The Bold and the Beautiful: A Tale Of Demons And Undying Love.

Chapter Twenty Eight: Nicole

        "You know, I could really use a cheese and onion salad right about now," Sasha stated. I said nothing because there was nothing to say. I continue to stare grimly out the window wondering when help would come. "I know how much you love your salad with peppers, mayonnaise, cucumbers and-"

       "Seriously Sasha?" I asked irritably as Sasha looked at me with shock. "You're here thinking about food when Zende's out there alone fighting some creature? Do you not  care!?"

       "Of course  I do Nick," Sasha claimed. "I care about Zende too." Oh I bet she did. I folded my arms to my chest as Sasha limped to me. "I know he probably doesn't care about me because I did so much in the past to wreck his relationship with you but-"

       "That's were you're wrong," I interrupted gravely as I turned to her. "Zende cares a whole deal about you. He always has since this week began."

        "Really?" Sasha asked as I nodded.

        "I admit I was a little jealous that he was constantly questioning me about your whereabouts instead about vacation plans with me," I told her.

       "So...was that why you treated me the way you did?" Sasha asked. "Calling me names and verbally attacking me all because you were jealous?"

     "Juvenile it was of me, I know, and I'm really sorry," I apologized. "I just thought that since Zende was so concern about you that he still had feelings for you. We been having plenty of disagreements this past week about you and I was afraid that any minute he would break up with me and go back to you."

        "Nick, you know that will never happen," Sasha replied. "Zende loves you, not me. And even if he did try to leave you for me I would have rejected him."

         I looked into Sasha's eyes to see if what she was saying was true. She seemed to be sincere but she was a pretty good liar.

       "You say that now," I said dully, "but I'm sure you'd be saying something different if the situation actually happened."

      "You still don't trust me?" Sasha asked. "After I stayed away from Zende as you asked me to."

      "You only stayed away from him because you were distracted with Inari," I replied loudly, "the same Inari who we begged you to leave alone. Now look, Zende is out there fighting him alone !" I felt my voice start to crack as a wift of sadness came over me. "I'm so afraid that he may not come back alive and-"

      "Don't talk like that Nick," Sasha said as she placed her hands on both my shoulders. I looked up at her, surprised that she wanted to comfort me again. "Zende's  going to be fine. Before you know it  he'll walk straight through that door victorious  like those Greek champs or something. He's a strong man after all. You know that as much as I do."

       True, Zende was strong. He always was from young. When he was nine years old he had lost his parents to AIDS which had left him to live in an orphanage in Tanzania. There he took care of other orphans as well as tended to these little odd task that helped him get some money. Lucky for him though everything changed when he met Kristen, daughter of Eric, and her husband Antonio Dominguez who happened to be honey mooning in Tanzania. They fell in love with Zende at first sight, like I did, and adopted him as their own into the Forrester family. Just like that Zende transformed from a pauper into a prince thanks to Kirsten and Antonio. It was Zende's strength that drew me to him from the get go. However, seeing Inari for what he truly was made me believe that such a monster was stronger than Zende. Zende was strong emotionally but that demon was strong physically.