Over 40,000 words. Good luck, and enjoy!
Also, warning, sections three and four venture towards an M rating. The almost-M rated parts of those sections can easily be skipped over, and you won't miss anything important.
- J
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words.
July 2014
"You've been awfully quiet over there. You okay?" Ezra asked, gently nudging Aria's side with his elbow. She blinked, drawing her eyes from where she was staring off into the field in the distance, not even realizing that her swing had come to a sudden stop.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled unconvincingly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and casting her eyes back downwards.
Truth be told, she wasn't fine. She was nowhere near fine. It was approaching the end of July, and, come the first week of September, Ezra would be gone, studying in San Francisco while she would be stuck in Pennsylvania. He'd spend his first semester in the bright, warm California sunshine, spending his free time having clam chowder bread bowls at Fisherman's Wharf, or walking along the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, or watching the sunset after a tour of Alcatraz Island, or even spending a weekend wine tasting in Napa. What would she do during her first semester? She'd be dividing her time between the cold autumn weather at Hollis, or back home in Rosewood.
They had both agreed that they'd spend the first few weeks of the semester finding a good rhythm and balance with their schooling and work, meaning neither would be doing much cross country traveling, save for Ezra, who had promised not only his family, but also the rest of the Rosewood family, that he would be back from California to spend Christmas and the New Year at home in Rosewood. The thought of not being able to see Ezra for weeks (although realistically it would be months, but she didn't want to think about that) when September finally rolled around caused Aria's heart to clench. Except for that period of time in their lives before they had ever met, they had never gone more than a week without seeing each other. It was going to be an incredibly rude awakening to force them to finally attempt to deal with a separation after spending years together.
And it wasn't just the distance that was concerning Aria, it was the lack of intimacy. She could feel her cheeks growing red under Ezra's gaze as the thought popped into her mind, and she desperately hoped he didn't notice. It wasn't as if her and Ezra had ever actually done it, they were both taking things slowly, knowing better than to rush into anything. But there were other intimate things they experienced. Like the feeling of his hand intertwined tightly with hers when they walked side by side through town. Or the way he'd tuck her under his arm when they were snuggled under a blanket on the couch during their weekly movie nights. And it wasn't just him that had little things memorized. She loved how she always managed to remember that specific spot on the back of his neck that, at the beginning of every month without fail, he would get the worst kink, and she would be forced to spend over an hour trying to massage it out. Or how she memorized his exact morning routine, almost right down to the minute. These small familiarities were what she considered to be "intimate" details they knew about one another, details that came only with the passing of time. And the fact that with him almost three thousand miles, and a three hour time difference, away, these were the kinds of things they wouldn't get to do on a daily basis anymore.
She bit her lip as she felt the weight of Ezra's eyes on her, waiting in silence to see if she would crack, if she would open up to him. "Aria," he started cautiously.
"Don't worry about me, let's just- enjoy this moment. I don't want to talk about it right now. Please?" Aria turned to Ezra, eyes pleading with him to not push the matter. He nodded in defeat. When the time came, she would open up to him. It wouldn't be right at this moment, but hopefully soon, she would. And he'd be waiting for her until she did.
He noticed almost immediately when she began acting distant, almost as if she was closing herself off to him. It had begun two weeks ago, after she caught him looking at the course catalog, picking out his classes for his first semester. It was a Wednesday morning, a rare quiet morning where both of his parents and Wesley had left the house early, leaving him to do as he wished for the rest of the day, and he was sitting at his kitchen counter with his laptop open. He hadn't been expecting her, and was surprised when he heard the front door swing open, Aria barging through the kitchen holding bags full of delicious smelling breakfast foods. She dropped the food on the counter next to him and dropped her head down to place a kiss on his cheek when he noticed she had frozen, seeing what his laptop was open to.
It was the first time anything about San Francisco had been mentioned since his graduation, since they were working on pushing that out of their minds and attempting to strengthen their relationship to make sure it could withstand the roadblocks that were sure to pop up over the course of the next three years. He had closed the window immediately; ever since graduation, he had actively been avoiding doing anything related to San Francisco whenever he knew she was around, but that day had been a failed mission. He felt her stiffly kiss his cheek and quickly make herself busy preparing their breakfast in silence, avoiding his attempts to talk to her. Since that day, he noticed she began to frequently disappear. Physically she was there with him, but mentally, she was elsewhere. And he didn't know how to get through to her.
He heard her sigh, the creaking sound of the chains of her swing slowly starting up again. He watched as she dug her heels into the woodchips below them, slowly pulling herself forward and pushing herself backwards, never once actually letting her feet off the ground. His heart involuntarily sped up as he saw her mouth open slightly, lips pulling into a question.
"How do you know we're worth it?"
She had spoken so quietly that if it wasn't for her head turned towards him, eyes searching his for an answer he had yet to give, he would've though he was hallucinating. The wind blew lightly from their right, causing random strands of her hair to blow towards him, the scent of her jasmine scented shampoo hitting his nose. He would miss smelling that scent almost every day. The look on her face was heartbreakingly vulnerable, infinitely more vulnerable than he had ever seen her, than she would ever allow anyone to see her.
"Are you doubting that what we have is worth fighting for?" he asked, trying his best to hide the hurt in his voice.
The blood drained from his face as he realized that Aria had gone silent, not responding. "You're seriously doubting this?" he shouted, glad that they had decided on an early afternoon picnic date in the middle of the week; the park was blissfully empty, allowing the full extent of his emotions to explode. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down before he spoke again. "What about this are you doubting?"
"Nothing, never mind," she said, attempting to dodge his questioning.
"Look, the only way this is going to work is if we talk about this. We've been dancing around this topic for weeks now, and it's time we just let everything out."
"No, Ezra, really. I don't think now is-"
"Aria," he interrupted. "It's either we talk about this now and fix it, or we're done. The longer we keep trying to ignore the elephant in the room, the more it's just going to drive us crazy and tear us apart. Now, what's it going to be? Are you going to talk to me, or are you giving up?"
He hated the fact that he had to resort to an ultimatum in order to get her to open up to him, but honestly, this was the only way he could think of to get through to her. Yes, he had just said that he would wait until she was ready to talk, however he knew he was fighting a lost war if he kept putting it off. He was leaving for California in a month, and they needed to get everything out in the open as soon as possible. Maybe this wasn't the right time or place, but screw it, he was going to make it the right time and place.
He watched her mentally debate the choices in her mind. Desperately, he hoped she wouldn't give up on them just because he dropped the bait. He knew there was a possibility it could all blow up in his face, but he hoped she would have enough sense to know that this wasn't the end for them. It couldn't be.
Aria looked back out into the distance and slowly, she let go of the chains in her hand and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. Ezra's heart dropped. This was it, she was giving up.
"I don't want to get hurt," she whispered, her back still turned to him.
His brows furrowed, not quite sure he heard her correctly. "What?" he asked gently.
She turned around to face him, wrapping her arms tighter around herself, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't want to get hurt," she repeated.
"Oh, Aria." Ezra pushing himself off of his swing and took the two steps to her, arms open and ready to envelop her in a hug.
"Don't," she warned, unwrapping one arm from around herself and holding her hand out to his chest, keeping him at arms length. "If you touch me right now, I'll break down before I get any of this out. Just, let me talk first."
He nodded and took those two steps back, sinking back into his swing. He watched as she began pacing back and forth in front of him, trying to keep the small smile from creeping up on his lips. For some reason, he had always found it adorable when she paced.
"You're my first real relationship," Aria began, coming to a stop in front of him. "I've never really done the whole 'relationship' thing before, at least, not seriously. I've dated, I've had boyfriends, but I've never had anything last more than three or four months. But you and me, I can see this lasting a long time. A really long time, and I'm scared that these next three years are what's going to jeopardize it for us."
"We can make this-"
"Stop," she interrupted, holding her hand out once more. "I need you to let me talk." She waited until he nodded, gesturing for her to continue on and that he wouldn't butt in again.
"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me," she granted him a small smile, "you're my first relationship. To be honest, I feel like I've been in a relationship with you for more than ten years now. It's always been Aria and Ezra or Ezra and Aria. Even when you were in college and I was still in high school, that's how it was. But now that you're going to be all the way across the country, with a three hour time difference between us, and I won't be able to see you or really talk to you because you're going to be so busy living your amazing life in San Francisco and you're going to forget all about me, your lowly hometown college girlfriend who's not even an upperclassmen yet, and there are going to be other better girls probably throwing themselves at you, and I'm afraid that one day you're going to meet a girl who you think could possibly be the love of your life, but you can't even ask her out on a date because you're still with me. Then maybe you'll break up with me for her, and who's going to be the one left heartbroken and alone? Me. Here in Rosewood. All by myself. Do you see where I'm coming from now?" She finished her rant in a flourish, not even realizing that she had begun pacing so much that she had managed to dig a well in the wood chips, her arms flailing around as she attempted to make her point.
"Can I ask you a question?" Ezra asked.
"I just finished a five minute rant, and you want to ask me a question?" Aria countered, tilting her head at him in confusion. "Okay, ask away."
"Say we weren't dating. Say we were just friends, and I was moving to California. Would you have still kept in touch with me?"
"Uh, yeah?" she replied, not quite understanding where he was going with his logic.
"Why?"
"Because we've been friends for over ten years, and I wouldn't want to throw a friendship like ours away. It'd be a waste."
"Okay," he continued on, "and how would you have kept in touch?"
"I don't know." She crossed her arms across her chest again. "Phone calls, emails, Skype sessions, the occasional visit out there whenever I had enough money, I guess?"
"So, to repeat everything you just said, if we weren't dating and had still just stayed friends, and I had moved to California, you wouldn't have given up on our friendship. You would've still kept in touch with me, and we'd always call, email, Skype and occasionally fly out to visit each other. Is that correct?"
"Yes?"
"Then what's the difference between that and us now? Why would you want to throw away what we have just because we're dating and not just friends?"
"That's just it, we're not 'just friends'!" Aria exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "If we were just friends, there was no chance I'd ever get hurt! There would be no us, no relationship. Just a good friendship."
"I think that's what your problem is," Ezra shot back, "you're forgetting the fact that we're friends first. We're always friends first. If we put our romantic relationship first, we could potentially get hurt. There'd be jealousy, doubt, fear. But think back to when we were just best friends. Did you trust me then?"
"Absolutely!" she answered empathically.
"So what you're saying is that now that we're in a relationship, you don't trust me?" he asked.
That seemed to catch her off guard. "No, that's not quite it…" she trailed off.
"Well then, help me understand here, Aria, because I'm not seeing where the problem is," he prodded.
"I just," she hesitated, "I trust you, Ezra. I trust you. I just don't know if I can trust you with my heart quite yet. It's too early, our relationship is too new. In our friendship, I never had to give you my heart, I just had to trust you with my heart. Now that we're in a relationship, I have to trust you with my heart. Can you see the difference?"
"I'm beginning to," Ezra admitted. "But, again, that's where your problem is. We're best friends first, boyfriend/girlfriend second. As your best friend, I would never hurt you. I always have your best interests at heart. I'll protect you, even if it's from me. I have a duty as your best friend to always be there for you, no matter what." He stood up and walked over to her, gingerly reaching for her hands, mentally cheering when she didn't resist. "I can't promise to be your boyfriend forever, because who knows, maybe one of these days you'll get sick of me-"
"I doubt it," she interjected with a small giggle.
Ezra shook his head and continued, rubbing small circles over the back of her hand. "What I'm trying to say is that it's impossible to know what's going to happen in the future. But what I do know is that, for as long as you'll have me, I will always be your best friend. Even if we break up, I'll always be there for you. And that's how you know that I'll never hurt you. I promise you, I will not hurt you."
"And if you do?" She looked up at him with a wicked glint in her eye, her lips pulling up into a smirk.
"Then not only will I have four angry girls ready to attack me, but also your family, their families, and probably my family. I'm still firmly convinced they like you more than me," he joked.
"They do," Aria bit back, laughing again as Ezra pulled forcefully on her hands in his, drawing her into his chest. "It's because they've always wanted a daughter as their first child, but got stuck with you instead."
"They do not," he countered, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"It's true! Your mom told me once after she had a few too many glasses of wine with my mom. I've just been keeping it a secret from you."
They both laughed, a momentary calmness washing over them after the tenseness that was a few minutes before. "So, are you okay now with me going to California? Have I proved to you that you can trust me? That I won't hurt you? That we can make this work?" he asked, his chin bouncing on her head.
"It'll take a little more time," she answered truthfully, "but I'll get there. I promise."
"Good. That's all I can ask for," he replied, lightly kissing the top of her head, pulling her even more tightly to him.
Although it would take some time, he knew that eventually she would come around and see that he was being truthful about what he said. He would never hurt her, because hurting her would be like hurting himself. And he would never forgive himself for hurting the one girl that ever meant so much to him.
And she finally did come around, gifting him with a ridiculous throw pillow that had a picture of the entire Rosewood family as an early apartment warming present.
September 2014
It had been a crappy day. Probably the worst day Ezra had ever had. It was a day he would never even wish upon his worst enemy.
He dropped his bags down to the ground in front of his apartment door, then pulled out an old hotel keycard he managed to find in his wallet from his back pocket, along with a pack of bobby pins he picked up at a drugstore down the street. He groaned in frustration as he lowered himself to the ground, kneeling before his apartment door.
His crapy day had begun by being rudely awakened at just after six in the morning to the sound of a large crash outside his window, followed by tires coming to a screeching halt. He had quickly sprung up from his bed, attempting to ignore the pounding headache that manifested itself as a result of being forced into action so fast after being at rest, and ran downstairs.
He had made it out the door in just enough time to catch the speeding teenagers barrel off down the street, fleeing the scene, the smell of burning rubber filling the air. The teens had crashed into his family's trash cans that had been left out for early morning collection, leaving the contents of the still-full containers strewn onto the front lawn, their cans severely destroyed. He spent the next hour picking up trash, finishing right before the garbage truck drove up.
After he had finished eating breakfast, dry cereal and watery coffee, as his family had managed to run out of milk and coffee right before he was to eat, Ezra sat down at his desk to check in to his flight. He moved at a leisurely pace, knowing his flight was leaving at seven that evening, and he had hours left to pack the rest of his necessities. Packing right before flights was his form of meditation, considering he wasn't the biggest fan of flying. He smiled, it was barely nine, there was plenty of time for him to get everything done.
However, when he went to check into his flight, he found that there was no flight leaving at seven. No, he said to himself, shaking his head, he had reread the screen over and over again. There had to be a mistake. He swiftly opened a tab to check his emailed itinerary. As his eyes scanned over the information, his heartbeat increased rapidly, but then slowed as he found the information he was looking for. Right there, in black and white, his itinerary said his flight was for seven in the evening. The airline's system must have had a glitch, he reasoned with himself. It was only then that he noticed a small black smudge on his screen, right next to the time for his flight. No. His thumb reached towards his screen and rubbed lightly, the black smudge disappearing. NO. His flight was not for seven, as he had previously believed, but was instead for one in the afternoon. His flight was leaving in four hours. He flew into action, throwing anything and everything into his suitcases.
After yelling downstairs at his parents that he had made a mistake with his departure time, to which his parents admonished him for being so irresponsible, they immediately called up the Montgomery, Hastings, Marin, and DiLaurentis families and told them that the goodbyes would have to be moved up a few hours. Within minutes, the huge extended family had gathered in the driveway of the Fitz house, ready to bid farewell to the eldest child.
"Take care of yourself out there, okay?" Ella whispered in Ezra's ear as she hugged him tightly, the last of the family to say goodbye. "And be sure to call your parents often. Your mom is going to freak out if you don't, and I don't think your dad and Wesley can handle that." They both chuckled, Ezra squeezing the woman he considered to be his second mother.
"I promise I will," he vowed. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek, and pulled back, scanning the small crowd that had formed. There was one very important person missing. "Where's Aria?"
He didn't miss the look Ella and Byron shot to each other, both refusing to break the news to him. Finally, Ella caved. "She didn't come. She's been holed up in her room and refuses to come out. She told me to tell you to call her when you land, no matter what time." It broke her heart to see the crushed look on his face, but she had no choice but to tell him. He simply nodded, gave a half-smile and wave, and made his way to his parents' car, taking his seat in the back. And from there, it just got worse for him.
At the airport, he had forgotten to remove his belt, which set off the metal detector, leading to a very thorough search by a burly and incredibly intimidating security guard. His flight was delayed and didn't leave for two hours after it was scheduled, leading him to miss his connecting fight in Chicago, but luckily, he was able to grab the last open flight to San Francisco. He had been forced sit next to a woman who kept whispering to her yapping puppy under the seat, but the thought of landing in a few hours in San Francisco and being able to get a good night's rest in his new apartment saved him from going completely insane.
However, his patience was still being severely tested. When he arrived in San Francisco, he found that his baggage had been lost, and had been forced to wait another three hours while they located his suitcases. He waited thirty minutes for a taxi to come and pick him up to take him to his building. Once he made it to his building, the doorman said that the school had not left the key to the apartment, although they had been considerate enough to leave word that Ezra would be arriving to move in today. Luckily, the doorman revealed that the standard door locks installed were easy to pick (he would have to remember to change those tomorrow morning), and that a credit card or a bobby pin would be enough to shimmy the lock open.
Which is how Ezra came to be found kneeling in front of the door to his new apartment, exhausted, sleepy, and frustrated to no end. After several attempts with both the keycard and bobby pins, he clamped his lips together and let out a semi-silent scream, slumping down and leaning his back against the door. Suddenly, he heard the lock click and the door swing open, the action so swift, he didn't even have time to steady himself, leaving him lying down on the floor, staring up at a familiar face.
"What took you so long?"
Ezra blinked a few times, sure that his exhaustion was messing with his vision. Had he fallen asleep at the door? Was he dreaming? There was no way- "Aria?"
"You were supposed to be here at four. I've been waiting here for more than six hours!" she reprimanded him, hands on her hips, a small, playful smirk appearing on her lips. "But, I'm willing to forgive you."
He pushed himself off the ground and scrambled up to face her. "What are you doing here?"
Aria shrugged. "I wanted to say goodbye," she started. "But then I realized that was ridiculous, because I knew we'd see each other again soon, so it really wasn't goodbye. Then I thought that it'd be better if I said 'welcome home', but it would be ridiculous if I said that when you were leaving. So, I decided I'd surprise you here, so I could give you a real welcome home." She flipped on the light switch next to the door and gestured with a sweeping wave to the apartment. "So, welcome home."
Ezra took a step into his apartment and saw the breakfast counter in the kitchen covered with all of his favorite foods. The television in the living room was on, with his favorite movie paused, ready for them to press play. There were pillows and blankets on the couch, along with two bowls of popcorn situated on the coffee table, much like their movie night setups back in Rosewood.
"You did all this for me? Why?" he asked, walking more towards the middle of the space and looking around.
Aria walked into the hallway and brought in the bags he had dropped before, placing them carefully next to the door and shutting it behind her. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking herself into his side. "Because I love you."
Ezra pulled away slightly, but not releasing her, looking her in the eye. That was the first time she had ever said those three words to him ever since they had begun dating almost five months ago. "You love me?"
"I do. I love you."
And just like that, Ezra's crappy day turned into the best day of his life. He smiled crookedly, placed a finger under her chin and tilted it up, ducking his head down to meet hers. He stopped millimeters from her lips. "I love you, too. Thank you," he whispered, before finally closing the distance between them.
December 2014
"We'd like to thank everyone for being here tonight," Andrew began as he stood next to Dianne at the head of the Fitz's formal dining room table. "The annual Christmas party has always been our favorite event of the winter season because it means that, usually for the only time all year, we're able to bring all of our families together, if only for a few special hours. We're honored to be able to host it this year."
"It especially means so much to have us all together now that most of our children are in college and grad schools far away from us," Dianne added, a pout punctuating the statement. But a wink directed towards all of the parents sitting before her, showing just how much the parents were actually enjoying their time apart from their children, pulled a laugh from the whole table.
"But, really," Dianne continued, "it's time like these, where we're all able to come together around the dinner table and share a meal with one another, that truly makes us feel so thankful to all of you for welcoming us into your circle with open arms when we moved to Rosewood all those years ago. Had you all not, it would probably just us four Fitzgeralds together tonight at this huge table, instead of the more than twenty of us here now."
"So, we'd like to propose a toast," Andrew picked up where Dianne left off, raising his flute of champagne to those seated in front of him, "to all of you, for making our more than one decade here a great one. Here's to, hopefully, many more decades of all of us sitting around dining room tables, sharing stories, and spending time together."
"And we wouldn't be opposed to more additions joining our table in the future," Dianne added with another wink towards Ella, causing Aria's face to blush a bright red and Ezra to push his empty dinner plate away from him and drop his head into his hands as everyone else around the table chuckled.
"Merry Christmas!" Dianne and Andrew cheered, clinking glasses and drinking with their arms intertwined. Around the table, everyone clinked their glasses with the people around them, then followed suit with their significant others, winding their arms together and taking long sips of their drinks. While everyone continued toasting, Dianne, Andrew and Wesley stood up and began clearing the table, getting ready to bring out the dessert course, with Wesley nudging Ezra to get up and help them. However, Ezra just shrugged and gestured towards Aria, the one person he still hadn't greeted a 'Merry Christmas' to. Which, of course, caused Wesley to open his mouth to release a smart response- until a glare from his mother cut him off and sent him shuffling after them, ready to pass out dessert.
"Merry Christmas, Aria," Ezra said as Aria turned to him, having finally finished toasting with all the people in her vicinity.
