I'm really sorry for the really long silence. Some crappy things happened and I just couldn't bring myself to write. I won't go into too much detail, but I can tell you that it has something to do with losing two grandmother's in the last couple of months. But I'm back again, because damn I've missed writing. Well, just enjoy this chapter!

When I get into the room for the workshop again, I see Ezra sitting next to Maggie again. They're talking to each other and I can see Maggie flirting, or at least trying to, with Ezra. He doesn't flirt back, but I think he does like it. I can feel an uneasy feeling settling in my pit. I don't like the fact they're sitting so close to one and other. Besides, Maggie takes every chance she gets to touch Ezra. During lunch, they both practically ignored me.

I can't wait until the workshop is over. Very fun and everything and okay, maybe I'm pretty good at it. I just can't look at Maggie practically throwing herself at Ezra. Why do I make a problem of this? Why do I hate it to see them together? Am I jealous? But, that's impossible. I have a boyfriend. Maybe not a very loving boyfriend. And probably not for very long anymore. But still. I have a boyfriend. Besides, Ezra has a fiancée and he is my professor. I can't be jealous. That can't be what I'm feeling right now.

This morning, we had a quite awkward moment when I came out of the shower. I didn't suspect him to be standing in my bedroom. I just thought he was still sleeping. That's why I would just dry myself of and put my clothes on in the room. The way he watched me after I opened the door. It gave me shudders over my entire body. Good shudders. Well actually, wrong shudders, because it just can't be that way. He looked away very fast. Why? Because he also knows this is wrong? This feeling between us. I know for sure that he's feeling it too.

Ezra looks my way. I divert my gaze very quickly. I can't have him seeing those red spots on my cheeks, which were caused by the memory of this morning. I'm making myself crazy. I'm probably not even blushing. Right? I'm trying to focus on Jason again. He's talking about different writing strategies, which can be used while writing a novel. I pretend to be listening intently, but I'm actually quite busy with Ezra and Maggie. I'm too far from them to hear what they're saying. I would really love to hear that.

My focus is back at Jason when I suddenly hear his voice really close. He's standing behind me and has put his hands on my shoulders. I'm making a quick scan across the group and see that everybody has taken his pen and paper and that they're busy writing. Everybody except Ezra. He's looking at me. "Is everything okay, Aria?"

I turn my head to look at Jason. "What was the exercise exactly? I just zoned out for a minute." Jason is giving me a smile, a smile that could melt every girl and every woman. That's when I realize how good-looking Jason actually is. His hair is long enough to fall before his eyes and has a light curl. The colour of his hair, hazelnut brown, brings out the light brown specks in his mahogany brown eyes.

"The exercise is to write a short story of 250 words from different points of view. I would like to have three versions. The first one written from the me-person. The second needs to be written in the point of view from one of the head characters. The last one written from the point of view of a narrator. You can choose the subject. And you all get an hour. Do you think you can manage that?"

I nod. He gives me one smile and walks back to his chair to sit down and observe the group. When his eyes land on me, he smiles and I smile back. Then, I try to focus on my piece of paper and try to think of a subject for my short story. A couple of minutes before the time is up, I put my pencil down on the table. I have the three stories written on paper. Normally, I'm not a quick finisher, but this time everything just came out really fast. I'm just giving the group another quick scan. Ezra and Maggie are both still writing.

My eyes get stuck when they land on Ezra. He's actually really cute when he's so focused. Before I have enough time to react, he looks up and looks at me. We keep looking at each other and for a minute it's just him and me. I'm the first to look away when I hear Jason's voice.

We have to read our stories out loud standing. It's our choice from which point of view we read the story. The moment Jason tells us this; I'm getting nauseous and get an unpleasant feeling in my stomach. I find it difficult to speak in large groups and now we have to carry out our story standing in front of the group. I try to focus on the stories of the others in the group, but I can't. I'm in my own little world, until Jason bursts the balloon when he calls out my name. I stand up and with trembling hands I grab my paper.

My story is about a woman who has feelings for her married neighbour. In a twisted way this story is actually about the things I feel for my professor, Ezra. I choose to recite the story from the perspective of the main character. Since it's actually about my own feelings, I find that the easiest. Voice trembling and stuttering a few times on certain words, I recite the story. While reading, I feel everyone's eyes on me, but especially his. That's the gaze I try to avoid the most by staring at my sheet. Even when I could just read the story without actually looking at my paper, because I'm talking about my own feelings.

After my reading, everybody in the group is quiet. I pull my gaze from my paper with difficulty and look around the group. The only person I'm not looking at is Ezra. Nobody criticizes my story and they all applaud. I've never experienced this before. Jason lets out a cough. "I've got a couple things to say." I feel the fear rising. I should've known. "I thought it was a beautiful story, Aria. The way you wrote it makes it real and the way you just read it out loud now just enforces this. I do have a point of criticism. I wish the story were longer. Okay, I guess that wasn't really criticism. You really did a great job and I think it would be a great start for your own novel, Aria. Think about it." The workshop is over and I keep standing there to thank Jason, just like the other people of the group.

"I meant what I said. You should really do something with this, Aria, and if you need help, here is my business card." He gives me his card. His full out name is Jason Dilaurentis. His number is displayed on it. "You can call me whenever you want and we can discuss anything with a cup of coffee maybe."

For a moment I don't know what to say. "Oh… Uh… Thank you Jason. When I'm in New York, I'll think about it."

"Don't worry about that. I actually live in Philadelphia. That's near Rosewood right? Ezra told me you two came from there." I didn't even know he talked to Ezra. How does he even know that I came here with Ezra and how does he think about that? "If I were was you, I would use the help of Ezra. There's a really good friend in him, but you probably already knew that. You two really fit."

