The Man I Thought I Knew

I don't own PLL

Yes I am back just to write this one shot. Last night pissed me off and I have had this idea in my head since we saw the ending. I knew if I didn't write it then it would consme me until I did write it and I have too much to do today to have my Ezria Emotions pent up within me. Alas here you go everyone. By the way I wanted to say a hug thank you for the incredibly sweet messages you all sent me in my final Gonna Get Caught chapter—which I also have to say thank you so incredibly much for making it the top reviewed competed story!

Aria's POV

Ezra and I were momentarily tangled up in a thin bed sheet with a layer of sweat on our bodies. Over the past couple of weeks we had slowly been drifting closer to each other and 'accidentally' bumping into each other around town. When I kissed him at the brew a couple of days ago it felt as if everything was perfect; it felt natural. A few more shared kisses here and there over the course of a few days led us to proving to ourselves once again we cannot stay apart—that we belong together. After class this morning I slipped Ezra a note asking him if he wanted to sneak away to my family's cabin that is tucked away in the outskirts of Rosewood with complete and utter privacy with no one around for miles. He texted me shortly after I had left his classroom saying that would be perfect and he would plan to pick me up from the secluded place in the park we used to meet up to ensure no one would see us together. That is how we ended up where we are right now. Laying on the living room floor in front of the fire Ezra made making sweet love that our bodies and hearts have craved for many months now. It was nearing 11pm on a cool Friday night and my father wasn't expecting me home until sometime on Sunday due to believing the girls and I were at Spencer's cabin to escape the latest rumors and gossip of Rosewood.

"I've missed you so much," I whisper lowly looking up at Ezra with a smile of pure happiness.

"I've missed you too sweetheart. You don't know how many nights have gone sleepless due to me not having you to hold in my arms. I know we can make this work." His fingers trace up and down my upper arm causing goose bumps to rise in its path.

I lift my head up to reach his lips kissing him longingly before snuggling back down into his chest with my body curled into his side. My left hand draws random patterns and shapes along his bare, smooth chest. My little foot was caressing his that were peeking out the end of our blanket. God have I missed the feeling of us cuddling together after making love when we caress each other's bodies. We're the perfect puzzle piece. The 1,000 piece puzzle that you glue together not wanting to ever break that astonishing picture you've spent your time and dedication into creating.

"I wish we could stay like this forever; this is my pure bliss." I let out a sigh of content while placing another kiss on his chest.

Silence falls over us and I assume Ezra was driving into the realm of sleep. I wasn't too far behind him actually, especially because his fingers were twirling and combing through my hair which he knows full well will ease me into a peaceful calming slumber. Before I could drift away to the land of dreams though Ezra's faint voice rings through my ear.

"Yeah babe?" I reply not moving from current placement.

"How do you know about Ravenswood?" His tone was low and hesitant yet held worry.

"What?" I ask caught off guard by the question. Also curious as to how he knows about the creepy town.

"When I picked you up you made a comment about Ravenswood when we drove past the sign that says which direction is the few different towns. Have you been there before?"

I furrow my eyebrows and prop myself up to look at him. "A couple times with the girls, why?"

He shrugs his shoulder and looks away for a moment. "I don't think you guys should go there anymore."

"What is this about, Ez? Why shouldn't we go there?"

"I've just heard it's really creepy over there and weird things happen. I don't think it's a good idea you four go there in case something were to happen. I don't want anything bad to happen to you and I know how much your friends mean to you. That town is full of more secrets than Rosewood."

Confused I tilt my head to the side trying to form my next question. "Who did you—." I pause midsentence. Ezra doesn't really have any friends in Rosewood so who could he have been talking to about Ravenswood? Besides no one in Rosewood has ever talked about Ravenswood, it's past Brookhaven which no one really goes that far from Rosewood to begin with.

And then it clicks.

A is a guy. Ezra has constantly been MIA during our relationship abruptly leaving town and whatnot. Now he is telling me to stay away from the same little town the girls and I found A's new lair in. That woman Spencer knows warned us to stay out of town because a man could be after us but... no. It couldn't be.

I instantly grab ahold of the sheet to wrap it around my body and jump to my feet to get away from him. "Oh my god! You're A you're in on this!" I shout at him. My head began spinning and everything was a blur. No. No this isn't happening.

"Aria wait just hang on for a second. Let me explain this to you." Ezra tries to stalk toward me but I hurry to the other side of the room to put even more distance between us.

"NO!" I scream with tears in my eyes that were furiously running down my cheeks. "You said you loved me! We—we have been through so much together and now I find out you've been stalking me and threating my friends this whole time! I, I am so stupid! I trusted you! I relied on you! God I gave you my fucking virginity when I thought you were leaving because my father got you fired from your job. Did you even leave town or were you there in rosewood the whole time watching me and laughing that you got laid and I was oblivious to what was really happening?"

"Aria please listen to me! It isn't anything like that. Yes I do love you, I do. No I didn't take your virginity for my pleasure that was a very much real and honest moment between the two of us."

I don't even let him continue, I have too many questions running through my head I can't keep them in.

"Did you already know who I was that first day in Snookers? Huh? Did you know who I was and you intentionally flirted with me and used that damn charm just to get me hooked? Are you actually into literature and old movies or was that some fake identity to make me attracted to you and fall in love with you?"

Ezra shakes his head, opening his mouth to respond but hesitates for a moment causing me to choke on my sobs.

"Don't even answer that." I whisper brokenly. "My heart cannot take the truth on that one."