"Merry Christmas, Ezra," she answered with a soft smile, tapping her glass with his and intertwining their arms together, taking sips of their drink, their eyes never once breaking from each other. She leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek, surprising Ezra as she lingered near his ear. "Take me home? Your present for you is waiting there," she whispered.
Ezra pulled back and looked at her incredulously, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "My present is waiting at your house, huh? Why, Miss Montgomery, I wonder what it could be!" he whispered back. Aria's eyes widened as she slapped his shoulder, the girls watching their interaction carefully with giggles threatening to escape their lips.
"Shut up, perv!" She leaned back into her seat and casually took another sip of her champagne. "If you don't want your present, that's totally fine. We can stay here all night long, and I can return it in the morning."
Aria bit back a laugh as the squeaking sound of Ezra's chair abruptly brought an end to all the conversations in the dining room. "Well, that wasn't exactly my plan," he muttered under his breath, turning to face his parents, who had just entered the room with the last plates of desserts. He cleared his throat, "I hope no one minds, but I was planning on actually skipping out early and taking Aria out for dessert, just the two of us. But only if that's all right with you, of course!" he addressed Byron and Ella with hands up.
"Go, go," Ella replied with a shooing wave out.
"You know what? All you kids can go, if you like," Andrew added with a smile, "you've all been subjected to spending enough time with us adults. Go have fun and celebrate the rest of your Christmas without us old folks embarrassing you."
The sound of more than half the chairs simultaneously scooting away from the dining room table punctuated the air as all the younger family members got up from the table, quickly exchanging their thanks and goodbyes with the parents before running out of the Fitz house in record time, before any minds were changed.
"So, what's the plan?" Alison asked as the group gathered outside with their significant others. "It's only 8, but everything's already closed."
"We could go to my house, my parents got a crapload of desserts and alcohol from their coworkers who had no idea what to get them, so they're trying to get rid of it all. I bet they'd be thankful if we made even a small dent in it," Spencer offered, rubbing her arms to warm herself up.
"I'm down to go to Spencer's house if it means we can get out of the cold!" Hanna complained, jumping up and down, her breath visible in the air. "I don't understand how it's so cold outside, but it's not even snowing. Haven't they ever heard of the term 'White Christmas'?"
Aria and Ezra shared a look with each other while the rest of the group chattered on about how it wasn't a true Rosewood Christmas if there wasn't snow on the ground and snow falling from the sky. "Hey, guys," Aria interrupted, not breaking her stare with Ezra, "you go ahead. I still have to give Ezra his present."
Hanna and Emily rolled their eyes as Ezra tucked his arm around Aria's waist and pulled her closer to him. "Yeah, yeah. We won't wait up," Spencer smirked. She leaned into Toby, who wrapped his own arm around Spencer's shoulders, guiding her, and the rest of the group away. "Merry Christmas!" they all chorused as the group began walking away, leaving Aria and Ezra by themselves. Ezra inched his arm up to her shoulders as she reached into his jacket, burrowing herself as much as she could into his side, as they began their short trek to Aria's house.
"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back. I left your gift upstairs," Aria explained as she ushered Ezra into her house, unbuttoning her coat and tossing it on the chair next to the door before bounding up the stairs to her room in excitement.
Not even a minute later, Ezra barely had enough time to only take off his heavy winter coat, but not his suit jacket, Aria came bouncing back into the living room where he had just sat down. She smiled brightly, handing him two wrapped packages- both rectangular shaped, but one significantly heavier and thicker. "Open the one on top first," she instructed, sitting down next to him.
He did as was instructed, placing the other thinner gift on the couch next to him, and began to unwrap the first present. He chuckled, pulling off the last piece of wrapping paper and setting the heavy scrapbook on his lap, the words "Best Friends Forever" scrawled in tacky, purple, fuzzy Comic Sans font across the front. They both sat in silence as he opened the album and looked at the first picture, a candid photo of ten-year-old Ezra sitting on the curb of his new house with an annoyed looking seven-year-old Aria, taken the first day they had met. They flipped through the rest of the pages in silent reverie, remembering when each photo was taken, the feelings associated with each picture, the memories stacking up in their heads as the pages began stacking up in front of them. Aria had managed to compile what seemed like hundreds of pictures from the course of their friendship, creating collage after collage on each page, a visual timeline of the evolution of their friendship.
Ezra was surprised when the last picture in the album was a selfie they had taken together on the couch in Ezra's apartment when he was still attending Hollis. He recognized it as the night he had invited Aria over under the pretenses of having a movie night, when in fact, he had planned that perfect night to tell her exactly how he felt about her. He involuntarily flinched, remembered how that had turned out. "Why's this the last picture? Did you run out of space?" he asked, confused as to why she hadn't included any pictures of them after that night almost a year ago.
"That's where the next present comes in," she replied with a shrug, cocking her head towards the other present next to him on the couch. "Open it."
Once again, he did as he was told, carefully placing the other scrapbook on the couch and picking up the wrapped gift. Tearing off the wrapping paper, he laughed once again, the single word on this scrapbook scrawled across the black leather cover in a much more tasteful gold threaded script. "Ezria?"
"Don't blame me for that, I wasn't the one who came up with that nickname for us. The girls were talking about a possible portmanteau for our names, and Spencer threw 'Ezria' out. It kind of just stuck from then on, so I figured it'd be perfect title for this scrapbook," she explained as Ezra flipped through the first pages containing pictures of their last couple months together. "The last picture in the other scrapbook was the last picture we took as just friends. This scrapbook starts off with a picture from our first official date-"
"- At the carnival, on the Ferris Wheel."
"Yep," Aria affirmed. "I hope you don't mind, but I kind of cut out that weird in between phase we had when you said you wanted no strings and I tried to make you jealous."
"Aria," Ezra finally said, voice thick with emotion, "thank you so much, this is the best gift anyone has ever given me."
"You're welcome," Aria replied, a large grin on her face. "After all of the thoughtful gifts you've given me over the years, I figured I'd have to step it up this time, considering it's our first official Christmas together."
"It is our first official Christmas together, isn't it?" he repeated, head cocked to one side. "Well, thank you for making it the most special one I've ever celebrated."
He reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek, before leaning in and kissing her lightly on the lips. "I love you," he whispered onto her lips as they pulled apart.
"I love you, too."
Aria crashed her lips back onto his, more forcefully than before. They could feel the passion building as Ezra pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist, her hands finding their way into his hair. She sighed as his tongue prodded her mouth open, sliding in and dueling with hers for control. She tilted her neck to the side and he broke from the kiss, trailing his lips across her cheek, to the spot behind her ear that he knew she loved. She could feel herself growing weak as he continued to kiss and nip down the side of her neck, lightly marking her as his own. Her own hands moved from his hair, down his shoulders and to his chest, where she slipped her hands underneath his suit jacket and lightly pushed, letting him know she wanted him rid of it.
This was nothing new, it wasn't as if they hadn't shed a few layers of clothing as they made out, so Ezra thought nothing of it as he removed his hands from her waist and helped her remove his jacket, his lips never once leaving her. But when he felt her shaky hands near his neck, attempting to undo the buttons of his dress shirt (his tie already on the floor somehow), he immediately snapped out of his trance and pulled his lips from her neck, his hands reaching up to hold on to hers and stop her from going too far.
"Aria, stop," he said, intertwining their hands together and bringing them down in front of them. Their breathing was ragged, and he was hang trouble really forming coherent thoughts, but he had enough control to know that they needed to stop now. They had never gone further than making out, and, considering they never had the "sex talk" together, he wasn't sure if they were really ready.
There was something different in the way she looked at him as they locked eyes, something different in the way she spoke. "Ezra, I'm ready. I love you. I want you to be my first." Aria fought against the side that wanted her to look down at the ground shyly as she spoke those words. No, this was not something she doubted, she knew. She knew she was ready. That this was the right time.
"But your parents, and Mike-"
"Are staying at your parents house tonight. They won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," Aria replied. She reached up and cupped his cheek, stroking it lightly. "I promise, I want this. I want you," she emphasized.
"Okay," Ezra said simply, before slipping one hand behind her back, and one hand behind her knees, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her up the stairs bridal style. Aria giggled all the way up, head thrown back, swinging her legs like a child, the happiness in her eyes evident. And contagious.
The serious mood was back once Ezra placed her back on her feet in her room, closing the door behind them. "Are you sure?" he asked one more time.
She reached behind him and locked the door, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek again. "Positive."
Aria crooked her arm behind the back of Ezra's neck and pulled him to her once again, their kisses starting light and slow, taking their time to reacquaint themselves with each other again. She pushed herself against him, his back flush against the door, as her hand once again made its way from his hair, down his chest, to the buttons of his dress shirt. They broke apart, watching each other closely as she slowly undid the first button near his neck, then the second, then the third, all the way down until the last button was undone. She slipped her hands under his shirt, his eyes closing as her hands came in contact with his chest, up and over his shoulders, slowly pushing the shirt off his back, her lips following the trail her hands made.
Once his shirt was completely off, he spun her around, her turn to be pressed against the door. He took her hands in his, holding them up above her head as he kissed down the length of her arms, up and over her shoulder, up her neck, her cheek, and finally finding her lips once more. He parted them with his tongue and they explored each other's mouths as his hand found the zipper on her side, slowly pulling it down, giving her enough time to stop if she wanted. She didn't. He undid the zipper, pulling it down until it would go down no more- and then froze in confusion as he felt Aria push him away from her, the sudden cold air between them giving him goosebumps.
She smiled as she walked away from him, standing in the middle of her room. She pushed one thick strap of her dress down her shoulder, and then the other, until her black and gold dress was pooled at her feet, and she was standing before him in nothing but lacy black lingerie.
"What do you think?" she asked shyly, "I bought it for tonight, just in case."
He watched as she bit her lip, then made his way towards her, placing his hands on her hips, marveling at the way her skin felt under his fingers. "I love it. I love it almost as much as I love you."
They stared at each other for a few more seconds before they crashed their lips together once more, but this time, with a passion neither one had ever felt before. He wrapped her legs around his waist, lifting her up onto her dresser, putting them at the same level for once. She threw her head back once more, a loud bang reverberating through the room as her head hit the wall behind her, as his lips found a new spot just underneath the middle of her collarbone, underneath her throat, that she didn't know could feel so good.
Aria's hands moved towards Ezra's waist, her hands quickly undoing his belt, letting it drop to the ground with a thump. He bit back a gasp as her small fingers slipped a little beneath the waistband of his pants, undoing the button and zipper until they were pooled at his feet. He carefully stepped out of them as Aria kissed down his chest, her hands exploring his upper body in ways she had never been able to do before.
"Ezra," she whispered, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist, her toes running up and down the back of his thigh, "The bed. Now."
He nodded against her chest as he lifted her up and carried her to her bed, laying her down on her back and hovering over her. "Are you sure?" he asked one more time.
"I've never been so sure in my life," she answered with a smile.
She arched her back up and pressed herself into him as Ezra pulled back the sheets underneath her, then eased herself back down onto the bed as he pulled the sheets around them, nestling herself into the pillows beneath her. "I love you," they repeated to each other as they removed the last of their clothing under the sheets. Ezra steadied himself over her, making sure she wasn't crushed underneath him as she reached into her bedside nightstand and pulled out a condom.
And then they moved together in sync, the only light in the room coming from the moonlight streaming outside of her bedroom window, as the snow began to lightly fall.
April 23, 2015
"Are we really here? Pinch me," Aria breathed dreamily, reaching behind her and digging her hands into the soft, plush green grass. The sky overhead was an impossibly clear blue, with only a spattering of fluffy white clouds to be seen here and there. The sun was shining down on them, a cool breeze rustling their hair- it was the perfect day. She smiled brightly…until she yelped in pain.
"OUCH!" she exclaimed, grabbing her thigh and pressing down on the now angry red mark that was appearing. "What was that for?!"
Ezra shrugged, "You told me to pinch you." He tried to keep his face neutral, but it wasn't long until a grin broke out on his face and he was laughing, the rumbling sound emanating from deep in his stomach. "I'm sorry that I was just following your directions."
"You better hope this doesn't bruise," she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.
She watched as he cocked an eyebrow. "Now, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Slowly, he bent down and kissed the spot he had just pinched, his lips resting on her thigh a little longer than what was considered 'proper'.
Aria smacked his head, causing him to quickly lift himself back up to sitting position, his left hand grabbing the back of his head. "We're in public! You can't do that in public! Especially not here!"
"Look around, Aria, no one's even paying attention." He gestured to the other people (other couples, families, groups of friends) gathered around them, sitting on their own picnic blankets spread across the field, various foods covering each blanket, each group in their own worlds, oblivious to those around them. "Who would want to pay attention to us, when they could be looking at the Eiffel Tower instead?"
He had a point. She pushed away the food in front of her and laid down on the blanket, stretching her legs out and facing the Eiffel Tower that loomed in front of her. It still seemed like a dream.
Just yesterday afternoon, Ezra had surprised showed up at Aria's apartment and surprised her with two plane tickets to Paris. Within two hours, they were both packed and racing through Philadelphia International Airport, running to catch their flight, breathless from the exercise and from the laughter. They had landed in Paris almost nine hours later, after one of the most comfortable flights either had been on, and after checking into their hotel, they wandered through town with a picnic basket lent to them by the hotel, picking up anything and everything they wanted for lunch.
Which is how Aria found herself stretched out on a picnic blanket on the grass field underneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the most perfect and idyllic Spring day. It was too perfect, much too perfect.
She sighed as Ezra finished packing up the food on the blanket and laid down next to her, slipping his arm underneath her shoulders. She curled herself closer to him, resting her head on his chest, smiling in contentment as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head and began tracing shapes onto the exposed portion of her back. "Have I told you thank you for today yet?" she asked.
"You haven't, but you don't need to," he answered, his chest moving underneath Aria's resting head. "I should be the one thanking you, for dropping everything, your plans for spring break, and coming on a spontaneous Paris trip with me."
"Like you thought I'd really turn down an opportunity like this," she scoffed. She turned her head slightly and placed a kiss on the small sliver of skin exposed on his chest from the two open buttons on his shirt. "Thank you, again."
"For you, anything," he whispered. They laid there in silence for a few moments, their legs intertwined, feeling each others' breathing. "We should go. I made dinner reservations for us in town for six, and it's already almost three."
Reluctantly, Aria pushed herself off of him, tucking her hair behind her ears. She leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on his lips, happily losing herself in him for a few moments. When she pulled away, she smiled down at Ezra, whose eyes were still blissfully closed. "Now that's a proper thank you!" he breathed, and Aria smacked him once more as his eyes opened. She was taken aback a bit as she noticed his normally clear blue eyes had darkened, now a deep ocean blue. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach clenched with butterflies. It amazed her that after all this time, just one look from him gave her butterflies. She resigned herself to the knowledge that that was likely never going to change.
She shook her head and stood up, reaching her hand for his and helping him up. They snuck sly glances at each other, not saying a word, as they folded up the picnic blanket and safely tucked it into the basket. Picnic basket in his left hand, and Aria's hand intertwined with his right, he lifted it up and kissed her fingers lightly, murmuring an 'I love you'. She felt that something had suddenly shifted between them, she couldn't put her finger on what had changed, but she could feel something was different. But it was nothing she was complaining about. Together, hand in hand, they made their way back to their hotel to change for dinner.
.o.O.o.
"Aria, are you finished yet?" Ezra called from where he was sitting on the bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. Aria had allowed him thirty minutes when they arrived back to the hotel to get ready, then had banished him from the bathroom when he finished, where she had been for the last hour and a half. "It's already 5:30, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon!"
His eyes were trained to the movie he had just found on TV, not even noticing as the door to the bathroom on his left opened, Aria walking out completely dressed. "Okay, done. What do you think?" she asked. He turned to her as she was just pushing the clasp on the back of her earring, jaw dropping as he took in the sight of her. She spun around, smiling sheepishly, "Do I look okay?"
She was dressed in a bordeaux wine colored, greacian-style floor length gown. The square "neckline" (if it could even be called that) dropped down to where the cinched empire waist began, just below her bust, and Ezra gulped hard when he saw the deep open back. Her hair had been pinned up into an intricate undo, and her eyes were lined with a light line of liquid eyeliner, fringed darkly with black mascara. She looked gorgeous, even more gorgeous than he had ever seen her before. He was in so much trouble.
He swallowed hard once more as Aria stared at him with questioning eyes, waiting for an answer. "You look…amazing. Really amazing."
She grinned and reached her hand up, touching the back of her hairstyle. "Are you sure it's not too much? You said it was formal, but I didn't know how formal-"
"You look perfect," he answered with finality, standing up and making his way to her.
She appraised him for the first time since stepping out of the bathroom. She had to admit, he looked pretty good himself. He wore a black suit with a crisp white dress shirt underneath, a matching bordeaux wine colored tie hanging from his neck. His shoes were polished, not a scuff in sight, but the same couldn't be said about his hair, which was tousled and in a disarray, styled just so. His blue eyes were shining, and he had a knee-weakening smile gracing his face as he approached her. She shook her head, wondering how she got so lucky.
"Let's go?" he asked, coming to a stop new to her and offering his arm. She was just about to take it when she remembered one last missing piece.
"Wait," she said, lifting the hem of her dress and walking to the small vanity in the corner of their hotel room. She sat down on the seat and opened up the jewelry box where she stored the few trinkets she had thought to bring with her, looking for one particular piece. "I bought this dress just so I could wear this one necklace with it."
She heard Ezra's footsteps heading towards her, coming to a stop behind her. Then the rustling of him pulling something out of his pocket. "Why don't you wear this?" he asked, the sound of a jewelry box opening breaking Aria's concentration. She looked at him in confusion through the mirror on the vanity, and gasped as Ezra lifted a dainty locket from the box. Snapping the box shut and tossing it on the bed, he draped the necklace around her neck and clasped it shut in the back, placing a light kiss where the lock lay on the nape of her neck.
Aria picked up the locket and opened it with shaking fingers, gasping when she saw what was inside.
On the right was a picture of them when they were much younger, near the time when they had first met. It was a candid picture, probably taken by one of their parents. Aria, just barely seven and a half years old, was standing underneath the mistletoe next to the eleven year old Ezra. He had his arm slung around her shoulders and was leaning down, pressing a kiss into the top of her head. For her part, she was smiling widely for the camera, her own arm around Ezra's waist. Yes, they looked slightly awkward, considering they were so young and there was no way to stand in such a position at such an age as theirs without looking awkward, but they looked so comfortable with each other. So happy. Even as children, they looked like they fit perfectly together.
She bit her lip as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Read the inscription on the side," Ezra prodded.
"Always keep that childlike spirit. 4-23-14," she read. Her eyes met Ezra's in the mirror once more. "Thank you, I love it," she choked out, her hand reaching back to caress his cheek. He bent down and rested his chin on her shoulder, the two of them staring at their reflection in the mirror.
"Happy one year anniversary," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her neck, just below her ear.
Her head tilted to the side in response, exposing more of her neck. He continued his way down, kissing, sucking, nibbling lightly as she kept her hold on his cheek. "Ezra," she whispered. He hummed in response, too busy to say anything. "Cancel the reservations. Let's just stay in tonight. Order room service."
She felt his nod against her neck. "Later," he whispered, his breath hot. She shivered involuntarily. "Right now, there's something else I need to do."
Aria stood up and faced him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him long, languidly, tongue tracing his lower lip, waiting for him to allow her entrance, which he did so willingly. She sighed into him as she tangled her hands in his hair, as he pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible. His nimble fingers quickly found the zipper of her dress just as she had just finished pushing off his jacket, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt so that she could get to his Adam's Apple.
Before he could get her out of her dress, she took control and pushed him forcefully to the wall, pinning him there the best she could, pushing herself onto him so that his back was pressed flush against the wall. She undid the rest of the buttons of his shirt, her lips following the trail her fingers made. When she had finally rid him of his shirt, he took advantage of her momentary distractedness, flipping her so now her front was pressed against the wall and he was pinning her there, arms above her head. He unzipped the back of her dress, a slight growl escaping his lips when he realized she was already naked on top.
"Really, Aria?"
She laughed, the feeling of her laughing against him driving him crazier than he already was. "Seriously, Ezra. You saw the dress. There was no possible way I could discreetly wear a bra underneath that."
"True," he replied, wrapping his arm around her midsection, his palm spread flat against her stomach, pushing her into him, skin on skin. Aria gasped at the contact. "But either way," he whispered into her ear in a voice that made her head fall backwards onto his shoulder, "I'm very glad we decided against going out tonight."
She turned around to face him and reached down, undoing the buckle of his belt, unbuttoning his pants until they were pooled at his feet. He stepped out of shoes and his pants, kicking them out of his way. He lightly picked her up and walked her to the bed, laying her down, hovering over her. He indulged in a kiss, then skimmed his nose down the length of her torso, down her leg. She gripped the bed sheets as he kissed her ankle, removing her strappy black heels and tossing them onto the floor, before repeating the same procedure on the other leg. When he finally rid her of her shoes, she ran her toes along his calves as he made his way back up to her.
"I love you," he said, eyes locking with hers. The deep ocean blue color was back.
"I love you, too," she whispered, hooking her arm around his neck and pulling him to her. "Happy anniversary."
.o.O.o.
Hours later, Aria was sitting at the small table on the patio of their room that overlooked the city, wrapped in a fluffy white robe. She grinned as Ezra wheeled out a cart full of their room service orders and began placing them on the table. "All your favorites," he said as he took his seat across from her, beginning to uncover the plates between them.
"What's that one?" she asked, curiously eyeing the small plate that remained covered on the cart.
