Valentine's Day is just around the corner and while we still don't know what plans RJ and Maine have for this day, I imagined what I thought would be a really cool and unique date that they would both enjoy. Hope you like this, guys. Please feel free to comment or request for any story you would like to be written. You can also follow me on Twitter @Forever_Rimaine (The Aldub Diaries) . Enjoy!

"Yes, yes, yes! I have a date! And I am super duper excited to finally spend Valentine's day with my bed! Been sleep deprived for weeks now and I've been wanting to get some decent sleep. I thought Valentines would be the perfect time for the two of us! Oo, bonding kami that day coz it's Sunday, and I opted to spend the day at home– resting."

-Excerpt from "VDAY PLAYLIST" Blog Entry, February 3, 2016

"It's just a day; it's not like you're going to spend the rest of your life alone."

-Excerpt from "V-DAY RANT (?") Blog Entry, February 10, 2014

(Both Blog entries from Maine Mendoza's Blog "The Pessimistic Optimist Bella")

Valentine's day is overrated. Maine believed this then; she still believes it now. It's not that she's jaded about love, but more because she had an aversion to anything cliché. The whole gamut of cheesy-ness associated with V-Day or Hearts' Day as some people thought was a cuter term (cringe), repulsed her. Thus, Maine was far from stressed on this so-called red-letter day, and instead wanted to catch up on sleep she sorely lacked.

"Talagang walang plans si RJ for you today?" Coleen asked her, eyebrows raised. Coleen was already dressed and waiting for her fiancé to pick her up for an afternoon-till-midnight date.

"Nah," Maine said with a yawn. She was wearing her oversized baseball shirt and pajama bottom, her hair matted and disheveled from sleep, even though it was already noon.

Niki suddenly peeked from the bedroom door, looking pretty and dressed up as well. Hubby John was taking her out too. "Meng ikaw lang maiiwan dito sa bahay," She said, blowing on her manicured nails for it to dry faster. "Pati si Tay ilalabas si Nanay. Ok ka lang ba dito?"

"Sus. Ano ba kayo? I just want to sleep today ok?"

"Pero kahit pabalat bunga di ka man lang niyaya ni Alden?" Coleen insisted. "Kahit alam niyang di mo trip diba? Yayain ka man lang then choice mo na lang mag-turn down."

"Puso mo. Tinanong naman ako, pero alam ko naman na may SPS pa siya saka pagod yun kaya sabi ko sa kanya wag na."

"Ngek, di man lang namilit," Niki asked with surprise.

"Anobah, pag-aawayin nyo ba kami? I said no, end of story. Kalokohan naman ang Valentine na y an eh. Sige na, baka malate pa kayo sa mga date nyo, ok lang ako dito." She pushed both out of the room.

"Baho mo, maligo ka man lang uy, baka isurprise ka bigla ni RJ," Coleen said, laughing.

She shut the door a little louder than she intended, feeling her face flush. It was true, Alden did ask her, and she turned him down. She could still remember how much like a wounded puppy he looked when she said no.

It was last Saturday, after their Chinese New Year celebration at Eat Bulaga just finished and everyone was saying goodbye to Tito Sen, who would be temporarily leaving the show in compliance with campaigning regulations of Comelec. Alden was looking antsy, as though he wanted to spill out something he was keeping to himself since that morning. He led her to the now empty audience gallery and sat with her.

"What's up?" She asked, smiling.

"Babe I finally figured out where we can go on Sunday." His eyes were in chinky slits again.

"Uh-oh, Sunday? No, wag na babe. "

"Huh? Babe it's Valentine's day..."

"Yes I know, and that's why I'm saying wag na. Can you imagine the nightmare of going through traffic, finding a nice place and lining up waiting for our turn? Nope. Wag na."

"Don't you even want to know where I plan to take you?" He looked so crestfallen.

She softened the blow by kissing him on the cheek and hugging him. "Baby, if you must know, you make me happy everyday. I don't want to make you beholden to that curse of trying to impress me on Valentine's day. May SPS ka pa diba? So meaning gabi na tayo aalis. Rest ka na lang babe."

Remembering his face that day still made her feel guilty. She suddenly decided to take a shower, blow-dry her hair and put on light make-up. Just in case he comes to surprise me, she thought with a smile. Humming to herself, she put on a fresh pair of jeans, the light yellow half shirt Alden likes so much because it shows her pierced belly button, and sneakers.

The clock showed it was already three in the afternoon, more than an hour after she got dressed. Ano ka ba, diba ayaw mo lumabas ngayon, she chided herself. She should be sleeping by now instead of stupidly waiting for Alden to come knocking at her bedroom door.

Belatedly, she regretted turning down his offer. It would have been nice to go out because she and Alden rarely ever dated. She automatically assumed that their date would be a nightmare because even for normal people, a date on Vday was more stressful than romantic, and she hated the pressure behind that. To her, Valentine's day was a cliché but she forgot to consider how Alden might feel about today. What if he wanted to be with her today and made an effort only to be shut down even before he could share his plans.

She took off her sneakers to lie down and take a nap, too lazy to dress up. Checking her phone one last time for any call or text, she hugged her Alden pillow and fell asleep, phone still clutched in her hand. The room was dark, drapes were drawn to keep the light out and her lamplight was off.

She was already falling asleep when she felt she was no longer alone. She heard the doorknob of her bedroom door click shut, then her bed creaked to accommodate someone's body. Someone was lying beside her in her bed.

"Babe?" She called out, hoping this was not a nightmare.

