A/N: This is the final chapter of this story. I hope that you have enjoyed the ride. Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle until the chapter has come to a full and complete stop.
Chapter 7
Aria lay contentedly in Ezra's arms. He held her close while he slept, and she loved listening to his deep peaceful breathing. Aria needed to go to sleep, too, she and Ezra had made love until the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Maybe they'd get lucky and sleep through the hangovers. But Aria's mind was a little too full for her to surrender herself to the Land of Nod. She had wanted a wild night and boy had she gotten one. Most of the night was amazing, double dates with her friends were precious because of how hard she and Ezra had fought to get to that point. Aria didn't remember the last time she had laughed as much and seeing how happy Ezra was made her heart sing. She could check "have sex at a nightclub" off her bucket list, not that that meant she wouldn't do it again. And she really thought Paloma could end up being a close friend. But Hanna put a big question mark in Aria's brain and she needed to figure out how to handle it.
Number 1: Should Aria bring up the issue with Hanna? She really might not remember the conversation and the girls had done such a good job of not letting things get awkward, Aria hated to risk changing that. Maybe she could pretend she didn't remember, but her friends knew that while Aria's memory would get blurry, it rarely went dark. If she could stand, she could remember.
Number 2: Should she tell Ezra? She and Hanna had always kept things just between the 2 of them, hence them having a code name. But if Hanna was at all serious, then she'd likely talked to or would talk to Caleb. Hell, Hanna might make a joke about it the next time they were all together. So, yes, she should tell Ezra. But she should probably know how she felt about it first.
Number 3: How did Aria feel about it? She wasn't worried about Ezra or Caleb. If they were on-board with the idea, they would handle themselves with dignity. And they were both in love with their own girlfriends and could face actual castration if they pursued anything that would damage the girls' friendships. They knew that. For herself, Caleb was awesome, in a different reality she might even want to date him, but hurting Hanna would destroy her and Ezra was her everything. In theory, Aria would fuck Hanna, she'd fantasized about skinny dipping and nude beaches where she could gaze at Hanna's glistening bare body. She would taste the mix of salt water and salty sweat on Hanna's hot skin. But where would that level of intimacy take their friendship? She knew neither Hanna nor Ezra would betray her trust, besides which they just didn't mesh all that well. Aria might have worried about how Hanna would behave afterward, but she had been perfection with her "special friendship" with Aria for over a year. All of that didn't promise that things wouldn't get uncomfortable, though. There wasn't really any way to predict if one or more participants might feel jealousy, even anger. It was a risk. But, how did Aria feel about it? She felt…curious, maybe even intrigued.
The other thing holding Aria captive in a wretched conscious state had basically just happened. Her night with Ezra was exquisite. He certainly lived-up to his speech. She lost track of how many orgasms he'd given her. He paid attention to every inch of her, but still left her wanting more. The final time they made love he jack-hammered her into the mattress, and she screamed for him like a banshee. She had never felt this sore after sex, even after her first time, but it was worth it and then some. So much was new between them. She felt more comfortable exploring and experimenting with their sex life than ever before. They'd made love fully and passionately, they always did. But it felt like they'd taken down the guardrails. They allowed themselves full run of the road and they hadn't crashed. Except, maybe they had, a little, right at the end.
Aria screamed as the final shockwave of her orgasm went through her. Ezra was penetrating her body so hard, so fast, it was as if he was going to thrust through her to the other side. It was fairly rough for them, but it was sooo good. His eyes were closed, which was rare, they usually locked eyes and fed off each other's energy. But wherever Ezra was, it was working out just fine for her. She felt him fill her with his hot seed, he thrust a few more times and stilled. She wanted him to open his eyes, so she could show him how much she had enjoyed it.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and his expression held more shock than satisfaction. He looked at her and she smiled brightly at him to show that everything was good. A look of almost horror flashed across Ezra's face and he collapsed down on her, burying his face in her hair. What in the world? Aria rubbed his back, soothingly, trying to pour all her love into him and comfort him. "Ezra, Babe, that was amazing. I loved every second of it, you did exactly what you said you would. I think I may lose my voice from how loud I was screaming, for you. What's wrong, Baby?" Ezra didn't respond, but Aria heard him sniff. Was he crying? Aria was starting to feel uneasy, whatever this was, Ezra was really upset. "Ez, Honey, talk to me. What's going on?"
