Thanks for all the positive reviews. Here's the next chapter.

Aria

School seemed to drag on, as Aria was ready for the day to be over. The final bell finally rang, and Aria quickly gathered her things and made her way out of the classroom. She decided to make a quick stop at her locker and was soon joined by her friends.

"Want to go to the Brew?" Spencer asked as she, Hanna and Emily approached Aria at her locker.

"I can't," Aria replied "I'm going to see Ezra."

Aria could feel the stares from her friends, even though her back was to them. She turned around and the looks on their faces relayed their feelings on the situation.

"What?" She asked wanting to know exactly she said that her friends didn't like.

"Nothing," Emily said breaking the awkward silence. "It's just we didn't know he was back."

"Well he is and I'm heading to his apartment."

"Are you sure you should?" Spencer asked a little concerned, "We just don't want you to make any rash decisions, as far as Ezra is concerned."

"We're just friends." She said a little defensively.

"Yeah, like you too could ever be just friends." Hanna said sarcastically.

"We're just worried about you, Aria," Spencer said, "Sometimes you don't really think straight when it comes to him."

"I'm just going to welcome him home. After what he did for us that night, I think he deserves a warm welcome."

"True," Emily stated, "We just don't think it would be a good idea for you and him to be alone in his apartment right now. You two have a lot of history, and to be honest, the two of you have a habit of falling back into old habits fairly quickly."

Aria understood her friends concerns. She and Ezra have always had a very passionate relationship, and a part of her was concerned that her feelings would lead her to do something she wasn't ready for right now.

"I get it," Aria said after a short silence, "but that not whats going to happen. He and I have a lot of work to do in rebuilding our relationship, before I could even think of anything happening between us. So don't worry, okay?"

"Okay," the three of them said at the same time, but she could tell that they didn't really believe her.
After finally getting away from her friends, Aria made her way to her car. After getting inside and starting it up, she began her journey to the apartment she knew too well. After pulling up in front of the building, she exited the car and made her way inside of the apartment complex. After making her way up to the third floor, she stood, nervously, outside the door that read 3B. She considered using the key that still resided on her key chain, but decided against it. She looked at the door again, before raising her fist to knock. It all felt real now, and she knew he was on the other side waiting for her.

Ezra

Ezra sat nervously on his couch, watching the news on the television, waiting for Aria to arrive. She got out of school 20 minutes ago, so he knew she would be there soon. Moments later, he heard a light knock at the door. He turned off the TV, and quickly made his way to the door. He took a deep breath, before reaching for the knob, and turning it, revealing the love of his life standing on the other side.

"Hi," he said with a huge smile plastered on his face.

'Hi," she responded, looking deeply into the eyes that she loved. She felt that spark she always felt when she stared into those blue eyes, and blushed when she saw how happy he was to see her.

"Come in." Ezra said a little too happily, causing Aria to chuckle at his eagerness. Once inside she closed the door, and looked once again into his eyes, and then without thinking, she leaped into his arms and hugged him tighter then she ever had before. Tears began to fall from her eyes, as she held onto him for dear life. He chuckled as he hugged her back, glad that after all this time they were back in the same room, together.

After what seemed like forever, she finally let go, and smiled up at him. He smiled back, before taking her hand and leading her over to the couch. Once they both sat down, the nervousness that they both were feeling prior to their reunion began to come back.

"You look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you," Aria broke the silence that had taken over.

"Yeah, I feel better," he said in response, before blurting out "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too," she admitted, "but, it doesn't change our current circumstance."

Aria could see the hurt in Ezra's eyes after she finished. She reached over and took his hand in hers and continued, "Things can never go back to the way the were."

Ezra let out a sigh because he knew she was right. They couldn't go back, but maybe they could move forward. Ezra knew that he wasn't ready to let her go, so after a short silence he took the chance to say, "Maybe things could be better."

Aria looked up a bit surprised, she wasn't expecting this.
"What do you mean?" she inquired, not sure where this conversation was going.

"I mean, maybe we could start over, from scratch."

Aria never that of that possibility. She knew that what they originally had was destroyed by his lies, but maybe he was right. Starting over, building a new foundation for their broken relationship could possibly work, but how? He was still her teacher. She promised her father that they would be just friends. She knew Byron wouldn't be happy if she went back on her word, the word she had given just that morning.

"As tempting as that sounds, your still my teacher, Ezra, we can't go back to sneaking around anymore, especially since my dad knows we were seeing each other again."

Ezra smiled as she finished her rant. Aria was taken back by his reaction, she expected him to be heart-broken, but he wasn't.

"What if that wasn't a problem anymore?" Ezra questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if I wasn't your teacher anymore?"

Aria couldn't believe what he was saying, would he honestly quit his job at Rosewood, again, for her. More importantly, would she let him?

"Ezra, you need a job."

"Actually, I don't."

Aria looked puzzled at his answer, and wondered how he could get by without his job.

Ezra could sense Aria confusion so he spoke up, "Aria, something happened between me and my mom, and I'm sure it will explain everything."

Ezra began to explain everything that happened between the two in New York, his heart-felt conversations with his mother and her willingness to allow him to live his life the way he wanted, and of course, his trust fund.

"Wow," Aria exclaimed, "I cant believe she would do something that nice without an ulterior motive."

"She says she has none, that almost losing me made her realize how wrong she's been all this time."

"Well, I still don't trust her." Aria admitted.

"To be honest, neither do I, but I think that maybe she deserves a second chance. Everyone deserves at least one, right?"

Aria sensed his double meaning, that she should give him a second chance. She had lied to him many times before, although not about anything as serious as his lies, but she knew that she would never be able to move on without seeing if they could work. Starting over, from the beginning, could be what they needed. Maybe it could make their love stronger, but in order for this to work, they had to go slow, very slow.

"I get what you're saying," she stated, "and I know you don't just mean your mom, but us too."

Ezra could almost read her mind in that moment and said, " We can go slow, Aria, no pressure to do anything you feel your not ready for right now."

Aria smiled at his statement, he could always know what she was thinking, they were perfect for each other, and she wanted things to work this time.