Its been a few hours since Elizabeth went up to sleep in his apartment. To settle his own thoughts, Jason went up a couple times to check on her, finding her fast asleep both times. He wasn't sure how things would be from here on out, but he was sure that no matter what happens, he's seeing this to the end.
Settling into his comfortable low chair, Jason starts working on the engine of a mustang convertible. It was in pretty good shape, almost new, but that was only on the surface. The engine was going to need a lot of work before it was ready to be driven on the road.
"Where is she?" his sister's voice stops him from continuing his work.
"Excuse me?" Jason stands up, wiping his hands on the wash rag.
"Elizabeth." she says in a firm tone. "Where is she?"
"She's not here." Jason says plainly. "What's going on, Em?"
"Well at least you still remember my name." Emily folds her arms across her chest. "Its hard to believe we're brother and sister when you didn't even bother to tell me you were in an accident."
"Emily..."
"Don't Emily me." Emily cuts him off. "I was worried sick about you! That was, of course, until I find out that you were living with Elizabeth and didn't bother to tell me."
"What do you want me to say?" Jason counters, unsure of what his sister expected from him.
"I want you to say that you're going to move out of Elizabeth's apartment." Emily exclaims. "I want you to tell me that you're not interested in my best friend! That you weren't the reason Lucky left town! God, Jason!"
"I'm not moving out of Elizabeth's apartment." Jason says calmly. "As for the rest of it...no comment."
"I can't believe you." Emily's eyes start to fill with tears. "I thought you loved me."
"I do love you." Jason assures, not moving to wipe her tears away, needing her to see where he stood. "But my personal life isn't open for discussion."
"She's my best friend, Jason." she emphasizes best friend for importance. "Please don't do this...walk away and leave her alone."
"Whether I do or I don't, its up to me and Elizabeth." Jason says with conviction. "Would you listen if I told you to stay away from Juan?"
"That's different." Emily defends. "I'm in love with him."
"Maybe I'm in love with Elizabeth." Jason counters. "Did you think about that?"
"N...no." Emily shakes her head, taking a couple steps back. "Tell me you're not in love with her."
"Go home, Em." Jason walks back over to his seat. "Or go to Juan because nothing I have to say is going to be what you want to hear."
"I can't believe you right now." Emily stares at him in complete disbelief. "Its like I don't even know who you are anymore."
Jason's about to stop her from leaving, not wanting to be at odds with his sister, but he ends up stopping himself. Watching her leave in a bout of anger, Jason realizes that this is how it had to be. Emily could accept a lot of things, but he knows she wouldn't be able to stand by and watch him and Elizabeth be together. Something he hopes will happen in due time.
"How long was I asleep?" Elizabeth's voice pulls him out of his thoughts about his sister.
"A while." Jason concedes, walking over to her. "You hungry?"
"A little." she admits, glancing around the shop. "But I think I should get started on my work before I get behind."
"Then I'll just order in." Jason says simply, following her to her desk. "Where do you keep the menus?"
"How about I order the food and you get back to working on that convertible?" Elizabeth counters, knowing the signs of a hard case. "I'm sure you have a lot to do before that thing's fixed up."
"Yeah, I actually do have a lot of work left to do on it." Jason glances back at the convertible. "Okay...if you pick that burger place get me..."
"Number three with the onions and tomatoes on the side." Elizabeth cuts him off with a slight smile. "Extra pickles, crispy fries, and sprite for your drink."
"Why do I even bother telling you anymore?"
"I don't know." Elizabeth laughs softly. "Get to work. I'll handle the orders."
"Okay."
He watched her, for a moment, as she sat down behind her desk and called the burger place. He wasn't sure what's gotten into her, but something definitely changed between her going up to sleep and coming back down.
"You gonna stare at me all day or start working on that convertible?" she questions without ever glancing back at him. "The owner is expecting in two days."
Shaking his head, Jason returns to the vehicle and starts working on it to make sure they meet the deadline. Some days, when the work load gets a little overwhelming, Jason thinks of hiring someone else. Having Mike for a partner wasn't exactly helping any - seeing as he never does any work. But, days like this, when they're alone together, Jason knows exactly why he never hires anyone else.
"Syd said it'll be fifteen minutes." Elizabeth tells him once she hangs up with the burger place. "And he said to tell you that his engine is acting up again."
"Did you tell him to bring it in?"
"Yeah, but you know Syd." Elizabeth turns in her chair to face him. "His whole life is that restaurant and we have the same business hours."
"I can't exactly go there to work on it."
"I know." Elizabeth says simply. "That's why I sent a text to Ronnie who said he'd gladly tow it to the shop and then back to restaurant once you're done fixing it."
"You sure you don't want to run this thing by yourself?" Jason counters, wiping his hands on the rag. "You've got a real knack for it."
"True, except I don't know the first thing about fixing cars." Elizabeth reminds him. "Which means that you'd have to stick around anyway."
"Glad to know I'm good for something."
"Then again, I could always learn how to fix cars." Elizabeth teases him. "I mean, if you can do it, I probably can, too."
"Funny." Jason throws her the hand rag. "I'd love to see you get your hands dirty with one of this vehicles."
"You don't think I can do it?" Elizabeth stands up, walking over to him.
"I know you can't." Jason smirks, arching his eyebrow - daring her to argue the point.
"We'll just see about that." she counters when the phone rings.
"Saved my the phone." Jason teases, watching as she turns to answer it.
"Oh, its on." Elizabeth says firmly. "Tomorrow, we'll switch jobs and see who gives in first."
"Fine by me." Jason shrugs. "All I have to do is answer phones."
"You're going to eat those words tomorrow." she eyes him intently before snatching the phone off the hook. "Morgan's Bike Shop, Elizabeth speaking."
A/N: Let me know what you think.
Appreciate the reviews for the last update.
-ROCkER
