A/N: This story was supposed to be a one shot, but I was inspired so I decided to add another leg to it, I hope you enjoy it as much as you did the first part. Happy reading!
Part 2
A dry and unforgiving ringtone echoed in Jason's cabin, promptly taking him out of the deep sleep he had plunged back into since Elizabeth had left the room that morning. He hadn't caught much sleep the night before, as he had spent the most of it talking to the young woman he had just met while they walked on the beach and then later did much less talking in his cabin.
Jason grinned as he remembered the unexpected turn of events and then thought about how quickly Elizabeth had left the room earlier. Actually, she hadn't just left the room; she had run out at fast as she could while he wished she had stayed just a bit longer. The young man hoped he hadn't done or said anything to make her feel uncomfortable the night before. As mush as he tried to remember if he had, he couldn't think properly because his phone wouldn't stop ringing. He pulled an arm out to grab the device and checked the caller ID, only to silence it right away and drop it back on the side table.
It was the last person he wanted to hear from.
Almost instantly, the phone started ringing again, and the blond man rejected the call, again. He had nothing to say to his soon to be ex-wife, who he was sure had by then received the divorce papers he had already signed. Jason's back fell back on his bed, an arm resting on his forehead. Instead of wondering what Courtney had to tell him or even worrying about if she had at least signed the papers, all he could think about was the tiny brunette who had crashed his world the night before.
He could still smell her alluring scent in his cabin as he remembered their long walk on the beach and the kiss that had sparked their passionate night together. It had been a while since he had felt this type of connection with someone, actually he couldn't remember ever having this type of connection with anyone.
He closed his eyes, but was interrupted by his ringtone. He grabbed the phone and decided to finally shut it off after noticing Sonny was now calling, this was the second last person he wanted to hear from. The young man shook his head then stepped out of bed and decided to go for a run to clear his mind, which was still haunted by the beautiful brunette.
After being grilled by her girlfriends, Elizabeth had finally shared a few more carefully picked details about her ardent affair. They had sat her on a bed and interrogated her by asking everything that could possibly come to their mind. The exercise had made Elizabeth extremely uncomfortable and she pleaded the fifth many times or simply told them what they wanted to hear so that they would leave her alone. Once the curious girls were satisfied with the tale, they began planning their second day on the island, which would start by some relaxing time by the pool.
"I told you all about my evening and you didn't even say anything about what you girls were up to last night after I left." Elizabeth complained while applying sunscreen all over her arms. "So come on, time to spill the beans!"
Robin took a sip of her Bloody Mary, which she swore was a miracle cure against hangovers and then looked to the side. Lainey began coughing uncontrollably while Kelly just pretended to sleep on her pool lounger.
"Oh really… it's like that? I see, I tell you everything and now you want to keep your escapades a secret!" Elizabeth then faced Nadine, who she knew couldn't keep a secret for the life of her. "Come on Nadine, spill!"
"I… I… well." Nadine began to stutter.
"Oh chill Lizzie!" Robin finally said with a chuckle. "Just messing with you! Of course we will tell you. So in short, I finally ended up making out with hunky bartender only to realize that the cocktail waitress had a thing for him given the stares she gave me… so I guess we're not welcome in that bar anymore by the way, unless you feel like sipping on cocktails with spit in them." She joked as she heard the rest of the group giggle.
"No way!" Elizabeth let out, her mouth opened wide in shock. "And then what happened?"
"And then well you remember the UCLA guys we met yesterday?" Robin said as Elizabeth nodded. "We called them up and they invited us to meet them at a beach party somewhere close by so we went and of course Kelly became the life of the party.
As she heard her name, Kelly jumped in the conversation. "Not my fault if no one knew how to properly dance to Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies', I had to show off my skills." She justified herself with a grin then readjusted the large sunglasses that covered her hangover face.
"Oh I've seen your moves before!" Elizabeth said while nodding with a pronounced grin. "Wow… it looks like I missed a fun party."
"Oh but your night was sooo much better." Lainey sassily told her friend and all four girlfriends nodded in agreement with thick smiles.
Elizabeth couldn't help but turn red and then silently drank some of her fruit smoothie hoping they would finally drop the subject. Yes she had sex with a virtual stranger but it was hardly the craziest thing to ever happen, especially not with friends like Kelly or even Robin who had had much wilder stories to tell since she knew them.
"By the way Liz, you left out THE juiciest detail!" Kelly said, sitting up on her chair. "Come on tell me when to stop." She then said as she put her two index fingers side by side then began moving them away from each other. The group stared at her slowly moving fingers while waiting for Elizabeth to say stop; the gap became larger and larger. As Elizabeth still didn't say stop, Nadine couldn't help but gasp and hold her mouth.
"Is that even humanly possible?!" The blond student exclaimed.
"Huh uh." Elizabeth enigmatically let out as Kelly beamed in excitement, and then the art student hid her face in embarrassment. She always felt uncomfortable talking about sex, especially when she was at the center of the equation.
