Ezra Fitz scrolled through his new iPhone, one that he was still having trouble getting used to after owning a flip phone for so many years. He read the words of their last conversation, their last means of communication since she left. Since she changed her phone number. Since she moved to the city that never sleeps.
He read the texts with an ever so familiar baffled expression.
"Aria, how could you do this to me? You're the best thing in my life that's ever happened to me."
"Ezra, look, I know it was wrong of me to leave without saying anything, but at the time I thought it would be better for the both of us."
"So you just left? I thought I meant more to you than that. I thought what we had meant more to you than leaving. I guess I was wrong."
"Ezra, it does mean a lot to me, but I'm 18 years old. I'm an adult and I need to make my own choices. I just couldn't go to Hollis like I said I would. I need to live out my life, I need to experience it. The only place that I feel like I can do that is here in New York, and this is the time of my life to do it."
"So what you're saying is that I can't give you everything you want in life?"
"Ezra, I don't expect you to understand, but please just listen. You've given me so much to live for and I don't regret any of it. Rosewood just isn't a good place for me to be, and I'm not leaving because of you. Rosewood has too much of a history that I don't want to deal with anymore. You need to live your life without me. I'm not good enough for you and you deserve someone who is. Don't try to find me. I'm happy with my life the way it is. I just want you to know that I will never forget you. I can't talk anymore. I have to go. Goodbye."
"Aria, please don't leave me hanging."
"Aria?"
These texts were sent exactly five years ago to one another.
Ezra had scrolled through these final farewell messages several times in the last month, which had led him to buy a one way ticket to LaGuardia Airport - so he could find her. While in the meantime, he was going to build up a life for himself in New York, which he hoped to start by publishing a book, one that he had written back in Rosewood for past years. Hopefully a publishing company would accept him, but in case that fell through, he'd be starting a teaching position at the Trinity School, a private school for wealthy kids.
He put his phone away in an effort to preserve the battery while he looked up at the beautiful skyscrapers and 18th century buildings. He took a sigh of joy as they came upon the Brooklyn bridge, giving him a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline as the sunset. He gazed at the mid-August sky, painted with various shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue, something he hadn't seen in years. He loved this city. It was the home of his childhood. At least until he was seventeen and his father got arrested for child abuse, substance abuse, and a variety of other crimes. Then he was sent to Rosewood to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, due to the fact that his mother lived in England.
He looked at the brightly colored sky, painted shades of purple, pink, orange, yellow, and blue, darkening by the minute, perfectly contrasting with the lights of the buildings. He wondered what part of town Aria might live in. He wondered if she even still lived here. His worst fear entered his mind: what if she was married and had kids? He doubted that this was true, but the thought still creeped into his mind every once in a while. His cab pulled up in front of his temporary housing, Hardy's apartment, without even paying attention.
"Hey, ya owe me $35! I got places to be!", the grubby taxi driver yelled with his strong New Yorker accent. Ezra quickly pulled his wallet out and handed him 2 twenties and a few ones. That would be enough including the tip. He handed him the money, then grabbed his small carry on, his only bag, and jumped out of the car.
The taxi drove away quickly as Ezra stood there, holding his tiny, roughed up suitcase. He took a deep breath and walked up to the building, pressing button number 5H. It had been 2 years since he had seen his old college friend in person.
"Ezra! What are you waiting for? Get your ass up here so we can get this party started!"
Ezra gulped and opened the door, remembering that Hardy had always been the party kind of guy that he himself wasn't. However, Ezra walked into the building excited to see the guy that he had done so many stupid, but fun things in college with.
Aria Montgomery sat across from her boyfriend of 5 years, Will Sutton, a person that she loved so much, or at least she thought she did. Tonight he had taken her to see the New York Philharmonic, something that had been on her bucket list since she was in the 7th grade. Now they were sitting in a little known restaurant talking over Italian food.
Will picked up his glass of wine and took a sip out of it before gently setting it down on the coaster. "So, baby. What did you think of the performance?", he asked.
Aria could barely swallow her food before raving about the concert. "Oh my gosh Will. It was so amazing. I've never heard anything so beautiful in my life. I can't thank you enough."
"Aria, it's my pleasure. That's what you wanted for your birthday present. 2 tickets to the New York Philharmonic. I'm glad you enjoyed it.", he said, smiling at Aria. His swept back his golden blond hair and Aria's stomach had a sudden amount of butterflies in her stomach.
"So how was your day at school?", Aria asked. Will was studying to become a doctor, a cardiologist to be exact. He'd began his third year of school a few days ago. He was two years older than Aria.
