Chapter 3

Saturday morning, Aria sat out on Spencer's porch with her head rested on her shoulder. She had a coffee in hand, and yawned largely as the two of them waited for the boys to come pick them up. The night before, her and Ezra had confirmed their plans to go to the private pool he told her about, and she had asked him if she could bring Spencer along with them since she would be covering for her as her alibi. He had, of course, said yes, much to her relief. Even though her parents loved Ezra and knew the two were growing a friendship, she wasn't comfortable with the knowing she would be spending the day poolside with two out-of-college men. She was sure her father would have a fit.

Especially since they had all decided to stay the night. Ezra had told her that the pool was actually at his brother's house and who had told him that he could go over whenever he was out of town – which he was this weekend.

Spencer was much more nervous than Aria since she had yet to officially meet Ezra or Hardy, but she was excited at the same time. She wanted to get to know the man that was obviously becoming a huge part of her best friend's life. She was also looking to get away from her family for a while; they weren't on the same page at all recently.

Aria popped her head up as she saw Ezra's familiar car pull up to the side of the house. The girls stood up and grabbed their small bags, heading over to the car as he stepped out.

As she walked closer, Aria raised her eyebrows at Ezra, noticing his obviously awake and energetic mood. It was much unlike Hardy's, who slid out of the passenger side door, squinting as the bright morning light hit his vision.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to make me get my ass out of bed at seven thirty in the damn morning?" He huffed, sliding his sunglasses down from the top of his head to rest on his nose.

"Not mine." Aria muttered. She glanced at Ezra again, shaking her head. "How are you so awake right now?"

He grinned. "I have a wonderful coffee machine to wake up to every morning."

"Lucky." She looked down at the cup in her hands, grimacing slightly. "I think I'm drinking the strongest coffee ever to grace the planet."

"Hey." Spencer replied, offended as she was the one who had made the coffee that morning.

Aria giggled, before gesturing between the three of them. "Okay well. Spencer, this is Ezra and Hardy. Boys – Spencer."

"It's nice to meet you, Spencer." Ezra smiled politely.

She smiled back, nodding her head. "It's nice to meet you, too. Finally."

Aria cleared her throat at her friend, before watching as Hardy stepped forward.

He smirked, holding out his hand for Spencer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, darling." He greeted as she placed her hand in his, and he raised it to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. Spencer's cheeks flamed as she looked down, trying to hide the blush as she smiled sheepishly.

Aria held back her laughter and looked over at Ezra, raising her eyebrows questioningly. He shook his head and grinned, walking over to her as Spencer and Hardy continued their introductions.

He leaned down to brush his lips along her ear and whispered, "I told you he'd probably hit on her."

She giggled. "This should be entertaining." She then leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm so tired."

He smiled, looking down at her adoringly. "I have a coffee in the car, and I put cream and sugar in it just for you."

Her head tilted up and she smiled widely. "You're my savior."

Ezra chuckled, and they both looked up as Spencer giggled from whatever Hardy was telling her. He rolled his eyes, heading over to the car. "Okay, are we ready to go?" He asked the group.

Hardy nodded and glanced over at Aria. "You can sit up front, shorty. I'm gonna try and catch some more sleep."

He walked passed Ezra to get into the backseat, shooting him a knowing smile to which Ezra replied by shoving his shoulder. Hardy chuckled, opening the back door and sliding in.

Ezra took the girls bags, adding them to the ones already in the trunk as they got into the car as well; Spencer in the back with Hardy and Aria in the passenger seat.

As he slid into the driver's side and started the engine, he grinned over at Aria who was already downing the coffee that had been sitting in the center console. She smiled back, taking another pointed sip before telling him, "You're not getting this one back."

He laughed, pulling off of the curb and started to drive towards his brother's house.

xxx

A little over an hour later, the small silver car pulled up in front of a large house.

Spencer and Hardy had made small talk during the first ten minutes of the ride before they both had passed out in the back seat.

While Aria had wanted to follow suit with them, Ezra made sure she didn't fall asleep. Whenever she would close her eyes longer than a few seconds, he would poke her or do something obnoxious to wake her up again. The two of them had goofed off the entire car ride, and by the time they finally got to their destination, Aria was actually feeling more awake.

They both stepped out of the car, slamming their doors behind them in order to wake up the two other sleeping passengers. Hardy groaned while Spencer stretched out and sat up, blushing furiously when she realized she had been sleeping on his shoulder the entire time. He smiled at the sight, chuckling as she quickly got out of the car. He followed her shortly after.

All of them grabbed their bags from the trunk before heading into the house. Aria's eyes widened as she stepped through the front door, taking in the extravagant essence of the house. The four of them walked through the kitchen and into the main living area. It was large, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, and a stone fire place against the back wall. The walls were wooden and the furniture was plush, and there was a pool table in the corner of the room.