"Wowzer, jackpot!" Kelly said; it took a lot to impress the uninhibited young woman who was now fascinated by what the brooding blond man was hiding in his jeans. "I'm even more proud of you now Elizabeth knowing this!"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Are we done now talking about this? It was a one night thing and it was great but now it's done and who knows if I'm even going to see this guy again in Port Charles?" Elizabeth said hoping her friend would now leave her alone, but only Nadine agreed while Robin, Kelly and Lainey reserved the right to ask more questions, leaving the group to break in laughter until Robin interrupted them.
"Uuuuh… you were saying?" Robin said noticing a tall man in a simple black t-shirt over navy swimming trunks make his way towards them. "Lizzie, don't turn around and don't freak out but bar guy is walking towards us."
"Stop, you're joking!" Elizabeth let out as she turned around and saw, as she had just been told, Jason walking in her direction. Panicked, she swiftly turned back around, wanting to hide badly but it was too late.
"What are you doing?" Lainey asked her friend. "He's looking over here! Look at him, smile or something!"
"No, no, no… I look horrible! I barely slept and look at my face, I didn't even put proper make up on."
Robin shook her head then said. "Well he saw you this morning post tequila and all… and still wants to see you so he probably doesn't care that you don't have mascara on your eyelashes."
"Elizabeth?" Jason's assertive voice suddenly interrupted the girls. All heads turned to look at the beautiful specimen's face, their minds now full of imagination. All were fixated on his attractive face but Kelly, whose eyes stayed under his belt, still intrigued by Elizabeth's earlier revelation.
"Ja-son?" Elizabeth struggled to say while jumping up to her feet, her slender legs shaky. "What… what are you doing here?"
The man's eyes didn't stay insensitive to her small but perfectly shaped body that was only covered of a revealing red bikini on top of which she had tied a sheer white scarf. He remembered the feeling of his hands slowly running over these curves the night before but chased the thought away to get back to reality. "Hi Elizabeth." He told her, under the scrutinizing eyes of Elizabeth's group of girlfriends. "I found these on the beach this morning."
Only when Jason handed her the pink with white polka dots flip-flops he was holding did she remember she had lost them. "Oh those, thanks. I guess I must have lost them during our walk." She didn't remember but it was the best possible explanation.
Jason, who she had previously noticed was a man of few words simply nodded as a remarkably uncomfortable Elizabeth dropped the flip-flops next to her feet.
"Hmm hmm." Robin pretended to cough to diffuse the awkward silence.
"Oh, umm… Let me introduce you to my friends!" Elizabeth then cheerfully blurred out as she turned to Robin first but before she was able to say a word Jason shook her hand and said.
"You must be Robin, right?" He said, recognizing the short brunette from the many stories Elizabeth had shared with him the night before.
"I guess I'm famous." The pre-med student sent a questioning look at her best friend wondering what she had told the man about her, but before she could ask, Elizabeth continued the introductions.
"And this is, Nadine, Kelly and Lainey."
Jason shook all their hands. "Nice to meet you all, I have heard a lot about you yesterday."
Elizabeth covered her face in embarrassment while the four friends were surprised that her one night stand, who had seemingly come back for more, already knew so much about them; but before any of them could say a thing, the art student pulled him aside so they could talk privately.
Elizabeth readjusted the cover-up around her waist and then crossed her arms across her thin chest. "Thanks for finding my flip-flops, you didn't have to bother, I brought an extra pair with me just in case."
"It was no trouble, I went on a run this morning and I saw them on the beach. I guessed you were staying at this resort so I was going to leave them at the reception… until I saw you by the pool."
Elizabeth smiled while her mind flashed to Jason's beautifully tanned and sweaty well-built body running shirtless on the beach. She snapped back to reality as she appreciated how thoughtful he had been. "By the way, sorry again for this morning, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings by how quickly I left. I just didn't want my friends to get worried, and they were, they thought you might have abducted me or turned out to be an axe murderer or something… ready to sell my organs on the international trafficking trade. They can be a bit over-dramatic sometimes." The brunette said then stopped talking as she caught herself rambling.
An amused Jason grinned as she went on.
"But anyway, I thought you were getting back to Port Charles today?" She asked.
"I am, my flight is tonight… although I am not really looking forward to getting back home." The blond man told her then wondered why he even told her that. He continued. "I still have a few hours here so if you're up to it, maybe I could show you around the island."
Elizabeth was still shocked to see Jason there, and even more that he was asking her out. She was hoping he would get in touch in Port Charles as he had said he would but wasn't holding her breath; so many men before him had said they would call and had never been heard of again. Seeing him again already was totally unexpected. "You mean you plus me? On a date or something?"
Jason hadn't thought of it as a date but the label seemed appropriate. He nodded.
"Well… umm… I was planning on spending the day with my friends." She sent a look at the girls and noticed they were staring at them. "I feel bad abandoning them again." Elizabeth then looked down at the floor thinking that this whole flirting thing was much easier with three tequila shots in her system.
"I understand." He did but was visibly disappointed. "Anyway, enjoy your vacation and maybe we can do this in Port Charles sometime."
Jason turned around to leave but before he was able to take a step Elizabeth called him back. "Jason wait! I'm sure they will understand."
Of course they had, sure the girls were a bit disappointed that Elizabeth would be MIA for another day but after seeing Jason and hearing how much fun she had with him the night before, it was only understandable that she wanted more time with him. So while they finished their cocktails and smoothies by the pool, Elizabeth threw a t-shirt on top of her bikini and slid on her mini jeans skirt before following Jason.
