He loves me not (Flower Head #1)

Prologue

Third Person POV

Have you ever believed that you have such a perfect life that you thought it will always stay the same forever? I did too... and it was nothing close to the truth I had to face.

• • •

"He loves me, he loves me not…" a young girl uttered, plucking a daisy's petals one by one whilst a woman who looks like in her mid-thirties stared at her with much admiration.

"Oh Vienne, honey. Who's that for? Is my little girl crushing on someone already?" The woman said, holding back a teasing smile.

The little girl turned her gaze towards her and beamed, "Of course not! I'm copying you lang, my! You do this whenever we're on the field, chanting taytay's na--" she went on a full stop when she realized something before letting out a dramatic gasp right after. "May crush ka ba kay tatay?" she asked, excitement obvious from her eyes and by both of her tiny hands covered her mouth as it gaped open.

The woman laughed at her daughter’s innocence and told her to keep it a secret which only made the little girl shriek in thrill, "So you do have a crush on him!"

"Anong crush crush 'tong naririnig ko, Vivienne Noelle?" A man with shoulder length brown hair said, raising a brow sarcastically from what he just heard.

"Taytay!" Little Vienne ran towards her father and leaped to embrace him. His expression immediately softened the moment he heard his daughter’s sweet voice and got hold of her in his arms. He lifted her up despite Vivienne being 7 and weighing heavier than before. "Are we going home na, tay?" She asked, staring at her father with a subtle smile.

He nodded along with a warm smile as he reaches for his wife's hand to plant a kiss on the back of it, prior to interlocking his fingers with hers.

Nang makauwi mula sa bukid ay nagsimula nang maghanda ng hapagkainan ang ina ni Vienne, habang naiwan naman sila ng kaniyang ama sa sala upang makapagpahinga ito. Nolan, Vienne's father closed his eyes for a bit to get a short rest when his daughter suddenly started poking his arm and calling his name out to catch his attention.

"Tay... taytay..." he opened his eyes and looked at her with a gentle yet questioning look, "What is it, baby?" she then gestured for him to come closer, which he did.

She stopped her father right after asking him to get closer and asked him to swear about something first, "Wait Tay, don't tell Mommy na sinabi ko po ‘to ha!" He laughed, finding his daughter cute with her really serious face, "I promise."

"Stop laughing at me! Pinky swear?" she asked for assurance, offering her pinky to her father.

He puts on a serious face, nodded, and hooked his pinky to hers, "Pinky swear."

"Okay! Lapit na po ikaw, Tatay," she said, showing him the same gesture she did earlier. "Crush ka raw ni Mommy." Pagkatapos na pagkatapos ibulong ito ni Vienne ay nagbaba-taas ang kaniyang mga kilay, inaasar ang kaniyang ama.

Her father almost bursts out in laughter but held it in and pretended to be surprised, "You think so?" he asked. "I know so! She told me earlier." She smiled confidently.

"Food is ready!" Grace, Vivienne's mother shouted from the dining room as she placed food on the table before glancing at her husband and daughter who's smiling at her widely, causing her eyebrows to furrow, "May dumi ba ako sa mukha?" she asked innocently, making the father-daughter duo chuckle. "No, you look beautiful, love." Nolan said, picking Vienne up as he walks towards the dining table where Grace was.

"Uyyy..." Vienne said in a teasing tone, making her father laugh and her mother furrow her eyebrows even more, totally confused about the whole situation.

Nolan chuckles seeing his wife's face painted with obvious confusion. "I just heard about a secret of yours." he smirked at Grace.

"Anong secret, wala akong secret huy!" Grace said defensively, making Vienne giggle. "Talaga? Eh ano 'tong narinig ko?" Nolan smirked. "Anong narinig mo?" She raised her eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, waiting for Nolan's response. "Crush mo raw ako eh!" He winked playfully at his wife.

Grace bursts out of laughter and hit his arm lightly from her husband’s unexpected response, "Ewan ko sa'yo!" Nolan smiled, hearing his wife's and daughter's laughter, "Oh bakit? Hindi ka naman na lugi, gusto rin naman kita." He said, teasing her even more to hear their daughter’s endless laughter. "Tsaka, I can't blame you, sa pogi ko ba namang 'to, sinong hindi magkakagusto sa'kin." dugtong ni Nolan habang kagat kagat ang pang-ibabang labi niya na siyang nagpahagalpak ng tawa sa mag-ina niya.

"Gutom lang 'yan manong!" Grace said, stuffing her husband's mouth with rice, making Vienne giggle once more.

While they were eating their laughter filled dinner, Vivienne stared at her parents and smiled when she saw how they looked at each other; eyes full of admiration and love, with the biggest smiles on their lips as they talk to each other.

At a very young age, Vienne had already found her parents’ relationship admirable; it was a relationship full of love, honesty, and trust. It was the relationship she wanted to have in the future, once she's all grown up. She wanted a man like her dad; sweet, funny, and kind, and a man like her mother; soft spoken, caring, and loyal.

Her future husband was already ready and perfected by her in her head, just like the way she wanted her future husband to be like. All she had to do was... actually find a REAL man like it, someone who reaches her standards which was almost impossible, given the fact that men at the timeline she's in are almost full of jerks.

She looked at her parents once more and smiled, unaware of the twist of events that'll ruin her perception of love... her perception of one of the most important people in her life.