"Tadashi, did you hear what he said?"

Tadashi inhaled sharply as he was pulled from his thoughts and he looked up at his aunt.

"I'm sorry, I was just...I...No, I didn't" Tadashi stuttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hiro was asking you if you're alright." she reinstated.

"Hm?" Tadashi hummed, looking over at his younger brother who was looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Hiro said to him.

Tadashi chuckled a little at that.

"No, no, I just...am thinking is all." he mused aloud.

"Hey, I know you're really working hard to get your company off the ground, but you need to relax. That vacation didn't do you much good, did it?" Cass said to him.

He looked over at her.

"Wha? No, it's not that." Tadashi shook his head, "It's...it's something else."

"Well...did you want to...did you want to talk about it?" Hiro asked.

Tadashi looked over at him and then smiled as he let out a breath. He reached out and touched his hand gently.

"Perhaps later, Hiro. But thank you for the concern. I'm grateful that you care."

Hiro nodded his head and bit his lower lip. Cass also noticed that something was bothering him, but decided not to push it for the time being.

"So tell us more about your Portland trip!" Cass said in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

Tadashi looked over at her and then at Hiro and then smiled.

"Well..." he began.

The rest of the dinner conversation was upbeat and happy as he shared his stories about what he did in Portland. After dinner, the three went their separate ways to unwind the rest of the night. Hiro went to be a little early. Tadashi's mind was still racing. He was thinking so much about the blonde girl he had spoken to earlier. Both about her as well as their pending date. It was giving him a lot of anxiety. Finally, around midnight, he decided that he needed to go for a short walk and get some fresh air to clear his head. As he left his room, he noticed that Cass was washing dishes and humming to herself. He bit his lower lip as he contemplated asking her and decided that he would. He cleared his throat, making her turn and look at him and smiling before returning to what she was doing.

"Hey, Tadashi. You're up late." she said.

"Yeah..." he said.

"What's up?" she asked.

He sucked in a breath and then let it out.

"Aunt Cass, do you have a few minutes?" Tadashi asked.

"For what?" she hummed as she placed another dish on the rack.

"I want to talk. About what's been bugging me all day today." he admitted to her, "I need...some guidance."

Cass turned around and looked at him.

"Yes of course, sweetheart. I'd be delighted to talk and help any way I can. Could you give me a few minutes and let me finish the dishes first?" she said.

"Yeah, of course." he said, "Did you need any help?"

"I'm just about done, but thank you. I'll be just a couple more minutes." she smiled as she turned around to finish up what she was doing.

"Alright. No rush." he said.

He turned around and walked over to the table, sitting down and pulling his phone out as he waited for Cass to finish up what she was doing. A few minutes later when she was finished, she rolled her shoulders and neck.

"Alright Tadashi, what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she wiped the excess water off of the counter with the sponge.

Tadashi looked up at her, putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Actually, it's really nice outside. Could we walk and talk?" he asked, "The fresh air might help."

Cass looked over at him as she set the sponge down and wiped her hands off on her apron.

"Sure, of course." she nodded.

He stood up as she pulled off her apron and tossed it haphazardly on the countertop. The two made their way downstairs and outside, locking the door behind them and then began their walk down the street in the cool, crisp, clear night. Initially, Tadashi said nothing, just keeping his head forward. After a few minutes, Cass looked up at him and then cleared her throat.

"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Yeah, I just...am trying to find the right way to word it."

"Is it about your startup?" she asked.

Tadashi chuckled and shook his head.

"Actually, no, it's not. It has nothing to do with it at all, honestly." he told her as he rubbed the back of his head and turned to look at her.

"Well then what is it?" she asked, "Spit it out, boy!"

Tadashi chuckled again as he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair before letting his hand fall to his side, facing forward.

"Well...basically...I need help with...uh..."

"Yes?" Cass prodded.

She studied him as he continued to struggle to find the right words to describe his situation. Or maybe it was that he was too embarrased to tell her what it was. Suddenly, Cass inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with both hands, making Tadashi turn and look at her as she looked at him incredulously.

"Oh my god…!" she said.

"What?"

"Did you get a girl pregnant?!" she asked.

Tadashi nearly recoiled, surprised and blindsided by the comment.

"What? No!"

