I'm actually quite proud of the speed at which I wrote this! I'm back at college now so the next chapter may be a little while but hopefully you'll have it in a few weeks. I'm determined to actually do work this semester.
By eight am the morning after, Aria and I were on the road again. The skies had cleared, but for us there was definitely still a storm brewing. Not one word had been exchanged between us as we dressed and ate the crappy vending machine bought breakfast, nor when we were checking out, and not even when we were back in the car and half an hour into the remaining stretch of our trip. I know that I deserved the cold shoulder, hell I deserved jail time, but that did not stop the knots in my stomach from tightening even further. I was going crazy as I wondered what was going on behind those hazel eyes that had me so captivated.
My mind kept wandering back to everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours. I still could not believe how I had forgotten myself so easily at the sight of Aria's illicit activities last night, but I knew that I had done the right thing by stopping before we went too far. Not that we should have even started doing anything in the first place. This was so fucked up. How did I become that guy?
Aria had taken a seat in the back of my car when we had piled in that morning, demonstrating how pissed she was at me. I was grateful for her decision though, as it meant that I did not have to look at her or even talk to her. She listened to her iPod and I focused on the road in front of me, trying desperately not to think about how she had felt on my tongue last night or reminisce about the fluttering of her inner walls around my fingers as she screamed my title in the throes of orgasm. Shit.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, I was pretty hungry and in desperate need of coffee having only slept for around two hours the night before. I spotted a sign for Panda Express up ahead and signalled into the correct lane. We arrived not ten minutes later. I watched Aria in the rear-view mirror as she realised that we had stopped. She pulled her earphones out and our eyes met for the first time since she had undressed for me in the motel room. I wondered what she thought of me.
"I thought we could have Chinese, that okay with you?" I asked her, breaking our silence. Aria shrugged and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her as she stalked across the car park to the restaurant. I watched her go and forced myself not to check her out as she sashayed across the lot. She was not going to make this trip easy on me, I could tell.
After a minute or two, I got out of the car and stretched my aching muscles, cracking my neck roughly form side to side. I hated driving distances like this and was not looking forward to the return trip, especially if Aria was still going to be ignoring me like this. I'd have to try and establish a sort of middle ground for us because whether we liked it or not, we were stuck together for the next three days – and for the next few months once we returned to Rosewood. How could I ever look Ella in the eye again?
When I made my way into the chain restaurant, I saw Aria sitting with her food in front of her at a two-seater booth. She was picking at it with chopsticks, clearly agitated. I got my own food, paid, and sat down opposite her with no intention of eating until we had established some sort of middle-ground.
"Are you going to ignore me for the rest of this trip?" I asked her bluntly, knowing that my vow to talk to her in a professional manner only was about to be broken. It was necessary, however, so that we could put these events behind us and return to our former relationship of student and teacher. I prayed that such a restoration was possible after what had transpired in the both literal and figurative heat of the moment the night before. This was completely new territory to me, and I presumed it was the same for Aria. Maybe she was embarrassed, not angry.
"Yes," she replied, not looking up from the rangoon she was pushing around her plate. Okay, so she was definitely angry.
I sighed as I considered what way to go about this. There had to be a way to fix this with minimum damage to both of our emotions. It felt like I was breaking up with her or something like that. If only she knew how much I wished that the circumstances were different and that last night could have been the start of something amazing, but they were not different, and that's what I had to keep reminding myself. I was her teacher and she was my student; it was forbidden - and not in the sexy, exciting way but in the 'lose your job and freedom, here's your bunk and jumpsuit' kind of way.
"Aria, you know why I did what I did," I tried to reason with her. She froze, her rangoon toppling over into her curry sauce with an in appealing splat.
"Which part?" She spat, looking up from her food and staring me in the eye. Her usually warm and kind eyes were ablaze with a fury that seemed too big for her tiny body. I leaned back slightly. "The part where you had your mouth on me, making me cum with your tongue, or the part where you stopped?" I opened my mouth but nothing came out. "We almost had sex, Ezra – Mr Fitz- whatever you want me to call you now. You went down on me, your student, and then ran away and hid like a little boy."
My eyes went wide at her sudden outburst and for a moment I struggled to come up with a reply. Part of me wanted to reprimand her for her profane use of language, but I knew that I wouldn't be doing myself any favours. Everything she said was true, after all. I hated myself for doing this to her. Again I tried to reason with her, needing her to view this situation the same way I did.
