If I Knew Then: Chapter 6

Knocks on Your Door

Love only comes

Once in a while

Knocks on your door

And throws you a smile

What in the hell just happened? Aria asked herself as she watched Ezra walk back to his car. His touch had left more than just a damp feeling from the late afternoon rain on her skin; he left a pleasurable sting on every single part of her body.

He turned back toward her with a glance over his shoulder. She threw him a flirtatious smile and a tiny wave. His boyish grin flashed across his face and he waved back before turning to his brother, who was waiting near his car.

As soon as Ezra and his brother left the parking lot, Aria's three best friends, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, and Emily Fields, came back out from the bus station where they had been using the restroom. They were all wide-eyed as they gazed at her. She gave them a raise of her eyebrows, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hanna shook her head in confusion, her blonde hair bouncing at the sides of her face, "Okay, either our eyesight is failing at twenty-two or we just saw you kiss that guy." She pursed her lips and eyed her friend harshly, "Would you like to explain?"

"Um-"

Spencer's voice interrupted her, "Or maybe tell us why you were just shoving your tongue down a guy's throat that wasn't Hayden?"

"Well, I can explain-"

"How could you do that to Hayden, Aria? I mean, I know he can be a bit overbearing at times, but you have been dating him for two years. I thought you loved him." Emily finally piped up, her jet black hair glistening with drying raindrops.

"Will you guys please let me talk?" Aria's voice rose and the other girls fell silent, still giving her rude and judgmental looks. She took a deep breath and began to explain, "The guy you just saw me kiss was Ezra. Ezra Fitz. We sat next to one another on the bus trip for the past twenty four hours."

Hanna rolled her eyes and snarkily said, "Not really helping your case out here, Ar."

"Just shut up and let me tell the story, okay, Hanna?" Aria replied in annoyance. "Anyways, I felt like there was something very special between us. And when our hands brushed against each other's when he was handing me a book," She shivered as she remembered the sparks that she had felt when her and Ezra's skin had brushed for the first time, "it felt like the universe was bringing us together. Like the bus trip was destiny mashing us together." She took in another breath before continuing, "When we stopped at a pub in Cleveland last night, Hayden got drunk and said things that made me upset. Ezra was there to comfort me."

Emily asked, her face softening from disappointment to curiosity, "What happened next?"

"He said that he didn't want to come between Hayden and I. He seemed determined to not feel anything for me, but obviously that is not the case."

Hanna sighed, running her hand through her blonde hair, "Hayden said things that made you upset? What did he do now?" Unlike the rest of the girls, she had quite an opinion of Hayden that was not the nicest. She thought that Aria was making a bad decision dating a former gangbanger who used to be addicted to drugs. She wanted her friend to find a nice guy that came from a pleasant background.

"Some not so nice things about you three and my family. He apologized for it now, but at the moment, I didn't even recognize my boyfriend."

Spencer shook her head, "I thought that he was past that drinking thing by now. Why was he even near alcohol?" The med student looked at Aria in the eyes for the first time in the whole conversation, "So, Ezra was there for you when Hayden wasn't even though he'd only known you for a day? How was he there for you exactly?"

She smiled softly as she remembered when Ezra followed her into that bar bathroom, "He followed me to where I was crying and gave me a hug. Then…" She pressed her hand to her lips, "Then that was when he kissed me for the first time."

Emily narrowed her brown eyes, a teasing smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "So, was the kiss good?"

That's when Hayden started walking up and the four best friends hadn't even noticed. He looked at all the girls, his backpack swinging from one of his shoulders, spiky dark blonde hair glistening with rain, "What kiss?"

Aria forced herself to strode over to him and press a firm kiss to his lips. They felt so hard and firm compared to Ezra's, which were extremely soft and sweet like the petal of a rose, "That kiss, sweetheart. We better be off to my parent's house then!"

"I'm still driving Emily's car there, right? Just so you girls can catch up?"

Hanna nodded and started to grab Aria's suitcases and stuff them in the back of her Volvo, "Yes, you are. Now, go. You have had Aria all too yourself for the past three days. Its time for us to spend time with her." The blonde snuck a glance at her friend, looking at her up and down before imploringly saying, a mischievous smile on her lips, "After all, we have a lot to catch up on."

Kenneth inserted the key into the lock of the doorknob of his old apartment. Or Ezra's new apartment. It was just as his brother said; small, quiet, and just what he needed. A queen sized bed was stuffed in the northeast corner and a long brown leather couch filled the living room. A computer desk sat against a wall and a couple of wooden bookshelves took place beside it.