"So, where are you taking me?" She said with a large smile. The brunette was excited to see where this date would go.
"What do you feel like doing?"
"To be honest I haven't had time to do or see much yet on the island and you seem like the expert so take me somewhere, anywhere."
"Alright, I have an idea." Jason said then took Elizabeth's hand to lead her down to the beach. After a few minutes walking in the warm sand they spotted a jet ski.
"This is what you had in mind?" She asked, staring at the machine with excitement and apprehension.
"Uh huh." Jason confirmed with a head nod.
"Oh boy… how fast does it go?"
"Pretty fast, but if you're scared we don't have to…"
"Pssh scared? Me? Oh please!" She said with a shrug then swiftly removed her clothes to stand in her bikini. Jason imitated her and took his t-shirt off then handed her a life vest before pushing the machine on to the water. He jumped on top of the jet ski then held an arm out to help Elizabeth on.
She grabbed his strong arm and easily climbed on, sitting close behind him. The young woman sensed butterflies in her stomach as she felt his body so close to her again and took a deep breath before enveloping her arms around his firm chest.
"Hold on tight ok and if I go too fast just tell me and I'll slow down." He said and she nodded and before she could even take another breath, he had started the engine and began flying through the crystal blue water of San Juan.
All Elizabeth could feel was the wind, hitting her face as they went faster and faster while water splashed all over them. She couldn't help but scream in excitement as she held on to Jason tightly. She was so light that each wave made her bounce up and down on the jet ski, forcing her to hold on even tighter to the man who also enjoyed this proximity.
They tore across the water for half an hour until Jason drove them back to shore. He helped an excited Elizabeth off the jet ski then sat next to her on the sand.
"That was so much fun!" The college student squealed, still feeling the thrill.
"I could tell you liked it." He said then pulled on one of his ears. "I think I'm deaf now."
The brunette couldn't help a chuckle. "Sorry about that, but it was such a rush, every time you would take a sharp turn and splash all this water around."
"I'm glad you enjoyed." Jason said with a grin.
"And I'm glad you asked me to hang out." Elizabeth said, crossing her legs Indian style. "I'm sorry if I reacted a bit weird earlier but I was just so surprised to see you again… and my friends were there, staring at us."
"You don't have to apologize, it was probably a bit strange of me to show up like that unannounced." Jason rubbed his nose.
"Oh no it wasn't, not at all! I'm just still shocked you wanted to spend more time with me honestly... I was a hot mess last night, a very chatty hot mess too!" Elizabeth joked while drawing a perfect circle with a finger on the sand.
"You weren't, it's been a while since I have been able to disconnect and have fun like that." He said with a rare and gorgeous smile. "And you make it easy."
"I'm happy I was able to do that for you Jason. I imagine going through a divorce is a pretty painful thing." Elizabeth said, while looking into the water at the moving waves.
"Well to be honest I am more relieved than anything else." Jason admitted, his smile disappearing into a frown. "Sure she cheated on me but to be honest our marriage had been struggling long before that… so now that I know it is over, I'm relieved."
Elizabeth's eyes left the sea to look at the pensive man who was sitting next to her, arms crossed over his knees. She dropped a gentle peck on his sandy shoulder then looked up to meet his eyes, which were staring at her. Their mouths then met again. They tasted of salt but it didn't matter to the pair who played of each other's lips, breathing each other's air until they absolutely had to break apart.
Elizabeth couldn't believe it was possible to feel this kind of attraction for someone; it was as if a good fairy had put a spell on her. It was a beautiful feeling, warm and comforting but it was also scary. After all she couldn't forget that this man was just coming out of a marriage.
"What are you thinking about?" Jason suddenly asked, noticing she was lost in her thoughts.
"That this is beautiful. This beach is like paradise and you are the perfect person to share this moment with." She told him, keeping her fears to herself and a light chuckle escaped her before she could go on. "This vacation has already exceeded all my expectations... thanks to you. And to Robin who dared me to come talk to you yesterday night."
Jason smiled and dropped a soft kiss on her sensual mouth before asking. "Are you hungry?"
"I'm starving!" She exclaimed. "I could barely eat this morning because that tequila hangover was making my stomach all squeaky but now I could eat an entire cow."
Jason's lips curled up at her effortless sense of humor. "Alright, then why don't I cook for you? I know a small market right up this way." He pointed inland.
"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Elizabeth said jumping to her feet.
The two dressed back up and walked to the fresh market where they bought exquisite looking clams and everything Jason needed to prepare his special sauce. Elizabeth was impressed that he would cook for her, especially something that she had ever only seen on a restaurant menu. As they walked to his cabin on the beach she wondered who on earth would be stupid enough to cheat on such a wonderful man.
Jason pulled his key out to open the door but quickly noticed something unusual. He stopped and placed his ear against the door.
"What's wrong?" Elizabeth worried.
"Step back, I think someone broke in." He told her as he carefully placed the grocery bag on the floor then slowly opened the door. To his surprise, Courtney was sitting on the bed, obviously waiting for him.
"Jase! Finally!" She blurred out as she jumped on her feet. "We need to talk."
