Chapter 9
Make It Work
"Hello?" Aria groggily said as she remained with her eyes closed.
"Aria, finally. We need to talk."
"Jake, can this wait? I'm extremely tired." She sighed as she rolled on to her side.
"No, it can't. I've been trying to get in touch with you for hours, why were you not answering my calls?" Jake question, after noticing the hesitation he continued to talk. "Never mind. My grandma got rushed into Hospital last night and I'm calling to tell you because I'm flying out to her with my family in a couple hours." Alarmed by this news, Aria shot up into sitting position. All thoughts of Ezra disappeared from her mind.
"Oh, baby, are you okay? Do you want me to come over?" Aria anxiously questioned as she began searching for her shoes without waiting his reply.
"No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few weeks. I love you." Jake said.
Aria froze as the final words left his lips. They had never said those words to each other before, it was too soon. Aria couldn't exactly leave him hanging, his Grandmother had just been rushed into hospital and she wasn't going to worsen his day further.
"I love you too." Aria cautiously said as she ran a frustrated hand through her hair. Deep down she wished those words were true because it would make her life a hell of a lot easier. "Wait. So are you not coming to Miami for Spring Break?"
"Sadly, not. Have fun though, don't miss me too much." He lightly chuckled causing a smile to grow on Aria's lips. She couldn't possibly give up on Jake; he was such a great guy. She wanted to make it work with him.
Ezra was about to call Aria when his phone began to ring. He furrowed his brows as he stared at the screen that flashed his mother's name. He hadn't spoken to his mother for at least 4 months now after they fell out over Ezra admitting he was going into teaching. They found it to be a waste of potential, to them being a teacher wasn't a real job; you might as well be a Nanny. Ezra was so glad Aria was there to help him through it, without her he wouldn't have been able to cope with his mother wrath. Aria kept him level headed and reminded him that he was doing the right thing with going into the job. She was such an amazing person. He had to make it work with her. Ezra finally brought his head out of the clouds and answered the phone.
"Mother?" He warily questioned.
"Ezra." His mother bluntly stated in return. "I know we aren't exactly on talking terms, but your brother insisted I invited you to his birthday gathering next weekend. He said he won't take no for an answer. Remember, before you try to come up with an excuse, he is not the one you're angry with."
"… Fine, I will come." he sighed. She was so manipulative and she certainly had a point. Wesley was his younger brother and they had been close before Ezra left him stranded with his over bearing family. "Only if I can bring a guest." Ezra smirked as he just came up with the greatest idea to win over Aria Montgomery.
Once the mother from hell agreed to his proposition, he called Aria. He was going to invite Aria to his brother's birthday gathering and show her all the sights of New York City like she said she had wished to do. Rosewood was a small town and Aria had always dreamed of venturing into the big city since she was a young girl, but never ended up doing it. If he does this, surely he would win her over.
As soon as he heard her pick up, he began speaking. "Aria, we need to talk. Can we meet up tomorrow? At the Brew around noon?"
The Brew around noon…
Ezra sat impatiently waiting at The Brew, sitting in the same spot he had sat with Aria when it all began on a Monday Morning. His nerves were erratic and he braced himself for whatever was coming his way. Ezra didn't see Aria ignoring his calls as a good sign to how this was going to go, but if she did confess her true feelings then he was completely on board. If she, however, decides to disregard what had happened as a moment of weakness and stupidity then he will find a way to fight for her. Ignoring his calls was a bad sign, yet kissing him last night seemed to be a good sign and a huge one.
He saw as she entered The Brew and everything seemed in slow motion as she approached him. Her long brown tresses flowing behind her with the subtle wind of the opening door and her brown eyes that always had this way of making his stomach twist in the best way it could. One thing he definitely noticed on her journey to where he sat was the look of trepidation on her face and the fact that a smile was nowhere to be seen on her beautiful lips. She sat on the opposite chair to him and Ezra knew that he had to bring himself from his thoughts and actually voice them aloud.
"Aria." Ezra began but was cut short.
"Ezra, I want to apologise for last night. I was wrong to have kissed you and led you on like that, especially since you have a girlfriend and she is super nice." Ezra internally scoffed as she described Jackie as 'super nice' not the same way he would describe her. "I know you kissed me too, but I think that was a mistake and you did it because somewhere our feelings linger from the past. I shouldn't have done that to you." Aria hurriedly spoke and as soon as she was finished she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Aria wasn't exactly lying since she knew it was a mistake and she didn't want to have led him on, but truthfully the feelings that lingered weren't from the past, but from the present. She loved him and she was doing this because she loved him. If you love something then you let it go.
