CHAPTER SEVEN

ARIA

The first thing that registered when she woke up the next morning was her pounding headache and extremely dry mouth. She was sure that this was what death felt like. Groaning, Aria threw a hand over her eyes to block out the sunlight that streamed through a set of windows somewhere to her left. She hadn't been this hung over since college and now she was remembering why she didn't drink like this anymore.

Aria winced at the sudden onslaught of light as she pried her eyes open to take in her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was being at the bar with Paige and Emily and… Ezra. She quickly shot up into a sitting position, glancing around the room. She groaned again as the movement caused the room to spin for a second and nauseous bile to rise into her throat. She didn't recognize the furniture or decor, the bedroom was much too glamorous to belong in the inexpensive hotel she'd checked into yesterday evening. She spotted her heels from the previous night lying atop the dresser, along with a set of gold studded cuff links and a bowtie. This most definitely was not her room.

Throwing the bed cover off of her, Aria slowly stood and ran a hand through her messy hair. She nervously looked down and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her clothing. At least she hadn't done that. She took a deep breath before grabbing her heels and pushing open the bedroom door into the main room of the hotel.

Ezra sat reading a paper and sipping on a coffee at the breakfast bar when she entered the room. He looked even more handsome than last night, if that was possible, with his damp hair, fresh from a shower, blue jeans and Hollis College t-shirt. His attire made him look years younger and Aria couldn't help but to wonder at how old he actually was. She couldn't even imagine someone like him attending Hollis. Ezra glanced up from the paper to lock his warm gaze on her and shot her a crooked smile before pushing a second coffee mug her way.

Aria, dropping her heels onto the couch, felt a blush fill her cheeks as she mumbled a quiet, "Thank you," and slid onto the bar stool next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Ezra asked after a few minutes. Aria shot her head up from where she'd been staring out the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. It sounded like he was actually concerned for her and this took her by surprise. She barely knew the man. She shot a quick glance his way to catch him staring at her, awaiting an answer.

Letting out a quiet groan, she anxiously pushed some hair behind her ear. "Like I could chuck up at any second. But I've been worse." She flinched at her own comment. 'Gosh, Aria, at least pretend to have some decency!'

Ezra chuckled before putting down the paper and sipping languidly from his drink. "Well, I request that you give me proper warning first, please. I wouldn't appreciate having to clean vomit off of my clothes, they're normally quite expensive. Anyway, your purse and cell phone are over there if you need them," he said, pointing to the end table next to the couch across the room. Aria shot him a grateful smile before rising to retrieve her things.

She let out another groan upon powering up her phone and seeing all of the missed texts and phone calls. It seemed like everyone, from Spencer to Emily to Paige… hell even her mother, had tried calling her. She sighed heavily before deciding to call her best friend first.

The phone rang once before Spencer answered. "Aria! Where the hell are you?!"

Confused, Aria turned away from Ezra's piercing gaze, attempting to create some semblance of privacy. "I'm in New York, Spencer. You knew that."

"Really? Because I received multiple texts and a phone call or two from your colleagues last night saying you had gone out with them to a bar but then disappeared. They're beyond worried. I am beyond worred! So I'll ask again, where are you?!"

Aria sighed before running her hand through her hair. "I'm fine, Spenc. Sorry to worry you. I got pretty drunk last night and ran into… a friend from college. I stayed with her. Don't worry, I'll call Paige and Emily, though, so they can stop worrying. Sorry for putting you all through that."

Spencer released her own sigh on the other end of the line before responding. "Thank god you're ok, Aria. I mean you're in New York City for Christ's sake, you can't be disappearing. Anyway, I'll see you when you get home, ok?"

Aria murmured her agreement before bidding farewell and hanging up. She took a moment to calm herself before making the necessary phone calls to her friends and mom, all the while feeling Ezra's stare from across the room. When she finally hung up the phone, Aria turned to nervously face him.

"Can I ask you something?" Seeing him cock his head, she took that as a yes and proceeded. "How did I end up here? I do have my own hotel room across the city."

Ezra chuckled at her question, taking another sip from his mug. "Noone seemed to know where you had made a reservation and you were... less than willing to give up that information. So I brought you back here."

A blush flushed Aria's face again at his answer. "Well, thank you, so much, for everything last night… and this morning, I guess. I didn't- I mean we didn't…" she trailed off nervously. "I mean, I know I was dressed when I woke but-"

"Aria, calm down. Nothing happened," Ezra said with a chuckle, cutting her off. He pushed off his stool, depositing the mug into the sink before turning back towards her. "Besides, I like my women fully cognizant for that," he said, shooting her a wink. Aria blushed profusely at his statement, bowing her head to avoid further eye contact. The sexual tension that radiated off of Ezra was immense. It consumed every part of her being and left her feeling woozy and light headed. Aria wondered if this was how every woman felt in his presence. Her own insecurities, however, caused her to suddenly be embarrassed at her question. Of course he wouldn't have tried anything with her. Even Jason had gotten tired of her and found another woman able to please him better.

Ezra came to stand in front of her, gently lifting her chin so that he could see her face. "Trust me, it's not because I wouldn't want to though. Do you have any idea of how beautiful you are?" he whispered. It was as if he could read her thoughts, though Aria suspected her feelings were showing clear as day across her face.

Aria sucked in her breath at his quiet statement, her eyes widening at the acknowledgment. She watched as his eyes traveled down to her lips once before moving back up to meet hers. Was he going to kiss her? He reached out his other hand to gently run his thumb across her cheek before taking a deep breath and stepping back, putting some space between them. Ezra nervously shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he rocked back onto his heels. After a second or two of silence, he once again met her gaze and shot her one of his boyish grins.

"Well, I think we've had enough of an awkward morning, don't you? Are you hungry at all? I can call for some room service or we can go out…" He rambled.

Aria sighed before turning to drop onto the couch, fixing her heels to her feet. "I think I should probably get going. Thank you for letting me crash here and all." She suddenly stopped short, confusion gracing her features as she looked around the room. "If I took your bed, where'd you sleep last night?"

"Well, certainly not out here," Ezra laughed, pulling a tan jacket on before searching for his own shoes. "Look at that couch; sorry I wasn't sleeping on it. Hope you don't mind that we were bunk mates," he said with a glimmer in his eye.

Aria rolled her eyes at his response before standing and hitching her purse higher onto her shoulder. "I didn't really get a say, did I? And I'll pass on breakfast, I should really get back to my hotel before they charge me for a second night."

"I'll drive you," Ezra replied.

"You don't need to do that, I can call a taxi. Really, Ezra, it's fine."

Aria watched as Ezra instantly stilled at her response, looking down at his feet. He took a moment before grabbing his keys and leading her towards the door with a soft touch to her lower back. Aria's heart jumped into overdrive at the simple gesture. Leading her out of the hotel room and down the hallway towards the elevator, he depressed the button, waiting on the car to meet them.

"It's not a problem, I've nothing scheduled for this morning and as a gentleman it's my responsibility to see the lady home the next morning," he told her with a smirk. "Even if the previous night was… as uneventful as ours. It's ok, though, I'll let you owe me a more eventful one when you're feeling up to it."

Aria hitched her breath in shock. After knowing Ezra Fitz for more than a passing minute, she was beginning to understand why everyone insisted that she start running. The thing was, she still didn't want to. Shaking her head, she followed him into the elevator after it pulled up to their floor. This was going to be another long day.

What did y'all think of their sleepover? Hope I'm putting enough fluff in here for you. It'll get better as the story progresses, I promise. Anyway, if you read then please review! Thank you much!