Early in the morning, Elizabeth is awaken from thee most perfect dream by the sound of her private phone ringing.
Rolling over onto her stomach, she picks it up and holds it to her ear.
"Dead or dying?" she grumbles into the phone.
She was just too tired from her double shifts the other day.
And apparently, the work fairy wanted her to continue with that line of existence.
"Hey sweetie, sorry for calling so early." Ruby's voice apologetic. "I know you have the weekend off, but little miss blondie called in sick."
"UGH!" Elizabeth pulled herself out of bed. "I'll be right in Ruby."
"You're a blessing." Ruby assured before ending the call.
"And I just might murder a blonde." Elizabeth groaned, hanging up the phone. "My freaking day off!"
Stripping out of her nightwear, she makes her way into the shower.
"Can this day get any worse?" she mutters as she steps into the shower.
Across town, Jason is just getting in from a long ride.
After the day he had, he needed the solidarity of his bike and the open road.
Trudging up the stairs, Jason wanted nothing more than to fall onto his bed and kiss the day away.
Knowing he'll be up all night, he just wanted to sleep the day away.
Of course, Carly had other ideas.
"JASON...oh! You're up." Carly closed the door. "I need your help. Michael is refusing to wear the tuxedo we bought him."
"Carly, for the love of god, just give me a few hours to sleep." Jason groaned, running a hand down his face. "I'll talk to him when I get some sleep."
"Out riding all night, huh?" Carly guessed, watching as he plopped down on the steps. "Just talk to him, please. I have to take him to the tailor to have his tuxedo altered."
Groaning loudly, Jason allows Carly to pull him up off the stairs and drag him over to here penthouse to talk to Michael.
Sonny gave him an apologetic look as Carly dragged him upstairs to Michael's room.
"He refuses to come out of there." Carly threw her hands up. "Do what you gotta do."
Jason waited for her to walk down the stairs before rubbing a hand down his face to fight off the fatigue.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.
"I'm not coming out!" Michael shouted from the other side.
"Okay." Jason crossed his arms over his chest. "But then you won't hear my proposal."
Within seconds Michael's door was open and Jason is pulled into the room.
Once they both clear the doorway, Michael slams it shut and locks it again.
"I'm listening." Michael crosses his arms over his chest.
"If you wear the suit, I'll take you anywhere you want to go next weekend." Jason offered. "But you have to be on your best behavior until Friday."
"Anywhere?" Michael eyed him intently. "Is there a limit on distance?"
"Anywhere in the country." Jason amended. "Do we have a deal?"
"Dea...wait." Michael realized something. "Just me? Or the whole family?"
"Whatever you want." Jason didn't really care, he just wanted to sleep. "Deal?"
"Deal!" Michael shook his hand. "You're the best godfather in the world."
"Love you too bud."
Jason unlocked the door, walking out of the room and down the stairs.
"He's gonna wear it." Jason spat, pulling open the door. "No one bother me until tonight!"
Firmly shutting the door behind him before anyone can retort, Jason makes his way into his penthouse.
All he wants is some sleep. That's it. Just to close his eyes and shut off his brain.
Stripping down, Jason flops into his bed and closes his eyes.
Seconds turns into minutes and flows right into hours and still sleep evades him.
Groaning to himself, realizing he wasn't going to be granted sleep, Jason pulls himself out of bed and trudges into the shower.
Coffee...that's what he needs. Coffee and lots of it.
Getting dressed, Jason had to triple check just to make sure he had his gun at the small of his back.
"Can this day get any worse?" he groans as he straddles his bike.
Elizabeth downed three cups of coffee before she was finally completely awake.
"Thought you were off today." a voice speaks from in front of her.
"Oh...hey Nik." Elizabeth shook her head. "I was, but princess called in sick."
"Ah." Nikolas plopped down on a stool. "I heard you're gonna be Zander's date."
"If this is another attempt to get me and Lucky together, please save it." Elizabeth poured him a cup of coffee. "I already want to strangle someone...don't add yourself to the list."
"Fair enough." Nikolas takes a gulp of coffee. "Change of subject? I need your advice."
"The prince needs advice?" Elizabeth eyes him curiously. "Huh. I'm listening."
"This thing with Emily..."
"You mean her crush on you?" Elizabeth corrected. "And you acting like you don't know anything about it?"
"Yeah." Nikolas threw her a straw. "That. I need your help to dissuade her from this infatuation she's gotten for me."
"Dissuade?" Elizabeth eyed him mockingly. "Infatuation? Really?"
