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Elyse was supposed to return that Thursday. When Jared walked into the shop with curious eyes looking for the girl, his face fell when he didn't find her. It was Thursday, wasn't it? Surely, it had to be, he had the day off from filming.
"She's not here." Annalise's voice filled the empty coffee shop as she emerged from behind the counter. A sad look crossed her face before she waved a hand towards one of the tables, gesturing for him to sit. Jared waited for an explanation and when one didn't come, he took a seat in a booth against the wall.
"She was supposed to come back in today, wasn't she?" He questioned, brows furrowing as he looked up in pure concern. Elyse seemed perfectly happy on the phone the night before. They had talked about the cat she accidentally closed in a dryer when she started college and even more bizarre stories of his college experience. They even talked about Supernatural and how meeting the boys had encouraged her to open Netflix once again and binge. Little did he know that was all she watched on her flight to Oklahoma.
"She was." Annalise wasn't good at hiding her emotions. Her face fell with her words, eyes shifty before she drew in a long breath and pulled out her notepad. "What can I get you?"
Jared's mouth fell open as he contemplated, words hesitant in a way he hadn't been like with Elyse. "Just a cup of coffee and a bagel."
Annalise nodded and scurried off, tearing out the ticket from her notepad and leaving it on the counter. From the looks of it, she was the only one working today. With Elyse gone, of course, she was, Jared realized. Those two practically ran the shop; however, occasionally, Jared would see the bakers leaving the shop in the morning after finish the fresh batches of baked goods. Other than the waitress, the shop was now quiet and every few minutes, the phone in Jared's pocket became heavier and heavier.
Finally, he pulled out his phone and called. He needed to know if she was okay or not. The first time she took leave wasn't without reason, but she was supposed to be returning today. Was it without reason?
Jared started out the conversation through text messages with your standard 'hey' and tucked his phone away; however, it was only down for a few minutes before he was picking it up a second time to send a following message. Are you okay?
What he didn't know was that on the other end, Elyse was staring at the screen and contemplating her answer. By saying yes, that would satisfy Jared's curiosity; however, by saying no, that would only worry him even more. Finally, she decided on her answer.
