A/N: An idea of how I see Ezria after the time jump. For another idea, my story "Where We Are Supposed to Be" is a bit of a happier retelling after the girls graduate.

She'll Be Home

New York City, 2017

The tie was a dapper touch. It was crimson and more than six years old, but it didn't remind him so much of what had been missing for the past five years. Not anymore.

Ezra Fitz, now in his thirties, smoothed down the tuxedo he'd unwrinkled last minute after procrastinating that he wouldn't have to attend his mother's art gala. But despite his fantasy, he had to—or more because he needed some excuse to get out of Rosewood for a little bit.

The past five years he'd been running The Brew successfully, considering his teaching options but putting them off because of his business. What was he doing with his life, exactly? He had no idea.

He'd been so self-sufficient until he met her—the hazel-eyed beauty in the bar, two stools down. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to depend on other people for money, happiness, love—pretty much everything. And then he let her in, despite cutting off from his family because of their values, despite knowing she was a friend of Alison's, and Alison was a natural born liar. She turned out so much different than he expected…unique, intelligent, compassionate. Compassionate to the point she let other people's feelings trip her into guilty tears and self-bashing hate. He knew that she was not the lying type because of this compassionate side of hers; and if she was lying, it was for very good reasons, one of those reasons being A.

Suited up and ready to go, Ezra tucked his cell phone into his pocket in case he was bored enough to sneak off to play Candy Crush, a game Aria had been addicted to and downloaded on his phone in case her phone died and they were lacking a charger…

Aria. It'd been a long time since he'd referred to her by her first name. It'd been easier the past few years to just refer to her as "she" and "the girl": almost tricking himself into thinking this woman wasn't important to him, just "the girl," which was very misleading considering she was more like "the girl of his dreams."

He'd let himself go with her, let her be his happiness, his partner, his best friend. He'd never opened up like that to anyone before—and then she was gone, away to the next part of her life, futures unlinked, the chains being inevitably severed by graduation day. And then he'd lost a part of himself…and his happiness.

The cab ride to the art gallery was uneventful and boring, just like Ezra's life. There were people lined up to get a hot dog from a stand—typical. There were men and women dressed in the latest fashions and trends, despite plaid going so terribly with stripes—expected. In Rosewood, it'd be the same predictability: there's was always a spill to clean up, always at least one broken plate, and crumbs to swipe up when the day ended, only for Ezra to retreat to his apartment, alone, to attempt to write a novel that had no plot or characters. His true crime book, the one that'd separated him from his happiness, sat rotting in some junkyard miles away, not that he'd considered recovering it. He'd never betray his happiness like that again…not ever, not even when she was away, the communication between them progressively decreasing until Ezra's phone remained silent for days on end.

Alone again, except this time he couldn't depend on himself because a part of himself was missing, having run away to the south to escape past traumas. And because it was a part of himself, he supported it, even if it chipped at him every day for the next one-thousand-eight-hundred-and-twenty-five days.

Cameras flashed as Ezra entered the art gala—yes, the prestigious Ezra Fitz, née Fitzgerald, has returned to his station to be bombarded with questions about why he turned down Vassar for a tiny state school like Hollis. It was great to be home, Ezra sarcastically thought while he avoided the few reporters there to cover the event. The last time he'd been in New York was to see his brother at—no wonder—Vassar, and the last time before that he'd been with Aria.

It was August 10, 2012, and Aria was leaving for Georgia that weekend. It was the final time he could be with her without flying down on random dates or seeing her for holidays, if she even decided to return. He'd taken her to his family's theater during a night when it was empty, and they sat in the highest balcony as she marveled over the beautiful ceiling, then attempted to improvise a play that took place during the Civil War after Aria debated for five minutes over the time period. She was his wife, begging him to not leave for the war. (No irony there.) It was a simple night, but enough for a goodbye. They spent the night at a hotel, drove back to Rosewood the next day, and Ezra dropped her off. The tears in her eyes were barely visible as she got out of the car, thanking him and promising to call, and headed up her porch steps. When he was driving away, he looked through the mirror and saw her watching him, and for a second he thought he saw her raise her hand in a small wave.