"You know what I mean." Nikolas groaned, running a hand down his face. "My point is that she's sixteen and I'm going on twenty. It's inappropriate to pursue any sort of relationship outside of a platonic one."
"Maybe you should use all your big words to confuse her into not liking you." Elizabeth teased, walking out from behind the counter. "Mrs. Sanders, what can I get you today?"
"French toast with broccoli soup on the side, dear." Mrs. Sanders smiled brightly. "And some tea would be nice."
"Coming right up." Elizabeth gave the woman's hand a soft squeeze before walking off to put her order in. "Nikolas, just tell her how it is."
"Do you know who you're talking to?" Nikolas countered, frustrated to the core. "Please Liz...I need your help."
"Fine." Elizabeth threw her hands up. "If you don't want to come right out with the truth then find a girlfriend and break it to her gently. Don't make it obvious because as far as she knows, you don't know that she has a deep crush on you."
"You're the best." Nikolas tossed her a couple bills. "Now to find someone."
"Don't look at me." Elizabeth snatched up the money. "I have a date to the ball. You're on your own for that one."
Nikolas just shook his head before walking out of the diner.
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at how all her friends were having relationship drama.
Luckily for her she didn't have that problem.
Well some would say unluckily, but its a jump ball at this point.
"Here you go Mrs. Sanders." Elizabeth set her order down on the table. "I hope you feel better."
Just as she was about to walk back to the counter, the bell above the door rang out, prompting her to check who walked in.
It was him.
So not fair, she thought, walking over to the counter.
First he doesn't come for lunch and now he comes for breakfast?
Was he purposely coming when she couldn't sketch him?
"Hi." he stands in front of her.
"Hi." she manages, his eyes just so intense. "What can I get you?"
"Coffee." he plops down onto a stool.
Jason didn't expect to see her there.
When he was standing outside and saw her inside, he knew that he couldn't pass up seeing her again.
He liked the way he inadvertently makes her blush.
Much like she was now.
It was light, but he could see it.
"Okay." Elizabeth puts a clean cup down in front of him before pouring him some coffee. "Is that all?"
"For now." Jason shrugs. "You a workaholic or something?"
"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "I had the weekend off, but I'm covering for Courtney."
"The blonde?" he questions, not really remembering the woman's name.
"Yeah...the blonde." Elizabeth laughs softly, leave it to him to forgetting her name. "She called in sick."
"That sucks." he comments, knowing she pulled a double shift yesterday.
"You're telling me." Elizabeth sighs, wiping down the counter. "I was looking forward to sleeping in because I have to go to this birthday ball and now I'm not going to get any rest until late tonight."
That caught his attention.
So she's going to his grandmother's birthday ball, this could prove to be interesting.
"I know what you mean." Jason admits. "I'm having the same kind of day."
Elizabeth looked at him curiously for a moment before her attention was pulled away by a customer walking in.
Granting him a smile, Elizabeth walked over to the customer that just walked in.
Jason turned in his seat to watch her work.
If nothing else, the woman was captivating, and listening to her talk wasn't so bad.
He was on his third cup of coffee by the time she walked back over to him.
"I have to head out." he said before she could walk away again. "Can I get one to go?"
"Um, sure." Elizabeth smiled slightly, fixing him a cup of coffee.
"So you're going to Lila's birthday ball?" Jason questioned, pulling out a ten dollar bill. "Maybe I'll see you there."
Elizabeth tried but her words wouldn't form.
She was too busy trying to imagine his nearly six foot masculine hotness in formal wear.
So instead of speaking she merely got out an 'uh-huh' as he slipped the money into her hand.
"Okay." Jason smirked before walking out of the diner.
"Nice save." she says to the heavens before getting back to work.
If he was going to be her reward for having a bad day, Elizabeth says bring it on.
He's a definite upside to any bad day.
Jason made his way back to his penthouse and upstairs to his closet.
Pulling out the suit he rarely ever wears, Jason eyes it intently.
Looks like he's going all out for this.
Hanging it up in the bathroom for when he gets ready, Jason heads back out to buy his grandmother a birthday present.
If Elizabeth was going to be the upside to his bad days, he seriously didn't mind it.
Regardless of all the things that have gone wrong in the last two days, she's definitely a good upside to any crappy day.
Author's Note: Thank you to all those that have reviewed.
Hellzz-on-Earth, your reviews are most definitely something to look forward to.
Now to answer some questions: Elizabeth is eighteen. Jason is twenty-three.
All else will unfold as the story does. Please continue to review and I hope you enjoyed this update.