Okay so I don't know if anybody else was a little pissed off about how Ezria went from sleeping together to being awkward friends to fighting outside The Brew to "bed buddies" without the writers showing us any sort of conversation being had between them about WHAT THE HECK THEY WANT FROM EACH OTHER. As a result of my obvious frustration, this story was born. It is set after their argument outside the Brew but before the summer finale.
Enjoy.
It had been four days since Aria and Ezra's fight outside the brew, and they had yet to speak to each other. It wasn't for lack of trying on Ezra's part, he had sent her tons of messages and left so many voicemails that he was sure his voice had gone hoarse. Aria simply refused to speak to him.
He understood her reluctance, for the most part anyway, but wished that she would pick up at least one phone call so that he could defend his case. Couldn't she see that he was just trying to protect her? All he wanted was for Aria to be safe and happy, but why was it that the more he tried to do something right the worse it turned out?
He hadn't planned on confronting Ali but seeing her at The Brew had caused something to snap inside of him. Aria had been on a downward spiral ever since Alison had come back into their lives and he would be damned if he continued to see her getting hurt.
After another five texts went unanswered, Ezra decided that enough was enough. He wanted her back, but he also didn't want to spend the rest of his life chasing after something that was never going to happen. He would protect her for as long as she let him, but he wanted her to understand that this constant push-and pull was hurting him too. He loved her so much but it couldn't go on like this. He needed Aria's decision. He needed to know if there was a chance for him, for them.
Four p.m. found him sitting outside Rosewood High, parked right where Aria could see him. At four fifteen, he heard the bell ring out signalling the end of the day. Kids began to pour out of the main doors, racing off to their after-school activities. Then finally, he spotted her. She was wearing her usual odd mix of clothing items that a normal person would have trouble pulling off even individually, but which worked perfectly on her perfect body. He smiled softly before stepping out of his car and walking towards her.
"Aria," he called out, as he got nearer to where she was standing. Her phone was in her hand, letting him know that she had purposely been dodging his calls – not that he had doubted it anyway. "We need to talk."
Several kids turned their heads as they spotted their ex-English teacher speaking to Aria Montgomery. There would be no denying a more-than-professional relationship between them now, but Ezra knew that it was worth it if he could get Aria to forgive him just one more time.
"What were you thinking coming here?" Aria asked, not even attempting to hide the anger in her voice. "You need to leave."
"I haven't been thinking, Aria," he answered, "I've been going out of my mind trying to get in touch with you. Please can we talk? Come over later. Come over now. I don't care, just please talk to me." He looked at her with desperate eyes and after a moment she relented.
"Okay, fine, I'll come over tonight," she said, "Now leave."
"Eight?" He asked, knowing that would give him enough time to cook and clean.
Aria nodded before stalking off towards Spencer, who was standing next to Aria's car. The pair got in, but not before Spencer shot him a nasty look. He swallowed nervously, knowing that even if he could get Aria to forgive him, the other half of Sparia would not be so easily convinced.
At eight fifteen there was a knock on the door. Ezra stopped pacing the room and practically ran to the door to let Aria in. When the door swung open, Aria did not greet him with a hug or a smile or a kiss, rather gave him a curt nod before stepping into the room.
She turned to him and raised an eyebrow when her eyes landed on the candlelit dinner he had laid out.
"What's all this?" She asked. Her voice was sharp and cold, but he could have sworn that she was biting back a smile.
"It's my apology," he said, his voice bashful, "For the other night. I wasn't trying to lie to you. I just... I hate what Alison has done to you and your friends. She has to know that you are not her pawns. I just wanted to protect you. I guess what I'm trying to say is… It won't happen again."
"Okay," she said. She didn't elaborate on her feelings any more than that, but Ezra breathed a sigh if relief for knowing that he had broken through her icy exterior.
He took a tentative step towards her and slipped her jacket from her shoulders. He noticed the goosebumps that broke out on her skin from the feather light touch and felt butterflies erupt in his own stomach. The attraction was still there. Not that he had ever really doubted it, especially with what had happened between then a few weeks ago. Twice.
"I made your favourite," he told her with a grin, leading her over to the table and pulling out her stool. Aria took a seat and looked up at him with questioning eyes.
"Veg lasagne?" She asked.
Ezra shook his head, blushing.
"No, that was my plan but, uh..." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Did you know that you aren't meant to pre-cook the pasta?" Aria looked at him in is belief. "Well, apparently you're not supposed to unless the pack says to because I did and well..."
Aria's melodious laugh filled his ears, making him shut up. She continued to laugh as he stared at her and soon Ezra joined in too.
"So what are we eating?" Aria questioned.
A knock on the door sounded before Ezra could reply. He smiled sheepishly once more and pulled out his wallet.
"You still like Rose of Sharon, right?"
Aria and Ezra fell back into their comfortable routine as they unloaded the pile of food he had ordered. Egg rolls to share, prawn chow mein for Ezra, mixed veg in hot garlic for Aria (he had long since given up complaining about having to kiss her with garlic breath), and a large portion of spicy sesame chicken. Ezra was sworn to secrecy about that particular dish, lest anybody find out about how frequently Aria cheats on her vegetarianism.
Finally they sat down, a monstrous feast laid out between them.
