So I had this idea while listening to Falling In by Lifehouse to write a story based on a PLL couple, this is obviously not it or it would be named Falling In, but I felt like writing one for each girl so there will be three other post after this one. I have to admit, Ezra and Aria were the hardest couple for me to write for. Every song I picked for them, I didn't like and had I listened to my first mind and chosen Demi Lovato's Behind Enemy Lines, I probably wouldn't have had such a big problem. In the back of my mind I was telling myself to, but I decided to try This Never Happened Before by Paul McCartney, but couldn't think of a concrete idea. Then it was going to be Ben Lee's Ache For You but I was having trouble near the end and I felt like I lost the story somewhere but I noticed that by switching a few things up, if fit perfectly with Behind Enemy Lines... oh, and after I finished Behind Enemy Lines, that's when inspiration struck and I finished Ache For You. I preferred this one, but I'll probably post Ache For You anyway since it's finished and all.
Be on the look out for Adore if you're an Emily and Maya fan. If you like Toby and Spencer look for Falling In and if you can deal with Lucas and Hanna look out for Basket Case. I'll be posting those after this one. Oh, this isn't a song fic, but a lyric or two is posted before and after the story. I orignally kept them to know what feeling I wanted but decided to leave them cause I like it. After the lyric before the beginning of the story, anything in italics is a past statment and in some cases an event. Non italicized talking is the present. That goes for all four stories if you care. Happy readings!
I was trying to be everything you weren't expecting, all I ever wanted was to try and keep you guessing…
She fell for him. She fell hard. It wasn't something she planned. It wasn't supposed to happen, but Aria Montgomery fell in love with Ezra Fitz.
It wasn't just a crush a student has on a teacher. It didn't even start that way. It was one of those chance moments, right place, right time she supposed. Or maybe wrong place, wrong time, considering the situation and bad possible outcomes, but she didn't regret him.
"Mr. Fitz, come over and meet my daughter."
She'd never forget the expression on his face when her mother introduced them.
His eyes widened slightly when he had seen her. She also noticed that he mouthed what seemed to be the words 'holy crap' when her mom turned to her to explain they were co-workers. He was her mother's co-worker. She'd drunkenly tongued her mom's co-worker at a bar after a bad day and an even worse break up. This would usually be the part where she would freak out, not that she'd ever been in a similar situation before, but something about this situation… she didn't know, but she liked it.
"Aria, this is Ezra Fitz, a new teacher at the school, Ezra, my daughter Aria."
She smirked as she shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you again."
Her mom turned to her with a curious glance while Ezra seemed to be sweating bullets.
"You two have met?"
Aria opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by Ezra and with a lie no less.
"Uh, yes! We met last week at the Bar & Grill."
Surprisingly, Ezra didn't find out she was a high school student during that conversation. That was a completely different situation.
"Holy crap."
Those were the words she heard from the front of the class, and it felt as if all eyes were on her. She looked up and suddenly dreaded it. Ezra Fitz was her new teacher. Holy crap was right.
He was upset, she couldn't blame him. She also couldn't blame him for wanting to put whatever they had or could've had to an end, but there was just something about Ezra that drew her to him. Their attraction was instant, so she knew that giving up on whatever it was they would've had would be somewhat difficult, and at first she didn't want to, but then she realized what could potentially happen.
"I would never want to do anything that would get you in trouble."
She spoke from the heart. She didn't want him getting in trouble. Not only were there so many things that would be deemed wrong in the eyes of the town, she also had this A. person to deal with. There was a lot going on in her life and she decided now was not the time to get into a relationship. No matter how strong the attraction was or how much she liked him. It wasn't the right time.
She kissed him on the cheek, letting her lips linger for a brief moment before pulling back.
"Goodbye Ezra."
When he pulled her back and kissed her, she knew it would be even harder to get away.
So it became a fling of sorts. There were stolen kisses…
Aria was walking through the now empty halls of Rosewood Day when she was pulled into a classroom and kissed enthusiastically.
