I walked out of the detention facility for this first time in 5 years. with a grin. I saw Aria over at the gate "Hey." I said with a grin."Ezra." I pulled her into a hug. A tear fell from her Beautiful eyes . "You didn't get letter, did you? " she choked out. " No.… but whatever it is you can tell me in person now," My smile fading. Aria gulped. "Whatever it is Aria, we Can work through it" I said with a concerned tone. " No we can't."she said, more tears fell from her eyes. " Yes we can" I said reassuringly. " I love you" I said surely. Now she was crying, sobbing. A boy walked out of Aria's car. He walked to aria and she cried on his chest. She buried her face in his chest. The boy looked at me with sympathy. " I can handle my girlfriend just fine" I said to him coldly. Aria lifted her right hand.A small O came to my lips. Tears were shed. I always hoped I would give Aria that piece of jewelry.

ARIA's POV

It's so hard what I had to do. But I had to. I'm engaged to Holden! I just love him so much, it was worth every second of the pain. Most girls usually have doubts when they're engaged,but me? NO. I love him so much my heart aches at the mention of him. Ezra was my first deep relationship, but he wasn't the one. It wasn't real. I would never admit this, but, he never really made me happy. I don't know why I cried, maybe because he still loved me? I said, wiping my tears, looking up at Holden's beautiful face and say" I'm sorry, but I'm in love with Holden Strauss. I hope you find a person who makes you as happy as he makes me." Holden kissed my forehead. I smiled. I got into our car. And then, after 4 years, I felt free from my past and Ezra Fitz.

EZRA POV

MY SOUL IS BURNING. I can't believe aria moved on! I loved her! Well clearly she didn't love me. I just… thought she'd wait for me. What killed me was, she looked him so tenderly, so lovingly. He'd only kissed her forehead and she'd smiled. I went to my apartment. Luckily no one and rented it since I left. I unpacked everything. I sat down on the couch, and wept. I just couldn't stand the thought of her kissing, holding hands, crying on the shoulder of that guy. Aria didn't look at me the same. She looked at me like a boy she'd rather stay away from. Like they looked at me. Aria was mine. Was. So there I wept until hardy came to my apartment. A minute later he was sitting next to me rubbing my back while I choked through my sobs " She… is… ENGAGED" hardy gave me a man hug and said " She ain't worth it Z" "The hardest part was she didn't look at me the same. Like " " Z she isn't worth this" But he was wrong. I loved her. She was my one and only love. My other half. But I wasn't hers. So I pathetically sat in my bed." Bro, can I have some time ? Alone" I said carefully, not wanting to lose my temper. Hardy was there for me and I didn't want to say something I didn't mean cus I was angry. Angry,sad and hurt and SHOCKED. Hardy nodded at left silently When Hardy left, I got out the scotch. I downed 6 shots. I knew if I drank anymore I'd wouldn't be stable enough to do what I wanted to do. I was brave enough now to do it. I stepped out if my apartment. I walked down. the stairs carefully and slowly trying to balance myself. Maybe I had had to much to drink. I drove to my favorite bar from when I was a kid. It was called Larry and Marie's. I don't know why I thought of it now. I just remember I ate there all the time as a kid.I loved it. I planned to ask aria to marry me there. It did karaoke. It was out of town, so I thought I could clear my head. When I reached, I thought maybe I had drank to much. It looked exactly the same,except it was called Aria and Holden's. I thought I was seeing things. So I walked in. Marie and Larry still own it. They were the bartenders. Good. I sat down to my old companions. " Ezra? The kid? You came here all the time!" they asked curiously. " Yah Marie" I said with a small smile." You like the new name?" I looked at her confused. " Them. Over there." she said, pointing to a girl and a boy. The girl with straight-curly hair and a boy with curly hair. The girl looked just like Aria. She had her back to me so I couldn't know for sure. The bar had two bars. One on each side. They were on the opposite were sitting with a blonde girl, 2 dark haired and 1 blonde girl. and 2 straight haired boys." They used to come by a lot. They made our dream came true. When we were struggling they remembered the memories they made here and brought in they're moms and handed out our business card to everyone. They are the reason we are still in business. " for the first time since I entered the bar, I noticed it was crowded. I guess I was wrapped up in Aria. "We left the bar to them in our will. Larry and I are pretty old." I started to take in her aged face. She still all the light in her voice so I hadn't noticed at first. "We hope they have a wonderful life with it." she finished. It took me a second but I put

