* Please Review!

Waterwarrior6: Did you get my pm with the link? I know what you mean, I kind of got that vibe too.

NikixXx: Thank you!

CreepyDaisy: I am keeping to some of the storyline but changing others. Art will be in it and he will attack someone.

Leyshla: Have you seen the movie? I know but I had something like that happen to me. Someone texted me, just wanting to know about me. But I didn't answer, maybe I should have, LOL, maybe it is The Reedus!

XAcex13: Thank you! I just love him and most of his characters. I know that going off on his less known work doesn't always land me a lot of reviews but I'm hoping as more people fall for him, they will read the fics. I'm going to email FFN and ask them to add this movie to their list.

JavaNut: That scene were Preston dropped his ring down the sink in the hotel bathroom just broke my heart! And you can't get mad at Jonathan, he loved her too.

Knyte: This is for you!

Jonathan was in the best mood as he finished up his early morning baking. Elliot wanted him to talk to her. He wanted her to text him. She thought he was funny. He wanted to tell her it was him, and planned on doing it if she came into the bakery again. Maybe he could ask her out on a date. He hadn't been on a date in so long.

Having to take care of Art, his mentally challenged brother, put a serious damper on dating. Women didn't like coming over and having his brother there. Art's mind was stuck. He thought and acted like a seven year old and that was hard for some women to deal with. Jonathan got that. It was sometimes hard for him to deal with. Art couldn't, or won't, do anything on his own. Jonathan had to cook for him, make him brush his teeth, change his clothes and bath. Having a date over and having to do all that cooled things down fast. Some women just couldn't handle a grown child. It didn't help that Art sometimes spied on Jonathan when he was trying to be intimate with his date. Yeah, women really didn't like that.

Jonathan watched the clock like a hawk. He didn't want to text her too early but he was excited to talk to her. Seven o'clock came and went. Eight o'clock hit and he unlocked the doors to his bakery. Eight-thirty came and Jonathan couldn't wait any longer. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and pulled up her number. She would be up, right?

' Hi, Elliot.'

' Hi, Casey.' She answered a few seconds later.

' What are you doing?' He asked as he leaned against the counter at the front of the bakery.

' I'm headed into this bakery I found yesterday. The coffee was amazing.' Jonathan's head snapped up as she appeared at the doorway. He shoved his phone deep into his pocket and straighten up.

" Ah, hi." Elliot said as she walked into his bakery.

" Hi." He said, feeling almost shell shocked that she was there.

" So will you let me pay for my coffee today?" She asked with a smile. Jonathan found himself smiling back without thinking.

" Sure. Is that all you want?" He asked as he turned around to grab her a cup.

" Yeah, thank you." Elliot said.

" Four creams?" Jonathan asked while his phone went off in his pocket.

" Yeah. You remembered." She said.

" Yeah, that's kind of my job." He said. He poured out some coffee into a cup, added the cream, then faced her again. " Here you go."

" And how much?" Elliot asked.

" On the house." Jonathan said with a smile, despite having told her she could pay for it.

" What? You just said I could pay, I'm paying." She said with a smile.

" You can't force me to take your money." Jonathan counter.

" Does your boss know you give away coffee?" She asked.

" He doesn't mind. You want to know how I know that?" He asked. She glanced down at her phone, making him look at it too. To his surprised, she was quickly checking her texts. Was she waiting for him?

" Yeah, how do you know?" She asked, looking back up at him and nodding.

" Because I'm the boss. This is my bakery." Jonathan said.

" Are you serious?" She asked in surprise.

" Yeah and to prove it," He started as he moved to the pastries, donut, and bagel case. He bend down and opened the door. He pulled out an apple cinnamon muffin then closed the door. " I'm giving you this."

" What? No. No, you can't." Elliot said, shaking her head.

" I can and if you don't take it, I'm going to have my feelings hurt. I'm going to think you don't like my cooking." He said, placing the muffin on a plate and sliding it over.

" I want to pay." She said.

" I'll tell you want, you come back tomorrow, I'll let you pay." He leaned against the counter, let his arms rest against the top of it and clasped his hands together, all with a smile on his face. She tilted her head, shifted her weight to her right side and crossed her arms over her chest.

" How do you even know I'll like this?" She asked.

" I just know this about people and what they like. You are an apple cinnamon type of girl. Right?" Elliot rubbed her lips together to try and stop her smile. She started to nod then burst into laughter, making him grin and stand up straight. He pulled his hands apart and placed them, palm side down, on the counter.

" I, actually, really love apples and cinnamon." She said.

" See. Take it. Let me know how you like it." Jonathan said.

" I'm paying tomorrow." She said.