"I always knew you were such a good-looking boy and girls would be all over you but for you to do something like that! I need a donut..." she rambled aloud as she ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at the ends.

"Aunt Cass, I didn't get a girl pregnant!" Tadashi exclaimed.

"Oh?" she said as she let her hands fall back to her sides, "Well then what the heck is bothering you, Tadashi? The suspense is killing me!"

"I...I asked a girl out and she said 'yes' and I don't know what to do." he finally admitted to her.

"Eh...?"

Cass stopped, mouth agape and slightly bent over as she stared at Tadashi incredulously. He stopped and turned and looked at her.

"What?"

"Did you just say you asked a girl out and she said 'yes'?" Cass clarified.

Tadashi's eyes shifted side to side before looking back at her and slowly nodding his head.

"Ye...yes…?" he said, unsure if she was upset.

Cass stared at him blank-face for a few moments longer, making Tadashi gulp in nervousness before she suddenly adopted a mischievous look on her face.

"You little scoundrel, I knew it was a girl problem!" she said before she suddenly jumped up and wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled his head down and into her bosom and holding him in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

Tadashi grumbled a little as she noogied him. He tried to push her away but she was holding on tight.

"Ow! Aunt Cass!" he whined.

"You wanna ask me about girls, huh?" Cass said to him.

"Ow! Yes! Ow!"

She kept it up for a couple seconds longer before letting him go, smirking as he straightened himself out and tried to fix his now-messy hair.

"So ask away, Tiger." Cass smirked, "I'll give you everything I've got."

After Tadashi finished fixing his hair, he looked at her, a little surprised.

"You mean...you're not upset?"

Cass laughed at that.

"Of course I'm not!" she said, "I don't have experience with dating women to speak of but being one myself, I'll answer any questions you may have so long as I have an answer to give."

Tadashi chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his head.

"Wow, hah, I have to admit...uh...I thought you might disapprove." he admitted to her.

"Well now I didn't say I was happy about it." she corrected, "Only that I'd help since you asked."

"Oh..." he said.

Cass laughed again and punched his shoulder playfully.

"Relax, hun. I'm here to help!"

Tadashi laughed nervously as he rubbed his arm where she hit him.

"Now, what do you want to ask me?" she asked.

He sucked in a breath and let it out, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know. Everything, I guess." he said, "Honestly, I'm surprised she even said yes. I literally went up to her and said she was beautiful then invited her to grab some Mediterranean food and she accepted."

"Wow, you did that?! I'm impressed! That's bold as hell!" she said.

"Well...I mean...yeah." he mused, "But I did it because I was like 'this girl's way out of my league so I have nothing to lose'."

"That's why it worked, sweetheart!" Cass told him, "Girls love that stuff because it never happens unless it's in a bar or something like that but then it becomes sleazy as hell. But doing it in...wait, where was this?"

"Erm...at a coffee shop." he mumbled, not wanting to tell her it was actually at theirs.

"Wow! See? That's impressive! That pretty much never happens in places like that and the few times it does, it's usually like...I don't know...'pick-up-y'? I don't know if that's the right word but I think you know what I mean." she told him, "Basically, it's like some pick-up guy trying to score or even more rare, a nervous, stuttering wreck who couldn't talk to women if his life depended on it. Both quite undesirable for being approached by."

Tadashi nodded his head.

"That's great. I'm proud of you, ya little rascal." she said as she nudged him.

He chuckled nervously as he turned away.

"So? What else?" she asked.

"I don't know, I just...I'm still shocked she said yes and gave me her number." he admitted, "I mean I said 'let's go grab lunch' and then walked away but she called me back and said 'how do I contact you' and I was like 'I trust you'll remember'."

"What kind of response is that?!" Cass said, bewildered.

"Well I mean, I said that because I was already in a state of panic that she said 'yes' and was just trying to play it cool." he chuckled.

"Or is it because you were getting cold feet and wanted to give yourself an easy out?" Cass prodded.

Tadashi sighed and nodded his head, "Yeah, that too."

Cass shook her head, "Tsk tsk. So then what?"

"Well, then she was like 'just take my number' and gave it to me and I was like 'oh, well, I need to go now. I'll text you later so you know my number'." he said next.

"So did you text her?"

Tadashi shook his head.