Ezra dropped his bags on the couch, looking around his new home, "Still looks the same as it was when I came to visit you when you were taking classes at Hollis."

Kenneth nodded, "I haven't had a whole lot of time to be refurnishing an old place where I spent most of nights, crammed into that tiny bed with my pregnant wife."

"Touché." Ezra ran his hand down the quilt of the bed and smiled softly, "Did Mom give you these?" The bedspread had been Ezra's when he was a teenager. He'd left them behind when he went abroad and his mother had been bugging him to come and get them when he got a place of his own.

"As soon as I told her that you were moving in here to this apartment, she practically threw them at me." Kenneth chuckled and then sighed deeply, running his hand through his dark hair, "I know you are twenty five and you probably don't need to be reminded of the rules of this place."

How did I know that he would do this? Ezra nodded in understanding, "I know the rules, Ken-"

His older brother cut him off, "Well, I am going to remind you of them. I don't want drugs in here. I don't want any alcohol stronger than scotch in here. I don't want to get any calls from home maintenance at three in the morning that they had to fix a bunch of crap because you threw a wild party. And no girls are allowed here after a certain time."

"Ken!"

"Those are my rules, little brother." His brother shrugged, "The girls rule was actually Natalie's and Mom's. I would love for you to finally get some action, but they don't want any girls here after one. Not even that cute little brunette that you were giving tongue earlier."

Ezra's cheeks flushed red, "If those are the rules, I will abide by them. But, Ken, I can't get any real action before one." The two brothers shared a crackling laugh before his cell phone rang.

Kenneth slapped his brother's shoulder before heading out of the apartment, "Go ahead and settle in. I'll be back tomorrow to drop off more stuff." The twenty eight year old exited and closed the door loudly behind him.

Ezra flipped his phone out and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Byron Montgomery, the man who'd gotten him the job at Hollis College. He was also Aria's father. His heart began to hammer as he pressed the receiver to his ear and answered, "Hello?"

"Ezra! I was expecting to get your voice mail. Have you made it to Philadelphia yet?"

"I am actually staying in Rosewood now. My brother's guestroom had a meltdown of some sort and he gave me his old apartment in Rosewood until he gets a plumber over there." He cleared his throat. Professor Montgomery had been that one teacher that everyone in his class loved. He was funny, understanding, and he got the job of teaching done in a fun way, "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, my daughter just arrived home from Chicago and we are throwing a small dinner for her to welcome her back to Rosewood. Then I thought if you didn't have any plans with your family or any old friends that you'd like to stop by."

Ezra's mind immediately flew to the reaction that he would gather from Aria when she would see him, "I wouldn't want to impose-"

"You wouldn't be imposing, Ezra. You'd be our honored guest." The professor's voice soured, "Besides that ass of a boyfriend that is my daughter's boyfriend."

He couldn't help, but laugh at that because he very much agreed with the statement, "You don't approve of her relationship."

"Let's just say when I first met him last year, I was not the happiest person on the planet. He doesn't come from a good background and he has tattoos on his arms and piercings in his ears. I don't know why that elementary school ever hired him."

"Is that so?" Ezra knew that Hayden was a punk the moment he laid eyes on him, "Does Aria know how you feel about him?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the call before Byron finally asked, "I don't remember telling you my daughter's name."

Crap. Ezra thought as he silently cursed himself, "Well, I remember you mentioning her name when I was still at Hollis. You said that you had a sixteen year old daughter named Aria and a son named Mike. He has to be about twenty now, right?"

"I guess I did mention that, didn't I? Oh, that was so long ago. Aria is living in Chicago now and Mike is off at Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship. You don't really know how fast time flies until you have children, Ezra. Just remember those words and you will always cherish the moments you had while you were a bachelor."Byron sighed and then continued, "So, should we set you a place for dinner?"

Ezra's mind was already on Aria, her beautiful face with her brunette hair falling like a waterfall around it. Her hazel eyes shining at him, her pink lips breathing heavily in his ear….He felt something inside him flutter and he cleared his throat again before responding to Mr. Montgomery, "Yeah, I'll be there."

The doorbell rang just as Aria sat in the cushioned chair that Hayden was holding out for her. She looked over at her mother, Ella, who was placing the last place mat on the table and asked, "Who is that extra place for? Is Mike coming home tonight?"

