Okay, okay, I love you!”

Much better.