Hey, everybody. Long time, no see right? Anyways, I'm back. I've had a hankering to write and a lot of time on my hands. That's all I really have to say right now. I hope you enjoy what I've whipped up for you. It's short, but really just a prologue of what's to come. Please review so I know where all your heads are at and if I should continue!
DISCLAIM: I own nothing. I wish I did, but I don't.
As cliché as it sounded, Aria Montgomery had always been a firm believer in fate. She'd been a romantic since she was old enough to pick up Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and completely understand what it was that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were entangled in. Fate was what kept her heart beating during her tumultuous years of high school. Dealing with an anonymous stalker was enough to keep her from getting out of bed in the mornings. The 16-year-old version of Aria was so unsure of everything –of her relationships, of her future. The only thing she was relatively positive about was that fate would put her back on it's incredibly beaten path.
The 23-year-old Aria still believed in fate. She even lived in New York, which might as well have been fate's own dwelling. She was just as much of a free spirit as she was when she was 16, but her hair was a bit lighter and it didn't go past her shoulders and tumble down her back. Aria's wardrobe toned down, but she still managed rock large dangle earrings and mix different patterns in some way or another. She was a freelance photographer. Aria did various shoots for families and magazines. If it was a respectable gig, she took it. She was making a life for herself.
Well, not just herself. She had a boyfriend; a travel journalist named Sebastian, who Aria taunted due to the fact that he was legitimately named after the character from The Little Mermaid. Currently he was on an assignment in France, which left Aria to scour the New York City streets during the day and come home to an empty apartment at night. In the beginning of their relationship, the distance was difficult. However, after two years together his absence became easy to adjust to. It was no longer was an elephant in the room when they were together. Now Aria didn't think much of it at all.
With her camera bag hanging from her shoulder, Aria ambled into her favorite pub with a hankering for a plate of fries. Her last job had concluded over an hour ago and had been a real doozy. She regretted saying yes to taking photos of a 9-month-old infant. His parents had been sweet, but the poor baby was irritable due to teething. She ordered herself a beer and soon enough was digging into her much craved plate of curly fries.
Aria had been so consumed by her food and reliving the growling of her stomach that she didn't notice the person tapping lightly on her shoulder for a solid minute or two. It was only when she heard her name being called in a rich, deep voice that Aria picked her head up to see who it was behind her –and when she saw, her stomach just about dropped to the dirty floor of the pub.
Ezra Fitz was someone who Aria had believed fate brought into her life for a reason, except it'd been cruel to their relationship in the long run. It pushed them together and pulled them apart with it's own discretion. 16-year-old Aria had expected to be married to Ezra by now, but the world had other plans. Aria left for college and dubbed Ezra the title of 'Best Friend' rather than boyfriend. For a while, it had been okay. He visited every so often and she hung out with him when she came home for the holidays. Eventually, fate pulled them apart and Skype calls turned to texts and soon enough, texts turned to nothing.
But now, Ezra Fitz was standing right in front of her. He had the same blue eyes, the same unruly dark hair. He wasn't freshly shaven, but Aria always found that a little showering of stubble never hurt his appearance. He was the polar opposite of Sebastian who donned a mop of dirty blonde hair and spent more time at the gym than with Aria.
"I thought it was you," Ezra beamed, leaning his denim-clad hip against the bar. "It would have been embarrassing if it wasn't." He let out a small, nervous laugh that made Aria smile. And god, when he gave her that same old widespread grin, Aria felt her stomach flip as if she was a teenager again.
She was a little stunned to see him in the flesh. Aria had often imagined what it would be like to see him again. A lot of the time, her thoughts were accompanied by a gut-wrenching amount of guilt –the very same that was pooling in her stomach right now. It was her fault that their contact went completely extinct.
After a minute or so, she finally managed to utter out a response. "Ezra… It's… It's so good to see you." Aria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a nervous tick she'd always had. The two of them toiled in a silence that was more awkward than comfortable, but their smiles never left their faces. Finally, Ezra piped up once more in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
"Mind if I sit? You know, if you're not in a rush or anything."
Aria's nod was almost instant. For a fraction of a second, she knew the dangers of letting Ezra back into her life even if it was for only an afternoon. But the part of her that was overjoyed to see him again outweighed the doubt. Soon enough, they were filling each other in on life. Aria told him all about the crabby baby she'd photographed and Ezra vented about the air conditioning in his new apartment. She learned that he'd moved into the city from Boston after being offered a position to teach at a high school on the Upper East Side.
Life turned into anecdotes from their past, like the time Ezra bought Aria her first authentic camera. They laughed over the silly pictures she still had stored away in her apartment. They were stashed deep in her closet in a shoebox that Aria knew Sebastian wouldn't go looking through. He didn't touch her wardrobe with a teen foot pole.
Minutes turned to hours and Aria's beer turned into a couple for both herself and Ezra. In their drunken haze, conversation went from the confines of the pub to Ezra's charming new apartment. Then conversation went mute as Aria and Ezra's lips found each other's and they found themselves in Ezra's bedroom, reconnecting their bodies after 5 years.
Aria Montgomery was a firm believer in fate despite the fact that it had dealt out a few twists and turns. However, it's biggest was yet to come.