A/N: I'm floored by your guys' support for this story. I honestly am so happy to read that you guys actually like my writing! Haha. For all of those who have reviewed, this one's for you. Keep reviewing, I love hearing what you guys think. It literally keeps me going and reminds me why I love writing in the first place.
I'm not positive how many more chapters there are, but I've decided to take it day by day. I'm going to keep going on this for as long as you guys want me to, or until I feel like I can't stretch it out anymore. That being said, I think I have a couple more ideas rolling around in my mind, so I'm just going to take them and run with it. We'll see what happens. :)
The song in this chapter is called "Mess We've Made" by AJ Rafael and Tori Kelly. Check it out on Youtube, it's an amazing song, and you won't regret listening to it, I promise.
- J
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except the characters you don't recognize. I especially don't own this song. I wish I did, but I don't. Haha.
Chapter Three- "The Mess We've Made"
Ezra shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Oh, so, you've been coming here, too?"
Aria nodded lightly, "Um, yeah. Ever since I moved here, which was about six years ago as of last week." She tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "The girls and I had just moved in, we didn't have a coffee maker, and we were dying for caffeine. I volunteered to go look for a Starbucks, and after a few minutes of walking around, amid feelings of desperation, I found this shop. Needless to say, we don't miss Starbucks in the least bit." She added a tiny laugh at the end for good measure, but even to her own ears, it sounded forced.
Ezra simply nodded, said nothing in return. The tension between them was palpable, even if Aria had thought that her impromptu hug had lightened the air. Wrong.
Aria opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off as a little girl with curly, dark brown hair and clear blue eyes came running towards her, gripping Aria's legs. "Mommy!"
Although Aria had no idea who this girl was, she couldn't help but smile down at the adorable child grasping onto her legs. "I'm sorry sweetie, I'm not your mommy, but I can help you find her."
"Dawn, get back here! Haven't I told you before never to run away like that?" A tall, slender woman called from across the shop. She came over to pry her daughter's hands off of Aria. "I'm so sorry, I just took my eyes off of her for a split second and she went running off."
"It's no problem at all. You have a very adorable daughter," Aria said, shaking hands and gaining a smile from Dawn's mother.
"Thank you very much. Anyway, we should probably get back in line. I'm so sorry again," Dawn's mother said, pulling Dawn's hand.
Dawn turned around and grinned winningly at Aria, "Bye!" Aria waved goodbye to Dawn and looked towards Ezra- who was wiping coffee from the table in front of them and was struggling to catch his breath.
Just as Aria was going to ask him what had happened, Mandy arrived, Aria's cup of coffee in hand. "Thank you so much!" Aria emphatically responded as Mandy handed her the cup. If their entire meeting was going to be this awkward, she needed this coffee to help her get through it.
"It's no problem at all," Mandy replied. Sensing the apprehension between the two, she began to walk away, but stopped midway and, over her shoulder, called out to Aria. "Oh, Aria, we have the piano and mic set up in the corner if you wanted to perform tonight. We're sorry you didn't get to do it last week, the mics weren't working right for some reason."
Aria blushed, "Thanks. Maybe not tonight, though." Mandy nodded and resumed her place behind the counter again, taking the order of the man waiting impatiently.
She could feel Ezra's eyes on her. "So, you sing in public now? I remember you used to not let anyone hear you sing, you were always so nervous about performing."
"Yeah, well, things have changed now, haven't they?" she replied harshly, purely unintentional.
She watched as Ezra averted his eyes away from hers and cleared her throat, wanting to clarify what she meant. "I, um, I mean now I perform to actually get rid of my nerves. It helps calm me down when I'm under stress." She eyed the piano longingly. Right now would be a great time to perform, those nerves were starting to get to her.
Ezra watched as a little girl came running up to Aria. His eyes widened as he saw this little girl had the same color hair and eyes as himself, and when she proceeded to grip Aria's legs and yell out "Mommy!", that's when Ezra lost it.
Luckily, he was holding a napkin in his hands. Unluckily, he had just taken a large gulp of his coffee when he nearly had a heart attack. Ezra choked and spat it out all over himself and the table in front of him, much to the humor of the three teenage girls browsing the magazines nearby. Sadly, they looked to be three of his students, also. Perfect, just what he needed.