"What?! Why not? She gave you her number willingly!" she exclaimed.

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulder.

"I don't know. I didn't want to look needy, you know?"

"Tadashi, if you play that game, then she'll play it too!" she scolded, "Don't play the 3-day wait game. Only amateurs and losers play that game."

Tadashi laughed a little at that.

"No, I'm serious. If you play the game, she'll play too. That's how it works. We women are starved for men who are men and act like men." she told him, "And by you being bold like that, you embodied that masculine spirit and edge that we women are so starved for. But by doing the whole 'I don't wanna look needy so I'll wait and not text her back' then you're destroying yourself and setting yourself back a hundred-fold. There's nothing needy about texting her back, especially if you said you would!"

Tadashi swallowed a lump in his throat as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Text her now!" she urged.

"What, you mean like, now?" he said, "Like, now now?"

"Yes! Right now! Get your phone out and text her right now!"

"It's kinda late, Aunt Cass..." Tadashi said.

"Ah!" she interrupted, "No excuses! That's just a lame excuse!"

Tadashi gave her a 'what the hell' look.

"It's like, past midnight!"

"Tadashi!" Cass exclaimed as she stamped her foot.

"Okay, okay!" Tadashi conceded.

He sucked in a breath and then pulled his phone out. He unlocked it and then opened up the messaging app and then paused, looking over at Cass.

"What do I say?" he asked her.

"Well, an apology for taking so long is a good start." she said.

"Well I mean, like...okay." he said, shaking his head as he began to type his message.

"Sweetie, what you say isn't really that important. The only important thing is that you do say something."

He just nodded his head as he continued to type away. After he was (somewhat) satisfied with what he had written, he hesitated to send it. That didn't escape Cass' gaze.

"You done?" she asked.

"Well...yeah." he said.

"Okay, so send it."

"I will."

She watched him as he continued to hesitate sending it.

"Well?"

"Don't rush me, Aunt Cass!" he said.

"Send the message, Tadashi." she said to him, "I know you're holding back."

Tadashi sucked in a breath long and slow and let it out even slower.

"Send it!"

The instant she said that, his hit the send button and then took in another breath and let it out, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

"Alright, there. Happy?" he said.

"Yes."

"Okay, now what?" he asked next, turning to her.

"You've done your part, sweetie. Now the ball is in her court."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

He sucked in a breath and let it out. A bout of silence befell the two as they continued their walk, enjoying the crisp night air. Tadashi finally broke the silence.

"So let's say I hear back from her and we end up going out. What do I say then?"

"Why are you worried about that? You haven't gotten to that point." she responded simply.

"Well I know that, but I'm just saying like, what if it does get to that point?"

"Then you cross that bridge when you come to it."

"Yeah, but..." Tadashi started.

Cass raised her hand to interrupt him.

"Don't think so much about something that may or may not happen. It'll kill your spirits and make everything feel fake." she told him, "And if it gets to that point and you two end up going out, then say whatever feels natural in the moment."

Tadashi slowly nodded his head, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"What you have to understand, sweetheart, is that women want to be caught up in something greater than themselves." she told him, "We all have our jobs or classes or whatever that we're tired of and want to get away from just as much as the next person. I can guarantee you this girl is the same way; she's tired of the mundane life that she lives of going to school or work and paying her bills or whatever and she probably wants a man who will make her forget about that and make her the centre of an adventurous love story. That's why she responded so well to your boldness."

"I see..." he mused.

"Look, Tadashi. Let me let you in on a little secret on us women." she said, "Listen carefully, because most men don't understand this concept. And maybe you won't understand initially either but hearing it might make something click in your head."

"Alright." he said.

"Through a woman's life runs two...ribbons, let's call them." she started.

Tadashi nodded, "Okay."

She held her hands out on each side.

"On one hand, you have the ribbon of security." she said, clenching her right hand, "This represents her with her hair up, dressed up all business-like and going in to work and having the roof over her head and car and being prim and proper all of that kind of stuff and the kind of man representative of that."

She then clenched her left fist.

"And in this hand, is the ribbon of adventure." she said, "This represents her with her hair down and running in the field of flowers and being free and having that mischievous spirit of wanting to be chased, bent over and spanked a little and the man representative of that."

