"No! Stop! Mona don't," Aria screamed, waking everyone in the house. Mike jumped from his bed and ran to his sister's side.
"Aria, wake up. You're having a nightmare," Mike said, shaking her. Aria sat straight up, tears cascading down her face. Mike wrapped her arms around her small body as she collapsed into him. Her brother began to stroke her hair, "Aria, this has been going on for two weeks."
Aria sobbed. Two weeks ago, Aria and the girls found out who A was. Two weeks ago, their nightmare was supposed to be over. However, a new one arose. Maya was murdered. Aria couldn't put into words how miserable she felt as she slept over at Emily's that night. She could also feel everything she was feeling, too, which made it a million times worse.
"Do you want anything, Aria," Mike asked as he lay beside her.
"For the nightmares to stop," Aria said shakily. For two long weeks, she had continuous nightmares. Some about her family being murdered, some about Mona pushing her off of a cliff, and one, only one, about Ezra being killed in front of her very eyes. "I just want them to stop," she choked out again.
"I know. Me, too," Mike said while Aria adjusted herself in bed, "I hate seeing you like this."
Aria couldn't take being here anymore. She needed to go away from here. For at least a few hours, "I'm going for a drive." She jumped out of bed, threw her hair in a bun, and grabbed her keys.
"Aria, I don't think-," Mike began walking after her, but Aria stopped him.
"I just have to clear my head, Mike," Aria wiped another tear away from her face. She looked at her brother for a moment and disappeared behind the door. Mike turned around to see his mother standing in the hallway with a sad expression.
"She is going to be alright, Mom," Mike said as he embraced his mother, who let a silent tear slide down her cheek.
Aria plugged up her phone to her car and put her playlists on shuffle. The one playlist that began to come on was her and Ezra's. She smiled through her tears, which she hadn't done in days, as "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum began to flow from the speakers. That was the one event of that night that was so special to Aria. That was the one reason she didn't want to erase that night from her whole life. Because of she and Ezra's first dance.
She quickly drove to her "safe place". She had been going to this place for the past two weeks to be alone with her thoughts, feelings, and tears. Aria climbed up the staircase and pulled out a small key. She pushed it in and turned the doorknob to reveal the apartment of 3B. Aria closed the door softly and flung her belongings onto the counter top. She pulled the shirt off of her back, reached into Ezra's spare dresser, and pulled on one of his old shirts. She stripped down to her underwear, leaving the shirt on, and climbed in the bed. She always felt safer when she was near the presence of Ezra.
Since her father fired him, and he couldn't be here anymore, this is the closest she got. Aria pulled the sheets over her face and could faintly smell Ezra's cologne. She sighed sadly as she looked around the room. Everything looked untouched. Everything looked neat. And Aria absolutely hated it. She missed the stacks of papers piled knee high behind the sofa. She missed the takeout containers that usually filled his kitchen counters. All of those books scattered amongst the living room. She missed his laugh. His smile. His everything. She missed him.
A sob ripped through Aria's chest. She knew that she wanted Ezra here with her, but she felt like she was being selfish. He already lost everything because of her, so why should she begin to start taking away what he doesn't have yet? These thoughts filled Aria's mind as her phone began to ring. She reached an arm to the floor and saw it was Ezra. She composed herself as much as she could and pressed the green button.
"Hey," she said weakly.
"Hey," Ezra said back. One simple word sent chills through Aria. She desperately needed to hear his voice again.
"Are you doing better, love," Ezra asked gently as Aria heard him fumbling with something in his hands.
"Mhmm," Aria lied as a silent tear fell down her cheek.
"Are you sure," Ezra asked as Aria said yes again, "I'm sorry, but I can't make it next weekend. My father has some sort of business party he wants me to attend."
Aria felt her heart shatter even more. She needed him. Now. "That's okay. I have to go," she quickly managed to say. She heard him try to say something, but she had to hang up fast in order for him not to hear the sobs she was now emitting. She heard her phone ringing again, but she wasn't in the right mind to answer it.
"I miss you," Aria whispered through her tears as she looked at a picture of her and Ezra. She held it close to her heart as she began to cry again. She closed her eyes and tried to feel his arms around her. His breath on her ear, telling her everything was going to be okay and that he would always be there. It had been only two weeks since she had seen him, but after what happened during those two weeks, it felt like an eternity. Aria soon cried herself to sleep.
