The story below is based on the ABC Family television series Pretty Little Liars and the book series by Sara Shepard. Many of the plot points are based off what happens in the book series and are in no way spoilers for the series.

Remember the day
'Cause this is what dreams should always be
I just want to stay
I just want to keep this dream in me

The night sky glistened with the lights from the buildings above and the street lamps and cars below. The city that never slept was buzzing and the air was cool. It was almost midnight as Aria Montgomery stepped out of her small studio apartment and onto the old medal balcony were she spent a great deal of her time, especially on unseasonably warm Saturday nights like this one. She walked to the very edge and leaned both hands on the railing as she surveyed the city and took it all in. It had been almost five year since she left Rosewood but sometimes it felt like just yesterday and she couldn't believe how different her life was.

Sometimes she imaged going back in time and talking to her sixteen-year-old self. She wished she could tell her that everything would eventually work itself out. She wished she could tell her that she had so many amazing adventures ahead of her and as bad as things seemed back then they would only get better in time. She suddenly shuttered at the thought of her life back then and how horrible things had gotten.

It had all started with her father's affair, then came Alison's disappearance then came the whole A thing and then their was her secret affair with her high school English teacher. It had been a downward spiral of epic proportions. But now it had been five years since they had discovered that A was Mona and that it wasn't Ally who was murdered that night but her secret twin sister Courtney.

Aria could still remember how it felt seeing Ally for the first time in a year when she came out of hiding. She had explained that she witnessed her sister's murder that she knew had been intended for her and explained how she had fled the area in fear for her life. That should have been their happy ending but as time went on more and more of Ally's secrets would unravel and they discovered that Ally had not only killed Courtney herself but also killed Ian and later Mona. She had later picked up the role of A and continued to torture the girls. She had even gone as far as repeatedly injuring Toby, forcing Maya and Caleb to leave town and financially supporting Jackie Molina in her efforts to win Ezra back. All the while acting like the best friend they had all thought she was. After the girls had discovered her secret Ally claimed she had done it all out of revenge over the fact that the girls had never realized that for the last two years prior to her death Courtney had been pretending to be Ally. Ally claimed she had escaped from the mental institution; Courtney locked her away in, the night of the murder just in time to take revenge on her sister and the girls but with no proof there was nothing the girls could do and Ally threatened to kill every last one of them and all the people they loved most if they spilled a word. Ally was so deranged that she wanted things to go back to they way they were before. She wanted the five of them to all be best friends forever and for no one else to interfere. The only way the girls knew to defeat Ally was to escape, each one on there own and leaving all their loved ones behind. So that's what they did the day after graduation. They all went off on their own and it would be a year until enough evidence on Ally was found and she was finally put in jail on 3 counts of 1st degree murder. That year was one of the loneliest in Aria's life. She was constantly looking over her shoulder as Ally had vowed to find and kill all of them. On top of the fear was the sadness and the loneliness that came with not seeing her family, the girls and having to break things off with Ezra the day of their graduation. She could still remember that moment and everything about it like it was yesterday.

-Flashback-

Aria woke that morning with a feeling of terror and a deep sadness for what she knew this day would hold. It was the morning of her high school graduation and instead of being excited for this momentous occasion and spending quality time with her family she was about do the hardest thing she had ever done. She quickly dressed herself in a simple black dress and heels, grabbed her cap and gown, left a quick note for her parents and speed off in the direction of apartment 3B. As she approached the door she thought about all of the fights, reunions, talks and romance that had gone down in the small apartment. She thought of the incredible relationship her and Ezra had built over the past two years and all the obstacles they had overcome. Then she took but a moment to think of just how much he was looking forward to her graduation. He had been so grateful that she asked him to be there and he had told her how important it was to him to get to be there for her on one of the most important days of her life. She couldn't bare the thought of breaking his heart but she knew she had to do this in order to keep him safe.

She wiped away the few tears that she had let escape and unlocked the door with the key Ezra had made for her and slipped inside. The apartment was quiet and for a moment she thought he wasn't home until she heard rustling coming from the bathroom. She cleared her thought in order to draw attention to herself. She noticed the rustling suddenly stop and she mentally braced herself. She was about to see Ezra Fitz for the last time and she needed to make it count. She would take every part of him in and keep in with her forever. She would take in everything about him and try not to miss a thing. The emotional impact of the moment was too great and she began to silently cry. Ezra backed out of the bathroom in a t-shirt and his running shorts. He was obviously about to head out for a run. As he turned to face her she took everything in from the ratty, sweat stained Hollis t-shirt to the silly black running shorts that the girls had once said he looked hot in to the way his hair grown messy with curls because he had missed a few haircuts. She had always loved his messy, curly brown hair. As dashing and old-Hollywood handsome as he looked with short hair the curls always reminded her of the first time they met. It wasn't long before the knee weakening ear to ear smile on his gorgeous face and that oh so famous glimmer in his beautiful blue eyes disappeared as he realized that Aria was crying. Suddenly his face sank and he rushed over to her, as he was about to wrap his arm around her she quickly placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back in order to keep a good amount of space between them. This action clearly shocked him. She removed her hand from his perfectly toned chest. She could still feel the contours of it even with the t-shirt on. Any kind of contact was too much for her. Finally she broke the silence.