Jason was feeling both angry and annoyed that she had followed him all the way to Puerto Rico and her timing couldn't have been worse he thought just as Elizabeth followed him inside the room.
"Is everything ok?" The brunette asked then gasped when she saw the blonde woman standing inside.
"Who the hell is her?" Courtney demanded to know as soon as she saw Elizabeth.
"Who the hell are you?" Elizabeth snapped back.
"Elizabeth, this is my wife, Courtney." Jason unhappily informed her.
"Oh…" Was all the petite brunette could say, suddenly feeling the thick awkwardness in the room.
"Yes, I'm his wife! And what are you doing here huh?"
"Courtney, please not now!" Jason pleaded then looked at Elizabeth with apologetic eyes. He never wanted her to be caught in the middle of his marital woes.
"Look Jason, why don't I leave you two to talk while I go back to my hotel." Elizabeth said taking a step back.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry." He said almost in a whisper.
"Thanks for the fun ride!" The younger woman then said and disappeared before Jason could say anything back.
"Thanks for the fun ride?" Courtney repeated in a mocking tone and then rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that you've slept with her?"
Jason blinked silently then looked through the window where he could see Elizabeth running away from his cabin.
"Did you?" Courtney insisted, although she already had her answer. She was shocked that the man who she was fighting to stay with had so easily turned the page on them. "I cannot believe you Jason, it took you what, all but five minutes to jump in bed with some random stupid…"
"Watch it Courtney! You are not one to talk!" He said before she could go any further.
"Was the ink even dry on these divorce papers you signed and had me delivered before you had sex with that bitch?"
"Don't talk like this about Elizabeth!" Jason let out in a cold menacing tone, taking Courtney aback.
"Oh… ok… You're defending her like you care about her or something. Isn't she just a jump off? Since when has this been going on?"
"This is none of your business anymore." Jason said, his annoyance growing by the minute.
An aggravated Courtney walked towards him, arms crossed tightly as her eyes fell on his fingers, which she noticed was missing his wedding band. The thought of him moving on pinched her heart, causing tears to form in her eyes. "You already took off your ring." She fidgeted her own ring then added. "I cannot believe you would just throw everything we have just like this!"
"Oh no, you did that all on your own. When you decided to have an affair with Jasper Jax then you did everything you could to hide it from me and even used Sonny's help to cover it up so you know what, it's too late now to expect me to want to fight for us." Jason coldly said before adding. "We are finished Courtney."
She opened her mouth to speak; her throat was dry as she was on the verge of tears. "You don't mean that, babe! Jason! I'm sorry ok? How many times am I supposed to tell you I am sorry! Plus we're even now, you had your little fun with this girl, you did what you had to do to get over… my mistake so now you can come back home and forget about getting a divorce."
Jason let out a heavy sigh and walked around the room silently, shaking his head as he thought about what to say next, everything he wanted to tell the woman he once loved but now despised sounded way too harsh, silence was a much better option.
"Jase! Talk to me!"
"You're delusional if you think that we have a chance." He finally told her before adding. "And what are you doing here anyway, did Sonny send you?"
An overly dramatic Courtney was now crying, wiping warm tears from her face. "He just thought that maybe the both of us here, in the place were we spent our honeymoon would help you change your mind."
"Then both of you are delusional!" Jason lashed out, as he no longer cared to spare her feelings. "If this is why you came to Puerto Rico, you wasted your time. The best thing you can do for us right now is go back to Port Charles, sign those damn papers and leave me alone!"
Jason's words caused the blonde woman to storm out of the cabin, weeping loudly.
When the girls had received a text from Elizabeth asking them where they were, they knew something was not right. It was too early for what was supposed to be an amazing day with Jason to come to an end. They had replied back to her that they had moved to the same beach they had been to the day before so the brunette hurried to join them. She was completely out of breath from running by the time she spotted her very recognizable friends and looked slightly distressed.
"Here you are! What happened, are you ok?" Lainey was the first to ask what everyone had on the mind as she watched Elizabeth drop to sit next to her, trying to catch her breath.
"You won't believe what just happened!" She finally managed to say in between heavy inhalations.
"What? What? You're scaring us!" Nadine eagerly said, wondering what was going on.
Robin, who very rarely spoke seriously asked. "Seriously Lizzie, what's wrong? Did something bad happen?"
"No, no!" Elizabeth vividly shook her head to dismiss the idea. "Nothing like that! We had a great time, he took me for a ride on a jet ski."
"So then what could have gone wrong?" Kelly interrupted. "Did you fall off the jet ski and almost drowned? Or did he drown?"
Elizabeth shook her head again. "Nooo, he was going to cook lunch for me so we went back to his cabin but his wife was there, waiting for him!"
"Whaaat?!" All four friends exclaimed in harmony.
"His wife?" Lainey added still in disbelief. "Where is that coming from? I thought you said he was divorced?"
"He told me he had filed for divorce but that it wasn't final yet so technically she is still his wife." Elizabeth clarified the situation.
"But then what happened, she kicked you out?" Robin asked.
"Well they started arguing so I bolted out of there fast."
