The Underestimation Of Denial

Chapter 1

Once, something dies, you cannot bring it back with lust; back to life. So I keep our love locked in these words, bound by lies, mistrust and the underestimation of denial.

Aria Montgomery bounced nervously in her seat, fanning her face with her hand to try and stop herself from sweating. The fan above her head was buzzing softly, but casted no air down onto Aria below it. She chewed at her lip, then stopped, remembering that she was wearing red lipstick. All she needed was lipstick on her teeth.

Her phone buzzed softly, waking her from her mild delusions. It was a text from her best friend Hanna, equipped with a picture message. Aria opened it and laughed, seeing a picture of Hanna and Spencer, Aria's other best friend, smiling and holding a thumbs up in the picture. The text said, "You got this, champ!"

They really were the best friends anyone could ask for.

The secretary at the desk smiled at Aria from across the room, then glanced at the clock on the wall behind her desk.

"Are you Aria Montgomery?" The secretary asked. Aria noticed the glint of a silver nametag over the secretary's chest, which read Emily Fields. Emily was really pretty, with thick black waves and big brown eyes. Her eyelashes are as long as pencils, Aria decided.

"Yes." Aria replied politely. "That's me."

Emily Fields smiled. "I take it you're here sorting out a publication deal?" She asked, typing slowly on her computer.

"Yes." Aria beamed, trying to suppress the nervousness she felt in the pit of her stomach. "It's my first time. I'm a little nervous."

Emily chuckled. "What's your manuscript?"

"It's called, 'The Underestimation Of Denial'. A mouthful, I know."

"No, no." Emily said, tone encouraging. "I like it. It's different."

This time Aria chuckled. "Thanks. I like different. I guess the book industry is crying out for different. There can only be so many vampire novels before it gets old."

Emily laughed, nodding. "That's for sure. What's your story about?"

Aria gulped.

High school for Aria had not been an easy four years. Not at all. Maybe it was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she didn't fit in with her peers. Sure she had Spencer and Hanna, but it wasn't the same. Aria was the weird, English geek who dragged a journal everywhere she went and wrote poetry for fun. But apart from the fact she didn't fit in all the time, she also went through- The Noel Thing.

Noel Kahn had always had a part of Aria's heart. She'd crushed on him relentlessly since the fourth grade, but he was always preoccupied with another girl. Another prettier, more popular girl who wasn't Aria. But, by the tenth grade, that all changed.

When Noel had asked her out, she'd been more than ecstatic to say yes. They dated for a solid two months without any issues. They were eye-candy. Aria became ten times more popular, and suddenly had plenty of friends and a party to attend every weekend. She didn't often go to them though; because she saw right through the phoney people who suddenly liked her; just to get to Noel. These happy two months ended though, when she found out about Holly.

Noel had begged for her trust back. He spammed her with texts, blocked up her voicemail and sent her about two thousand emails until she finally answered; just to shut him up. But he somehow won back her feelings, and they were together again.

The cycle continued, and each time Noel found a new way to screw up their relationship, Aria found a new way to forgive him. He was killing her and she knew that. But she just couldn't let him go.

By the time graduation rolled around, Noel had done the absolute most unexpected thing she could have even imagined. He proposed.

Aria knew he wasn't the commitment type. How many times had he kicked around her trust like an empty soda can? But that night, she'd she found herself lost in his eyes and before her mind even registered what was happening, she heard herself say yes.

She kind of expected it; what had happened next. Although a tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed for her not to, she had allowed herself to get excited. The internal warnings she had felt meant nothing anymore; she denied the hesitation.

He left her at the alter.

The Underestimation Of Denial. Of her denial. She shouldn't have denied that sense of warning she had felt. The subconscious that told her what would happen. But she'd underestimated that feeling.

She had watched him, eyes stinging with shocked, unshed tears as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away, as if her heart were meaningless. The event had left her spiralling into a pit of devastation, anger, and a self-consciousness as strong as an ocean current. She lost her trust for anybody that day. A part of her was destroyed. Trampled. She didn't thing she'd ever be the same Aria again.

Sure it was a high school wedding. Sure they were hardly eighteen, and her parents didn't approve. But it really changed Aria. Her grades in University started to slip, and eventually, for her own well being and mental health, she had to take a break from school a while.

So, she went back to writing.

She spent that time off from university working tirelessly on her many different novel projects. For every night she spent locked in her room at her parents house, blinds shut and music blasting, the page count shot up and up.

Her book, The Underestimation Of Denial was born six months later. The plot was about a girl named Alison, who was swept up into a high school romance with Ian, only to be left at the alter. Oh the irony. She sent the manuscript to two different agents, and Holden Strauss was the one to take it. He'd helped her so much, and had negotiated a meeting for her to sign a publication deal. Aria was there that day because of Holden. He unfortunately couldn't make the first meeting, though, for he was dealing with family stuff he wished to keep quiet.

Aria suddenly snapped out of her state of daze and looked back up to Emily, who was trying to stop from laughing. Aria forced a smile and explained, trying to keep her face and voice steady.

When she finished, Emily was staring, listening intently. "That sounds fantastic, Aria."

"Thanks." Aria blushed. "I had a lot of- inspiration."

Emily nodded. "I understand."

Suddenly, Emily's desk phone beeped, and she hit the button. A silky, masculine voice came over the speaker. "Alright, Emily. You can send her on in."

