"Ezra!" Aria yelped playfully as he ran down what appeared to be a part of the Hollis campus with her on his back.

She laughed as she clung to him for dear life and after a few seconds he slowed and returned to a walking pace, a grin spread widely across his face as he struggled to catch his breath. Aria let out another giggle and placed her chin on his shoulder.

"I swear, you're the biggest child sometimes..." she teased.

"Hey, you're the one who said I walked slowly," he teased back, still a little bit out of breath.

She shook her head and kicked her legs slightly, letting him know that she wanted him to put her down. He crouched down until her feet hit the pavement and stood back up, turning to face her. She reached forward and quickly found his hand, locking her fingers with his as she smiled up at him. Using his free hand, Ezra tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and smiled back. She stood on her tiptoes and he bent his head down until they met for a short kiss. Once they parted, Aria stayed balanced and moved her mouth to his ear.

"You better get going, Professor Fitz," she whispered with a smirk.

Ezra shivered at the feel of her lips barely touching his skin. "What if I don't want to go," he said softly.

She leaned back, the smirk still on her face. "Goodbye, Ezra," she said in a light voice as she began to walk away.

His lips formed a pout as her hand slipped out of his and she continued to step backwards from him.

"I love you," she called out as a reminder.

He chuckled and turned away. "Mhm," he called back.

Suddenly Ezra's surroundings began to blur and the next thing he knew he was sitting on his couch watching a drunken Aria dancing around the room. He was just as drunk, and he struggled a bit before he stood up. He somehow managed to knock over the now empty wine bottle that was sitting on the coffee table and he cursed, making Aria giggle from her place across the room as he picked up the bottle and began to walk over to her.

"And why are you so happy?" Ezra asked, wrapping his arms around her small frame from behind and swaying along with her.

She leaned back against him and sighed in content. "Because we actually just had a nice dinner with my mom. Because I'm with the person that I love. Because one year ago today I met you in a bar and everything fell into place," she answered softly.

"Oh, is that all?" He grinned and trailed a few kissed down her neck.

She turned around and put her hands on his chest, once again leaning into him. His arms were still wrapped around her waist as they moved slowly with the music.

"What are we listening to?" Ezra asked.

Aria buried her face in his shirt and let out a light chuckle. "I dunno," she whispered.

He leaned his head down and placed his mouth next to her ear and began to hum the unnamed song. Aria closed her eyes and smiled.

"Happy anniversary, Ezra," she breathed.

"Happy anniversary, Aria."

"Ezra?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

She pulled away and opened her eyes, which were now rapidly filling with tears. Ezra looked at her and immediately noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Aria? What's wrong?" he asked, panicked.

He felt something around him changing. Everything felt as if it was slowly fading away from him.

She sniffled. "Please..." she choked out. "Remember me, Ezra."

He stared at her with worry and confusion in his eyes as he felt her touch become lighter and lighter. The sound of her crying became more distant with every second that passed and Ezra started to panic. He didn't understand what was happening but he tried to hold onto her. Eventually she disappeared into the background, which had now changed from his apartment to complete emptiness. He looked around frantically, calling out Aria's name, but it was no use. He was alone.

Ezra woke up in a thin layer of sweat. He sat up quickly and attempted to catch his breath, glancing around to see that whatever the hell just happened was, in fact, a dream. He looked to the clock and groaned. It was four in the morning and there was no way he would be getting back to sleep. He rubbed his eyes and threw the covers off of his body. He hated Mondays.

It'd been two weeks since Ezra first met Aria, for the second time, in Snookers Bar. He'd seen her almost everyday since then. He wondered if the constant contact with her is what prompted his dream—not that he was complaining. It just felt so... real. He considered the possibility that his dream had actually been a memory; only he'd filled in the spot of the mystery girl with Aria instead of someone else. Maybe he and Jackie had tried to give it another shot. Ezra was looking for anything that could be seen as a sign of recovery. He was no closer to remembering his life than he was when he first woke up and it made him frustrated. He hated the black hole in his past that taunted him with the irresistible promise of unattainable answers. He felt damaged and empty despite Aria making him the happiest he'd ever been—or remembered being. He sighed as he stood up and shuffled lazily to his fridge. He was getting really tired of all the memory shit.

He furrowed his brow as he filled a glass with water from the sink, thinking about how he would need to tell Aria the truth about him eventually. He was afraid of how she would react. Of course he knew that she would be kind to him, but in a way that's what he feared most. What if she said that it didn't bother her but on the inside she was freaking out? Ezra didn't like the idea of making Aria uncomfortable, but he didn't like the idea of lying to her more. He would tell her the truth the next time he saw her.

Hours passed and Ezra found himself doing nothing, again. He reached into his pocket to dial Aria but soon realized what time it was. It was two o'clock on a Monday, meaning she was at school. Ezra removed his hand from his pocket and placed it on his forehead, laughing slightly to himself. How did this happen? The accident that no one can tell him about, the high school girl he'd begun to fall for, not to mention the fact that he was currently unemployed. It made him wonder what he could have possibly done in the three years he'd lost to make himself susceptible to such bad karma.