He breathed a sigh of relief as the girl's mother came running up at that moment to take this little girl, Dawn, he thought he heard the woman call her, back with her. So it wasn't a secret child Aria had been hiding, waiting to reveal at the right moment. His heart slowed down its fast paced beating by just a fraction. Once everything was settled with the girl, he saw Aria watching him, tempted to ask what had happened, but at the same time, Mandy came over with her coffee. He was saved.
Ezra tried to catch his breath while he listened to the exchange between Mandy and Aria, curious to hear that Aria now performed on a weekly basis at his local haunt. How had he never seen her before? He watched Aria blush, that beautiful rosy color creeping up on her cheeks, as she politely refused. He couldn't deny that he was slightly disappointed, he wanted to hear her beautiful voice.
She was watching him. "So, you sing in public now? I remember you used to not let anyone hear you sing, you were always so nervous about performing," he noted, eagerly taking advantage of the change in subject. Anything to keep her talking.
"Yeah, well, things have changed now, haven't they?" Ezra felt a stab to his heart as she muttered those words. He averted his eyes. He knew he deserved it, he was the one who had caused this whole mess in the first place.
Aria cleared her throat, embarrassed she had let the situation, and her emotions, get the best of her. "I, um, I mean now I perform to actually get rid of my nerves. It helps calm me down when I'm under stress." He nodded, knowing that this meeting would be probably be classified as 'stressful' to him.
They sat in silence for a few moments, drinking their coffee and taking in their surroundings, anything that would keep them from looking at each other.
"Aria-"
"Ezra-"
Aria laughed awkwardly. "Please, go ahead," Ezra said. Even if this whole conversation was uncomfortable, he was never one to forget his manners.
Aria languid smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "I this that this may have been a bad idea. Maybe we rushed into meeting too soon."
This was too hard for her. She couldn't stand sitting across from the man she had once been in love with, erase that, the man she was still in love with, and spend the entire time in silence. She couldn't watch as the entire relationship they had built up fell to pieces. Yes, technically it had already fallen to pieces, but that was besides the point. She didn't want all of their happy memories to be tainted by another regrettable one. She just couldn't stand there and watch that happen.
"Ezra-"
"Aria-"
She laughed slightly, Ezra letting her speak first. She allowed a smile to touch the corners of her lips, if only for a split second, before saying, "I think this may have been a bad idea. Maybe we rushed into meeting too soon," she told Ezra, the two sentences blending together to sound like one almost incomprehensible blurb in her mind.
Ezra wore a smile on his face and nodded his head in agreement, but Aria had known him long enough to see that he masked his true emotions. His smile was strained, forced, he nodded his head heavily, and there was no hiding the pained expression that darkened his blue eyes.
"No, I understand. I completely agree," Ezra replied, standing up, coffee cup in hand.
"I'm so sorry, maybe we could talk on Facebook sometime? I really did like talking to you again." Aria stood up at the same time, head tilted down, shifting her feet uncomfortably.
She tensed and flinched away as Ezra brought two fingers up to tilt her head up to look at him. He quickly pulled his hand away and brought it back down to his side. "Sorry. Habit, I guess," a sheepish smile coming to his face. "For what it's worth, I liked talking to you again, too."
Aria nodded while Ezra pulled on his coat. "I guess we'll talk soon, then?" she asked hopefully.
He nodded his head. "Soon. Bye, Aria."
And just like that, he was gone. With a groan, she walked up to Mandy.
"Does that invitation still stand?"
Ezra had made it all the way back to his apartment building when he realized he had forgotten to take Aria's book, it was still lying on the table where they sat. Mentally scolding himself for not remembering sooner, he made his way back to the coffee shop, hoping no one had taken it.
Walking up to the shop, he saw a crowd gathered inside and could hear music pouring out of the speakers. He opened the door just in time to hear a beautiful voice beginning to move along with the music playing in the background.
I'd been so strong for so long,
I could handle everything.
But now that'd you've gone through that door,
I can't see anything.
Ezra stood in the back of the crowd, entranced by the piano tune drifting from under the woman's hands and the soft flow of her voice. He listened closer, he knew that voice. He could recognize that voice from anywhere.
I was hoping that this would last,
I guess I was wrong.
I planned out our future together,
But now that's all gone.
Another mistake,
We're both to blame.
