"Xenia."
"Andrew, oh my god, what are you doing here?" Xenia's eyes gleamed in surprise. She had talked about him a while back with Niki, and here he was, Andrew Woo, her first love.
"My brother couldn't make it to the meeting, so I'm standing in for him."
"You mean Intech?"
"Yeah."
"Wait, Intech isㅡ."
"It's my family's company in Korea."
Xenia saw the file but didn't pay intention to the names, which were typical for Koreans.
Gregory, Wendon, and the other team members sealing the contract watched the warm-hearted reunion in stupefaction.
"You look beautiful," Andrew took Xenia's hands and stretched them out a little to look at her. The compliment was sincere; the mile-long grin on Andrew's face attested it.
"I thought Koreans didn't enter in physical contact with people easily," Gregory said, eyebrows almost crossing arms in protest. They hadn't even started the meeting that Gregory already saw the Korean heir as an intruder on his territory.
"Maybe they were more than friends once," Jaila said, amused to see Gregory jealous. It was rare, but Jaila found it healthy; she was always in the front row to witness Gregory's indifference in relationships.
The man's reaction was a clear sign of intense affection, and it pleased the woman to see Gregory's ice castle melt a little.
"Ahem," Wendon cleared his throat, interrupting Andrew's flash courting session.
"I've got to go, Xenia. It was good seeing you."
"For me too, goodbye Andrew.
It was all he could say; Andrew couldn't start spilling out everything there. The businessman never thought he would see Xenia again, and now that he had all the souvenirs of their youth floated to the surface. The memories were sweet and fluffy, making the man nostalgic as he entered the meeting room.
After the signing, Andrew went to the toilet. The meeting was long. The man holding in his urge was happy to relieve himself.
Andrew heard footsteps; Gregory stood in the urinal next to him.
The two men peeped silently, but each of them threw a stare at the other organ.
Andrew grinned slyly while Gregory quickly packed luggage and went to wash his hands.
"Why can't some myths and legends be true," Gregory mumbled as he to went to wash his hands.
Andrews's anatomy wasn't precisely what the English gentleman expected, and it filled the man with a pinch of anxiety as he recalled the images of Xenia and Andrew in Astoria's corridor.
It made him wonder what the Korean businessman represented to Xenia.
XY XX
After a long and strainful day, it was with Xenia Gregory got to relax. He climbed into a hot tub and sat behind her. All one could hear was the swishing of the water and Xenia, who suddenly giggled.
"What's so funny?" Gregory asked while he took the sponge and rubbed her back.
"It's just surreal. I still can't get over the fact that we're here. Three months back, we were at each other's throats."
"I can hear your despair. I mean, you are taking a bath with a constipated prick."
Xenia laughed," you can't let that one go, can you?"
"No one has ever cleansed me with profanities as you did. At least they made sure not to get caught. You washed me out."
"Oops, sorry, then tell me more about you so I can revise my judgment a little bit. Jaila told me you were in the army."
"Xenia, what is this about revisions? Haven't I proven myself worthy of other more glorifying observations? And yes, I was in the army with Jalia."
Xenia laughed, but she didn't let the man distract her from digging for more information about him, "really, you were a major or something?"
"I was a captain, and Jaila was my major."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, mam."
"Wow, how long did you serve?"
"Ten years."
"Why did you leave?"
Gregory added some bubble bath, "family obligations, my father was on his deathbed; he died a few days after I got back to London."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be; my father and I didn't have a great relationship; he was the reason why I enrolled."
"People don't enroll in the army when they go through a rebellious stage. They run away, drink, get in trouble with the law and party,"
"I did all that and more," Gregory said.
"I can't imagine you doing that, Mr. Gregory Carlton. The bad boy image doesn't fit."
"So, in your opinion, what type of guy was I younger?"
"A bookworm with glasses, who wore his sweaters like a cape on his shoulders. The quiet type who blushed for nothing."
It was Gregory's turn to laugh; it amused him to see what portrait Xenia made of him. Not wanting to spoil the nerdy image she had, he avoided telling her about the playboy and jet-setter life he led. And that his cheeks never flushed red unless he was putting a lot of effort into physical activity.
"So now I've given you some information, tell me how you know Andrew Woo?"
Xenia hoped the man would have forgotten, but at the same time, she couldn't expect less from Gregory the computer.
"Andrew was an exchange student from New York, he spoke Korean, and I wanted to learn. We became friends, and I didn't even know his family possessed a company like InTech."
"Only friends?" Gregory said he locked his arms around her waist, making the water swish once more.
"And and little more," Xenia replied; there was no point hiding it.
"How much more?"