"Finally, her majesty took in her kind heart to grace me her precious pretty face!" Nate exclaimed dramatically sitting by the pool lounger.
"Pretty face your face! But still thank you. And no, I'm not friends with you." spoke Claret defiantly.
Both are currently at the swimming pool lounge.
"But I waited for an hour!" Nate retorted back.
"Aha, the door is open, well, it's close at the moment but that meant you're very free to go out." She continued indignantly.
"Momma Belle, Amihan is being difficult again!" Nate exclaimed his last card and this made Claret's eyes go wide!
"What the hell!" Claret hissed by now.
"Well, you started it." Nate responded smugly.
At this point, Belle, the mother of Claret whom Nate calls Momma Belle because that's just how he calls her since being a kid, came into view by the second floor's terrace.
"What's this commotion you two?" She inquired half-shouting if there's such a case.
"Oh, nothing, Mom." Claret chirped oh so fast that her mother knows she's lying through her teeth. And of course her mother would know that and Nate being Nate finds this amusing.
"Claret Amihan, you know better than to lie straight to my face." Mrs. Nuvali now in that motherly authoritative voice.
Claret knows if her second name is reckoned, she's doomed. The agreement was made by the mother and daughter long ago that for whatever reason when Nate uses her second name, she loses her time alone for the week to do whatever she wants with no body guards near. Yes, they have a family security which most people think is too much, but they don't know, their family was saved by their security more cases than not. Their family is the owner of the premiere Nuvali Land Incorporated, an Asia-wide Land Developer which is managed now by both Claret's parents.
At this, she gave Nate a face and stomped her feet towards the house temperamentally. Well, more of a mansion actually.
There goes the bratty princess and heiress.
Because Claret is an only daughter which makes her the sole heiress of their family's business.
Nate just shook his head but still has that amused smile.
At this, Momma Belle smiled at him gratefully.
Wonder why?
She requested Nate Kaalam de Villa a simple but significant task for the well-being of Claret's heart.
This seemed to be a joke but honestly, it's been working. Claret doesn't have her fainting episodes each week now. Her heart seemed to fair better. She fainted one time though when Nate surprised her with a gift contained in a box, when the content inside jumped off the box, Claret lost it.
By the way, the gift was an adorable squirrel. And Claret came to love it by now.
And that was because Nate kept on teasing and picking up on her to make her heart get used to pumping more blood by her temperament. Claret has no patience and well, a brat, so she keeps on losing her temper that makes her blood boil so easily. And her poor heart just can't keep up. Gradually, her fainting became less and that meant she has a stronger control now of her erratic heart.
To say Claret Amihan Nuvali's family is loaded has this swimming lounge a proof. Being an only daughter, her parents dote on her a lot. But since their transfer here in this new place, she has never felt alone anymore because she has the ever most annoying Nate Kaalam de Villa who makes her home his home too because they are neighbors. Nate's house is just opposite theirs.
When she was about four although she can't really remember so well, in her kindergarten class, she was picked on by some bullies because of her being so silent. And Nate, her prince, rescued her.
But Nate always would object being called prince because he has always wanted to become a doctor since she can remember.
That's Nate.
When they reached seven, they became inseparable as they play the same instrument at school, the violin. They both joined the orchestra.
At nine, Claret had to go to the US for a treatment of her congenital heart disease.
They still communicated though and by now, they don't share the same school grade as Claret lags a year already because of her heart treatment.
After two years, Claret's family returned home and the two still reunited as if nothing happened.
Claret, even home-schooled, still lags behind since the enrollment in the US is different from the Philippines. By now, she lags three years from Nate.
Because Nate kept on being accelerated. True to his name he is. Kaalam meant wisdom. and Nate sure has that. He never failed to help her academically or in any way he can. Nate has always been wise and witty. That includes being so witty in teasing her in more ways than one. But that's not Nate without the teasing though.
At almost thirteen, Nate became awkward, lanky and super tall while Claret remained at four feet and eleven inches! This makes her conclude that yes, life is really unfair.
Claret.
She did not lose her vigor to life despite her life difficulties. She remained grateful, kind and warm.
But when Nate started to be seen with another girl at school, that's when it all started to surface.
Nate Kaalam de Villa has conquered her ill heart.
"Hey, princess." spoke Nate by the phone to which Claret immediately cut,
"I am not your princess." She spat.
"But who is?" Nate teased.
"Maybe that girl you were seen with earlier. You always tell me she's pretty." She retorted with utter distaste.
"Oh, yes, she is pretty though." Nate teased some more.
"I'm hanging up now." Claret spoke icily.
"Hey, tiger! Calm down. I'm going to get you." Nate tried to appease but the line just went dead.
So easy to tease really. My tiger princess. Nate mused to himself.
And that's why he had to wait for an hour at the swimming lounge for Claret to join him.
Their schedule for road trip forgotten.
The phone rang and he checked it's Claret so he answered. Only to tell him,
"Bummer." and cut off the line.
This only made him laugh alone.
"My bratty tiger princess, indeed."
Unknown to her, but her heart, her heart has always been guarded by his prince who isn't a prince at all as to him but a doctor in the making because of her bratty tiger princess, Claret Amihan, only he needed to realize that sooner than later.