Love and Debt

They had dinner with her family and Andrew's father. Although from the beginning they hated each other, things were getting really good between them now.

Her mom held her hand and smiled at her when Andrew went outside the restaurant with his father.

"Nina, are you sure you're okay?" She asked in a gentle voice.

She looked at her mother's face and she knew she was worried. They said she looks like her mother. Now that she's staring at her face, she could see the resemblance. Her mom was a little older though but still beautiful.

She has hazelnut eyes just like her. She could see dark circles around them and some lines on her cheeks.

She smiled at her and nodded.

"I'm okay, mom. Andrew is a good guy." She whispered.

"How can you say that? He took our shop!" Naomi exclaimed.

She turned to her then to her parents.

"You know the reason why he needed to do it. We all knew it would happen eventually. Even if Andrew's family didn't get the shop from us, another company would. They're not the only people who were trying to get the place." 

It's true. A lot of companies were trying to buy the shop but they were so proud of themselves that they never sold it to anyone.

"You're saying that now? Are you falling in love with him?" Naomi asked while looking directly into her eyes.

Before she was able to answer, she saw Andrew enter the restaurant then walked towards them.

She was looking at him as he got closer to them. She didn't realize how long she was staring at Andrew but she heard her sisters giggling.

"What?" She asked when she turned her eyes on them.

They didn't answer and just giggled with each other.

When Andrew reached the table, he sat beside her and held her hand. She was startled. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt nervous when he touched her and her heart was beating so fast.

Andrew frowned when he felt her tensed. He looked at her, confused.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She couldn't say a word so she just nodded. Her sisters giggled again. They stopped when she glared at them.

She ignored what she felt, took a deep breath then turned her attention to her parents.

"Dad, did you find a new place?" She asked.

"Not yet. We were still discussing where to find a good place to stay. We wanted a peaceful place where we could start a new shop with a reasonable price. We don't need an expensive one." Her dad answered.

"How about you stay in my house?" Andrew suddenly suggested.

She looked at him, surprised. His house? Was that the one where he took her yesterday? She asked inwardly.

"I lived there alone with the staff but since we were going to stay at Queen's, the house would be empty. Not really empty since the helpers lived there but it would be great if your family would stay there and take care of the house." He continued.

"A-Andrew, I-I" She stuttered. She couldn't find the right words to say.

Her heart was beating so loud and it was so fast that she couldn't talk clearly. Why did she suddenly feel like this towards him? Was it because she already gave herself to him? No, she doesn't think so.

She was startled again and almost let out a soft moan when she felt Andrew's hand brushed her cheek.

"Hey, they're your family. Since we're going to get married, they're my family now. I know you would be worried if we left them like that so I think it's a good idea if they will stay in my house. It is also yours anyway." He casually said.

She bit her lips but couldn't say a word again so she nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled. How about you move tomorrow? I will tell the helpers to prepare everything for you. Then I will ask my driver to pick you up in the morning."

On the way back to Queen's, Nina was still quiet. Andrew was holding her hand and didn't let her go. He couldn't understand why she suddenly tensed and he could feel her nervousness every time he touched her.

He felt something slightly piercing his heart. Why did she become like that all of a sudden? They were okay earlier and he could see that she was happy when he surprised her with her family. He wanted to impress her so he asked her family to be there when he proposed to her.

He thought everything's okay. He was sure she had a great time but what happened? He really couldn't understand her mood swings most of the time.

They were quiet on the way home. He wasn't saying anything. She couldn't open up a conversation. She was starting to get confused and she was scared. 

When they arrived at Queen's, she didn't say a word and just went inside the house directly to their bedroom.

Andrew frowned. He wondered what had happened to her.

"What's her problem? She just passed by me. She didn't even look at me." Alora asked.

"I honestly don't know. We were fine but she suddenly became quiet on the way here. Are all girls like that? I mean, you're basically hard to read and you switch different personalities but she doesn't have an illness like yours right?" He asked, confused.

He scratched his head when Alora glared at him.

"Talk to her. Maybe something's bothering her. You started as enemies, now you are a couple. It was sudden so maybe she needed to adjust. Andrew, she's different from the girls you dated. I hate to say this but you know she grew up in a different environment unlike us, right?" Alora said.

He nodded and left her to follow Nina to their bedroom.

She was standing in front of the mirror trying to reach the back of her dress to unzip it. He wanted to laugh because she was struggling but her back looked so sexy.

He walked towards her and touched her shoulders so he could help her. But he was surprised when she was startled and suddenly walked away from him. She turned around and looked at him. His face was a mixture of disappointment and confusion.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked with a frown face.