A little background so you don't get lost! Vistolles is a fictional island nation set in the Atlantic between France and England. Both French and English are spoken there. It's the home of one of the world's largest Navies and a very modern and very popular royal family. In this story it was there, instead of Iceland, that the Montgomery family went on Byron's sabbatical.
I own nothing related to Pretty Little Liars. Vistolles and Nick are mine though.
Great. Wonderful. Stupendous. Fantastic. Her boyfriend was right now having coffee and most likely falling head over heels in love with her former babysitter who, as she knew only too well, was everything in Aria that Ezra had fallen for and then some. She also lacked two very important qualities that made her even more perfect for him, namely she wasn't his student and she wasn't underage. The joy she had felt earlier from the saving of her relationship by A was turning into dread. Now instead of Ezra riding off into the sunset in a heroic turn, sacrificing this life he'd been building here in order to keep her safe and maintain his principles, he was gonna dump her after falling in love with an older model. Her little Greek tragedy was quickly turning into a trashy dollar-store paperback.
She knew that in a couple of hours her dejection and melancholy would leave and then the jealous, fight-for-your-man Aria would come out. Right now, though, she just felt like wallowing. She turned down the street towards the coffee shop Ezra and Simone were meeting at, deciding to fill a need to be a glutton for punishment. Pushing her bag up higher on her shoulder, she braced herself for the sight she would most likely be seeing... would they be kissing yet or just laughing at each other over some funny Kafka joke? She stopped in her tracks, though, when her cell went off, chiming a ring she didn't normally hear. It was the ringtone only he had, and it never went off nearly as much as she, or him, wanted.
Smiling brightly, she stuck her hand in her pocket and quickly got out her phone, bringing it to her ear. "You know, I shouldn't even be answering this phone call, considering how COMPLETELY angry I am with you right now"
"Oh Love, I'm sorry, I know I've been an complete arse these past few weeks. You know how terribly busy it gets, though, what with school and my duties and-"
"All the partying and girlfriends?" Aria rolled her eyes as she teased, leaning back against the wall of Mitchell's books, choosing to talk to Nicholas instead of bringing on the heartbreak.
"Ma Bichette, you know I love no one but you... alas, you will not give me the time of day, so I must numb my pain in ladies and liquor" After a moment of silence laughter burst out on both ends of the line, the twosome enjoying the utter nonsense they could speak to one another and know they weren't being judged. It was the way the two of them had met, actually. She had been sitting in a pub in the market district of Vistolles' capital, Amisette, when Nicholas and a group of his friends had walked in, the security detail not far behind. Of course she had known who he was the moment she'd seen him. Most of the world could spot Nicholas Charles Eric Étienne, Crown Prince of Vistolles, at a glance, and then start to fawn over her, but she hadn't been that interested. Her heart had just been crushed by a beautiful boy named Jean, and she was just convinced that Nicholas was like all the high-rollers in this town: arrogant and spoiled. He was the type of guy she wouldn't give the time of day.
Unfortunately for Aria, girls that weren't interested in him where exactly the ones that caught his eye, and before long her session of reading Wuthering Heights was interrupted by Nick leaning up against the bar, looking down at her book and then at her. He'd offered her a chance to chat with the author, and she'd asked him how exactly he planned on getting someone dead for 160 years to speak. He'd floundered around for a second before looking at her weakly and muttering something about a séance, but Aria had already started laughing and couldn't help but say yes when he asked if he could sit down so they could talk about where exactly they could find a ghost whisperer. They'd spoken for hours, and then met again and again and what he'd hoped to be a fling had turned into a friendship that always seemed to teeter between siblings and romance.
They really didn't have much in common, but they both appreciated what the other loved. He was in college and she was in high school, but she was more than able to keep up with him on the academic front, and she'd actually been part of the reason he'd passed his American Lit course. They'd both met the others parents (Aria had felt so nervous meeting the King and Queen that she thought she was going to throw up) and been met with stamps of approval. The one thing no one ever seemed to get was why they weren't dating, as everyone could see they cared for each other so much. They'd tried kissing once, but after a few moments they'd pulled apart, declaring that the magic just wasn't there... yet. So Nicholas had continued to look for pretty girls to dance with and Aria had kept on searching for that perfect guy to read Chaucer with, although both always turning to the other for their opinion. When Aria had announced that she was moving back to America they had both been devastated, but had realized there was more than enough technology to allow them to keep in touch, and they knew that it was a very real possibility that Aria would return in just a few years to go to university there. They had parted with a simple "See you later" and remained in close contact ever since.