An hour later Ezra heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see Aria standing there, smiling at him. He stepped aside to let her in, closing the door after her as she plopped down on his couch and lay down. She seemed awfully comfortable there, like she took his previous statement to make herself at home very seriously, but Ezra didn't mind. In fact, he liked it. It made him feel safer knowing that at least one person felt like they knew his apartment, even when he didn't. A piece of hair fell into Aria's face as she was getting comfortable and she blew air upwards to try and make it move. After several failed attempts, the strand finally fell back into place.

Ezra chuckled at the sight in front of him and she turned her face to glare at him.

"Alright, what's got you in such a good mood?" Ezra asked sarcastically.

"Stupid stuff," she replied.

Ezra refrained from laughing again. "Okay..." he drew the word out as he walked to the couch.

She sat up, making room for him to sit next to her and he did.

"What kind of stuff?" he pushed.

Aria leaned forward and pressed her head into his shoulder. "Like I said, it's stupid," she mumbled.

Ezra leaned back and caught Aria's face in his hands, smiling at the adorable pout on her face.

"Whatever it is, no matter how stupid, tell me."

She shook her head and he dropped his hands, finding hers that were resting in her lap.

"I just... I don't want you to have to deal with this stuff—high school stuff. I don't want you to be constantly reminded of my age, especially when it bothers you," she admitted.

Ezra sighed, frustrated with himself. "Aria, I'm sorry if I made you feel that way and I admit, at first the age thing freaked me out but it's not something I want you to hide from me. I don't care about any of that. I like you for you, and I don't want you to be any different," he said, before his lips turned into a smirk. "Besides, I went to high school, perhaps I could be of assistance."

Aria laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder before leaning on his shoulder again, this time her head resting on its side. "Please, like I could ever use advice coming from a dork," she teased.

"Hey," Ezra scolded, laughing. "I was a well socially-adjusted dork, thank you."

"Sure."

"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Ezra asked hopefully.

"Mmm..." Aria looked up, as if she were in deep thought. "No."

She grinned at him and he slumped his shoulders in defeat, knowing he'd have to get it out of her later. There was a long silence before Ezra spoke.

"Actually... There is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said carefully.

She looked up at him, trying to hide the hint of fear and panic in her eyes.

"I don't really know how to say this, I'm still trying to figure it all out myself... I guess I just want to word this right so that you don't run off," he explained, stalling.

"I'm not going anywhere," Aria whispered reassuringly.

He eyed her cautiously but her calm demeanor quickly settled him. "Something... happened to me—an accident. I was in an accident a little while before I met you and um..." He paused, making sure to get the wording right and looked down. "I—I don't really, I can't exactly..."

Aria rolled her eyes and smiled at his rambling. "Out with it, Fitz."

"I—" He looked back up into her eyes. "I was shot and hit my head. Don't ask me why, or how, because I can't remember. I—I can't remember the last three years of my life due to swelling in my brain. The doctors aren't sure if I'll ever get my memory back but the longer I go without it the less chance I have of getting it back," Ezra finished, surprising himself at how articulate he managed to sound.

Aria stared back at him in shock, not because she was unaware of his condition, but because she was surprised that Ezra had told her all of that about himself. She realized she should say something but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she lifted her hand to his cheek and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. He pulled back but their foreheads remained together.

"I'm so sorry, I know that's a lot to take in and I should have told you sooner but I was so surprised at how quickly we got to know each other and before I knew it I—"

Aria shut him up with another kiss before pulling away. "It's okay, Ezra. I'm not mad. I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish you could remember everything."

Ezra smiled, unable to believe what he was hearing. She wasn't angry with him. She wasn't freaked out. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, but, since the universe could never let him be happy for too long, another thought began creeping its way into the back of Ezra's mind. Aria noticed the change in his face and leaned back.

"What is it?"

Ezra sighed. "I really hate asking this Aria, but I feel like I have to. The only thing the doctor told me is that I was a teacher at Rosewood High, and I know that's where you go and I—I need to know. Was I ever your teacher, Aria?"

She felt like the wind was being knocked out of her. What kind of question is that? She did her best to act calm.

"I didn't even know you taught there," she said matter-of-factly.

By the relieved look on Ezra's face Aria could tell she was convincing.

"I'm sorry for asking. I just—"

"You had to be sure. I understand."

Ezra nodded and smiled at her again. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She returned his smile. "I know," she teased.

"How long can you stay tonight?"

"Depends..." she said, inching closer to his face. "How long do you want me to stay?"

Her lips were just centimeters away from his, and if she'd been focusing more on Ezra rather than her own heartbeat, she might have been able to hear Ezra barely whisper, "Forever," against her mouth before connecting their lips.

A/N: an update?! its a miracle! and i know, i've been horrible. if you read the new story i posted (Beautiful Disaster), you'd know why i've been such a loser with updating and long story short, i don't have an excuse, i've just been really stressed and in an awful mood and finally finishing this chapter was a huge struggle. on the bright side, school is almost over which means more time to write and also a lot less stress keeping me preoccupied, meaning the next update should come much sooner. thank you for your patience and support, i cant tell you enough how much i appreciate it.

and please review! reviews really do motivate me to keep writing and get you updates faster, so please dont hesitate to send me one if i ever take a super long time again like i did this time. i could use the kick in the ass. you can leave me comments here, tumblr (ezrafitzgerld), or twitter (ezriab26). again thank you!