"Ate...does Nat know?" The Robredo family were all seated in the living room after dinner. At Tricia's question, Aika gave her sister a confused look.

"Know what?" Tricia took a deep breath before answering Aika.

"Who mama is?" Aika's mouth formed an 'o' at the realisation of what Tricia was referring to. The fact that mama was the Vice President of the country.

"I...assume not?" Aika was hesitant but based on her conversations with Nat, it seemed like he had no idea.

"Aiks, are you going to tell him?" VP Leni stroked the hair of her eldest.

"I don't know...I feel like I should but I don't know when will be a good time to." Aika leaned back, running her hand through her hair.

"What's stopping you? Nat doesn't seem like someone that would see you any differently..." Being the daughters of the late Sec Jesse and the current Vice President natually meant that friendships were difficult to maneuver for the Robredo sisters. People often approached them with underlying intentions...

"I know. I trust Nat too..." Aika sighed.

"But you're worried that he'll think that he shouldn't be around you?" VP Leni finished Aika's sentence. Aika nodded.

"I have a strong feeling that he'll think of himself as a ticking tabloid time bomb and the last thing I want is for him to distance himself because of that..." VP Leni and Tricia fell silent at Aika's words.

"Do you want this friendship to continue?" VP Leni spoke up after a minute of silence.

"I do. I really do, mama." Nat was a friend that Aika didn't want to lose.

"Then trust in the friendship you have with him. Whatever happens, as long as you and Nat have clear consciences, nothing the tabloids say will matter." VP Leni assured her daughter. She had always felt sorry to her girls for making them semi-public figures.

"Mama's right. The tabloids and trolls are going to find things to talk about anyways. Don't let them get to both of you." Tricia pulled her Ate into a hug.

~

"Hey...I was wondering if you were free after work tomorrow?" Nat and Aika had just finished their usual morning run routine.

"Tomorrow? I should be free...what's up?" Aika checked her schedule and nodded.

"Uh...would you like to have dinner with me?" Nat turned beet red as he carefully asked.

"Dinner with you and Jamie? Sure!" Aika grinned at the thought of seeing her best friend again.

"With me, alone. The nanny offered to take care of Jamie for the night..." Nat didn't dare to look Aika in the eye.

"Sounds equally good to me." At Aika's answer, Nat cracked a smile.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 7pm tomorrow?" After Aika left, Nat did a little dance of excitement.

~

"Daddy! Are you going on a date with tita Aika?" Jamie was watching Nat get ready for his 'date'.

"It's not a date, Princess. It's just dinner." Nat corrected Jamie's words. Although Jamie wasn't technically wrong.

"Whatever. You look handsome, right yaya?" Jamie turned to her nanny.

"Ang pogi mo!" The elderly lady gave Nat a thumbs up. Nat wasn't sure what that meant but he assumed it was something good. He made a mental note to Google it later.

"Thank you for taking care of Jamie for the night. I really appreciate it." Nat gave Jamie's nanny a slight bow before leaving.

"Good luck on your date, Daddy!" Jamie gave Nat a kiss on the cheek.

Hey, I'm downstairs already but take your time. Don't need to rush.

Nat checked himself again in the mirror, his heart beating erratically fast. 5 minutes later, he spotted Aika coming out of the lift and quickly got out of his seat.

"Sorry for the wait..." Aika was dressed in a simple sleeveless black dress, strapped sandals and a thin layer of makeup. Her hair was let loose, showing off its slight wave.

"No worries. After you?" Nat held open the passenger seat door and placed his hand in between Aika's head and the top of the frame just in case.

"Napakaganda mo...Did I get that right?" Nat complimented Aika, hoping that Google taught him the right word.

"Salamat...You look pogi yourself!" Aika gave Nat a wink. Nat was dressed in a white shirt, khaki pants and a cream cardigan. He even styled his hair up for tonight.

"Wow, I got praised by three beautiful ladies tonight...what an honour." Nat jokingly crossed his arms and made a smug expression, earning him an eyeroll from Aika.

~

"I hope al fresco dining is okay for you? I checked the weather report and rain's not in God's plan tonight." Nat opened the door for Aika after parking.