"Open it," he said nonchalantly with a shrug. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he sipped from a flute of champagne and began to cut into the ribeye steak in front of him. He did nothing as she reached for the plate and set it in front of her, lifting up the lid to reveal…
A key. A single, nondescript, metal key.
She picked it up between her fingers, turning it this way and that. "A key?"
"A spare key to my apartment. You're welcome to come anytime," he replied, looking at her, a small smile coming to his face. "I know you live at Hollis, and Rosewood will always be our hometown. But, I guess what I'm trying to say is that, if you ever need a place to stay on the west coast, the apartment is always open to you. What's mine is yours."
"Ezra," she choked, tears coming to her eyes once more, "this is too much. You're giving me too much."
He finally put his fork and knife down, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. "This is nothing compared to what you're giving me just by agreeing to be with me. By saying you love me."
She stood up and walked the small distance to his side, settling herself on his lap, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you."
"And I love you." He grinned, then continued to speak, "You know, maybe I shouldn't have gone all out on this anniversary. How am I supposed to top this next year? And the years after that?"
"One year at a time, Fitz. Let's take it one year at a time."
August 2015
"Hey, Ezra, it's me Aria. Again," she sighed, kicking the door to her apartment shut. "I really hate myself right now for calling you incessantly, but you remember what happened the last time I couldn't get a hold of you, right? You ended up all the way across the country in California? Give me a call soon, please? I'd rather it not take a week for me to find out that you're moving across the world this time." She laughed shakily as she sat down on a barstool at the kitchen counter, waving at Spencer, who was currently stirring something in a pot on the stove. "But seriously, call me. I love you."
"Trouble in paradise?" Spencer asked, placing a bowl of ramen in front of Aria, who promptly pulled her lips into a grimace. "Hey, don't complain. It was your turn to do the groceries, so it's all on you that you have to eat packaged noodles for dinner. Be grateful I even made enough for you."
"I knew I forgot something!" Aria moaned as she pushed away the bowl of ramen and dropped her head onto crossed arms on the counter. She heard Spencer place her own bowl on the counter and sit on the barstool next to her. "I'm sorry, it's just that Ezra dropped off the face of the earth again, and I have no idea what's going on with him," she sighed, turning her head to face Spencer.
"When's the last time you talked to him?"
"Last week," Aria replied. "And before that, it took four days to get in contact with him. Before that? Three days. He won't return my emails or texts, and he's not even attempting to call me anymore. A month ago, if we went even three hours without talking, he'd send me a text making sure I was okay. Now we're going weeks without talking."
Spencer waited patiently for Aria to continue, as she knew she would. It didn't take much prodding for the floodgates to open, all she had to do was wait. "I haven't even seen him in three months. We've both been so busy, since he didn't go home over the summer, and I had that internship at the magazine," Aria continued after a short pause. "I hate that I can't talk to him in person; I miss the face to face contact, you know?"
"Yeah, I do," Spencer mused, thinking about Toby, who was off at MIT working on a Master's degree. She, too, understood the need for contact; but she also knew that she wasn't nearly in the same position as Aria and Ezra- at least she had the option of going to visit Toby anytime on a whim since he was so close. She paused. "Wait, that's it."
"What's it?" Aria asked sullenly, having pulled back her ramen towards her and slurping up a few noodles.
"Why don't you go and visit Ezra this weekend? We've finished unpacking the apartment, we don't start classes until next week, it's perfect! Go and visit him before we start classes again. It'll be even harder on you guys if you try to make this happen during our school year."
"I couldn't just show up at his apartment in San Francisco and surprise him. No, I've never done that before," Aria argued, but in her mind, the wheels were already turning.
"Lie," Spencer retorted, "you surprised him that first weekend he moved in, remember?"
Aria bit her lip. Okay, so Spencer had a point. But, that was before he had settled into his apartment, and she felt weird intruding in on his home away from home. Spencer took the silence as a cue to continue. "Besides, he gave you a key. That means you're free to visit him anytime you want."
"I can't go alone," Aria said slowly. "Come with me?"
Spencer faltered. She was actually looking forward to spending the week before classes getting ready, trying to track down her professors and making sure she made a good first impression on them before anyone else could. Going to California could put a damper on her plans. "I'm not sure, Ar. Wouldn't you want to spend time with Ezra on your own? I wouldn't want to be a third wheel."
"You wouldn't be a third wheel! Look, Ezra and I haven't flown in four months, so that means we have four months travel allowance to spend. We can book a great room in San Francisco, we can do some sightseeing, spend time at the spa, it'll be a vacation for just us two. Besides, Hanna, Emily and Alison are still in Rosewood for the next few days, anyway."
"You're using me as an excuse so that if Ezra, for some strange reason, is upset that you surprised him, you can say it's a 'vacation' for us, aren't you?" Spencer accused.
Aria shifted her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips, "I don't know what you're talking about." She quickly slurped up a mouthful of noodles and shifted her eyes downwards into the bowl.
Aria held her breath as Spencer contemplated her offer. A relaxing few days outside of Rosewood and Hollis did sound nice, as did sightseeing, and the promise of a spa day. "Manicures, pedicures and facials?" Spencer bargained.
"I'll even throw in massages," Aria countered, even though she already knew Spencer was in. She pulled out her laptop from her case, opened up the airlines website and was booking the flight and hotel before Spencer even gave her a final answer. Her finger hovered over the 'Book Now!' button. "So, do we have a deal?"
Spencer sighed, "Do I even have a choice at this point?" She shook her head and reached over, clicking the trackpad on Aria's laptop for her, booking the vacation. "You so owe me."
.o.O.o.
"I'm scared, Spence. Why am I suddenly scared?" Aria asked as she walked up the last few steps to Ezra's apartment, heart pounding, but not entirely from the five flights of stairs she had just climbed. "I knew I should've brought you here with me."
Spencer scoffed on the other end of the phone, "Oh yeah, so I could definitely feel like the third wheel? No thanks. I'd rather just stay here and enjoy my chocolate covered strawberries and cable TV." Aria stood frozen at Ezra's doorstep. "Aria, don't be scared. Just do it."
Aria sighed and shook her head, willing away all the negative thoughts, "You're right, I have nothing to be worried about. I don't even know if he's actually here right now."
"Exactly!" Spencer agreed, mouth full of chocolate covered strawberries.
Aria laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. "I'll call you afterwards. Wish me luck!"
"Aria, you don't need luck. I'll see you later."
She hung up and phone and tucked it in her purse, switching it for the key to Ezra's apartment. She took a inhaled deeply and pushed the key into the lock, exhaling the breath she didn't realize she was holding until the lock clicked and the door slightly opened with a small creak.
"Ezra? Hello? Are you here?" she called out to the empty living room, closing the door behind her quietly. She took a few steps into the room, peeking around the corner to see if he was in the kitchen.
Empty. Maybe he wasn't home yet, she thought to herself, as she placed her purse on the armchair and sat down on the couch. Just as she was about to send a text message to Ezra asking where he was, she faintly heard his laugh drift down the hallway. She stood up, making her way to where she had heard his voice- his bedroom.
"Ezra?" she called out again. Maybe he was taking a nap or watching one of his favorite shows on Netflix, she assumed. When she opened the door, she found she was half correct, he was in bed. Or, more precisely, sitting on his bed. However, she also found he wasn't alone. "Jackie?" she whispered, voice cracking, standing frozen at his door.
"Aria, what are you doing here?" Ezra exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and running to her. "I promise you, this isn't what it looks like."
"Really? So, you and your ex-girlfriend, who hates me, by the way, aren't sitting on your bed, alone in your apartment? What is she even doing here, Ezra? Is that why you haven't been returning my calls?" Aria demanded, spitting out her questions rapidly. She shook her head and turned around, marching out of his bedroom.
"Aria, please wait. I can explain!" Ezra exclaimed, the sound of his footsteps increasing in pace behind her. She shrugged off the hand he placed on her arm as she picked up her purse from where she had left it on the armchair.
She whipped around to face him, spotting Jackie standing behind them in the hallway, arms wrapped around herself, eyes cast downwards. For a moment, Aria was taken aback by just how vulnerable Jackie looked at that moment, but shook it off, remembering how manipulative she could be when she wanted something.
Aria looked Ezra square in the eyes, enunciating each word so that he would know that she was being clear. "Don't call me. It's over."
.o.O.o.
Of course, he called. He called her at least twenty times that night, from the minute she left his apartment until two in the morning. It had gotten to the point where she'd had to actually turn off her phone in order to get away from the constant calls.
"Aria," Spencer began, but Aria put her hand up, stopping her right away.
"I don't want to talk about it, Spencer." She pushed the rest of the berries in her bowl from side to side, appetite gone.
It was the morning after, and Spencer had ordered room service to be delivered to their room, since the fact that once Aria had arrived back to their hotel room and changed in her pajamas, burying herself in her bed under piles of sheets and pillows, likely meant that she didn't want to be leaving the room any time soon.
Spencer had prodded for answers, but had gotten nothing besides a grumble about catching Jackie and Ezra together and how they had broken up soon after. After Aria had fallen asleep sometime around midnight, and Aria had turned off her phone, Ezra had actually called Spencer. She pitied the guy and wanted nothing more than to answer his call and get the story on what had happened, but Aria was her friend first. They had to stick together. So she ignored him as well, in solidarity, but it also meant that she was curious, and desperate, to know what had happened.
"But, there has to be a logical reason-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Aria exclaimed, abruptly pushing herself away from their table. Spencer watched as Aria walked to her closet and pulled out a hoodie, a pair of socks from the dresser, and, after putting on said pieces of clothing, laced up her running shoes on her feet. "I'm going to talk a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Don't wait for me."
The sound of the door slamming shut reverberated through the empty room. Spencer bit her lip, her hand itching as the two halves of her mind fought against each other. She knew the wrath Aria could inflict on her if she interfered, but she also knew how miserable both Aria and Ezra were, and that Ezra deserved a chance to explain himself.
Her hand wrapped around her phone lying on the table. Should she, or shouldn't she? She unlocked her phone and quickly scrolled through her contacts, stopping on Ezra's name. Should she, or shouldn't she? She tapped on his contact info before she could change her mind, bringing the phone up to her ear.
He picked up on the first ring.
"Spencer, I know there's some sort of code that says you always have to be on your friend's side whenever they're fighting with their significant other, but you have to listen to me: I promise there was nothing going on with me and Jackie. She surprised me and said she wanted to talk, and Aria happened to walk in on that. I swear, nothing happened. You have to believe me. You have to get Aria to let me explain!"
"Whoa, Ezra, breathe," she exclaimed when Ezra had finished his rant. "That's why I'm calling." She paused and took a deep breath; was she sure she was doing the right thing?
Yes, she assured herself, this was the right thing to do. As much as Aria was going to hate her for going behind her back, she was doing the right thing.
"Spencer? You still there?" Ezra asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I'm here," she answered. "But Aria isn't."
"She's not? Where is she? Did she already go back to Hollis?"
"No, she's still here in San Francisco. But she walked out on me a few minutes ago when I tried to ask her what happened with you two. It's bad, Ezra. I've never seen her so angry before."
"I know, that's why I'm trying to find her. To explain what happened. Please, Spencer," he pleaded, voice cracking, exhaustion coating his every word, "Please tell me where she is."
"She said she was going to take a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge."
"Thank you so much!" Ezra exclaimed, moving so quickly that Spencer could hear the air rushing past him on her end of the phone.
"Wait, Ezra," she interrupted. "I told you where she is, so there's a good chance she's going to hate me for that. But if you screw this up, there's also an almost 100% chance she's never going to forgive me for it, too. Remember that."
"I won't screw this up," he vowed. "Promise."
She pressed the 'end call' button on her phone and placed it back down on the table, slumping backwards into her chair. She silently sent a prayer that things would work out, because if not, she was so screwed.
.o.O.o.
Aria wrapped her arms tighter around herself, the hood of her sweatshirt protecting her head and face only slightly from the whipping wind outside. It was a deceptively bright and sunny, cloudless morning, so through the windows of her hotel, she believed it was a warm day. She stepped outside and quickly realized just how wrong she was. A cold front was currently sweeping through northern California, lowering the temperatures to at least ten degrees colder than was normal; Aria had been preparing for seventy degree weather, what she got was an icy cold blast of air and an outside temperature of fifty five degrees. Definitely not the best weather to take a walk.
On the upside, the cold temperature ensured that the bridge wasn't packed with the normal crowds attempting to take cute profile pictures for Facebook, or ironic hipster selfies for Instagram. She could take her time walking the length of the bridge and not have to deal with trying to get out of peoples' way or attempting to dodge teenagers with monopods.
She took her time walking, one foot in front of the other, keeping an eye on the ground underneath her, absorbing the feeling of her feet hitting the pavement. Left, right, inhale, exhale. It was like a rhythm, a pattern, a sequence. Something normal she could rely on to not change, unless she did so herself.
She focused on her steps and breathing, on the other walkers passing by, on the San Francisco Bay beneath her- anything except for Ezra and Jackie. Jackie. Just the thought of her made Aria's blood boil. Never had she ever hated someone so much than she hated Jackie in that moment.
Left, right, inhale, exhale. Step, breathe, step, breathe. Rhythm. Pattern. Sequence.
She was so focused on training her mind to get back on track that she didn't realize that there was an obstacle in her path, once again derailing the rhythm she set herself, the pattern she believed no one could interrupt besides herself.
"Oof," the obstacle huffed as Aria muttered her apologies and attempted to sidestep the item in her path. But the obstacle put their hands on her arms, holding her in place. "Aria, can we talk, please?"
Aria looked up from her shoes and up to Ezra's face. His eyes searched hers, and she momentarily forgot that she was supposed to be angry with him when she saw his red-rimmed eyes. He looked horrible. Instinctively, her hand went up to cup his cheek to attempt to soothe his tired looking expression, but soon snapped back down when she remembered what he had done to her. Jackie.
"I have nothing to say to you," she spat, taking one step to her right to try to get around him. But he was faster, he always was, and blocked her path again.
"You don't have to say anything, just listen."
"I'm not obligated to listen to anything you say. Not anymore." She took another step to the left. Blocked, again.
"Please," he pleaded, eyes welling up with tears as she noticed him clench his jaw, trying to hold back a yawn. "Five minutes, that's all I need."
She paused and contemplated his suggestion. Giving him those five minutes would mean she was weak, that she was giving in to him again, as always. No, she was stronger than this.
"Sixty seconds." She turned on her heel and began walking towards a bench, not bothering to check if Ezra was following. He was.
"Aria, I am so sorry," he began, reaching for her hand.
"You just wasted five seconds with that. If I were you, I'd use my time more wisely." For a second, she wanted to take back her words, seeing the pang of hurt in his eyes. Jackie. And the moment was gone.
"Look, what you saw with Jackie was nothing. It was innocent, I swear." He paused, gauging Aria's reaction, but she remained stoic, waiting for the excuses he was going to give.
"I had just gotten home from my last class, and when I got to my apartment, I saw someone sitting in front of my apartment with their head resting on their knees. Since their arms were covering their face, I didn't recognize who it was until I went up to them and asked if they were okay.
"When Jackie looked up at me, I realized she had been crying. I honestly had never seen her look so broken down in all the years I've known her. You know her, she never shows weakness." Aria nodded in agreement, remembering how vulnerable Jackie had looked when Aria left Ezra's apartment. She forgot that she had only given Ezra one minute to explain, and allowed him to continue.
"She stood up and literally collapsed in my arms. I had to carry her inside because she was so weak. She was incoherent, babbling about something or another, I couldn't understand it then," he continued, looking past Aria and out onto the water. "I don't even know how she found where I lived, but she said I was the only person she could think to turn to, and that's why she was there.
"I sat with her on the couch for a while, just waiting for her to cry herself out and calm down a little. She asked if she could use my bathroom to clean up, so I pointed her to the bathroom in my bedroom. When she didn't come back outside after almost twenty minutes, I went in to check on her." He turned back to face Aria, and she could see the pain in his eyes, a lump forming in her throat when she saw just how concerned he was for Jackie. Immediately, she regretted treating him the way she did without getting the whole story first.
"I found her sitting on my bed, staring blankly at the wall. I sat next to her and asked what was wrong, and she just kind of turned to me and told me everything that was going on with her. I'd tell you what it was, but it's not my place."
"I understand," she said, placing her hand on his, urging him to go on.
"She had just finished telling me everything when you walked in on us. She felt so bad when you walked out that she left right after you did."
"Where'd she go?"
"Honestly, I have no idea." Ezra rubbed his face with his free hand, looking more exhausted than ever before. "I'm worried about her, but I'm more worried about us. You are my priority, I had to talk to you first before I can make things right with her." He turned to Aria, "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't expect for Jackie to show up, it just happened."
"I understand. You were just being a good friend. It's my fault," she said, looking down at her hand intertwined with his, "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. It's just that you haven't been answering my calls or texts or emails for a whole week, and I was getting worried, so when Spencer suggested I come visit you, I jumped at the chance. I'm sorry I drew the wrong connections."
"I wasn't ignoring you," Ezra explained, "my phone's been glitching this whole week, so I haven't gotten any of your calls or texts. And the apartment building is upgrading their Wi-Fi system, so I've only had internet when I'm on campus. I sent you an email a few days ago explaining everything, but I guess you didn't get it."
"No, I didn't."
They sat in silence, watching the water in front of them, the wind whipping between them. "I shouldn't have accused you of doing anything with Jackie. I guess I'm still a little afraid there's a chance you'll hurt me."
"Aria," he said, tucking his finger under her chin to turn her head to face him, "I promised you a long time ago that I would never internationally hurt you. That's still true. I'll do anything and everything in my power to make sure that I make you happy for as long as you'll have me. I love you. You have to trust me that I won't hurt you."
Aria took a deep breath. "I'm trying to trust you, I am, but it's only been a year and the distance is already getting too hard to overcome."
"We can do this. These next two years will fly by, we just need to be sure we keep up these monthly visits. I know we've both been busy these last few months and haven't been able to fly out to each other, but we need to try to get better about it starting now. It's the only way this will work. I'm willing to try if you are."
"You're right," Aria nodded. "We can do this."
"We can." Ezra pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head as she pulled him tighter to her, inhaling in his scent.
"Hey, Ezra?" Aria mumbled into his sweatshirt.
"Yeah?"
"How'd you know where to find me?"
"Well…" he drew out, not wanting to give away his sources. "I know you better than you think?"
She pulled away from him, cocking an eyebrow. "Spencer told you, didn't she?" When he averted his eyes, her mouth dropped. "She did! Oh, when I get back to the hotel, I'm going to-"
Ezra leaned down and kissed her, silencing her. "Don't kill her, thank her," he said in between kisses.
"I guess," Aria relented, tilting her head up for another kiss. She'd show her thanks by booking that massage she'd promised Spencer the second she got back to her hotel. After all, it was the least she could do to repay her for bringing them back together.
November 2015
"Veronica, Peter, it smells amazing in here!" Ella praised as the entire Montgomery clan were ushered into the Hasting's home, taking off their coats and handing them to the elder Hastings.
"Thank Spencer and Melissa, they've been slaving away in that kitchen all day trying to make this dinner perfect," Veronica replied with an eye roll, but a wave of pride prominent on her face. "I told them not to bother, that we could easily hire a chef or get this dinner catered, but they insisted on cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner." She turned to face Aria, nodding in the direction of the kitchen. "Why don't you head in there? The rest of the girls are already there, helping out."
Aria smiled, greeting Mr. and Mrs. Hastings with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before saying her thanks and making her way into the kitchen.
"We should've just hired the chef!"Melissa complained, elbow deep in a steaming pot of potatoes, attempting to mash them. "I swear, if I have to see one more recipe that calls for a sprig of rosemary or thyme, I'm going to scream!" she exclaimed, pulling the potato masher from the pot and swinging it in the air.
Aria ran over with a laugh, reaching up to take the masher from Melissa's hand before she made a mess and sent mashed potato all over the kitchen. "Hey, why don't you go out and mingle? I'll take your spot," she offered.
Melissa turned to her, a look of gratitude sweeping across her face. "Thank you so much, Aria!" she exclaimed gratefully, pulling off the apron around her waist and tying it around Aria's. "Give me a call when you're ready to serve."
"Thank you for getting her out of here," Spencer called from the stove, where she was sautéing garlic and onions in a pan, the oil sputtering and sizzling. "She was driving us insane with all her complaining."
"Yeah, I don't get why she hates cooking so much, it's not as if it's difficult," Hanna said offhandedly, picking up a marshmallow from the bag that was sitting next to her on the counter.
"It's not difficult for you, because all you've been doing is eating the toppings that are supposed to be going on the actual food." Emily snatched the marshmallow from Hanna's fingers before she could eat it, and grabbed the half-empty bag away from her, setting it on the other side of the baking dish full of mashed sweet potatoes. "If you don't stop eating these, we won't have anything to put on top of the casserole."
"Speaking of casserole," Alison piped in from the pantry, "where are the fried onions for the green beans?"
"Top shelf, on the left," Spencer replied, not even bothering to look up from the stove. "Hey, Aria, I think Melissa actually finished mashing those potatoes. Can you finish up the brussels sprouts and hand them to me?"
"Sure," she said, placing the masher next to the pot and heading over to where Spencer had left the food processor with whole brussels sprouts still inside. She held the lid closed and pressed the button down just long enough for the sprouts to be shredded perfectly. Carefully, she removed the lid and took out the blade, carrying the container over to Spencer. "Where do you want them?"
"Just drop them in."
