"And when you leave, you need to keep going. Because if Spencer's parents hear about this, they will ruin you."
Spencer?
She thought I was in love with Spencer? I needed to talk to Aria about this later. If there will be a later.
"Ella, I'm sorry for all of this. I'll go now."
She nodded curtly and went back to Byron. I spun on my heels and walked down the hallway. A million thoughts were racing through my head like a swarm of bees. I was about to turn the corner when I heard sniffles and sobs coming from the office. I whipped my head around, and saw Aria, covered in dirt, with tear streaks cleaning her face.
"Daddy," She whispered and ran straight into Byron's arms. Whose body was turned away from me.
Ella rubbed her back in soothing circles and was whispering something into her ear. I saw Aria's head fit into Byron's shoulders and watched as a puddle of tears soaked through his suit. She looked up from his shoulder to see me. An outline of a smiled curled up on her trembling lips and her eyes got even more watery. She extracted her arms from her father and looked straight at me. Her smile turned to tears again as she took off down the hall in a dead sprint heading towards me. I opened my arms, and she wrapped hers around me in a bear hug. I ran my fingers through her hair, franticly trying to comfort her as her silent sobs shook my body.
"Shh, it's alright. I'm here, I'm here." I whispered that to her over and over again, trying to get the tears to stop.
She finally looked up with her glistening eyes staring straight into mine. I wiped away the stray tears that slipped away from her eyes with the stroke if my thumb.
"You came," She said in a barely audible whisper.
"Of course I did." I replied back to her.
She wrapped her arms against me once more and pressed her head into my already soaked chest. I placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head, and rested my forehead on to her hair. We sat like that for a long while. Soaking it in, feeling the sparks fly through our bodies. I looked up finally from her hair to see the shocked, confused and angry faces of Byron and Ella.
"What the hell is going on here?" Byron's words shot through me like bows and arrows as he came running down the hallway to where Aria and I were standing. Ella followed behind at a calmer, steady pace.
"Byron—"
"Dad—"
Both I and Aria's words came out at the same time.
"Dad, please let me explain," Aria started
"Aria, I don't want to hear anything from you. It's HIM I need explaining what is going on. Why are you kissing my daughter! MY 16 year old daughter." Byron's words came out in a hushed tone, but still shot out like ice.
"Mr. Montgomery,-" I hesitated on the words that were sitting on my tongue "I'm in love with Aria, actually I've been in love with Aria. We met before I started teaching at Rosewood High, the day your family got back from Iceland. We met at a ba—" I shouldn't say bar, "Restaurant, we started talking and it's just," I felt myself smiling at the memory. "It's just I've never met a girl like your daughter before"
I looked down to see Aria, whose arms were still wrapped around my waist, smiling back at me. I placed my arm around her petite shoulder.
"When we met at that restaurant, I didn't even ask her age. She just came in like a bolt of lightning; I was in too much awe to get to her age. The next day when we found out I was her teacher, we immediately called it off. I even tried to get away from her. But, I just couldn't stay away. Mr. Montgomery, I swear, I would never do anything to hurt your daughter. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
I felt Aria's arms tighten around me and looked down to see her cheeks flushed a creamy rose color against her skin. I looked to Byron, whose face compared to Aria's was a deep crimson. Not the best sign.
"I just don't know what to believe from you anymore Ezra. Even you Aria. You've kept this from us for so long." My heart sank when I heard Byron's words. His voice came out soft, and broken.
"Byron, look at them. Don't you see the way they're looking at each other? Do you think Ezra could make that whole story up on the spot? I mean come, on." Ella's voice sounded so much softer than Byron's.
"Mom, are you saying you're okay with us?" Aria's voice was breaking
"I guess I am." She gave Aria a comforting smile and looked to her husband.
"Byron, do you have anything to say?"
"I have nothing to say, to either of you." His eyes flashed between Aria and I as he spat out the words.
"I will talk to both of you at home." He pushed out the words through his teeth while pointing at Ella and Aria.
"Ezra, what are we going to do?" Aria's voice came out as an almost inaudible whisper as she pressed her face into my chest.
"Aria, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or even in the next hour. But all I know is that I love you and you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me." I heard my own voice breaking between words. "Can we just be here?" I said quoting her the day she came to my apartment in tears during her mother's art gallery.
Her watery hazel eyes stared into mine for a split second then her mouth was on mine. Her hands wrapped around my neck, and I snaked my arms around her waist. She started it so she had to end it, but I kept her in an embrace so tight not even a sheet of paper could fit between us.
"Ahem," Ella coughed.
We jumped away from each other instinctively, but Aria still had a tight grip on my hand.
"Aria," Ella started, "Let your father cool down for a little while. I'm sure this will pass. But in the mean time, I am giving you permission for you two to see each other."
Aria jumped up into my arms as I spun her around. I kissed her. One big passionate kiss. I didn't care who was watching. I didn't actually give a damn about who was watching…