"Sweet." Hardy hollered as his eyes landed on it.

"The lounge and bedrooms are upstairs, along with the movie theatre and game rooms." Ezra told them.

Spencer's eyebrows raised in awe. "Your brother has a movie theatre in his house?"

"Yup."

"Damn."

He chuckled, and they all dropped their bags before he led them through the rest of the downstairs. They walked past the den that matched the living room, and the office, until they finally reached two large glass doors. Ezra pulled them open, and they all stepped out onto an indoor patio.

"Wow." Aria whispered, looking around.

A gigantic pool sat in the middle of the room, with glass windows that curved up around it on the far side, up past the second story of the house. Tables and chairs surrounded the area and a grill sat against the side wall.

"Damn, this is sick." Hardy muttered.

Aria and Spencer murmured quiet agreements, taking in the whole place.

"He said we could use everything, just don't break anything. This shit's expensive." Ezra told them, plopping down on one of the plush chairs.

Hardy grinned. "Well, let's get this weekend getaway going, shall we?"

xxx

Spencer sat at the counter in the kitchen, nibbling on the fruit she had on a plate in front of her. She watched as Hardy popped open a beer in front of her and raised it to his lips, before lifting his eyebrows at her.

"Want one?" He asked.

She nodded, and he turned back to the fridge to grab another one for her. He slid it across the counter top to her awaiting hand. She pried the top off before taking a sip.

The group had entertained themselves for the day mostly in the game room, seeing who could get the highest scores and setting wagers on the more intense games. Ezra had showed off his impressive basketball skills on the hoops, while Aria dominated at the air hockey table. Spencer and Hardy had been attached to the old fashioned game machines, playing pac-man and battleship matches. They had all wasted hours in the room.

"So," Hardy started, sitting in the seat across from her. "Are you excited to be staying for the weekend?"

She nodded again. "Yeah, definitely. I called my mom and told her Aria and I were going to my lake house. But it feels good to get away from it all for a while."

He tilted his head. "Family issues?"

"Yeah. But I'm not going to let that ruin this amazing weekend." She smiled.

"Good." He grinned. "I can't wait to watch those two finally hook up."

Spencer laughed. "You noticed it, too?"

He chuckled, throwing his head back. "The constant eye sex and the need to always be touching each other somehow? Yeah, I noticed. The tension between them comes off in thick waves."

Popping a grape in her mouth, Spencer tipped her beer to him. "I give it a week."

Hardy snorted. "I take that bet. I say they'll be jumping each other's bones by tomorrow."

"That soon?" Spencer asked, raising her eyebrows.

The sound of someone jumping into the pool and then lots of laughter flowed into the room, causing Hardy to grin widely and lift his beer to her. "Hell yes."

She laughed, clinking her glass to his. "You're on."

xxx

"Hey."

Ezra looked up, smiling as he saw Aria approach. "Hey."

His eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of her. And damn, was she a sight. He drank in the newly exposed skin to him. He looked along the creamy skin of her thighs and her flat and slender stomach and waist, to the top curves of her breasts revealed from the bright pink bathing suit she wore.

She plopped down next to him, dipping her feet into the water before quickly removing them again. "Wow, the water's freezing!"

"The weather outside effects the temperature." Ezra grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "You get used to it after a while."

Nodding, Aria slowly lowered her feet into it again, a shiver running up her back.

"So I've been thinking." Ezra started.

Aria raised her eyebrows teasingly. "Really?"

He rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder with his own and causing a giggle to escape her. He smiled at the sound, watching her face light up and her eyes glimmer.

"Yes, really. And I realized that you have now heard some of my writing, and I haven't heard or read any of yours." He pouted. "Seems kind of unfair."

She laughed. "Well, I can assure you that your writing is far better than mine."

"I'd like to be the judge of that."

At her reluctant look, he leaned towards her and rested his chin on her shoulder. He furthered the extensiveness of his pout, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please?"

As she turned her head to face him, they both realized how awfully close they were. Aria swallowed, pushing away the urge to close the millimeter distance between their lips and instead giggled at his expression. She huffed sarcastically. "Fine."

Ezra removed his chin from her shoulder, a smile across his face. "I can't wait."

He then stood up, stretching his arms above his head. Aria's gaze followed his movements and lingered on the exposed skin of his chest before snapping up to his eyes. He grinned down at her as he lowered his arms. "Ready to go for that swim?"

Aria shook her head. "I think I'm changing my mind. It's like the north pole in there."

"Come on, don't be a wimp."

She sighed. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Yeah, if you'll come with me."

Aria whined, throwing her head back and standing up alongside of him. "Fine."

"Yay." He grinned, looking at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. She backed away slightly as he took a devious step forward. She sensed his plan and pleaded with him through her eyes not to go through with it, but he shook his head. Quickly, she turned to run away from him, but she wasn't fast enough. His arms encircled around her waist, pulling her back tightly against his chest and lifting her feet from the ground.