"I'm your teacher, Aria," I said carefully, "I forgot myself for a moment, it was a mistake." She was quiet for a moment or two and I began to wonder if she was back to giving me the cold shoulder.
"Is that why you stopped?" She asked quietly. This time her tone was not angry, but hesitant. She seemed almost frightened of what my answer might be. "Or was ... Was my body the turn off? I mean, I know I'm not the most curvaceous woman or anything." Her cheeks blushed a furious red and she averted her gaze, picking at the polish on her nails.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I listened to her doubt my attraction towards her. Walking away from her naked body and pleading eyes had been the hardest thing I had ever done. Never in my life had I shown such restraint.
That night, the taste of her on my lips, and the sound of her calling out my name in orgasm were burned forever into my mind. It truly had been one of the most intimate and suffocatingly passionate moments of my life, but Aria could never know that. However, at the same time, I could not allow her to carry on thinking that it was her looks that made me stop. I could handle her hating my guts, I could handle sitting beside her - albeit with difficulty - and not having her, but I could not have her doubting herself. It went against everything I stood for as an educator and as a man. The term 'it's not you, it's me' made its way around my head.
"You know that's not true," I told her softly, " I told you last night when we were watching TV that you're beautiful, Aria, and truly, you are. It has never been an issue of not wanting you." I really was failing miserably at being professional towards her. Although, I supposed, I hadn't exactly been professional towards her before this whole mess either. The images of her ass in the tight red and black skirt she had worn when my feelings began to make themselves known made their way to the forefront of my mind. I forced myself to focus on the Aria in front of me, not the Aria of my dreams.
This was a different Aria altogether. This wasn't the flirty, teasing Aria who I had encountered in Taco Bell, nor was it the insightful, witty Aria who had discussed books with me as we drove down the never-ending highways, and it most definitely was not the tempting seductress from last night. No, this was insecure teenage Aria, and I cursed myself for bringing her out. I was an educator, it was my job to encourage and help students be the best version of themselves that they could be. This was not the best version of Aria, and her appearance was entirely my fault. This was not the best weekend for my teaching career - that was for sure. I could kiss the 'Teacher of the Year' award goodbye.
"Then what is the real issue?" She asked, "And don't give me any of that student/teacher crap."
"It's that I can't want you, Aria," I tried to reason once again, "I am your teacher and you are my student." I held her gaze steadily when she looked up.
"But I want you," she said, leaning forward and placing her hand on mine, "I'm not going to tell anybody. I know it's not just me, you feel like this is right for us, too."
"I appreciate you not saying anything, Aria, I really do, but it doesn't change anything," I said with what I hoped was a sense of finality in my voice, removing my hand from under hers and picking up my chopsticks, "It's not right, and I'm asking you respect my decision."
She held my gaze steadily until I looked down at my food and began to eat, despite my sudden loss of appetite. There was silence for a moment or two as she digested my words and I digested my food. I forced myself not to look up at her and to focus on the rapidly cooling Singapore Chow Mein, and crab rangoons on my plate.
"Whatever," Aria dismissed after a few moments. She pushed her plate away and folded her arms, "I'm finished." I swallowed the curried noodles I had shovelled into my mouth and looked at her incredulously.
"You haven't eaten anything."
"I'm asking you to respect my decision," Aria mimicked.
"Oh, very mature," I retorted, rolling my eyes. I didn't like this snarky, immature Aria either.
"So now I'm immature?" She spat, her eyes ablaze with fury once more. It was getting hard to keep track of her moods but I probably was not at liberty to call her out on it. Still, she was just being stubborn; she knows exactly why we can't be together - sexually or otherwise.
"Right now? Yes, you are. Very much so," I replied, working to keep my voice level, "I am your teacher, Aria, and what we did -"
"What you did," she corrected. I paused for a moment before deciding that it was not worth the argument and conceded.
"What I did last night," I amended and continued, "Was a mistake, Aria, that's all that it was, and that is all if ever will be, okay? And we need to forget that it happened for the sake of my career and for the sake of your future. What happened between us was illegal, Aria, don't you get that?" Aria continued to stare at me, an unwavering glare on her face. I sighed. "Look, if you want to go to the police, I won't stop you. Heck, they probably couldn't think any less of me than I do already. But I'm hoping that you won't and that you'll just accept that this, that we, cannot and will not happen." Aria continued to look at me for a few moments and a stared back, having said my piece. The next move was up to her.
"Fine," she shrugged, her voice much lighter than it had been before. It was as if she had just agreed to what was for dinner and not to forget that her English teacher had eaten her out on her less than twenty-four hours ago.
