Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars

Author's note: I read the reviews and saw A LOT of confusion…people thinking Ezra really died? The funeral in chapter 9 is for Ezra's brother, as you realize at the end of the chapter when she talks to Ezra. But I did try and give the impression in the beginning that it was Ezra's funeral, just to be a really mean writer, lol. In this chapter I'm going to explain what happened between the trip to the hospital and the funeral of Ezra's brother. It's a longer chapter, I was very inspired and just kept on writing! lol

In this chapter: Cursive = Flashback

Ezra looked at Aria sadly and said, "Don't get me wrong, it's nice seeing you again, but… I don't need you here just because you feel sorry for me or because you feel like you're obligated to be here." Aria let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'm not here because I feel obligated, I'm here because I love you." Ezra raised an eyebrow and asked, "Yeah? Well, excuse me if I don't believe you, after all, you don't just walk out on someone you love." Aria was hurt by his comment and she said, "You know that's not how it was." Ezra tried to give her a shrug of indifference, but she could see right through him. He was hurt, really hurt, and it was all her fault. After a moment of silence, he said, "I just don't get how someone can go from being worried sick about losing me to leaving me about a week later."

Aria opened her eyes, still groggy from the anesthesia. She tried to swallow but her mouth was completely dry, she needed water. She used the buzzer to call the nurse, who came a few minutes later. The nurse gave her some water and told her not to drink it all at once, to start with little sips. After taking a few sips, Aria's mouth wasn't dry anymore and she asked in a hoarse voice, "How's Ezra?" The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile and replied, "You know I can't tell you that." Aria frowned and said, "But he's my boyfriend…and he saved my life. Can't you at least let me know if he's alive or not?" The nurse took pity on her and said, "He's alive. But that's all I can say." Aria nodded, smiled and said, "Thank you." The nurse nodded and left the room. Aria put her cup of water on the stand next to her and looked at her left arm, it was in a white cast. Aria pouted, it was a really uncomfortable feeling. Aria leaned back onto the bed and closed her eyes, causing her to fall asleep again.

Aria slept all through the night, because the next time she woke up, a nurse walked in with breakfast. She asked the nurse when she was allowed to go home and the nurse told her she had to stay one more night. After Aria finished her breakfast, she decided to watch some television. But she wasn't really paying attention, all she could think about was Ezra and how he was doing. A bit later the nurse walked back in, cleared her tray and with a smile she said, "There's someone here to see you." Aria had the biggest smile on her face as she saw a male nurse pushing in Ezra in a wheelchair. After he positioned Ezra next to Aria's bed, the male nurse left. Ezra smiled and said, "Hey beautiful." Aria's smile faded as she realized that Ezra was in a wheelchair and she asked, "Are you okay? Why are you in a wheelchair?" Ezra gave her a reassuring smile and replied, "I'm fine. It's just hospital policy, I can't go anywhere unless it's in a wheelchair." Aria let out a sigh of relief and said, "I'm so happy you're okay. I was so worried!" Ezra took her right hand in his, gave it a reassuring squeeze and said, "I told you I was going to be okay. How are you?" Aria lifted her left arm, covered in the white cast and said, "Broken elbow, they fixed it in surgery yesterday." Ezra's eyes widened and asked, "You had surgery!" Aria smiled and said, "It was nothing. I was more worried about you than about me."

Aria's face turned sad and she continued, "I was so scared… I thought I'd never see you again. And nobody would tell me how you were doing!" Ezra stroked her hand with his thumb and asked, "You were really that worried about me?" Aria smiled and replied, "Of course I was! The thought of losing you was driving me crazy, you were all I could think about." Ezra grinned and said, "Well, I'm not going anywhere. Though it might be best if you stay away from cars from now on." Aria giggled and replied in a flirting tone, "But we've had so much fun in them." Ezra chuckled and said, "I know." Ezra looked confused all of a sudden and asked, "But how do YOU know?" Aria had a pensive look on her face as she thought about it. Then her eyes widened and she looked at Ezra with an overjoyed look on her face. She said, "I think I might have my memory back? I didn't realize it until now, because I was too busy worrying about you to think about it, but… I remember everything about us, no blurry details." Ezra grinned and said, "That's great, Aria! I'm so happy for you!" Ezra got out of his wheelchair very slowly, to avoid a drop in blood pressure again. He gave Aria a hug and then a kiss on her forehead. As he sat back down in his wheelchair, he looked a bit wary and asked, "So…you remember everything? Even…Even the fight before your accident?" Aria nodded slowly a couple of times and said, "Let's not discuss that right now. Let's just focus on us getting better."