So just let this come crashing down,
There's no way to fix it now,
We're lost in the crowd.
And our love will soon decay,
Just look at the mess we've made.
We both know that we can't stay.
This was the Aria he knew. This was the Aria that loved to take chances, put her entire heart into everything that she did, and never regretted a single thing. This Aria he remembered, although there was something different in her voice, something more powerful, like she had experienced the situation in the song. Almost as if she had written it herself, although he knew she hadn't. Even though technically he had no claim over her, but he couldn't deny it, this was his Aria.
Aria sat down at the keyboard on the makeshift stage they created after she first performed, while Mandy introduced her to the crowd. The sound of the crowd clapping and cheering her on gave her the courage to begin. They always did.
"Hi everyone, this is a cover of a song I heard on the radio a few days ago. It kind of summarizes my feelings right at this very moment," she said with a nervous chuckle. She looked out at the crowd and whispered softly, "This one's for you," even though she knew he wasn't there to hear it.
Her hands began to glide over the keyboard. She closed her eyes, letting herself slip into the song. It wasn't as if she needed to see what keys her fingers were pressing, she knew this song by heart.
A few minutes later, when she played the ending chord and sang the last note, she opened her eyes from her trance. The crowd was silent for a few moments before breaking out into a loud chorus of applause. Aria grinned and released a huge gasp of air, feeling completely relaxed and calm, the exact reason why she decided to perform in the first place.
Aria bowed for the crowd and picked up her bag from the floor beside the piano. Pushing her way through the crowd, stopping to say thank you to those who congratulated her on such a great performance, she gave Mandy a huge hug and began to make her way to the chair she left her sweater on. Finally reaching the end of the crowd, she stopped short. She could feel the blood drain from her face as she saw Ezra was beside the chair, the book she had given him in hand, also trying to maneuver through the crowd and out the door.
So he had been there to hear him. She could feel her pulse begin to race a little bit, but she chalked it up to the endorphins. No, he couldn't have been there. It's not as if he had read her mind and known she was going to sing, so he decided to stay and listen. No, he probably just realized he forgot something, came back after she had performed, and left. Yes, that was the only logical explanation she had for why he was there when it was.
Aria waited to make sure he left the shop so she could grab her sweater and make a run for it. Once she was sure, she pulled her sweater on and began walking towards the door. The sun was setting early tonight, meaning by the time she left at 4:30, the sky was a gorgeous pink, orange, indigo color, and the air was just a tad bit colder than it was when she left her apartment. It was the perfect setting for her to walk home and clear her mind.
She decided to take the long way home. Slipping in her headphones, she pressed play on her iPod, a desperate attempt to shut out everything else in the outside world. She had a lot on her mind to think about, and she didn't need to deal with the distracting problems of the world at the same time.
Ezra stood there, shocked by the emotion she poured into the song. There was absolutely no denying it, this song was for him.
Ezra was by no means self-centered, but he knew that when she said the words, "This one's for you," she meant that it was for him. Aria always had a way with words, making sure that every word she chose was the appropriate one for the situation. She always had a way of letting you know, even as you eavesdropped from across the room, that what she was saying was meant for you, was about you.
Aria had to have known he was going to hear her sing. Okay, maybe that was pushing it a little, maybe he was getting a little full of himself to think that, but there was a part of him that hoped she knew he was there.
He stood there for a few moments, next to the chairs they had sat in minutes before, holding the book she had given to him. While her words and melody fell over him, surrounded him, he opened the book, reading the inscription she scribbled for him.
Ezra,
I would've written you a note, but I figured that the dedication inside would say everything a lot better than I could right now.
-Aria
He flipped to the next page and read the dedication inside.
"When you need to leave Rosewood."
Thank you for helping me escape my problems. You were always there for me when I needed you, even when I pushed you away. If you're reading this right now, wherever you're reading this, know that I will always love you. I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me, given to me, and taught me. You will always be my inspiration.
- B-26
Ezra smiled to himself and closed the book just in time for Aria to finish her song. He looked over and saw her walking over to where he was standing and knew that if he didn't leave now, she would see him. He figured that them seeing each other right now after Aria poured her heart out wouldn't exactly be the best idea, so he quickly tried to push through the crowd before she saw him.