She didn't know it, but he saw her the day she left. He simply drove by as her family was packing the car, since they'd decided to drive down there together, and he caught a glimpse of her striding to the car, jacket and final suitcase in hand, and pack away, not a hint of a smile on her lips. It was the last time he saw her for a while.

Of course, she would come to visit during the holidays. But even then it became too awkward to be around each other, and they fell apart. He'd hide in the back when she'd show up to The Brew with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna during summer vacation. It was just too hard for him to face why they'd fallen apart, despite the passionate connection they'd always shared, even when they were separated.

Ezra was on his second glass of scotch when he was finally approached by his mother, then stood at the Cleopatra sculpture for a long time just sipping and people-watching. There was a woman with short hair, a light brown with goldish ends, studying a Monet while drinking what appeared to be a scotch as well. She turned her head slightly to the right and the drink almost slipped out of Ezra's hand. The profile…he recognized it: the nose, the lips, the eyes, the chin.

"Aria?" he called out before he could even process fully. As expected, the woman turned to his direction, her eyes widening before her lips bursting into a full, glowing smile. "Ezra?" she exclaimed. "It's been too long!"

"Yeah," Ezra laughed forcefully, clearing his throat. "How have you been?"

"Great," she said simplistically, shaking her head in disbelief. "I…I can't believe I forgot your parents owned this place."

"Well, I never took you here."

"Still… Your name is in the title, I'm in high-society NYC… I should have been able to put it together." She grinned brightly, her pinky tapping on her drink glass. "Do you still live in Rosewood?"

Gulping, Ezra nodded. He wasn't sure why he was upset... Maybe because Aria was acting so bubbly and excited, when she hadn't even bothered reaching out to him when she was in Rosewood. In her defense, though, he hadn't either. So maybe it was both of their faults. "Still running The Brew."

"Have you considered teaching again?"

"Yes, but Rosewood…decided they'd given me enough chances," Ezra finished awkwardly, looking down at his glass, noticing hers was identical.

From the corner of his eye, he could see her lips slightly wobble. "Oh… Why not just teach here, then?"

"The business calls, and…I needed the money. I could probably try now, though." He wasn't sure why he was being so open with her, but he also wasn't sure what he was feeling. Anger, frustration, joy? It all seemed so mixed together, a fluctuating mess.

Still smiling widely, Aria nodded her head, then poked Ezra in the arm with her glass. "Hey, would you want to…get out of here? Get something to eat, maybe? I think I've seen enough art for the day."

Ezra was taken aback by her boldness, but he could feel himself warming up towards her again, his body aching to reconnect with its other half. "I know this great vegan place downtown."

Aria giggled, pushing some of her brown-and-gold hair behind her multiply-pierced ear. "That sounds amazing."

Once they got outside—Ezra hoped the camera flashes weren't directed towards him and what will undoubtedly be called "the mystery girl"—Aria held Ezra back from calling a cab and requested they walk. "It's not too far, is it?" she asked, and Ezra shook his head and led the way.

On the way, they chatted about random things: movies, books, writing, current events. By the time they got to the restaurant, they'd talked about a whole bunch of stuff but were rarely caught up. So when Aria sat down and draped her jacket over her chair, she put her head in her hand and seriously looked at Ezra. "Tell me," she asked, taking a sip of the water that'd just been brought out, "what's Rosewood been like?"

Ezra told her—honestly. There was a trial for A—Charles—which Aria obviously knew about because she was called as a witness, but after he was charged and sent off to some penitentiary in Connecticut the town became quiet and perfect, almost, again. He said he wished he was teaching; seeing all the students come into The Brew and complain about Mrs. Welch and her terribly boring choice of books made him think of how much more they'd enjoy the literature he would choose out if he was only teaching.

An hour passed, their food had come, and despite having their meals for over twenty minutes, they'd barely touched them. "So Jenny—" Aria's roommate "—takes me to her family's farm for Christmas, and during dinner she just had to tell them of how my family loves to alternate between Christmas and Hanukkah every year, and I felt like I was burning in hell already." She laughed and took a tiny bite of her tofu chicken. "After that terrible night, it was fun. I spent most of the time outdoors with Jenny and her older brother and younger sister, and we played with the dogs and went hiking and rode horses. It was quite an experience. And as you can see, I'm still pretty tan."