Emily looked up at Aria. "Okay! Mr. Fitz is ready for you're interview. Good luck!"

Aria's heart began to thumb wildly. "Thanks, Emily."

She walked slowly down the hallway, trying to settle her stomach before she went in there. The last thing she needed was to throw up all over the publisher. That wasn't exactly the first impression she wanted to make.

Her hand gripped the door knob, the heavy, cherry wood door her only barrier from her future. A gold plaque sat on the front, which read, E. Fitz. She could only hope that E. Fitz was nice.

She released a shaky breath and stepped inside the office, scanning around before taking her seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. The room was warm, well-furnished and smelled like lemon cleaner. It was nice; she relaxed a little.

But where was E. Fitz?

Her question was answered when a man rushed into the room from behind her. He took a seat in the chair behind the desk and smiled.

Aria took in a silent breath as she absorbed his appearance. His hair was curly and adorable. Eyes dark and bluer than the ocean. His eyelashes were long and straight. What is with this place and eyelashes? Aria thought to herself.

His lips were full and pink, and as he smiled in a greeting, they slid back to reveal a pearly white set of teeth. He was young and beautiful, and she judged him to be in his early to mid-twenties. It surprised her; how someone so young could hold such a high position. He gave her a small look-over, and Aria squirmed slightly in self-consciousness.

"Hi." The man said, extending a hand towards her. His voice was deep and smooth. "I'm your potential publisher. But you can call me Ezra."

Even his name was beautiful.

Aria took his hand, noticing hers was much smaller than his. A jolt of electricity shot through her arm like a livewire, and she swallowed nervously.

Ezra grinned a crooked, yet adorable grin at her, releasing her hand. He went to his desk and pulled out a bound white stack of paper, The Underestimation Of Denial printed on the front.

"Ms. Montgomery, might I begin by saying this manuscript is a wonderful piece of literature. You're very precise with wording, and very clear when projecting emotion. I'd also like to say that your imagery in vivid. Many writers are unable to capture these elements. Might I say this book has it factor, and here at Deacon Press, we'd love to publish it."

Aria's heart began beating wildly, and she tried to stop the tears but failed. They spilled out over her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Fitz." She mumbled, butterflies in her stomach. "I'm not sure if you know how happy you just made me." Aria wiped away her tears, blinking the new moisture in her eyes away.

Ezra smiled another wide, beautiful grin. "The pleasure is all mine. And please, call me Ezra."

"Okay." Aria giggled. "Ezra it is."

She found herself unravelling as she looked into his eyes, and in shock at her reckless actions, she looked away and blushed.

Ezra noticed her blush.

"The details are still uncertain. We have to discuss advance and royalty details with the president of the company. But my job today is to tell you just how interested we are in the manuscript. We've kicked around a few numbers, and let me just tell you that they are high." Ezra said with a wink.

Aria blushed even deeper.

"So, where did you get the inspiration for it?" Ezra quickly realized his words were falling from a place of work into instead a place of personal curiosity. He cleared his throat. "I mean, for an author biography and things like that.

He dug around in his desk again, and pulled out a notepad. Then from a pocket in the front of his shirt, he pulled a pen.

Aria's hazel eyes roamed his upper body. His shirt was an army green, and with it he paired a black tie. His curly hair was smoothed out, but she could tell is was hard to manage.

Her mind suddenly focused in on the question, and she felt herself tense. She didn't mind sharing the story, nor the fact she had been vividly inspired by it. But she didn't like telling people where the inspiration came from.

"Oh, I don't know. It's just something that- came to me." Aria decided it was a good enough answer. Ezra wrote it down.

"It's very well developed." He complimented. "The characters seem so real."

She forced another smile, still raw from the memory.

"Did you read it?" She asked softly, then realized what she had asked. Of course he had read it! He'd just explained to her all of the things he liked about it. Her facial expression recoiled from eager to mortified. Ezra just laughed.

"I'm sorry." Aria muttered. "I just-"

"Don't worry about it." Ezra said, a comforting smile gracing his mouth and eyes. "When I had my first job interview for here I asked the editor who hired me if he liked to read. So believe me, I get nervousness."

Aria chuckled, breaking the eye contact nonchalantly. It had been a long while since she'd spoken to a guy with such- manner.

"And," Ezra continued. "If it makes you feel any better, from a reader's perspective, I loved it."

Aria arched an eyebrow. "Really? You're a romantic?"

Wait. Was she- flirting with him?! Was he flirting with her?

"Well," said Ezra, half-smirk still on his mug. "I guess I am." He stared at the manuscript on his desk for a moment before continuing. "I could prove that to you, over dinner." This time he raised an eyebrow, and stared her deep into the eyes, navy blue on hazel.

Aria couldn't breathe. She, like so many times before was lost in his eyes.

"Yes." She heard herself respond. "I would like that a lot."

'Ello, loves.

So there's chapter one.

This is a story I've had in my brain for awhile now, and although I probably had homework I could have been doing, I succumbed and wrote it anyway. I will try to update quickly, because the story is for the most part planned out in my mind. I hope you enjoyed it!

Please, please, pretty please review. It would mean the world to me. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll write. (Cliché, I know, but it's true.)

Ooh! And follow me on twitter! I will tweet about when I'm writing I promise! Follows are just as valuable as reviews! HaleStorms26