"What time is your flight tomorrow?" Aika and Nat were video calling the night before he and Jamie were flying back to Singapore.

"8 am...I'm so going to miss you..." Nat pouted.

"I'll be there to send you guys off before work..." Aika chuckled at her boyfriend's whining.

"I would love to tell you to get more sleep after working so hard on the project but I also miss you...I'm a horrible boyfriend..." Nat felt guilty. Aika had been so occupied with her project the past week, he wanted her to sleep in.

"Remember to get me kaya and all the different snacks, kuya!" Tricia squeezed in next to Aika.

"Yes, Ms Ro-BREAD-o, your wish is my command!" Nat joked with Tricia.

"Is Jamie asleep already?" Aika shooed Tricia away.

"She just did..." Nat pointed the phone camera to Jamie's door.

"I should have called earlier to say good night to her..." Aika sighed.

"She'll be over the moon to see you tomorrow." Nat grinned.

"See you tomorrow at the airport, muscles." Aika waved.

"See you and I love you, sunshine!" Nat gave Aika a virtual kiss.

"I can't believe that you're actually doing this..." Tricia walked out of the kitchen with an ice-cream in hand.

"Thanks for the ride, sis. I'll buy you extra food to show my appreciation." Aika gave her sister a playful smile as she packed the last shirt into her luggage.

"It's been so long since we visited Singapore...take lots of pictures for us, Aiks!" VP Leni joined her daughters in the living room.

"I will, mama. Sorry for the suddenness of this trip, I didn't expect the project to end this quick either." Aika apologised for the surprise trip she was about to go on.

"Go and have fun with Nat and Jamie, you deserve this break, Aiks. I'll be busy preparing for the campaign anyways. Just remember to buy some food back!" VP Leni assured her eldest.

"Even if ate doesn't, I bet that kuya will buy the entire store the moment ate says that she likes something." Tricia teased. They all knew that Nat was whipped for Aika.

"Thanks for the unsolicited reminder, Dr Robredo." Aika gave Patty a harmless glare.

~

"It just dawned on me that you're going to meet your future in-laws...OH MY GOD ATE THIS IS HUGE?" Tricia and Aika were on the way to the airport the next morning.

"I know. And I'm actually nervous..." Aika admitted. She hadn't really internalised that part of the trip.

"I'm sure you'll do well anyways...Just be the Jessica Marie that you've always been and I'm sure they'll love you!" Tricia assured her ate. Tricia had utmost confidence in her.

"Do we have a surprise plan? Or are we going to just appear with a huge luggage and let kuya make the inference?" Tricia asked as she parked the car.

"I personally want to see Nat's expression while processes this entire situation..." Aika chuckled as she imagined her boyfriend's puzzled reaction.

"I second that. I'll have my phone ready!" Tricia knew it would be video-worthy.

We're waiting at the row for Singapore Airlines!

One minute!

"6.45am and you two are so cheesy..." Tricia peered as Aika texted Nat.

"You and Stephen are not any better, please." Aika retorted.

"I see them!" Tricia pretended not to hear Aika and pointed to Nat and Jamie.

"NINANG!" Jamie dashed towards Aika and Tricia the second she spotted them. Aika bent down to pick Jamie up.

"Hello cutie, tita Tricia missed you loads!" Tricia played with Jamie's cheeks as she said hello.

"I missed you a lot too, tita!" Jamie gave Tricia a peck on the cheek.

"Eh hem, ladies?" Nat was waiting quietly at the back.

"Good morning, kuya. I come bearing gifts." Tricia gave Nat a playful grin.

"Gifts? No more please..." Nat remembered how hard he worked to pack everything that Aika made him buy back.

"You sure? This gift is one that you've been wishing for..." Tricia looked at her ate.

"What...Wait...what's with the luggage and passport..." Nat was confused as Aika stepped aside to reveal her luggage and pulled out her passport.

"You're coming with Daddy and me to Singapore?" Jamie put the pieces together faster than Nat did.

"Yes I am." Aika was tickled at Nat's expression: he was still processing the information.

"You're really coming? What about work?" Nat finally snapped out of his daze.

"The project ended faster than we all expected...Was this an unwanted surprise?" Aika grabbed her luggage and pretended to leave.

"YES! I MEAN NO! I MEAN..." Nat fumbled as he held onto Aika's arm.

"I mean, I'm just so happy that you're joining us!" Nat blurted out a comprehensible sentence. Jamie and Tricia giggled at the side as Nat pulled Aika into a hug.

"It's time to check in or we'll miss our flight..." Aika got a glimpse of the clock.

"Right...come on, let's get you checked in together!" Nat took Aika's luggage for her. Jamie was going to grab a smoothie with Tricia.

"Have you guys checked in already?" Aika asked as she didn't see Nat and Jamie's luggage.

"Our luggage is checked in already but we haven't." Nat held up his and Jamie's passports.

"When did you get tickets?" Nat asked as they headed towards the counters.

"The moment I finished the project. The line for check in looks so crowded... What are the chances that we get to sit together on the plane?" Aika wondered as she looked at the lines for the economy cabin.

"What if I say 100%?" Nat gave Aika a mysterious smile as they approached the lines. Before Aika could join the queue, the airline assistant made way for Nat and Aika in the empty business class queue.

"The line for economy is the other side..." Aika gave Nat a confused look as she followed him to the counter reserved for first and business class passengers.

"Good morning, I have 2 seats booked for a flight to Singapore but I was wondering if there is an extra seat available?" Nat politely asked the counter staff.