"Well, you did spend five years in Georgia," Ezra pointed, then gestured towards himself. "You stay in Pennsylvania for five years, you get this lovely pale complexion." They both laughed. "What did you do the year after you graduated?"

Aria's cheeks flushed. "See… I was so doubtful of my major, I had to take another year to get the credits. I decided on journalism. I'm hoping to be a photographer, but… Until I make it to that, I'm just writing boring news stories. I'm trying to get in to the creative arena, like the short story section, even the cartoons I can help design, but it's s a tough career to be in."

Ezra nodded his head thoughtfully and swallowed the rest of his cold, once hot, soup. "Have you shown them the pictures you've taken?"

"Of course! They think I have potential, but they want to see how I meld in the environment first. If anything, they'll probably let me take pictures along with my news stories…even though I hate nonfiction. It's so depressing!" And Aria went on and told a story about the time she had to write about a shooting in a local mall.

In the end, they got through many topics, exploring Aria's college endeavors (which took up most of the time) and Ezra's boring lifestyle (which took up probably less than five percent of the time). "I know I seem kind of boring," Ezra joked as the last couple in the restaurant besides them left. "But I swear it's because I've just been getting back up on my feet, trying to decide what I want to do."

In a rash move, Aria reached her hand across the table and placed it over Ezra's, smiling sweetly. "I don't think you're boring," she convinced him. "I love your stories about the embarrassing stuff that happens at The Brew. And the one about you spending Thanksgiving with my family was probably the funniest story I've heard in ages; I wish I had been there."

Shifting awkwardly in his seat, Ezra stared into Aria's eyes boldly. "Why…why weren't you there?"

The moment was cracked as Aria pulled her slightly hand away so that it was no longer in contact with him. "I wanted to…a lot… but flying up from Georgia is so expensive. I wanted that money for other things, like tuition." She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. "I mostly wanted to visit because of you…but then I stayed behind also because I was afraid of seeing you again, and never wanting to go back."

The confession floated around their table for a few seconds, not easing until someone spoke. "I would want to fly down to Georgia and surprise you all the time," Ezra admitted, reaching out and grabbing the hand she'd pulled away. "But I guess we both had money in our way." The heaviness in the air was lifted. Aria grinned and squeezed his hand.

While on the topic about dogs versus cats, a debate they'd had many times before—Aria was for cats, Ezra was for dogs, but neither seemed willing to have both—but felt needed to repeat, a waiter approached them and told them the restaurant was closing. The last time they'd closed a place, it was when Zack was running The Brew and Aria showed up at the end of a poetry reading Ezra had attended. Those times were simpler.

The two exited the restaurant, stopping at the side of the sidewalk where some cabs were waiting. Aria stuffed her hands in her pockets and turned to face Ezra, a content smile creasing her lips. "Thanks for bringing me here. Tonight was…more than great."

"You're welcome." Ezra, uncertain what else there was to say, was mesmerized by her eyes, and he could tell she was lost in his, too.

Eventually Aria broke their staring contest and glanced down at the concrete. "So…will I be seeing you in Rosewood? I'm visiting for the next couple weeks."

"You will definitely see me in Rosewood," Ezra assured her. "I've got a business to run." Mostly, when Ezra would tell someone that, it would bring him a great deal of sadness. But tonight was too amazing to be ruined by his job.

"Okay," Aria simply said, walking towards him and standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Goodbye, Ezra."

Her words set off alarms in Ezra's head and he quickly replied, "See you later," while she got into a cab and waved. When she was finally out of Ezra's sight, she slid into the seat and realized her limbs were shaking. She wondered if Ezra felt the adrenaline, too.

And he certainly did. It was enough to make him jump up and punch the air in excitement, taking more energy to hold in his shouts than to just yell at the starry night, "She's back!"

His happiness was back, and he was not going to let her go again. And he could sense that she didn't want to let him go, either.

…

Bright and early the next day, Ezra was wiping down the counters at The Brew when the bells jingled. "Sorry, we're not open yet—," Ezra began to say when he looked up and held his breath.

