I hated life and, at this moment I hated being a girl the most.

Like I agreed it happened because Mother Nature had willed this calamity on us to take the headache of being the bearer of the future progeny. But why couldn't they have been nicer with their method?

I had loved to have a basket full of chocolate with a postcard saying I wasn't pregnant each month.

Nah, that would be too simple and boring. They had to torture us every four minutes by twisting our ovaries and roundhouse kicking our uterus.

They sure expected us to tolerate this every freaking month for our lives. It was one fourth of our life spent twisting in agony on bed, with our backs on the verge of breaking and feet swelled up like two large balloons.

It was hardly fair that boys were exempted from this. They should at least be empathetic of someone's else pain, but no, they came in many cases of douche bags.

Here was example number one,

"Tyler, Francis is calling me. He's asking me, why aren't you picking up your phone!" I heard Leo shouting from the door, knocking it persistently. How did Francis even get his number?

"Go away," I mumbled, snuggled up under my blanket. I was one hundred percent sure that an inch of movement would set off my stomach in unbearable pain.

"What?" he shouted and I groaned. My thoughts running in a different direction.

How should I kill him? Drown him in my bathroom? His dead body could be hidden there for some days...

"Coming right in!" he shouted, giving up on my mumbled replies and it was like everything went into slow motion.

Watching the door open, bird grain by bird grain, the hinges squeaking loudly, my body filled up with dread.

I flew up from the bed, leaving my comfort position and my messed up hair flew behind me. My hand extended out to stop him, and I winced as my stomach cramped with pain. My mouth formed an 'o' shape as I tried to shout out a no, but didn't come up with any sound.

Leo entered, his steps echoing on the wooden floor, and I shook my head wildly, warning him with my mind to not enter.

But it failed as he did enter, his face moving up to my eye level.

Our eyes met and everything froze. I knew in every atom and the electrons and protons that moment, that I looked nothing but a hobo.

My flying hair fell down, my hand still extended in front of me like a 'mummy'.

From my disheveled hair, to my swollen eyes, and my ugliest pajamas, I was a sight to behold.

"Oh!" he looked bewildered, his eyes assessing my appearance, "I-I'll tell h-him you were, um, sleeping."

I nodded in defeat as my face burned with humiliation. A scared looking Leo traced back his steps in record speed while banging the door closed behind him.

Let's just say that the encounters I had with the boys these past three days had been full of awkwardness. I had never lived with a boy to experience it, and only Liam and Seth had a sister for them to know about it.

Leaving the whole awkward state aside and now sitting in the drawing room, I waited for everyone to settle down and start with our meeting.

The room looked crowded enough with my mom, Brandon's mom, Brandon, Liam, Leo, Seth and Francis. One thing about a crowded room was that it had one hell of cross - conversations.

Thankfully I was in a better mood because otherwise I would have screwed everyone else and be gone even before they had blinked their eyes.

"Guys can we start already?!" I shouted and, it had the desired effect as everyone turned silent. Leo nudged my shoulder with his and agreed to be quiet.

"Thank you. Now Francis can you please tell me the subject of our meeting?"

"We need to choose a partner for Tyler, fast. The deadline is today at midnight and you," he mocked me, "haven't even thought about it yet!"

Francis started and, I shot a glare at him. He at once looked away, shaking his head.

"Ty, can't you think of anyone who might take part?" Mom asked me and I sighed. This was getting more complicated than I had expected.

"No mom, I don't know," I mumbled. Francis had already chosen one of his cooking school's mate, so he wasn't as stressed as me.

"Sure? It could be someone si-" Mom stopped short as Seth's phone rang and he looked at the caller ID.

"Sorry, it's my mom. I'll be back," he shot an explanation and we all nodded.

"So I was saying-" she was cut off once again as Seth stopped midway.

"Wait a minute," he stared at the phone screen like it was the only candy in the world and then looked at all of us.

"What?" I asked as his crappy ring tone continued to blare in the background.

"Why can't we use B-"

"Brandon?" Brandon's mom said and my stomach almost lurched at the idea.

Let's just assume that it was because of the period pain.

"Oh yes! I saw him decorate that cake that time," My mom added, her eyes lit up with the idea.

"So you bake too?" Francis nudged Brandon, who sat beside him and in front of me.

"Nah, I am just..." he stumbled with his words, blushing hard.

Seth was already out of the room, talking on the phone. Couldn't really curse or thank him for the idea.