"Guys, I feel so domestic!" Hanna exclaimed, jumping down from the counter to give Alison more room to finish up the green beans. "But, like, a modern kind of domestic." The girls turned from what they were doing to listen curiously to Hanna, amused smiles on their faces. "I mean, look at us! We're slaving away in the kitchen with aprons tied around our dresses, hair done, makeup perfect, not even bothering to take our heels off. We're like superwomen!"
"Hanna, you haven't actually done anything," Alison pointed out, sprinkling french onions over the green beans in the dish. "Even if cooking in heels made us 'superwomen', I don't think you can be considered as one. I mean, Aria's been here five minutes and she's already done more than you have."
Hanna huffed and stalked over to the oven, pulling it open before coming back to the counter, picking up both the green bean casserole and the sweet potato casserole and placing them both in the oven, swiftly shutting it with a bump from her hip. She clapped her hands together, pretending to dust them off, and faced the rest of the girls, both hands on her hips. "Happy?"
"Ecstatic," Spencer replied sweetly, rolling her eyes again as the other girls laughed and continued to finish preparing for the dinner.
"Hey, Spence? Is there enough room to fit dessert into the oven, considering the turkey and all the other side dishes are in there, too? I know it's big, but I don't think it's quite Mary Poppins' bag." Aria peeked through the glass window of the oven, surprised that there weren't at least two pies in there. If there was anything Spencer and Melissa were famous for baking, it was their pumpkin and apple pies.
"Ezra said not to worry about dessert, that he'd take care of it. It's the least he could do, considering he only gave us an hour notice that he was bringing another guest," Spencer shrugged.
"'Another guest'?" Aria parroted, "Did he say who?"
"Nope," Spencer replied, just as the front door opened up, the voices of the Fitz family carrying through the foyer. "I guess he's here, why don't you go find out? We've got it from here."
"Actually, I think she can stay. Surprise guest in the kitchen," Hanna stage whispered to Emily as the mystery guest walked into the room.
"Hey, guys. Where should I put the pies?"
That voice. It was such a familiar voice, but with her back to the person, Aria couldn't quite place it.
"Over there next to the oven is good. We'll put it in once everything else is out." There was something strange in the tone of Spencer's voice. And then it all clicked.
Aria whipped around, coming face to face with the one person she wasn't expecting to come to show up to Thanksgiving dinner. "Jackie?"
"Hi, Aria," she replied meekly, suddenly looking very uncomfortable, and out of place, with four girls who were obviously not her biggest fans. She shifted her eyes to the ground as they all stared unabashedly at her, their curious eyes watching what she would do next.
Jackie cleared her throat and looked up at Aria. "Do you mind if we go somewhere to talk a little?"
Aria was thrown. She paused for what seemed like hours as all eyes were on her to see what her response would be. "Uh, yeah, sure," she finally replied, untying her apron and setting it on the counter. "Follow me."
Aria locked eyes with Spencer, who signaled it was okay to take her up to her room. A minuscule nod, and Jackie followed Aria up the stairs and into Spencer's room. Once inside, she closed the door behind them and sat on Spencer's bed, not bothering to offer Jackie a place to sit, leaving her to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Listen, Aria, I just wanted to apologize," Jackie began.
"Apologize for what?" Aria prodded. After everything Jackie had put her through, Aria was not going to make it easy on her.
"Well, for starters, I wanted to apologize for whatever it was you thought you saw at Ezra's apartment. It was honestly innocent, I just really needed someone to talk to. I'm sure he told you what's been going on with me."
"No, he didn't," she responded harshly, "Unlike some people, he's actually a decent person that doesn't want to take others down."
"Okay, I guess I deserve that," Jackie conceded. "But really, Aria, I was going through some really bad things in August, and I didn't have anyone to turn to. Ezra's such a good guy, I knew that, despite all the bad I've done, he'd still be there, willing to listen to me." Jackie took a deep breath and Aria could see she was preparing to open herself up.
"Jackie, you don't have to tell me anything." The last thing Aria wanted to do was have Jackie spill her 'secrets' to her in order to gain her trust, then attempt to take her down again in the future. "You were going through things, and Ezra was there to help you out through them. He and I are good now, you don't need to defend him."
"I know I don't need to," Jackie responded, "but I want to. I can see you still don't 100% trust him, and I get that a part of that is because of me. I'm hoping that if I tell you everything, it'll make it just that much easier for you to see that you can trust him with anything. He's the most trustworthy guy I know."
Jackie waited to see if Aria would respond in any way, but Aria left was speechless, surprised by how open and different she sounded. She took it as her sign to continue.
"I don't know if you knew, but Noel and I started dating a little after you and Ezra did, around May last year. It happened so gradually, my sorority and his frat are brother and sister, so we saw each other all the time at socials, parties, fundraisers, all those kinds of things. Funny thing is," she mused, her lips turning into a fond smile, "the first time we had an actual conversation was after we found out that you and Ezra had started dating. Noel had come to me, asking if the rumors were true about you two, if you had just been using him to make Ezra jealous. Obviously, I gave a bunch of snarky remarks in response, but, for some reason, he said he found that endearing. He had been tired of girls always acting so fake and sweet to each other, when you knew they obviously hated one another, and he said he found my honesty 'refreshing'.
"So we started dating. It got pretty serious, he proposed in March of this year, we leased an apartment in Boston in April and moved in together. Things were going so well, until I found out in July that I was pregnant.
"In the beginning, he was really happy about it. We'd go shopping and look at the baby clothes, we'd fantasize about the spare room in our apartment being the nursery, we'd talk about the schools around the neighborhood that we could send them to when they were older. I was so surprised that he was really excited to have a baby, considering how young we still are and how unstable everything is, but he convinced me that we could make it through it, that everything would work out.
"And then one day, he disappeared. Just took off." Jackie's face hardened as she continued with the story. "He left for work one morning and never came back. I waited for a few days thinking he'd be back, but he never did."
Aria's heart fell as she saw the tears starting to well up in Jackie's eyes. "But then I found out my grandfather died. I was so close to him, he practically raised me when I was younger, so of course I agreed to make the trip back home to North Carolina. But the day before my flight, I started feeling cramps."
Aria sucked in a breath when she saw Jackie's tears start streaming down her cheeks, desperately trying to wipe them away before more came. "I lost the baby. Because I was in the hospital, I missed my grandfather's funeral. My fiancé disappeared. I was all alone with no one left to turn to. So when I was discharged from the hospital…"
"You went straight to Ezra's," Aria finished, Jackie biting down on her lip to keep from sobbing. "Jackie, you didn't have to tell me all this. Really."
"No," she insisted, wiping away the last tears, "I did. See, after everything I've done, Ezra could've easily left me in the hallway and not given me a second glance. I wouldn't have blamed him, nor would I have been surprised. In fact, I was expecting it. But he didn't. He took me in. He calmed me down. He listened to everything I had to say and didn't judge me. Didn't criticize me. Didn't pity me. It takes a special kind of guy to do that for an ex-girlfriend who essentially did everything in her power to take down the girl he really loves.
"Aria, do you know why I went to Ezra?" Jackie asked, looking Aria in the eye. She shook her head 'no', too shocked to open her mouth, to say anything. "I went to Ezra because I knew I could trust him. Just like you should."
"I do," Aria said adamantly.
Jackie raised an eyebrow, "You say you do, but do you really mean it?"
"I do." Aria paused. "Well, I do now," she amended. "It's just hard, you know? I guess there was always a part of me that thought I couldn't trust him for some reason, but hearing your story, hearing everything you just said, it really does make me feel like I can."
"If you ever start doubting him, just keep this in mind- even after he knew how much I was hurting, he went looking for you first, to make sure you understood everything and made sure your relationship was okay before coming for me. He's always put you first; need I remind you about the prom incident?" Jackie asked with a teasing smile, cajoling a laugh out of Aria. "You are, and always will be, his first priority. He loves you, he's always loved you. Trust him, there's no reason for you not to."
"Okay, I believe you. Thank you."
No sooner had the words come out of Aria's mouth, a series of three small knocks came at the door. The door opened slightly and Ezra tentatively peeked his head inside. "Just wanted to let you guys know they're ready to serve dinner downstairs."
"I'll be down in a bit, you guys go ahead. I just have one little thing I need to do," Aria said, holding one finger up. She nodded at Jackie and gave her a warm smile, assuring her that she'd be there in a few minutes.
As soon as Jackie and Ezra had left, she pulled out her phone, scrolling down to a stop at a number she hadn't used in years. She tapped on the contact, pressing the phone up to her ear.
"How dare you!" she spat as soon as Noel answered the phone. "How dare you do such a thing to Jackie? Leaving her and your child? What kind of a person does that?!" she exclaimed.
"Aria, wait, you don't have the whole story," he cut in, trying to explain.
"What more to the story could there be, Noel? Don't tell me, a surprise job offer across the country?"
"My mom was in the hospital," he replied quietly.
Aria faltered. "What?"
"My mom was in the hospital. She had been sick for weeks, and she had to have an emergency surgery procedure done. I didn't tell Jackie because I didn't want her to stress out and have it hurt the baby. So I went to visit my mom after my work, since she was at a hospital in Boston nearby. She wasn't doing well, and I was too scared to leave her."
"You know, you could've at least called Jackie to tell her."
"I know, I could've," he admitted. "I can sit here an make as many excuses as I want, but the fact of the matter is, I didn't try. I didn't try to call Jackie, I didn't try to leave the hospital for a few moments so I could go back home to reassure my fiancé that I was okay, that I didn't leave her." His voice cracked as he paused, and Aria could feel her own heart breaking for Noel and Jackie. "I didn't try hard enough, and now she's gone. And I accept that it's my fault, all because I couldn't think clearly at the time.
"You know, I actually went back to our apartment a few days later once my mom was stable?" Noel continued on, not noticing that Aria had gone silent. "But, Jackie was gone. The neighbors said she'd left for North Carolina, since her grandfather died. So I flew out to meet her there, hoping I could explain what happened, but she never showed up. I went back to Boston, and all her stuff was gone from the apartment. I had tried calling her, but it went straight to voicemail, and after a while, it started to say that her number is out of service. I guess I just kind of gave up; she's probably much better off without me, anyway."
Aria sighed. There had to be some way to fix this, all these miscommunications, it was the least she could do for Jackie. "Hey, Noel, how far away from Rosewood are you right now?"
"About half an hour, I'm visiting my parents in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. Why?"
"Do you have a pen and paper? Be at this address in no more than an hour, I don't know if I can stall any longer than that."
Exactly forty-five minutes later, the Hastings' doorbell rang. A confused looking Spencer came back into the room in the middle of the first round of plates being finished, right before seconds were to be served. "Uh, Jackie, someone's at the door to see you."
Jackie looked at Aria, who smiled at her. She shrugged. "You taught me to trust Ezra, I'm repaying the favor."
Aria could tell Jackie wanted to ask questions, but she made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to be answering anything. So, cautiously, Jackie stood up from the table and made her way to the door. And didn't come back.
"What happened?" Ezra later asked Aria over slices of pumpkin and apple pie. "Why didn't Jackie ever come back?"
"Don't worry about it," Aria brushed off, "It was just a friend helping out a couple friends."
Later that month, both Aria and Ezra, along with a perplexed Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Alison, all got their invitations to Jackie and Noel's wedding.
February 2016
Pink and red. There was pink and red everywhere. That, combined with the copious number of couples that could be seen as far as the eye could see, and it was all enough to make anyone in a long distance relationship (or single, because there's a reason why Valentine's Day is also known as Singles Awareness Day) sick. Everywhere Aria looked, there was a couple holding hands. Or glistening red heart shaped balloons tied together to form gigantic floating bouquets. Or, even worse, teddy bears larger than the recipient could carry, causing them to run into anyone in their way. And Aria seemed to be a magnet for anyone who seemed to be holding red and pink roses or boxes of chocolates.
"Watch where you're going!" Aria called out to a couple that had just narrowly missed running into her with a plate full of hot pink and white cupcakes decorated with sugary sweet candy hearts. "I hate Valentine's Day," she muttered to herself as she continued her walk through the quad.
"Don't you look like a bright ray of sunshine today?" Spencer smirked as Aria plopped down on a seat across the table from her, dropping her head into her arms and letting a little scream escape her lips. "What, you're not enjoying what is normally your most favorite holiday in the year?"
Aria raised her head from the table and shot a scathing glare at Spencer. "You try being surrounded by a campus of nearly ten thousand people who decided today of all days to parade their relationships in front of you, while you're stuck alone with your boyfriend thousands of miles across the country," she bit out through gritted teeth.
Spencer let out a low whistle and pushed the other full Venti soy iced caramel macchiato towards her, "I'm glad the barista messed up on my order and gave me another one of these, then. You seem like you need it."
"You're a lifesaver!" Aria breathed as she took a long sip from the straw. "It's only noon and I've already had three quizzes, and I was up all night writing my paper that was due to-" she paused mid-thought as the sweet taste of the coffee settled on her tongue. "Wait, the barista messed up on your order and you magically got my favorite drink for free?"
"Yes…" Spencer trailed, averting her eyes away from Aria and taking a sip of her own iced venti drink, decidedly much darker than the one Aria was currently sipping on.
"You only drink black iced coffee." Aria raised an eyebrow at Spencer and stared at her until Spencer finally backed down, relenting to tell her the truth with her hands in the air.
"Okay, so I may have bought that for you."
"What do you want, Spencer?" Aria asked, a smile playing on her lips as she took another cooling sip of her drink. She could already feel herself loosening up.
"Well, you know how I'm rushing the Kappa Lambda Theta pre-med frat, right?"
"Right."
"So, tonight is their annual Valentine's Day Masquerade Ball-"
"No," Aria immediately interrupted. "Spencer, you know how much spending Valentine's Day without Ezra is killing me! Do you really think I'd really agree to going to a party where everyone's going to be paired up and happy?"
"But, the proceeds go towards the children's hospital! You wouldn't want to deprive these sick and ailing children of-"
"I said no, Spencer." Aria pushed herself up from the table, hoisting the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Look, I'm sure tonight will be lots of fun, and I know the children will benefit greatly from what you guys are doing, but honestly, if I can't spend today with Ezra, I'd rather spend it alone. In bed. Preferably with chocolate, ice cream, pizza and Netflix." She picked up her coffee and gave Spencer a weak smile. "I'm sorry, but thanks again for the coffee. I won't wait up tonight."
Spencer watched Aria's retreating figure and made sure she was out of earshot before pulling out her phone. "Hey, Ezra," she said when he picked up, "we've got a problem. She's not budging on skipping out on the Masquerade Ball."
.o.O.o.
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"Ugh!" Aria tossed her phone on the couch next to her and plopped down, cracking open a fresh container of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and digging her massive silver spoon in. She shoved the spoon into her mouth and hastily reached for the remote, flipping through channels until she settled on The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and tucked the fuzzy blanket around herself, settling into the pillows around her.
So what if Ezra hadn't called her to wish her a Happy Valentine's Day yet? He was busy. Today was a Friday, a school day, so he was probably busy with work and classes and grading and everything else that working towards a graduate degree entailed. She couldn't get mad at him for that.
Except, she had classes and work today, too. Today was one of the busiest days she'd had in a while, and yet, she had found a small sliver of time in the morning between classes to call him and leave a sweet voicemail, and send him a quick text when he didn't call hours later. "You're pathetic," she thought to herself as she dug her spoon into the pint of ice cream again with more force than before. She turned to look at the clock, 6:00. If he didn't text or call her by midnight, he was going to be in for a severe verbal assault the next time they talked.
Aria bit her lip, trying to focus on the image of Princess Mia and Lord Nicholas dancing at her birthday party, instead of at the phone that was currently silent, sitting at her feet. After five more minutes of trading off between watching the movie and watching her phone, she finally gave up, pushing her ice cream onto the coffee table next to her, tossing her head back onto the pillow and covering her face with the blanket. "Stop!" she ordered herself. "He'll call. Just give him time, he'll call eventually."
The sound of three knocks on the door caused her to pull the blanket even tighter behind her head, covering her in darkness. "Go away!" she called out. "I'm wallowing right now."
The door was forced open with a heavy shove, banging against the wall next to it as the person waltzed it. Aria heard as they kicked the door shut with their foot, high heeled footsteps reverberating off the tiled floor in the kitchen. "I'm so glad you gave us all copies of the key to yours and Spencer's apartment. If not, you would be drowning your sorrows about spending Valentine's Day alone by eating ice cream on the couch with some cheesy moving playing on the TV," Hanna announced smartly, the footsteps moving closer towards the living room. Aria sensed her footsteps come to a stop in front of the couch. "I'm obviously too late, but that's okay, I can still salvage this."
Aria squeezed her eyes shut, dramatically throwing her arm over her eyes as Hanna ripped off the blanket from over her. "Leave me alone, Hanna."
"No," she said, sitting down on the empty space at the other end of the couch. She picked up Aria's phone and pressed the lock button. "So Ezra hasn't called. Big deal! You shouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that you spent tonight lying on the couch in your sweats, when you could be out with your four best friends at a Masquerade Ball, having the time of your life without him."
"But, Hanna-"
"I'm not taking no for an answer," Hanna interrupted. "Spencer has Toby, Emily and Alison are going together." She paused and took a breath, "And Caleb hasn't called me, either. So you and me? We're in the same boat."
Aria lowered her arm, glancing at Hanna's disappointed face for the first time. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
"It's whatever. I wasn't holding my breath," Hanna shrugged. "But, I did buy his ticket already. And since's he's been MIA today, I have a feeling it's not going to be used." She reached into her purse and pulled out a thick piece of black paper, gold print on the front. "It's yours if you want it. I just don't want to be the fifth wheel tonight."
Aria pursed her lips. Hanna had a point, she shouldn't give Ezra the satisfaction of knowing that she spent the night doing absolutely nothing except waiting on a call from him. She sighed. "Okay, I'm in."
Hanna squealed and jumped up, pulling on Aria's arm to get her off the couch. "I booked appointments for us at Sephora in an hour. That gives us just enough time to do our hair and get dressed."
"Okay, but Hanna, you're forgetting that up until a few seconds ago, I wasn't planning on going at all. This is a ball, I don't have a dress, let alone a mask!" Aria exclaimed, panic slowly rising, realizing she wasn't prepared for tonight at all.
"Well, it's a good thing this was waiting outside your door." Hanna reached over next to the couch and picked up a massive silver box with a bow on top. She handed it to Aria and stood up, walking towards the door. "I'm going to my apartment really quick to get my hair styling tools. You better be dressed and ready to do hair by the time I get back." She winked and gave a finger wave, twirling out the door and shutting it behind her.
Aria sat in silence for a few seconds before curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the box. She pulled off the top, picking up the card nestled on top of the white paper that covered the contents. She turned the envelope over, lifting the flap, and pulled out the rectangular, cream colored card stock, reading the single line written in flowing black script.
See you at midnight when the masks come off.
She placed the card next to her and pushed away the tissue paper, giving way to a glimpse of an intricately beaded black and gold bodice. She stood up, gingerly lifting the dress from the box, gasping when she saw the floor length skirt billow out into layers and layers of black tulle. She pressed the dress against her body. The perfect fit.
Carefully, Aria placed the heavy dress on the couch and looked into the box again, pulling out a brown shoe box with the telltale white brand name on the lid. She lifted the cover and found a glittering pair of gold, peep-toed, platform Christian Louboutin pumps lying inside the small box in her hands. She removed one and immediately felt like Cinderella, slipping her foot into the magic shoe presented by her Prince Charming. Except her Prince Charming hadn't quite appeared in her story yet.
Placing the shoe box on the ground, she pulled out the last item from the silver box- a simple black and gold lace design mask. She turned the mask over in her hands, surprised at the simplicity. Compared to the extravagance of the dress and the shoes, it was much less gaudy than she expected. And yet, it was more beautiful than she could have imagined.
"Yeah, I made sure she got it. I hand delivered it to her myself," she faintly heard Hanna say outside her door. She furrowed her brows, looking in the direction Hanna's voice came from. "No, I didn't get to see her reaction to any of it." A pause. "I'll be sure she finds you before midnight, don't worry."
Aria looked down at the mask once more as Hanna's voice drifted further away from her. "I'll make sure she finds you before midnight, don't worry." Hanna's words echoed in her head. Could it be that Ezra was here, and that's why he wasn't calling her? She shook her head, no, there was no way. They had used their allocated travel expenses already this month, and she remembered that he had said that he had a midterm exam tonight. She smacked her head when she remembered the last conversation they had had. He had told her that with his exam and the papers he had been forced to grade tonight (the professor he was working with had decided to take his wife out tonight and, as Ezra had no plans, gave him all the papers he had yet to begin reading), there was no way he'd be able to contact her. He had told her not to wait up, promised that he'd call as soon as he could the morning after.
She slumped back down on the couch. So, if Ezra was in San Francisco, busy with an exam and work, who was Hanna talking to? Who had sent her these things? She inhaled, there was only one way to find out- she had to go to the ball tonight.
Quickly, she grabbed the dress and ran into the bathroom to change. Even though she knew this mystery person wasn't Ezra, oddly enough, she was still excited to see what tonight would bring.
.o.O.o.
Aria giggled as Emily pointed out the rest of their friends that were still out on the dance floor. Toby had skipped his last two lectures and driven a full seven hours from MIT just to make sure he made it in time to escort Spencer to the ball. Little did anyone know, but Toby had picked up a surprise for Hanna in Rosewood on his way to Hollis- Caleb. Sure, Aria had been so ecstatic for her friends to be able to celebrate the day with their boyfriends, but she couldn't help but feel a teensy bit disappointed by the fact that her own boyfriend wasn't able to come, too.