And then Ezra walked past her and went over to his parents, who were being consoled by family and friends. Aria let out another sigh and made her way out of the church. She didn't just want to leave like this, maybe if she explained it to him again, he would get it? Probably not though. The way Ezra had just reacted to her being there, he was probably mad at her for the way she left.

After Aria and Ezra got out of the hospital, they had picked up where they had left off. They were living in their apartment again, but they hadn't mentioned the fight before Aria's first accident anymore. Aria had talked to her mother on the phone once, because Ella kept calling her to find out if she was okay. It had been a brief conversation. As far as Aria was concerned, her relationship with her parents was over for good. They had been out of the hospital for a week now and when Ezra went back to work that morning, Aria had gotten bored. She had no idea what to do, it was not like she had a job of her own to go to. She had started up her laptop in the hope of finding something to do on there. When she opened her email, she saw a bunch of new emails and most of them were from her parents. She deleted them without even reading them. When she looked through her older emails, she saw the email from the publishing house. It said that they would be thrilled to hire someone like her and that if she wanted the job, it was hers. Aria sighed, she had really wanted this job, she still did to be honest. She noticed the Human Recourses phone number at the bottom of the email and looked over at the phone. Should she call them? But what was the point, right? First of all, they had probably given the job to somebody else already after all this time. And second…Ezra would never go with her, he loved it here too much.

But this job… it was her dream job, and it would launch her career in ways other jobs couldn't. She thought back to her fight with Ezra, he had made it perfectly clear he wasn't going to give up his job here for her. But why not? Why was his job more important than hers? If the situation was reversed, she would give up her job in a second. She needed to talk to someone, but who? Her parents weren't an option. And she hadn't talked to her friends in a long while…she didn't even know if they were still friends. And then it dawned on her, that this was the exact same problem she had the night after their argument. She had no one to talk to, nowhere to go, so she just started driving and had the accident. She had been so Ezra-centered that all the other things in her life were always number two on her list, because Ezra had always been her number one. The biggest problem with that was that she had even been putting him before herself. It was because she loved him…although maybe a little too much. She always did everything for him, maybe she should do something for herself for once.

Aria got up, picked up the phone and dialed the number. She explained what had happened to her in the last few weeks. Well, not everything, she left out the part about her parents lying to her. She just told them that she had been in a car accident and that she had been suffering from memory loss until about a week ago. She assured them that she was fine now and she told them that if they still needed someone, she would love to work there. Luck was on Aria's side, because it turned out that the guy they had hired instead of her, wasn't really working out and that they were going to let him go after his trial period. They told her she could start in two weeks, and without hesitation, Aria accepted. After that Aria looked for apartments online in Manhattan, near her work. She soon found one that she liked, and that was affordable, so she called the owner and they agreed to meet at the apartment tomorrow at 11am. It was about a 2 hour drive from Rosewood to Manhattan, so she ordered a rental car online for the next morning. She would leave tomorrow morning and then move into her new apartment immediately. She didn't have that many things, so most of them she could just bring with her. Her other stuff she could just pick up later, or maybe Ezra could box them up and send them to her in Manhattan. Ezra... oh no… what had she done? How was she going to explain this to him? But she needed to do this, for herself, just this once. So she shook it off and proceeded to pack her things.

When Ezra came home from work that afternoon, he walked into their apartment and looked really confused. He had no clue what was going on and why Aria's suitcases were by the door or why there were a couple of boxes filled with some of her stuff in the living room. Aria was sitting on the couch and looked over at Ezra. Ezra asked, "Are you getting rid of some of your things?", not wanting to think about the other option. Aria cast her eyes down at the ground and swallowed hard. Ezra was getting worried now, so he went to sit next to her on the couch and asked, "What's going on?" Aria sighed, looked him in the eyes and replied, "I, uhm… I'm moving." Ezra looked at her like he didn't understand what she had just said and asked, "Wait…What? Why?" Aria answered, "Because I got a job today." Ezra wanted to ask her where, but to be honest, he already knew where. He said, "In Manhattan… Okay, well, that's great. I'm really happy for you, congratulations." Now it was Aria's turn to be confused, she asked, "You're happy for me?" Ezra nodded and replied, "Of course I am! This job is a huge deal for you and the fact that they still offered it to you, after all this time, means they really think you have great potential." Aria nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I guess so." Ezra smiled and said, "Of course they do! Why wouldn't they? So... How are we going to do this? Since you've packed all your things, I suspect they want you to start immediately and that you've already found a place to live? So I guess I'll just let my boss know this is my last week at Hollis, tie up some loose ends here and join you on the weekend?"