I bit my lip. If I was being honest with myself then it would be a lie to say that I hadn't thought about it.

"What do you think Tyler, Brandon would do, won't he?" Francis asked me, his expression one of relief.

"I-I... " I stalled and our eyes met. It realized that we were thinking the same thing. Two weeks in Singapore, together...

A big uh-oh.

"Is there a problem?" Francis asked and I shot another glare at him.

Give the girl some time, dude.

"I mean," Brandon started, "I have no objections if Tyler agrees... You want me there right?"

My cheeks burned as everyone stared at me, expectant. Why did this suddenly feel like those ghastly arranged marriages, where the heroines went all red and blushing?

We did have my mom and Brandon's mom to give off that feeling.

"Brandon--" I started, my heart beating fast. There was no reason that I would say no to him.

It wasn't like someone else would magically come up and tell me a better option.

"So I was saying," Seth came back looking at all of us, his eyes animated but Liam hushed him.

"Shh, Tyler's saying something," I looked at them, and Liam urged me on to continue.

"I think-" I stopped as Seth continued on, oblivious.

"Oh? So it's okay if Bea takes part?" Seth asked and looked at me.

"Bea...?" I asked confused.

"Who's Bea?" my mom asked and, I saw Brandon hiding down his face behind his hands.

"Bea is my younger sister."

"She's a student in my baking classes back at school too," I explained and Liam nodded.

"I just got off from the phone with her," he looked at all of us and despite everything, my heart sank down at the idea.

Why did I had to be so haste with my thinking? I chastised myself.

Someone did magically appear.

"What did she say?" I asked him, "Did you talk to her about it?"

"I told her it was with you and in Singapore. Believe me, she went off like a rocket with a million yes," he chuckled and I forced a smile at him.

If there was one thing I could say about Bea it was that she was an amazing helper. And the most over enthusiastic girl I had ever met.

"Oh yes! Ty, isn't she the one who was there cheering for you in your last competition?" my mom said with a smile, fondly remembering her.

"Yeah, that's her."

"Perfect! Seth, I hope she has a passport?"

ended up at the airport with a scrawny girl of sixteen. Though she had the unmistakable height, the jet black hair and blue eyes of the River family.

"Are you ready Bea?" I asked her and her sunny smile almost blinded me.

"Yes Tyler!" she giggled and I felt oddly responsible for her.

"Francis and his teammate Roger are already going through the security check. You have five more minutes," The assistant producer said, as the camera continued to shoot us.

It had taken some time to get used to, but they had begged us to let us shoot our departure from America. We had grudgingly agreed because they had offered us one thousand dollars each for agreeing to take part in the show as a wild card entry.

"Tyler ask anything from the producer. I have taken her number and, she has promised me proper treatment for both of you."

My mom grinned at the camera, and the producer gave back her confident smile. She did say it on the national television, can't back down now.

"Okay," I said, and chewed my lip as I searched for Brandon and the rest amidst the crowd.

We were already getting a lot of attentions as some people took our photos or goofed around behind the camera.

My mother noticed my searching gaze and looked around herself. It was overly crowded, with Bea's family on one side and the camera set up on another.

"Ty!" I whipped around as Brandon and Leo jogged towards us through the crowd.

"Here!" I waved at them, a smile lighting up my face.

"Tyler it was totally Brandon's fault," Leo huffed and Brandon elbowed him.

"I have something for you," he whispered, oblivious of the camera shooting us.

"What is it?" My voice was just a breath, but the damn microphone still caught it.

"Here."

"Oven mitts? Seriously Brandon--" I stopped as a small chain peeked out from the opening.

Brandon smiled at me, watching my reaction closely as I took out the silver chain pendant with an infinity locket. Small white studded studs gleamed and winked at me. I felt a hope rising in my chest, kicking away the fears that had kept me up all night.

"It's beautiful," I murmured and my mom nodded.

"I wanted to say," he stopped, glancing at the camera filming us and leaned in closer.

My breath was stolen away as his lips brushed my ear, sending a tingling sensation all over my body.

"Yeah?" I croaked out, swallowing a huge lump down my throat. My hands gripped the oven mitts tightly as he stepped even closer to me.

"I just wanted to say that," he started again, his breath tickling me, "this is not the end of us."

*****

Did you find the airport scene cute? Is there someone else who find airport reunions romantic? (I personally love them!)

Expect a great trip to Singapore ahead! Any Singaporean readers here? :)