But it was okay, she reasoned with herself, he had called her a few minutes before they left for the ball while she was putting on the finishing touches, apologizing profusely for not calling earlier. He had promised to make it up to her by promising to take her wherever she wanted to go, and doing anything she wanted, without so much as a whine from him. When she suggested getting vegan food somewhere in Antarctica and he had readily said he'd book their tickets now if she was sure that's what she wanted to do, she couldn't help but forgive him.
Alison, who had come with Emily, was dancing with some strange guy from her Comparative Politics class. Currently he was holding her tight around the waist with one arm, pulling her as close to him as possible, with his other hand on her head, stroking her hair gently while pressing her cheek to his shoulder. Every few seconds she'd look over at Aria and Emily, pleading with her eyes to help get her out of this awkward situation, but they both refused, finding it just too entertaining to put a stop to it now. They had known this guy ever since they were all first years, so they knew he was harmless, but the second he tried to pull something, they'd be there in a split second to save her. But for now, it was too much fun watching her squirm.
"Serves her right for not saving me from that one guy I was dancing with earlier," Emily smirked, pulling out her phone to record them.
"The sweaty guy? But, he didn't seem too bad!" Aria taunted, earning an eye roll from Emily.
"Yeah, he didn't seem too bad from far away when you didn't have to touch him. There was literally sweat dripping from every part of him; even his tux was moist!" Emily shuddered and stifled a gag. "Never again."
"Okay everyone, it's 11:58! Last song before the masks come off at midnight!" the MC called out to the crowd over the fading end of the song. "So, grab the one person who's intrigued you all night and bring them out to the dance floor for a little slow dance to set the mood. This one's a request from a guy named E. Hope you find your girl, dude."
The beginning strums of Ed Sheeran's song Photograph began to make their way over the speakers placed strategically around the large ballroom, causing Aria to smile to herself. Every time she heard this song, she couldn't help but think of her relationship with Ezra. Some of the lyrics were so reminiscent of milestones in their relationship that there were times where she thought that maybe, maybe, this song had been written for them. Her heart broke a little as she watched her friends, one by one, be led to the dance floor by their significant other (or in the case of Emily and Alison, possible significant other? They hadn't quite put a label on anything yet).
She watched as her friends all swayed slowly to the song, happy smiles on their faces.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't ever have to sit out on a dance." Aria looked up with questioning eyes at the guy who held his hand out to her. "The dress looks amazing on you, just as I knew it would. But my favorite is the mask- simple, elegant, just like you."
"You obviously don't know me, then," Aria shot back, "if you think I'm 'simple'. I'm anything but simple."
"On the outside. Style wise," the mystery man leaned in and whispered in her ear, making her shiver, "but on the inside, I know all you really need to be happy is a pen and a notebook. Simple."
Aria glared at the mystery man as he pulled away from her, offering her his hand again. She contemplated it for a moment, then slipped her hand in his, letting him help her up and out to the dance floor. She kept her distance, left hand on his shoulder, right hand in his left, following his lead as he started to waltz alongside all the other couples in the room. She tried to ignore the spark she felt jolt up through her arm the second their hands met. "High class fraternity, everyone in here knows how to waltz," she commented out loud, trying to make small talk.
The man chuckled, moving them more quickly to keep up with the flow of the other dancers. "Half of the people in here have parents in the medical field. You better believe they all went through cotillion."
"Midnight strikes in ten, nine, eight-" the MC called out.
"Ready to see who I am?" the mystery man asked, a smile playing on his face.
"Oh, I think I already know who you are," Aria replied with a grin. She could recognize that smile anywhere.
Seven, six, five.
"You sure?"
"One hundred percent."
Four, three, two.
"One," they whispered at the same time, letting go of each others' hands so that Aria could each up and untie the mystery man's mask from where it was knotted behind his head. Her shaky hands slowly pulled off his mask, and she couldn't stop the peel of laughter from escaping her lips.
"Ezra! I knew it was you behind all of this!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and into his arms, hanging on for dear life as she kissed him on the cheek. She landed back lightly on her feet and smacked his arm. Hard. "You jerk! You made me think you were busy all day today, when you were actually coming? I thought you didn't care, so I resorted to wallowing!"
"Oh, trust me, I know," he replied with a sly grin, "the girls have been discreetly sending me pictures and videos of you all day today. The Princess Diaries 2? Really, Aria? That's what you decide to watch when you wallow?"
"Shut up! Chris Pine is adorable in that movie!"
"But not as adorable as me?" Ezra asked, smirking.
"I guess you'll do."
"Let's get this mask off of you," he said, gently pulling the elastic from behind her head and tucking the mask into his pocket. He took her right hand in his left once more and skillfully began twirling her around the dance floor once more. "I requested this song just for you."
Oh, you can fit me inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen, next to your heartbeat where I should be. Keep it deep within your soul…
Ezra gingerly reached out and touched the locket that lay on her neck. "You wore it."
"I always wear it. I never take it off."
And if you hurt me, well that's okay, baby, only words bleed. Inside these pages you just hold me, and I won't ever let you go...
"I was so mad at you, you know," Aria began, tightening her hand on his shoulder. "I thought you didn't care enough to even give me a call or send me a text wishing me a Happy Valentines Day. I knew you were busy, but still, I thought you would at least do that much."
"I'm sorry," he apologized, guilt shadowing his eyes. "As soon as I finished up with the last class I had to teach, I caught my flight here. I didn't even have a spare second to send you a call or text."
"I thought you didn't love me anymore."
"Because I didn't send you a text?" he asked incredulously. "Aria, you should know that even if I don't call or text or send an email, you're always on my mind. In my heart. I will always love you, even if the day comes where you don't love me back."
"Lies. That day will never come," she replied, resting her head on his chest. "When do you have to fly back to San Francisco?"
"Tomorrow morning. I have a 6AM flight."
When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me under the lamppost back on Sixth Street…
"It wasn't a lamppost back on Sixth Street, but I always remember that night after the disaster at the Tri Phi party when I had to drag you out after the screaming match with Jackie."
Aria giggled, blushing at the memory. "It's so weird to think that just a few years ago, Jackie and I hated each other. Now we're going to her and Noel's wedding in July!"
"Funny how things change over time, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," she agreed. "But where were you going with this?"
"Right," he said, getting back to his train of thought, "It may not have been a lamppost back on Sixth Street, but I do remember that kiss under the lamppost out near the dining hall of your dorm."
"After I had to convince you to let me be your girlfriend," she taunted.
"You didn't have to convince me," he argued, "I was just trying to make sure you wanted to be with me, too. That I wasn't holding you back."
"And look where we are now."
"Funny how things change in the span of a couple years."
"And how some things haven't changed," she replied, nuzzling in closer to him. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Happy Valentine's Day."
Hearing you whisper through the phone, "Wait for me to come home."
May 2016
"Happy twenty-first birthday, Aria!"
Aria grinned from ear to ear as she entered her apartment after a particularly trying day, one filled with exams, quizzes and papers. It was the Friday after the most difficult week she'd had to endure in years, and nothing made her happier than to see her four best friends waiting for her next to the front door, greeting her happy birthday excitedly.
"Guys, thank you!" she exclaimed in awe.
"Hey, you have nothing to thank us for just yet," Spencer replied. "We haven't even given you any of your presents yet. So, here," she handed Aria a giant bouquet of blue, pink, purple and white peonies. "This is from me and Toby. And before you do, don't thank me. He's the one who went out and drove all over the east coast trying to find you those damn flowers. You'd think you'd chose a flower less hard to find to be your favorite."
Aria bit back a laugh, seeing the smirk on Spencer's face. Her voice may have sounded pissed, but her face showed that she was anything but.
Next was Hanna, holding out a giant french macaron in a clear, plastic box. "The plan was for me to make you macarons from scratch, but did you know those things are actually pretty freakin' hard to make? I ended up just going to the bakery in Philadelphia to buy you one. So much easier."
"Aren't these giant macarons buy one get one free on Fridays?" Aria asked, with an eyebrow raised.
Hanna rolled her eyes. "So I got one for myself, too. Sue me."
Aria chuckled, placing the peonies and macaron on the kitchen counter as Emily stepped forward, handing her her gift- a light, square box, wrapped in nondescript brown paper. Aria held the box up to ear, ready to shake it to gain some perspective on what might be inside, when Emily reached out her hand to grab Aria's arm. "Trust me, you're not going to want to do that."
"Okay," Aria drew out, barely containing her excitement long enough to rip off the paper, revealing a square gift box. "Seriously? Em, tell me this isn't one of those giftbox-within-a-giftbox-within-a-giftbox presents."
"It's not, I promise."
She took her word on it and lifted off the top of the box, pulling out the contents carefully. "You're kidding! I love this so much, you don't even know!" Aria exclaimed, turning the gigantic plastic wine glass, big enough to hold at least two normal sized glasses of wine, to face her so she could read it.
The glass was painted a pink zebra print, with a gigantic black bow tied to the stem, the words "Aria's 21st Birthday Glass" printed on the glass with silver glitter. Inside of the glass, there were small slips of paper folded up, filling it to the brim. "We started a Facebook group a month ago and had almost everyone you know write some sort of message to you."
"You guys, this is too much. Thank you," Aria said, voice thick with emotion as she noticed small messages from distant relatives and friends, some of which she hadn't been able to see of speak to in years. "I think this may be my best birthday ever."
"Wait, that's not all," Alison interrupted, handing Aria one last present- a long, thick envelope. "This was my idea, but Ezra was the one who organized all of it."
"What?" Aria asked, confused. Ezra had already called her that morning and said that his present, which he had ordered online, was delayed and wouldn't be delivered to her until next week. "Alison, what is this?" She carefully placed the glass and the wrapping onto the counter next to the other presents and retrieved the envelope from Alison.
She flipped it over and opened the flap, pulling out three sets of papers, each numbered in the order she was to open it. She unfolded the set marked '1' and her eyes quickly scanned over the information. Numbers and words jumbled together as she tried to make sense of what it said. "We're flying to Los Angeles?"
"Tonight," Alison confirmed. "Open the next set. There's more."
Aria nodded and unfolded the second set, trying to make sense of what it was. "Rental information? For a silver grey BMW M4? So, we're flying down to LA and driving around?"
"Keep going."
Aria did as she was told, furrowing her eyebrows as she unfolded the last set of papers. Hotel reservations for the one story Sky Villa at the Palms Casino. The Palms Casino? Why did that sound- and it clicked.
"VEGAS?!" Aria screeched. "We're going to Vegas?!"
"We're going to Vegas!" the four girls screamed in unison, jumping up and down.
"We're catching a flight out tomorrow morning at 4AM to LA, then we're picking up the rental car and driving to Vegas to meet up with Ezra. Toby and Caleb already flew down and took a direct flight to Vegas, so Ezra's showing them around until we get there tomorrow afternoon," Alison explained. "He knew how much you always wanted to take a road trip somewhere, and figured Vegas would be the perfect place, considering all of us are finally over 21 now!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Aria asked, tossing the envelope and papers onto the counter next to the other presents. "I think we have some packing to do!"
.o.O.o.
"I'm exhausted," Hanna complained, pulling her sunglasses off the top of her head and down over her eyes, looking every inch the typical Southern California girl, as the five friends stepped out of Terminal 2 at LAX, dragging their suitcases behind them.
Aria and Spencer locked eyes and shot each other a knowing a look, resisting the urge to scoff and roll their eyes. There was no way that Hanna could possibly be exhausted; as soon as she and Alison had boarded the plane in Philadelphia, they propped their heads against their travel pillows and knocked out, not even waking up for the complimentary snacks.
"Well, you're just going to have to rally. The guys promised they'd stay out of the suite until late tonight so that we can take it over and get ready. We plan on hitting up as many clubs as we can, you can stay back and sleep if you want to," Spencer replied with a smirk.
Hanna sighed dramatically. "I wasn't being serious, Spencer," she answered with a dismissive wave, "What I said was, like, a matador or something like that."
Spencer cocked an eyebrow. "Do you mean a metaphor?"
"Matador, metaphor- same difference."
"Hanna, they're not nearly the same-"
"Guys, I think that's the shuttle that's supposed to take us to the car rental lot," Aria interrupted, directing a newly manicured and polished nail (she had to do something on the long plane ride) towards a small bus that was parked and waiting to pick up passengers near the center divider in the road. They each wrapped their hands tightly around the handles of their suitcases and ran through the middle of traffic waiting to pick up their passengers and loved ones, giggling the entire way.
It had taken a while for the five girls to find a way to fit all of their luggage into the small trunk space of the BMW convertible, but with Spencer's skills in the game of Tetris, they were able to cram it all in there. And a little more than four hours later, the five girls found themselves on Interstate 15 driving through Barstow, top down, singing 90s/2000s music at the top of their lungs. Spencer had insisted on being the one to drive, with Aria taking the passengers seat, and Emily, Hanna and Alison in the back.
"Who let Spencer drive again?" Emily yelled, trying to get her voice to heard over the warm, late spring air whipping around them. "I know we're trying to get to Vegas before nightfall, but do you really have to go 90 miles an hour? I swear, my heart stops every time you weave through traffic!"
"Stop being such a backseat driver," Spencer quipped, swerving into the right lane to pass a black SUV already going 80 miles an hour. The engine roared as she pressed down harder on the gas pedal, jerking the car back into the left lane as soon as the back of their convertible was but two inches in front of the SUV, narrowly missing the back of the semi-truck that was rapidly approaching. She slowed down the car to a more reasonable speed and let go of the wheel with one hand, running it through her hair and pushing her sunglasses further up her nose. "I'm the only one that's actually driven on the west coast before; I know how to maneuver through traffic here. If one of you guys drove, it would take us all day to get there."
Aria laughed, turning in her seat to face Emily. "She's got a point, you know."
"Okay," Hanna interrupted, tightening the scarf that was wrapped around her head to protect her hair, "I don't care who's driving or how fast their driving. All I care about right now is finding the nearest rest area. I've been holding it since we left the plane at LAX, and I don't know how much longer I can last."
"I think I see some outlets up ahead," Alison piped up, rising in her seat as far as she could with her seatbelt still on, craning her neck to get a better look. "They're bound to have some bathrooms there."
"Next exit," Aria read off the passing billboard.
And with that, Spencer yanked the steering wheel to the right, crossing two lanes of traffic to make it to the exit. Emily screamed from the backseat, covering her eyes with her hands, while Hanna began smacking Spencer's seat repeatedly, bouncing up and down. "Hurry up!" she yelled.
Three minutes later, tires squealed as Spencer pulled the car into a parking spot near a sign that read 'Restrooms'. Aria and Alison stifled a laugh as Hanna unbuckled her seatbelt, crawling over Emily and jumping over the door, not bothering to even open it. She took off in a sprint towards the restrooms, but then she came to a screeching halt in front of a shop window. "Hanna, we thought you needed to use the restroom!" Emily called to her.
"Guys, it's a Kate Spade outlet! I can see the Maise Satchel in hot pink I've been looking for!" she pressed her hands against the window and peered in closer, "And they have the rose gold bangles that have been sold out in Nordstrom for months!" Before they could stop her, she yanked open the door and lost herself inside, the other four girls groaning as they got out of the car and followed her in, making sure she didn't do too much damage.
Twenty minutes later, they all walked out of the store holding signature Kate Spade shopping bags, happily chatting about their finds, Hanna looking smug about the fact that she was the one to have discovered the store in the first place. After situating themselves in the car, Spencer pulled out of the parking space and guided them back onto the highway, with Hanna and Alison inspecting everyone's purchases in the backseat. They weren't even five miles away when Spencer felt a tapping on her shoulder.
"What, Hanna?" she asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.
"I forgot to pee," Hanna answered sheepishly.
If Spencer hadn't been driving at that moment, Hanna would've been in pain.
.o.O.o.
"I already agreed put on these ridiculously sky high heels you insisted I wear, there is no way I'm walking out of here wearing that sash and crown. It is my birthday, not my bachelorette party!"
Aria, Alison, Hanna, Emily and Spencer had arrived at the Palms Casino and retrieved their keycards from the hotel reception downstairs, immediately racing up to their suite, getting to work on fixing themselves up for their first night in Las Vegas. It was already seven, seeing as they had decided to make a "quick" pitstop at the Fashion Show Mall on the strip to pick up some essentials, meaning they only had two hours to get ready if they wanted to grab dinner before deciding which club they wanted to hit up first.
Although there were five bathrooms in the suite, they all insisted on cramming together into one bathroom and getting ready together. Sure, it probably wasn't the best idea for all five girls to share one, albeit spacious, bathroom, but it was what they were accustomed to. Running around and dodging each other while holding wands of liquid eyeliner and mascara and hot hair tools was a process they had down to a perfect science. It was how they got ready for a night out, it was how they bonded beforehand.
At that current moment, Aria had been sitting on the edge of the hot tub, curling her hair, while Spencer and Hanna were working on perfecting their cat eye at the double sink counter, and Emily and Alison were taking turns running into the closed off toilet room to try on different outfits. They all only had twenty minutes left at their stations before needing to rotate to finish getting ready. It truly was a science.
An hour and a half later, the five girls stood in front of the bathroom mirror, looking almost unrecognizable, but still every bit themselves. "We look amazing!" Hanna exclaimed, looking at their reflections.
"You think?" Aria asked apprehensively.
Her long brown hair had been curled in soft waves, teased on top to give a little more height. She successfully attempted a dark grey smoky eye she had seen one of her favorite Youtube beauty gurus do a tutorial on, her hazel eyes lined with inky black eyeliner and framed with false lashes and several coats of mascara. She wore a short, skintight black dress that had a higher neckline (her mother always had a saying that if a woman wanted to stay classy, they only ever showed cleavage or legs, but never both), and a pair of pale peach, almost nude heels that had rose gold pikes running down the back of the shoe to the bottom of the heel. She felt a little overdone, but quickly had to remind herself that this was Las Vegas- there was no such thing as "overdone".
"Absolutely. No one will be able to resist us tonight," Emily assured her, placing her elbow on Aria's shoulder and looking at themselves in the mirror once more.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Aria asked, a grin gracing her face, "Let's go test out that theory!" The rest of the girls cheered and quickly scattered around the suite, tucking their cell phones, spare cash and IDs into their clutches before linking arms and entering the private elevator to descend down to the casino.
It only took moments before they reached the casino floor and the doors opened, revealing the busyness of the casino before them. "Whoa," Emily breathed, eyes wide open. The lights and sounds emanating from the various machines and people milling around the card and roulette tables were almost too much to handle. Immediately, they felt multiple pairs of eyes fall on them.
Alison smirked at the guys around the casino who had suddenly fallen distracted by the sight of them. "Keep your heads up and walk like you own the place."
As confidently as they could in five inch heels, they expertly maneuvered themselves around the lobby and into the casino, making their way towards the three men waiting for them across the property in front of N9NE Steakhouse.
"Hi, boys," Hanna greeted the guys seductively with a waggle of her eyebrows. Everyone burst out into a laugh as greetings, hugs and complements were thrown around between the groups. "So, what's the plan for Aria's birthday? Dinner here, and then…?"
"Dinner here?" Ezra repeated questioningly. "No, no, no. We have somewhere much better in mind than some stuck-up, fancy steakhouse." He offered his arm out to Aria, who tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, leading her away from N9NE. "Follow us."
Ezra led the group out the doors of the casino and to the parking garage, where a stretch limo was waiting for them. "You didn't really think we'd drive around after partying all night, did you?" he asked excitedly. "It's Aria's 21st birthday, so we're going to do this right!"
He helped Aria into the limo before following behind her, Spencer and Toby following behind, with Hanna and Caleb next, and Emily and Alison trailing last. Ezra nocked on the partition, talking to the driver in hushed tones, before giving him the thumbs up and signaling for him to roll the partition back up. "The plan for tonight is to go for dinner first-"
"Where?" Aria interrupted, the excitement evident in her eyes- and her voice.
"It's a surprise," Ezra replied with the shake of his head and a light kiss on her cheek. "But what we can tell you is that tonight we have VIP tables at Omnia-"
"With Calvin Harris?!" Hanna asked, eyes wide open.
"And XS-"
"Zedd?!" Emily cut in.
"And at Hakkasan."
"Tiësto?!"
"Yes, to all of that," Ezra laughed. "But that's later tonight. For now," he reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne while Toby and Caleb passed around glasses, "let's enjoy the ride."
He went around and filled everyone's glasses, and when he was finished, Spencer raised her glass in a toast. "To Aria's 21st birthday! May tonight be a night to remember, but one you'll wake up in the morning and forget."
"And to Ezra," Spencer added, tilting her glass towards him, "for being the best boyfriend we could ever want for our best friend. And because tonight, everything's on him!"
"To Aria and Ezra!" the group inside the limo cheered, raising their glasses in celebration of Aria's 21st and of Ezra's generosity.
Aria giggled and sipped her champagne, then turned to Ezra and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Let tonight begin."
.o.O.o.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A piercing scream broke through the silence of the suite the eight friends were sharing for the weekend, causing Aria to bolt up out of bed.
"Ow, who decided to let morning come?" she moaned, dropping back onto the mountain of pillows beneath her head.
"It's not even morning anymore, it's two in the afternoon," Ezra replied, tucking himself closer to Aria's back, nuzzling into her neck.
"Don't care, still too bright," she muttered, reaching for his hand and burrowing further into the pillows. "Make the sun go away." Ezra chuckled in response, placing a kiss into her hair as the two snuggled back into a comfortable sleep.
The memories from last night were foggy, but still there in some form. Aria remembered being delighted when she saw the limo pulling up to the pink building just outside Caesar's Palace- Serendipity 3. She nearly ran out of the limo and into the buzzing restaurant, where the group was led to a private room and proceeded to order frozen hot chocolates and almost one of everything on the menu.