He would send her a little message on Facebook later, thanking her for meeting him for coffee, but he wouldn't mention that he heard her sing or that he read the dedication. Not just yet. He would give them a little time to recover, a little time to try to go back to normal. Until then, he would read her book and be transported back to Rosewood, instead of leave it.
By the time Aria had reached her apartment building, her head was clear, and there was no denying it- Ezra had heard her sing. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone who asked, she was a little thrilled by the idea of him hearing her sing, of him hearing every single emotion she was holding in, poured out into a song.
She had begun to sing in public when she first moved to New York. She couldn't remember what had happened that night, something about a rejection letter from a publisher, her boyfriend had decided that they should take a break, or some other deeply depressing scenario like that. Aria scoffed. She found it funny that it wasn't the event that she remembered clearly, it was, instead, her three best friends, pushing her up to the keyboard to perform for the first time.
Aria refused, reminded them that she did not sing in public, and that the rest of the coffee shop should not have to subjected to her horrible singing. They, in return, refused to listen to her and forced her up on stage, threatening to lock her out of their apartment if she didn't sing. At the time, Aria was furious with them, how could they let her go up on stage and make of fool of herself?
However, as soon as she placed her hands on the keyboard and let the music flow, she was surprised to learn that performing was quite therapeutic. She learned to channel all her emotions into the song that she was singing, which, in turn, helped keep her from making stupid decisions she would later regret. Ever since that night, she returned every single week, without fail, save for the rare holidays that they were closed or a trip back to Rosewood. And her friends knew, right from the beginning, that that's exactly what would happen.
Deep in thought, Aria hadn't even noticed she bumped into someone outside her building. It was a guy, he was tall and wearing a black sweater, that much she knew. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, walking hastily into the building, not even so much as stopping to see the guy that she had run into.
Just as she stepped foot into the building, she saw the elevator doors open, releasing the people inside. Aria ran in before the doors closed, pressing the button for the 3rd floor. She didn't hear the guy she had run into outside, calling her name and asking for her to, please, hold the door. Instead, all she heard was the music blasting from her headphones, keeping the world in front of her at bay, even just for that small moment in time.
Ezra was thinking about Aria. It wasn't a first, she almost always grazed across his mind at least once a day, however right now, he was really thinking about her. He was thinking about her song, he was thinking about her dedication to him in her novel, he was thinking about the way she looked today, older, more mature. He thought about the way her hair curled perfectly, the way her green eyes, at first guarded, sparkled when he hugged her back. He thought about the way she shied away from his touch, admitting that he did move a little too quickly. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was headed, he just let his feet lead wherever they wanted to go. He was just thinking about her.
It was the first time in a long time that he had let himself think about her so much, so thoroughly. When they were separated, he forced himself to forget about her, convinced that that was what she had done to him. He was nothing but a memory to her. That much was fair, he supposed, it was what he deserved. He was used to not allowing himself to think about her. However, letting himself think about her was something new.
From what he had gathered- gathered, analyzed, picked apart to pieces, it meant the same thing to him- from their quick meeting tonight was: a) She moved to the city less than a year after he did, b) She frequented the same coffee shop that he did, c) They do not, thank God, have some sort of secret child together, and d) They had spent all this time within what seemed to be a five mile radius, but had never run into each other. All this was enough to make his brain hurt.
Maybe what he needed right now was to stop thinking about Aria and have a drink. A drink would clear his mind a bit. Suddenly he couldn't wait to get home. And a few minutes later, he ended up in front of his apartment building. "I really need that drink," Ezra muttered to himself, walking a few more steps to the entrance. He was digging in his pocket, trying to fish out his keys, when he ran into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said, walking away quickly. She didn't even stop to look at him. He was getting ready to apologize when stopped, a foot short of the door. Wait, he recognized that voice. It couldn't have been…
"Aria?" he called out to the woman practically sprinting towards the open elevator. "Aria? Aria! Aria! Wait, please! Hold the doors!" But it was too late, the doors were already closed, and she was gone.
He stood in front of the closed elevator doors. What was she doing in his building? She couldn't possibly…no, that couldn't be right. She couldn't possibly be living in the same building, could she?
Ezra shook his head and began walking up the stairs. That couldn't have been Aria, it was probably just some woman he thought looked like her. Yeah, that sounded more plausible. He had thought so much about her that his mind made someone up to look like her. It was nothing more than just a figment of his imagination. He was positive.