Aria, in a flowing blouse and skirt that cinched her waist and signature large dangling earrings and clunky high heels, entered and approached the counter. The gold in her hair, which Ezra actually quite liked, glistened in the sun streaming through the windows. It was a beautiful day, sunny and the perfect temperature, as though the universe was sending them a message that together, their lives were better. "I saw you through the window and thought I could stop in to say hi…" When Ezra, still rendered speechless, didn't answer right away, Aria smiled and clasped her hands in front of her, grinning brightly like she had been since the moment she laid eyes on Ezra again. "Hi."

"H-hey," Ezra choked out, clearing his throat in order to hide his humiliation at the crack in his voice. But then he remembered—this was Aria. She wasn't going to judge him because they already knew each other so well. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, a latte would be nice." With that, he whipped one right up without any further detail—a vanilla soy latte, extra cream. "Thank you."

The two sat down on the couch with their coffees. "So, last night was fun," Aria said while taking a sip of brewed perfection; if she could give credit to Ezra for anything, it would be his coffee-making skills, next to his strenuous, yet hopeless, efforts to be a better cook.

"What could we possibly have more to talk about?" Ezra said in a slightly joking manner, but was a little serious at the same time.

"Well, I can tell you of the bathroom disaster we had this morning at the Montgomery household."

"Do tell." By the end of the story, their coffees were cold and forgotten, conversation absorbing them again.

When The Brew finally opened, Aria had to leave, but promised she'd be back later—so Ezra spent the entire day working at the speed of light, restless for tonight. The thought of seeing Aria again that day made Ezra's nerves go into hyper drive. He was so excited to close The Brew that night, his employees questioned what he'd consumed that day. In an attempt to appear less crazy, he appealed to the younger generation and explained that the most recent season of his favorite show had been uploaded to Netflix that morning and he couldn't wait to go home and watch it.

As soon as Ezra had finished sweeping the floors and everyone had left, there was a knock at the door—and Ezra couldn't have answered it fast enough. Separated for five years, and instantly the feelings and emotions he'd had for Aria the day he met her had flooded him, overwhelming him. Aria greeted him and entered, asking if she could help him clean up, in which he said he'd just finished.

"So… What do you want to do?" he asked her eagerly right after putting away the broom and pan. They could go to a movie, eat out again, even sit on a park bench and he'd enjoy every second of it.

"Well, I was thinking…" Aria put a finger to her chin to mimic deep thought. "We could just talk here some more."

"Okay," Ezra eagerly agreed, gesturing to the couch. However, Aria didn't move. Instead, she just stared at him, mesmerized, the corners of her lips lightly turned up. "What?" he asked, but the distractions of his racing heartbeat and thoughts made it come out hushed.

Aria took a couple steps so that she was closer towards him. Standing up on her tiptoes again, she leaned upward and gently pecked his lips. It was quick and sweet, but enough to break the dam in both of them. At the same time, they both leaned in for another kiss, but a longer one—and a longer one, and a longer one, and a longer one, going on until they were breathless and had to pull away.

Aria's arms were wrapped around Ezra's neck while Ezra's hands cradled Aria's face. As their breathing returned, they studied each other, almost having a telepathic conversation and agreement as Ezra pulled in for the next kiss.

But the kisses weren't enough to satiate the years of pent-up emotions. "Can we take this back to your place?" Aria whispered, and Ezra could make out flecks of green around her dilated pupils.

"Yeah," Ezra agreed with no question, and they shared one final, lasting kiss before locking up The Brew and racing down the street in fits of laughter, Ezra yelling at Aria to keep up and Aria replying she didn't jog every day like he did, not even in college, to apartment 3B.

They managed to make it up the stairs to the third floor, breathless, before caving in and kissing again. Ezra pushed her up against the wall, trailing down her jawline. "Open your damn door," she demanded in his ear, and they barreled inside, causing Aria to screech in more laughter. It didn't take long for clothes to be off, and for the last five years to just melt away, like the past had finally caught up to the present.

…

The morning after, Aria woke up to the bright sunlight coming through the balcony windows, another gorgeous day, and groaned. Needless to say, there wasn't much sleeping last night. Sliding up into a sitting position, she smiled down at a sleeping Ezra and brushed the hair off of his forehead before getting up and padding to the bathroom.