"Definitely better than a steakhouse," she had commented as she sipped on her Double Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and munched on a Wagyu slider, while the rest of the table were doodling ridiculous drawings on the kid's menus the server had dropped off at Hanna's request.
The large meal had been topped off with each person getting slices of Party Like It's Your Birthday cake…and a silly serenade from nearly every server in the restaurant. Aria had nearly died from embarrassment, her face turning a bright shade of red it had never been before as she buried her head into Ezra's side, which Spencer had, of course, gotten on camera. At least it had happened in a private room, Emily remarked, instead of out in the main dining room, to which she had to thank Ezra once again for.
The group, now hyper from all the sugar they had consumed, and a little buzzed from the alcohol they had consumed in the limo, made their way to Omnia, where they had a reserved table with a host and bottle service. Calvin Harris was amazing, as was to be expected, and they had left the club sweaty and on a high from the loud, pulsing music- and the endless number of drinks that were served to them.
XS with Zedd had been an experience to remember. He had called out to the crowd, asking if there were any birthday girls, and when Ezra hoisted Aria up into the air from where they were, near the front of the stage, he invited her up and led the whole club in a very loud, and slightly off-key and off-tempo, version of 'Happy Birthday'.
By the time they had made it to Hakkasan, shoes were off and throats were hurting from the amount of yelling and screaming that had been happening.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The eardrum shattering scream broke through the suite once again, and both Aria and Ezra groaned when the screaming didn't stop. "Hanna," they muttered at the same time as they got out of bed on opposite sides and padded into the room where the noise was emanating from.
"What's going on?" Aria whispered to Spencer, who was standing next to Toby, with Emily and Alison with them, all still in the PJs, all still looking like they needed sleep. The four of them had been standing at the doorway of Hanna and Caleb's room, where the door was currently closed, listening the scene unfold in the room in front of them.
"Not sure yet, but it doesn't sound good," she answered, pressing her cheek against the door.
"IS THIS A WEDDING RING, CALEB? BECAUSE IT SURE LOOKS LIKE A WEDDING RING TO ME!" Hanna screeched, causing Spencer to pull her ear away from the door in pain.
"Wait, did she say-?"
"Wedding?!" the girls repeated in shock. Immediately, all six of them had their ears pressed against the door, desperately trying to hear what was happening.
"I don't know, Hanna!"
"I swear, if we got married last night…"
"I doubt our friends would actually let us do something as stupid as that. Why don't we go ask them? See if anyone remembers anything?"
"Crap, scatter! Kitchen- go, go, go!" Toby whispered, ushering everyone into the kitchen as quickly as they could before Hanna and Caleb came out and caught them eavesdropping.
They pretended to busy themselves making lunch, scrambling around the space and pulling out anything and everything they could get their hands on to look much less suspicious than they were.
"Good morn- uh, afternoon, you two! Have a nice sleep?" Ezra asked innocently as Hanna and Caleb walked into the kitchen, whisking a bowl that actually didn't have anything in it. When he realized the bowl was empty, he shifted his eyes to the ground and dropped the whisk, tucking his hands into the pockets of his PJs, not knowing what else to do.
"Oh yeah, great," Hanna replied sarcastically, her tone biting. "I just have one question: can anyone explain this?" she asked, pointing to the glistening ring that now adorned her left ring finger. Aria studied it carefully, simple white gold band, a clear, one karat solitaire diamond- not bad for a quickie Las Vegas wedding. Or possibly lack thereof.
"Uh, last night's kind of a blur to me, to be honest. Last thing I remember is…well, the last thing I remember is dinner," Alison replied honestly, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to remember the events of last night.
"My memories only go to XS," Spencer added.
"I remember up to Hakkasan," Aria said.
"Well, what happened after Hakkasan?" Hanna prodded, looking more and more nauseous by the moment. And it probably had nothing to do with their alcohol intake from the night before.
"Uh, guys?" Emily called from where she was sitting on the couch in the living room. "I have pictures on my phone."
"Oh my gosh."
In a flash, everyone was huddled next to Emily, watching as she swiped from picture to picture. A selfie of everyone in the limo, pictures of their food at Serendipity 3, pictures of the group posing with Calvin Harris, a video of Aria on stage with Zedd, blurry pictures of…well, no one could really tell what those were pictures of, but the neon light from glow sticks and strobe lights were the only things that could be distinguished in the black blur.
And finally, the picture everyone was waiting for.
It was taken from the back of a room, with Hanna holding a bouquet of fake roses kissing Caleb up at the front of the room, a fake Elvis impersonator clapping and cheering them on, while Aria and Ezra stood on either sides of them, Aria holding her own bouquet of plastic flowers. The rest of the group had been sitting in the seats in front of them, presumably the witnesses to Hanna and Caleb's wedding.
"What did Spencer say in her toast last night? That last night would be one we'd wake up in the morning and forget?" Ezra quipped.
Aria glared at him and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, trying her hardest to hold back her laughter. "Yeah, well, I'm betting everyone's wishing they could remember last night." She granted him a smile and kissed him lightly on the lips. "But thank you, for giving me the best birthday I could ever ask for. Or, at least, the parts I can remember."
Ezra laughed quietly, trying to hide his smile from the fuming Hanna. "You're very welcome."
October 2016
"Hey, Ezra, it's me. I'm just heading out of a meeting with my advisor to talk about my senior thesis, that's why I missed your call. Anyway, I have a break until noon, give me a call when you can. I love you. Bye."
Running into my Shakespeare discussion section. Have to proctor a quiz. Call you tonight. Love you. - Ezra
Ezra,
Both my iMessage and text messages weren't working, so I had to bring my phone in to get it checked out. They didn't give me a temporary one, so I'm phoneless for a week until my new one comes in. If you need to reach me, give me a call at the apartment, or send me an email. I always have my laptop on me. Hey, maybe we could Facetime or Skype later tonight? It's been a while since I've seen you.
Love,
Aria
Aria,
I'm sorry to hear about your phone; I'm sorry you have to be without one for so long. I actually have to take a trip down to Los Angeles this weekend for an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, you know, where they have that street lamp display you always loved looking at? It's for the American Literature class I'm holding a discussion for, so I'm going with the other TAs to help chaperone. You'd think they'd trust a bunch of college kids to not go wild in LA.
Anyway, I'm probably going to have my hands full with that, so I don't think I'll be able to talk to you until Monday.
I'm so sorry. We'll Skype tonight before I leave, though. Promise. I miss you.
- Ezra
Ezra had just finished pressing the send button on the email, a pleased smile on his face. He closed the tab to his email and opened the tab behind it, rereading over his flight information. He wasn't actually going to be in Los Angeles that weekend, he was going to fly down to Hollis tomorrow morning and spend some much needed time with his girlfriend.
Little did he know, Aria was on the other side of the country, on her own computer, a similar pleased smile on her face. After reading the email Ezra had just sent, she formulated a plan to surprise him in Los Angeles. Luckily, all her professors had cancelled classes for tomorrow. Unluckily, with the flight being booked so last minute, there were no tickets left for flights flying into LAX, so she had no choice but to fly into San Francisco, then rent a car and drive down to LA. But she didn't mind at all, as long as she was able to see her boyfriend and spend whatever free moments he had together, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do. After paying for the ticket leaving tomorrow morning, she immediately shut down her laptop and began packing.
.o.O.o.
The next morning, both Aria and Ezra were up bright and early, throwing their bags into a taxi, giving their drivers directions to their respective airports. Arriving at their airports at nearly the same time (accounting for the three hour time difference), they both checked in their bags, retrieving their boarding passes and passing through security without incident. Both found themselves with a few minutes to spare, so, across the country, thousands of miles away from each other, they both made their way to a Starbucks and grabbed a venti brewed coffee and chocolate croissant to-go, making their way to their gates.
Settling into her seat, Aria pulled out her newly replaced iPhone and calculated the time in San Francisco. She figured he'd be on a bus filled with rowdy freshman college students on their first "college field trip", so there wasn't any harm in making a quick video call to him. She scrolled through her contacts and picked out his name, pressing on the video chatting icon. She plugged in her headphones and smiled intently at the camera, sipping on her coffee, patiently waiting for him to answer her call.
In San Francisco, Ezra had just found a seat at his own gate and was currently looking over his flight details. As the flight had been booked last minute, there were no non-stop flights left, and he had no choice but to book one with a stopover at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska of all places. He didn't mind, as long as he made it to Hollis to surprise Aria. He hadn't checked whether she had plans this weekend, so he hoped he would make it in time before her Friday classes ended. Just as he tucked his boarding pass safely into his laptop bag, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out, grinning as he saw it was Aria calling him to video chat. He plugged in his earphones and pressed the green answer button.
"Hey, stranger! I'm going to assume you got a new phone?" Ezra asked as he saw Aria's face fill his screen.
"Got it last night. You were the first person I thought to call," she replied with a light laugh, taking a sip of her coffee. It was difficult for her to contain her excitement and not spill the beans right then and there, especially with the thought that in a few short hours, she'd be able to see him in person.
"Nice to know I'm so important." He smiled, taking in the sight of her. She looked so adorable with an oxblood colored beanie atop her head, a black scarf wrapped around her neck, cheeks flushed pink, as if she had just been running somewhere. He watched as she drank from her matching Starbucks cup.
"Hey," she suddenly blurted out, breaking Ezra out of his thoughts, "wait, what are you doing up? Isn't it, like, five in the morning there? And, are you dressed? It seems too early for a bus full of college students to be up and ready to leave." She raised an eyebrow as she took in his dark royal blue sweater, his hair mused as if he had been running through the wind. Even on the small screen, she could make out a Starbucks cup much like the one currently in her hand.
Ezra froze, unsure of what to say. What excuse could he use? "We're leaving at eight, but the other TAs wanted to meet up bright and early to go over schedules and itineraries." Breathe, he reminded himself. She seemed to have bought it. But, why was she questioning him? It was eight in the morning there, and he knew she had class. "Isn't it eight? You have class right now, don't you? Why are you calling me?"
Aria bit her lip, unsure of what excuse she could give to make her story believable. "Oh, my professor is running late, so he told us to come back in an hour. I was already here, so I decided to pick up a cup of coffee and call you." There, that had to do. It seemed plausible enough. "That's okay, right? I mean, I just haven't talked to you face to face, even in virtual form, in a while, so I thought I'd do it today."
"Oh, no, that's fine!" he exclaimed quickly. "Aria, you never have to apologize for calling me. I miss you, you know."
"I know," she whispered.
"Virgin America flight 163 bound for San Francisco is now boarding at gate E3." Aria's eyes widened as the flight attendant at the ticket desk made the announcement over the intercom.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," she said, purposefully shifting her eyes away from him.
"Aria-"
"Virgin America flight 128 bound for Philadelphia is now boarding at gate 713." Crap.
"What was that?" Aria asked, narrowing her gaze at him.
"Oh, that? That was nothing. Just one of the TAs," he fumbled. "I should go, don't want to keep them waiting."
Aria spotted the flight attendant picking up the microphone in her hand again, ready to call for boarding once more. "Go, go. We'll talk again later."
"I love you."
She grinned and blew a kiss at the camera, giggling. "Love you, too."
They both ended the call and picked up their belongings, tossing their now empty coffee cups into the trashcans next to the ticket counter. They both smiled cheerily at the flight attendants, handing them their boarding passes, smiling and shooting them a polite 'thank you!'. They each tucked their belongings into their respective overhead compartment and settled into their seat for the next few hours.
.o.O.o.
Three hours later, Aria and Ezra unknowingly both found themselves walking aimlessly through Eppley Airfield, looking for someplace to kill time before boarding the next flight to their final destinations.
Up ahead to her right, Aria spotted a small store selling books and magazines. "I could use a new book," she said to herself, quickening her pace and stepping onto the moving walkway in front of her that would lead her directly to the store.
Up ahead to his left, Ezra spotted the same small store. "Maybe I'll pick up a book as a present for Aria. Yeah, it's never a good idea to surprise someone empty handed," he muttered to himself, stepping onto the moving walkway in front of him that would stop right in front of the store.
Midway down the moving walkway, both pulled out their phones and began to type out a quick message to one another. Looking down, they both noticed the end of the walkway, and easily stepped off. However, neither one noticed the person ambling towards them until it was too late. They crashed into the person in front of them, both dropping their phones.
"I'm so sorry, I really should've watched where I was going."
"No, no, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have been texting and walking."
Aria crouched down at the same time as the person she had crashed into, picking up a phone.
Ezra picked up the phone at his feet and realized it wasn't his own. "Oh, I think this one is yours," he said, handing it to the person.
"Thanks," Aria said, still not looking up. She froze. Wait, she recognized that voice.
She drew her eyes up the crouched figure of the person before her, as Ezra did the same.
"Aria?"
"Ezra?"
"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.
"I have a stopover here; I was flying into Philadelphia so I could drive down to Hollis and surprise you for the weekend," Ezra explained as he stood up, offering his hand to help her up.
She took his hand and let him pull her up, then carefully placed her phone in her pocket. "You were coming to surprise me at Hollis? I was going to surprise you in LA! I have a stopover here, too. I was going to fly into San Francisco, then drive to LA, since all the flights to LAX were booked."
Ezra laughed, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation. "So, you were coming to see me, I was coming to see you, and we run into each other in front of a bookstore at the airport. What are the chances of that?"
"One in a million, I'd say," Aria responded in disbelief, herself.
"Hey, did you check in any baggages, or is that it?" he asked, nodding towards the luggage she had been pulling.
"Nope, this is it."
"Okay," he said, walking over and placing his own small leather overnight bag on top, then taking the handle in his left hand. "Well, what do you say we don't choose between San Francisco or Philadelphia. Let's explore Omaha, just you and me."
Aria grinned and intertwined the fingers of her left hand with his right. "Just you and me? Sounds perfect."
Ezra kissed the top of her head, and the two of them made their way out of Eppley Airfield together, ready to spend the weekend together after unknowingly meeting each other in the exact midpoint between their two cities.
January 2017
You have one new voicemail.
"Hey Ezra, just wanted to let you know that I cleared it with my parents, and they're actually letting me come spend New Years with you in San Francisco! I honestly didn't think they'd let me, but I guess they were in a giving mood today. Anyway, check your email, I'm booking my ticket right now and I'll send you my itinerary. I can't wait to see you! Love you, call me back."
You have one new voicemail.
"Aria, please don't hate me. Please, please, please don't hate me. Caleb and Toby just called, and I guess the last time we talked, I had told them that you weren't 100% set to come out here yet, and there was a chance that I'd be spending New Years alone. So, they decided they wanted to surprise me and make sure I wouldn't be alone, so they booked their tickets. Please don't hate me, but it won't be just us this year. I love you, I promise I'll make this up to you somehow. Call me."
You have one new voicemail.
"YOU. This is all your fault! You just had to go and leave the message on my apartment answering machine, didn't you?! I don't even know why you called that line, you never call that line! But thanks to you, Hanna and Spencer overheard your message, and now they want to come to San Francisco, too! They texted Emily and Alison, and they're all booking their tickets right now. Ezra Anthony Fitzgerald, thanks to you, now it won't even be just four of us, but now it's eight of us. How are we supposed to find time on our own now? This is all your fault. Fix this!"
You have one new voicemail.
"Aria! When were you going to tell me that Mike was coming, too?! And apparently, he's bringing Wesley? I really don't want to have to watch our little brothers and making sure they don't do anything stupid when we should be having a good time on New Years. This is just too much, I don't think I can fit everyone in my apartment!"
You have one new voicemail.
"Great, thanks to Wesley spilling the beans about all of us coming to San Fran, everyone wants to come now. I overheard Melissa and Jason talking about the possibility of tagging along, too. At this rate, the only people that are going to be left in Rosewood are our parents! This was just supposed to be a small celebration for us two, not a freakin' reunion! What are we going to do?"
You have one new voicemail.
"You, me, Caleb, Toby, Spencer, Alison, Hanna, Emily, Mike, Wesley, Melissa and Jason. Twelve. Aria, that's twelve people! It was just supposed to be us! Please tell me no one else is coming."
You have one new voicemail.
"Fourteen. Noel and Jackie called me this morning and asked what our plans for New Years was. I told them I was going to spend it in California with you. I didn't think they'd want to come, but I guess they are."
You have one new voicemail.
"Fourteen people in my tiny apartment. I guess I'm going to have to clean up, we're having a New Years Eve party here in San Francisco."
.o.O.o.
"Wow, this place really is tiny! You weren't kidding, Aria!" Hanna blurted out as the five girls wheeled their luggage into Ezra's apartment, completely missing Aria's glare and desperate plead to please stop talking.
"You said my place was tiny?" Ezra asked Aria as she walked into the space last, trying her best to avoid his glance.
"Well, I didn't necessarily say it was 'tiny'," she tried reasoning, "more like I said it was too small of a space to fit all of us." Aria eyes shot daggers at Hanna, who was scoffing, muttering something about this space being too small to even fit even a teacup Chihuahua. "Ignore her, I'll be booking her into the nearest Motel 6 as soon as the rest of us get settled in."
"Oh yeah, blame the girl who's just repeating your words," Hanna argued. "I'm sorry, Ezra," she addressed him, "I promise to be on my best behavior."
Ezra chuckled and closed the door behind him. "Don't worry, I know that was all Aria. I'll find a suitable punishment for her later," he smirked, sharing a look with Aria, causing her to blush.
"Gross, guys!" Emily exclaimed. "Don't forget that we'll be in the same apartment, too! And I really don't want to hear you 'punishing' her." All of the girls, minus Aria, of course, shuddered.
"Don't worry, I was kidding." Ezra walked into the small living room joined to the kitchen. "Okay, grand tour. Right now we're in the living room, two small steps, and you're in the dining room/kitchen space." He pointed to the small four chair table in the corner of the rest of kitchen space, then began walking further into the living room, into the dark hallway. "Here is my room, which I'll be sharing with Aria," he said, gesturing to the closed door on the left side of the hallway. "That's the guest room that you guys will be sharing." Flipping on the switch to douse the hallway in light, he pointed to the last door to the right, "and this is the bathroom you'll be sharing with everyone else that's going to be here."
"I still don't see why you had to invite everyone to stay here," Spencer commented as they all piled into the guest room and unloaded their baggage. Her eyes swept around the room, taking in the decor. The room was all woods and whites, surprisingly modern, yet still very homey. The far wall was lined with bookshelves, a small chaise tucked in the corner, directly under the large window, perfect for looking out at the city below. The room, just like the rest of the apartment, was very Ezra-like, but it wasn't hard to see that Aria had made her own little touches here and there. Spencer couldn't help but smile, knowing just how much of an impact her best friend had made on every aspect of his life- and home.
"I didn't," Ezra clarified. "I knew we wouldn't have enough space to accommodate everyone," Spencer smiled, catching the 'we' he so easily slipped in, "so I was going to book everyone else into a hotel. But everyone refused, said they'd be okay just sleeping on inflatable mattresses."
He led them back out to the living room and gestured to ten boxes lying in the corner. "Which is what you're going to be working on while I make multiple trips to the airport." He grabbed his jacket and keys, "Jackie, Noel, Melissa and Jason are driving over here in their rental and picking up some supplies for tonight. They said they'd be here around eight, so we still have a few hours before then. I'm going to go pick up Wesley and Mike now, drop them off, and then head back to pick up Caleb and Toby, then go to get the rest of the stuff." He kissed Aria on the cheek before opening the door. "Have fun inflating those mattresses!"
As soon as the door shut closed, Hanna plopped onto the couch and let out a huff. "Aria, your boyfriend's so controlling, making us do all the work here at the apartment, while he gets to spend the day outside, driving around." She leaned forward and grabbed the remote from the coffee table, turning on the TV and settling in.
"Seriously, Hanna? My boyfriend is controlling? He gets to spend the day outside and drive around?" Aria asked incredulously. "May I remind you that if it weren't for you desperately wanting to see your boyfriend-"
"He's not my boyfriend," Hanna pouted petulantly. "At least, not this week."
Aria resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She forgot that her and Caleb were currently in an 'off' stage in their relationship. Ever since the disastrous 'did-they-or-didn't-they?' wedding scare in Las Vegas on Aria's birthday, little things now triggered Hanna's fury, causing her to call off their relationship for periods of time, before he said the magic words, and she was crawling back to him. Aria liked to think it was because she was still furious with him for discovering that he had orchestrated the entire fake wedding as retaliation for a harmless (as Hanna liked to say it was. But Caleb hardly thought that her calling him in the middle of the night, months before, to say she was in jail and needed bailing out, then recording him from around the corner as he argued with the cops for almost twenty minutes and nearly had gotten himself arrested when he tried to push past them to see Hanna, was that harmless) prank, and was now punishing him. The poor guy had been putting up with this routine for the last seven months, and Aria couldn't help but feel the need to warn her best friend, once again, that if she kept this up, one day he'd give up trying to get her back, and then she'd be really sorry.
Aria scoffed. "Whatever he is to you this week, then," she amended. "If you had been able to just control your shopping impulse, not booked your ticket, shut your big mouth and not told the rest of the girls about this, then Ezra and I would be able to have a nice, relaxing New Year's by ourselves."
"Uh, Aria, we're still in the room," Alison interrupted, quirking her eyebrow. "We can leave if you want to. Say the word, and we'll be on a plane back to Hollis in an hour."
Hanna ignored what Alison was saying, waving her off and pointing an accusatory finger towards Aria. "Oh no, don't blame me for this. I heard the message, Ezra told you that Caleb and Toby were already coming. I just told the girls to book tickets so that we could come and be supportive, so you wouldn't be stuck in an apartment with those three guys."