…glances.
Aria looked up from her reading when she felt his eyes on her. Ezra smirked a little and went back to grading papers.
Eventually their relationship, or whatever it was, developed to sharing texts.
EF: You busy?
Aria: Nope? Something in mind?
Phone calls as well.
"Hey, Aria, um, I had a thought. How about you come over to my place? If that's not too… you know… I'll give you my address."
Evenings spent in his apartment were first just for making out on his couch. After a while, there were meals, and actual conversations.
She should've realized then that she was falling for him. All the signs were there.
She started wanting to spend more time with him than just one or two evenings in a week, minus their moments in empty janitor's closets in the halls of the school or abandoned areas and rooms on campus. She enjoyed listening to his opinions on books, poetry, and music.
"To me, City Hall is one of their best songs. I think it's the perfect example of losing so much control of yourself; spiraling out of control, to the point where you know things need and have to change."
She though it was kind of cute the way he smiled and blushed when she complimented his cooking or the way he frowned and pouted when she hit him on the shoulder for something or another.
"It was nothing really, just a pasta dish. My grandmother would've killed me had I not known how to make it. It's a family recipe everyone knows."
Yeah, Aria Montgomery fell hard Ezra Fitz, and that was not supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to get attached. It was like an unwritten rule between them, but something definitely changed. Her feelings changed and she didn't know what to do.
The rebound guys rarely lasted, and that's what he would be. She would never want someone like him to be a rebound. She never wanted Ezra to be a rebound. Then again… It had been a year of sneaking now. Not effortless, of course, but it was pretty close. Another thing she blamed for not noticing her attachment sooner: time. Over the months, what they had together developed and when they seemed overly comfortable in a situation, they slowly developed into a slightly more advanced one.
Ezra was practically her boyfriend. They spent most of their free time together, cooked for each other and talked constantly. The only thing keeping them from being boyfriend and girlfriend were themselves and no one has a fling for a year, right?
So that's why Aria was currently sitting on Ezra's couch, thanks to the spare key, waiting on him to come home from an after school faculty meeting.
She heard the jingling of keys and took a breath. Soon after the door opened and Ezra walked in.
"Aria? What a surprise. We didn't have plans did we?"
Aria shook her head.
"No. I just dropped by to talk to you about something."
"Your homework? I told you he'll give you a lot of homework, mostly because you're a senior."
He placed his bag on the couch, about to continue, but Aria cut him off before he could go farther.
"No. I um, I actually wanted to talk about us."
"Oh… okay."
Ezra took a seat on the couch and Aria did the same. She wet her suddenly dry feeling lips with her tongue and developed a nervous smile.
"I, I feel like we have a good thing together-"
Ezra smiled, "A year tomorrow."
"That. That's just it."
She paused a moment before she continued.
"That's what boyfriend and girlfriend say. They have one year anniversaries and actually remember when it's been a year. Flings last two days, a week, at most a few months, not a year."
Ezra frowned; hurt shining in his blue eyes.
"What are you saying, Aria?"
She silently cursed her dry mouth and licked her lips again before continuing.
"Would it be so bad if we were in a relationship like that? Like… boyfriend and girlfriend? I mean, I know, we sort of silently agreed that it wasn't a long term thing, if it was a thing at all, but I… I don't know, I guess I fell in love with you and I-"
She whimpered a bit when his lips touched hers.
"You love me?"
Aria blinked a few times, trying to catch up with what was going on. The kiss. He pulled away. He asked a question. She froze. Did she really say that out loud?
Her auto piloted slow nod, answered both of their questions. He chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"We're so screwed should we ever get caught…"
She frowned at his words until he elaborated.
"I love you too, Aria Montgomery, and I'd be happy to be yours."
I've been saying, I won't fall this time but now I'm walking within enemy lines…
I must say that one thing I learned while trying to write this... Halls of Hollis would be an awesome band name.