Previously: Aria met Ezra under the town clock, which meant that they were each giving their relationship another chance. Ezra was worried about how to go on, and Aria has a plan that hasn't been revealed quite yet.
Ezra's POV
I listen in horror as she goes over her plan. Is she saying what I really think she is?
Aria talks quickly and nervously as she waves her hands around in front of her as she explains the plan. She begins, "I know that this is impossible to dodge; we can't ever go on here in Rosewood as a couple without everyone staring at us. You know they would make accusations and whisper rumors behind our backs. This town talks a lot. Ezra, if you really want us to be a couple, you'll do this for me. We have to tell everyone. My less-close friends from school, your co-workers; everyone.
"But not just yet. I'm 18 in a few months - okay, so more like three entire months of torture - but the point is that we can finally get our relationship out in the open! Wouldn't you love to stroll down to Starbucks to get a coffee without everyone staring?" She looks pleadingly at me, her eyes wide in that puppy dog begging look that she masters so significantly well. She continues, "We could finally be a real couple doing real things! And yes, I know that the authorities would go after us - I realize that - but its not as if they can do anything about us if I'm 18, right?"
Her face is so pleading; begging; adorable that I can't say no to this one. Although I feel like it is risky, I see her side of it, and realize that we're one couple who can't live a day without taking risks. We need to try, or else we're sure to fail. Right?
"But what about until then?" I ask, wondering if she has thought at all about that time period.
"Well," She hesitates, and then her hesitation stretches into a wide grin that lights up her eyes, as if her brain had an outstanding idea just begin to spark, which is quite possible.
She grins slyly, "Yes, that will do perfectly."
Looking at her in question, I wonder just what her devilish little mind has come up with.
10 A.M the next morning - Ezra's POV still
"Oh, shut up!" Aria screeches at me from her fierce position on her front stoop. I throw my arms up in agitation, but even through all my anger, I can't help but notice just how beautiful she is; how her hair, silky soft and smooth, flows over her shoulder in a perfect arc; how her lips purse and her eyes narrow when she's angry. Everything about her draws me in.
She continues her rant without letting me say a word. Her voice is frustrated and way too loud for our argument; I'm worried the neighbors will overhear, and if so, we can for sure count on being thrown into a wave of more trouble.
"How dare you say that, Ezra! I thought you loved me," She says disgustedly. "Just- Just stay away from me!"
Her words pierce me to my core, sending ripples of hurt to my soul, ruining my heart. If only she didn't have to say that.
What comes out of my mouth is completely opposite the thoughts and feelings that are evoked inside of me; my mouth has a mind of its own. I sputter as I'm caught in the spotlight. What do I say? Do I tell her how much I love her, or do I reprimand her for how much she's hurt me?
"Aria, if you had one wit, you would know for a fact that you're a stupid, selfish child, and that this - what we had together - was nothing but a wisp of hope on your part!"
Her face twists in hatred. And my stomach churns in worry as I see her expression.
Why did I say that? But I know why. It had to come out eventually.
In a swift movement she yanks open her front door, making it squeak as it swings open all too easily. Looking at me one last time, she spits, "I never want to see you again, Ezra! Stay the hell away from me."
And that's when my heart finally cracks.
Spencer's POV
"Hey!" I grin, winding my way around the tables in my way to where Aria sits in the corner of the grille. Her hair is pulled up in a cute little do; the glossy brunette strands of hair are twisted back in a gorgeous sloppy bun. The black blazer she wears with her stunning feather earrings catches my eye; she appears so sophisticated!
When she called me to ask me to coffee at the grille, she sounded a little worried, but she appears to be so put-together, it stresses me out just a little less for her sake. I gladly accepted the offer, because there is something that is obviously bothering her, and as her friend, I really truly want to help her with it. She's so nice; she doesn't deserve to suffer like I have with Toby being gone.
"Hey!" She chirps happily, but I can see that her heart isn't in it.
"Aria, what's wrong?" I ask, suddenly hyper-aware of her unease as I sit down in the metal chair in front of her, gripping my coffee mug tightly as I attempt to thaw out my frozen fingers. I trace the leafy patterns on the mug as I glance at her expectantly.
I'm almost worried that she's going to say that her Dad was shot, or that her friend Holden is moving away again, but what comes out of her mouth is definitely worse.
"Spence, I haven't been completely honest with you. I told you that I haven't seen Ezra since I began calling him, begging him to talk to me, but I have seen him since," She takes a deep breath and forges ahead. "He kissed me last night."
"Well, that's wonderful!" I exclaim, excitement running through my veins for my friend. My enthusiasm dies down as I puzzle, "But why are you still upset? It means he is still talking to you, right?"
One second she was pleading with Ezra, her love of her life, to see each other again, and the next she's wishing he went away? This is so unlike Aria; she usually has a clear mind of what she wants. My eyebrows meet in confusion as I look at her curiously, wondering what could be the matter that it'd be a problem.
I expected her to reply with something like, My dad sent Ezra to jail this morning, or, My mom figured out that we're meeting in secret. But once again she surprises me with something so unexpected that I never would have guessed had she not told me.
