The Rise of the White Lotus

Nico sighed, massaged his temples as she got it wrong… well, maybe. But that wasn't an influence of Ethan Lu, more like Lexi. Nico was an observant person, hence, he would notice Lexi's disappointment in simple things.

If Ethan was more of the bold person who expressed his love through grand dates, gifts, and sweet -- almost cringy -- words, Lexi on the other hand was the opposite of him. Still, both have the same silent understanding with each other's expression and gesture. That means to say, they were attentive to each other's feelings.

Thus, Nico often observed Andrea. Alas, she's very neutral. Not a bad thing, but it made him feel if she even cared for him. She's like a robot that was fine with anything and everything. Nico didn't know if he was doing things correctly or not because she wasn't saying anything.

Just like tonight, she didn't even bulge when he told her he had to cancel their plans because he needed to take Lexi home. That meant to say, he wouldn't just cancel their dinner plans, but she would go home alone! Sure, she understood, but wasn't that natural to be disappointed even in the slightest?

"Forget about what I said. I'll go, see you tomorrow." Frustrated and hopeless, Nico waved his hand weakly as he began taking strides towards the door. He should forget he even mentioned it -- it's petty, indeed.

"Nico," He halted upon hearing her voice call out to him. Slowly, he turned and faced her, his hand on the door handle.

Just as he did, he saw her walking towards him, closer and closer until she stopped three steps away from him. Andrea pursed her lips on a thin line, taking another step forward. One, two, three… she didn't stop as her arms snuck in the space between his arms and body. This was the first time she initiated an act of intimacy, causing Nico to freeze.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, resting the side of her head on his chest as she linked her hands behind him. "I know it's not your fault for canceling our date and you have a duty to fulfill, so I didn't want you to worry about me. Also, I'm forever grateful to Madam Yang, if not for her, I wouldn't meet you and I'd probably still be working as an escort." Soft yet audible, Andrea explained and paused as she loosened her grip and looked up to him.

"So, aside from Master Lu, I can only feel rest assured of her safety if you're with her. If you're asking why I am not disappointed, you're wrong; I am. It's been a busy week and I've been looking forward to it." She stared straight to his eyes, offering a gentle and loving smile as her hand played with the tip of his hair.

"But, just like how patient and understanding you were with me, I want to understand that your real job is to protect your friend -- that's also your boss. I don't want to hinder our jobs because of petty issues… and you never made me feel insecure so I can't ask for more." Her words struck him hard, rendering him speechless by the softness of her tone and the loving gleam in her eyes.

"I love you, Nico. I'm forever grateful that you accepted me despite all my flaws, for accepting my son Alain, and for juggling your time between us and your work. I can't ask for more." With that being said, Andrea tiptoed as she slowly inched her lips closer to him. Within a second, her soft lips touched his, smooching it barely before she drew away with a smile.

"I'll wait for you, okay?" Her eyes squinted as a wide smile formed on her lips. For her, Nico had done more than what she had done for him. Therefore, she wanted to understand that they were not kids anymore and she would wait for him no matter how late it was.

Although they were not living in the same apartment, they live in the same building. Their dinner plans might've been cancelled, but that didn't mean they should leave it like that, right? They could just watch a movie at home; enjoy it with a glass of wine and snacks.

It was not the end of the world. There were many ways if the initial plan didn't go smoothly. The reason Andrea wasn't that upset.

Nico stared at her sweet smile and sighed. He realized how petty he was and how his judgment clouded. Their relationship was different compared to Ethan and Lexi. The four of them were completely different individuals and so were their ways of expressing their love.

How could Nico even compare his relationship with Andy with them? How could he even think like that?

"I'm sorry…" He murmured, his stiff shoulders lowered as another sigh slipped past his lips. "I shouldn…" Just as he was about to reflect on his childish actions, Andrea shushed her by placing a finger in front of his lips.

"It's fine. I sometimes curse at you in my mind." She humored, indirectly telling him it was normal between couples to have such whims.

"Haha," He chuckled, shaking his head sideways. "I love you, Andy." After a long inhale and a heavy exhale, Nico uttered as he looked at her straight in the eye and spoke these genuine words for the first time.

Upon hearing him say those words, her heart melted as she had been waiting for him to say that. "I love you too…" Slowly, Andrea closed her eyes and he leaned down, anticipating his lips on hers. 

However, even before their lips collided, Nico's phone vibrated. Since there was no extra space between them, Andrea felt the vibration too so she opened her eyes. "It must be Lyrick." She muttered, chuckling as Nico ground his teeth, prepared to break a few bones of the single dog Lyrick's.

Annoyed by the interruption of the mood, Nico answered the phone without checking who it was. "What?!"

"Uhh… are you driving Madam home now?" From the other end of the line, Jarred Guo inquired. 

Nico was already too annoyed to bother and analyze so he answered with an irritated "No!"

"God… good." As if a thorn was plucked out from his throat, Jarred sighed. "Cancel the plan. Just stay there for a moment -- we'll be there shortly." Jarred Guo ordered which now caught the attention of Nico as his brows furrowed.

"What happened?"

"Uhh… Master is being picked up by a chopper. Anyway, gotta go." With that being said, the line was cut short. Nico and Andrea looked at each other, baffled at what Ethan Lu was doing?! 

"Madam Yang will kill him." Andrea commented softly, shaking her head because for sure, Ethan had done something out of the line that caused him this much trouble. He must have had his life on the line that's why he was off to skip the traffic jam by using the chopper.

"Let's not worry about him." Nico shrugged his shoulder and meekly smiled. "We can continue our date. Let's buy some for Alain." He proposed, causing her to smile. Nico could not be bothered by Ethan Lu's fate as he had escaped Lexi's wrath numerous times. Perhaps, he's a masochist and he love the washboard that much so he kept inciting anger from the queen.