Aria struggled to get out of his grip as he carried her to the deep end of the pool. "No, no, no, no, please! Please, please, please don't throw me in!"

Ezra chuckled, tightening his grasp on her as she continued to squirm. "Why not?"

"Because it's cold and I don't want to be thrown in to it!" She cried.

He stopped at the end, watching in amusement as she continued to wiggle and manage to twist her small body in his arms. Immediately, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist, holding onto him for dear life.

"Please, Ezra. Look, you can go in, and I'll watch and cheer you on from the chairs over there where it's nice and warm and dry, and I'll come in later. Please." She pleaded with him, trying whatever she could to make him put her down.

He shook his head, calling her bluff. "No you won't. Trust me; it will go much more quickly if we both just go in now. You're body with adjust to the water faster."

"Please, Ezra. I'll let you read a bunch of my stories, I promise." She told him, burying her head in his neck.

"Nope, you already said you would, regardless of whether I throw you in or not."

"Ezra." She whined.

He sighed. "Okay, fine." Aria breathed out in relief, before she caught the smirk across his face. "We'll both go in."

"What? N-"

That's all she could get out before she felt him leap off the edge of the pool and her body landed in the frigid water. It pierced her skin as she tried to swim to the surface. As she broke through, she took a deep gasp for air, her eyes wide in shock. "Holy shit, it's freezing!"

Ezra laughed at her, before swimming up and grabbing her as he noticed her try to swim to the ladder on the side of the pool. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out! Let me go, I'm going to freeze to death in here!"

He just chuckled at her again, and she huffed, turning around to latch herself onto him instead and absorb as much body heat as she could. He hugged her trembling body to him, loving the feeling that swelled up inside of him as her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as her arms did his shoulders, and her head nuzzled into his neck.

"I'm gonna die in here!" She cried as she continued to tighten herself against him.

He grinned. "No you're not."

"Yes I am. And you're going to have to live with it on your conscience for the rest of your life. Are you prepared to deal with that?"

Ezra laughed loudly, shaking his head at her cuteness. "I think I'll take my chances."

Aria whimpered, but didn't argue her point any further. Instead, pressed herself closer to him, tightening her grip. He slowly began to run his fingers through her wet hair, smoothing it down her back and away from her face. His cheek rested against her temple, and she eventually closed her eyes and sighed as her body began to adjust to the water after a while.

"See?" He murmured against her skin. "It's not so bad."

She huffed. "My heart still feels like it's going to stop beating. This can't be healthy – swimming in a zero degree pool."

He hummed. "You poor thing. I'm sure it's not zero degrees though. Try more around sixty."

"I seriously doubt that. We'll probably both have hypothermia tomorrow. Nice job."

Unable to resist himself, Ezra burst out into a fit of laughter. "You're absolutely adorable, you know that right?"

Aria's head shot back so she could look him in the eyes, her own narrowing. "I am not adorable."

"But you are."

"No I'm not." She told him sternly.

He nodded his head, biting his lip to try and contain the large smile that kept trying to spread along his face. "I love it."

Blushing slightly, Aria looked down. "What?"

"How adorable you are."

Her blush deepened, and her eyes rose back to his, realizing their current situation for the first time. Ezra's arms were wrapped tightly around her back, rubbing soothing circles along the skin there as he held her to him. Their chests were pressed against each other, enough so that she could feel the beating from his heart against hers, and her legs were wound around his waist while her arms draped lazily along his shoulders.

Her lips parted slightly as she looked at him. His hair was wet, causing it to spike up in different directions. The lights in the dimmed pool area bounced off the water and reflected against his skin, making it seem like he was actually glowing right there in front of her. He's gorgeous.

"What?" He asked, noticing her staring.

"N-nothing." She stuttered, looking down.

He grinned. "What is it?" She shook her head, and he continued to press her. "Tell me."

Don't say it. Aria told herself. Don't you dare say it.

She smirked at him, resting her hands on his shoulders instead. "I was just thinking about how fun it would be…" She raised herself above him a little bit, untwining her legs from around his waist. "To get payback on you."

Shoving down hard on his shoulders, Aria managed to dunk Ezra underneath the surface of the water. It lasted about five seconds before she felt his hands wrap around her legs and pull her down with him. When she was submerged in the icy water, she slipped from his grip and attempted to swim away from him. He quickly caught up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest again. They both broke through the surface of the water, gasping in breaths of air before Aria burst into a fit a giggles.

Ezra chuckled along with her, tucking his arms underneath hers and began to walk backwards in a small circle, Aria twisting effortlessly through the water in front of him. She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Ezra leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Are you getting tired?"