"Hi Bibi," He said in that cheesy tone that she was beginning to get used to. A pair of arms pulled her closer, till they were spooned together. He had a way of engulfing her body in warmth and safety, his smell was so addicting. She took a deep breath then turned to face him, hugging him through the waist, their legs intertwined.

"Missed you," She whispered.

"Missed you too baby, that's why I'm here." His mouth searched for hers, kissing her eyes, nose and finally her lips. She sighed contentedly, mentally chastising herself for being so needy of him.

Breaking the kiss, she reluctantly turned away from him and switched on her night lamp. He was wearing a black Lacoste shirt, light jogger pants and white Stan Smith sneakers. He looked sexy as hell.

"May lakad ka?" He asked confused. She remembered why she dressed and blushed a deep red.

"Uhhh, depende," she said, not knowing how to explain without embarrassing herself.

"Hala, hinindian ako kasi may lakad palang iba. Sige have fun," He got up and straightened his clothes, looking like he was ready to leave.

"Ha? Huy teka hindi." She pulled him back to the bed and sat him down, sitting on his lap.

"Babe look at me." She let their foreheads touch, till his eyes were a blur. "I'm sorry I said no when you asked me for a date today. I was thinking only of myself, I forgot na baka importante sayo ang day na to kaya ka excited. I should have listened to what you had to say."

"Sssshh, ok lang babe. You're right, it's important to me because you are important. You're my first formal Valentine date and I wanted it to be special for us."

"I know I said no, but is it too late to still go with your plans? Alam mo nagbihis ako hoping dadating ka para isurprise ako," She said sheepishly. He laughed at her expression.

"Babe, did you really think I would take no for an answer?" He asked her with a wink. "Eh ayan na nga bihis ka na eh. Tara na." He swooped and carried her out of her room, grabbing her sneakers and took her out of the house and into his brand new Starex. She was too surprised to say anything, but remembered to send a text message to her sisters and parents that she was going out. Coleen sent a smug text message, simply saying "Sabi ko na eh."

He refused to tell her where they were going, but it was obviously out of Metro Manila, as the vehicle turned towards North of NLEX. They finally entered Dau Exit, encountering traffic as they turned left to enter Clark Zone. Maine was beginning to have an idea where they were going.

"Oh my God RJ, if you're taking me to where I think you're taking me, I'll never ever turn you down again." He smiled at her, sneaking a smack on her lips and drove till they arrived at their destination. It was what Maine thought they were going to, and she hugged him tightly for taking her here.

It was the 2016 Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival. There were hundreds of colorful giant balloons there, some in flight, some getting ready to fly. The sky was slowly changing colors, the blue backdrop brushed with fingers of white clouds and orange rays of the setting sun. There were so many foreigners around, mostly photographers and some flying colorful kites with their friends.

The weather was great, it was a cool and windy afternoon, and Maine was glad she came with RJ. She looked at him adoringly, admiring his handsome profile as he smiled to a few people who recognized them. Only a few approached to request for a photo, mostly in respect of their time together on this special day. After taking a few photos, Alden was pulling her towards the balloons getting ready to leave.

"Hi, I'm Richard and this is my girlfriend, Maine." Alden extended his hand to introduce himself and Maine to a long-haired guy, whose accent tells them he's probably an Aussie. "Hallo mate, my name's Denny. Nice to have you on board," He said, unlocking the door of one of the balloons, making way for them to enter.

"Babe, ano to? Papasakayin niya tayo?" She asked, half scared, half excited.

"Oo bibi. Ito yung surprise ko sayo," He hugged her close with one arm and smiled, while reaching for their tickets in his back pocket with his other hand and handing them to Denny. He assisted Maine into the Balloon's booth which had two stools in it for them to sit on. Denny was accompanying them to navigate the balloon. After a short orientation, they were off.

It was the most amazing ride of their lives. The ascent was a heady experience, as they, along with about 20 other balloons ascended the sky to an altitude of about 2000 feet above ground. It was surreal watching the other balloons float on air, some bobbing slightly up and down from the winds. People they didn't know waved at them as their balloons crossed, all giddy with excitement.

Maine felt RJ's arms wrap her mid-section from behind, his fingertips caressing her belly button. She felt her insides fluttering at the touch of his hand, especially when he stopped caressing and instead lay his hand horizontally against her bare tummy, his palm warm against her cool skin.

"Happy ka?" He asked her, his lips touching her ear.

"Very," She said, turning sideways to kiss him. He was caressing her tummy again and it was weakening her knees. Her hand grasped his to stop the caress.

"Babe, tigil mo na because it's doing funny things to me," She said, blushing.

"Sorry," He said but didn't look it. His lips were close to her ear again as he whispered, "Your piercing is distracting me. I am hating and liking your half shirt because it's doing funny things to me too."

"I love you Shokoy," She said, pulling his arms closer around her. "Thank you for today, for indulging me kahit na I turned you down. I will never brush you off like that ever again."

They enjoyed the rest of the ride for a little more than an hour. They had dinner after at one of Holiday Inn Clark's restaurants. By the time he took her home, Maine was glad they went out.

"You want to come in?"

"Hindi na babe, gabi na, pahinga ka na."

"You too, be careful sa pagdrive ha. Text me when you're home na."

"I will bibi. Did you like my surprise?"

"Oo naman, sobra. Galing mo sa surprise babe, talo mo na ko."

"Till next time Bibi. I will never tire of surprising you." With a final kiss and hug, he drove off whistling happily.