"Fine?" I echoed, shocked that she had relented so easily.
"Yes, fine. My lips and legs are sealed," she said.
"Aria!" I scolded, trying to bite back a smile at her joke. This was the Aria I had talked to yesterday, the Aria who amazed me with her wit and sass. But I remembered my resolve to act professional, and I knew that I could not tease back. Well, I shouldn't.
"Sorry, it was too easy," she giggled. I watched as she picked up her chopsticks and pulled her plate back towards her, tucking into the Rangoon she had been knocking around her plate since we got here. I watched her with a smile, glad that we had some sense of normalcy back in our relationship – our strictly platonic, student/teacher, not-at-all-sexual-in-the-slightest relationship. I forced myself not to notice her tongue as it darted out to lick up some stray soy sauce off her lower lip, and looked down at my own plate before tucking in with a renewed vigour.
I could only hope that this newfound peace would last for the remainder of the trip, but something was telling me that it wasn't going to be so easy.
Conversation remained pleasant between Aria and I when we returned to the car for the remaining three hours of our journey. I was grateful that she seemed to have accepted that the only relationship we could ever have was that of a student and teacher, and also that she has stopped treating me like something gross that she had stepped on. We were starting again on a blank slate – at least, that's what I hoped.
After one more pit stop to fill up on caffeine, we arrived at the hotel in sunny Florida. After more than twenty-four hours of being in Aria's constant presence, I couldn't wait to have some space to myself. As nice as it was to be able to talk to her on a more professional level, and to get to know her as an intellectual equal, my desires for her had not abated at all and I just needed some time to cool off – preferably in a cold shower.
While Aria stayed with our bags in the foyer, I checked us in at reception and also registered us for the competition. The first round would take place at nine am the following morning, but there was to be a mixer tonight to allow for the contestants to meet each other and also for the teachers to acquaint themselves over an open bar.
Once everything was sorted out at reception, being the gentleman that I was, I carried Aria's bag to her room for her – her room was located opposite mine on the fifth floor of the three star hotel - before bidding her goodbye with promises to meet her in the foyer for the mixer at seven.
Aria's POV
"See you then, Mr Fitz," I replied to Mr Fitz's farewell before shutting the door to my hotel room behind me and leaning back against it. My head was reeling from everything that had taken place over the last twenty four hours, and I was glad to finally have some space to myself to come to terms with everything that had happened and to deal with the many conflicting emotions that were having a full out tank battle in my brain.
I couldn't figure out how I felt about everything. One part of me was saying how wrong all of this was and if I had any sense at all I should report him to the authorities because, for all I know, he could do this with loads of students. It was common knowledge that most teachers who engage in sexual activities with students were repeat offenders. My father's own affair sprang to mind and I shuddered. At the same time though I thought, as I collapsed backwards onto my bed with a sigh, the less rational part was telling me that Mr Fitz was as horrified with his actions as I should be. Surely if he was a predator then he would have slept with me, or at least let me return the favour instead of just going down on me. He didn't really get any pleasure from the whole fandango now that I thought about it.
The feeling of him between my legs sprang to mind, the firm warmth of his tongue as it ran back and forth over my clit paired with the thick feeling of his fingers buried inside of me was like nothing I had ever felt before and much better than what I had imagined oral sex to be like.
When I had dated Oskar, Noel, and Jake they had never gone down on me, despite letting me please them for what would sometimes be excruciating lengths of time. I wasn't a virgin, having slept with both Oskar and Noel, so I had been more than ready to take that step with Ezra - Mr Fitz, whatever the damned man wanted to be called. Jake-the-mistake and I had never slept together, his meat headedness had been the biggest turn off ever and I dumped him before we even broached the subject.
My thoughts returned to the blue-eyed mystery that was my English teacher. I couldn't figure him out. He knew that I wanted him, and I knew that he - at least on a sexual level - wanted me too, and I hadn't shown any reluctance last night, so what was really stopping him? If his morals were so high then surely he wouldn't have slipped up so badly last night, right? I could feel my cheeks heat up at the thought of him watching me touch myself. Noel had caught me do that before, too, and thought it was hilarious, using it to embarrass me whenever he could.
With Mr Fitz, however, it was something different. His hooded gaze and tented pyjamas had made me feel like some sort of goddess, making me want to continue for him instead of hide under the covers and disappear. The events that had followed were amazing but the rejection that had shot through me when he ordered me to get dressed had reduced me to tears, and I had spent the whole day wondering if he had heard me sniffling under the sheets.
