Chapter 7
Zolo turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his lower waist. There was a quick knock on the door. "Huh?" He opened the door and found a folded up piece of paper with his name on it. It said:
Roronoa Zolo,
I write this letter to you hoping that you comply. You see, during these past few days, I've been watching you. You are truly a magnificent man. I've been debating with myself if I should tell you what makes me happy, the sole reason why I exist. A good friend told me that hiding your own personal feeling will be your ultimate demise. That would be the last thing that I want. What I want is peace of mind by confessing what I conceal. And that is why I ask of you, Roronoa, to please meet me by the crow's nest by midnight. Please come.
Zolo scratched his head. "I wonder who could have sent this. Maybe it was Vivi. I hope it wasn't Nami. What if it's a trick? Should I go?" He thought a moment. "What the hell." He checked the watch that Sanji had left in the bathroom. It was exactly five 'til midnight. "Well, that gives me enough time to put some clothes on." He grinned to himself. He left the bathroom and went to his room where he put his clothes on. He then made his way to the deck. A lone figure stood by the pole of the crow's nest, staring out at the dark night sky. Zolo could detect the faint smell of French Vanilla Cream. He had smelt that somewhere before, and tried to recall which girl had such a perfume and lotion. Then it hit him. The day before when Adella had baked him that cake, he got a whiff of her long, beautiful auburn hair. It had smelled of vanilla. So…did Adella send me that letter? He walked over to the figure. "Hello?"
The figure turned around and looked at him. It was indeed Adella. "Roronoa…So you got my…" He nodded. "That's good."
"So what did you mean by 'Confessing what I conceal'?" asked Zolo full of questions.
"Zolo, this might be a little hard for me to say to you, but I think I can do it. I'm finally strong enough to say it." Thunder bellowed deep in the dark sky, and lighting branched out. "Zolo, ever since the day we meet two years ago, I thought that you were the coolest person ever. The way you fought just amazed me. Santoryu style, am I correct?" He nodded. "And that attitude of yours was just simply imposing. And you had a very intimidating stature. But beneath the duress and brusqueness, you had a totally different side. You were funny, kind, determined, brave, friendly, and caring. But I liked it when you tried to play the tough guy. Roronoa Zolo…I…I'm in love with you." She smiled warmly.
Zolo was knocked for six. He had no idea what to tell her, and what this meant for both of them. "Adella…I…" Rain began to fall from the sky. "I'm…sorry, but I can't say I feel the same. You're just a really good friend."
Adella's smiled faded. Her heart had just been broken, and she felt an unbearable pain in her heart. "What?"
"Adella, you're a wonderful person, I must admit, but I just don't feel that way about you."
She blinked incredulously, her mind totally spaced out. She felt water streaming down her cheeks, and traced them to the source. She was crying. She bit her lower lip, trying to stop the tears, but they just kept coming. It began to rain even harder. She slowly sank to her knees. "But Zolo, I love you…"
"I really am sorry. Look, it's starting to rain. I'll walk you to-"
"No. Just leave."
"Are you-"
"I said leave! Leave! Just leave me alone!" She covered her face with her hands and cried into them. She heard Zolo's footsteps head towards his room. When she was sure that he was gone she cried a lot harder, making an unsightly noise. She screamed a few times; anger, anguish, and sadness mixed together to make one emotion.
"Adella! Is that you!" Sanji raced over to Adella and knelt down to her level. "Adella, what are you doing out here!"
"S-Sanji, he…he…" She couldn't finish. Why was life cruel?
He helped her up. "Come inside with me, you'll catch a cold." He led her into the kitchen and sat her down. "Adella, please stop crying. I don't like it when girls cry. It makes me want to pulverize the person that made them cry."
Adella forced herself to stop crying and began to hiccup. "S-Sanji…my life sucks."
Sanji removed his coat and covered her with it. Then he began to make a cup of hot chocolate just for her. "Now, why were out on deck in the rain?"
"I was…talking with someone." She wrapped Sanji's coat around her a lot tighter.
Sanji brought the warm up to her and sat across from her. "Who were you talking to?"
She took a sip of hot chocolate, all emotions slowly leaving her. "With Zolo."
"Did he make you cry?" He leaned forward, staying his anger.
"Yes. I never knew that Zolo could make me cry. I always thought that he'd be the last person in the world that would make me cry."
"And what did you say to him to make him do this?"
"I told him that I…that I loved him."
"What! You love Zolo! Love!"
"Yes. I did. But after what happened, to have my heart broken and crushed by the only man that I could ever love…I'll never be the same again…" She buried her face in her hands and began to cry again. "I've loved him ever since the day we met. I've loved him with all of my heart and soul. And someday I hoped that I could tell him how I felt and he would feel the same for me. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't take it! I feel like I'm gonna die. I need someone to be strong for me. I don't care who, but I need help. I can't bear this alone."
Sanji got up from his chair and moved Adella around in her chair to face him. He began to smooth her hair down. "Adella, I might not be what you want, but I can promise you one thing. I can be strong for you. I can help you with this. No one should bear this alone."
Adella got on her knees as well. "Sanji…I…need you right now." She hugged him tightly. "I don't even want to see Zolo anymore. I'm not sure if I can love again."
"But how would you react if someone loved you?" He looked into her eyes.
"I…don't know."
"Would you give them a chance?"
"…Maybe…"
"Adella…I won't leave you until you're better. I will stay at your side!"
She gazed deeply into his eyes. "S-S-Sanji…I don't know what I would do without you!" She cried her heart out on his chest.
