Hey! I know I missed Friday chapter! I'm so sorry! So here we go again. New week!

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Aria's POV

When I told my father I was going to The Grille with Spencer, he looked thrilled. I knew that, in that moment of excitement, I could have asked him to buy me a pair of Blahnik's and he would have run to the store.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do yet, so I picked some books, just in case I ended at Snooker's doing extra credits. When I got in the car I started driving towards The Grille, I could always turn around in the last moment. I knew exactly what Spencer was going to say, she was going to give me the "give it time, you'll get over it" speech, and I wasn't in the mood. In fact, I'll never be.

I parked just in front of The Grille, and checked trough the windows, but Spencer wasn't there. So I sat in a bench nearby, and checked my phone for any new messages. No new messages, so she would be on her way, it was still 12:15.

I was looking up and down the street, looking for Spencer to show up, when something caught my attention, and I heard the umpteenth crack on my heart.
On the other sidewalk, Malcom was walking between Maggie and Ezra, holding their hands, and laughing. They looked like a real family, and it broke my heart. I couldn't help but being jealous of her, because that was how I always pictured Ezra and me in ten years from now.
I felt tears falling down my face; I couldn't bear looking at them.

I stood up, walked to my car and, as I was ready to get in, I heard Spencer's voice screaming my name. I looked at her and shocked my head.
Then I heard Malcom's voice calling me from the other side of the street. I looked their way, and, by Ezra's look, I knew from that exact moment he regretted going out for a walk that morning.

I drove as fast as I could, dangerously blinded by my tears, till I arrived to Snooker's. I sat in my car trying to put myself together when a new message arrived to my phone. I was sure it would be Spencer. When I looked at the screen I'd wished it would have been her.

"He told you he was going to wait for you to figure things out? You didn't believe him, did you? XOXO - A"

I throw the phone into the passenger seat, and hit the steering wheel as hard as I could (hurting my hand, of course). I didn't know how long I spent seated there. During that period my phone beeped a couple of time (surely this time it was Spencer).

How did we let things go so far? If we weren't so scared to reveal our secrets, we would be done with A for a long time now… Instead we played her game without even knowing the rules (now we know there aren't any), and we lost time after time. We lost everything, and every day was harder to come clean. We've lied, steal, schemed, and lie again to cover A.

Anyway, how could A know what I just saw? She should have been really close to us. It wasn't planned, I decided to go The Grille at last minute, and no one could know Ezra was spending Saturday morning around with Malcom and Maggie.
I wished I would have paid more attention, maybe if I did; now I could have a list of possible A's identity. Who am I trying to fool!? I would have suspects and nothing more... Like we always did...
How many times have we been sure we were getting closer, that we finally found out who A was… The same times we've been wrong.

But I knew what I had to do. I took my phone and send a message. I needed to stop wallowing into my own suffering and fight back. And I knew exactly who I needed.

Ezra's POV

It literally broke my heart seeing those tears down Aria's face. I thought I could hear it crack and then break in two.

Of course I knew how this should've looked like to her. A happy family, spending a morning in the park, holding hands. So far from reality, but how could she know that?

As far as Aria's concerned, one day I told her I will wait my entire life for her, and the next day she saw me walking around with the mother of my son, and my son.

I looked at Spencer, and when she looked back I knew we've lost her again. We were so close from bringing our Aria back. She was faintly approaching me again, went to school every day, and even agreed on meeting Spencer out of her home (and she even came).

"Dad, Why did Aria left? She heard me, right?" how to explain this to a 7 year old kid, when I can't even understand it myself? Maggie should've noticed my doubts, because she came to rescue.

"Honey, she was in a hurry. You know she's just about to graduate and she's really busy studying. You would know yourself in about ten years" Malcom didn't looked so convinced, but understood his mother look. Kids are not stupid, they know when they're not getting a better answer.

We made it to The Grille anyway, the damaged was done. And even I tried texting Aria, there was no answer. Spencer stayed too, waiting for the girls, I assumed.
I escorted Malcom to the bathroom, and stopped where Spencer was sitting, on our way back to our table.

"Did you text her? – she nodded- any luck? – she socked her head – any ideas?"

"Well… aside from kidnapping her?" I smiled, that idea had crossed my mind a couple of times. But if Byron didn't send me to prison for dating her while she was my student, I was sure he wouldn't so "understanding" about a kidnapping.

"That's why she was crying? She's scared? That's why she won't come home?" I thought Malcom had continued walking to our table, but he stayed next to me, and understood our conversation on his own way.

This time was Spencer who avoid me to stutter a lame explanation to my son
"We were just kidding Malcom. Of course she's not scared. She's upset with me because we had a fight, girl's stuff. And I don't know how to make up to her"

How was I supposed to be a good father when I'm unable to explain this kind of situations to my son? Spencer and Maggie made it so easy. A tiny little lie and Malcom was happy in his own ignorance.

"Buy her an ice cream, that always works with me. Right dad?" Finally Spencer showed me that this kid could be fooled. I smiled at him, and told him we had to go back with Maggie. We passed by Spencer, when he turned around to say goodbye to her.

"Bye Allison" and then start running to Maggie. Allison? I could say by Spencer's facial expression she freaked out. She didn't give me the chance to ask, she just faked a smile and left.

Why the hell would Malcom called her Allison?

I think it was a good thing waiting until monday to publish this one. Imagine waiting a full weekend to know who's Aria meeting :P