A/N Part 1: Hi guys! I forgot to include an author's note in the last chapter, so I figured I'd put it here. First of all, thanks for the encouraging reviews! I have never shared my fictional writing with anyone aside from my close friends, so I was super nervous about posting this because I thought no one would read or like it. Needless to say, y'all's reviews have surprised me and made me so happy. They're so motivating so keep 'em coming! Constructive criticism is welcome.
When I wrote chapter one, I wrote it with thinking that I would probably never update it because no one would read it, so initially I didn't have a plan. But now I have a solid idea of where I want to take it and I think you guys will like it.
To address what I should've in the first chapter, this is an AU story. Aria and Ezra have no history together. I will dive into their pasts as the story goes on so you can see what kinds of lives they led before they worked together. Also, this is an Ezria story, but as far as romance goes, you'll have to- as Marlene King says- wait for it, wait for it…
Flashback:
"So you work in publishing?" A familiar man with blonde hair and a crooked nose asked, leaning against the bar and nursing a beer.
"Uh, yeah. I'm a PR rep at Rockstream Press in Boston. It's not Scholastic or anything, but I like it there," Aria smiled at the man as she lifted her gin and tonic to her lips.
The man had introduced himself to her not 10 minutes ago, but for the life of her, Aria couldn't remember what he had said. Adam? Anthony? Something with an A, she knew that for sure. Whatever it was, it was becoming clear to her that she was only interested in him because he had offered to buy her drinks for the rest of the night, and having spent a majority of her pocket money on clothes from boutiques off 5th Avenue, she was not about to turn down something free.
"Well, I'm a writer, so maybe you could publish my book?" The man winked, but something told Aria that he wasn't just flirting.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm afraid buying me drinks won't help you advance your career. You have to actually be a decent writer. Are you?"
The man laughed and took a long swig of his beer, his mouth twitching as he swallowed. Aria recognized the action as a sign of procrastination. How many times had she seen an aspiring writer during an interview with her boss nervously take a gulp of their water when they were afraid to answer? Some would call not wanting to call yourself good at something, humble. Aria called it fear. "I mean, I'd like to think I am. But it's not my opinion that matters, is it?"
"No, it isn't. You're right about that," Aria deadpanned, having experienced the rejection of things that she had thought were her best work.
"That sounded bitter," The man raised his eyebrows as if he'd never experienced bitterness before.
"It might've been," Aria shrugged, finishing off her gin. "But it's New Year's Eve and I don't want to dwell on it. New year, new me, as they say." She barked out a laugh at the use of a cliché she despised. The only person who changed at the stroke of midnight was Cinderella, and that- like all things with happy endings- was a fairytale.
"I can drink to that," The man said, waving the bartender in their direction. "How about a round of shots? What would you like?"
"You're still buying, right?" Aria teased.
"Of course," He smirked as if it was below him to make a lady pay for anything.
"Tequila," She turned toward the bartender, "And keep 'em coming."
"Aria?" A voice that Aria once loved pulled her from her thoughts. She could suddenly feel a man's presence hovering over her, but she didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"What do you want, Liam? I'm kind of busy," Her tone was harsh and her words were short. They'd been broken up for 6 months, and though Aria's heart had healed from his love, it remained tattered from his words. He'd turned her into the office whore and made it a priority to make her feel like a lesser employee.
"Ezra wants to see you in his office," Liam popped his knuckles as he spoke.
Aria's head shot up, her mind kicking into overdrive trying to think of everything she'd done wrong. Ezra wasn't a scary boss, but he wasn't one to spare you of your failures. If Aria had screwed anything up, he'd let her know. "Did he say why?" Her throat felt tight, mimicking the feeling she had in her stomach.
"I didn't ask," Liam shrugged. "You probably screwed something up. It's like you to do that."
"Fuck off," Aria hissed.
Liam made a face like he was going to respond but had decided that she was beneath his comment. He abruptly turned on his heels and walked into the break room, surely telling his buddies how unladylike she was for cursing like she had.
"Asshat," Aria huffed as she stood up on shaky legs.
The blinds to Ezra's office were closed and the door was shut. It wasn't unusual for the man to hide himself from the rest of the office as he worked. In the months Aria had known him, Ezra came off as introverted and serious. He seemed to enjoy being alone and keeping to himself. Unlike the previous editor-in-chief, Jillian, Aria knew nothing about his private life. With Jillian, Aria had known that she was engaged to the man she'd been dating for 5 years and that she had unexpectedly gotten pregnant with their daughter, Jade, during the 2nd year of their relationship. She knew that Jillian had known that she wanted to be an editor ever since her sophomore year of high school when she joined her school's yearbook staff and that she had 2 dogs named Roxy and Bailey. When it came to Ezra, Aria didn't even know if he liked his job. She'd observed his bare ring finger and desk on many occasions and came to the conclusion that he had neither a wife nor a girlfriend. He obviously didn't have any kids and his slacks were always free of animal hair, so it was safe to assume that he didn't have any pets. Aria often imagined Ezra going home to a dimly lit apartment and not uttering a single noise until he began to snore in his sleep. To her, Ezra was more a life-like robot who sometimes smiled in meetings, but otherwise kept to his monotone and unwavering way of life.
Aria knocked tentatively on Ezra's office door and awaited a signal to enter. A curt, "Come in," sounded from behind the wood.