She'd come to terms that he never wanted to have children because he wanted to be focused on his career. Aria was so disappointed when he told her, but she had accepted that since she loved him so much. However, she hadn't let that keep her from working with kids; this year she was lucky enough to snag a job as a music teacher at one of New York's most elite schools- the Trinity School.
Aria was so excited to be teaching music to the children in the little school. When she was being interviewed, the woman told her that they normally didn't hire people straight out of college, but that she thought she was a rare exception.
Aria graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English and a degree in music with magna cum laude honors. She remembered the joy of her friends and family that day. Spencer, Hanna, and Emily even met up to surprise her at her graduation ceremony by telling her that they all had finals that day, which none of them did. Her father hugged her for the first time in years, unable to let go of the fact that she was in a relationship with her English teacher for almost 2 years until that day. Her mother was crying tears of joy, proud of how much her daughter had accomplished. And her brother, well, he was the same old Mike, but she missed hearing his sarcastic remarks everyday. It seemed then like everyone was the happiest person on Earth except for her, because she was thinking about a certain someone.
Ezra.
They had always talked about how they would get married someday when Aria was in her twenties, and eventually have a kid or two, maybe even three. Now Aria was twenty three, almost twenty four. She always wondered if she had made the right decision, dropping her whole life to escape Rosewood. She missed him occasionally, but then she had to hold onto the fact that he was probably married, he probably had his own kids, and he was probably angry at her. Not to mention that she was the one who left. She was the one who told him not to find her.
"My day was good. I found out that I get to start my rotations a month from today. I'm going to be starting in the Emergency and Trauma Center.", he said.
"Oh, that sounds interesting.", she said, secretly lying. She wasn't a fan of the hospital, let alone the ER.
"Yeah, I'm going to be able to give people stitches and give people CPR….", he said. Aria lost her train of thought when she saw someone step out of a taxi that looked oddly familiar- a tall man with dark brown, wildly curly hair… She looked back at Will and ignored the thought. He couldn't be here. He just couldn't be. She nodded her head with a fake smile plastered onto it, not even sure what he was talking about at this point.
"So how did setting up your classroom go?", he asked. A real smile immediately came upon Aria's perfect face. She had convinced the school to lend her some old chairs in a storage closet that hadn't been used for years - and to let her paint them bright colors that she thought the kids would enjoy. Then, she got some wall decals from the classroom decor store that were shaped like music notes and put those on her classroom wall. After she finished setting up part of her classroom, she met one of the kindergarten teachers, Amelia Samuels and introduced herself, then made herself useful by offering to set up the play centers in the woman's room.
"It was really good actually. I met one of the kindergarten teachers and I got a lot of my goals done."
"Oh, that's nice.", he said. They talked for a little bit more before they paid the bill and went to their shared apartment in Washington Heights, near the medical school.
Once they were home, her and Will watched T.V. for a couple hours before she decided to turn in early for the night. She had a big day ahead of her. She planned to finish putting up posters of musical instruments and famous composers, then to start writing lesson plans for the first week. Then at four o' clock, there was going to be the first faculty meeting of the new school year, one of which all instructors were required to attend.
Before she went to bed, she went over to tell him goodnight. "I'm going to bed, Will."
"Oh, you are? Can I ask you something real quick?", he said, standing up and following her into the bedroom.
"Sure babe. Anything.", she said, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier by the second.
"Is everything alright? Like, between you and I?", he said, his hands behind the small of his back, something that he often did when he was nervous.
Aria raised her eyes at this statement. She thought that everything was fine between them. She wondered what he thought. "Of course. Why? Do you think something is wrong?"
He looked down for a second, then looked back up. His face was bright red, something that often happened when he was embarrassed or ashamed. "Sorry. I was just wondering. I'm happy with our relationship, but I just wanted to make sure that you were too. I'll get out so you can sleep. Goodnight.", he said, about to close the door when Aria began speaking again.
"Wait, you forgot something.", she said, walking towards him.
He turned back around looking confused. "What?"
"This.", she said in her seductive voice, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders, causing her to stand on her tip-toes due to their great difference in height, then planted her lips on his, and gave him a long, romantic kiss. They continued this for a few minutes before they stepped away from each other.
"I love you.", Aria said, still talking in her seductive voice.
"I love you too, but you have a big day ahead of you. You really need to get to sleep."
"Alright. Goodnight.", she said.
"Goodnight," he said, smiling while closing the door. Aria then climbed into bed and curled up into her normal sleeping position. After assuming her position, she reached over her and turned off the light. Within seconds of her head hitting the pillow, she was out cold.
She would need all the rest she could get. Little did she or Ezra know that at that faculty meeting, they would both come face to face with the person that they had first ever truly fallen in love with. Little did they know that they would have to come to terms with what had happened. And last, but not least, little did they know that everything was about to change.