two in two. She'd given the bar to a girl and a guy named aria and Holden. Their hair looked like aria's. Aria used to come here? She owned this place. Or will. She walked over to the bar where I was sitting. I kept my head down, so she wouldn't see me.i realized she was with Emily, Spencer, Hannah, and that guy I saw her with. They had all grown in their own way. Hannah was taller, and she dressed in a retro chic way she cut her hair to her mid-waist. She had it up with Chopsticks. She had a boy, or now , a man, on her arm. He remembered him as Caleb rivers. He noticed a ring on her finger. Spencer had grown and she had a lot! Spencer cut her hair till her shoulders, and stopped using makeup. Surprisingly she wasn't drinking coffee, since he knew Spencer's and Marie and Larry served it. Emily was alone and she hadn't actually changed much. Except she had a ring on her finger and she seemed cheery. Hannah tapped her empty glass of champagne, facing everyone at the bar. Everyone stared, as if they knew her and her gang. They all had goofy happy smiles on there faces. I scanned the crowd to see anyone I knew. I sat there frozen. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't move and couldn't believe it. I saw Hardy. Smiling proudly at Aria.

" Aria and Holden here are getting married. " Hannah continued. " They have been together since high school." That burned me. It didn't take her high school to get over me, "We," Hannah said looking at the other girls, and them nodding and standing up. " Have always loved Aria. But We look closely at her smile. Her smiles are genuine. She's so happy with Holden." Hannah continued . Aria smiled. But it was different then I used to see. It was loving. And Happy. And sensitive. It seemed real. She faced him and kissed him. It was just a peck, yet you could see the love and passion in there eyes. They held hands Emily continued, as I watched hardy, he was still smiling. " Aria is kind and sweet as possible. At first , Holden was just her Ex of a 5 years relationship that she dumped Ezra through a letter for." that explained the Letter thing aria was talking about. I twitched at the dumped Ezra part. " But then, he turned into a friend. A best friend actually," I saw Holden smile broadly, showing his pearly whites " He got to know us. Because he is more to Aria than her boyfriend. He's her best friend. He's amazing. I couldn't think of a better match for her. I love you aria!" Emily finished smiling. Spencer began " Through the years we've grown to love, respect and cherish Holden. We're so glad he's ok!" Clapping began in the crowd. Hardy yelled " Whoa!" I glared at him. He was tearing and happy! He was ok? Bitterly, I thought to myself all the mistakes I'd made with Aria. I was a jerk to all her friends. I never let her enjoy her teenage life. I slapped her

Flashback

"Dammit, aria! Where have you been?!" I screamed at my beautiful other. " Calm down, Ezra!" But I couldn't. "I was just out at Holden's-"

"Holden! Of course! You probably over there, letting him kiss you!" I screeched. "No!" Aria cried, angrily. " Oh the hell your not!" I screamed, recklessly punching the lime green wall. Aria's eyes widened in fear. Disgust was apparent in her stare and my stomach churned. Rage boiled inside me, how dare she judge me! I remember this as in watching it happen. As if something took over my body, and I couldn't stop it. I watched my fist firm, slowly gliders towards Aria's nose. Colliding, I still remember the absolute disgust in myself. Aria sobbed slowly, softly. Breaking my heart. I approached here slowly. " You, you monster! " she screamed, holding her bleeding nose. She charged for the door, and I charged after her. "Aria! I'm so sorry!" But she was gone. I sat and cried for a good 20 minutes. Then my doorbell rang I wiped my eyes and was greeted with a hard fist in my face. There stood a curly haired boy, with a rage I'd never seen before. " I'd beat the crap out of you, but then I'd be no better than you." With that, he walked away.

End of Flasback

Our relationship was disgusting. She gave me love, I hit her. She ended up pushing away Holden because he saw me for what I was at the time. A abusive predator. I don't know why I was so surprised when she was with someone else. So numbly, I left the bar. I went back home, and drank all the alcohol in my apartment