I realized that I had never finished this story. So, here it is! Enjoy!
Aria stepped into Ella's bedroom, closing the door for a little privacy. After pulling up Ezra's number and dialing, Aria noticed she was unconsciously pacing back and forth next to the bed. She was nervous. Why was she nervous?
She just had a great conversation about Ezra with her mom and now she was about to see Ezra again. Interrupting her thoughts, Ezra answered the call "Miss me already, huh?' he asked, laughing slightly at the thought.
"Not exactly" Aria responded with a serious tone to her voice.
Ezra's lighthearted tone immediately did a one-eighty, being replaced by one of anxiousness instead. "What's wrong?" he said immediately.
"Nothing, really… actually things are good. But, you might want to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you" said Aria as she moved to take a seat herself.
"Fine, just tell me what's going on" Ezra huffed, bracing himself for whatever Aria was about to tell him.
" Well" Aria began, trying to think of the best was to approach the conversation " my mom wants you to come over for diner… tonight". While Aria waited for Ezra's response, she realized he probably needed more information. " When I came home today, my mom said she wanted to talk about us… well you and I, our relationship." Aria took a deep breath and continued on, "she listened, Ezra, calmly, we talked for a while and I answered all her questions… some which were quite interesting".
"Wow, okay, so what does this mean, Ar? I mean, I'm glad your conversation went well and that at least she's listening to you, but why all the sudden does she want me to come for dinner? No offense, but I'm not sure I had being interrogated by your mother on my list of to-do's today…" Ezra trailed off, hopeful, yet apprehensive at Ella's true motives, instinctively rubbing the back of his neck in a unconscious move to alleviate some of his stress.
Aria laughed at the comparison, "No," Aria laughed, "it's not going to be an interrogation, at least I think not... Look, if this is a chance to make Ella understand us better, we kind of have to take it. I mean what other options do we have? She's reaching out, Ezra, she's trying," Aria pleaded with Ezra, knowing he was nervous. "Plus, I'll be there to protect you. Mama bears don't actually eat their young, right?" quipped Aria, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, they just kill everything that comes into contact with their cubs… for example, an older boyfriend." Ezra replied, continuing the joking manner, but with an unmistaken unease.
"Point taken," she responded bluntly, still waiting on an actual answer from Ezra.
With an exasperated sigh, Ezra finally gave Aria the answer she was looking for. "What time should I be there?"
_ AN HOUR LATER AT ELLA'S APARTMENT_
Aria had busied herself by setting the table for dinner, making sure it looked perfect. No, a perfect table setting would make all of the awkwardness of tonight go away, but it wouldn't hurt would it. All the while, Ella was putting the finishing touches on the pasta she had made for the evening. A knock at the door tore Ella and Aria away from their respective tasks.
"I'll get it!" Aria exclaimed as she flung herself at the door before her mother could even move. She opened it to find a very nervous looking Ezra. He hadn't even taken a step through the door yet and he was already fidgeting. "Hey" Aria greeted him softly".
"Hi," he responded awkwardly, one of his hands shoved deep in his pocket while the other had a death grip on a small bouquet of flowers. He made no move to enter the apartment as Aria moved to the side of the door, waiting for him to step inside. It was if his body was paralyzed out of fear.
Aria took in his distress and took a step towards him instead. She reached up to his face lovingly and tilted it down until their eyes locked. With a reassuring smile and loving look in her eye Aria tried to comfort Ezra, "it's just dinner," she said, "you will be absolutely fine". Ezra's stiff stance began to soften as Aria moved her lips up to Ezra's barely touching them as she stood on her toes. "Come on," she whispered, "my mom will be wondering where we are".
"Let's do this," Ezra replied, mentally preparing himself for an evening full of questions.
As Aria and Ezra stepped into the apartment, they were immediately halted by Ella's presence. Clearly she had just watched their entire interaction as she raised her eyebrow's slightly at them. "Glad you two decided to finally come in," she deadpanned, waiting for Ezra's reaction.
"Ella," he responded clearly, "it's good to see you. Thank you for inviting me. I really appreciate you taking the time to hear Aria and I out. Really, it means a lot."
"Well I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm finally going to give my approval to the two of you, but let's not be concerned with that. Tonight, let's just have dinner and talk," Ella finished as she ushered Aria and Ezra to the table.
