Chapter Forty Five
"You look beautiful Elizabeth."
Elizabeth's heart leaped at the touch of his lips on her hand. "Thank you," she smiled demurely. "You don't look half bad yourself."
Jason smiled and Elizabeth locked this moment away in her memory forever.
***
"What?" Nikolas exclaimed loudly at the announcement of Jason as her boyfriend. His jaw clenched at the thought and the guests around him began to whisper.
Nikolas walked over to the enchanted pair, disgusted with the idea of the twosome. Oh he would let them know exactly what he thought of this!
***
Jason couldn't take his eyes off of Elizabeth. His heart raced when the corners of her mouth lifted into a heartwarming smile. "You picked the suit. I just put it on."
As he slipped Elizabeth's arm through his, Jason felt a pair of hands push him suddenly with a jolt backwards.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nikolas roared.
Jason felt Elizabeth's arm slip under from his. His reflex reaction wasn't quick enough for Jason to grab hold of Elizabeth's flailing arm. Suddenly, Jason found himself confronted by an angry Nikolas and a pouty Gia, both whom looked ready for a fight. Elizabeth stood by with her mouth a gap, her arm grasped firmly by Nikolas.
Jason shook his head and rubbed his face. This was not happening. All these plans had been made to find out where Jaime was and Nikolas was going to ruin it all. He looked over at Elizabeth, who seemed to have gathered her composure on the situation. "Nikolas, let me go!" Elizabeth whispered menacingly. Her eyes darted around her, as was Jason's. They both hated the scene Nikolas was making.
"Let her go," Jason stated firmly.
Nikolas' head shot up in an angry glare. "Don't tell me what to do!" he threatened.
Elizabeth finally managed to wriggle out of Nikolas' grasp. "What are you doing? You're making a scene," she accused through gritted teeth.
Jason took a step forward, grasped Elizabeth's hand and pulled her to his side. "Are you okay?" he whispered into her ear.
Elizabeth nodded as she rubbed her reddened wrist. "I'm fine," Elizabeth replied.
Jason quickly glanced up at the top of the staircase. Isabella and Andre looked quite mystified and even a little irritated at the outburst from their royal guest. Elizabeth followed Jason's quick glance up to the Perelli's and quickly turned back to look at Jason as they began their descending down the stairs.
Nikolas continued to fume as the Perelli's joined the fray. "You are kidding yourself if you're dating this guy! Elizabeth, what are you doing? You and Lucky belong together. Have you even told him about this? I can't believe you would do this!" Nikolas exclaimed.
"Stop it Nikolas!" Elizabeth threatened.
Jason felt the tension in her body as she leaned up against him. His heart ached when Nik reminded Elizabeth of Lucky. He could tell by the look on her face it brought the pain and the memories back. Jason couldn't tell if that was good or bad.
"Si si! Stop this!" Andre commanded.
He had pulled himself up to his full height and his chest was puffed up like a proud rooster. Andre did not look pleased with his guests. "What is this," he waved his hand towards Jason and Elizabeth to Nikolas, "about?"
Nikolas pursed his lips and stretched his neck out like he was attempting to release the tension that weighed on them. "Scusé," Nikolas apologized. "These are my friends from Port Charles."
"That is no excuse!" Isabella reprimanded. "You have made a scene at my dinner, and I am not pleased. These two are special guests, as are you."
Jason watched the older woman reprimand Nikolas, and as they were distracted with the rude Prince, Jason whispered into Elizabeth's ear. "We don't have to tell Nikolas we're together," Jason offered.
Elizabeth shook her head as he whispered in her ear. "Jason, we can't let the Perelli's know!"
Jason looked her in the eye trying to communicate to her that lying to them won't make it easy. The lies that came out of Jason staying at the studio had been proof enough. "We'll talk about this later," he whispered.
"Elizabeth?" Isabella inquired of the embarrassed couple. "Mr. Cassadine tells me you are involved with another man. Is this true? Is Mr. Morgan taking advantage of you?"
***
Elizabeth swallowed at the question. "No!" Elizabeth exclaimed, looking up at the solemn Jason. "He is not taking advantage of me!" The declaration was as much for Isabella's knowledge as it was for Nikolas.
"I'm so sorry for the interruption. Isabella, maybe we," Elizabeth motioned to Jason and herself, "should leave?"
Isabella seemed to study both she and Jason for what seemed to be a long time. Then Isabella turned and faced her guests. "No!" she exclaimed. "No one is leaving! We will have our dinner now, no?"
The awkwardly silent guests suddenly began cheering. "Si si! We will have our dinner."
Isabella looked sternly at Elizabeth, "Everything will happen as planned my dahling."
Elizabeth swallowed hard and nodded. "Thank you. I am very sorry this happened!" Elizabeth apologized as she grasped her hostess's outstretched hand.
"Dahling, life would be so utterly boring if these such things did not happen!" Isabella winked at her as she led Elizabeth, Jason and the other guests into the dining room.
"Follow me, my dear friends!" Isabella announced with a mischievous smile.
***
Fortunately for Nikolas, Elizabeth had been placed beside him at the dining room table. He would have a chance to talk some sense into her, whatever she had left.
Nikolas repressed the urge to strangle Jason for taking advantage of Elizabeth in this way. A creep and a loser.
As Gia sat down beside him, he felt her hand grasp his left hand. "Don't make a scene Nikolas," she whispered. "Just let it go. You can talk to her when we leave."
"I can't Gia!" Nikolas spat. "I mean look at them!"
Nikolas motioned over to Jason as he pulled out Elizabeth's chair for her. "He's taking advantage of her! She's still hurt and in pain after the truth about Lucky's memory loss and his lying to her."
Nikolas dismissed the rise of her eyebrow and her pursed lips, all signaling him to back off.
All during that last encounter with Elizabeth, Nik could only think about what would happen to Lucky. He would be crushed. Nikolas could not let this happen. 'I mean I was the reason it happened. All of this happened,' Nikolas thought. 'He's not going to lose her to Jason now too.'
Nikolas steeled himself for the polite pleasantries to come. He would behave himself for the dinner because everyone was in close proximity and Nikolas knew his uncle would be displeased at the outburst, no matter what the situation was.
He would bide his time until he made Elizabeth finally see what kind of man Jason Morgan was.
How's it going gang? Pls R&R! Let me know if you were surprised or not. Was it too predictable?