"You bet. I'm actually really hungry right now!" Aika did a tiny clap of excitement.

"A reservation under Nathaniel Lee for 2 at 7pm?" The waiter gave Nat a nod after confirming Nat's name on the list.

"Mr and Mrs Lee, this way please." Nat and Aika looked at each other and laughed at the waiter's assumption.

"How did you find out about this restaurant? It's beautiful!" Aika looked around...the restaurant was lit up with warm fairy lights, the trees at the side giving diners privacy and the sunset was revealed in its full glory from their table.

"Got a recommendation from a few of my co-workers! They all said that they really enjoyed this place!" Nat had been doing some data collection with his female colleagues.

"Wow, someone is Mr Popular at work?" Aika teased Nat.

"No...I mean...Uh...They're all attached! They were just helping a foreigner not mess up his first ever date...I mean dinner...with a lady in a very long time...Ok, this is embarrassing..." Nat stuttered as he tried to explain himself.

"Relax, I was just teasing you. No need to get all red and flustered!" Aika found it cute that Nat was turning all red.

"I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea...And I wanted our first proper dinner together to be a good one." Nat steadied himself.

"So...are we calling this a date?" Leaning forward, Aika stared straight at Nat.

"I would like to call it a date, but..." Nat wished that Aika thought the same as he did but didn't want to pressure her.

"But what? I'm assuming this isn't me having dinner with my best friend's father? So..." Aika wasn't a fan of beating around the bush.

"A date it is then." Nat stopped avoiding Aika's eyes and broke into a confident smile.

"How's my best friend doing?" Aika took a bite of the appetiser as she mentioned Jamie.

"She was highly envious of our date. Plus she's been asking when she can see you again." Nat shook his head at the thought of his daughter bugging him daily.

"Can't help it that I'm this attractive." Aika joked.

"Amen to that." Nat replied unconsciously until he realised what he had just said.

"Compliment accepted." Aika found it amusing that Nat was fumbling multiple times today.

"Enough about your best friend. Let's talk us." Nat took a sip of his drink and steadied himself.

"Fair enough. Shall we do this in a fun way then? One question each. Whoever cannot answer will grant the other a wish." Aika followed suit and took a sip of her drink.

"Bring it on. You can go first." Nat raised his glass to meet Aika's.

"Free weights or machine weights?"

"Free. Red vs white wine?"

"Red. Mountains or the beach?"

"Beach. Mama vs papa?"

"......Papa. Dogs vs cats?"

"Dogs. Sweet vs savoury?"

"Savoury. Waking up early vs staying up late?"

"Waking up early...Uh...Tricia vs Jillian?"

"That's just mean...Tricia. Staying vs leaving?"

"What do you want the answer to be?" Nat didn't answer Aika's question directly.

"That's not part of the game." Aika raised an eyebrow.

"I'll gladly lose." Nat was serious about it.

"It's still not up to me." Aika refused to answer.

"Perhaps not now. Let's eat, the food's calling for us." Nat turned the focus to the plate of seafood in front of each of them. Despite the sudden end to the game, the rest of dinner went without an air of awkwardness between Nat and Aika.

"Mr and Mrs Lee, I hope you enjoyed the dinner." The waiter addressed Nat and Aika together as he brought the bill over.

"We did. Thank you." Nat thought that Aika would correct the waiter but instead, she went along with the address.

"Shall we, Mrs Lee?" Nat teasingly held out his arm for Aika as they left the restaurant.

"I was just trying not to embarrass the young man. He's just doing his job..." Aika smacked Nat on the arm, eliciting a chuckle.

"Aww so sweet of you, Ms Robredo." The sound of her surname made Aika remember the conversation she had with Patty and mama.

"Nat...I have something to tell you." Nat stopped in his footsteps, unsure of what Aika was going to say.

"It's about my mama and papa." Aika took a deep breath. Nat didn't reply but the assuring smile on his face was enough comfort and encouragement.

"My mama is the Vice President of the country. My papa was the mayor of my hometown and Secretary of the DILG." Aika studied Nat's expression, confused when he broke into a smile.