That man was a mystery and I knew that I should do what he said and forget about what happened between us but I couldn't. I wanted him and, for me, there could be no going back now that the fire had been lit. If Ali was still alive then she would know exactly what to do, she was an expert in hooking up with older guys. I tried to think of the things she would do and immediately realised what my next move would have to be. I had to make him jealous. He needed to see what he could have if he loosened up his morals a little.
I got up from the bed and looked out of the window, spotting several people with suitcases make their way into the hotel. Looking ago my phone I saw that I had just over two hours to get ready for the mixer where I was going to show Mr Morals Fitz exactly what he was missing.
Ezra's POV
After napping for most of the afternoon, I found myself waiting for Aria to arrive in the lobby so we could head down to the mixer. There was to be a three-course meal followed by a drinks reception – non-alcoholic for the students and, at least what I hoped would be, very strong alcohol for the teachers and organisers. A good stiff drink was exactly what I needed to calm my nerves after the mental war that had been taking place in my brain ever since Aria Montgomery took a seat in my silver Sedan.
My dreams this afternoon had all featured the petite brunette that I just couldn't seem to resist no matter how hard I tried. What was worse was that now my dreams were far more vivid due to my knew-found knowledge of the feel of Aria's silken skin, the taste of her most forbidden parts, and the sound of her moans as I pleased her. I shook my head; I really had to stop this. I was a grown man, not a horny sixteen-year-old boy desperate to feel a girl's boobs. Aria was just a girl, and I was going to stop fantasising about her and her perfect ass. Crap.
I glanced down at my watch and realised that it was now five past seven, leaving them only ten minutes to take their seats at the dinner. Where was she?
"Mr Fitz?"
I span around at the sound of the woman - girl - in question calling my name. The second my eyes landed on her, I swear my jaw nearly hit the ground – a notion I had always deemed ridiculous when I read it in a love story. I mean, how could a woman's beauty shock somebody so much that their jaw dislocates from their body? But looking at Aria and the fantastically sexy dress she had put on, I swore to myself that I would never roll my eyes again at the term because her, right there, in that dress, was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Her petite figure looked glorious.
She was wearing a black and white patterned dress that fell to just above her knee and flared out slightly at the waist. It had a gold zip down the centre, which I noticed she had left open a small bit at the top, teasing me into imagining what would lay beneath if I tugged it down further. On her feet were killer red heels that had to be at least give inches high, making her a good five six in stature.
"Guh?" I replied, not quite able to remember how words worked. Aria looked at me with a devilish smile and I suddenly realised what her game was. She was trying to bait me and, suffice to say, it was already working. No, I had to be stronger than that. Clearing my throat, I tried the whole 'speaking coherently' thing again, "You look nice."
"Why, this old thing?" Aria replied, biting her tongue teasingly as she pinched the fabric between her fingers, looking down at the dress. "I just threw it on." The careful detail of her makeup and the fresh cherry red manicure on her nails said otherwise.
I nodded, not willing to discuss her appearance any further.
"Ready for dinner?" I asked instead, nodding in the direction of Function Room B where the meal was set to start any minute. Aria nodded with a smile and together we walked the short journey to the hall.
The room was filled with several round tables each fitting at least eight people. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I noticed that we were not the only people who were not on time.
After looking around for a minute of two, I lead Aria towards a table designated for the people in her age category. I felt a pang in my stomach at the sign which read 'Senior Category: 17+' reminding me just how much more seventeen plus I was than her.
I pulled out a chair for Aria before taking a seat on her right. There was an empty space beside her whilst the rest of the table was full. We introduced ourselves to Aria's competition and their chaperones. There were two girls called Vanessa and Karen with their teachers Mr Paige and Mrs Mia from Chicago and New York, respectively. On my right was Miss Ripley whose student, Tom, was to be joining us upon his return from the bathroom, and they were from some town in California that I had never heard of.
After a few minutes of small chat, we were joined by the aforementioned Tom just as the starter of vegetable soup was being served. He was tall, probably an inch or two taller than myself, and had the sun kissed look of a guy who spent his days at the beach. His hair was a dirty blonde and I noticed that it had a bit of a Bieber look to it as he flicked it out of his bright blue eyes. He seemed entirely too confident for a seventeen year old boy to be. Noel Kahn has competition in the ego department, I mused before shaking my head as I realised that the poor guy had done nothing to deserve my judgement.