"Yes," Aria argued back, voice rising, "but what you didn't know was that Caleb and Toby were in the process of booking themselves a hotel room when they found out that I was coming, so that they wouldn't be all up in mine and Ezra's grill."
"I'm sorry, but did you just say, 'all up in mine and Ezra's grill'?" Emily snickered.
It was Aria's turn to ignore Emily as she continued, not even casting so much as a glance in her direction. "If you hadn't told the guys you were coming, they wouldn't have insisted on staying here, too, and we wouldn't be in this predicament, trying to inflate mattresses!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Spencer yelled, placing herself in between Aria and Hanna, who were both currently holding manual air pumps for basketballs (which confused everyone, seeing as those wouldn't do any help with inflating the mattresses) and looked ready to strike each other. "Children," she muttered under her breath. She snatched both of the air pumps from their hands and threw them to Emily and Alison, much to Aria and Hanna's chagrin, and addressed them both sternly.
"Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it is, there's no fixing what's already happened. There's nothing we can do. So we're all just going to have to deal with the fact that later tonight, there's going to be fourteen of us in this apartment, and we really need to get started on inflating these-"
Spencer was cutoff by the sound of a pillow smacking her across the face, and Aria snickering to her right. She turned to look at Hanna, who was now sheepishly looking at her, eyes full of laughter as she said her apologies and held the throw pillow in her hands. "That wasn't meant for you, that was meant for Aria. I guess my arm just wasn't long enough to reach her."
Spencer glared at Hanna as she moved slowly, deliberately picking up another throw pillow from the couch. Hanna's eyes widened as she saw Spencer marching towards her, tossing the pillow lightly in her hands, getting ready to strike. But before she had the chance to, Hanna felt the heard hit of a pillow on her butt. She whipped around to see a none too apologetic Aria holding her own pillow. "That's what you get for trying to hit me," she shrugged.
"Oh, it's on!" Hanna yelled, and the five girls started attacked each other in a fit of giggles and squeals.
When Ezra arrived back at his apartment with Mike, Wesley, Toby and Caleb (it made more sense to just wait and pick up all four of them before coming back home, instead of making multiple trips), he was surprised to find Melissa, Jason, Noel and Jackie sitting on the floor outside the door.
"What are you guys doing out here? And you're early! The girls are inside, you could've knocked and I'm sure they would've let you in," Ezra said, helping the four up and off the group, shifting the grocery bags to his left arm in order to pull out his keys.
"We did," Melissa replied, obviously frustrated with having been forced to wait outside. "We've been knocking for a good hour, but no one answered. I guess their screaming really blocks everything out."
"Screaming?" Ezra placed the key in the lock and turned the knob. His eyes weren't prepared for the sight that lay on the other side of the door.
"Guys, what happened?" he asked in confusion as the nine of them made their way into his apartment, which was now covered in broken pillows and down feathers on the ground, some feathers still floating in the air.
The five girls were silent and guilty as they sat on the one mattress they had managed to inflate during their pillow fight. Finally, Aria piped up, pointing at Hanna. "She started it!"
"Did not!"
Spencer, Alison and Emily groaned, pushing themselves off the mattress and walking over to help with the bags of groceries. "Here we go again."
.o.O.o.
Ezra scraped the bottom of the saucepan in an attempt to get the last bit of gravy from the bottom, dumping the contents of the ladle into the bowl. Gingerly, he lifted the bowl of gravy to the table in the corner of his kitchen space and set it down in the middle. "Okay, guys! Dinner is served!" he called to the group of people in his living room.
"Not a bad spread," Aria commented, coming up behind him and wrapping her small arms around his waist. He draped his arm over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head, surveying the food that was now covering every inch of the table.
He had gone all out, insisting on making every single dish anyone could think of. His small four person table was covered with a whole prime rib, a roasted chicken, macaroni and cheese, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, caesar salad, grilled asparagus- the list could go on for days. Not only was there the main meal, but his kitchen counter was filled with a variety of desserts that Aria and Hanna, as punishment, had been forced to walk down to the local patisserie to pick up. There was even a makeshift bar in the living room that Toby and Caleb had set up, and were now currently working as bartenders, mixing drinks for all the partygoers.
When Ezra had realized there was far too much food for even the fourteen of them, he called up some of his friends from around the area that he knew were spending the New Year alone, and forced them to come over. For that reason, there was now upwards of thirty people crammed in his small apartment, all milling in his living room, talking and mingling, getting to know each other. His California life and his Rosewood life both meshing together perfectly.
"Have I mentioned how glad I am you're here?" he asked, gazing down at her, still amazed that she was there with him.
"Once or twice," she said, snuggling into his side, "but that doesn't make it any less nice to hear."
"You two are just too cute for words!" Natalie, one of Ezra's friends in the same Hollis program as him, cooed, shoving his arm with her shoulder. If Aria didn't know better, she would've been wary of this girl who had slowly becoming one of Ezra's best friends out here in San Francisco. Instead, after countless times of her tagging along with Ezra on his regular Rosewood visits, Aria found in Natalie an ally.
A few times a week, Natalie would text Aria with updates on Ezra, embarrassing stories, troubles he was facing in his classes, small things he wouldn't normally share with Aria in the fear that she would freak out. In exchange for these updates, Aria would send her any information she could dig up on Jason DiLaurentis, the mysterious man Natalie had met on a trip to Rosewood a couple years back. These conversations were just between the two girls- Ezra didn't need to know any of this.
Aria smirked, raising a knowing eyebrow at Natalie. "You know, you and Jason were looking pretty cozy out there. I bet you two could give us a run for our money."
"Me and Jason? Please, as if," she scoffed. "We're just friends."
"Aria and I started out as just friends," Ezra interjected, "and look where we ended up."
Natalie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, after, like, ten years. At that rate, I'll be forty before I even get married and start a family."
"Who's starting a family?" Jason asked, placing a hand on the small of Natalie's back. "Not these two, I hope, because they're way too young for that."
"No one, no one," Natalie soothed. "Hey, I'm hungry. Let's get food, yeah?" She shot Aria a wink over her shoulder as Jason led her to the table, handing her a plate to load up.
"So, Jason and Natalie? Who would've thought my San Francisco and Rosewood friends would get along this well?" he mused.
Aria nudged his side with her elbow and tipped her chin towards the other corner of the living room, where Melissa was sitting in his armchair, talking animatedly to Wren, a British medical student at the University of California, San Francisco who lived in the same building as Ezra. Wren had been one of the first people Ezra had met when he moved into the building, and he immediately knew he had found a fast friend who could spend hours with him on the couch, eating junk food and watching mindless TV for hours on end on the weekends. Wren was the one guy who always put life into perspective for him, and challenged his views. Which made him absolutely perfect for headstrong, stubborn, incredibly intelligent Melissa Hastings. If there was one guy who could keep up with her, it was him. Which is exactly why he had made sure to invite Wren tonight to play a little matchmaking, and so far, it was working out pretty well.
"Maybe a little too well?" Aria suggested, shifting her eyes over to where Mike and Wesley were setting up an impromptu game of flip cup with a few of Ezra's other friends. She began pulling away from Ezra, ready to scold the two boys for their underage drinking, but Ezra pulled her tighter to him, slowly dragging her to the table of food.
"Let them have their fun. It's New Year's Eve, they're safe in my apartment with friends who'll make sure they don't hurt themselves. Don't worry about them and just have fun," he said, reluctantly letting her go and handing her a plate.
She sighed. "I guess you're right." She turned to the food, appraising what was left after the wave of people descended on the table, surprised that there was still quite a bit left. "Well, let's get some food and join the rest of the party."
"That's my girl," Ezra said, kissing the top of her head once again.
.o.O.o.
"Hurry up! It's already 11:58!" Spencer exclaimed, urging everyone to grab their flutes of champagne and gather in front of the TV, where she had turned the channel from some random show to the New Year's Rockin' Eve special. Quickly, everyone began to make their way to the living room, grabbing their chosen partner for the night, ready to end 2016 and usher in 2017 right.
The clock on the TV shifted from 11:58 to 11:59, and slowly, the seconds began ticking down.
"So, are you still upset that everyone barged in a ruined our New Year's?" Ezra asked, coming up beside her in front of the TV and handing her a flute of champagne.
Her eyes swept around the room, smiling to herself as she looked at all of hers and Ezra's family and friends, old and new, dressed in suit and tie, sequins and heels. Everyone in his small living room, gathered closely together, laughing and counting down to the new year ecstatically, a little more loudly than they would've when they first arrived here, sober, hours ago. She smiled, heart swelling as she realized that the room wasn't actually filled with friends, but family. Everyone in this room was now family, permanent parts of hers and Ezra's lives.
"No, I'm definitely not upset." She looked up at him, "In fact, I couldn't be happier."
"Good."
Five. Four. Three. Two. One!
Aria brought her champagne glass free hand up to caress Ezra's cheek, before tangling her fingers in his hair. "Happy New Year," she whispered to him, pulling him in to meet his lips with hers.
"Happy New Year," he replied, breathless from the kiss they had just broken apart from. They watched each other, trapped in their own world, until Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Alison pulled Aria away, breaking her their trance to shower her with hugs and giggles, as Ezra was simultaneous whisked away by Caleb and Toby in a cloud of bro handshakes and 'Happy New Year!' greetings. As each half of the couple made their rounds of the room, greeting everyone and sipping on champagne, they kept an eye on each other, sending each other secretive smiles from across the crowd of people.
When the night was over, and only the fourteen Rosewood/Hollis originals were left in the apartment, Ezra surprised Aria as she was removing her makeup in his private bathroom, presenting her with a small, red, velvet jewelry box. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You better not be proposing. I swear, Ezra, I will break up with you here and now if you do."
"Why?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"We're still young! I haven't even graduated from college yet! We haven't even been in a relationship for more three years! Need I keep going?"
"But, I love you."
"Yeah?" she replied, faltering.
"And, you love me."
"Okay, yeah, but-"
She was cut off by the sound of Ezra laughing. "Don't worry, I'm not proposing to you." He handed her the small box, crossing his arms across his chest. "But that is a ring."
She gasped as she popped open the lid, revealing a dainty, thin, plain rose gold band with a single small ruby stone in the center. "Ezra, it's beautiful! But, you didn't have to get me anything! You already got me something for Christmas, I don't need anything else!" she exclaimed, hand unconsciously reaching up to touch the ruby heart pendant hanging off of a rose gold chain. It was a necklace for everyday use, as Ezra had said, to always serve as a reminder that she had his heart, while the locket he gave her on their one year anniversary was more to be kept as an heirloom for their future family. Aria had melted at that.
"This was supposed to be a part of your Christmas gift, but I thought I'd hold off on giving it to you for another time. I didn't want to overwhelm you with too much jewelry at once." He took the box from her and lifted out the ring. Taking her right hand in his, he slowly slid the ring onto her ring finger. The perfect fit. "This ring is to remind you that, no matter what, we'll be together. One day, I'm going to propose to you. One day, we're going to get married. And, one day, when you've passed down all of your jewelry and other sentimental items to our future kids and grandkids, I'd like this to be one of the things you decide to keep. This is yours, just like your heart necklace, just like my heart. All yours."
Aria bit her lip, trying to not let the tears drop from her eyes. She knew that his talk about the future should scare her. They were so young and their relationship was still relatively new, but she couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with him. Of seeing what their future would hold. She should be terrified, but instead, she couldn't help but feel happy. Ecstatic.
"I love you," she said, wrapping her arms behind his neck, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to give him a light kiss.
"I love you, too. Happy New Year," he said.
"Yeah, yeah, Happy New Year! Now go to sleep you two lovebirds!" they heard Hanna grumpily yell from the room across the hall, only slightly teasing.
"Good night, Hanna!" Aria called, laughing into Ezra's chest.
Although it wasn't how they had originally planned to spend the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, they wouldn't have traded this night, spending time with all of their loved ones, for anything in the world.
March 2017
"Ezra, I honestly don't know what I'm doing with my life!" Aria exclaimed, cradling her cell phone with her shoulder, precariously stirring a pot of marinara sauce. "I graduate in less than three months, and I have nothing lined up for after! I have no plans for grad school, I'm not going into a professional school, I have no job, I don't have any money to travel- I don't know what I'm doing!" She threw her hands up in frustration, yelping as her phone tumbled from her shoulder and straight towards the sauce. Luckily, her reflexes didn't fail her, and she managed to snatch it out of thin air before it fell in.
"I told you to never hold the phone while cooking," Ezra admonished, the teasing tone thick. "I know how emotional you can get, and I also know just how many phones you've almost destroyed."
She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that even though he couldn't actually see her, he knew her well enough to be able to picture her exact expressions while talking on the phone. "I'm going to hang up now," she warned.
"Hey, if you want to hang up, go ahead. You were the one who called me, after all."
She sighed. "You suck, you know that?"
"I may suck, but you love me."
"And I have no idea why," she countered, a smile gracing her lips momentarily before her mind began drifting towards the thoughts she knew she should stay away from. The thoughts that constantly haunted her mind, day and night, relentlessly.
She sighed, holding the phone more tightly between her shoulder and her ear. "But seriously, Ezra, I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life. Hanna's going to New York to study fashion design at Parsons, Emily's going to take a season to coach the Rosewood High swim team and shadow a teacher before deciding whether she wants to try teaching there, too. Spencer's already been accepted to UPenn's School of Medicine, and Alison's trying to decide if she wants to go to law school, and it just feels like I'm treading water. It's like I keep trying to move forward, but I'm really going nowhere, and everyone's leaving me behind."
"No one's leaving you behind, Aria. Everyone's just moving towards something. So are you, you just don't know what that is yet."
"That's exactly it," she said, twirling some angel hair pasta into a large bowl and scooping a ladle full of sauce on top, carrying the bowl and a bottle of water in the crook of her arm into the living room. She carefully placed the pasta and water on the coffee table before plopping onto the couch, finally holding the phone firmly in her hand. "Everyone's moving towards something. They know they're moving towards something. What about me? What am I moving towards besides a college degree? A Bachelor's degree doesn't mean much these days in terms of jobs. Maybe I should go to grad school," she trailed off, twirling pasta onto her fork and eating it.
"Do you want to go to grad school because you actually have more you want to study? Or do you just want to go because it's the only option you see right now?" he asked. Aria could hear his own plate of food being placed on the table in front of him, although instead of his meal being dinner, like Aria's was, he was having a late lunch, having just finished up his day of classes and teaching. Eating a meal "together" three times a week when he had long days was a small routine they had established over the last year, one that Aria cherished, because it made her feel just that much closer to him, even though he was still thousands of miles away.
"Could we talk about this later? I know I was the one who brought it up, but I'd really like it if we didn't discuss the current vagueness of my future right now," she replied, purposefully dodging the question.
"Okay," he acquiesced, much to Aria's relief, "what do you want to talk about?"
"How about you tell me how your day was?" she prompted. As Ezra talked about his day, about what his students did, about a funny joke his professor cracked in the middle of an exam, Aria remained silent, letting her mind wander once again into those dangerous places.
.o.O.o.
Aria opened the glass door and walked into the cafe, the cold breeze wafting through a welcome change from the scorching heat outside- an unnaturally burning hot Spring day. She had been studying for her midterms outside at the quad on campus, but had found herself getting dizzy from the heat, so she decided to stop into her favorite cafe and get her usual cold drink of choice before she made her way back to campus to get an hour or two more of studying in.
It hadn't been the smartest idea to make the trek from Hollis to downtown in the mid-afternoon, the hottest point that day, in an area notorious for not having any shade to protect from the elements. "Never again," she muttered to herself, peeling off her almost soaked cardigan and draping it over the chair at the last open table, fanning herself with her wallet. She dropped her backpack onto the table, signaling that it was taken, before making her way to the counter.
"Iced caramel macchiato, extra shot, extra caramel, extra, extra ice," she ordered in one breath.
"Sure thing, Aria. Go ahead and sit down, I'll get it to you once I make it," her favorite barista Gregory insisted, gesturing to the table she had reserved, where a group of four people were hovering over it like vultures about to sweep in. "It's more packed in here than normal. I'm betting it's the heat."
"That and the fact that all the coffee shops on campus were shut down this morning. Something about a bad batch being delivered to campus and needing to clean out all the machines to make sure it's safe? Since it's midterms week, everyone's panicking for caffeine." Aria turned and quirked an eyebrow at the four, causing them to scatter. She laughed and popped open her wallet, digging out a few bills, surprised when she saw a hand stopping her.
"If that's the case, I'm assuming you're in desperate need for your coffee," Gregory said with a laugh. "Go and protect your table, this one's on the house."
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Greg!" Dropping two one dollar bills into the tip jar (just because the coffee was free didn't mean she shouldn't tip), she gave him another smile before heading to her table. She plopped down into her seat and immediately pulled out her phone, determined to spend this time relaxing and catching up on her favorite blogs and websites, instead of studying for her exams like she should be. Why not take a break? She deserved one, especially since she'd be studying for days on end without a break.
Why even bother studying, if you don't even know what you're going to be doing after graduation? What are you actually working towards? The thought entered her mind before she could even attempt to banish it.
Graduation was approaching quickly, much more rapidly than she would've liked. She had just submitted her application for graduation. The grad fair was coming up, and she had managed to save up enough from her job at the local Urban Outfitters to purchase her cap and gown, class ring, diploma cover, and all the other odds and ends that came with receiving that certificate at the end of the semester. And, she had started looking at job openings around the Philadelphia area.
Even if the rest of her life was up in the air, the one thing she was sure of, the only thing she was sure of, was that at the end of the semester, after graduation, she'd be moving to Philadelphia with Ezra. As stated in the letter Ezra's grandfather had left him, there was an apartment in Philadelphia that was being constructed for him, which he had said wouldn't be finished until 2018. Much to Ezra's surprise, the company in charge of the building had called him last week with the good news that his apartment would be ready by July- right after Ezra finished up in San Francisco. A full six months early. And just in time for him to start work at UPenn. Things were going perfectly for him, just falling into place.
And her? She was still treading water.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"
Aria looked up to see a girl standing in front of her, gesturing to the empty seat at her table. She felt bad for the poor girl, iced black coffee in one hand, a thick stack of papers in the other, a heavy looking purse swung over her shoulder. She looked exhausted, out of breath, and sweaty. "Oh, no! Sit, sit!" she insisted, moving her backpack out of the way to give the girl room to put her things.
"Thank you so much!" the girl exclaimed, dropping the stack of papers onto the table with such force that it shook, her coffee teetering precariously close to the edge of the table. "I thought it would be such a brilliant idea to walk over here so I could get some work done, but I couldn't find a single table open, and there was no way I was walking back…" she paused, attempting to catch her breath. "I guess what I'm just trying to say is thank you."
Aria laughed, "You're welcome!" She watched curiously over the top of her phone as the girl pulled out a multitude of different colored pens and highlighters, then cracked open the gigantic stack of papers. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when she noticed that the previously white page with black print was covered with scribbles and words crossed out in different colors, multiple whole paragraphs highlighted. This girl was even more crazy with her studying than Aria was, and that was saying a lot.
"Here's your coffee, Aria," Greg said, carefully placing the large cup on the table in front of her. "See you next time!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear," the girl spoke after Greg had left, "Your name is Aria? That's such a pretty name! So unique."
"Thanks!" Aria replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. It wasn't often that people complemented her on her name, it happened very rarely, but every time it did, she never quite knew how to respond.
"My name's so common, I always wished my parents had come up with something a little more different. I contemplated changing my name at some point, but I'm so used to it that I feel like if I did get my name changed, and people started calling me by that, I wouldn't respond, because I'd forget that that's me," the girl rambled on. Aria bit back a laugh, she already liked her. "Oh, sorry! I didn't even introduce myself," she caught, offering her hand to Aria, "I'm Sarah."
"Nice to meet you, Sarah," Aria replied, shaking Sarah's hand. "For the record, I don't think your name is that common. I honestly think I only have one or two friends with that name."
"Yeah, well, I seem to be a magnet for them. Every class I've been in since I was in kindergarten has always had at least one other Sarah. In homeroom in seventh grade, there were five of us. It was a nightmare for our teacher." She stopped and rolled her eyes. "Serves her right, though. She was the worst teacher I've ever had."
"Oh, wow! You do seem to be quite the magnet for other Sarahs!" Aria sipped on her drink. "I think I'd like to meet another Aria. It'd be cool to find someone I share that with."
"You should meet my professor's daughter, then," Sarah said offhandedly. "Well, he's not my professor anymore. I had him a few years back, when I was still going to Hollis. He said he had a daughter named Aria, and since then, that name has always stuck with me."
"A professor at Hollis?" Aria asked, suddenly suspicious. "You aren't talking about Professor Montgomery, are you? He teaches history?"
"Yeah, him!" she exclaimed. "He was one of my favorites. Have you had him before?"
Aria laughed awkwardly, "Well, he's actually my father."
"He's your father?!" Sarah dropped her pens onto the table in surprise. "So you're the daughter he's always raving on and on about! The one who wants to pursue some sort of career in the literary field?"
"That's me," she nodded.
"I had him probably six or seven years ago." Aria could see Sarah counting the years backwards in her mind. "So, you must be graduating from soon college, right?"
"In June, actually."
"Do you have anything lined up for after graduation?" she asked curiously. Aria shook her head, the thoughts vicious thoughts drawing themselves to the forefront of her mind once more.
"No, I don't."
"Are you still interested in the literary field? Your dad said anything involving words was your dream job."