Oh, does he think I have a relationship with Ezra? "No," I say laughing. "Ezra and I are not boyfriend and girlfriend. He's my professor." I feel a blush creeping on my cheeks again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really don't know why I though that. Just ask him for help and me too of course." We shake hands and after that I walk out of the room. When I get to the elevators, I see Ezra talking to Maggie. They give each other a hug and then Maggie walks away and Ezra turns my way.

Quietly we step into the elevator to go to our suite. "Did you think about what you want to eat later?" Ezra is the one breaking the silence.

I keep looking right in front of me when I answer him. "Not really. Did you?"

"I promised Maggie that we would go to dinner, the three of us. Is that okay?" I look at him with knitted eyebrows. How can he promise something like that, without my consent? And what does he want from Maggie? He has a fiancée waiting for him at home.

"Does your fiancée think that's a good idea?" The words come out before I even have the time to stop myself. In stead saying I'm sorry, I look at him angry.

"What?" he asks surprised. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. Never mind. Nothing is wrong. We'll just go have a cosy dinner with Maggie. Did you, I don't know, already picked what we're going to eat? Then that's just one thing less I have to think about. Before I know it, I don't have to think about anything anymore." I'm so glad when the elevator doors open at that exact moment. I storm out of the elevator and lock myself in the bathroom to freshen up and leave an astounded Ezra standing in the living room.

When I exit the bathroom a couple minutes later, Ezra stands up from the couch and walks right past me to go to the bathroom. Without speaking as much as one word. I know deep down that he has every right to do this. I just totally got in his business for no apparent reason. I don't even know why. I don't even know about what he's thinking about that.

After five minutes Ezra exits the bathroom. I keep sitting at the couch. I don't know what Ezra planned with Maggie, so I don't know if we need to leave the suite now or not. Ezra is taking place on the couch next to me. I move myself a little bit to make sure there's enough space between us. It's quiet for a moment, there are no words being spoken.

"Listen," I say.

"I can't do this anymore," Ezra says at the exact same moment.

We both laugh about the situation. Ezra lets me know I can speak. And I also think that I need to be the one to speak. I have to apologize for my behaviour. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I reacted that way in the elevator. I don't have a reason for that." While I'm saying sorry, I'm looking at the floor. I don't dare to look at him. But when he doesn't react, I get worried and look at him.

I don't know if he's still angry. I can't decipher is look, there's no smile, but he also doesn't look angry. Then the right corner of his mouth lifts. "You know you're really cute when you're angry. Even though I don't get it at all. Don't you like Maggie? Or did I do something wrong?"

I decide to ignore his first remark, that's best for both of is. I put my elbows on my legs and put my head in my hands. "I don't know. I really don't. Nee, I don't like Maggie. But why? I can't explain. When I figure that out, I'll let you know." I look at him. "Can't we just…" I don't dare to finish that sentence. I don't want to finish the sentence, because it's egoistic. "Never mind. What time did you Maggie agree on?" Ezra wanted to interrupt me a couple of times, but I keep talking.

He looks at me with a smile. "We didn't exactly agree on anything. Should we…" He doesn't finish the sentence and stares at the floor. Then he stands up. "I'll call her." I feel relief flowing through my body. "To set a time." I let out a sigh. That wasn't what I wanted to hear. I get up from the couch.

"Okay. I'll go change. Let me know." I walk to the bedroom to pick clothes, because I can't have dinner in these clothes. Especially when we're having dinner with a competitor. Why do I see her as a competitor? A competitor for what? It can't be a competitor for Ezra, because he has a fiancée, I have a boyfriend, he's my professor and we don't have feelings for each other. That just can't be. I hear Ezra talking to Maggie on the phone and then I hear a door closing. I try to listen. I want to know what they're saying to each other, but he's too far and there are too many doors between us to hear what he is saying.

I pick a green pleated dress that flares and black sandals with heels. I took a neat black blazer with me, so I decide to wear it with my green dress and take a black clutch with me where only my wallet and phone fit in. I hear the door of the bathroom open and close again, but I don't hear his voice anymore. So, he already hung up the phone. Time to open the bedroom door and prepare myself for the dinner. Still I keep standing where I stand. I can't move my legs.

I shy away from a knock on the door. Is that Ezra knocking on my bedroom door? It takes me some time to realize that it is. I open the door fast. "Come in."

I feel and see Ezra's eyes roaming over my body. He's watching me from head till toe and then focuses on my face. "Maggie cancelled. She already made another appointment."

"Oh," I say disappointed. Of course, I didn't want to have dinner with Maggie, but I did look forward to having dinner. I might as well take of these clothes. "Okay. Let me change then."

When I want to turn around, Ezra grabs my hand which puts my to a stop. I feel electric shocks on the place where his skin touches mine. I pull my hand away fast. "Wait. We can still have dinner. It's our last night in New York, we should celebrate. Besides it would be a waste to not show that outfit to the people in New York." I give him a shy smile. "I'm going to change, because I don't want to ruin your beautiful outfit. Give me five minutes."

After five minutes waiting in the living room, Ezra gets out of the bathroom in a smoking. I barely refrain myself from saying the word 'wow'. That would be really awkward, but he does look absolutely gorgeous in that smoking. He really wears it well. The blue dress shirt he's wearing, accentuates his beautiful light blue eyes. I let my breath out. I didn't even notice that I wasn't breathing.

"Yes, I know. I'm born for this smoking. Let's go." I'm to stunned to say anything. He grabs my hand and practically drags me into the elevator. I'm I ready for a dinner with my professor? No, I'm not. Definitely for a dinner with my enormously handsome professor, whom I've got feelings for. I can't deny that anymore. I would be lying to myself. But, I don't have a choice. We're already on our way. What have I done?