Hellooo guys!

First of all : The UStream? Super bummed about Julian's presence, even though I'm sure he has a secret twitter account and he fangirls about Lucian with Keegan. Some sweet Lucian moments, and now I am craving a real Lucian UStream! Guess we'll just have to wait 6 months for 30 minutes again... They have to make babies soon... Leave your opinion in the reviews! :)

So this chapter is kind of a filler in a way. it let's you know where their family stands in the story and stuff. I didn't want Dianne to be a complete stuck up bitch in this story, so she has good and bad sides. I need to have a brainstorming session with myself soon to figure out where this story is going... If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them down below :) Hope you like it! Safe read ;)

Disclaimer: I don't PLL, cause if I did, Dianne Fitzgerald wouldn't be a monstrous bitch. Js.

"And I wanted the truth but sometimes the truth hurts
And my angel with her dirty wings
She used to make me smile
She kept all of her secrets locked inside
In a place I could not reach her
Though I tried with all my might"

In my Bones - Ron Pope

(It seemed very appropriate for this story, somehow :) )

Chapter 4

Aria's POV

I woke to a soft vibration in my ear. My eyes fluttered opened and I was disoriented for a moment before realizing where I was. A smile graced my lips as Ezra chuckled in my ear. My smile grew wider and I sighed happily. His arms tightened around my waist and my hands rested on his. I closed my eyes and enjoyed this blissful moment. Compared to my waking up alone for the past year, this felt like a dream. I must've fallen back asleep somehow, because I was later woken up again by Ezra, who was leaving kisses all the way down my neck. I giggled happily before turning in his arms to face him.

"Hello gorgeous." He said with his morning voice.

"Why, hello to you too, handsome!" I replied, smiling.

"I missed waking up to you." He spoke, looking straight into my eyes.

"Me too." I said, smiling widely. "What time is it?" I asked curiously.

"Let me check… Woah! It's 11 o'clock already."

"I sleep like a baby when I'm in your arms." I replied chuckling slightly.

"How does breakfast sound?"

"Coffee sounds better. Oh, and a shower too." I said, winking as I got out of bed and headed towards his shower.

"Hey there! Where do you think you're going?" He cried as he jumped out of bed and grabbed my waist from behind. He twirled me around as we both laughed. He set me back on the ground and tightened his arms around me.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere in a million years. Not ever again will I let you leave." He breathed strongly in my ear. I twisted my head around and looked in his eyes, sincerity dripping from my every word.

"Good. Because I didn't have any intention to leave ever again." I said as I reached up to kiss his lips.

After our pretty long shower, Ezra slipped on some boxers and pajama bottoms. I picked the shirt he wore last night from the floor and put it on before joining him in the kitchen. I sat on a stool behind the island and looked at his perfect back while he reached up in one of his cupboard to take out several cereal boxes.

"I call dibs on-"

"Fruit Loops?" He finished for me as he handed me the box.

"You know me so well." I smiled as I opened the box and popped a colorful cereal in my mouth. He pushed a bowl and a spoon in my direction before turning around and getting the milk out of the fridge.

"You're favorite brand of completely not-healthy cereal is forever burned in my brain. So is your favorite coffee flavor." He smiled as he handed me a cup of coffee.

"You really think of everything, don't you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I took a gulp of the fuming liquid in my cup as he answered.

"Everything. All the time." He winked before filling his own cereal bowl. We ate in comfortable silence before my curiosity got the best of me.

"H-How did your mom and Wes react when they learned that we… you know, broke up?" I asked hesitantly, not looking at him directly.

He chuckled. "Smooth." I smiled and brought my eyes back to his face before he continued. "Honestly? Wesley almost jumped through the roof and asked me your phone number. I punched him and we don't talk much since." We both laughed.

"He does have a thing for your ex-girlfriends now doesn't he?" I said, smirking. "How about your mom?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"Actually, she had mixed feelings about the situation. She always liked you and treated you like her own when you came by, so she was quite surprised to hear about us being over. She said some things, I said some things… it didn't end well, let's just say."

"Are you guys still talking?" I asked, worriedly. As far as I remembered, Ezra and his mom had a good relationship. They didn't have the best out there, but it was still functional.

"No, not recently." He answered. He looked down and cleared his throat.

"What did she say?" I asked timidly, not sure if he wanted to talk about it.

"She didn't say anything worth repeating. Especially not to you." He said, picking his bowl from the counter and rinsing it in the sink. I got up from my seat and went to stand next to him. He stood there, furrowing his brow in concentration as he rinsed his cereal bowl. He continued rinsing the bowl, even after it was clean. A few seconds later, I stopped the water and took the bowl from him. He stared at his hands as a silence took over the room. I watched him play uncomfortably with his fingers before speaking.

"Hey. Look up." He slowly raised his head but avoided my stare at all costs. "Look at me." I said forcing him to meet my eyes. I took his face between my palms and spoke reassuringly. "Just because your mom said certain things about me or thought badly of me doesn't mean that you do. I understand that. I know how to draw the line between what your mother thinks and what you think." I paused for a moment, searching his eyes. He blinked back tears and swallowed.

"You have different feelings, different thoughts, and I know that. Everything's fine, and one day, you'll have to forgive your mother for what she said. You can't hold it against her forever. I really was a bitch about the whole situation, so whatever she said, she was kind of right." I finished, smiling.

He breathed in deeply before kissing my forehead and enveloping me into his warm embrace. He hugged me tighter for a moment before letting me go.

"You're right. You're always right." He said smiling sheepishly.

"Can I get you to write that as an official document and sign it? I'll frame it too, and keep it under lock and key. You know, just to be sure." I shot back, smirking.