When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she nearly shrieked. Her hair was a knotted mess, and there was a large "bruise" on her neck that she'd need to cover up before returning home. But what was she kidding? She was twenty-three now and had the right to get hickeys without her parents' approval. It's not like she was eighteen and living under their household anymore.

Smoothing out the favorite yellow Hollis shirt she was wearing, she went to the bathroom, cleaned up her hair, washed her face, and returned to the bed. She was about to wake Ezra up by nudging his leg, but decided on something sweeter.

That morning, Ezra woke up ten minutes after Aria had to warm kisses on his face. "Good morning," he mumbled, one hand reaching up and running through Aria's soft hair. "Please tell me there's leftover coffee from yesterday sitting on my counter."

Aria glanced over at the counter; alas, there was none. "Unfortunately not," she gave the bad news. "But I bet I can brew a better batch of caffeine than five years ago."

"I'd love to see you try." With one last kiss, Aria got up again and pulled out the coffee grounds from exactly where Ezra has always kept it.

Once Ezra was able to sit up, which took him about five minutes, Aria was done with the coffee and putting it in his hands. "Wow, that was fast," he said, quickly taking a warm, rather bitter sip. However, a sweet flavor arose and his eyes widened in surprise. "I think this is more wow-worthy than your speed."

"Thank you." She clinked mugs with him and pulled the covers over her. "Drink up."

After finishing their morning coffee and conversing for another five minutes, Ezra got up and offered, "Since we're giving each other favors, why don't I make your favorite pancakes, probably one of the only things I can properly cook?"

"Still?" Aria asked in mock disbelief. "It's a good thing I'm back then." Then, in a bold move, "To stay."

Turned away from her and pulling out the flour, Ezra's shoulders stiffened. He wasn't sure what to say, and his mind desperately searched for something.

"I mean…" Aria's cheeks blushed as she brainstormed for the right words, too. "I don't want to go back without you. I realized that even after I left for Georgia… I cried almost the entire ride down there, and I kept lying to my parents that I was just missing my friends already. Which was true, of course, but I…I really couldn't imagine my life without you."

Setting the flour aside, Ezra turned around and leaned against the counter, looking at Aria, who was sitting on the bed with the shirt hem grazing her thighs, across the room. "What made us fall apart?"

In all honesty, Aria shrugged her shoulders. "I…I really don't know. But now that I'm back… I want to make this work. College was great and I had a lot of fun, but it wasn't the same without one of my best friends."

Leaving the kitchen, Ezra sat down next to Aria and held her hand, entwining their fingers in her lap. "I missed you, too," he admitted. "And I felt so lost for a while… I guess I was scared that our long-distance friendship would just make me more lovesick."

The two stared into each other's eyes, and Aria put her free arm and draped it around Ezra's neck. "Same here," she whispered, brushing her finger across his stubbly cheek.

Ezra leaned forward and kissed her cheek, then tickled her face with his stubble, causing her to laugh. "I can't let you starve when we're back together. To the kitchen!" With that, he swept her off the bed bridal-style and carried her to the counter, which she sat on like many times before. "I'm timing you," she joked while pulling out her phone, "and the prize is another sleepover…tonight." Ezra made a record-fast batch that day.

While at the table eating steaming-fresh pancakes, Aria cleared her throat and quickly said, "There's one last thing I want to tell you." Innocently, Ezra looked up from his plate. Aria's lips stayed open as her brain churned over the right words. "I knew you were going to be at the art gala the other day," she confessed, some relief washing over her. "I read it in the society columns and I knew I had to go. My job was so boring, and I missed you so much…"

Ezra's hand darted out and grazed hers. "Well, you have that job to thank, or maybe you wouldn't have come across the column."

Aria hesitantly nodded in agreement. "To be honest, though…," she added. "I think I would have hunted you down regardless."

Ezra smiled. "Then I would have been totally fine with that, too. If you wouldn't mind me finding you first." So the two began a new conversation where they fought over who would find the other first, assuming they started looking for the other around the same time.

Nearing eleven, Aria thought about leaving, but decided against it. Instead, she stayed at Ezra's the entire day, cuddling into his side as they watched their favorite black and white movies.

In the end, they agreed that instead of figuring out how they were going to make their relationship work again, they would live in this moment: just two lovers, reunited after five long years, enjoying being with each other now, believing that the now would last forever.