"Nat! Jamie!" Alice called out to her son and granddaughter as she spotted them from the arrival hall.
"Grandma!" Jamie dashed out of the hall and straight into her grandma's embrace.
"I'm nervous..." Aika felt her heart race as she realised that she was about to meet her future mother-in-law.
"Don't worry, they'll love you. Everyone does. Plus, I'm here." Nat smiled as he held Aika's hand and headed towards Alice and Jamie.
"Hi Mum, I missed you." Nat gave Alice a hug.
"I miss you too, son..." Alice patted Nat's back.
"Mum, Aika came with us too..." Nat introduced Aika to Alice.
"Nice to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Aika. Sorry to turn up unannounced..." Aika bowed slightly to Alice.
"No worries at all! I'm so glad you could make it! The family would love to have you!" Alice gave Aika a friendly hug.
"You, why didn't you tell me that Aika was coming along!" Alice smacked Nat on the arm.
"It's not Nat's fault, Ma'am. I surprised him this morning too." Aika stood up for Nat.
"Be lucky that your girlfriend is such a sweetheart and standing up for you..." Alice gave Nat a glare as Aika and Jamie laughed.
"Come on, I prepared lots of food for lunch at home! Nat, get the luggage." Alice held Aika and Jamie by the arm, leaving Nat alone with the cart of luggage.
"Mum, this is so unfair!" Nat called out as he struggled to catch up. Although he loved that Alice was already liking Aika.
"Aika, this isn't your first time in Singapore I suppose?" Alice turned from the passenger seat to face Aika and Jamie.
"No Ma'am. I visited with my family before but that was a while back..." Aika smiled, remembering the trip the family of 5 had.
"Great! I'll get this boy to show you around, a lot has changed! Anyways, drop the Ma'am and call me Auntie...We're all family!" Alice nodded happily as Aika called her by the new address.
"Home sweet home, my darlings!" Alice exclaimed as the gates to the Lee Residence opened.
"Wait, you didn't tell me that your family was this..." Aika whispered to Nat.
"The money isn't mine. It's my dad's..." Nat whispered back as he opened the trunk of the car to grab their luggage.
"Sir, let me help you with it." An older man approached Nat and Aika hurriedly.
"I got it, no worries. Great to see you again, Uncle Yap. It's only been 10 months since I've seen you and now I'm Sir instead of Nat?" Nat gave a friendly hug to the older man.
"Right, my bad, Sir Nat." The older man teased Nat.
"Right, this is Uncle Yap. He's been family even before I was born. Uncle Yap, meet Aika, my girlfriend." Nat introduced Aika to the man.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am Aika. It's the first time I've seen this boy bring someone special home." Uncle Yap shook Aika's hand.
"Really? That's surprising? By the way, call me Aika, Mr Yap." Aika eyed Nat suspiciously. At Uncle Yap's insistence, Nat left the luggage with him and brought Aika into the house.
"Long time no see, yaya Agnes!" A lady in her late 50s headed straight to Nat the moment he entered the door. Nat wrapped his yaya in a big hug.
"I missed you, Natty boy." Yaya Agnes called Nat by the nickname only she had for him. She had been caring for Nat ever since he was a child.
"Yaya, stop calling me Natty boy, it's embarrassing!" Nat blushed as he saw Aika chuckle behind him.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath The Surface
RomanceAika Robredo was a poster child: with a Masters from Harvard, a respectable career trajectory and dependable eldest daughter of the Robredo family. Everyone was telling Aika that all she had left to do was finding her 'dream guy' to settle down with...
