The struggle between Ezra and A. had played out so fast, that Aria didn't realize anything had happened. She was vaguely aware of Ezra standing there, as she and her friends confronted the person behind the mask. But as A. made his or her devastating escape, her teacher and ex-lover had become almost a part of the scenery. In the action, she had nearly forgotten all about him. Now that it was over, though, she turned to him.
He was standing at the edge of the roof, looking over, his eyes a million miles away. "It's so beautiful," he sighed, in a faraway voice that didn't sound like his. Then he turned, detached and pleading. And she saw the dark blood marring his shirt. And then he fell.
Aria cried out when she realized Ezra had been shot, and the other girls rushed over to help. Dropping to her knees, she leaned over him, her screams frantic and desperate. Her vision blurred with hot tears as she begged him to stay with them, to not close his eyes. She wouldn't let him die. She couldn't let him go thinking she didn't love him. That wasn't true.
But he was fading away before her eyes, and she knew it. "Don't go," she breathed. In an attempt to comfort him, she lay her head against his chest, wrapping him in her arms. She could feel the warm moisture of his blood seeping through her clothes, but she didn't care. Craning her neck, she pressed a soft kiss to his clammy cheek, and in return, felt his fingers tangle through her long hair.
"Ezra," she pleaded, in a weak, choked voice. "Don't be afraid."
As she wept, her head filled with the memories of every moment she'd spent with him, before everything went to hell. His kisses, their conversations. She remembered the first time they made love; he was her first. Tilting her head up, she looked into his eyes, trying to communicate her feelings. But his gaze seemed unfocused, as if he were a glass-eyed doll.
"Please, Ezra," Aria said in a firm but gentle voice, giving it one more try. "Talk to me. Please."
Staring into his face, she thought she saw the light return to his eyes for the briefest moment, and the ghost of a smile play on his lips. But he didn't speak. Giving up, she turned away, once again resting her head on his chest. She didn't want him to die alone. Whatever wrong he'd done her, that was no way to die.
"Aria," a strangled voice suddenly whispered.
She thought she'd imagined it at first. Maybe she had? She wasn't sure, until she heard her name again. "What is it, Ezra?" she asked, cradling his head in her arms.
He spoke in fragments, as if just the movement of forming his lips around his words caused him excruciating pain. His breathing was ragged and raspy. "I...still. Love you. Aria," he gasped. "I'm... so... sorry. I." He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his last reserve of strength. "I love... you. Please. Forgive me. It was. A mistake."
Aria nodded, as tears streamed down her cheek and wet his shirt. She ran her hand through his dark hair, and swept his own tears from his cheek with her thumb. "I forgive you, Ezra. I'm sorry. Please don't die." She was so close, her forehead was practically pressed against his. "I love you. I love everything we had." Tilting her chin down, she brushed her lips to his, giving him a lingering kiss. "I'll love you forever."
As she spoke, the corners of his lips turned up. This time, she was certain he had smiled. She wished for the smile to be a good sign, an indication that he was going to be okay, but the peaceful expression that came over his face frightened her. They were losing him. "Oh, Ezra," she sobbed, her body shaking.
"Don't let go... Aria," he managed to whisper, before closing his heavy eyelids. He was so tired. He coughed, and blood trickled at the corner of his lips. "Goodbye."
"Wait!" Aria screamed, grabbing his shoulders. "Ezra! Who is it? Who is A.?" He didn't respond.
"Ezra!" She screamed his name over and over, until her voice became hoarse and Hanna pulled her away, wrapping her arms around her waist.
She wriggled in Hanna's grasp, frantically trying to break away as sirens screamed from below. It all felt like a horrid, ugly nightmare.
When Aria was too exhausted to fight any longer, she finally relented. Letting her arms drop to her sides, she realized there was nothing she could do. With pained gasps, she cried, allowing her friends to comfort her as paramedics gathered around Ezra's lifeless body.
She watched the paramedics work on him from a distance, too numb to move. Her face felt hot a sticky, stained with tears, and she hugged herself, trying to keep away the chill of the night. The night was full of secrets. If they lost Ezra, those secrets would die with him.