"Mmmmm, this is soooo good," Aria raved, taking a bite of the sesame chicken. Ezra stared at her, his mind flashing back to the words very similar to those that she had spoken a few weeks ago...
Aria's legs wrapped tighter around Ezra's waist as he moved in and out of her at a steady pace. The angle was slightly awkward due to her place on top of the stove but he went with it, ignoring the pain in his abdomen every time she thrusted her hips into his.
"Mmmmm," she moaned, "This feels sooooo good."
Ezra shook his head and brought himself back to reality, picking up an egg roll and taking a chunk out of it. Grease dribbled down his chin and Aria leaned over with a napkin and wiped it away.
He looked at her in shock, a shock that he saw reflected in her own eyes.
"Hanna is right," she said, "We do act like an old married couple."
Ezra smiled even though pain shot through his heart from knowing that she may never be his wife due to how much he had messed up. He would never get to see her walk up the aisle, never get to see her quirky choice of dress. His heart ached as he pictured some nameless, faceless man sliding a ring into her finger to join her engagement ring which would not be half as perfect as the one Ezra had imagined giving her. He imagined her having children with somebody other than him, crying out another man's name in ecstasy, holding a daughter that wasn't their Daisy (they had decided months ago that this would be the name of their first daughter). It made him feel ill. They were meant to have a future together and he'd be damned if he let it slip between his fingers.
"Ezra?" Aria asked with her mouth full. "You haven't said anything in a few minutes. I was only joking about the Hanna thing if that's what you're freaking out about. I mean -"
"I love you," Ezra blurted out. Aria's smile fell from her face and she gazed down at the food in front of her. She chewed slowly on the vegetables in her mouth as she poked the other food on her plate with a chopstick. Lifetimes later, but probably only a few seconds later in reality, she set down the eating utensil and swallowed.
"I love you, too," she said quietly. Ezra continued to stare at her, not quite believing the words which had come out of her mouth. "I do, Ezra, I really do." A tear fell down Ezra's cheek, surprising them both.
He wiped it away hastily, embarrassed by his inability to control his emotions. Aria stood up and made her way to the window. Ezra watched her as she looked out at the street below, her arms folded in front of her chest.
He knew that her confession was not the end of their problems but it felt so good to hear those words come from her lips when he had not heard them in weeks, months.
He popped a prawn into his mouth, chewing slowly, before making his way over to her. He stood behind her and settled his hands on her hips. He smiled softly and kissed the too of her head as Aria leaned back against him.
"Did you ever think we would find ourselves here?" Aria whispered. "Over a year later and we are still just a couple of suckers in love, alone in your little apartment with a ton of Chinese food."
Ezra chuckled, "I'd always hoped that this is where we'd end up. Maybe after a slightly different route to it... Certainly with fewer bullets involved." Aria elbowed him playfully in the side and he chuckled again. "But being here with you? Alone? Yeah, that's what I've always wanted."
He didn't have to see her face to know she was smiling.
He began to sway softly, moving them to no beat in particular. They moved soundlessly from side to side for a few minutes before Aria turned slowly around and gazed up at him with wide eyes.
He held his breath, taking a chance, and leant forward to press their lips together. They kissed slowly, Aria's hands resting on Ezra's chest, and his own hands resting softly on her hips. The space between their bodies slowly dissolved as the kiss began to deepen. She tasted like garlic but he didn't care. Their tongues had only just touched for the briefest of moments when Aria suddenly jerked away from him.
"I... I don't know..." she stuttered, taking a step back and putting some distance between them. "I don't know about… about this..." She cradled her face in her hands, hiding herself away from him. Ezra's heart broke, hating himself for what he had done to her.
"Aria," he whispered, his voice pained. He had no words to follow. She knew he was sorry, and he knew too that he needn't say it to her again.
"You hurt me," she muttered. Ezra knew from the sound of her voice that she was close to, if not already in, tears. "You hurt me so much but I still love you." She lifted her head and looked at him, tears falling down her cheeks like he had suspected. "I never wanted to see you again and then you nearly died in my arms. I just... I don't know. I'm so confused."
"I know," he said, tears filled his own eyes, "I know I hurt you, and I know you said that I can't change it but I will regret hurting you every day for the rest of our lives." He reached up and cupped her face with one hand.
"Our lives?" Aria questioned as he wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.
"Yes," Ezra replied confidently, although he was not confident at all. Everything was going to be up to Aria, he would not force her into a relationship with him, and if she wanted out after this then she was entitled to take it. He just wanted her to know where he stood. "I don't want to live my life without you by my side. I don't want us to just act like an old married couple, Aria, I want us to be an old married couple, like the ones in the movies. I want a life with you with all the trimmings - a house and a mortgage and babies and grandbabies and the knowledge that we spent our lives with our true soul mates. That is if you'll have m-"
'Me' was the word Ezra was going to say but it never made it out as Aria had crashed her lips to his in a frenzied kiss. Their food was quickly forgotten about as Ezra wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and lifted her up to carry her the short distance to his bed.
That night, both Aria and Ezra came to realise that truly no matter how hard they tried they could not stay away from each other. They were soul mates, an old married couple, a couple of suckers in love, and, as they proved that night (three times), they were indeed bed buddies.
I really hope you guys liked that. It's pretty dramatic and quite fluffy so I think there is something in it for everybody. As always, PLEASE leave a review letting me know what you think.
Love,
Katie x