Tadashi nearly choked when he heard her say the last part but Cass remained serious.

"These are both beautiful ribbons to hold onto and both are necessary in a woman's life. But the problem is that she either has one ribbon or the other, and she needs both." Cass explained, "Most men are either one or the other. They're either great providers but poor lovers or great lovers but poor providers...and a woman wants and needs both a great provider AND lover."

"I...I see."

"But here's the thing; it's not hard to be both. Because being a 'good provider' doesn't mean being a millionaire. It just means that you're on top of your finances and are good with what you have and you live within your means." she told him, making a balancing motion with her hands, "And being a 'good lover' doesn't really mean being a Casanova, it just means that you're attentive and fully present when you're with her. Pay no mind to the modern expectation of millionaire provider or Casanova-like lover. It's superfluous and unnecessary."

Cass took a breath and recollected her thoughts. Tadashi remained silent as he watched her, waiting for more wisdom from her.

"You know, I think the best way to put it is this; men have lost the knowledge, ability and desire to seduce. They're too afraid to do it because they don't want to be looked at as a 'creep' or 'rapist' or whatever and I get it, but it's wrong." she said, "Seduction has become something of a dirty word but it's not, it's a very beautiful one. It's just that it's been muddied and the meaning has been lost and twisted out of context to mean something that it's not."

She then looked over at him.

"But, let me be clear. I'm not just blaming men; we women have our own work to do and are just as guilty. Please don't get the idea that I'm saying that 'it's men's fault'. That's not what I'm saying at all."

Tadashi nodded his head.

"I understand."

Cass went quiet again as she raked through her brain. She inhaled and opened her mouth and was going to say something but then closed it as she tried to find a good way to word it.

"You know, I think it was Woody Allen that said that '80% of success is just showing up'. There's so much truth in that, it's shocking." Cass mused aloud, "Women don't care if you're nervous, because they're nervous too. They're in their heads thinking 'oh, I shouldn't have eaten that garlic today' or 'I don't feel fresh down there' and 'I hope he doesn't come too close because he's really cute'. So they go 'yes', 'no', 'mmhmm', 'uh-huh' and then you think you're not engaging her on an emotional level or you're not funny enough. So the nervousness is not bad, what's bad is not showing up. Not saying 'you know what, yeah I'm nervous, but here I am at least'."

"But what about, you know, if she gives a bad response?" he asked

"You know what, I'll tell you. Like I said, women have their own work to do. There's a lot of manipulative, insecure, bitchy women just like there are a lot of manipulative, insecure bitchy men. And so you're going to run into it and that's the way it goes." Cass told him, "But the way I see it is; why go where you're energy's blocked? It's like riding a bicycle with the brakes on. If she gives you bad attitude, then move on."

"Mmkay." Tadashi nodded slowly.

"I guess if I could give you just one piece of advice for your date, it's 'ease and delight'." she said.

"Ease and delight." he repeated.

"Yeah, you know?" Cass nodded, "Just keep it nice and light and don't get heavy. Women don't like heavy."

"Okay, I think I understand what you mean."

They turned the corner and headed down the street back to their house.

"But anyway...yeah...I guess that's the best I can leave you with." she said, "I hope I didn't give you information overload."

Tadashi shook his head, "No, no. It was great. Thank you so much."

"Of course, dear. Any time." she said, "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to ask me."

He nodded his head. They then arrived back at their house, unlocking the door and then heading inside. Cass yawned and stretched out as they walked in and closed and locked the door behind them.

"Well, anyways, I'm going to head to sleep. Good night, Tadashi." Cass said.

"Alright, good night Aunt Cass. Thank you again for the talk. I feel a lot better now."

"Any time." she said as she held out her arms.

Tadashi smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and the two embraced. She then let him go and then stepped back.

"Alright, good night." she said before heading off to her room.

Tadashi let out a breath and then headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He reflected on what she had said to them; it was a lot of deep information that he didn't quite fully understand, but he looked forward to finding out. His shower lasted a little longer than he wanted since he was in such deep thought. He headed to his room and plopped onto the bed. He plugged in his phone to charge and then brought the blankets over him. He stared into the ceiling as he felt sleep begin to wash over him. He inhaled and then exhaled before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep.

"Ease and delight..."