So this is my first fan fic! Please review and tell me if you liked it or hated it or any improvements I should make. I thought it would be too long when I was writing this but I can't really tell the difference between a long and short story on here. I kind of like the character Hardy and this idea just popped in my head so that's why I wrote it!

Aria was sleeping on the couch when he knocked on the cold wooden door. I mean she really wasn't sleeping, just staring at the ceiling. She was trying so hard not to think about Ezra, but this of course just made her think about him more. He crept into her mind every time she found a little happiness or joy in something else, reminding her of the pain he had just inflicted on her, but also the good times they had. These memories weren't happy anymore though, they were fake. This caused Aria to isolate herself, which was easy since people most of the time just left her alone. Everyone close to her tried to comfort her at first but then gave up. She was crazily filled with emotions and easily aggravated. Ezra was the one responsible. He was the one who transformed her, intentional or not. He was the one that fueled the fire in her heart. The fire that was slowly eating away at her, taking all of her oxygen, starting to darken her heart from the burning flames. She couldn't let feelings in anymore, just frustration and tears that drowned her. Everything hurt the wounds inside her so she did nothing. Aria pretty much just gave up. She sat or laid down, not thinking or moving. Lying still. Eyes closed sometimes, open others, it didn't make a difference.

So there she was. Almost lifeless, her body laid on her couch, her mind somewhere else, thinking incoherent thoughts. His hand wouldn't leave the door, Knock. Knock. He kept his irritating actions loud and forceful, making it clear he wouldn't give up anytime soon. Aria sighed, got up off the couch and hoped it wasn't who she thought it was. She was a mess and seeing Ezra would cause her too much pain. The last time they spoke he said he was leaving town, but the look in his eyes told her otherwise. The two orbs looked sad, but hopeful. Spencer once said, "Hope breeds eternal misery", and now Aria thinks she was right. To her surprise, the male standing at the other side of her doorway wasn't Ezra. It was still someone she didn't want to see, but Aria was too shocked to move before he spoke.

"Is anyone else home?" asked the man who was well acquainted to the jerk who broke Aria's heart into a million pieces.

"No," was all Aria could choke out because of the strange situation she was in.

The dirty blonde standing in front of her saw the confusion in her face and spoke again. "Can I talk to you?" Hardy questioned.

Finally able to function again, Aria began to shut the door in her visitor's face when he stepped around her and into the house. Annoyed, she began to speak but was cut off by the only other person in the room. "What did you do to him?" Hardy almost yelled.

Now the look of confusion and annoyance was wiped off of her face and replaced with anger. Aria definitely wasn't in the mood to argue… and especially with Hardy of all people. "Me! What I did to him! Are you really going to stand there and accuse me of something?!" Aria screamed as she brought her hand from her side and did something only the new crazed and heart-broken Aria would do. She slapped him. Hard. Both of their faces were now red. Hardy's was from the unpleasant gesture Aria had just given him. But Aria's was from the new fire she had inside of her. This new flame was fueled by Hardy, not Ezra, and was in her soul. Steam threatens to explode out of her ears and she is as red as a tomato. The old Aria would have never gotten this mad over a simple question, but that old girl was far gone.

Now Hardy is the one confused. He usually left Ezra alone when it came to girl problems. But lately Ezra had became notably depressed. He asked Hardy if he could stay with him while he brought a new house, since his was already sold. When he asked Ezra why he was moving so suddenly, Hardy's friend only shook his head rumbling curse words in response. Yesterday when Hardy came home from work Ezra was asleep on the couch. But instead of his usual laughing, he was crying. Whaling was a better description actually. He was rolled up in a ball screaming over and over again "Aria!" and other phrases like "I need you in my life!" and "Forgive me!". Hardy couldn't take standing on the side lines anymore so he got Ezra's phone from the kitchen counter and scrolled through his contact list until he found the one girl haunting his best friend's dreams. Aria's address was in Ezra's phone and Hardy felt like this was something that needed to be talked about face to face. He wrote down the street name and her house number on a scrap piece of paper and hid it in his bedroom. He knew it was too late that night to go out but tomorrow was a new day. Now he stood in the Montgomery's living room and finally realized he had no clue of what he was getting himself into. Hardy hadn't even heard one side of the story and came barging into Aria's house demanding answers. Maybe this was more complicated than it looked at first, but it was too late to leave now. So he just kept digging his grave. After a little mumbled about how his cheek hurt he started asking more questions. "Well that was uncalled for… anyway what happened between you and Ezra?"

