June 23rd, 2013

Perfect.

That was the only word he could think of as the two of them laid side by side, letting the warm summer air sweep over their still bodies. Ezra watched as the wind hit her peaceful face and stirred the blades of grass that intertwined with her dark wavy hair. The sun reflected off of the surface of her necklace, the necklace that he gave to her just a few weeks prior.

"You're staring." Aria said, her eyes still closed.

"I can't help it." Ezra replied. It was true, he couldn't help himself. Her beauty drew his eyes to her in a way that he couldn't explain.

"Careful," She pulled her lips into a smirk and turned her head towards Ezra, opening her eyes, "People might think you're a creep."

He frowned and turned his body on his side, facing away from her, "Is this better?"

Aria chuckled to herself and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back to her, "No, no I much prefer this," she said, leaning over his body to give him a kiss. Her hair swept over his face as she rolled off of him and settled on her back again. It was quiet for a few moments before Aria spoke, "Why can't summer last forever?"

"Nothing lasts forever." he pointed out, quite matter-of-factly.

"It was a rhetorical question." she said, looking up at the sky.

Ezra thought about his words, and although they came out much darker than he intended, he thought about how true they would prove to be. Forevers didn't exist, not for him at least. He was well aware of that, but as the clocked ticked down he sometimes found himself wondering if forever was possible. Listening to this girl talk about infinities gave him a special kind of hope. The kind of hope that he knew was misplaced, but chose to put faith in anyway. The rest of forever. It was something Aria always said. If there was one thing he could be sure of, he would be spending the rest of his forever with the girl he loved more than anything.

Ezra snapped out of his train of thought and glanced at Aria, "Now you're the one staring."

She smiled and put her hand over his chest, resting her head on his arm, "What are you thinking about?"

"You." he said shyly, stroking her arm with his fingertips.

"Yeah? What about me?"

"Just that I love you. I mean I really, really love you."

Her cheeks turned bright red as she buried her face in his chest, wondering how she could have possibly found someone like Ezra Fitz. There was always a catch with boys like him. She knew that he had to have a horrible secret just waiting to come out and rip his perfect image apart, but no matter what he did he was still the same Ezra. There was always a catch, but every moment Aria spent with him she thought that maybe just this once, there wasn't.

It was silent again. The only sounds came from the whistling of leaves or the occasional bird singing as it flew by. For Aria and Ezra it was a comfortable silence. That was something not commonly found among couples, the idea of comfortable silence. For most people it was awkward, but for them it was something to be cherished. Aria could think of no better way to spend her afternoon as she listened carefully to Ezra's soothing heartbeat, her head rising up and down with his chest. His mind wandered as he stared up at the clouds, picking apart each one to look like Aria; her eyes, her leg, her lips. He saw her in everything. She consumed his every thought just as he consumed hers. A relationship was something neither of them had put much thought into considering both of their parents were divorced. They didn't look for love the way most people their age did, it just happened. It was unexpected. Aria was used to running away before things got too serious but Ezra came so suddenly, so surprisingly, that she had already fallen before she even realized it. Maybe it was fate, chance, or maybe pure luck. Whatever it was, it was once in a lifetime.

Twenty minutes passed without saying a word, both enjoying their own thoughts in each other's company, "Ezra?" Aria asked, lifted her head.

"Hmm?"

Aria sat up, "I'm hungry."

Ezra laughed and stood up, extending his hand to her. She took his hand and he pulled her onto her feet. Keeping his fingers locked with hers, they walked out of the park. They reached the main road and Ezra tried to ignore the dirty looks they received. He felt like a criminal when he walked through the streets of Rosewood, which he wasn't since Aria was no longer his student and of age. It bothered him that very few could understand how right he and Aria were for each other. Sometimes Ezra smiled to himself when he passed by a scowling face, because he knew that they could spend a lifetime trying to find what he and Aria had and still never get it. His mind counted down to the day when they would move to California together and start living the the life he knew Aria deserved. He hated seeing the effects that their taboo relationship had on her life in Rosewood. Her family, her classmates, and most of the town used it against her and he couldn't help but feel responsible. If only he had controlled his feelings and never let himself fall for her. However, the truth was that after meeting her in the bar, he laid awake that night already falling foolishly in love with Aria Montgomery. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that they were wrong once they realized their situation, it was too late.

Ezra held the door for Aria as she entered the brew. "Hey Aria," said a voice from behind the counter. Aria looked up to see Emily walking in her direction. Emily gave her a quick hug and nodded towards the man standing at Aria's side, "Ezra."

"It's good to see you Emily." he said, smiling.

She walked back to the counter as Aria and Ezra followed, "So, what can I get you guys?"

Aria ordered first, "Caesar salad and iced coffee, please."

"And I'll take a muffin and a cappuccino." he said, removing his arm from Aria's waist to retrieve his wallet. Emily quickly prepared their coffee and his muffin, "The salad will only be a few minutes." she said, taking the card in Ezra's hand. He paid for them both and grabbed his coffee and muffin, "I'm gonna get a table."

As soon as he walked away Emily's smile grew to cover her entire face. "What?" Aria asked defensively, sipping on her drink.

"Nothing, it's just nice seeing you two out in public."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Glad someone thinks so."

Emily smiled apologetically, "But hey, you're moving out to California with him soon, yeah?"

Aria's face lit up at the thought, "End of July."

"If anyone deserves to get out of this shitty town it's you two," Emily sighed, "I'll really miss you though..."

"Hey, I'm not leaving tomorrow!" Aria replied, "No goodbyes yet."

A man placed Aria's food on the counter as Emily glanced at the group of students walking through the door, "I gotta get back to work, I'll see you at Spencer's later tonight." Aria smiled as she walked to the table Ezra was seated at. She was happy that there was at least one person she didn't need to say goodbye to.

"So are you staying over tonight?" Ezra asked as Aria finished her salad. His voice sounded desperate.

"I can't, I'm meeting the girls at Spencer's tonight. Relax babe, you're moving across the country with me. For the rest of forever, right?"

He smiled and reached for her hand, "Right."

As people walked in and out of the Brew they stared and whispered at the couple quietly laughing in the corner. Aria and Ezra seemed to be in their own world when they were together. They hadn't even noticed the copious amounts of attention they were receiving until some of Aria's former classmates decided to sit next to them. In what appeared to be a not-so-subtle attempt to be loud and obnoxious, Aria found them easy to ignore. Everything they said were things she'd heard countless times before, but for Ezra it was unmanageable. He was okay with the rumors about him, but he couldn't stand to hear people talk about Aria. Ezra was always kind and forgiving, but if there was one thing that made him angry this was it. Aria, recognizing the rare look of rage in his eyes, stood from the table and dragged him along with her.

As they walked towards the exit she stopped suddenly, "Let them whisper, Ezra. They can't touch us." she said quietly, gently pressing her lips to his. He took her hand as they left and chuckled as Aria blew a kiss in the direction of the speechless students that had been sitting next to them. She was fearless, and although she would never admit it to him, Ezra was the only person she could be fearless around. He was the only person who made her feel safe enough and vice versa. They broke down each others walls and used the pieces to rebuild one of their own. A wall that surrounded them and protected them against the harsh blows of reality the world loved to throw at them.