Have you ever woken to a day where you knew everything would change? Whether that be for better or worse, you're uncertain. The silence in the morning air brings an uneasy feeling to your morning, one which you can't shift. What you know for sure though is that the wind is telling you everything will change. That unsettled feeling in your stomach; you're not certain whether it is anticipating evil, or if it's just preparing you for something amazing you know is going to happen.
Today was one of those days.
Ezra Fitz lay tangled in the white sheet of his bed, his shirtless torso not covered by the fabric. His hand ran over his face anguished as he slowly woke to the day. He was expecting a regular morning when he woke up. Though today, he felt this day to be different than the others previous; he felt it would be a day which completely flipped his life; an unsettling notion; a feeling which he couldn't shake. Why this was the case though he couldn't pin it. It was a Monday morning in April. The weather outside filled with the colours and scents of autumn. He was going today to his job, teaching at Hollis College, which had been his job for the last few months. It was his first teaching job, and he was so content knowing it was what he was meant to do in life.
Ezra turned and looked at the neon green numbers flashing on his clock. It was time to face the day, the positive or negative situations ahead of him. He removed his pyjama-clad legs from the sheets and let out a slightly irritated groan as he walked to his kitchen, coffee being his best friend in the morning. He made himself a cup and turned around to look at his small apartment. Feelings like this in his stomach brought many emotions to his mind. He had achieved so much; he loved where he lived, it was exactly 'him'; he loved his job; on the outside everything in his world was perfect. He slowly looked at the lip of his cup as sadness overtook his disposition. He was alone. He felt it sometimes, more often than not now. He felt that deep yearning to have someone to hold, to look after. He would never settle; that wasn't in him. He planned to only love one other, but occasionally he wondered if that day would ever come; where he would meet that person and just know. Know this was the rest of his life, built up in the beautiful eyes of whoever stole his heart.
He got shit from his friends who were screwing countless, nameless women regularly. Some of his friends got that Ezra just wasn't like that; behaving like that without connection just wasn't him. Some of his friends would never understand; having the ability to love only one woman unconditionally; that honest emotion in them was a thing lost around their adolescents. They behaved like they knew themselves, like they were on top of the world. Ezra, though he valued their friendships, wondered if they would ever truly know themselves at all.
Right now though, at 24, Ezra felt alone. His parents lived far away, his brother checked in once in a blue moon, his friends were busy with various activities as previously mentioned. Ezra had his writing; a way for his soul to fill page and space in the world. He wrote of love, of heartbreak, of longing and tenderness. He gave himself a tight smile, coinciding with his mentally deciding to change his train of thought. A shower, change of clothes, and hastily eaten bowl of cereal later, and Ezra was out the door for his first class of the day.
He didn't have to drive far to work, though he liked to so he could make a quick getaway at the end of the day. He drove down the regular roads, still curious as to what the day was going to have in store. He pushed those feelings aside and turned on the radio. Ahead of him now the road was becoming more jam-packed. Cars weren't moving. This never happened along this stretch of road.
After a few minutes of no moving on the street, Ezra sighed irritated and went to remove himself from the seatbelt. He knew something must be wrong if there was such traffic on the usually traffic-free stretch of road. He walked at regular speed head of all the cars. When he saw smoke, alarm bells went off and his walk turned into a frantic run. There had been an accident. There were no emergency vehicles around. He wondered how he had been the in the cue for five minutes, yet no one had appeared to call the ambulance. He briefly wondered what was happening to people today as he reached for his phone upon arriving at the smashed cars. He furiously looked through the windows as he held his phone to his year.
"Yes, Tree Hill Road, Rosewood. There's been a two car crash. I can see, oh my God, uhh," Ezra said as he continued to look through the vehicles. "In one car there is a man unconscious, in the second car there is a man of about 45 also unconscious, and a young woman," Ezra paused briefly as he looked at her. She heard him and as Ezra came forward into her view, her eyes quickly flicked to look at him pleadingly. Ezra gave a tight smile to her as he continued. "A young woman who is conscious, though it appears is trying not to move. Please send ambulances immediately," Ezra said and went to hang up. "Wait, wait," the phone operator shouted. "Sir?" she asked. "Yes?" Ezra replied as his hand rested on the open window where the young woman was sitting. "Go to the young woman, ask her if she is in pain," she instructed. Ezra nodded mentally registering what he was being told to do.
"How do you feel? Is there pain?" he asked the young woman, still clearly in shock from whatever had happened.
"My neck, my neck hurts. I can feel all my limbs, so I'm fine; but my neck really, really hurts. I can't twist it to talk to you," she said truthfully before Ezra relayed the information to the phone operator.
"Okay, yep, thank you," Ezra responded as he hung up his phone and turned back to the young woman. "The ambulance will be here in a few minutes," he offered her reassuringly.
Staring into the young woman's eyes, a feeling of warmth washed over him, and he knew. The belief of a fool that he knew who he loved so quickly; he hoped he would find out. But his gut was telling him this person was like no other, absolutely unique. Perfect. He tried to speak first, yet clearly overcome with his thoughts; he chickened out and lowered his head sadly. He had made himself far too nervous to start a conversation.
She noticed his energy; a feeling of wanting and trying to help, kindness. She decided to start their conversing. "I'm Aria," she said through shock and raw pain from her situation.
"Ezra," he replied. Their situation didn't warrant an over enthusiastic exchange, it was just matter of fact, those were their names.
"Ezra, can you see if my dad has a pulse. Please," her voice crackled and broke as tears ran overflowed from her eyelashes.
Without a word, Ezra obeyed her request and went to the man's side of the car. His window also open, Ezra reached to the man's wrist and pressed against the veins. Nothing could be felt to Ezra, as he urgently looked back at the girl.
"I… I can't tell. I'm sorry," he said beginning to cry himself as he watched her scream and her eyes explode with tears.
This was it. This was what Ezra knew was going to happen this morning. He ran back over to Aria's window and reached his hand towards her face. He ran his hand over the top of her head as she continued to cry loudly. Sensing it wasn't yet working, Ezra moved his hand to the side of her face, cautious of her neck, and began to caress her face lightly. She slowly began to swallow the deep pain she was experiencing, focussing on Ezra and how he was comforting her. Her voice let out a strangled sob before the tears from her eyes became fewer. Her face still blotchy, her face wet, he reached for a tissue from his pocket and cleaned off her face. Her eyes were fixed ahead of her at the wreck in front of their car. Ezra followed her eyes and stared at the wreck. Sounds of sirens filled the air as Ezra breathed a deep sigh of relief. At least, most likely, Aria was now safe from danger.
"Aria, please, uhh," he began before stopping from hesitation. He pushed that aside with a lot of courage, figuring he had nothing to lose. "My name is Ezra Fitz. I'd really like to know if you're okay. Look me up when you get a chance?" he asked with a soft smile. His hand was lightly rested against the back of hers, and she gave the slightest smile at his request. She was hoping he'd make a way they could see each other again. He saw her smile which he took as agreement, and smiled at her sadly.
"Stay strong, I know you'll be okay," he said as a goodbye before he tapped the side of the car and took back off to his car.
"Ezra," Aria choked out, though her voice wasn't loud enough for him to have heard her.
What do you think? One shot or would you like me to continue? Ball's in your courts, ladies and gents :)