A few minutes later, they were all seated, their full plates in front of them and no one had yet to usher a word. "I suppose I should be the one to start, " Ella began, twirling a fork of spaghetti on her plate. "I'm not sure how much Aria told you about our conversation early, but we talked about your relationship. How it started, the obvious issues with it and ultimately where it's going. My goal is to understand what you both have together, not to necessarily support it, but I should at least make an effort to understand it before judging you. Does that sound fair?" Ella posed, looking Ezra straight in the eye.
"More than fair," he responded, "what would you like to know?"
"When was the turning point for you? When did you decide that you were all in with Aria and that there was no going back?" Ella questioned.
Ezra looked over at Aria for a moment, trying exactly how to field this questions. He knew Ella would ask difficult and intimate questions, but he didn't expect it the first question out.
He put down his fork, cleared his throat and began to tell Ella about going to New York and interviewing for a position. "I had left Rosewood to go look for a teaching position in New York. I didn't tell anyone, let alone Aria, I just left. I told myself I was looking to just move away so that Aria could live her life without the complication of our relationship. But, in reality, I think I was looking for a way to make us okay because I couldn't face the fact that being with her was wrong. I got back and she was angry with me, rightfully so, but I guess I hadn't expected her to have reacted so strongly. I explained, but ultimately, I still walked away. I thought it was what was best for her. A few days later…." At that moment, Ezra paused, clearly trying to figure out how much he should tell Ella. Once again, he turned to Aria looking for reassurance.
"Go ahead, it's okay," Aria said softly, reaching out for his hand.
"A few days later," Ezra continued, "Aria confronted me about something I had written. A poem, about her, how much she means to me. She was hurt that I could write that poem and still let her go. She told me I was running away from my feelings and that I was being a coward." Ezra looked down at their hands, a slight smile appearing on his face as Aria lovingly squeezed it providing him with an extra bit of encouragement. "She was right," he stated simply. " I was running away from us. That was the moment I knew that I was all in. Seeing the look of hurt on her face and knowing that I caused that by denying our feelings. I could never do that to her again."
"Wow," Ella said, "that wasn't exactly what I was expecting to hear. I appreciate your truthfulness."
The rest of the night was spent with Ella asking a few more questions and Ezra answering them patiently. After some time, the questions turned into conversation. Not a comfortable one by any means, but they were all trying to make it work.
As Ella was finishing up loading the dishwasher, Aria walked Ezra to the door. "Thank you for tonight, Ezra, it means a lot" Aria spoke, closing the apartment door behind her to give her and Ezra some privacy.
"Why are you thanking me?" Ezra posed, "you and me, I'm in it for the long haul. Whatever it takes."
At that moment, Ezra reached down, tilting Aria's chin up with his index finger and gave her a simple kiss. Aria moved her body closer to Ezra's, deepening the kiss in the process. After a minute, Ezra stepped back, breaking the kiss. "I should go," he stated simply. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Of course. How about we go see a movie? I think the theater is having a classic movie marathon" she spoke softly.
"Sounds perfect," he responded and turned to walk away.
Aria looked after him for a moment, trying to figure out how she got to keep Ezra even though her parents knew they were together.
As she stepped back into her apartment, Ella spoke up, "I'm impressed. I didn't think he would be so convincing. But, it's clear as day how much he loves you. Don't take it for granted."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Aria responded with a confused look on her face. 'What is she say?' she thought to herself.
"All right, I'm going to bed," said Ella as she kissed the top of Aria's head.
"Hey mom?" Aria posed.
"Yes honey?" Ella responded.
"Where does this leave us? You and me, me and Ezra?" Aria asked tentatively.
"Honestly, I'm still trying to piece everything together. But, today was a start. I think I understand you two know, or at least I'm beginning to. Goodnight, Aria, " Ella said softly as she turned towards her bedroom.
"Thank you, Mom. And for the record, by not pushing Ezra away, you're letting me be me, just like you promised," spoke Aria with a few tears coming to her eyes.
"I love you, Aria."
"I love you to, Mom."
With that, Ella went to bed and Aria took a moment to appreciate how far her and Ezra's relationship had come. Turning out the lamp in the living room, Aria headed towards the guest bedroom ready for a night of rest after a long, but wonderful day.