"You must be really proud of your parents. They sound like amazing people." Aika was lost for words.

"You aren't angry?" Nat chuckled at Aika's question.

"Why would I be? In fact, I'm grateful that you trusted me enough to tell me first, not wait until I found out by myself." Aika's once tensed shoulders began to loosen up.

"You do know what this means right?" Aika cautiously brought up the topic.

"The fact that every action of yours can affect your mama's career? That there may be people watching your every move, hopping that you stumble and fall? Or that you can't show what you really feel because people will gossip and spread false news?" Aika nodded slowly.

"That also mean that if if you continue being my friend, there is a chance of us becoming tabloid bait." Aika looked at Nat with worry in her eyes.

"So...are you saying that we shouldn't meet in public?" Nat knew Aika didn't mean it that way but he wanted it to be clear.

"Of course not! I'm telling you this because I don't want to lose our friendship." Aika had never ever thought about that.

"Hey, look at me. I know that a single father with the eldest daughter of the Vice President sounds scandalous but we have nothing to hide." Nat bent down slightly so that he was at Aika's eye level.

"You sure you're okay with this? What if the tabloids find out and start digging into you, Jamie or even...her mother?" Aika muttered the last word.

"Then let them be. Before anything else, you are Aika Robredo, the amazing, caring, loving and smart lady that I chose to be friends with. If you think that a single father like me who doesn't fit into anywhere is worth being friends with, then let's not think about what may come." Nat had his fair share of scrutinity growing up and he didn't want that to stand in the way of a friendship he currently held dear.

"Why do you keep saying that about yourself? You are Jamie's father but you are also yourself." Aika didn't like that Nat was putting himself down.

"Fair enough. Now that the though part of tonight is over, let's just be Aika and Nat. Not the daughter of the VP nor the cowardly single father. Deal?" Nat held out his hand.

"Deal." Aika took Nat's hand into hers and shook it.

"Come on, let's get some ice-cream. Desserts always do the trick." Mat held Aika's wrist and led her into the ice-cream parlour down the street.

~

"See you soon. Thanks for tonight, I really enjoyed myself." They were at the drop-off point of the Robredo's condo.

"Me too. See you soon." Nat wanted to get out of the car but Aika assured him there was no need to. Before entering the building, Aika turned and waved one last time.

"ATE!" Tricia's voice reverberated the moment Aika entered the door.

"What?" Aika didn't even have time to properly undo her shoes.

"How was the date?" Tricia and VP Leni were looking at Aika expectantly.

"Ok? We had fun." Aika looked at the two ladies suspiciously.

"That's all? Fun?" Tricia was exasperated.

"What else were you expecting?" Aika tried to avoid the topic but Tricia wasn't having it.

"Have you realised what you are wearing?" Aika looked down and realisation struck her.

"I was cold so Nat lent it to me. Fullstop." Aika hurried up to her room.

Taking off Nat's cardigan, Aika recalled how Nat had noticed her tiny shiver when the night fell and the wind got strong. He had silently taken off his cardigan and draped it over her. Aika had gotten so used to the warmth that she didn't even realise herself slipping her arms into the oversized sleeves. It didn't help that Nat didn't mention anything about it when he dropped her off.

Folding it neatly, Aika placed the cardigan on her desk and headed into the shower. When she returned, there was a message from Nat...

Don't worry about my cardigan. I'll grab it when we meet again:)

I thought it was mine already? It's more comfy than I thought ^_^

Do you want to keep it? I have others at home.

I was just joking

For reals though, keep it if you like it.

I owe you one in exchange then

I can't fit into your dresses though...

I hate you.

You're welcome.

Aika scoffed as she threw her phone onto her bed and proceeded to hang Nat's cardigan in her cupboard. Her phone buzzed again.

Anyways, don't think too much about the future. Focus on what's in front of you and hold onto what your heart tells you to.

Aika closed her eyes as she lay on her bed. Nat was right. She wasn't going to let the unknown hold her back anymore.

A/N:

Hope everyone is enjoying it so far! I'm planning on going full force on their relationship from now!

As usual, hmu on twitter @softforjmgr