Aria looked down, afraid to meet his gaze. Ezra was her teacher. What had happened between them couldn't continue. It just couldn't. Hesitantly, she stole a glance at him. His eyes were waiting for hers, piercing straight through her. Aria inhaled sharply. She couldn't do this. She couldn't stifle her feelings for him. Something needed to be done, and fast. As she quickly resumed avoiding his eyes, she knew he was watching her, willing her to look him in the eye. Aria squirmed in her seat. She felt like she was under a spotlight, and everyone could see her, including Ezra. Diverting her attention to her writing, she forced herself to focus only on her work. She gripped her pencil so hard, her knuckles turned white. The bell could not have come sooner.
Panic rose in Aria as she clumsily tried to make her way out of the classroom—his classroom. She was almost out the door when she felt someone hold her back. It was Ezra. "Miss Montgomery," he cleared his throat, "Could you stay after for a few minutes? I have," there was a slight pause as Ezra tried to think of an excuse to get her to stay. "I have a few things I would like to go over with you about your summer assignment." He looked down, his shy expression turning a light shade of red. Aria couldn't help but give in.
She let a few moments go by before responding. "Mr. Fitz," she said quietly, "What did you—" Ezra shut the door and pulled the shades down before Aria could finish. "Ezra," she whispered. "You're… you're my," she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Ezra took Aria's hands in his. "Aria, this doesn't have to end," he said quietly. He pulled her in closer. "Nobody has to know."
Aria pulled her hands back, staring straight down at the floor. Ezra followed her gaze and noticed a tear fall to the ground. Aria looked up at him, desperately trying to keep more from falling. "Ezr—Mr. Fitz, I hope that you liked my summer assignment. If you need any clarification about it you can ask me during class. I have to go," and with that, Aria ran out of the room, leaving Ezra among a sea of empty desks.
Out in the hall, Aria could barely tell where she was going. Her vision blurred by tears, she stumbled into the nearest bathroom. She stared at her tear-streaked reflection in the mirror and she gripped the sink. She couldn't give in. It was illegal. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't risk it. She would not be the reason Ezra Fitz went to jail. Aria splashed some water on her face. She had to pull herself together.
Aria let the rest of her day go by in a blur. She just wanted to go home and get away from everything. She hated that she couldn't keep her thoughts from drifting back to Ezra. It was as if she was never alone. He was always there, in the back of her mind.
Ezra pounded his fist into his desk. He had just graduated college. He landed a great job in a great town. He had everything going for him, and he still found a way to screw it all up. He looked to the empty desk where Aria sat only hours earlier. He was amazed that she was still in high school. He never would've guessed from their conversation in the pub. She was wise beyond her years. His fingers trailed across her recently turned in summer assignment. Catching himself, Ezra pushed the paper back into the stack of the others. He took a deep sigh and glanced over at his file cabinet. He had her address. He could show up in a big romantic gesture and win her over. Only, he couldn't. He could never be seen out in public with Aria Montgomery. Outside of Rosewood Prep, their relationship couldn't exist.
Ezra let out a quiet laugh. In the middle of this mess, Aria, the student, was being the smart one. Aria was the sensible one, the one concerned with the consequences, and he was acting on impulse. The irony of the situation was too much for him to take. He sat at his desk, trying to focus on grading. He figured he might as well get something productive accomplished. It seemed to work, too, until he reached the point in the stack where he had shoved Aria's paper.
He stared at her paper in his hands and hesitated to grade it. Her handwriting was neat and her paper looked well thought out and slowly written. It looked like Aria had put a lot of care into her paper. That scared Ezra. He wasn't sure if reading it would be the best idea, given the circumstances. He read it anyway. After all, it was his job. Once he was finished, Ezra couldn't keep his thoughts straight. Aria's paper was full of insight. He could tell that she really was something special. The pride he felt as a teacher mixed with his feelings for Aria, and he couldn't take it. He got up from his desk abruptly, leaving his papers where they lay.
Walking over to the window, Ezra let his thoughts drift to that night in the pub. He could still feel Aria's kiss on his lips, her touch on his skin. Her soft voice rang in his ears. He replayed the conversation over and over in his head. "I'm thinking of majoring in English," she had said. She was only thinking about college. It was right there for the whole world to see, but he assumed she was in college, anyway. He spent the entire evening hooking up with a beautifully amazing girl in a pub—a girl who turned out to be his student. He had hooked up with one of his students. He clenched his fists as he turned his back to the window. It was wrong on so many levels, but everything he felt seemed right. When he was with Aria, it felt right.
The next day, Aria kept her thoughts on her writing. Ezra may be screwing up her favorite class, but she would not let him ruin her favorite hobby, too. It was the first day of Poetry Club, and it was Aria's favorite extracurricular activity. Nothing would ruin her day. Nothing.
Aria walked into the room where the meeting would be held and looked around. Nobody was there yet, not even the club administrator. She took a seat, hoping she didn't get the wrong room. Just as Aria was starting to get nervous, she heard the door open. Turning her head to see who would be joining her, she soon realized that her perfect day could, in fact, be ruined. Ezra caught her horrified stare as he entered the room. "Aria, hi," he stammered. "Are you here for Poetry Club?" She nodded. "Right. Well, I'll be in charge of the club this year. Is… Is anyone joining us today?"
"Not that I know of," she responded. "Poetry Club has always been small. I thought a few people would show up but…" she trailed off. This would happen.
"I guess our first meeting will be posters, then," Ezra said nervously. The tension in the room was mounting. He glanced at Aria. She was obviously uncomfortable. "Look, Aria…" he began.
"Mr. Fitz," she shot him a warning look, "This is my favorite club, and I think putting posters up around school to revive it is a fantastic idea. It's been going downhill in membership since I started high school, anyway." Her voice was stern and icy. It was all she could do to keep herself from crying. She turned her back to him, fumbling with some poster board.
"Aria," Ezra pleaded. He took a few steps towards her. She could feel his breath on her neck. "Aria, please. We have to talk about this." He put his and on her shoulder. She tensed at his touch.
Tears filled her eyes as Aria turned to face him. "Ezra," she whispered, "That night at the pub was one of the best nights of my life, but," she looked down, "You're my English teacher. What happened at the pub was… it was… illegal." Her voice was barely audible as she finished her response.
Ezra wiped the tears from her face. "I know all of this doesn't seem right, but I know you feel this, too. I know you want this, too." He looked deep into her eyes, searching for anything to tell him he was right. Her face softened. Ezra glanced back at the closed door. They were alone. He looked back at Aria. "I've never seen you as my student," he whispered. He leaned in, his lips coming dangerously close to hers.
"Ezra," Aria whimpered, "Ezra, we can't." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "Ezra…" She could feel the warmth of his embrace. Suddenly, panic struck Aria. "Mr. Fitz! I will not be the reason you go to jail," she said as she finally regained her strength. Silence filled the room. Aria's cheeks burned red with embarrassment.
Ezra stood glued to the floor. He was speechless. Aria ran past him to the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she turned around. Barely above a whisper, she added, "But for the record, you're right," she paused, "I've never wanted anything more."