Where Loyalties Lie
"The only people I owe my loyalty to are those that never made me question theirs."
It was a smoldering hot summer day and she couldn't wait to end her shift with the anticipation of enjoying a nice long sketching session in the park afterwards. Making small talk with the patrons, she does her best to keep an upbeat attitude, knowing that everyone in this town is going through their own personal struggles, wanting nothing more than to lend some kind of brightness to their day.
She was finishing up an order when the doorbell rang out, signalling the entrance of another customer and eliciting a soft smile upon her face. It wasn't until she looked at the person that walked in that her entire focus narrowed in on the man in the leather jacket that has graced the diner with his presence.
She has seen him around town a few times, always thoroughly captivated by not only him, but his backstory as well. She can't even begin to imagine how she'd handle waking up without any prior memories of who she is or where she comes from. Nervously wiping her hands on her apron, she walks over to greet him, a bright smile upon her face to hide her nerves.
"Hi, my name's Elizabeth, I'll be your waitress for today." she says politely, handing him a menu. "You can have a seat anywhere and I'll be with you shortly."
"Thanks." he says simply before having a seat in the corner of the room and removing his gloves.
"Don't you know who that is." Meagan, her co-worker, questions in a hushed tone when Elizabeth gets to the counter. "That's Jason Morgan."
"I know." Elizabeth says simply, picking up the pot of coffee and a clean cup.
"Why don't I take his order?" Meagan suggests. "You shouldn't have to deal with people like him."
"People like him?" Elizabeth arches her eyebrow with offense. "He's just a person, Meagan, and I can take his order just fine."
Rolling her eyes, she turns away from the counter and walks back over to his table, her bright smile back in place. She knows that she overreacted in regard to Meagan's comment, but she was instantly taken back to the time when people in that town had regarded her in a similar way. Sure, she was outspoken and hardly cared what anyone thought, but she didn't deserve their criticism and neither does he. How he lives his life and the choices he makes for himself is no one's business but his own.
"Hi, again." Elizabeth meets his eyes when he looks up to acknowledge her. "So, what can I get ya?"
"Number 3." he replies, sliding the menu back to her. "And coke."
"Okay. Coming right up." she voices as she jots down his order. "Will you be ordering anything else? Dessert, maybe."
"No."
"You know, I was in charge of making the house special for today and I made my ultimate specialty." Elizabeth pushes forward. "Double fudge brownies. They're really good, even if I do say so myself. Do you think I could interest you in having some?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" Elizabeth slides the order booklet into her apron. "I worked so hard baking them that I just might take it personally if you don't at least try it. You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, would you?"
For a long moment, he sat there in thought and she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to come up with a politer way of turning her down. Just as she was about to let him off the hook, knowing that she had probably pushed it a little too much, he gives her a single nod and a simple 'okay'.
"Okay?" she looks at him hopefully. "You'll try it?"
"Sure."
"Great!" she smiles happily. "You won't regret it, promise."
Eagerly, she waits for him to finish his meal before she personally delivers his dessert to him, waiting long enough to watch him take the first bite. Once the spoon clears his mouth and he tastes her brownies for the first time, Elizabeth swears she couldn't have gotten a better review from anyone in the entire world. The way his eyes lit up slightly was confirmation enough that he liked it and that was more than enough. Leaving him to his dessert, she tends to the rest of her customers, only returning to his table when he was ready to pay for his meal.
"Thanks." he said simply as he handed her the money before making a silent exit.
Looking down in her hand, she couldn't believe that he had tipped her the equal amount of his meal, so much so that she actually tried to catch up with him outside to insist that it was too big of a tip. By the time she got outside, he was already gone and she was left with a sizably generous tip. From that point on, for the rest of her shift, her bright mood took absolutely no effort.
'Out of town for a couple days. See you when I get back. - Jason'
Staring down at the small note that she had found by her front door earlier that morning, Elizabeth smiles softly, knowing that he cared enough to let her know that he'd be out of town for the day. Taking a deep breath, she slides the note into her pocket before rising to her feet and making her way up the steps to the main road, needing to get to work. She had to admit that she'll miss seeing him walk into the diner for breakfast and lunch, but she'll see him again and she will just have to look forward to that while he's gone.
.o.o.o.o.
Driving past the border into Canada, Jason continues driving as fast as his bike can take him, truly desperate to feel the freedom that's only available to him through his motorcycle. As he drives down the back roads of the country, his mind takes him back to the brunette that has clouded his thoughts for quite a while now. As much as he has wanted to get away on his motorcycle for a couple months now, he really only took the opportunity to help him figure out just what was going on with him in regard to her.
Usually when he was confused about something, he'd turn to Sonny to help him figure it out, but it just didn't seem right to do it this time. Not with this. Whatever was happening to him, he knows for certain that he and Sonny don't have the kind of relationship where asking him to explain it to him is warranted. No. If he's going to figure out what this is, he's going to have to figure it out on his own.
At first, he had thought that he was having feelings for her, but the doctors have told him time and time again that love is something he wouldn't be capable of. With the position of the damage, the ability to love someone or generally care about another person would be difficult if not impossible altogether. So, it couldn't be medically possible that he was starting to have feelings for the young woman, but he couldn't exactly explain it any other way either.
The longer he drove, the more he began to believe that he was right from the start, regardless of what the doctors have told him in the past. Comparing himself to the way Sonny is with Carly, he's certain that he's beginning to feel something for Elizabeth, something that could definitely lead to something more deeper if he were to pursue it. As soon as that thought settled in, however, another new feeling hits him, one he knows to be fear. For the first time in his entire existence, Jason Morgan is actually fearful of something.
Pulling off the road when he notices a lookout point, Jason parks the bike before walking over to the edge and sitting down upon the ground, his feet dangling over the side. Feelings of any sort is uncharted territories for him, what more feelings for someone else, for someone so much better than him. It didn't take someone explaining it to him to know that Elizabeth had a goodness in her that doesn't exist within him, a goodness that shines through her like a ray of light.
Running one hand down his face, Jason pushes the thoughts from his mind, quickly straddling his bike and taking off down the road once again. Now more than ever, Jason needs the freedom of the open road to clear his thoughts, almost desperate to figure out where his head's out before he heads back to town.
.o.o.o.o.
With her shift finally over, Elizabeth makes her way back to her studio, locking up the door behind her once she's inside. Kicking off her shoes, she slides her hand into her jacket pocket to pull out the note from Jason, reading it once more before taking a deep breath and walking over to her memory box.
Taking it into her hands, she sits down upon her couch before removing the lid and looking inside. There weren't that many items in the box, only the most important things ever make it inside, her baby picture of her mother holding her for the first time being among the few. Its the only picture in all her life that her mother actually looked happy she existed.
Placing her baby picture back into the box, Elizabeth sets the note right atop the pile before gently covering the box and setting it down upon the coffee table. She isn't certain what place Jason holds in her life or what place he'll eventually claim, but she is certain that he will always matter. She couldn't exactly explain why that was, call it instinct or whatever, but she just feels it deep inside. Whatever place he will claim in her life, he will always matter, of that much is certain.
A/N: Thank you kindly to all who have been messaging me and reviewing the chapters as I post them. All your kind, thoughtful words have meant to world to me. Slowly but surely I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm hoping that I'll be able to post more chapters as I get back into it. Again, thank you all for your kindness, it has meant more than I could express.