Beneath The Surface

Chapter 20: New Faces

"Shall we go, Princess?" Nat grabbed his car keys as Jamie jumped off the couch with her bag.

"Let's go!" Jamie smiled as she entered the lift. Since Aly was feeling under the weather last week, they had to take a rain check.

"Where are we going today?" Jamie asked as Nat drove out of the carpark.

"I'm not sure either, your Auntie Aly didn't tell me exactly...Guess it's a surprise?" All Nat got from Aly was an address to a mall nearby.

"I love surprises!" Jamie cheered from the back seat.

"Princess, can I ask you something?" Nat brought up a question hesitantly. Jamie nodded.

"Do you like Auntie Aly?" Nat looked at Jamie through the rear mirror. They had already arrived at the mall's carpark.

"Will you be upset if I said yes?" Jamie reflected the question unknowingly.

"Of course not, Princess. I will never be angry at you." Nat was shocked to hear Jamie ask him the question.

"I do like Auntie Aly. I like spending time with her every Sunday..." Jamie felt herself being conscious of her father.

"Hey Princess, look at Daddy?" Nat noticed Jamie's hesitation. The girl looked up to meet Nat's eyes.

"Is something bothering you? You know that you can tell Daddy everything right?" Nat unbuckled Jamie from her car seat and lifted her into his lap, making her face him.

"Ninang said that you wouldn't be angry even if I liked Auntie Aly but I wasn't sure..." Jamie confessed.

"And your ninang is right...Daddy isn't angry at all." Nat felt his heart shatter. His emotions towards Aly was affecting Jamie and that was the last thing he'd wish for.

"Really?" Jamie brightened up. She had been thinking about the conversation she had with Aika last week and still had her reservations. Hearing Nat's words made her feel assured.

"Yes a million times, Princess. As long as you're happy, so is Daddy. If you like spending time with Auntie Aly, that's what we'll do." Nat gave Jamie a tight hug and kissed her forehead.

"But you still haven't answered my question! Do you not like Auntie Aly?" Jamie looked at Nat.

"Uh...this is a little complicated but there's more than like and dislike when it comes to people. Auntie Aly and I had some disagreements in the past but we're working things out. But I don't want this to affect the way you think about Auntie Aly, okay? You make the decision about your own feelings and don't let anyone dictate what you feel." Nat held Jamie's hand and placed it on her heart. The little girl nodded.

"Come on, your Auntie Aly must be waiting!" Nat looked at his watch and realised they were going to be late.

~

"Auntie Aly!" Jamie called out as she spotted Aly. Aly bent down to pick Jamie up into her arms.

"I missed you!" Aly gave Jamie a kiss on the cheek as the little girl giggled.

"Me too! Are you feeling better already?" Jamie threw her arms around Aly. Compared to the first few times that they've met, Jamie had gotten much more comfortable with Aly.

"She was excited to see you today. Hope you're feeling better?" Nat smiled at Aly.

"I am, thank you. I was bumped to cancel last week too...that's why I prepared this today." Aly pointed to the indoor trampoline park behind her.