"Wow… Do you think he could have lied? Maybe he just threw that divorce thing in the air so that he could get in your pants… Men can be real dogs, don't put anything past them!" Robin became fired up by the news.
"You really think he lied, that he was never getting a divorce?" Nadine wondered. "What kind of person does that?"
Elizabeth didn't think so; Jason had appeared sincerely hurt and vulnerable when he told her about everything that was going on in his life and she had always considered herself a good judge of character. He had confided in her about his wife's affair, he wouldn't have made all this up, would he?
"No, I don't think he lied… maybe she was there to try and get her husband back?" Elizabeth put her face in her hands then let out a loud grunt. "I can't believe I ended up in the middle of all this! I should have stayed clear of him the minute he said he was married."
"You have nothing to worry about young lady!" Lainey reassured her friend and placed an arm around her shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, it's his marriage and he is the one that needs to deal with this mess not you!"
"I know, I know... but I still feel weird about it. You should have seen the way that woman looked at me!" Elizabeth felt chills running down her back as she remembered Courtney's scolding eyes and tone.
"Hey, he is a grown ass man who chose to be with you yesterday night and as far as you knew they were separated… definitely not a crime!" Kelly who had been in this exact position before justified. "I hate when the wife wants to blame you for everything, how about blaming their husband who they are married to and themselves for not being able to hold on to the damn man in the first place."
"Are you still talking about Lizzie here?" Robin asked sarcastically knowing Kelly had experience with this situation having had a thing for a wealthy married man in the past.
Everyone but Elizabeth chuckled at the joke; she was lost in her thoughts. The rational side of her agreed with he friends that she wasn't to blame, yet she couldn't help herself from taking responsibility in possibly ruining a perfectly fine marriage. What if he had lied and she was now the reason they would get a divorce. She let out another noisy groan. "I cannot believe this is happening! Plus it's really too bad because I had such a good time with Jason again today… but now I don't think I can even see him again."
"Look, the best you can do is forget about all this for now and enjoy the sun! If he is half the nice guy you first thought he was he will reach out and apologize and if not, then he isn't even worth the headache." Lainey, who always had words of wisdom, told her.
Elizabeth nodded and sensing she needed a hug, Robin called for a group hug and all four girls spread their arms around Elizabeth, giving her the support she needed in this puzzling time.
"Alright, now can we reboot this vacation?" Kelly exclaimed then pointed at a sailing boat. "We have all more or less recovered from our hangovers by now… sooo how about we go sailing?"
The girls had spent an amazing few hours first getting a light lunch by the beach and then jumping on board of the Penelope, a beautiful sailboat with even more handsome sailors. They navigated around the island, taking in and capturing in photos their beautiful surroundings, while Kelly and Robin didn't miss on the opportunity to flirt with their very attractive skippers. Elizabeth had tried very hard to keep Jason and his wife far away from her mind but without much success as she constantly kept wondering if he really could have lied to her.
The five friends were now exhausted and all they could think about was making it back to their hotel rooms to take a nap and prepare for another potential wild night. They climbed up the pathway that led from the beach to their resort and decided to take a shortcut to their rooms by crossing the pool area. The joyful group of girls was walking while chitchatting when a woman's voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Hey you! You think it is ok to sleep with someone's husband?" Courtney called out as she recognized the girl who was with Jason earlier. She couldn't believe that the home wrecker was staying in her brother's resort.
"Excuse me?" Elizabeth said, turning around, only to notice Courtney getting up from one of the pool lounger to come stand in front of her and her friends.
"I guess that's the wife... This is going to be interesting." Kelly whispered to her friends.
"Yes I am talking to you!" Courtney replied then took a step forward to stand close to Elizabeth's face, one hand resting on her hip while the other pointed a finger in the air. "Let me make this clear so that you can put it in your small head, Jason is my husband so back the hell off!"
Elizabeth was mortified given the very public nature of the confrontation. "Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-" She began to apologize but was quickly interrupted.
"You didn't mean to what? Jump in bed with my husband?" The woman snapped argumentatively.
"I didn't know that-" Elizabeth tried to explain herself, wishing she could just disappear and escape this very uncomfortable moment.
"Bullshit! You knew he was married and you still tried to seduce him! I know how you young hungry girls operate!"
Elizabeth was taking offense to the accusations but tried to put herself in the other woman's shoes. "Really, I didn't mean to come between you and your husband but he told me that you were getting a divorce, I would never have-"
Courtney quickly retorted. "We are still very much married! So go put your dirty claws into someone else's man ok! This one is mine and he is not going anywhere."
The brunette started losing patience. "Look I said I was sorry, and if you have a problem, take it to Jason! He's the one you should be taking all this anger on!" A feisty Elizabeth snapped back and was about to turn around and get back to her friends when Courtney put a hand on her shoulder and swung her around.
"We are not done here!" Courtney said in her scolding tone. "And who do you think you are telling me what I should or should not talk about with my husband."
"Please don't touch me." Elizabeth said, taking upon herself to remain calm.
"Oh yea, and what are you going to do? Scream?" Courtney provoked the younger woman in front of her.
