"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm…" Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-. And then he was gone. His hand slipped from her face, falling limp and lifeless to her knee.
"Ezra! Oh my god, no, please come back to me!"
"Somebody call for help!"
"Ezra, please, please open your eyes… please…"
Aria awoke with a start, nearly falling from her chair. In the distance she could hear the bustle of the hospital, she could smell the antiseptic soap. A faint light was peeking into the room, making him just visible in the moonlight. He still looked lifeless, pale as a ghost. It's been three days since she had seen his eyes, three days since he took a bullet for her. The doctors have been able to keep him alive, but they said if he didn't wake up in the next few days, he could go into a coma. She walked over to the window, watching as the stars twinkled high above them. The moon was full tonight, even more beautiful than that night. "It's so beautiful," she whispered quietly, recalling that night. "I wish you could be here to see it. I wish you were here with me." She could feel the tears welling behind her eyes, a few creeping down her face. They were salty and cool, leaving shining trails down her cheeks.
"Shh, shh, don't cry. I'm right here with you just like I'll always be."
"Ezra!"
"Hey." He gave a toothy grin, quickly fading into a serious look. "Aria, please let me explain. I'm sorry-". He was cut off as she pressed her lips to his.
"Not tonight Ez, tonight all I care about is that you are awake."
"Listen though, I know I lied about a lot of things, but never, not once, did I lie about how I feel about you." He brushed away her tears, staring into those beautiful brown eyes he had missed so much. As she moved her hands to tangle in his hair, he slid one hand to her waist, pulling her on top of him.
"Ezra wait, I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't, just stay off my right side." She pulled a hand from his hair to pull up his shirt, tracing her fingers along the wound.
"This will be a reminder of that night, a reminder of how close I was to losing you forever," he whispered into her hair.
"Ezra…"
"If I hadn't moved in front of A, that bullet would have gone straight into your heart." Aria shuddered, remembering the gun pointed at her, A's black mask haunting her. "And if I were to lose you…" he continued, "I don't know what I would do with myself." Her fingers had traveled to his back, painting 'I love you' over and over. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him as his other hand brought her lips to his. "I love you too," he whispered, before closing his eyes as they started to kiss. She let her hand travel from his back up to his neck, pulling them closer together. His hands started making small circles on her back, pressing away any space that was between them. They stayed entangled like that until they both craved oxygen, pressing their foreheads together while breathing each other in. Ezra rolled them over so they were lying on their sides, pulling them under the blankets. They fell asleep in each other's arms, their lips still pressed together.