She was lost and he seemed to be her light at the end of the tunnel, a very long tunnel. Aria had a rough time in high school to say the least. Dealing with a stalker psych killer isn't usually the high school experience. Or dating your high school English teacher. When she left Rosewood for college she planned on staying in contact with Ezra but life calls and you have to make some sacrifices and he happened to be one of them. She always wondered where he was in the world, if he was in Rosewood mourning her, or in some third world country helping people with his new love, Nicole. She missed him a lot, and he was often on her mind she just hoped he was happy without her. She hoped that even though she was very much still in love with him that he was happy and that he wasn't sad like she was that she possibly had missed out on the love of her life. Until one day five years later she came home and saw that yes he was heart broken but not over her anymore…
Nicole had been killed kidnapped or however you want to perceive it. She was gone and Ezra was devastated. Although Aria knew he had been writing a book for her company she hadn't really kept tabs on him and she certainly didn't know how severe it had effected him. Until she saw him at the Brew. He hadn't shaved, he was all scruffy, his hair was a mess of curls on his sad head, and there was not a sign of happiness in his eyes. If someone say him down the block they would definitely know he was depressed but when you were within feet of him there was no other thought. He reeked of hard liquor and smelled like he showered once a week. When Aria approached him her jaw dropped, "Oh, Ezra." was all she had to say for him to now that this encounter wasn't going to end in his favor.
"Damn it" he thought I was going to clean myself up before she got here. I guess I lost track of time. "Hi, Aria. How are you?" he tried to pull off that he was okay. However he knew it wasn't going to get passed her. In reality the women who he once thought was the love of his life knew him better than this, he often thought she knew him better than anyone in the world.
"I'm good. But you Ezra on the other hand. What's wrong? Well I know whats wrong but why didn't you call me? Or Hardy or anyone really?" As soon as Ezra saw her he knew this was coming. He knew that as soon as she came back to Rosewood for the trial she would try to fix him, to make him feel better. He didn't want to be put back together and he sure as hell didn't want her to be the person to do it. He wanted to grieve and he wanted to live his life like he was secluded and lonely until he decided he was well enough to go back to civilization.
"Aria… Don't take this the wrong way but I don't need your help. I'm good. I read, I watch TV, I take care of The Brew. All my responsibilities are taken care of. And I know your boss needs the book but I don't know if I can do it. I can't write after her. So I'll return the advance. I just need time. Please respect that. I promise I'm not completely in the deep end." He hoped this would work but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that it wouldn't.
"Okay, Ezra. Cut the crap. I know you aren't okay. I've know you haven't been okay for awhile I just haven't had any idea to come about it. I didn't just come back fro the trial Ezra. I came back to see if you were okay. I know you don't want it but I'm giving up on you. I'm not leaving you again." she had this look, it was a mixture of determination, sadness, and pure love. At that point Ezra knew he wasn't going to convince her to leave this time. She was here to stay. And he began to tell her everything from the start, from when they parted ways. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
After their long talk that day at The Brew Ezra felt relieved and Aria felt guilty. Throughout the night Ezra's sad demeanor was running through her head. That sad face, his realization he had that he couldn't live this way anymore. She wanted to help, she wanted to be there but she didn't know how to be there without her feelings getting in the way. Yes, she had dated in the past but no-one like Ezra. She had never been able to replace him in her heart. Nothing felt right just because she compared everyone and everything to him.
His face was a direct line to the heartbreak she has felt in the last five years. She loved him so much and she couldn't just let him go through the heart break she felt. He was her light and he may not know it but she was going to do everything she could for him to be happy again. Whether she was in or out of the picture she couldn't stand the though too him being upset. Although she hoped that the love of her life still holds a place for her in his heart.
Ezra knew throughout the whole meeting with Aria that she was disappointed in him. Hell he was disappointed in himself. Not the fact that he is heartbroken, but the fact that he is letting it consume him. After Aria left five years ago he was a wreck, he slept around, invested himself into his work, drank a lot of scotch, but he kept going. With Nicole it was harder, not because he loved her more but simply because he couldn't find her.
With Aria he knew she was okay, she was out of Rosewood, thats where the her danger was. But Nicole she was gone, she disappeared and she wasn't coming back. Not because she left him but because she was taken from him. That's what hurt, that she was gone and she could never be happy again. When she died he felt that a part of him died to, similar to when Aria left but this time he knew she wouldn't have more. She was just gone and that piece of his heart was just gone too. Hopefully with time he'd find happiness. Maybe with time Aria will realize that she is his soul mate, the love of his life, and who he was meant to be with. Maybe with time he could happy again.
He had to talk to her but it was two in the morning and he knew she should be asleep. However he needed to speak his mind. So he did the one thing that not only gets what he wanted off his chest but not wanting to disturb her beauty sleep. Even though he believed she was beautiful no matter what her appearance. "Hey Aria. I know I'm not in the best place right now and I know that I have a lot of baggage. But thank you for being here, for coming back, for wanting to take care of me even though I'm not your responsibility. You mean so much to me Aria and you are really my savior right now. Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow? Come by The Brew it's on me." sending….. sending… sent! Hopefully that text isn't a mistake in the morning.
Aria's mind was going to a million thoughts a minute. Is she going to far with this whole Ezra thing? They are the past, he is her ex, whether she believes that he's the love of her life or not, should she just leave him alone? Ezra is destroying himself and she's just worried. The one she loves is struggling and she feels helpless. Did she cross the line? Hopefully not.
Ezra is amazing. However he is just too deep in heartbreak, Nicole broke him. He wont even write, he is a writer, that is what he does and he is so broken from this women. Someone who isn't her. The love of her life, her soulmate, is heartbroken over some other women. That is what hurts the most, she is jealous. How can she be jealous, the man lost his girlfriend she literally disappeared, she could be dead and all she can think about is how her love is i love with someone else.
Right when she decided to give up, go back to Boston, go back to Liam who still existed and who still loved her. Her phone buzzed, honestly she was suspecting Liam asking if she was okay. However when she saw Ezra's name her heart grew two sizes and she got a smile on her face. She immediately opened the text, "Hey Aria. I know I'm not in the best place right now and I know that I have a lot of baggage. But thank you for being here, for coming back, for wanting to take care of me even though I'm not your responsibility. You mean so much to me Aria and you are really my savior right now. Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow? Come by The Brew it's on me." This brought tears to her eyes.
Ezra did care and she may be able to bring her Ezra back. She didn't need to be with him, she just needed him happy, healthy, and not depressed. The love of her life deserved that.