"We happen to have a single seat available, in the same row that you've booked. Would that be okay with you, sir?"

"Definitely. Put it under my name please, thank you." Nat handed Aika's passport over to the staff.

"3A, 3B and 3C have been reserved for you, sir. Wishing you and your family a pleasant flight." The staff returned all three passports with tickets inside. The business class emblem clear.

"What just happened? My ticket was for economy..." Aika was looking at the ticket inside her passport.

"The magic of frequent flier miles?" Nat smiled.

"And you spent it on me? For a short flight?" Aika furrowed her eyebrows.

"That was a no brainer, sunshine. How could I let you sit alone in economy when we are up front?" Nat wanted the best for Aika.

"But still? And why did you book business class for such a short flight? Its so expensive!" Aika chided Nat for wasting money.

"Relax, we do business with the airline so we get our tickets cheaper..." Nat assured Aika.

"You suddenly sound like Nick Young from Crazy Rich Asians, kuya..." Tricia and Jamie were back from their smoothie run.

"I'm definitely no Nick Young...Trust me, it was a good deal..." Nat put his hands up defensively. Aika got in one last suspicious glare but caved in since Nat convinced her that it was for Jamie's comfort.

"See you in New York, sis..." Aika hugged Tricia goodbye as they headed into the departure hall.

"Take care of mama and I'll see you and Jill in New York." Aika hugged Tricia tight.

"I'll take good care of your ate, don't worry." Nat patted Tricia's arm to assure her.

"I know you will, kuya." Tricia grinned.

~

"

Welcome on board, Mr Lee. It's a pleasure to have you and your family fly with us today." The flight attendant greeted Nat, Aika and Jamie as they boarded.

"Do they usually greet you like that in business class too? I thought it was a first class thing?" Aika eyed Nat as she took her seat next to Jamie. Nat was in the single seat next to them.

"I guess? Anyways, it's probably too late for me to regret but I won't be causing any trouble because of this right?" Nat belatedly realised that his rash decision could result on trolls coming after VP Leni and even Aika.

"I don't think so...unless you got this seat illegally?" Aika chuckled at Nat's sudden lack of confidence after the stunt he pulled.

"Ninang...can I seat with you?" Jamie reached over.

"Hey sweetie, it's dangerous during take off...the moment the seatbelt sign goes off, you can seat with me okay?" Aika buckled Jamie's seatbelt for her.

As the flight took off, Aika placed Jamie's earphones over her ears and a hard candy to suck on to block out some of the air pressure.

"Can I seat with you now?" Jamie turned to Aika the second the seatbelt sign went off.

"You stay put, I'll come over. But if the seatbelt signs come on, we have to put them back on immediately, okay?" Aika gave Jamie a heads up before unbuckling her seatbelt and making her way over to Jamie's seat.

"Daddy, how long does it take to go home?" Jamie called out to Nat, who was seated next to her.

"Hmmm, about 3.5 hours? We should be landing at about 12pm?" Nat looked at his watch.

"That sounds like a long time..." Jamie pouted.

"How about we plan where you want to bring me to this week?" Aika pulled out a notebook and pen from her bag.

"Ooh! There's a lot of place that I want to visit with ninang!" Jamie lit up, excited to tell Aika about the cool places in Singapore.

"Daddy, can we visit Universal Studio? And the Zoo? And the beach?" Jamie threw out all her favourite places as Nat nodded to every suggestion she had.

"Of course we can, Princess. Let's give your ninang the best trip ever?" Nat hi-fived Jamie.

"This sounds like so much fun already!" Aika smiled at Jamie as they looked at the places that Jamie had scribbled on the notebook, with Aika's help of course.

"Sweetie, do you want to take a nap?" Aika noticed that Jamie was nodding off on her lap.

"I'm not sleepy..." Jamie rubbed her eyes, contrary to her words.

"You sure? But you're yawning..." Aika stroked Jamie's hair.

"But if I fall asleep, I can't sit on your lap. I don't want to seat alone..." Jamie forced her eyes open.

"I'll be here right next to you, sweetie. I promise..." Aika nodded to her seat.

"Promise?" Jamie stretched out her tiny pinky.

"Yes, sweetie." Aika made a pinky promise as she lay Jamie down on her seat and covered her with the blanket.

"Was she like this on the flight here too?" Aika whispered as she looked at a sleeping Jamie.

"I think she's like this because she was crying about not having a mummy on the flight here. Being in a plane must have reminded her about it..." Nat sighed as he remembered how he held Jamie in his arms 11 months ago.

"Gosh...I didn't know..." Aika looked at Jamie's hand that was holding on tightly to hers.

"Hey, it's not your fault. That was 11 months ago, before we met you. Everything has changed since then, for the better. And a huge part of the better was because of you! We came as two but we're returning as three." Nat assured Aika by rubbing her arm. Both Aika and Nat sat by Jamie as she slept, Nat holding Jamie's hand in one and Aika's in the other.

"Welcome to Singapore..." The captain announced as the plane taxied on the runway.

"Daddy, we're home!" Jamie exclaimed as she spotted the familiar scenery outside the windows.

"Yes we are, Princess." Nat smiled. It felt great to be back.

"I'm so happy that you're here with us, sunshine." Nat turned to Aika.

"Me too." Aika held Nat's hand.

Finally back in Singapore!

No security details and no need to be cautious anymore!

Stay tuned for more family and couple dates!