Robin, who like the other girls had been following the heated exchange with bewildered eyes, had grown extremely irritated and frustrated by the way Courtney was harassing her friend. She hastily walked to stand in front of Elizabeth and without even a word or hesitation, pushed Courtney in the hotel pool causing water to splash all around and the few witnessing hotel guests to gasp. The girls, who were now laughing hysterically at what Robin had dared do, turned around and quickly fled the scene to go back to the hotel room as Courtney yelled profanities while struggling to swim out of the water.
The blonde woman finally managed her way out of the pool, the pareo that was tied across her waist was dripping wet. She twisted the thin piece of fabric to get the water out as she cussed at the younger girls who had dared push her in the pool. She had not come all the way to Puerto Rico to fight over a man who obviously didn't want her anymore.
"You know what, fuck this!" She exclaimed, her unwelcome swim had refreshed her mind; at that moment she decided she was done. Yes she still loved Jason but she had met Jax, who was a wonderful man who loved her back and was ready to treat her like a princess and as much as she didn't want to disappoint her brother by ending her marriage to his best friend, it was time she thought about what was best for her. She reached for her handbag on the poolside chair and grabbed her phone.
"Hey, so how did it go?"
"Horrible! Your idea was horrible Sonny! I should never have come here. I will be on the next plane back to Port Charles. I'm done!" She spoke loudly.
"Wait, what happened?" Sonny worried.
"This is all your damn fault!"
"Wow wow calm down Courtney, are you sure there is nothing you can do to fix things with Jason."
"He hates me Sonny! I betrayed him and he is never going to forgive me for that, despite everything you say." She took a deep aggravated gulp of air. "And if he is ready to move on, it's time I do too! I'm coming home!"
The girls were still giggling as they hurried into the hotel lobby, while making sure they hadn't been followed by an angry tall blonde, who was undoubtedly furious for having been pushed in the pool.
"Well she deserved it!" Robin defended herself, as they laughed some more.
The four other girls cheered but Elizabeth's mind couldn't help but worry about all the drama that had suddenly happened to her. She wanted to simply erase it all and get back to having a fun and drama free vacation but instead couldn't stop thinking about Jason and his hostile wife.
Robin suddenly put an arm around the pensive brunette's shoulders. "Hey Lizzie, come on cheer up! She totally had it coming!" The pre-med student said, unapologetic. "You know I will always have your back."
Elizabeth smiled; she knew what Robin would do for her and vice-versa.
Her best friend went on. "We will go out tonight and you can meet your dreamy Latin lover and forget all about bar guy and his hysterical harpy of a wife."
"Right…" Elizabeth said with a half smile.
They had barely made a few steps into the massive lobby that the hotel concierge caught up to the group of friends to stop them. "Please, wait!" He then asked, looking at all of them as if he was unsure which one to address.
The girls stood in silence for a few seconds while Kelly commented in a whisper so that only her friends could hear. "Oh uh... I bet we're getting kicked out of the hotel!"
The group of friends instantly worried, as it was a very possible consequence to the commotion they had caused at the pool.
"Oh my! Where are we going to go?" Nadine then asked in a low voice, concerned as the concierge stood in front of them.
"Is one of you Ms. Webber?" The man then asked.
"That's me, I'm Elizabeth Webber." Elizabeth answered a bit tense, wondering what this was about.
"I would like to happily let you know that you and your friends have been upgraded to our Presidential Suite." He spoke with a very pronounced grin. "I really hope you will enjoy the rest of your stay in our resort. If there is anything we can do to accommodate your needs, don't hesitate to let the hotel staff know."
The girls' mouths opened wide in shock and relief; this wasn't at all what they had expected. Elizabeth spoke again. "Wait, we've been upgraded, just like that?"
The man nodded. "Yes, we will be taking care of moving your luggage to our most prestigious suite, and you will also be enjoying complementary room service and any time of the day."
The four girls behind her cheered in excitement, this news felt like music to their ears.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lainey exclaimed while clapping.
"Where is the catch?" Elizabeth asked, an eyebrow arched up, still unbelieving that they would have just been upgraded for no reason.
"There is none, Mr. Morgan has asked us to make sure you and your friends are treated like guests of honor. Enjoy your stay!" The concierge handed Elizabeth an envelope with five keycards then turned around to leave.
Lainey and Kelly were still rejoicing at the news while Elizabeth said. "Don't get too excited about this, we can't accept it."
"Why not?" Lainey argued. "It apparently is Mr. Morgan's way of apologizing, some men send flowers and other well book the presidential suite of a five star resort!"
"That's exactly it, it's too much!" Elizabeth contested, uncomfortable with the idea. "What would that look like if I accept a gift from him after everything that happened?"
Robin nodded. "Lizzie's right, feels a bit weird accepting that much from a married man. I would just politely decline, plus aren't we having such a great time sharing our two great standard rooms." She said sarcastically.
"I second that." Nadine added her two cents.
Kelly spoke again, praying that Elizabeth would accept the suite. "Alright, Elizabeth… it's your call, so what is it going to be?"
The art student hesitated as she thought about the circumstances for a minute. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she really didn't feel comfortable taking such a gift from a relative stranger, especially not one who was still married. "Sorry girls but I guess we will have to stick to our standard rooms."
