Ezria 7x18

Aria's POV

"But I need to do one thing first because I'm not sure you'll still be here when I'm done." I tell Ezra as I'm looking into his eyes, trying to hold back my tears. The fear of loosing this man is so real, so heartbreaking. I don't know what I would do without him.

"Okay, what's- " I interrupted him with a kiss. I needed to be with him, to make love with him one last time. Ezra met my kiss with so much passion, so much love. I moved to straddle him on his lap, Ezra pulling me as close as possible without breaking our kiss.

Ezra's left hand was in my hair, the other supporting my back while we were making out on the couch. I dropped my hands from his face to take off his jacket and shirt. I then took off my blouse and as I resumed kissing him, he unhooked my bra and once unhooked, I threw it off to the side and put my arms around Ezra's neck. Trying to close any distance left between us.

Ezra's arms on my back held me so close to him that I almost couldn't breathe. With AD forcing me to keep the file and everything I was doing away from him, it was like I created this distance between us. I was lying. Keeping secrets. And then add the fact that we were still getting our barring after everything that happened with Nicole and trying to find our way back as a couple. I hated so much that I was the main reason we had so much distance and that I didn't open up to him and just tell him the truth. I felt so ashamed and guilty that this self-less love Ezra was showing me, the way he was kissing and holding me and how he was so quick to forgive me about the file was overwhelming. I was consumed with emotions of guilt and absolute love for him.

Ezra's POV:

Once we were both naked, we re-situated on the couch so that I was on top of Aria with the throw blanket we normally keep draped over us. I could see it in her eyes right before she kissed me how utterly heartbroken and ashamed she felt and I want nothing more than to show her how much I love and cherish her. That she is absolutely safe with me and that I will never judge her for any mistake she makes.

As we're lying down with me hovering on top of her, Aria wraps her arms around my neck. Our kisses are slow, soft, gentle, but filled with so much love and desire for the other. Each time I kiss or make love with Aria, it's like I see the inside of her soul. Tonight, I feel her absolute love and adoration towards me, but I also feel her shame, guilt, and fear, all of which I try to diminish with another gentle kiss.

As I'm kissing her lips, don her neck trying to convey my unconditional love towards her and ease her pain, I stop for a second to rest my forehead on top of hers. We have a brief moment of eye contact before she kisses me again. I break the kiss to hold her face as she looks at me with those big, doe, hazel eyes to tell her how much I love her before gently kissing her forehead. After the kiss, I resituated myself and made love to Aria as she wrapped her legs tightly around my waist and wrapped her arms around my neck, both of us trying to get as close as humanly possible to the other.

Ezra's POV:

After our lovemaking, we resituated on the couch so that Aria was tucked between me and the back of the couch and I was laying on my back. Aria was curled up against me with her legs wrapped around mine with both of my arms holding her tight and securing her close to me. We've just been lying here silently, basking in the warmth and love after being intimate until Aria fell asleep about 20 minutes ago. I lie here, holding my darling fiancé, occasionally kissing her head as she sleeps, her breath rising and falling against my chest.

What was she afraid to tell me before our love-making? What could make her feel so scared of loosing me, that she would rather hide stuff and keep secrets from me? As much as I'm dying to know what was bothering Aria, I'd much rather continue to hold and soothe her right now as she rests.

One-Hour Later:

As Aria is waking up, she snuggles closer to me, if that is even humanly possible. She opens her eyes, looks up at me, and softly smiles. I lean down to kiss her as I squeeze her body close to mine.

"Hi Sunshine" I say softly to her. "Hey babe" she says to me as she reaches up to give me a soft, slow kiss before trailing kisses across my chest.

There is a moment of silence between us as we hold each other close and look into each other's eyes.

"Okay", Aria begins. "I need to tell you the truth. Why I've been so distant and what I've been hiding from you."

This is where Aria tells me everything about how AD had the file and was blackmailing me. She told me about the game, Emily and Alison's nursery, missing the talk at The Brew about our book. Everything. It broke my heart knowing that my selfish actions, using her and her friends to get close to Alison for a stupid book, was the reason AD was torturing her. I understand how scared she was, and I could never hold what she did against her. After all, she forgave me and took me back after the book. I'm in no place to judge her for making a mistake because she was scared.

When Aria was finished, I told her the same thing I said when she told me about the Jenna thing: that I love her and nothing she said to me changes that. She looked so relieved when I told her that, like the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders.

It was late, so I carried her bridal style upstairs to our bedroom. I placed her down in the middle of the bed and then got in behind her and wrapped my arms around her. We fell asleep like this, me holding me beloved Aria in my arms, right where she belongs.