CH 20

Gia opened her eyes to the bright morning sun. She smiled at first but it quickly faded when she realized that she was alone. She had insisted that she and Nikolas sleep in separate rooms last night. She said that it was because Stefan was home now but that wasn’t the truth. Zander was coming today and she should have been excited to see him but her heart ached when she looked at the spot that Nikolas so recently occupied. She reached over and touched the empty pillow and tears rolled down her face as she thought about Nikolas.

Nik awoke with a start; he sat up in bed in a cold sweat. The fact that Gia wasn’t in bed next to him increased his distraught state. His chest heaved as he laid his head back down on the pillow. His dream was short, but is still lingered in his mind. It was a simple one; this Zander guy showed up, he couldn’t see his face because he was in full medal armor. He came in on a horse and reached out to Gia. A smile had graced her face before she happily took his hand and mounted the horse. They rode off together, Gia never even looked back. The dream was haunting him so much because that’s what he pictured happing today. Gia hadn’t even wanted sleep with him last night. She said it was because of Stefan but he knew that wasn’t true. Nikolas sighed heavily before getting out of bed.

When Gia made her way downstairs she was shocked to see that Nikolas wasn’t there. She looked around the kitchen and it was empty. The house was so quite that she wondered if she was alone. She noticed a note on the table in Stefan’s handwriting.

Princess Gia,

Your friend Zander called and said that will be by at 12:00n today. I remember you telling me about him the first day that you came but I had no idea he would be coming so soon. Our home is yours now so please feel free to invite him to stay as long as it takes for him to get settled. I of course have to work today but I will be back this evening. Perhaps we can all have dinner? See you later today.

Sincerely, Stefan

Gia’s hands were shaking as she read the letter. This was it, Zander was coming today, and she would see him in two hours. She hoped that Nikolas wouldn’t be too mad.

As Nik dressed for the day, he thought about the situation and came to a conclusion. He loved Gia and he was not about to let her go without a fight. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. He had a plan in mind and he was going to win. He looked in the mirror and approved of his black suit and bark blue shirt underneath. He smiled devilishly to himself before heading out the door.

Gia paced around the kitchen, twisting a braid like she does whenever she’s nervous. She glanced down at her unusual outfit. She had on a short blue and gray plaid catholic uniform skirt, her white blouse half buttoned and the bottom half was tied in a knot. Her knee-high stockings were black and she wore black Marry Jane's on her feet. Her braids were half pulled up in a high ponytail, causing her long braids to cascade down the sides of her head. It was almost 12:00 and she still had not seen Nikolas. She began to play with her fingers, another nervous habit she had. The doorbell rang and her head shot up. She slowly walked to the kitchen door and was shocked to see that Nikolas was opening the front door.

Nikolas opened the door to find a dark haired guy with gray eyes and chiseled face standing on his porch. He wanted to get there before any of the staff or Gia did so that he could be the first one to get a look at the man Gia supposedly loved. Zander’s cold look didn’t affect Nikolas at all. He smiled and stuck out his hand to him. “Nikolas Cassadine.” Nik said politely. Zander shook his head coldly and said nothing. “I’m here to see Gia.” He finally said. Nik nodded and stepped back to open the door for him. “Gia someone’s here to see..” Nik voice trailed off as he turned and spotted Gia. His breath caught as he looked at her. She looked so sexy; his heart sank at the reason for her being dressed like that. It wasn’t for his benefit; it was for Zander’s. He saw her running towards him but he closed his eyes when she ran right past him. A pain hit his heart as he felt her energy flow through him when she rush past him.

Gia heard Nikolas talking to someone at the door and thought that it probably wasn’t Zander. Nik was being too polite that there was no way that it could be him. She heard him start to say that it was for her but when he stepped back to let Zander in, and turned around; there was no one in the room but Nikolas. He looked so sexy in his suit, with his hair slicked back. Her heart flushed as she watched his eyes roam her body and saw the lust in his deep dark pools. She then saw the pain in them, this made her feel uncomfortable and a feeling so strong as that, pushed her back into reality and out of their trance. She forced herself to look past him and saw Zander in the doorway. She smiled at him and Zander’s expression quickly changed from anger to pure joy. He opened his arms to her and Gia ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.