Ezra knew she was upset with him. He could see that. He expected it in fact. One thing he didn't expect was the disappointment etched along the features of her beautiful face.

As he stood before her while she seethed words she didn't mean, he had a sudden and overwhelming urge to silence her with a kiss. But he restrained himself. He remembered that that urge was the reason they were currently in their predicament. He realized then that it was his urges, his involuntary desire for her, that began all of this.

You see, because from the moment he saw Aria in the Hollis Bar & Grill, he knew he wanted her. He had imagined countless afternoons spooning her on his couch as she read over his stories, evenings where he cooked for her and she rewarded his generosity with some of her own, Sunday mornings where she'd help him grade his student's papers, and so many more fantasies.

So there he stood, making the effort, saying all of the things he had rehearsed, all of the things he knew he should say but didn't believe in. How they shouldn't, nay couldn't be together, but oh, how badly he wanted them to be!

"I'm sorry, what?" he said abruptly, her impertinent glare breaking him from his reverie.

"Ugh!" she grunted, stamping her foot. "I can't believe you, Ezra!"

"I'm sorry." He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. He was still soaking wet from being caught in the storm. "Aria, you have to understand-"

"I understand! I understand everything. I'm not a child. I know it's wro-" she paused before continuing, "not normal. But I thought we had something."

"We did," he replied, removing his hands from his coat and shifting his gaze to the floor.

"We do," Aria corrected him.

"We do," he whispered in agreement, nodding softly. He was still so in love with her, her winsome personality, her beauty and intelligence, her maturity.

"I thought we had something that was beyond society's norms."

She sounded so naïve as she said this, but if she was being naïve, then he was too because he believed the same. It didn't matter what anyone thought. She was it for him. He didn't have to search any more. And if the rest of the world thought their relationship was ridiculous, then screw them.

It was just so unfair that he fell in love with a student on his first teaching gig.

"You're right," he said simply.

Aria gave a sigh of relief, stalked over to him and pulled her arms around his slender waist. At least now she knew that they were on the same page. That he still cared for her, didn't want to give up or give in. She rested her head against his chest, breathed in his familiar scent, felt the dampness of his clothes and the warm body beneath them.

"Aria," Ezra spoke softly, his nose in her hair, kissing the top of her head. She looked up at him, waiting for him to kiss her, for everything to be all right again. His eyes were on hers, their mouths so near to one another, yet he pulled away.

"We can't do this here," he said finally, untangling her arms from around him and setting them on her sides.

"Your friend is probably still expecting you," he explained, unable to control his hands from groping up her arm until they rested in the crook of her neck.

He caressed the soft skin for a moment, her head leaning to the side for him, her eyes fluttering shut, and what's that? A sigh. He quickly pulled his hands back.

Her eyes were back on him, and he gulped unconsciously. Why did they have to be so big and beautiful?

"I don't like him that way, Ezra," she told him. He stared at her, expressionless.

"Noel. I was forced by a friend to start seeing other guys, and it almost worked up until you came back, and made me feel so stupid." She wiped away tears he hadn't realized she was crying. "You're what I want," she exclaimed, sniffing.

"I want you too," he finally admitted to her. "Don't cry. You have to head back now. Call me tonight. We need to talk."

"Okay," she agreed, drying her face with the back of her hand. "We'll talk tonight."

She brought her hand to his forehead to brush the wet curls from his eyes, and before he could protest, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. It took only a moment for him to respond. In an instant, two bodies became one, melted into each other and got lost in the frenzy. She pulled away too soon and turned to leave, looking over her shoulder at him.

Ezra cursed under his breath. He was going to have a hard time thinking logically now. There was no way he was going to let her go after that kiss.