Ezra wasn't sure what to say, though he had expected it. He expected it to end this way, but once faced with it he was speechless. In truth, Ezra wanted to tell her she was wrong, that it felt right. They felt right. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't a mistake, but he didn't. He didn't see a point of arguing with Aria when she was going to shoot him down like before. Instead of saying those things, he was going to show her how he felt and prove they could work. You have to make sacrifices in your life and he was willing to make one to be with her, his soul mate.
"You're right. We should forget it happened." Ezra wistfully nodded, the sadness in his voice going unnoticed by Aria.
Aria was admittedly hurt by his reply, it was clear he didn't feel the same and, deep down, she wanted him to. Nothing hurt more than being in love with someone who didn't feel the same. She made sure to hide her true sadness with a smile, Ezra could always see through her smiles. He knew she was unhappy with his response, but continued with this façade.
"We are still friends though, right?" Ezra hopefully questioned. She nodded in response, not wanting to verbally agree to be 'friends' with the man she loved. "As my friend, will you do me the honour of accompanying me to New York this weekend?" He nonchalantly stated before shooting her his boyish grin.
Aria was sure her heart stopped for a moment, sure New York was only a flight away but Aria hadn't ever been. She had wanted to visit since she was a young girl and Aria couldn't believe her ears. She wanted to go, but she wasn't sure she could spend a weekend away with the man she was secretly in love with. She couldn't pretend to not feel these feeling and not want to kiss him every moment of the day. Aria had also planned to fly out to California that weekend for spring break, of course she would rather go to New York and she would have if the circumstances had been different.
"Ezra, I don't think I can. I'm supposed to be meeting Emily and Hanna in California on Friday evening for Spring Break." She regrettably informed him.
"Please, I have to go for my Brother's birthday and I would love you to come for moral support. You can fly out to California from there; I will even pay for your ticket." Ezra pleaded her with his shimmering blue eyes that were so compelling. He was very persuasive, but Aria didn't understand why he needed her to be there so badly. She knew she had helped him with his mother before, but that was a while ago and she was sure Jackie would be equally as helpful company.
"What about Jackie? You can go with her." Aria suggested. Ezra could hear the hint of uncertainty in her voice and knew he could persuade her. He knew that she wanted to go; she wasn't being the usual defiant Aria. Even if she were, he wouldn't have given up on her.
"No, Aria. I want you." Ezra pleaded again. Aria froze for a moment as the words surfaced in her brain. He wanted me? Was he trying to be ambiguous or am I getting ahead of myself? Ezra had secretly intended it to come across as it had. He did want Aria and after this weekend he hoped she would see just how much he truly wanted her.
"Fine." She playfully groaned causing Ezra to beam in triumph. Ezra had to oppress the need to jump up and throw his fist in the air as he smiled at her like a goof. "On one condition." She added with a stern look. "You fly with me to California." Ezra's face fell. California? He didn't want to go to California and spend the week with her gal pals. Aria noticed his reluctance and knew she had to plead. "Please, please, please Ezra. You know I hate flying alone. I am doing you a favour after all." Aria said batting her long eyelashes at him.
"Fine." Ezra said with the roll of his eyes, hearing as Aria cheered. "You're such a pain in the ass." He playfully moaned.
"I love you too." Aria jokingly smirked before freezing, mentally scolding herself.
She realised Ezra was unfazed by her words and continued as usual. Aria had always retorted with comments like that when Ezra had moaned at her before, but now the words rang true and it was much more awkward… for her at least.
A week passed in the blink of an eye and now Aria stood impatiently outside of Ezra's dorm room door holding her suitcase at her side. She had knocked and there had yet to be a reply, surely he hadn't forgotten. She tapped her foot irritably on the floor before she gave another knock, this time with a lot more strength. In roughly a minutes time the door swung open to an alarmed Ezra who stood with a towel wrapped around his lower torso. Aria giggled and hid her face away from him with a blush that crept on her face.
"Aria, your punctuality is becoming a burden rather than a perk." Ezra groaned as he stepped aside and allowed Aria entrance to his room.
"Whatever, you guys need to start organising yourselves better." Aria stated smugly as she wondered over to the bunk beds. She climbed the few steps to see an annoyed Hardy covering his head with a pillow. "Hello, sleepy head." Aria teased.
"It's 8:00 am on a Saturday. Get the fuck away from me before I am tempted to kick you." Hardy mumbled in the pillow, but Aria heard him loud and clear.
"You need to work on your anger problems, Hardy." Aria giggled.
Hardy lifted his head from the pillow and looked over to Ezra who was in the bathroom brushing his teeth.