Nick with the person that Aria shared everything with, except for the whole A thing. She'd told him about her Dad's affair ages ago and when the whole thing had blown up, he'd been the first she'd called. After meeting Ezra at the bar and making out with him in the bathroom of all places, she'd picked up the phone and dialed Nick, who was quite impressed with her daring behavior. When she'd found out he was her teacher, Nick had simply listened, and during all the ups and downs she and Ezra had, he never passed judgment. She wasn't the only one doing the calling, however. He had a lovely habit of calling her when he was drunk or when he needed help with a class, but he also called her when he was overwhelmed by all the things being a future King meant or when the press attention was too much. Aria was almost surprised A had never made mention of them, but she figured that she most likely didn't want to mess with anyone who had Secret Service protection when they came to town.
"So how has your pain management regiment been working then?" Aria's laughter died down as she waited for a response, a groan being her only answer at first.
"Bloody miserable my darling... as you are more than aware, nothing compares to you." She loved the way Nicholas spoke, full of endearments and sentiment. She wished she could hear words like that coming out of Ezra's mouth. "So that's why I've made the decision to go for a more... direct approach"
"Oh God Nicholas, you aren't gonna start using drugs, are you?" She was half serious and half joking, but was relieved when the answer she got was a laugh of disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? First of all drugs are wretched things, plus I would be a complete nutter on them. First time I took them I'd probably be on top of the palace, saluting my subjects with my ass hanging out of my pants." Aria laughed at the image while at the same time deeming it very probable. "No, I'm afraid drugs just aren't for me. Soooooo, I decided what better way to dull the pain of not seeing you then by actually coming and seeing you." Her breath hitched with excitement. Nick was coming to Rosewood! In a day of bad news, this was a beacon of light she was incredibly grateful for.
"You're coming here? When? For how long?"
"The entire Autumn break love, from one Saturday to the next. You have me that entire time. Hell, I might even go to school with you so I can, you know, check out my competition."
"There might not be much of that anymore for you to worry about" Aria allowed her pessimism to come out again, this time wrapped with bitterness.
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Yeah, my older and legal twin has her eyes set on Ezra and he seems to be going right along with it. They're off falling in love over coffee as we speak."
"Twin?"
"Yeah, ummmm, that babysitter I told you about, you know, the one I worshiped and wanted to be just like."
"And let me guess, you did too good of a job?"
"You could say that again...hey wait, did you say you were coming for your break? The break that runs right about now?"
"There's that sharp mind of yours kicking in."
"You're here right now, aren't you?" Aria's heart was beating faster, the excitement of knowing he was here was quickly getting to her.
"Why don't you take a look to your left and tell me?" Pushing off against the wall, Aria turned her head to gaze down the street, her eyes falling quickly on the figure of a smiling Nicholas standing on the sidewalk in front of the Coffee Place, her target this entire time. He was in classic Nickware, a sweater, jeans, and a great grey coat she'd helped him pick out. His black aviators were still on his face, but the moment her eyes had locked onto him, he'd pushed them up so they rested on top of his head. His eyes, crinkled with happiness, were a welcome sight for her. She could make out that people were starting to stare at him, most likely realizing they had royalty in their midst. Had she not been so excited, she probably would have noticed Ezra and Simone among those now watching him from the Coffee Place patio, but at that moment all she cared about was the fact that Nick, the person who could seemingly solve any problem with a few words, was there to see her.
Throwing her phone into her bag, she quickly booked it down the sidewalk, running as fast as her heels could allow. Nick started laughing as he threw his arms open, preparing for the tornado that was an excited Aria. Not missing a beat, Aria basically launched herself into his arms, he quickly catching her and spinning her around, still finding her to be one of the nicest things to ever hold. "I've missed you so much" Aria mumbled into his coat, almost starting to cry because of just how much more secure she felt with him around.
"Me too Ma Bichette, me too"
The twosome didn't care much about the small group of watchers that they were gaining, but the same couldn't be said for the group. Two people in particular had very strong feelings about what they were witnessing. Simone, still feeling that sisterly bond, was partly confused, wondering how exactly Aria knew the infamous Crown Prince so well, but mostly happy to see her smiling like that and having joy radiating off her. Ezra shared that same confusion, but he wasn't sharing in the happiness. Instead he felt like his stomach had just dropped out and the coffee he'd been drinking wanted to come back up. It was an intense case of jealousy that was overcoming him, and all he could think of as he watched another guy, a Prince none the less, twirling his girlfriend around in the middle of a public street was What the hell?
Check my profile page for a collage of Crown Prince Nicholas, being played by the gorgeous Ed Westwick. For those wondering, Ma Bichette is French for my little doe, which I personally think is perfect for Aria.