"You wanted to see me?" Aria spoke in little more than a whisper. She knew that Ezra wouldn't blow up on her if he was angry with her, but she didn't want him to be angry with her in the first place. She crossed her arms over her chest, "Is everything alright?"
"Not exactly."
Great. Here it comes, she thought.
"Lindsey's water broke this morning and I needed her to review a manuscript we were sent on Monday. One of the interns read over it and decided it should be looked at by an editor. Apparently, it's rather good," Ezra sighed and Aria couldn't tell if it was because he was annoyed with Lindsey for not being able to keep her child inside of her for one more week or if he was just all around stressed. "So, I need a favor."
"Of course, anything," Aria nodded. She loved being PR representative, she really did. It was 10 steps up from being a "gopher" for the office. But she yearned for a position as an editor and if Ezra was about to ask what she thought he was about to ask, this was how she'd achieve it.
"Can you look over it for me? All of the other editors are occupied with other manuscripts and I trust your judgment," Ezra gave the slightest hint of a smile.
"Yes, I would love to do that," Aria could barely contain her excitement. Getting this opportunity felt like unwrapping the bike she'd always wanted on Christmas morning.
"Of course, I'll have one of the other editors look over it again once you're finished and when one has time, but your eye will help us out greatly," He walked behind his desk and fished a bound manuscript from one of his drawers. Aria was disappointed to see that it was rather thin, more like a collection of short stories than a novel. She wanted more of a challenge to prove herself, but she couldn't necessarily complain. A manuscript was a manuscript after all.
"Okay, yeah, I totally understand," Aria nodded furiously as he passed her the stack of papers. "I'll do my best to minimize their workload."
"Thank you," Ezra took a seat in a chair that looked five times more comfortable than the one at Aria's desk. "That's all."
"Right," Aria gave a quick, awkward smile before heading towards his door. As she reached for the handle she stopped herself. It had been exactly a week since their brief and embarrassing interaction in the hallway at their hotel in New York. She never apologized for the way she allowed herself to be seen. "Oh, um, Ezra…" She said more to the wall than to him.
"Yes?" His tone was bored, like he wanted her to leave him in solitude again.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry for…uh…what you…saw at the hotel back in New York. I'd had a very rough night and-"
"Aria, you don't need to apologize. It was the day after New Year's Eve. I get that you were probably a little out of it," He gave a little chuckle as if what he'd said was ironic. "I'm no stranger to one night stands. I know that morning after feeling really lasts all day."
Aria wasn't sure how to respond. Was he joking? She knew her sex hair that evening was a dead give away to the activities she'd partaken in the night before, but she didn't think her boss would be so blunt when pointing it out. She wasn't sure if she should feel violated or just laugh it off, so she went with the latter.
"I'm sorry. That was a little…crude. Did I make you uncomfortable?" An emotion Aria had never seen on him before flashed across his features. Concern. Sure, she'd seen him concerned about authors not meeting deadlines and having the CEO up his ass, but she'd never seen him genuinely concerned for another person.
"No, no, you didn't. It's fine," She waved her hand dismissively. When the worry didn't instantly fade from his face, she smirked, "I guess I'm just a little shocked to hear that stoic Mr. Fitz is so fluent in the language of meaningless hook ups. And here I was, thinking I was the only one at the office who spoke it." That made him laugh.
"Funny, Ms. Montgomery," He covered his lips with his hand and pushed down as if he was wiping away his smile. "Back to work."
"Yes sir," She rolled her eyes playfully before exiting his office.
She nearly ran back to her cubicle to start her new task. There was something so raw feeling about being able to read a story before anyone else got the chance- well aside from that intern. Still, she kind of felt like the was popping the story's word cherry. It was practically a virgin to foreign eyes. Taking a deep breath, Aria allowed herself to read the words on the front page for the first time.
To Shatter a Man
By: Austin Walker
Flashback:
"I'm Austin and you must be the girl I've been waiting for my whole life," The man with the blonde hair and the crooked nose slid into the open seat next to Aria at the bar.
"Wow, that is probably the cheesiest pick up line I've ever heard," Aria laughed, feeling incredibly turned off.
"It might be cheesy, but it got you talking to me," The man-Austin- winked. "But all pick up lines aside, I'm Austin. Austin Walker. And I would love to buy you a drink."
"Do you always introduce yourself like you're James Bond?" Aria questioned, stirring the ice of her empty glass around with a straw.
"I have a feeling that James Bond would impress you more than I am right now, huh?" Austin let out a pitiful laugh.
"Probably," Aria shrugged. "But 007 isn't offering me free drinks. You are. I'm Aria. Aria Montgomery." She mimicked Bond's voice.
Austin grinned, "Well Aria, you're mistaken. I said 'drink' not drinks."
"But I said drinks. And you look like a guy who can afford…drinks." She put emphasis on the 's'. A completely sober Aria would never say something so forward and pushy to a man, especially one she'd just met. However, a slightly tipsy Aria liked to present herself as a temptress to get things she wouldn't receive otherwise.
"You caught me," Austin put his hands up in surrender. "So what would you like first?"
A/N Part 2: Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and what you think is going to happen. Did you like the Ezria interaction? Are you surprised that the manuscript was written by the same man Aria slept with in New York? Do you think that's just a coincidence? I'm really excited about this story so I plan to update pretty frequently. Thanks for reading!
-Erin xo