[Tom was slightly slack jawed not from the asexual part but because Dende does show an interest in a girl here and that was certainly something to work with.]

No, that's good! Hey, if anything, it'll make you closer friends. Lovers come later. That means that you're showing something that's pretty indicative toward wanting to learn more about this whole thing. So who's the girl?

[He thinks: I should've learned that from my dad when he told me about it the first damn time.]