Ezra shifted and rolled off of Aria onto his back. Aria really didn't want to let him go, afraid that he would shut down if they broke physical contact. But she knew better than to make him feel trapped. He needed space to breathe, sometimes. Her body grew cold without Ezra's against her. She rolled onto her side and reached down the bed to find the comforter, but it wasn't there. Ezra noticed and jumped out of bed. He picked the comforter up off the floor and lovingly covered Aria. Aria could see the wetness around his eyes but didn't comment.
Ezra didn't return to the bed. He went into the bathroom and when he came out a few minutes later he walked into the kitchen. Aria loved watching Ezra walk around naked; his lean muscular form on full display, his easy gait, the way his flaccid cock would gently swing with his movements. He was so beautiful. Aria debated her next move. If she waited too long he would lock his feelings away and refuse to acknowledge them. But if she pushed too hard, he would shut down and then the situation would become a fight about him shutting her out. Ezra was gathering cups and ibuprofen and a large bottle of water from the fridge. He brought them over to the bed and handed her the cups, so he could fill them. His expression was unreadable.
"Baby, please answer me. I love you so much, and you're obviously upset, but everything is fine. You're here with me and I'm," Ezra barked out a sudden and anguished laugh. He handed Aria 2 pills and took his cup. They both took the pills and drank most of the water. It was a really good way to take the edge off their impending headaches. Ezra took Aria's cup and set both on the nightstand. Aria grabbed his hands and pulled him toward her. His eyes were pointed at the floor, but Aria ducked her head to look up and find them. Once he looked into her eyes she pulled them up, so they were facing each other. His laugh had pointed Aria in a direction. So, she followed it.
"Come here," she pulled him down onto the bed and he didn't resist. She settled the comforter over both of them and they lay on their sides, face to face, close enough that she could intertwine their hands and legs. She took a deep breath. "Is this about you having your eyes closed?" Ironically, Ezra closed his eyes before nodding. "Were you lost in your head?" Ezra opened his eyes and Aria read overwhelming guilt in them. Aria felt herself starting to panic, was he imagining he was with Jackie? STOP IT, ARIA! She took a calming breath. It would be a lie to say she'd never imagined Ezra was someone else. Sometimes, especially when he took her from behind and she wasn't looking at him, he became Freddie Stroma or Ryan Guzman. She really hoped she had become Nina Dobrev or Margot Robbie, not that evil hateful ex of his, but she didn't need to know.
Aria put a hand on Ezra's cheek and caressed it. "That's ok. I love the way we're usually connected and present during sex, but it's not a requirement." Ezra leaned into Aria's hand, drawing comfort from it. "And wherever you were? That's ok too. Everyone fantasizes, Baby. You're allowed, it seemed to be making you happy and we were together the whole time."
Ezra shook his head. "No, Aria, it's not ok. Because I wasn't here. I was so wrapped up in my head I didn't even know we were actually having sex! I can't believe I did that to you."
"You can't believe you fucked me into Outer-Space? Ez, if that was you on auto-pilot, then DAMN! Listen, are you here with me, now?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to be somewhere else?" Ezra grabbed Aria and pulled her into him, so they were flush against each other.
"I don't ever want to be somewhere else. I want to be here with you, only you, forever." He kissed the top of Aria's head and ran his fingers through her hair.
"That's what I want too. And I love your vivid imagination, it's done right by me, a lot. You don't ever have to tell me what you were picturing, but it was getting you pretty excited, so if you ever do want to share, I'm happy to listen. I'm also happy to help it come true, or to role play so it feels like it's real. You never have to be embarrassed with me, Ezra. Not ever."
Ezra pulled back and looked into Aria's eyes. They shone with love and an acceptance that Ezra had never had from anyone else. Aria was happy that all traces of guilt and shame were gone from Ezra, his eyes showed nothing but love and wonder. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?" Ezra whispered, not wanting to disrupt this moment between them.
"You show me in the way you love me, Baby, every single day." The lovers kissed, slowly, sensually, with love and trust. They were each other's safe place, they were home.