Both Lainey and Kelly whined about the lost opportunity as Elizabeth went to the concierge to tell him they would like to stay in their current rooms, but he informed her that it was not an option as they had already been upgraded and their luggage were already in the process of being carefully moved to the presidential suite. Elizabeth went back to her friends who didn't mind the turn of events and expressed their joy as they made their way up to the superior hotel accommodation.
When Jason's phone rang, he was expecting it to be Sonny. He quickly answered. "What do you want?"
"Watch your tone, I am still your boss." Sonny retorted before asking. "What have you done to my sister? She called me, she was hysterical. She is taking the next flight back home."
"I told her what she already knew, that we are over and that she needed to put this in her head. You created this whole mess by sending her here in the first place!"
"I was trying to help the both of you realize that you still have a chance but you are so damn stubborn that you couldn't even realize that."
"That's just it Sonny, we don't. We are done for good so stop trying to get her hopes up and stay out of my business."
"She is my sister, this is family!"
"And I thought I was like family to you, but obviously I'm not, given you had no problem lying to my face to hide your sister's affair."
"Jason, I…"
"You know what Sonny, I don't want to hear it! We are done, and consider this my two weeks notice." Jason said then hung up before Sonny was able to say anything back.
The suite was exquisite, the most luxurious room any of them had even seen let alone stood in. Not only was the view mind-blowing from up there, but there were enough rooms for the five of them not to need to share a bed. The suite also counted a private pool, a Jacuzzi and a small movie theatre.
"I cannot believe that you wanted to say no to all this!" Kelly said as she ran through the suite room by room. "I have died and woken up in heaven!"
"This feels wrong." Elizabeth said, looking around the beautifully decorated room.
"This is gorgeous!" Nadine then exclaimed looking around her. "How can he even afford all this?"
"He told me he worked in casinos or something like this." Elizabeth's memory of the previous night was fuzzy thanks to the tequila. "Maybe he even owns part of the resort, who knows? He's definitely full of surprises."
"But then why does he not stay here but in a beach cabin. That's a bit odd." Lainey remarked.
But to Elizabeth it wasn't, Jason just seemed like a simple man who she would never have guessed had so much money or such an obnoxious wife.
Robin noticed Elizabeth still looked preoccupied. "Hey, look at it this way, you deserve at least that for having had to deal with such a hateful shrew earlier today."
All the girls broke in laughter as they remembered the surreal exchange of words and how the woman had ended up in the pool courtesy of Robin Scorpio.
The phone suddenly rang, interrupting their amusing moment, and Nadine who was the closest picked up. "Hello? Hmm sure she is right here." She turned to Elizabeth. "It's for you. It's… Mr. Morgan."
Elizabeth sent a look at Nadine before grabbing the receiver. She hesitated a second then placed it against her ear. "Jason?"
"Hi Elizabeth, I'm glad you accepted my present. It's the least I could do after what happened today."
"Well I didn't really have a choice." Elizabeth mumbled.
"Listen, can we talk?"
"I'm not sure it is a good idea." Elizabeth told him. "Look, thanks for the suite, my friends really love it and everything but it's probably best we leave it there." She said, feeling sad about the words as she spoke them.
"Let me at least explain what happened." Jason said hoping she would hear him out.
"Jason, it's ok. You don't have to explain anything, your wife surprised you on the island and she wasn't very happy to see me there." Elizabeth pragmatically summarized the recent happenings. "She then ambushed me to tell me exactly how she felt about me."
"She did?" Jason exclaimed now feeling even guiltier. "I'm sorry, that will not happen again."
"It's fine, I'm over it and she had every reason to be mad, I probably would have been too if I saw my husband with another woman." Elizabeth's eyes lifted to see her friends were nodding in agreement with her.
"But we are over, she just came to Puerto Rico hoping to convince me not to go through with the divorce-" Jason started to explain.
She interrupted him. "That's your business with your wife and right now I feel a bit like a third wheel to be honest."
"Elizabeth please, why don't you just come by my cabin so we can talk?" He pleaded with her.
"What more is there to talk about?" Elizabeth's eyes lifted again and this time she saw four pairs of eyes staring at her and encouraging her to just go talk to him even though she wasn't sure what more there was to say.
The girls began gesturing for her to just go and talk to him, which Elizabeth suspected was just because they were curious to know what he would tell her. She rolled her eyes and decided she at least deserved to know what was really going on for her own peace of mind. "Fine. I'll come over."
Jason heard steps, then a soft knock at his door and wondered how Elizabeth could have made it so quickly from the hotel. To his surprise, Courtney was standing at his door, eyes puffy and red and hair all wet. "I thought I made myself clear earlier?" He asked, unwelcomingly.
"Can I at least come in?"
"It's not a good time Courtney."
"Is that bitch here again?"
"Courtney?" Jason scolded her with his gaze.
"Ok… ok, I'll stop. Anyway I came to apologize." Courtney said, looking at him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry ok? For, everything and for coming here like this. I should never have done that but it was Sonny's idea. He pushed me to come fight for you although I know that when you are done, they is no convincing you to go back."
Jason shook his head. "So then what was all this about?" He wondered, still not letting the woman in.
"I just had to try!" Courtney explained. "And then I saw you all bubbly with this girl and it just stings!"
"I get it, and accept your apology."