"I love you more than anything, Aria," Ezra said as he kissed her softly. They were in the park, lying under the stars. His arm under her head, her arms around his chest. Everything was quiet and still.
"I love you, too," Aria whispered against his chest as she smiled contently.
"Why don't you rest, love? I'll wake you in a little while," Ezra said softly as he played in her hair. Aria yawned and closed her eyes.
Now, Aria could see herself outside of her body. She could see Ezra and her lying in the grass, his arms still underneath herself. She smiled at the scene, but was confused as to why she could see herself. A shadow shifted in the corner of her eyes. Her head whipped around to see Mona, sneaking by with a knife in hand. To her horror, Ezra had his eyes closed and his breaths were deep, signaling that he was asleep.
"Ezra," Aria ran up to her and his sleeping forms, "Ezra wake up!" She tried to pull him up, but he couldn't feel her.
"Ezra, baby, wake up," Aria said as Mona neared them, "Ezra, please!" Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Mona come closer. She ran up to her and started screaming, "Why you? I thought you were Hanna's friend!"
Aria watched as Mona just kept going. Like she wasn't even there. That's when it dawned on her that no one could see, hear, or touch her. All she could do was watch in horror.
"No," she ran back to Ezra and watched as he laughed in his sleep. Aria cried and cried, wanting him to feel her. "Aria, wake up," she screamed at herself, "Wake up! Save him! Do something!"
Mona neared him, smiled sickly, and lifted the knife above his chest. Aria sobbed and tried to claw her off of him, but it was no use.
"No," Aria screamed as Mona plunged the knife into Ezra's heart. Mona kept stabbing him and stabbing him. Mona left, and Aria rushed to his side. She heard the faint sound of a whisper emerge from his throat and his eyes place on Aria's still sleeping body, "I love you, Aria." Then, Aria watched as his eyes lost the vibrancy she always knew and heard him take his final breath.
"No," Aria screamed across the apartment. She shot straight up in Ezra's bed. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. She was short of breath and sobs kept emitting from her throat. Aria calmed a bit once she realized it was a nightmare. She fell back onto the mattress and clutched the sheets in her hands, still silently crying. She looked over at the clock and saw that it read 10:58. She had been there the whole day. One dream can feel like five minutes, but really last for hours. Aria snuggled down in the blankets, but she kept her eyes open, out of fear for another nightmare.
A few minutes later, she heard someone at the door, assuming it was her mother. She had come to get her a few days ago because Aria spent the whole night by herself here. Aria looked away from the door and heard it open.
"Aria," Ezra's voice made her eyes shift to the door fast. Ezra looked into her pained eyes and felt his heart break. He just couldn't comprehend how everything so amazing could become so screwed up. Ezra stood there, taking in the miserable, broken state Aria was in. "Oh, Aria."
"Ezra," Aria hopped up and ran into his awaiting arms, waiting to catch her when she fell to pieces. Ezra lifted her up and held her as she began to cry into his shoulder, "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Ezra said, rubbing up and down her back with one hand while holding her to him with the other. Ezra knew he had to be strong for her, no matter how much he wanted to sit and cry along with her. He brought her over to the bed and lay her down next to him. Aria clung to him like she was never going to touch him again.
"Aria, it's alright," Ezra said as he wiped away more tears streaming down her face, "I'll never let you go."
"Please don't leave me here, alone," Aria asked as she hiccupped.
"No, never again," Ezra said softly, "I came in this weekend and was planning on staying all week, since I couldn't make it next weekend. I tried to tell you that, but you hung up on me."
"I'm sorry," Aria said as he stroked her hair.
"Don't apologize, Aria," Ezra said softly, "You don't need to."
"Yes, I do," Aria breathed, "Everything you've dreamed for, I took it away."
"No you haven't," Ezra said softly, "Aria, don't you see? What I have dreamed for my whole life, was to find someone that I truly loved. Someone who had the same personality as me, someone I could confide in, someone who I could call my best friend. That's you, Aria. You are my dream. You are my everything. You are my Aria, and no one can ever take you away from me."
"I love you, Ezra," Aria whispered as she smiled.
"I love you, too," Ezra said back as he kissed her gently. A silent tear fell down his cheek as he held her closely.
Note: Tear jerker, right? It was for me. I had this dream the other night and had to write this story. I could do more, or I could end it here. Let me know in a review, please:) Monday's are going to absolutely suck again. I will try to update "Be There For Me, Always?" later in the week. I've been busy lately. Please review:)
~Laura