Ella shook her head, "He won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. I think that's the new fellow that your father hired at Hollis. He said that this guy just moved all the way down here from Ohio to work at Hollis and since he is a bachelor and probably living on TV dinners, Byron and I both thought that we would invite him to do dinner."

Hayden shrugged and sat down beside Aria, watching her every move, "Ar, are you okay? You look kind of pale."

Moving down from Ohio. Working at Hollis. A bachelor. Please no, please don't let it be true. Aria's thoughts began to fly around as she put all of the information together in her head and she was unable to control the raging emotions running up and down her body, "Y-yeah I'm fine."

Her mother shook her head all in good humor, "Aria, you are so silly sometimes. I think all that Chicago air is getting to your head. " She giggled and went into the kitchen to fetch the last of the food.

Byron walked from the direction of the front door and Ezra followed right behind him His eyes instantly locked with hers and his curly dark brown hair fell over his forehead. He wore a simple black t-shirt that clung nicely to his muscular yet lanky torso and a pair of dark blue jeans. His face was freshly shaven and his smile was bright as he gazed down at her.

Hayden looked up at Ezra in surprise, "Ezra? I didn't think that we'd be seeing each other again."

"Nor did I, Hayden." There was a hard edge to his voice as Ezra responded, "I'm just thankful that Byron and Ella were so willing to invite me." He turned back to Aria, his grin reappearing, "Hello, Aria."

"Hi, Ezra." She returned his smile with one of her own.

Byron watched this whole interaction with his eyes narrowed, "I didn't realize that you three knew one another."

Ezra quickly spoke before Hayden or Aria had a chance, "We rode on the same bus together. I hopped on in Cincinnati and the window seat beside them was the only seat open. So we enjoyed one another's company for a while." He met Aria's gaze again, his dark sapphire eyes glistening with mischief and affection.

There was an awkward silence in the room until Ella came back out of the kitchen and announced that it was time for dinner. She turned to Ezra and said, "You can beside Aria if you'd like."

"Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. I'm Ezra, by the way."

"I know. My husband won't shut up about you and how having such a promising young man in the English department is good for the school." Ella shook her head in friendly teasing in the direction of her husband, "And please call me Ella."

"Okay, Ella." He gave her a flash of his beautiful white teeth before quietly sitting in the chair beside Aria's, his hand brushing against her thigh.

Pleasure and nervousness rushed through her body and she couldn't help but feel sorry when he pulled his hand away, his jaw clenching and cheeks flushing a light blush. She felt her own cheeks beginning to feel the heat of red patches and she ducked her head on her long brunette hair.

This is going to be a very long night. She thought as her parents and sat down and they began to dig into the food.

Ezra excused himself after he was finished eating dinner to go upstairs to use the bathroom. He used the restroom, washed his hands and was just about to head back downstairs when a certain bedroom caught his eye. It was open and he recognized Aria's suitcases lying on the floor. This must be her room. He glanced around before poking his head in, his hands running down the door frame.

The bedroom just screamed Aria at him. The walls were painted dark cream paint and covered in a few pictures of family and friends. He stepped in closer and saw a small pile of books by a small window bench which was right near the bed.

A voice behind Ezra startled him, "Like what you see?" He whipped around to see Aria standing there, leaning against the door way, her small arms crossed across her chest, "If you want a full tour, I could give you one." Her voice was light, teasing, and coated with sedation.

Ezra willed himself not to moan in pleasure, "As long as you're my tour guide, I'll take that visit." He stepped closer to her, taking one of her hands in his, pulling her into him.

Aria quietly closed the door with her free hand and as soon as she was sure it was secure, she attacked Ezra's lips with her own, her fingers curling into the waviness of his hair. He held her close to him, cementing her to his body. She's so tiny, so fragile. But she seems even stronger than I am. I'm more worried about her breaking me than the other way around.

Kissing Aria was like feeling that was all that mattered in the world. She was the only thing on his mind. Her smell, her eyes, her lips, her body…..Everything about her called him to her like a vampire to blood.

As soon as their lips separated after a minute and a half of making out like hormonally driven rabbits, Aria shoved one of loose curls back into place with the rest of his hair, "We better be getting back before they realize that we've been gone for far too long."

After placing one last kiss to her lips, he opened the door for her and followed her back downstairs where her parents, Hayden, and three girls, introduced to him as Emily, Spencer, and Hanna, awaited them. Aria went to go sit with Hayden on the loveseat, much to Ezra's displeasure.