"Ezra, get your girlfriend away from me before I hurt somebody." Hardy called to him before sending her a death glare.
"Not his girlfriend." Aria rebuked in her know-it-all tone.
"Don't care." Hardy mocked her tone as he threw his head against the pillow.
Aria climbed down from the step ladder and made her way into the bathroom where Ezra finished brushing his teeth. Her eyes unknowingly drifting to his chest and abdomen. She couldn't help the smirk that pulled on her lips. She then heard Ezra clear his throat causing her eyes to shoot up to his.
"Eyes are up here." Ezra mimicked a girl's voice before he chuckled and left the bathroom.
Aria felt awkward for getting caught staring as she bit her bottom lip and made her way over to Ezra's bed which she took a seat on the edge of watching as he picked out underwear from his drawer. She had seen his boxer's before but was amused as she analysed the colours and…
"Is that my scarf?" She bellowed as she strode over to Ezra. They heard a moan of aggravation from Hardy but ignored it as they continued to stare at each other.
"Y-yeah. Do you want it back?" Ezra asked as he caressed the scarf in his hands before reluctantly holding it out for her to take.
Aria was confused by his unwillingness to return her the scarf. It wasn't a boy's scarf, it's not like he would want to wear it. She wasn't even sure how he had gotten it, but she had been looking for it for a long while. Aria almost felt guilty as she noticed that he really didn't want to give it over to her.
"Um… no, you keep it." She replied with the clearing of her throat.
"Are you sure?" he asked as he closed his fist around the material.
"Yeah. I just want to know why you kept it this long." Aria asked as he diverted his eyes from her and stuffed it back into the drawer.
In truth, Ezra had forgotten he had it. On New Year's Eve he had expected to return it to her, but after what happened he forgot again. After that, it became a comfort. When he missed her, and he missed her a lot, over those two months of distance he found comfort in it. It still smelled of her, like a summer garden, and it reminded him of the first week he met her. It reminded him of a time when they were just two strangers who were falling in love without all the complications they now had.
"I forgot I had It." he shrugged it off before closing his drawer and pulling out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the one below it. Without another word, Ezra made his way to the bathroom and closed the door to ready himself to leave for the airport.
"His lying you know." Aria heard Hardy speak from the top bunk, his head now elevated from the pillow as he looked down on a clearly bemused Aria. "He found that scarf the day after you met, when you guys stopped talking he used to fall asleep with it."
Aria became dumbfounded by this new found information, if this had been true then how was he able to move on so quickly and why did he never try to call. The sound of shuffling came from the other side of the bathroom door and Hardy's alarmed eyes shot down to Aria.
"I told you nothing." He playfully warned before he threw his head back down on the pillow and pretended to be asleep as Ezra returned from the bathroom fully dressed.
"Are you okay?" Ezra cautiously asked as he made his way over to Aria, noticing as she remained staring at Hardy's bunk with her mouth slightly agape. "Did he say something rude to you? I'll sock him one for you." Ezra said as he clenched his fist causing Aria to pull herself from her thoughts and giggle at Ezra.
"No, you know I love Hardy." Aria dismissed with the wave of her hand. "I just thought I heard him moaning my name in his sleep." She smirked as she saw Hardy scowl at her in the corner of her eye. She noticed as Ezra tensed up, not exactly knowing how to respond. "I'm not too sure though. Let's go before it happens again." She said as she tugged him over to the door.
They both left the dorm with their suitcases at their sides. Ezra and Aria jumped into their reserved cab after loading in their suitcases when she heard her phone buzz in her pocket. She shovelled it out of her pocket and glanced down at her phone to see it was a text from Hardy.
He is actually going to punch me when you guys return. Thanks a bunch, Montgomery. You're lucky I love you kid. Have a safe flight and tell Ezra I love him.
-Hardy
"Hardy said he loved you." Aria casually informed Ezra as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket gaining a slow nod and a confused look from Ezra.
"You text each other?" Ezra asked, he tried to sound unconcerned, but Aria heard the familiar edge to his voice that seemed to be present whenever they mentioned Jake. Aria now knew it as jealousy. He would have to be interested in me to be jealous… right?
"Not really." Aria finally replied with a shrug as she diverted her attention to her nails and thoughts consumed her brain as the contemplated the possibility of Ezra still having feelings for her.
I'm sorry I took longer than usual to update, but I've been really busy this weekend. I am so overwhelmed by that fact I have over 100 reviews! That is extraordinary. I'm still in the process of writing the sex scene, but it has to come naturally as I had planned since the beginning, so please be patient with me haha. Thank you all so much. I love you guys!
- Tasha x