Aria drifted off to sleep remembering those kisses. She and Ezra were one heart beating in two bodies. Two very satisfied bodies.
Aria awoke in darkness, she drifted for a few minutes interspersed with moments of wakefulness when she tried to figure out her situation. She fell asleep in daylight; did she sleep the whole day? Her head was throbbing, no shock there, but it also felt heavy, or stuffed with cotton, muffled. And it was really stuffy in here. She finally opened her eyes fully and blushed in embarrassment. She had just pondered the baffling mystery of her head being under the pillow. She stretched and slowly moved the pillow, she didn't want to risk blinding herself. She was facing the brick wall. It was daylight, but the angle of the light told her it was mid-afternoon. She sat up, gingerly, and turned to find Ezra. She smiled, he was standing at the stove in his sweatpants, with a dish towel draped over his bare shoulder. Her foggy brain registered the wonderful smell of melted butter. She drew the sheet and her knees up to her chest and rested her furious head on them, still looking at Ezra. She was hungover, her body ached, and she didn't know what kind of lies she would have to tell to keep everything from her parents, and she was beside herself with happiness. Love was really weird.
Ezra looked up from the pan and saw Aria sitting up, head on her knees, watching him and smiling. She was luminous. He scooped up his phone from the counter and quickly snapped a photo. Being groggy, still, Aria didn't react quickly enough to stop him. So, she buried her face in her knees and groaned. Ezra chuckled. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."
Aria looked up and raised her eyebrows. "Morning?" She said, voice dripping with doubt.
"Fair enough. Good 2 o'clock in the afternoon. But I'm standing by the Sleeping Beauty part. And I've got the picture to prove it." She looked like an angel, draped in the white sheets. Ezra wouldn't be able to put it in the cloud, let alone share the image, but he would have it. Aria got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She was completely naked. Let him take a picture of that. Ezra's eyes swept over her and appreciated the gorgeous view. "Miss Montgomery, you are entirely bare."
"Didn't stop you last night." Aria sidled up to him and looked in the pan. Her face lit up. "You made me grilled cheese?" Ezra turned off the stove and transferred the sandwich to a plate. A matching sandwich sat beside it. Ezra set down the spatula and turned to Aria, placing his hands on her hips and rubbing her up and down.
"Until a moment ago I was hungry, and my girlfriend loves grilled cheese sandwiches, because she's four." Aria did not agree. So, she stuck her tongue out at him to express that. Ezra cracked up.
"Everyone loves grilled cheese, smart ass. It's become its own genre of restaurant, people love it so much."
"Touché. So, do you want to eat in bed, being that you've made lunch clothing optional?"
"I think we should make a lot more things clothing optional," Aria went up on her tip-toes and ghosted a kiss against Ezra's lips. "But hold that thought." Ezra grabbed her ass.
"Only the thought?"
"Don't get cheeky, Professor."
"Aren't you the one in danger of that?" Aria wiggled out of his grasp and walked to the bathroom. At the door she shook her ass and Ezra didn't know whether to laugh or moan. It kind of sounded like both.
Aria grabbed one of Ezra's t-shirts on her way to joining him in bed. She slipped it over her head and explained, "So, you can eat in peace." Ezra gave her a peck and handed her sandwich to her. She took a big bite and groaned. It was so yummy. "How long have you been up?" Aria asked, once her mouth was empty.
"About an hour. Your phone was dinging with a new text. You dealt with it by shoving your head under the pillow." Aria hung her head, but Ezra leaned over and kissed her hair. "It's ok. I was afraid it was your mom, so I checked. And it was. She wanted to know if you were coming home for dinner and if you wanted to invite Hanna to come too. So, I texted back yes, and that I'd ask Hanna as soon as she got out of the shower." Aria giggled at the way Ezra had learned to help her lie to her parents. "I then called Hanna and she was very annoyed with you for waking her up. I explained it was actually my fault and asked her to your house for dinner. It took her 5 minutes to parse what I'd said. She will be ready to be picked up at 5:30. And, I'm fairly certain she's put a price on my head, by now." Aria kissed him for his bravery.
Once they finished eating they settled in and cuddled. It was Aria's favorite way to spend a Sunday, especially today. "Thank you for my sandwich and for last night. The whole night was incredible." Ezra kissed the top of Aria's head and she played with his hand.