"Ezra, there is something you need to know." She wiped more tears from her face and cleared her throat.

"Whatever it is you don't need to cry about it. You know you can tell me anything without judgment."

"I know." And she did know. She had told him all of her darkest secrets and he never stopped loving her or even so much as lectured her. He always listened intently and when she was done he would reassure her that there was nothing she could ever say that would make him stop loving her. Even kissing Jason hadn't swayed him.

"Come on what's going on. You should be happy you're finally being released from that place to referred to as teenage prison." She couldn't help but smile at his attempt at a joke. She had learned long ago that her smile could almost always bring out his. This time was no exception. It was all too much to handle.

"Look I need to say something and if you keep talking and grinning at me then I'm going to lose it so just please be quiet so I can get this out." Ezra's face turned serious.

"I know that we have talked about our future a lot and we decided together that we would both stay here and I would start at Hollis in the fall but I had applied to several schools just to satisfy my parents and yesterday I found out I got accepted into the Sorbonne. I was granted admittance to their literature program with an invitation to join the summer session. The thing is you know more than anyone that this is the opportunity of a lifetime. You always worried that us being together would prevent me from getting to really experience my college years. I'm not saying this is forever but I really think I need this." Good, Aria thought to herself. That sounds perfectly logical and it wasn't a total lie. It was an amazing school and a once in a lifetime opportunity but she also knew being with Ezra was the most incredible opportunity she would ever get. Had Ally not caused so much chaos this day would be so different and they probably would have been discussing living arraignments for next year.

"Ok."

"No I'm not finished." She took both of Ezra's hands and led him to the couch. She sat down on the edge of the coffee table so she could look him directly in the eye.

"I don't know how long I will be gone. I have already accepted the invitation for the summer semester and the fall semester. I have to leave tomorrow to catch my flight and the thing is I don't really plan on coming back anytime soon which I gather is not fair to you. So that is why I think we need to break up."

"Are you serious? Is this real?" Ezra's beautiful blue eyes began to fill with tears. Aria knew if she cried it would just make matters worse so she sucked in a big breath of air and pretended like her heart wasn't shattering into a million pieces.

"Yes I'm sorry but I have to do this." Ezra shoved Aria's hands away and stood up. He began pacing back and forth in front of her. He was angry and hurt, that much was obvious.

"I don't understand how you can be so caulis and matter of fact about this. After all we have been through. After breaking up so many times in the beginning. After surviving Noel, Jason and Jackie. After finally coming out to your parents to only have them ban me from ever seeing you again. After all of that you want to end it like this." Aria didn't know what to say. He walked back to the couch and sat in front of her. His eyes were scrutinizing every move she made.

"Ezra I've been thinking about this for while and I think its best we try and find people who make more sense to be with."

"That is a bull line and you know it. You have always been the first to say that we make more sense that nearly every couple on the planet. You told me you loved me. You told me I was all you would ever wanted. You told me that no one else would ever make you feel the way I make you feel. You told me you wanted to get married and build a life and a family together. What about all of that?"

"I don't know, Ezra I'm 18 I don't really know what I want. I know that I love you and that there will probably never be anyone in my life that means more to me than you do but I have to do this." Suddenly the look on Ezra's face changed it was like he realized she was serious and this was real. She knew she couldn't pretend anymore and she finally let the tears fall. Ezra's face was streaming with tears. She took both of his hands in hers and leaned her forehead against his. She breathed deeply. They sat like that for a few minutes until she realized she was going to be late. She stood up and Ezra walked her to the door. She stopped for a moment and reached up on her tip toes to leave a soft kiss on Ezra's cheek. This was something she had done so many times but this time was different. He had shut his eyes and let it all sink in. Then she backed away and slowly and sweetly moved a piece of hair out of his eyes. She pulled her key out from her pocket and pushed it into his hand. Then she opened the door and let herself out.

