As she was lying there, dying in his arms, he couldn't help but look back at how they had gotten to where they were. It had seemed all but done for them a few short hours ago, but they had been able to get past that, hadn't they? But this ... Ezra didn't see how they were going to get past this.

NnNnNnNnNnNnN

He'd made up his mind. He wanted her back, no matter what it took. He no longer cared about the consequences of their relationship anymore. Ezra Fitz had been over it in his mind a thousand times, and then a thousand more. Finding Aria and her loving him back in the way that he adored her was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

Ezra had tried to justify it and he had, but the tiny voice of reason within him had been screaming at him to end it. So he had left, tried to get away, figure things out, without her distracting his judgement. But in all honesty, he had lost all sense of judgement and common sense the moment he had met her. She had to be the most amazing girl that he had ever met, and even that description wasn't quite enough to describe the way that he felt about her. She had completely changed his world, as if he had been walking blind and now meeting her, his entire world had just shifted back into focus. It seemed Aria had been the one thing that he had been missing in his life.

But – she was his student, and he couldn't allow his feelings, no matter how strong they were to continue to allow this to continue. He had needed to be the adult and put an end to it. Yet breaking it off with Aria didn't leave him with the sense of relief and 'free-ness' that he had hoped it would have. Instead, it brought about a constant mood of confusion, anger and overall self hatred at the fact that he could so easily have let her go.

He had seen it in her eyes, her brilliant, beautiful eyes. The moment he had utter the words, as vague and confusing as they were, he could tell she knew what they meant. A fire that he had come to love about them had flickered out and this made him feel worse. He hated that he had come to mean as much to her as she had to him, that he had caused the fire in her that he had come to love so much about her to go out.

It was that moment he knew that whatever they had was more than some high school crush ... way more. This had to be the real thing, true love. But he had just ended it. He couldn't believe how completely stupid he had been, but what's done was done, and there was nothing he could do about it. And he was ready to move on, watch her move on and hope that one day the pain of losing her would dull down to a numb feeling. That was until one particular lunchtime, one particular guy.

Noel Kahn. He had heard rumours about him before. He was a serial lady's man, who left all the girls he dated alone and broken hearted. Of course he had run across these types in his own days during high school and college, but none had bothered him as much as Noel did. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was now pursing Aria. But he couldn't go there, not now, not after letting her go. It wasn't fair on Aria. And he had tried to back off, keep clear of it all, but he couldn't – not after what he had heard at lunch that day.

Ezra had been passing a group of boys that made up the majority of the boys football team and overheard the conversation taking place between Noel and Sean

"So, we sneak up there this weekend, crash Mona's. You spend time with Hanna, do 'whatever' it is you two do – and I'll find Aria and 'show her a real party', if you know what I'm mean"

Those words, when coupled with the fact that they were about Aria, made Ezra's blood boil. How could this guy talk about her in such a way, without any respect? He continued walking past Noel, in deep thought, trying to process what he had just heard. He hadn't even noticed where he had been walking, until he was in front of her. .

"He plays football right?" He figured he had to say something but that was all he could muster between his glares at Noel.

Aria turned around, with a face filled with frustration, clearly slightly annoyed that he had stopped her in the first place.

"He actually really smart. And he's funny ... and ... he loves old movies..." She was having a hard time trying to find good things to say about Noel, he could tell.

"You don't owe me an explanation, Aria. You're entitled to be with whoever you want to be with. See you in class" Her having to try and sell Noel to him and herself for that matter made it appear to Ezra that Aria herself wasn't convinced Noel was the one for her either. Did he still have a shot?

"Yeah" was her reply. A look of disappointment that had appeared on her face made Ezra think that she was upset by his lack of concern over her new relationship. Had she wanted him to be jealous? Maybe he really did have a real chance at getting her back. He quickly turned, returning to his classroom, hoping that Ms. Walsh wouldn't come find him to relieve another class that period. He needed time to work out what he was going to do.

He hadn't counted on was Aria to burst in on him before he was ready to have any sort of conversation with her. She was appeared at the door, staring in on him, hurt and confusion plastered her face. She walked in, determined, anger radiating off of her as she approached the desk.

"I read your poem ... B-26."

Crap. Ezra hadn't counted on her reading it, not this soon at least.

"– How could you? How could you write these words, and feel these feelings but give up on us so easily"

To tell her the truth, he was still battling with that one himself. She was right, he had no reason good enough as to why how he could have given up on them.

"I ... I never intended for you to read that" was all he could say, though he knew as the words left his mouth, they were complete lies. He had wanted her to read his words, the moment he had written them; he wanted her to know that he really had loved her and that he still did.

"You let me believe that you didn't love me" anger now in her voice as her interrogation continued.

"– I thought I was doing the right thing" This was the truth. He had truly thought that breaking up with Aria would be the best thing for them or at least her. If she had the chance to be happy, with someone that she could be with, didn't she deserve that? Didn't he owe her that?

"For you ... not for me", 'not for her' did she really just say that? Did that mean she felt the way he felt?

"That's not true ..." all he had ever done, was for her.

"Oh really, we're gonna talk about truth now." Aria was becoming more frustrated and angrier with him. "Well today's truth, or yesterday's or last weeks because honestly I don't know which one for your truths to believe anymore. The 'I thought about you ever second I was gone story' or 'the ones that end with I'm out of here."

Her words were cutting through him with every passing second. He couldn't believe that there wasn't anything left between them, but judging by Aria words, she truly did hate him.

But she had just been getting started."It wasn't our age that ruined us Ezra, You did." It was his fault wasn't it. He had had this amazing person but dropped her like she had been nothing. He didn't deserve her back; he didn't deserve her at all. Ezra was starting to think the small window of hope that he had thought was still there, was now closing fast.

"Aria ... please" desperation filling his words, hoping against hope that he could try and work this out with her, try and fix them.

"No." the finality of the word hurt the most. She didn't want to listen to him; did she even want him back? "I've moved on ... so should you" She'd moved on? With who, Noel? He couldn't believe this was true. The thought made him sick to his stomach. Tossing the book containing his poem to the desk, Aria turned to leave.

"What's going on here" Noel was standing at the door. Of course Noel of all people would have to turn up as he was trying to salvage the brokenness of the situation.

"Nothing. There is absolutely nothing going on here" Aria glared him down, before turning and pushing past Noel and leaving.

Noel however stayed, staring him down as if he owned some sort of moral high ground over Ezra.

"Is there something you would like to say to me?" Ezra said, trying to pour as much of his contempt and hatred for this boy in his words as possible.

Puffing out a little, trying to heave out his chest to appear manlier than he really appeared, Noel gave Ezra one final stare before turning and following Aria out.

Aria leaving like that and then Noel appearing the way he had, left Ezra with a knot in his stomach. Anger bubbling to the surface, he picked up the book Aria had thrown to the desk and threw it across his classroom, trying to fill the throw with all his anger and frustration.

He needed her back.