"Sorry, I'm late," he apologised as he took his seat beside Aria. I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes have her a quick once over, lingering on the slightly unzipped neckline that I had been drawn to not twenty minutes ago. Dick. "On the way back I decided to check that there was going to be a vegetarian option for the main course," he explained. We all nodded in reply but I could have sworn that the teenage girls at the table, Aria included, sighed quietly. I was about to introduce myself and Aria when Tom spoke up again. "And who are you, beautiful?"
My fists clenched automatically, a possessiveness I did not know I possessed over Aria reared it's ugly head.
Aria swallowed her soup before replying, "I'm Aria Montgomery from Pennsylvania and this is my teacher, Ezra Fitz." Tom glanced at me giving a slight nod before returning his attention back to Aria. To keep myself from strangling him, I shovelled my piping hot soup into my mouth - burning my tongue and oesophagus in the process.
"I'm Tom Pound," he told her, "Cali."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aria replied kindly, but I couldn't help that out of the corner of my eye she was leaning into him slightly.
"Oh, believe me, Aria Montgomery-" the way he said her name made my skin crawl and I could feel my resolve slipping once more - Aria would be the death of me, I was sure of it, "-the pleasure is all mine."
Despite my intense and irrational hatred of Tom, I actually managed to enjoy the rest of the meal - even when he and Aria were bonding over their veganism. I could be a vegan.
It turned out that Miss Ripley had gone to the same college as one of my old High School friends and we actually had several other mutual friends because if it. However, as much as I enjoyed talking to the woman, I couldn't seem to stop my eyes from straying over to Aria and Tom. They were getting on too well for my liking. It's not your problem, Ezra, I had to keep reminding myself, she's your student and is at perfect liberty to leave dinner with whoever she wan- LEAVE DINNER?
I brought myself back to reality and shot out of my seat, knocking into the table.
"Where do you think you're going?" I barked at the pair who were now a metre or so away from the table.
Aria turned and looked at me, and for a second I could have sworn that I saw a twinkle of satisfaction in her eyes before it was replaced with confusion.
"Tom was just showing me to the bathroom, Mr Fitz," she said sweetly, "Do you not respect my decision to make new friends?" Her eyes dared me to take the bait but I would not give in. She. Was. My. Student.
"That's fine, Aria," I said, trying to force my body to loosen up, "Just please let me know when you're going to leave the table."
"I didn't want to interrupt you and Miss Ripley," Aria replied. Was that a flash of jealousy I saw on her face? She turned back to Tom and smiled before allowing him to lead her out into the hall.
PLL PLL PLL PLL PLL PLL PLL PLL
The rest of the evening progressed smoothly. Aria and I ignored each other, and went our separate ways once everybody moved into the lounge area. Miss Ripley, or Valerie as she asked me to call her, ordered two glasses of wine and sat in a corner discussing our students and classes. She was nice, a curvy woman with long chestnut hair that fell to just beneath her shoulders and big green eyes.
"Aria seems like a lovely girl," she commented, I followed her gaze as she nodded towards the girl in question who was sitting on a love seat with Tom, two Virgin Piña Coladas in their hands. "I think Tom has taken a shine to her, too." My eyes zeroed in on Tom's hand that was resting on her knee as they laughed at something he had said. I couldn't help myself and remembered when those knees were quivering with pleasure on either side of my head as I fucked her with my tongue.
"He'd stay away from her if he knew what was good for him," I spat without thinking. Valerie looked at me strangely but I ignored it, knocking back the last of my Sauvignon Blanc and standing up. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Valerie." I kissed her on the cheek, unsure as to why, and made my way out of the room. It took everything I had not to march over to Aria and Tom and yank them apart.
I jabbed the elevator button repeatedly, wanting to be as far away from Aria and Tom as possible. Finally the doors opened and I stepped in, stabbing the button for my floor. As the doors slid shut and the elevator began to move, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding - this weekend was going on a downward spiral. I wanted nothing more but to storm back down stairs and yank Aria away from Tom so I could kiss her senseless - but I couldn't.
I don't know what I hated more: myself for wanting her, or not being able to do anything about it. Suddenly, however, it became very clear what I hated most… I hated Tom Pound.
I hoped you guys liked this one. I actually quite like how it turned out! Please let me know what you think! Reviews dwindled slightly on the last chapter and I just want to know what you guys want or don't want to see! I pretty much know how the next chapter is going to turn out but I'm definitely open to suggestions! Enjoy PLL tonight :)
- Katie