"Haha. You're so funny." He added in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, I know right! I'm so hilarious. People tell me all the time!" He turned around and shot a fake smile in my direction before he poured himself a cup of coffee. He picked up his newspaper and sat down on a stool. I stole the fashion section from him and started to read. After I finished the first paragraph, he asked me the question I assumed must've been burning his tongue.

"How did your father take the news? Did he load his gun and run out the house?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. I thought about my answer for a minute and answered carefully.

"My dad loaded his gun ever since you step foot out of that house when we told him and mom about our relationship. When I came home crying, he got it out of the closet and aimed it right at my face. But instead of bullets, it was four simple words." I said with the most serious voice in the world.

"I told you so." He breathed next to me. I nodded silently and got back to my reading. After a few minutes of excruciating silence, he spoke.

"Do you still talk to him?"

"We spoke at my mom's Thanksgiving dinner last year. Then at our family's Christmas party. The last time I spoke to him was for my birthday." I spoke quietly.

He nodded in understanding.

"Are you mad at him?" he asked, his voice full of care.

"I was, but not anymore. I was just as quick as him to judge you and we both didn't take time to understand the situation. I can't blame it all on him, as much as I would love to. The last few months I spent at Hollis and in Rosewood were painful. Between losing you and fighting with him, it didn't feel right to live in that town anymore, so Spencer convinced me to move up here. Since then, we're not exactly on speaking terms. I'm not mad, I just don't like the way he handled everything." We both dropped our newspaper on the counter and he reached for my hands. He squeezed them before speaking.

"What about Ella and Mike?"

I breathed deeply before launching myself into the story.

"Mom and Mike helped me a lot. They were both there to support me and, let's face it, she always thought highly of you. She liked you as a colleague and was just too restricted by my dad's opinion to stand up to him and accept us. She got tired of my dad always being so close-sighted and never agreeing with other people's opinion. I think she never really got past his infidelity either, so she decided to get a divorce. Mike and I accepted her decision. It was hard at first, seeing how the people you've seen so happy and in love for the last twenty years go their separate ways, but I think it was for the best. Mike, mom and I talk on a regular basis. Our family is much happier than it used to be." I smiled as I blinked back tears. Ezra stood up and wrapped his arms around my back, gently rocking us from side to side.

"I'm glad you were surrounded by people who loved you and cared about you. I'm sorry about your parents." He paused and silence filled the room. His voice was quiet and full of guilt when he spoke again.

"Somehow, I feel like this is my fault, I mean…"

"You didn't make him cheat, Ezra. You weren't the one who immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion and didn't want to hear anything we said. He made a succession of bad choices and it all came down biting him in the ass later. Our breakup was just the straw that broke the camel's back. This isn't our fault." I answered quietly, repeating the words my mom had used to comfort me when I had similar insecurities. Her words were so sincere that couldn't even doubt them. I squeezed his hand and he laughed quietly.

"We should really get that signed document."

After our eventful breakfast conversation, we resumed our reading. At one o' clock, we cleaned the kitchen and I dressed back into my own clothes. I left shortly afterwards, with the promise of texting soon. I walked back to my place with the goofiest grin on my face. I couldn't believe all that happened to me in the last 24 hours. I had reconnected with Ezra and I don't think that I could be any happier than I am now. We actually took the time to talk things through, and it felt amazing to open up to him again.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took it out. I had three missed calls and several missed text messages. The phone calls were all from my mom.

Crap. She probably called to make sure I was okay, considering the date two days ago. I opened my texts only to find out they were all from the girls.

From Hanna:

"We can already hear weird noises from up here."

"Is Mr. Fitz being naughty or what?"

"Hope you're enjoying yourself! ;)"

"You did ditch us for a good reason, right?"

"Rise and shine sleepyhead! How was the sex?! ;)"

And so on. I opened up her last text and typed up a reply.

"BEST. SEX. EVER. Satisfied?! "

My phone buzzed quickly afterwards.

"Merely. How soon can you come and rave about it?"

I snorted and quickly typed on my touch screen.

"In your dreams, princess. Oh that's right, cause that's the only place you'll ever hear about it! ;)"

I pushed the door of my building open and pushed some buttons on my phone before the call connected.

"Hey mom! Yeah, I'm good. Actually, I'm better than good. You won't believe what happened to me…"

I sighed as I disconnected the call with my mother. I had been on the phone for nearly two hours before she ditched me because she had to go to the gallery. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I smiled as I remembered our phone call. I was whisked out of my thought from the buzz of my phone.

1 New Text Message from Ezra Fitz

Call me.

I obliged and the line connected moments later.

"Hi darling." He greeted me. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hey handsome! What made you think you deserved a phone call?" I asked, laughing.

"Well, I didn't exactly want to do this over text message, so let me ask you, how do you feel about going out tonight?"

"Ezra Fitz, are you asking me on a date? Don't tempt me, I might just say yes." I replied in a playful voice.

"In this case, I shall tempt you. Do you want to go out with me tonight, beautiful?" He asked, his voice full of hope. I didn't speak for a moment, messing with his mind before I answered:

"Of course, gentleman. I'll see you at 7 then."

"7 it is. I'll pick you up. I can't wait to see you." He said in a warm voice.

"The feeling is mutual. I'll be waiting." I answered as I disconnected the call.

This was one night I was looking forward to.

Hope you liked it! Forgot to mention in the beginning, but THANKS SOOOO MUCH for all the reviews and follows and favorites. They brighten my day! Keep that in mind! The French reviews for the last chapter were so awesome, especially since that comment was directed towards one person. French rocks, and, pweeease REVIEW :)