Aria looked uneasy and guilty as she said the following words, "No…I'm moving…alone." Ezra frowned and said, "I… I don't understand?" Aria took Ezra's hands in hers and replied, "This is so hard to say...I think it would be best if I did this on my own." Ezra looked heartbroken and asked, "Are you breaking up with me?" Aria looked down at their hands and softly replied, "I guess I am." Ezra withdrew his hands, got up, turned to Aria and asked, "But why! I thought we were just getting things back to normal!" Aria looked up at Ezra and said, "I need to do this for me. Being alone here today got me thinking that basically you are all I have. And that's mostly my fault, because I have always put you first. I could have gone off to college with my friends, but instead I chose to go to Hollis because you were there. And when I was at college, I spent all my free time with you instead of making new friends. Without you, I have no one. And for a very long time I was okay with that, because I love you, why would I need anyone else? But then I realized that this relationship isn't a healthy one. I've always put your happiness before mine…and you let me do that. And when it came down to it, you couldn't do the same for me." Ezra sat back down next to her, took her hand and said, "But I am willing to do the same, I just said I'd quit my job and move to Manhattan so I can be with you and support you." Aria sighed and said, "I know, I heard you. But I also realize that if the last few weeks hadn't happened, you might not feel the way you do now." Ezra shook his head and said, "That's not true. The moment you walked out that door that night, I instantly regretted everything I had said. The only reason why I acted so childish was because I was scared. Scared of losing you once we were there. You'd begin your new life and I was afraid you'd think I didn't fit in it anymore…" Aria saw in Ezra's eyes that he was telling the truth. She looked at him in regret and said, "But that still doesn't change how I feel right now. If you come with me to Manhattan, our relationship would still be the same. When I'm with you, I don't care about anyone or anything else…including myself. I love you too much for my own good. I love you more than I love myself and that's just not right."

In front of the church was the town square. Aria walked over to the bench closest to the church and sat down on it. The bench was facing the church, which was convenient, so she could keep an eye out for Ezra when he walked out.

After Ezra talked to some of his family members and friends, he decided he needed a break from it all. He was keeping a brave face for his parents, but on the inside he felt like he was dying. He couldn't understand why he was given a free pass and his brother wasn't. The last time he saw his brother was 2 weeks ago, when he had stayed with Ezra for a few days, before he left on his surfing trip. Now he wished he had tried to talk his brother out of it. If he hadn't gone surfing, he wouldn't have had that accident and he wouldn't have drowned. Ezra excused himself and walked out of the church. First thing he saw was Aria sitting on a bench. He really needed her right now, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself. He sighed and walked over to her, knowing that she was probably waiting for him to come over. When he got to the bench, he took a seat and just stared blankly ahead. He didn't really want to say anything, he just wanted to sit here with her in silence. Aria didn't say a word, she knew exactly what he needed. All she did was take his hand into hers and then they just sat there, together, saying absolutely nothing.

Aria and Ezra just sat there on the couch, next to each other in complete silence, her hand in his. After hours of just sitting there, Ezra asked, "Are you really sure that this is what you want?" Aria nodded and replied, "It really is." Ezra nodded and said, "Okay. Let's go get some sleep then, you need to get up early." He got off the couch and Aria followed him into the bedroom. When they were in bed, they laid there facing each other. After a while Aria fell asleep, but Ezra stayed awake for hours just staring at her. He was completely heartbroken that she had decided to move on with her life without him. Maybe she would change her mind in the morning? Or after a couple of days without him? He was not ready to lose her again so quickly.

When Aria woke up, she looked at Ezra. She loved him so much, the thought of saying goodbye was unbearable…so she didn't. She snuck out of bed, got dressed and went outside to wait for the rental car to arrive. When it arrived, she went back and forth to get her stuff and put it in the car. She tried to do it as quietly as she could, but it wasn't that easy because her arm was still in a cast. As she went back to the apartment to get her last box, she walked over to the bed. Ezra was still sound asleep. Aria bent over and kissed him on the forehead. Then she walked over to the last box, picked it up and headed out the door.