The blonde, Hanna, eyed him with curiosity in her narrowed dark eyes. She was dressed in brand name clothes and expensive diamond earrings dangled from her ears. The other girls, Emily and Spencer, were dressed more casual. Spencer was obviously the smartest one of the four because she wore a pair of reading glasses and was dressed in something that Ezra recognized from doctors in pre-med at Hollis, her brown hair rolled up into a neat bun. Emily just wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, her jet black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. By the way that they were eying him, Ezra knew that Aria must have told them about what happened on the bus trip.

Hayden cleared his throat and stood to his feet, nervously running his hand through his spiky blonde hair. He turned to Aria with love shining in his big dark brown saucers that he called eyes, "I've been planning this for a while now. I didn't know when the right time would be, but then I realized that I wanted to do this while here with your parents and three best friends."

Aria looked at him with confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Her boyfriend snuck a glance at Ezra and winked at him before turning back to Aria. Ezra clenched his jaw and his fists. That's when he remembered the conversation they had had on the bus just the morning before.

Hayden took a deep breath and reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a small velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a small diamond engagement ring, "I want to propose to Aria when we get to Rosewood, in front of her family and friends. I don't know if she's ready to get married yet, though. She and I have only been dating barely two years. I'm sure for my feelings for her, but can you tell if she's ready or not?"

"I don't know, Hayden. I haven't really known you guys very long, so…"

"Oh okay." Hayden sighed before continuing, "She's just so perfect! She's smart, beautiful, and good with kids! She is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Listen, man," Ezra was just going to be honest with him. He wanted Aria to be happy, after all, "If you really do love and care about Aria, don't let anything or anyone stop you. So what if she says no because she's not ready? You'll still have the ring and she'll still be your girlfriend."

How could he have been so stupid to encourage him to propose to the woman who he was falling for? Please not after what just happened in the bedroom. Please not now! Ezra just wanted to scream, but he couldn't and it was killing him inside.

Hayden pulled out the velvet box and got down on one knee. Six gasps sounded throughout the room from Aria's parents, her friends, and from Aria herself as he proclaimed to her, "Aria Montgomery, you and I have known one another for two years now. I am a total mess and you fix me. I say stupid things, but you teach me not to worry. I love you and you love me back. I don't want to be with anyone but you. Will you marry me?"

That was when Aria and Ezra's gazes locked. All that had happened between them in the past thirty two hours meant nothing anymore. She was going to say yes and she was going to marry Hayden. He could see it in her eyes. His heart shattered inside of his chest like a million pieces of glass and he stared up at the ceiling against the dim lighting so then no one could tell how upset he really was.

Aria finally turned back to Hayden, her own tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over her cheeks, her lips wobbling a shaky smile as she answered him, "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!"

Hayden slipped the ring on his now fiancées finger and wrapped her up in a tight hug. From over his shoulder, Aria met Ezra's gaze again. He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, "I think I've imposed enough this evening. Thank you for dinner, Ella. Byron, I'll see you at work." He politely said before turning to Aria's friends, "It was nice meeting you girls." His eyes swiveled to Aria and Hayden again, thorns tearing up the walls of his throat as he added, "Congratulations on your engagement. I'll see you around then."

"Ezra, wait-"Ella piped up. But it was already too late, Ezra was out the front door before she could say anything more to him.

Aria must have made some excuse to go outside because she followed him, "What do you want me to say, Ezra?"

He clasped the handle to his Camry, his fingers tightening around the handle, "I don't know, Aria! I don't even know what to say!" He glared at her and the new ring on her finger, "What does it matter anyway? You're getting married! There is nothing left to be said between us."

"You know that that's not true."

Ezra heaved a heavy breath and finally looked at her in the eye, "Why are you toying with me like this? This isn't The Notebook! I'm not going to be the guy you had feelings for and then decided to go off and get engaged with another guy. I'm not going to be Noah and you aren't going to be Allie. Just go marry Hayden and make beautiful babies and live happily ever after. I have my own fairytale to write." He swung his door open and climbed into the cab of his car, slamming it behind him. He drove away without anything more than a glance at Aria's tear streaked face in his rear-view mirror.

Another extremely long chapter and it was all worth it. I think this fanfic is coming along way better than I originally planned. What can I say, it's a tragic love story, but by the time the ending comes, you guys will be happy that it was this heart breaking in the beginning. It's all going to build up and turn out beautiful.

Don't forget to drop word on how you liked it and leave any suggestions you may have. I am always open for them!

I would also like to include a shoutout to one of my besties, Paige. Love you girly! Happy Birthday!