The power of the dream, the faith in things unseen. The courage to embrace your fear. No matter where you are, to reach for your own star... to realize the power of the dream. - Linda Thompson

CH 25

Nikolas felt nauseous as he walked into Kelly’s; Sarah had called and said that she wanted to see him. He was dreading talking to her. All he wanted to do was go back to the way things were before. When his nights were filled with romance, passion and beauty. Now he walked around with a constant pain in his heart, feeling like he would break down into tears at any moment. He didn’t want to face Sarah or his uncle or anyone, but here he was, doing what he didn’t want to do. He spotted her and she smiled at him, he couldn’t help forcing himself to return it. Why couldn’t that smile effect him the Gia’s did? Why couldn’t he love Sarah?

Sarah felt nervous as she sat at the table at Kelly’s, she was about to lie and manipulate the man she loves. She had a plan and it definitely needed to be put into play soon, before Nikolas found out about Gia. Hopefully, if her brother’s recovery was going as smoothly as it had been, she would leave without Nikolas ever knowing she was here. But just incase, she needed to figure out a way to make Nikolas propose to her, and she believed she had a way to do it. She didn’t know if she had the courage to do what she was about to do, but when he smiled at her she knew that she had to do what she had to do to be with him.

Nikolas walked up to the table and sat down, sighing deeply as he looked across the table at Sarah. “What’s up Sarah?” he asked, trying to keep as casual as possible. “Nikolas I need to tell you something. I found the ring that you bought me.” She said. “You did?” Nik asked, then remembering dropping it on the floor. “I can’t believe that you want to marry me Nikolas.” She took out the ring and handed it to him. Nikolas took it in his hands and looked at it. He remembered the image he had of the hand he would put it on. It wasn’t the hand of the woman sitting across from him, it was the love of his life’s, it was Gia’s. Sarah glanced behind him at the door and quickly went to grab his hand, knowing that the box would fall to the floor and Nikolas got down to pick it up.

Gia was nervous as she approached the door to Kelly’s, like always when she came here. She wanted to take her brother’s advice and look for Nikolas. He said to follow her heart, but she didn’t know where to start. Somehow she ended up here, at the diner that always freaked her out. When she swung the door open, she immediately noticed the blond nurse from the hospital that she saw the other day. She contemplated going to speak to her, seeing as how she helped with her brother’s recovery, but she noticed that she was deep in a conversation with a man whose back was turned to her. She was drawn to the back of the man's head for some strange reason. She looked at his raven black hair and her heart began to race. She watched as the woman touched his hand and then he got out of his chair and bent down to the floor. There was something familiar about the way he moved, she almost thought… no it couldn’t be. The woman gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth. “Nikolas! Oh my god yes! Of course I’ll marry you!” Sarah exclaimed. Gia backed up as though she had been burned, covering her mouth with her hands. She shook her head slowly. She knew it was him, she had thought from the moment she saw him, but when she heard his name, she knew without a doubt, that it was her Nikolas.

Nikolas was shocked; he moved closer to Sarah and frowned, his eyes contorting in pain. He didn’t want to hurt her. “Sarah no I… I need to tell you something.” He said. Sarah stroked his face lovingly; this couldn’t have happened more perfectly with Gia coming in right now, she could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. “Nikolas I love you. I want to be your wife more than anything.” Sarah smiled as she leaned in to kiss him.

Gia turned to leave, tears rapidly falling from her eyes; she ran quickly, desperate to get away and plowed right into someone. “It’s you.” Lucky looked down at her. “I don’t know who you are.” Gia pushed him away and ran out. Nikolas pulled back from the kiss abruptly and distractedly turned around to look at his brother. “Lucky.” He said, grateful for the interruption. “Hey.” Lucky stepped in. “What’s wrong?” Nik asked. “It’s this woman, I keep bumping into her and she keeps running off on me like she’s scared of me.” Lucky said. Nikolas moved away from Sarah and approached his brother. “Who is she?” Nik asked, suddenly curious. “I don’t know I’ve never seen her before, well I don’t think I have, although I have a strange feeling that I have… I don’t know it’s weird. She must be new in town because I would remember her. She’s beautiful.” Lucky said smiling slightly. Nik’s heart began to speed. “Beautiful?” he breathed. Lucky glanced at Sarah, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the sister of the woman he’s going to marry standing there. He turned back to his brother. “She’s the most beautiful woman I think I’ve ever seen. Her skin is dark, like the color of those mocha’s I make. Her eyes are big and light brown and her hair Nikolas… her braids. Nikolas!” Lucky came to the conclusion that Nik had slowly began to come to as well, with all that was in him he hoped it was her. He shook his head slowly; this was too good to be true. He was fooling himself. “Do you think?” he whispered. “That was Gia man. I… go follow her!” Lucky yelled. Nikolas’s heart jumped in his chest, and somehow he got his body to move. He moved past Lucky and ran out of Kelly’s. He had to find her.