When Ezra woke up, he noticed that Aria wasn't lying next to him. He shot up out of bed and saw that her suitcases and boxes were all gone. He started panicking that she had left without saying goodbye. He checked the bathroom and then he ran outside, hoping she was still there. When he got outside, she wasn't there. He realized that she had left, just like that, without saying goodbye. How could she do this to him? He was sad that he hadn't had the chance to change her mind. Maybe she knew that he might try to, so that's why she left like that? Or maybe she just didn't care? Ezra went back to his apartment and started thinking about everything that had happened the last few weeks. After everything they had been through, how could she just leave him like that? When he had told her he didn't ever want to lose her again, she had told him that he wouldn't. How could she lie to him like that! He was getting really mad now, thinking that everything she had said to him were just lies. Maybe she just didn't love him anymore and she was too gutless to tell him.

After a while Ezra's parents came out of the church and his dad walked over to them, asking if they needed a ride to his mom's house, where they were having the wake. Ezra shook his head and his dad walked away. Once everyone was gone, Ezra let out a sigh and Aria felt him relax next to her. She started stroking his hand with her thumb and after a while he looked down at the ground and said, "I'm not going to the wake." Aria looked at him, squeezed his hand and said, "Okay." After another moment of silence, Ezra turned to Aria and asked, "How's your arm?" Aria turned to look back at Ezra and replied, "The cast went off 3 weeks ago. Sometimes it's still a bit sensitive, but other than that it's fine. How are you?" Ezra looked back at the ground, said, "How am I?", then scoffed and continued, "Let's see. My girlfriend dumped me about 2 months ago and then she moved to Manhattan. I haven't heard from her since then. Well, until today that is. Oh, and my brother died. So yeah…I've been better." Aria tightened her grip on his hand and said, "I'm really sorry." Ezra looked into Aria's eyes and asked, "About what?" Aria sighed softly and replied, "About your brother, about the way I left,…"

Ezra withdrew his hand, got up and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Aria looked down at her hand, where his hand had been just seconds ago. Ezra turned back around to face her and said, in a frustrated tone, "The WAY you left! Don't you mean THAT you left!" Aria got up too, stood before him and she replied, "I'm not sorry that I left. It's been good for me." Ezra scoffed and said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that your life is so much better now that I'm not in it anymore." Aria sighed and said, "That's not what I said." Ezra shrugged and said, "Well, you might as well have." And then there was a momentary silence, which Ezra broke by asking, "Why did you even come here? In fact, how did you even know about this?" Aria replied, "Your mom called me, she was worried about you. And so was I, so I came here to make sure you were okay." Ezra tried to sound as indifferent as possible as he said, "Well, I'm fine, so you can leave now." Aria sighed softly and said, "I know you, you're not fine." Ezra shook his head in frustration and said, "If you really knew me, then you wouldn't have left the way you did." Aria frowned and said, "I left the way I did BECAUSE I know you. You would have tried to stop me and you know it." Her voice softened as she continued, "And… I couldn't bear to say goodbye to you." Ezra scoffed and in a patronizing tone of voice he said, "So you couldn't say goodbye, but you could walk out on me? Yeah, that makes perfect sense!" Aria looked down at the ground in shame and replied, "I'm not proud of the way I left that morning, but it was easier for me that way." Ezra said, in an aggravated tone, "Well, let me make it easier for you now too. Goodbye." And Ezra turned around and walked away.

Aria looked back up in surprise as she saw Ezra walking away from her. She went after him and when she reached him she grabbed his arm, turned him around to face her and yelled, "Don't you walk away from me!" Ezra took his arm back forcefully and yelled back, "Oh! So you're allowed to walk away, but I'm not!" And then they just stood there, blue eyes staring into hazel eyes, both of them emanating with anger. Suddenly Ezra broke down completely, which took Aria by surprise. In a broken voice he said, "Dammit Aria! Don't you realize how much I need you?" Aria gasped, her anger towards him disappearing completely, and then she pulled him into an embrace.

Well, that was chapter 10! What did you think?
Hope this answered all your questions and got rid of that confusion! If it didn't, please feel free to ask me! :)