"I can't believe things turned out that way between us, you can barely even look at me anymore and that hurts you know." She said, tears coming to her eyes again. "We were so in love the last time we were on this island together."
"Look I am sorry too if I was too harsh on you." Jason said to the woman he had once loved.
"Thanks, Jason." She nodded, happy that he would at least acknowledge that. "I'm flying back in a couple hours and if it's really what you want, I will sign the papers as soon as I get home." She said then launched into her husband's arms, crocodile tears trickling down her eyes.
Jason let out a deep breath of relief as he patted her back. She finally let go of him. "Goodbye Jason." She said then turned around and left him standing at his door.
Right after hanging up, Elizabeth had hurried to meet Jason at his cabin so they could talk as she had agreed, but she hadn't expected to see his wife in his arms. She was about to back away when she heard her name being called out.
"Elizabeth wait!"
She didn't and kept walking away on the warm sand.
"Elizabeth, it's not what you think!" Jason said as he caught up to her. "It was a goodbye, she is getting back to Port Charles and will be signing the divorce papers."
The young brunette was relieved to know that she at least hadn't been played like a fool this whole time and finally stopped and turned to face Jason. "I don't know what to say… maybe, maybe we should just have stayed what we were, a one night thing."
"But what if I want more Elizabeth." Jason genuinely admitted as he couldn't ignore the feelings he had developed for the brunette in a record amount of time.
"Jason, I'm going to be honest with you, I am so relieved that you didn't lie to me just so that I would sleep with you because that would have been an asshole move!" She said, speaking way faster than she intended to. "I like you, I like you a whole lot and it's scary because I barely know you, and you are still married and your wife is crazy and you are going through this messy divorce…"
"It's all going to be resolved soon." Jason said, hoping that Courtney would sign the divorce paper and not contest anything as she had just agreed to.
Elizabeth let out a sigh as she looked at the sand under her feet. "It really sucks that we haven't met a few months down the road when you are finally out of your marriage and that your wife has moved on so that we could actually really get to know each other without all the unnecessary extra drama." She said with a dazzling smile but sad eyes.
The blue-eyed man shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to be in the middle of this because of me and you're right… our timing sucks doesn't it?"
Elizabeth nodded with a smile, which was loaded with frustration. She then stood on the tip of her toes to place a delicate peck on his lips. "Bye Jason." She then said and ran away, leaving the man standing alone, fist closed tightly as he watched her leave.
Elizabeth hurried back to her majestic suite to find her friends who were highly anticipating finding out what had happened after she met with Jason. The entire group was impressed by the reserve she had shown in the way she handled the situation, they couldn't have been more proud of their friend.
"So just like that you told the hottest man on this island to clean up his house before he can get with you? Damn, that's my Lizzie!" Robin exclaimed then gave Elizabeth a high five.
"You should have seen him standing there, I thought my knees were going to melt. I don't even know where that came from." Elizabeth wondered rethinking about her conversation with Jason.
"Watch him come begging for you once we are back home!" Kelly commented. "That's the best way to keep them interested.
"I don't think he will." The brunette said, although she highly hoped he would. "A guy like him must have tons of girls running after him all the time. He is quite a catch."
"And so are you!" Nadine reminded Elizabeth whose cheeks adopted a shade of pink. "Too good of a catch to just be someone's rebound."
"Ok, now that you broke up with Jason, does it mean we have to break up with the suite too?" Lainey asked the key question that was on everyone's mind.
"Well, it's a bit rude to give a gift back isn't it?" Elizabeth remarked with a smirk. "Now that we're here, we're definitely keeping the suite for the next three days."
The girls cheered in excitement as they looked forward to the next fun few days they had left on the island, but Elizabeth couldn't help but think about Jason as she remembered kissing him goodbye and him standing on the beach and looking at her leave with sorrowful eyes. She let out a sigh as she tried to move on from this thought and get back into fun vacation mode.
Two months later…
The return to Port Charles and reality had been brutal for the group of girls who would now have to focus on finals and job search now that their senior year was coming to an end. But they were glad to have been able to spend some time away from it all, enjoying being carefree for a few days. The rest of the vacation had been filled with snorkeling, surfing lessons, sun tanning and heavy drinking for the girls who had managed to make the most out of their spring break.
Elizabeth was done with classes that day and working the afternoon shift at Kelly's where she had been waitressing since sophomore year. She could now pour coffee with her eyes closed as she was so used to the routine gesture. But when she came to offer coffee to a young man who had just claimed a table, she almost spilled it all over his lap as she recognized his familiar face.
"Jaaa…son?" She said, barely believing her eyes.
"Hi Elizabeth." He said with that unforgettable grin of his.
"What… are you doing here?"
"You mentioned to me that you worked in a coffee shop in the area so I was hoping I could find you here."
She smiled, happy he had been looking for her and smiled again when she noticed he still wasn't wearing a wedding band.
"How about we start fresh?" He then added. "Hi, my name is Jason, my divorce is final and I'm currently unemployed."
Elizabeth couldn't help a chuckle from escaping her at the peculiar way he had chosen to introduce himself and then decided to play along. "I'm Elizabeth, art student by morning and waitress by afternoon and I'm still very single. Nice to meet you again Jason."
The End