Turning on my heel I bolt up the stairs where my bag was. Rushing into the room I slam it shut behind me and rapidly dress in the first thing I pull out of the bag. A strangled sob falls from my mouth when my hand pulls out Ezra's favorite lingerie set I had brought to wear for him. I have no other option than to wear it seeing as the two sets I brought were his favorite ones. In two seconds flat I have on a pair of denim shorts and a black camisole. Making sure I have my phone and wallet in my purse I grab it alongside my bag and run back downstairs so I can get the hell out of here.

When I return downstairs I see Ezra has pulled on his clothing and was pacing around the living room running a nervous hand through his hair. I pause for a minute before decided what I was going to do. With a firm grip on my two bags in my left hand I run down the remaining stairs, grab Ezra's car keys from the kitchen table and make a dead bolt sprint to the front door.

"Aria where are you going? It isn't save out there this late!" Ezra yells following after me.

"Like it is safe for me to stay in a secluded cabin with a man I don't even know who wants to see me dead?" I shout back in response not stopping for a second.

I yank open the driver's door, throw my bags to the passenger seat and quickly lock the doors to the car to ensure Ezra cannot get in. Ignoring the shouting from Ezra to stop and hit attempts to pull vigorously at the door handles I shift the car into Drive and get away from the cabin as fast as possibly while leaving the man I thought I knew standing there 78 miles from home and no way to get back.

When I arrive at my house it is nearing 2am; the house was dark and silent. I drag my broken body up to my room where I instantly collapse on my bed letting the tears overtake me. I had spent the entire drive, as well as the few times I had to pull over due to my tears taking over, contemplating what to do. How could I possibly get past something like this? Ezra was my entire world now to find out he is a part of the A Team. Watching Spencer go through this was hard enough now having to experience it first hand is unfathomable.

I don't bother texting the girls because I need to be alone right now. Besides I know as soon as I tell them they will want to ask a million questions about Ezra which I cannot handle right now.

I try to keep my sobs muffled by my pillows knowing if I am quiet enough Byron won't notice I am back therefore he won't bother me tomorrow. A couple hours had past; my cock read 4:28am. Byron was a very heavily sleeper so I was surprised when I saw the movement of my bedroom door slowly opening. Before I could apologize for waking him up I freeze in place when I see it isn't my dad—Its Ezra.

"What are you doing here?" My broken voice asks, too hoarse from the crying to showcase my distaste for seeing him.

"You didn't let me finish explaining things to you."

Pushing myself up from my bed I roughly grab ahold of his arm and drag him downstairs to the front door.

"Here are your god damned keys now get out! I don't want to see you ever again. Just stay the hell away from me and leave me alone."

"You know I cannot do that, Aria." Ezra shakes his head in negate.

I block out whatever comes out of his mouth and focus solely on pushing him out of the front door. I shut it and lock it rapidly though deep down I know he just picked the lock not ten minutes ago and that's how he got in here so he could just as easily do it once more.

Wiping away my tears I storm upstairs to my bedroom and head straight to my dresser. I take off all of my clothes and leave them in a pile on the floor. Taking out one of Ezra's t-shirts that I had snagged from his apartment prior to our break up I pull it over my head then go take a seat at my desk. Not bothering to wipe my tears away anymore I pull out the second drawer on the right to grab my notebook and then a pen from the drawer above it.

I write a group note for the girls. One for my mom that damn near broke me into even more crumbles than I already am. And then lastly I wrote one for Ezra.

I will always love you despite what you've done. This was real for me, I wish it were for you as well. I hate that I still love you. I hate that I let you affect me this way. I hate that I'll always think of the good moments we shares and that I now have to doubt every single moment I have shared with you. We always compared ourselves to Romeo and Juliet. Funny and ironic now isn't it? Who would have thought I would be the one drinking the poison with a broke heart while you live on without so much as a scratch on your heart?

Goodbye Ezra, if that's really even your first name.

I fold up all three letters and write the recipients' names on them laying them out on my desk. Next I put the pen and notebook back in their respected places then pull out the poetry book I have found myself reading constantly. Flipping open to the desired page I stare down at my poem he wrote for me. My tears drip down onto the paper filling the love-filled poem with my heart break.

Pushing back from the desk I walk numbly to my bathroom across the hall. Staring myself in the eye I take in my appearance. I look broken. My cheeks are read and wet from crying, my head is pounding, my chest is aching, and my stomach is in knots. Reaching forward I open the medicine cabinet to pull out the bottle of sleeping pills. I look at them for several minutes in my hand.

"I can't live with this pain. It's simply too much for one to handle."

Taking the glass next to the sink I fill it up with water.

"I wished you loved me. I wish it had been real." I whisper out loud as if he were still here.

I swallow the handful of sleeping pills followed by a large gulp of water. I place the two items away not wanting to leave a mess and head back to my bedroom. Crawling into my bed I clutch the poetry book to my chest saying the words I have memorized by heart.

Soon enough I was fast asleep though it wasn't the kind of sleep you wake up from.

So there is that. I don't have time to proofread this so I am sorry for any mistakes. It took me an hour and a half to write so I'm sorry for errors. To put my two cents in on last night I honestly do not believe he is bad. Ezra wasn't wearing a hoodie like Mona and Toby were and he looked PISSED last night when he saw the lair. I think he followed them and found out A is still after Aria. Otherwise he was roped into being on the A Team in order to protect Aria; nothing bad has really happened to her since 3x13. Just my thoughts.