Between 2 Hearts – Episode 22

       It was a relaxing weekend evening, with Nathan and Diva out together, enjoying a movie night. Back at the palace, the king and queen sat in the veranda, chatting and surrounded by maids and guards.

 “There’s something that’s been bothering my mind.” Queen Lala said.

 “What is it?”The king looked up at her, curious.

“Haven’t you noticed our daughter’s attitude towards the senator’s son?”

 “You mean Nathan?”

 “Yes”.

    “Are they fighting?”.

 “No, your Majesty, they are not, What I’m saying is that Diva loves him, and they make a perfect match.”

 “Are they together?” He asked curiously.

The queen laughed. “No, Your Majesty, they’re not. But I can see our princess truly loves him. We can bring them closer together.” The king’s eyes lit up with understanding. “They’re out watching a movie together right now.”

    “That’s good” He said amazed.

 “Yes, let’s fix them up, just like Alex and Elora. It’s not a bad idea if our children get married on the same day.”

 “You’re right. I’ll inform his father about this.” He nodded in agreement.

 “That will be great. I can’t wait to see the joy on my angel’s face when she finds out what we’re planning for her.”

The king and queen shared a warm smile, already envisioning the future union of their daughter and Nathan.

   Later that evening, after Nathan and Diva returned from the movie, Nathan spent some time with the royal family before preparing to head back home. Diva followed him out and stood beside his car.

“Thank you for today, I really had fun,” Diva said, her eyes sparkling with delight.

 “You’re welcome, I had fun too.”

 “Can we maybe do this some other time?”

 “Sure.”

 “Okay, I’ll be waiting.”She leaned in, her lips brushing lightly against Nathan’s cheek. “Good night.”

 “Good night.” He forced a smile, his eyes darting to the side.

As Diva waved and headed back inside, Nathan let out a sigh. His gaze drifted to the corner, where Mia was hiding, unnoticed by Diva.

Mia had been walking by when she stumbled upon the scene, quickly ducking out of sight to avoid being seen. However, Nathan’s sharp eyes had caught a glimpse of her.

   Nathan walked towards Mia, a smile spreading across his face. 

 “Hey,” he said, his voice low and teasing. Mia froze, her back still turned to him. “Are you stalking me?”.

    “No, I am not”.

 “Then why are you hiding?”Nathan chuckled.

Mia slowly turned to face him, her head bowed. “I wasn’t hiding. I just didn’t want to interrupt the moment between you and the princess.”

 “Is that so?” He asked and she nodded, her eyes avoiding his.

An awkward silence fell between them, until Mia broke it. 

 “Um, I’ll take my leave now.”

As she turned to leave, Nathan called out to her. “Wait.”

Mia stopped and turned back to him. 

“Is there anything else you want me to do for you?”

 “Not really, I just didn’t know your name.”

 “Oh, it’s Mia. You can call me Mia.” Her cheeks flushed.

 “Mia, that’s nice. Nice to meet you, Mia,” he said, his voice genuine. “I’m Nathan, the prince’s close friend.”

 “Oh, okay, nice to meet you too, Sir…Nathan.”

 “Please don’t call me sir, just Nathan is okay.”

 “Okay.” She sputtered nervously avoiding his piercing gaze. “I’ll head back inside now,” she said, rushing off before Nathan could say anything else.

Nathan watched her go, a smile still plastered on his face. He shook his head, chuckling to himself, before turning to leave and getting into his car. With a final glance at the palace, he zoomed off into the night.

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   A week had passed, and Nathan and Diva’s outings had become more frequent. Sometimes, Alex and Elora would join them, and the group would enjoy each other’s company.

At the veranda, the king and his wife had been busy planning an engagement between Nathan and Diva. They had already met with Nathan’s parents, and everyone was in agreement.

On a cool evening, the king invited Nathan and his family to dinner. They accepted the invitation, and the evening was filled with laughter and delicious food.

Mia and Naomi were in the kitchen, busy with their tasks while listening to the conversation in the dining room.

“It’s such an honor to be here, Your Majesty,” Nathan’s father said, his voice filled with gratitude.

 “You’re welcome.”The king smiled warmly.

As they continued eating, Nathan asked Alex, “So, Alex, when are you resuming fully at your company? It’s been a month since you returned from the country.”

 “Well, I’m planning on resuming next week.”Alex replied.

 “That’s nice.”

 “What about you, Nathan? Are you planning on leaving soon?” Diva asked smiling.

 “Nope, I’m still here until my father’s campaign ends.”

 “That’s nice. We can have enough time to hang out.”

Nathan nodded, and the family watched the connection between them with interest.

 “Okay, I don’t think I can wait any longer.”Nathan’s mother said as she couldn’t wait any longer.

 “Wait for what, Aunt?”Elora looked at her curiously.

    “Well, we have something to share with you.”Queen Lala said.

The children turned to their parents, curious about the announcement.

 “We have come to an agreement to set up an engagement between Nathan and Diva.”Nathan’s father said smiling.

The room fell silent, with everyone’s eyes fixed on Nathan and Diva.

Nathan’s face was taken aback by the statement, while Diva’s expression was a mix of excitement and surprise.

Elora and Alex were speechless, their eyes darting between Nathan and Diva.

In the kitchen, Mia and Naomi were equally shocked by the news. Naomi turned to Mia, noticing the sadness etched on her face.

Mia quickly left the kitchen, seeking solitude. She wandered into the garden, lost in thought and sadness.

Naomi followed her, finding her sitting alone on a bench, staring up at the stars. She sat down beside her, and they sat in silence, watching the stars twinkle above.

 “Are you okay?”

 “I guess.”Mia let out a deep sigh.

 “I know you’re sad about what you heard in the dining room.”

“Are they going to get married?”

“Hmm, I guess so. Their parents approved of it, so it can happen.”

Mia sighed sadly, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

 “Can I ask you something?”

 “Sure?” She nodded.

 “Have you ever felt a deep connection with someone, that when you get closer to them, you feel like your heart wants to jump out of your chest?” She asked, her eyes locked onto Naomi’s.

 “Yes, I do.”Naomi sighed, a faraway look in her eyes.

 “You did? Who?” She asked curiously.

“Well, it was Alex. At first, I thought I was having heart issues, but then I realized that whenever I come closer to him or met eyes with him, I felt that way.”

 “Since when did you notice? When we were still kids?”

 “No, it was the day I told you that I have a little talk with him when he stopped me to ask where I was going.”

 “Oh, so that’s why you’re running away from him?”

 “Yes, I don’t want to get closer to him because we can never be. We’re too different. He’s royalty, and I’m…well, I’m not.” She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

   “Well, I guess we’re in the same state now.” She sighed. “It’s just so sad that one can’t get what they desire because of status.”

 “Yeah, that’s the universal truth for you. We can’t always get what we want; we just have to roll with it.”

 “The best is to avoid it and not get too close. They do make a perfect match. I guess the royal house is having two weddings on the same day. We just have to be happy for them.”

 “Yeah, we will be fine. Once we get out of this palace, we’ll find our own path, just like they found theirs. We’re worlds apart, so we just have to separate ourselves from them so we won’t end up in trouble.”

 “Yes, let’s do this together.”

They shared a warm smile, pulling each other into a tight hug. Mrs. Ruth, who stood afar watching the whole scene, smiled warmly at the two, her eyes shining with understanding and compassion.

TBC