"Why should I tell you? Obviously Ez…" She hadn't said his name out loud in a while and there was a reason. The word on her tongue was poison and not only tasted terrible but hurt like hell. After her pause she started talking again and this time making sure not to say his name. "... he didn't tell you. How did you even figure out to come here?"

"That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you give him a chance. He hasn't spoken a word since decided to live in my house temporarily while he looks for a new place to live." It all suddenly clicked in his brain… How could I have been so stupid, he thought. Now he realized the reason for Ezra's nightmares is also the reason he is moving. Her. "I mean what could he have done that could be so bad that you would never forgive him?" Hardy continued.

Aria had only spoken the whole thing out loud once to her three best friends… Emily, Spencer and Hanna. Back them her story telling was fueled with anger and betrayal. But now those feelings were just barely lingering in her heart. The most overpowering emotion was hurt. So much now it hurt to let any other emotion show. Hurt controlled her and caused her to do crazy things like trash someone's apartment, charge through school demanding to see Ezra and currently slapping someone she only met once before. Just thinking about rekindling the old emotions filled within the lengthy tale hurt, so instead Aria ran out full speed out of the room. Hardy thought she ducked out of the back door or something but she came back seconds later with a pile of papers in her hands. Little did he know how much power those papers had.

Hardy was even more confused and shocked when Aria threw the pile at him. If it wasn't connected by a paperclip the papers would have went everywhere. But Hardy caught it in his hands uneasily. Figuring Aria wanted him to read, he started flipping through the pages that were now starting to put all of the pieces together. Hardy knew Ezra dated an Alison for a short period of time back in college but had no idea he was writing a story about her. He didn't even know Alison had a story to write. As he read on Aria sat on the couch, showing her fatigue, and closing her eyes. She wasn't sleeping or thinking, just sitting with her eyes closed like she did all the time nowadays. As Hardy read he noticed Aria was introduced as one of Alison's friends and a suspect in Alison's murder investigation.

Hardy, being yet another victim of insane and broken Aria, was now more careful with his words when he spoke. "So did he know who you were when you guys met?" Ezra had told him the story happily a while ago. How Ezra sat by the lonely brunette and hit on her and even how they ended their first "date" in the bathroom. But now Hardy was second guessing whether his friend told him the entire story or just the safe version. Was Aria just research to him? Hardy questioned to himself but immediately shook his head silently. He knew that Ezra wouldn't risk everything he ever worked for just for research. And any functioning human being would know you don't have nightmares about losing someone you don't love. Ezra admitted his endless, sappy, love toward Aria to Hardy many times. Nothing made sense to the man standing in a alien house and in front of a crazed girl as he tried to process this newly found information.

Finally Aria spoke up, "He knew me alright! He was playing me this entire time! He never really loved me." The last sentence didn't come out as angry, but more depressed. Maybe really saying the words out loud would help the hurt go away so she could feel again. Feeling, anything, would be a start. And that's what Aria needed, a start to lead her onto the road of recovery.

Hardy wasn't sure of a lot of things right now, but the one thing he was sure of was the love Ezra had for Aria. So he blurted out, "Of course he loves you! At least give him a chance to explain himself!"

"OUT!" Aria yelled with such force the ground shook. As she said this she yanked the papers out of Hardy's hand and threw them next to where she was sitting before on the couch. As if the demand wasn't a big enough clue, she got up toward the door, opening it and pointing to the outside. It grew a little darker than before. When Hardy got there it was around 4:30 but now the sun was hiding behind clouds and it was slowly becoming night, signaling that if Hardy wasn't home soon Ezra would be worried. Then he would questions like "Where were you?" that he really didn't want to answer.

So he gave up and without saying a word he left, almost sprinting through the door and out to his car. Hardy knew anymore questions would be suicidal on his part. He realized Aria really didn't need convincing to forgive Ezra, she needed time to realize the blue eyed man's love for her was and is real.

Later, Aria sat upright in her bed. It was 11:30 but she knew tonight would be another sleepless night… or at least she thought. What was different about her she didn't really know. Instead of just staring into space like the other nights filled with hurt she was deep in thought. Aria kept reliving the conversation earlier that night. The words "All that matters is that you give him a chance" were engraved in her brain. Just like a broken record, they kept replaying. Over and over again. "Give him a chance" rang one last time before she slouched over and drifted off to much needed sleep. Her last thought was probably the most important thing she would ever think. Maybe I will. Not right now, but maybe someday.