Her eyes opened slowly and she gazed up at him, nodding her head. "Today was so much fun though; I don't want it to end."

He smiled, setting her down and reaching for her hand. "Come on."

They climbed out of the pool, grabbing two towels off of the chairs by the side. Ezra ran it through his hair quickly, causing it to spike out everywhere and Aria to giggle before he wrapped it around his waist. Aria wrapped hers around her body, tucking it underneath her arms to hold it up.

They heard the sound of the TV playing in the den as they dashed through the slightly chilled house and up the stairs, heading into their bedrooms to change into dry clothes quickly.

Aria untied her bathing suit, letting it fall to the floor before she dug through her suit case for a pair of blue pajama shorts and a light gray tee-shirt. She slipped them on, and then brushed out her wet hair in the bathroom attached to her room, pulling it up into a messy bun when she was finished. She took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the small smile that refused to leave her face. Shaking her head, she walked to the door to her room and pulled it open, finding Ezra leaning against the opposite wall waiting for her.

He was dressed similarly to her in a gray tee-shirt of his own, and dark blue pajama pants. They both laughed at the coincidence, before Ezra led her down the hallway to the movie theatre.

"Damn." Aria expressed as they stepped in. The lights in the room were dimmed, and large comfortable looking couches and chairs lined three of the walls, while the other was a free white wall. A projector hung from the ceiling that Ezra went to toy with while Aria took a seat on one of the couches. She sighed at the feeling of it. It was plush and squishy and big enough for her to stretch out on – which she did. Her small body sunk into it and she hummed in approval.

Ezra chuckled as he walked over to her, and she sat up to make room for him. He sat down, lifting his legs up and resting his arm along the back of the couch so she could lean against him. She laid her head on his shoulder as previews started playing along the wall in front of them.

"This is amazing." She murmured.

He nodded. "I know."

Aria was quiet for a moment, debating herself in her head. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course."

She lowered her gaze. "I don't mean to be rude or anything… but I've seen your place. There's a huge difference between yours and your brother's."

Ezra sighed, sliding further down the couch. Aria turned over onto her stomach, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him.

"My family has money." He told her. "A lot of it, which is how my brother got this place." He took a deep breath. "There's always been a lot of… stresses between my family and I. We don't always see eye to eye, I guess you could say.

When I went to college, I wanted to be able to support myself instead of relying on my family's money. My brother went down a different path. Don't get me wrong; he's got a great job and he brings in a lot of income for himself, but definitely not enough to have been able to afford this place."

Aria nodded. "What happened between you and your family?"

Ezra swallowed hard. "Um… there was a falling out between us when I was a kid. I just wanted to get the hell out of that house as fast as I could."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently.

He shook his head. "Not now. I don't want to ruin this weekend by think about that."

Aria nodded, frowning at the torn up expression on his face. She reached up, touching her fingers to his cheek softly. He looked up at her and she smiled warmly at him. He smiled back, pushing a piece of her dark brown hair back behind her ear that had escaped her bun.

He gazed into her wide, deep hazel eyes, feeling himself getting lost in her. His hand traced along the underside of her jaw, feeling the smooth creamy skin.

"You're so beautiful." He confessed to her.

Aria's lips parted as the butterflies inside her stomach exploded into a fit of fluttering and her breath caught in her throat. She hesitantly raised herself onto her elbows, bringing her face above his. His hands came up to cup her cheeks gently in his hands, lowering her lips to his slowly. Their lips brushed along each other's quickly, not kissing but intensifying the atmosphere in the room.

Aria went to drop her lips to his more firmly, but a door slamming and laughter coming from the hallway made them jump apart.

Ezra cleared his throat and Aria lowered her face to his shoulder, hiding it from his view as the deep blush covered her face. They both tried to focus on the movie that began to play along the wall, ignoring the sexual tension that immediately consumed both of them.

Aria closed her eyes, resisting the urge to run her hands along his chest and push up to capture his lips with hers. The slight moment that their lips had touched had caused a fire to spread throughout her body, warming her insides from head to toe. She couldn't even imagine what a real kiss with him would feel like, and she wanted nothing more than to find out.

Ezra closed his own eyes, sighing as he tried to keep his hands still and not move them to her waist or hair. The warmth and tingly feeling that covered his body from where her skin touched his filled his head, refusing to let him focus on anything else.

They both lied there for what felt like hours, not saying anything or being able to concentrate on the movie, until sleep finally decided to save them and take them both under.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so Chapter 3 was part 1 of the pool; chapter 4 will be part 2.

Please review and let me know any of your thoughts, ideas, criticisms, etc… I was kind of nervous about this chapter, so I really want to know how it turned out.

Also, I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter. But, I got a job! I'm working with kids all day, and it's absolutely exhausting.

Your reviews have been amazing, and I appreciate the love and support SO much. I'm sending my love to all of you!

xxx