Aria's eyes fill with unshod tears as she whispers, "We broke up this morning."
For the next twenty minutes, we sit there as Aria pours her heart out to me and the walls of the room. Finally, my mind begins to connect the pieces of the puzzle, and I realize something very important, but still extremely dangerous.
Aria's POV
I wait for promptly five seconds after knocking on the door. Turning my feet back and forth, I study my new brown and tan Steve Madden boots intently while little tremmors of excitement run through my body.
I'll finally get to see him again. Finally.
Hearing footsteps approach the door, I look at what is around me; I don't want to appear too eager to see him again, although I feel like I'm jumping out of my skin at spending a whole day with him.
The hallway of his apartment complex is empty, the tan, woven doormats in their regular spots. The walls are pristine as always, and the brown wooden floors shiny.
The door finally opens.
It opens hesitantly at first, with only one of his eyes peeking out from behind the cover of it.
Then he grins widely, as if he thought I'd died and he'd never live to see me again. He enthusiastically says, "Aria!" and widens the door.
I rush into his waiting arms, muscular and secure around my body, and kiss him intently. As always, his kisses are tender yet intense, and I yearn for even more as I'm kissing him. Our lips clash with each others in such a perfect way that we know that we've memorized each other to the whole. He's tempting, and forgiving, and so, so alluring, that all I want to do is snuggle up with him and never let go.
Soon we're inside his apartment, the door closed, and we sit on the old ratty green couch that has housed us for quite a while now.
I look into his beautiful eyes with love, and just stare at him for a while, not believing the miracle I've been gifted with; to have him.
"I'm sorry," He says. His eyes show some guilt and betrayal within them, as if he genuinely thought that this was permanent, what we had to do. It wasn't though; if it was, I'm pretty sure that there is no possible way that either of us would live through it.
Sympathetic, I say calmly, "For breaking up with me? Ezra, you know it was necessary. Besides, I was the one who suggested it, so I should be the one apologizing. Hopefully it threw them off our track."
"Let's just hope so," He agrees, squeezing my hand lovingly, and then sending tingles from my fingers all the way up my arm as he gathers me closer to his warm, strong body. I lean into him, smelling that scent that I'm so used to; his unique, earthy smell. Almost instantly, I can feel my nerves, which have been jumping about all day, settling down into a soft rest.
Curious, he asks, "Do you think they bought it? From what your mom said? That was her at the door, right?"
I nod, "Yeah, I think so. But, Ezra, she looked so disappointed. Honestly, I'm not sure whether I should be relieved that she believed me, or guilty that I'm still keeping secrets from her, even if she knows most of what is going on."
"Aria, you shouldn't feel guilty about your mom; she knows you love her. Anyone can see that. But you have to remember that we're doing this just to tide us over for a while. It was our best choice."
That doesn't really help me any, despite the fact that it came from Ezra, who I almost always believe right away. I still feel the guilt eating at my insides, gnawing away at the hope that Ella might realize what is going on and understand.
I sigh. I guess that I shouldn't think too hard about it; there isn't really anything that can happen to fix it at this point, besides hope that one day we can finally be together. For real.
Burying my head in Ezra's chest, I lay there, wondering about our future, and my family's future, and my friends future as I fight the pain in my heart that seems to keep consuming my hope and turning it into doubt. His fingers wind through my hair, calming me just a little, as I lounge there feeling only the slightest bit content. I just wish that I could know that we made the right decision by doing this.
Ella's POV
A few hours ago, I was furious as ever, and I raced to the front door when I realized just who my daughter was having a vivid fight with. It promptly ended when I got there; Aria slammed the door shut in his face, screeching all kinds of profanities that I failed to punish her for in all the surprise and excitement.
Teenagers are the most difficult beings to understand. Just three days ago, Aria was urging us to accept him into our family; nagging us to let her have a legal relationship with him, and yet we wouldn't budge. Today, she was shrieking at him like a banshee. The thing that puzzles me the most is that she is acting so unlike herself; normally, she is a fairly rational person who knows what she wants. But this? I just don't know what to think.
When I asked her about it, she replied sheepishly. With a pained voice, she said, We broke up.
Despite the honesty she said it with, I feel like there's still something she's not telling me.
And that is why although I pretended to be, I'm not completely on board with their whole breakup.
Aria went behind our backs even after we knew and said no. Ezra obviously helped her, too, since he was breaking up with her just this morning.
As I lie in bed thinking through all this, I stare up at the pitch dark ceiling in wonder. Could they be tricking us again? Or are they seriously broken up?
I feel like Byron and I are the townspeople in The Boy Who Cried Wolf. We're always trusting Aria, trying to believe that she means what she says. But like the townspeople, we are always betrayed. Could this just be another one of her false cries? Or is it real?
Two hours later, after tossing and turning over this confusion, I start to drift off to sleep.
My last thought comes to me before I lose consciousness, and it almost shocks me out of my resting state.
What if there really is such thing as true love?