Once the door was shut tightly behind her she ran to her car. She drove for while until she found an abandoned parking lot and pulled over. She sat there for what felt like forever sobbing. Finally she caught a glimpse of the clock and realized she was going to be late for the rehearsal. She took out her phone and quickly sent Ezra a text telling him he didn't have to come to graduation because it would be too hard. He never responded but she knew that was the lowest blow she could throw. She knew how badly he had wanted to be there for her and how honored he had been when she asked. She wanted him there more than anything. He was the one person she wanted to be there. He was the most important person in her life and this was the most important moment in her life. She wished more than anything that they could somehow still share it but she knew that dream was dead. This was really it she thought.

She sped to the venue they were holding the ceremony at and made it with time to spare. She was smart enough to forgo makeup that morning knowing full well it would be ruined. So she headed to the bathroom to do her makeup, touch up her hair and put on her cap and gown. Once she was finished she checked the mirror and suddenly it was all very real.

The rehearsal was as boring as ever and all the girls had decided it was best to pretend they had a falling out so none of them spoke. The ceremony was nice and Aria looked over into the audience a few times when she heard her Dad and Mike yelling. Aria's parents knew about her plan and she had told her mother that she was breaking things off with Ezra that morning. When she finally locked eyes with her mother she could feel the sympathy and her mother's acknowledgement of her pain. She nodded in recognition and her mother nodded back. Everything seemed to be going smoothly and in what seemed like no time at all is was Aria's turn to walk across the stage. The student ahead of her was taking longer than expected making some crazy gestures to his friends so Aria took her time to stare into the audience before stepping up the stairs to the stage. She saw the happy, smiling, proud faces of her mother, father, mike, the Hastings, Mrs. Marin, and the Fields. This was normal she thought. This is what this moment is supposed to feel like. She continued to scan the crowd and much to her surprise only a few rows back and directly across from where she stood sat Ezra Fitz. He was wearing the most incredible suit and had gotten a haircut, she knew he had scheduled way in advance for this day. It felt like the entire room froze the moment they locked eyes. It was like everyone else in the room disappeared and everything went silent. All he did was nod and she turned away just in time to prevent herself from bursting into tears and walked across the stage to accept her diploma.

After the ceremony was over everyone stood around taking pictures, talking about their future plans and saying their goodbye. Aria's ever so popular parents had been pulled away and Mike had gone out to the car to wait until it was all over. Aria stood in a middle of this huge room with the bouquet of flowers her parents had given her cradled in her arms. She stood alone silently taking it all in until suddenly she felt someone's hand touch her back. Without turning around she knew who it was. She couldn't bare looking at his face. After all she had done and said he still came. He knew how happy she had been when he accepted her offer and he came for her. He came to be there for her and he didn't care how badly she had hurt him. He was not going to let her down. A chill went up her spine as he gently pushed the hair on one side of her shoulder over and tucked it behind her ear. She closed her eyes as he rested one hand on the side of her neck. Quiet tears began to escape. He knelt down and whispered into her exposed ear,

"Congratulations Ms. Montgomery. I know you will get everything you want in life but if you ever wonder if I got what I wanted in life just know that the only thing I'll ever want is you." She sucked in a deep breath and she felt him place a kiss on the back of her head for one final time. Then he disappeared and she stood alone crying. It was all too much to take and she collapsed to her knees on the floor. Hanna, Spencer and Emily were all in the room and forgot the rules of their game and rushed over to her. They all knelt down and held her as she cried. They cried together for every one of them was leaving someone they loved behind. They cried for Aria and they cried because they knew this would be their final moment together.

-End of Flashback-

The events of that day had left a permanent scar on her heart. Even though the girls and everyone they loved were safe now that Alison was behind bars they all decided after her sentencing that it was best if they remained apart. Aria had grown homesick after a year and a half in Europe and decided to return to the states. She spent the next three years working on her Bachelor's Degree in Literature at NYU and interning at a very prestigious publishing house. In her last year the head of the English department offered her a position as a TA while she worked on her Masters. Aria had accepted and set up permanent residence in a one-room studio apartment in SOHO above this amazing little coffee shop. She had so many fantastically oddball friends and a sweet boyfriend of two years named Kevin. They had met at a poetry reading in the East Village and forged a wonderful relationship based one numerous mutual interests. Kevin was sweet, kind, thoughtful, adorable, insightful and seemed to fit in perfectly with her friends. The biggest highlight of them all was he was her age which meant her parents loved him and he genuinely enjoyed spending time with Ella, Byron and Mike when they would come visit. She had even brought him back to Rosewood for Christmas this past year and he had been wonderful. She had so much to be grateful for but every so often that last image she had of Ezra's tear socked face would creep into her mind. The mere mention of the book "To Kill A Mockingbird" or the beginning cords of "Happiness" by The Fray would always break her heart. It was like every time she felt almost whole again something would happen that would remind her of him and she would remember just how irrevocably broken she was.