After she took the plate and her coffee, she made her way to the table at the window. Jonathan pulled his phone out and gave her his back. There was a message from her waiting for him. He grinned and opened it up, listening as she took a call at the table. He didn't want her to sneak up on him and know she was texting him.

' What are you going to do today?' The text read.

' Just texting you.' He answered. He replaced the phone and turned around. Elliot had her left elbow on the table top and had her head down. She was holding her phone to her left ear and was nodding. Since they were the only ones inside the little shop, he could clearly hear her side of the conversation.

" No, I didn't say that...I'm not saying you're lying...I think you are misunderstanding me...No..." She sighed deeply and shook her head. " I understand." She looked out the window then swiped her hand across her cheek. Jonathan frowned. Was she crying? " Okay...I'm sorry...Goodbye." She shook her head as she looked at her phone and disconnected the phone. She sent it on the table top and went back to staring out the window. Her small hands wrapped around the cup.

' You're quiet.' Elliot wiped at her cheeks again then started texting Casey.

' Bad day.' She answered.

' Already?'

' Some days are just like that.' She texted with a heavy heart.

' What will make it better?' Casey asked.

" A new life." Jonathan heard Elliot mutter to herself.

' Tell me a joke.' She sent him.

She stayed at the bakery for another hour, slowly eating her muffin and drinking her coffee. She smiled at Jonathan when he filled her coffee, telling him how great the muffin was. She texted him over and over again. She smiled and laughed to herself when he told her a joke. He wanted so bad to tell her that it was him but he just couldn't make himself do it. Through the texts he was coming off smooth, confident and funny, in real life, he was anything but. Plus, through the phone he didn't have to tell her about Art.

The rest of the day, she texted him and he answered. They asked each other questions, things like what was their favorite colors, what kind of cars they drove, back and forth they went. They were just getting to know each other. Again they joked and laughed together. He didn't tell her about his brother and that they lived together. He was vague about his job and found out that she didn't have one. She was looking for a one.

He noticed that in the evening, she texted him less then she had throughout the day. It took her longer to answer him. He wondered what she was doing but didn't ask. It was hard for him to stay on top of the texts once he got home so he understood. Art demanded so much of his time. His brother was excited when he got home and wanted his full attention. By eight that night, she had completely stopped texting him.

Aug 10

She came back in today. She is so amazing. I love watching her as she takes in the world. The sun coming in from the window makes her hair shine around her. She looks like an angel. Her eyes are the clearest blue I have ever seen. I am completely taken by her. Her lips are a pale pink and I can't help but wonder how they feel. And taste. It's been so long since I kissed anyone. I want to ask her out so bad but I can't. I love Art, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I wish I didn't have to take care of him. If he wasn't around, I would have already asked her out and who knows? Maybe she would have said yes and maybe we could have something special. If Art wasn't around, I could be the guy I was in the texts.

NRNRNR

' Good morning, Elliot.'

' Morning, Casey.' Her answer came sometime later.

' How are you doing?'

The door to his shop opened and she was walked in, making him slip his phone into his back pocket. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeve, dark blue shirt despite the warm weather outside. She was wearing her golden hair down so Jonathan see it reached her tummy. It was completely straight and hung in layers. On her small face was a pair of black sunglasses, even though it was overcast that day and rainy that day.

" Hey, you ready for some coffee?" He asked as she made her way to the counter.

" Yeah, that would be great." She said quietly.

' I'm okay. How are you?'

Jonathan pulled down a coffee cup, pour out the hot, dark liquid then added her cream. He turned around at the same time she actually reached the counter. He stopped dead in his tracks. There was a bruising on either side of her chin, like as if someone had squeezed her forcefully. Around her neck was another set of bruises, marks she had tried to cover up with her make-up but had failed.

" Are you okay?" Jonathan asked. Her hand flew to her slender throat.

" Yeah. I had an accident, that's all." She said quickly. Too quickly.

" Like a car accident?" Jonathan asked, setting the coffee down.

" Yeah." She said with a deep sigh.

" What happen?" He pressed.

" Someone pulled in front of me." He wanted to ask her to take off the sunglasses but didn't. She didn't have to remove them for him to know what he would see. He was sure she had a black eye. And he doubted it came from a car accident.

Something is wrong with Elliot. Today she was sad that she hardly drank her coffee or ate her muffin. She stared outside, pulling little bits off the muffin and placing them in her mouth or letting it rest on the plate. I let her pay but I didn't want too. I watched her while I leaned against the counter. She was so deep inside her head that she didn't even notice. Someone had attacked her, I was sure. Someone was hurting her and I wanted her to tell me who.