"I need to thank-you. Everything last night was because of you. Every crazy, hilarious, stimulating, mind-blowing moment was because I am lucky enough to be loved by you. I just hope I did a good job." Aria sat up and faced Ezra. He was grinning. There were a number of things he might be referring to, but…
"A good job doing what?"
"Pretending I didn't know that you were plying me with alcohol, so you could have your wicked way with me." Aria's eyes grew wider and wider as Ezra spoke. She worked her mouth silently and spluttered.
"Ye Yuh You knew? How?"
"Hanna didn't seem to be up to anything. It was a dead giveaway that she was up to something." Ezra crossed his arms over his chest and rocked his crossed feet left and right. Criminally smug, Ezra sat back and could almost see the birdies circling Aria's head. Oh, Fine! "Plus, Caleb told me when you were checking our coats," Ezra conceded, having delighted in his "Sherlock Holmes" moment. Aria was furious but, happily for Ezra, not at him.
"She SWORE she wouldn't tell him anything!" Aria shook her head and slammed her fist down on the bed. Aria couldn't believe that girl! Sure, she could keep her own secrets from Caleb, but felt the need to unburden herself of everyone else's secrets to him. She could have ruined everything! Wait, why didn't she ruin everything? Aria searched Ezra's face for answers. "If you knew the whole time, why did you go along with it?"
Ezra shrugged. "I thought about it, it was obviously pretty important to you. And really, what did you do? Got me strong drinks? I could taste that. Have refills delivered? I was perfectly able to turn them down, had I chosen. Pretend our bartender was giving away tequila? You told me not to drink it. I partly wanted to fit in with our friends, and yes, I know how lame that sounds. But mostly, I realized that being so controlled is starting to become being controlling. I wish you hadn't been dishonest with me, but I know I've shut you down on this topic, and I'm sorry for that. I want so much to protect you that I sometimes forget to just be with you." Aria was stunned.
"And you realized all of this last night?" That question caught Ezra off-guard. He looked down, embarrassed.
"Welllll, not exactly. I was already pretty set on getting hammered before Caleb warned me." Ezra was just full of surprises. Aria motioned for him to elaborate. Ezra started playing with the edge of the comforter. "I was hoping if the night went well, and we were both "open" we might have a night like we did at Doug's wedding." Ezra, gulped. He'd set this situation up as much as Aria, when it came down to it.
Aria smirked, for such a convoluted situation it was pretty simple. They both liked to fuck when they got drunk. They both wanted to get drunk to let themselves have wilder sex. They were probably the only two people like that in the world, thank goodness they'd found each other. "I promise you that I don't want this to be a frequent thing. I don't want getting drunk at all to be a frequent thing. But are you ok with doing this, honestly and deliberately, once in a while?" Aria looked at Ezra, hopefully. Ezra nodded, silently mouthing, 'yeah'.
"Yes, please. Please, please, please yes!" Ezra gathered Aria up and tickled her. They were playful and silly and perfect. And that made it a perfect time, in Aria's mind, to get some of hers back by throwing Ezra for a loop.
"You know, I really wouldn't worry about Hanna putting a hit out on you. She wouldn't want you to get hurt." Ezra, immediately suspicious, looked at Aria sideways.
"Why not?"
"Because she thinks you're sooooo hot. She told me so."
"Really, and when was that?" Ezra asked, skeptically.
"Last night, in the back of her Über. While she was inviting us to have a four-way with her and Caleb." Ezra's face went blank, his mouth dropped open and he did that breath that is somewhere between a cough and a laugh. She shoots, she scores!
Well, folks, that's all she wrote. All I wrote, we wrote? (Don't worry)/(I'm sorry), you'll hear from me again soon. I have not gotten 20 responses, but the ones I have are, well, they're adamant. To the one no vote, I feel ya! I can't read stories where Ezra cheats, it really does make me nauseous. I promise any stories I write in this series will not have betrayals or relationships damaged. They will all be "in the loop" and in agreement. If the problem is Ezra kissing etc. someone else, I promise I will write wholesome monogamous smut, in the future, as well. Blessings to everyone!