"Yeah, that's definitely where I want to be." Aria paused. "Wait, my dad talks about me this much in his classes? I need to remind him that I actually go to the same college he works at. He really shouldn't be embarrassing me like this!"
"Oh no, don't be embarrassed!" Sarah cut in, before taking a long drag from her drink. "He's really so proud of you."
Aria hung her head, suddenly interested in the loose thread she found on the hem of her shirt. "I don't think he'd be so proud to know that I have absolutely no idea where I'm going in life. I don't know what I'm going to do after graduation, and all of my friends are already all set."
"You still have a few months, maybe something will come up!" Aria could tell Sarah was definitely an optimist. Maybe that was just what she needed right now.
"I really do hope so." A few moments of silence passed before Aria spoke again. "I've been researching jobs. I want to do something involving words, but not necessarily writing. I love novels, I love reading, but I don't think I'm talented enough to try my hand at writing for a living. It seems like such a risky business; I want something more stable."
"Have you thought about editing?"
"Editing?" Aria asked. "I've heard about it, but…"
"It sounds like the perfect job for you, from what I'm understanding. Editors are required to have a love of books, any and all books, stories in all different forms. They need to be good with their words, to be able to help convey the stories and emotions to the readers. They need to love reading, because reading manuscripts day after day, week after week, gets tedious for those who don't love reading as much as editors do. They need to be able to appreciate the raw, fresh beginnings of a novel."
"I'm guessing you're an editor?"
"Been with Davis Publishing House since I graduated from Hollis almost four years ago!" Sarah said proudly. She closed the manuscript in front of her and folded her hands on the table, leaning towards Aria. "Tell me, why do you want to work in the literary field? What is it that makes you think that it's where you should be?"
Aria hesitated, desperately trying to find the words to explain what she was feeling. "I think it's beautiful what emotions language can evoke. I love how just the tweaking of one little word, or one sentence, or adding in a specific detail, can change the entire feeling of a piece of work. Words can bring up so many memories, can make you feel so many things, can take you to places you've never been, and I've always loved that. Losing myself in a book was always something I looked forward to, because it allowed me to go somewhere I wouldn't normally be able to go.
"It's amazing," Aria continued, getting caught up in her explanation, "Writers have such amazing abilities, being able to cause their readers to feel certain things, or think certain ways, and I never thought I had that ability. I'm not a writer, I've tried. I'm not good with making something out of nothing. I'd much rather have other people start, then play off of them. I'm better at giving people ideas on where to go from where they are, at how to better develop the scene or the dialogue. If you give me somewhere to start, I can help you end it. I can't be the one to start it myself. It's always been something I admired about authors, they can make something beautiful out of nothing but a blank computer screen. I don't have that ability.
"But what I do have is a love for what authors bring to the table. An appreciation for the hard work they put into their words, for the fact that they open themselves up and make themselves vulnerable to their readers, because, as we all know, there's always a piece of each writer in their work. And allowing other people to see that, allowing them into their world to see what goes on in their minds, is something that has always drawn me to the literary field. I'd love to do something that allows me to be able to work with authors and shape the art they've already created, without me having to start anything on my own."
Sarah studied her for a moment, then leaned back into her seat. "You know, Aria, we have a spot that's just about to be open at the Davis Publishing House offices in New York City. An editor position. We were looking for a student fresh out of college to take on the position, because we need someone with fresh eyes, eyes that haven't necessarily been tainted by the world around us. Someone who can breathe new life into the manuscripts we have sitting around there right now. And I think you'd be perfect for it."
Aria almost spit out her coffee. "Me? But, I've never even thought about being an editor! I don't even know what an editor does!"
"As long as you have a love of books, which you do, an appreciation for the written word, which you do, and an open mind with new ideas, which, it seems like you do, you can be an editor." Sarah looked at her carefully. "You'd be perfect for the job, Aria. I can see that spark in you."
"But," Aria stuttered, "I haven't submitted an application! Sure you might think I'm perfect for the job, but what about those higher up on the ladder than you? I doubt they'd want to take on anyone without any experience whatsoever."
"I think that's exactly why they'd love to have you on board. You're fresh, you're new, you'd have only the best intentions at heart. You don't have an ego yet, you just want to do the best you can. And that's exactly what we need at our offices." She reached into her bag and pulled out two business cards, pushing them towards her. "Give me your number, I'll give you a call once I talk to my bosses about you. Just be sure to send in your application, that way I have something to show them when I tell them about you. Keep the other card in case you need to get a hold of me."
"What makes you so sure they'll even give me an interview?" Aria asked as Sarah was handing her a pen.
"What interview?" Sarah replied with a smile. "This was your interview. We don't need to make it any more formal, all I need to know is that you're perfect for this job." She looked down at her watch and furrowed her brows. "I should go. I have to go meet with a client about this manuscript," she said, patting the large stack of papers.
"Oh, okay," Aria said, pushing the business card with her number on the back towards Sarah, watching as she packed up her things. "It was nice meeting you."
Sarah smiled sincerely. "It was nice meeting you, too, Aria. I'm glad we met. I can't wait to see you out in New York at our offices. You'd be the perfect fit."
"If I get the job," Aria fired back as Sarah stood up and started walking towards the door.
Sarah turned around and grinned at Aria. "The job's as good as yours at this point." She winked and, with the toss of her hair over her shoulder, she was gone.
Aria turned the business card that Sarah had given around in her hands. "Sarah James, Managing Editor."
If Sarah was the Managing Editor, that would mean that she was essentially the second-in-charge of the office. Aria's heart started racing, could it be true? Could she really be on her way to obtaining the dream job she never actually knew existed?
.o.O.o.
Ezra had taken a sick day from work and classes and was at his apartment in San Francisco, attempting to recuperate. After a five minute bout of coughing, and attempting to swallow as much as he could to ease the drying, scratchy sensation he felt at the back of his throat, he picked up the box of tissues that lay in front of where he was resting on the couch and headed to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
He reached up to the top of his cupboard to pull out his favorite mug, a Hollis mug Aria had gifted him when he had just gotten his acceptance letter there a little more than eight years ago. As he had managed to wrap his hand around the mug and pull it back down, he let out a sneeze, momentarily forgetting the contents of his hand. The second his sneezing fit had finished, he heard the telltale sound of porcelain hitting the ground and shattering broke through the silence of the apartment.
He heard his cell phone ring from the coffee table in front of the couch. Ignoring the shards of his favorite coffee mug on the floor, deciding to clean it up later, he walked as quickly as he could to grab his phone.
Aria.
"Hello?" he answered, voice thick with sickness, nose clogged, ears plugged up.
"Hey, Ezra? I just had the most amazing interview with the managing editor of Davis Publishing House and-" she paused, the tone of his voice registering in her mind. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he choked out, "I'm fine. Just a little sick."
"A little sick?!" Aria exclaimed, "You can barely speak! I hope you've gone to see a doctor!"
And with that, they both forgot about Aria's news, preoccupied with disagreeing about how Ezra should beat his cold.
June 2017
Aria stood in front of the full length mirror in her apartment, staring at the image in front of her. The entire apartment was empty, with the girls having shipped their belongings back home a few days before, and the only thing left was the mirror hanging on the door of Aria's room, left behind by the previous residents of that same room. It was silent, quiet enough that one could probably hear a pin drop.
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and ran her hands down the front of the forest green gown she was wearing, nervously smoothing out the invisible wrinkles. She reached up and touched the golden yellow tassel hanging just off the corner of her cap, running her fingers through the strands, before reaching back up and twisting the small '17 to face in the right direction. She carefully adjusted her matching golden yellow stole, meticulously making sure it was centered, her eyes drifting to the bottoms, the Hollis College crest and the words "Class of 2017" and "Cum Laude" embroidered onto it in navy blue. Granting herself a small smile, she took a deep breath and bent down, carefully slipping her feet into her heels. As she finished, she looked back into the mirror and locked eyes with a familiar face, gasping in surprise to see that she was no longer alone.
"What are you doing here?!" Aria exclaimed, twisting around and throwing her arms around the unannounced guest. "I thought you weren't flying in until after the ceremony!"
"You really thought I'd miss one of the most important events in your life? You're crazy," Ezra chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her a few inches off the ground, swinging her around in an excited embrace. "Congratulations, Aria. You finally made it to graduation."
She giggled as he placed her back on the ground, sneaking a peek at the clock. "Yeah, well, unless I leave soon, I'm not going to make it graduation. At least, not on time."
He shook his head and laughed once more, offering his hand. "Well, we can't have you be late for your own graduation, now can we? Come on, I drove. I'll give you a ride."
Aria relished the feeling of her hand in his strong grasp as he led her to his rented car. It still amazed her that he was right next to her, and now opening the door for her, making idle conversation as he started the car. When he had called last week to tell her that he still had some things to finish up in San Francisco and likely wouldn't be able to make it back in time to Hollis for her graduation, she resigned herself to the fact that he wouldn't be there to share her special day with her. She had been able to make it to his graduation in San Francisco the month before, rearranging her schedule and pleading with professors to move their quizzes and midterms, and it frustrated her that he wouldn't be able to do the same for her.
She should have known it was all a ruse. After all this time, she should have known it was just a trick, a lie he told, in order to be able to surprise her. They had been together for more than three years now, she should have been able to detect that he had something up his sleeve- after all, surprising her was one of the things he loved to do most. He had even readily admitted it. She probably would've seen the signs, had she not been so distracted by the fact that she was still waiting on a call back from the publishing house she had an interview with three months before.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Ezra asked, cutting into her mind before it had a chance to spin off into no man's land. He looked at her curiously; she hadn't even realized she had been eerily silent for almost ten minutes now.
"It's just," she took a deep breath. She hadn't admitted this to anyone yet, and just thinking the words made her feel pathetic. "I'm still thinking about the job at Davis Publishing House. I had the 'interview' with them almost three months ago, and they still haven't given me a call back. The girl who interviewed me said I was a perfect fit with them, that the job was as good as mine."
Ezra stole a look at her from the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow. "She told you the job was as good as yours?"
"Yep," she replied, popping the 'p'.
"And they still haven't gotten in contact with you?"
"Nope. No calls, no emails, no carrier pigeon messages- nothing." Her head drooped down, her chin pressing into her chest. "I know, it's been three months. I should just give up and get over it, but I can't. It seemed like the perfect job. I knew it was too good to be true."
Ezra slowed the car down to a stop as the light changed from yellow to red. He reached over and placed a finger under her chin, lifting it to get her to look at him in the eyes, desperately trying to get her to really hear his words. "Hey, it may have seemed like the perfect job at the time, but maybe it really isn't. Maybe there's another plan for you, something bigger and better. Something that'll make you really happy you didn't get this job. You just have to keep your head up."
"I know," she sighed, nodding her head in agreement. Ezra turned his attention back to the road just as the light turned green. Maybe this was the perfect time, the perfect segue, for Aria to give him her other happy news. "You know," she began, a smile playing on her lips, "you're right. This isn't the job for me."
"I know there's something better out there for you, you just have to wait it out. It'll come to you."
"Maybe it's this job I have an interview for next weekend. It's just an internship, but it's a great opportunity to network and get my name out there," she said.
"Definitely," Ezra agreed, turning the wheel and pulling into one of the last available parking spots in the Hollis visitors parking lot. "What's it for?"
"A newspaper. I think you've heard of it before. The Philadelphia Daily News?" she inquired, biting back a laugh as Ezra's head snapped up and whipped around to look at her.
"The Philadelphia Daily News?"
"Yes."
"So, if you got this job," he started, speaking slowly and carefully choosing his words to understand her correctly, "you'd be moving to Philadelphia? With me? For sure?"
"The office is only a few minutes away from the UPenn campus," she added.
Ezra's face lit up in a glorious grin that took Aria's breath away. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever seen him so happy, and for the first time in more than three months, she felt completely and totally at ease with the fact that she was graduating, and finally everything was slowly falling into place. She was graduating in less than an hour, she had an interview for an internship lined up with the Philadelphia Daily News, she was finally going to be living in the same city, the same apartment, as her best friend and boyfriend. So what if she hadn't heard back from her dream job? She was still young, and there were other publishing houses, with many centered in Philadelphia. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it came pretty close.
As soon as Ezra shut off the car, he leaned over the center console and pulled Aria into a kiss. A slow, perfect kiss. Aria could feel all the love and excitement he was pouring into it, and her heart sped up in response. She was finally excited to see what the future brought for them, instead of dreading it.
The shrill ring of a cell phone interrupted the two, much to their frustration. Ezra shut his eyes tighter, willing the ringing to stop. Aria picked up his phone and tucked it in his hand, lightly placing her own hand on the side of his face, leaning in for one more kiss. "Answer it. I have to go and line up, anyway."
Ezra opened his eyes and nodded, "I'll see you out there."
"I'll be the one up on stage in a graduation gown," she replied with a chuckle. She threw him one last smile and opened the door, carefully making her way out, and shutting it behind her.
It amazed her how much Ezra always managed to calm her down in stressful situations. Just a few minutes ago, she was terrified about graduating without any semblance of a plan for afterwards, and the fact that she had essentially been turned down for her dream job. Now, she was completely at peace with the knowledge of that she would be moving to Philadelphia with Ezra, and she had an interview at a reputable newspaper. There were still possibilities open to her, all she had to do now was graduate and go search for those possibilities.
She had just stepped into her place in line with the other graduates, behind Spencer, Alison, Hanna and Emily, who all eyed her curiously, when she felt a vibration come from the pocket conveniently sewed into her dress. Discreetly, she unzipped her gown and dug her hand into her pocket, fishing out her cell phone. Sneaking a peek to make sure no one was watching her, she glanced down at an unfamiliar number.
"Five minutes until you walk!" the woman in charge of making sure graduation went smoothly (Aria assumed that's what she was hired for, considering she had never seen her on campus before until now) barked at the line of graduating students. As soon as Aria was sure she had passed and was heading towards the back of the line, she slid her finger across her screen, raising the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she answered curiously.
"Hello, may I speak to Aria Montgomery?" a vaguely familiar voice asked.
"This is she," Aria replied cautiously. "May I ask who's calling?"
"Hi, Aria! I thought that was you, but I couldn't be sure," the woman said chipperly. "This is Sarah, from Davis Publishing House? I was the girl who invaded your table at the coffee shop a few months back."
"Oh, of course! Hello, Sarah, what can I do for you?" Her heart was pounding, and she could barely get the words out. What was happening?
"I just wanted to apologize for not getting in contact with you sooner. I know I said I'd get in touch with you soon after our interview, but we had a problem with one of our editors, and they refused to leave after we had fired them. So, we were dealing with that, and then we had a small fire at our main offices that destroyed a few of our physical manuscripts, so we've been working non-stop on those. It didn't even occur to me until last week when we finally got rid of that stubborn editor that I never called you back."
"That's fine, don't worry about it. It sounds like it was quite a mess over there." What was she saying? What did anyone say to those kinds of things, anyway?
"It was!" Sarah exclaimed. "But things are fine now," she said dismissively.
"Listen, Sarah," Aria began, whispering as she spotted the lady walking back down the line of graduates, carefully examining each to make sure they were ready. "I'd love to talk more, but is there a way I can call you back? I'm actually two minutes away from graduating, and I'm not supposed to be using my phone."
"Oh, of course! I just had something quick that I needed to run by you." Aria held her breath as Sarah seemingly was pausing for dramatic effect. "Now that we have an open spot, we were wondering whether you would still be interested in the editor position in our New York office. You'd start as soon as possible, you could even start tomorrow, if you wanted. We have a plane ticket waiting for you, along with an apartment that's all set up for your use, if you'll take our offer."
"I, um, I don't know what to say," Aria stuttered.
"Don't worry about making a decision right now, take all the time you need. I know we made you wait for a horrendously long time, it's only fair you do the same to us," she replied with a laugh. "Call me back when you've made your decision. This is my cell number, call me at any time."
"Oh, okay."
"And Aria?"
"Yeah?" Aria asked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat that had formed in her nervousness.
"Have a great graduation. Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Aria said, tuning out the rest of Sarah's goodbyes and mumbling some halfhearted goodbye of her own. Before she knew it, the line of people in front of her had started moving and the person behind her began nudging her, effectively snapping Aria out of her daze. Quickly she tossed her phone back in her pocket and ran forward to catch up, zipping her graduation gown back up in the process.
She had managed to catch up to the rest of the graduates just as they were taking their seats in the front few rows of chairs on the field, in front of the makeshift stage that had been set up. It surprised her how familiar it all looked, although it was to be expected that everything would look the same, nothing had changed in the three years since Ezra's own graduation.
Ezra.
She turned around and craned her neck, looking for her boyfriend in the crowd. She managed to spot him towards the middle of the sea of faces, beaming at her proudly. She gave him a weak smile and wave back, before turning to face the dean, who was now beginning his speech.
Ezra. What would she tell him? He had been so excited to hear that she would be moving with him to Philadelphia and possibly starting a career at a newspaper near his own place of work. How would she be able to break it to him that she had just gotten an offer for her dream job, one that would require her to not move in with him, but instead would require her to move to New York City?
Aria laughed bitterly to herself, realizing just how similar her graduation currently was to Ezra's. It was ironic how, just three years ago, Ezra had been in the same position she was, and now, here they were, three years later, their situations now flipped. Now she understood just how torn Ezra had been back then. Now, she was feeling that same stress, too.
Before she knew it, she was standing behind her four best girlfriends, holding her name card, getting ready to hand it to the announcer who was reading off the names of the graduates in the order they were coming on stage.
"Aria Marie Montgomery."
She heard her name called. And she was walking.
It was a surreal experience, walking across the stage in front of all of her peers' friends and family, in front of her own friends and family, being handed a diploma cover. A quick handshake with the dean, some of the distinguished professors, a short hug from the academic advisor she had grown close to over her four years at Hollis, and the hard part was over.
"Graduates, please turn your tassels. Friends, family, honored guests, please stand and allow me to introduce Hollis College's graduating class of 2017! Congratulations!"
The five girls turned their tassels in synchronization, and, looking at one another, threw their graduation caps up in the air, squealing in delight as the caps began to rain down around them. Momentarily, Aria forgot about the phone call she had received before the ceremony and just allowed herself to be swept up in the happiness and excitement that surrounded her. She was being pulled around, freely giving tight hugs to friends she had gotten close to over the years, taking selfies and Snapchats with anyone and everyone who was around her. She allowed herself to get caught up in the happiness surrounding her. It was too contagious to avoid.
She spent the next half an hour with Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Alison and their families, taking countless numbers of pictures in as many different combinations as possible- the five girls, each girl and their family, each girl and the extended family…it went on and on and on. By the end of it, each one had several bouquets of flowers in their hands, murmurs of becoming blind from the endless number of camera flashes on their lips, sore cheeks that for sure were already starting to cramp up. But Aria wouldn't trade it for the world; it truly was one of the happiest moments of her life.
Aria sighed in relief when her mother finished scrolling through the pictures they had taken and announced that they had completed each combination, and could finally head back to Rosewood for the joint graduation party.
"Aria, why don't you hitch a ride with us?" Ella suggested. Aria opened her mouth to agree, but before she could, Ezra butted in and interrupted her.
"Actually, Ella, Byron, if you don't mind, would it be okay if Aria rode with me instead? I drove here by myself in a rental car, and I don't really want to make the drive back to Rosewood alone, too." Ezra shot Aria a meaningful look, and right away, she knew he knew something was up.
"Of course it's all right! We'll see you all back in Rosewood at the Hastings' house by seven; don't be late!" Ella warned as the families began to disperse into their carpools.
Aria wrapped her arms around herself, unconsciously isolating herself from Ezra on their way to his car. She kept her eyes trained to the ground, counting her steps, willing herself not to look at Ezra until she was ready, because if not, everything was going to come spilling out, and she wasn't sure she could handle it just yet.
She slipped into his car as he held the door open for her, then listened as he dropped her bouquets and gifts in the backseat, making his way back to the front. It wasn't until they were safely on the highway, heading back to Rosewood, that he spoke.
"Okay, spill Aria. Before you got out of the car, you seemed so excited to be graduating, but then when I saw you on stage, you looked…conflicted," he said, struggling to find the right word. "You kept a smile on your face, and you looked happy enough, but I know you, Aria. I know when you're truly happy, and when I saw you up on stage, you did not look truly happy. So, what's wrong?"
She fiddled with her hands, wringing them, attempting to avoid making eye contact with him. She didn't want to see his face when she broke the news to him. "I got a phone call from Davis Publishing House."
"Oh?" he asked, waiting for her to continue. "What did they say?"
"Ezra," she forced herself to look at him. He at least deserved to be looked in the eye when she broke the news.
"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good," he chuckled nervously. He began to slow down the car and signaled, pulling the car off to the right shoulder. He parked the car, turned on the emergency lights and turned off the radio, facing her. "What's wrong?"
"They offered me the job," Aria answered quietly. "There was a problem with an editor and a small fire, and I guess they just forgot to call me back until today. I got the call before I walked."
"Aria, that's great!" Ezra exclaimed. "I mean, not about the editor problem and the fire, but that they offered you the job! Your dream job, you must be so excited!" he paused, studying her face. "But you're not," he drew out slowly, "what's the problem?"
"I am excited!" she replied quickly, the faint traces of a smile pulling up on the corners of her lips. "They've already bought my plane ticket, they leased an apartment for my use, and I get to do exactly what I didn't even know I've wanted to do my whole life."
"But…?" he prodded. "What is it? Do you have to leave tomorrow? Because if packing or figuring out what you need to bring is the problem, I can help you out. I have been through this before," he added with a laugh.
"No, it's not that. I mean, they told me I could start tomorrow, but I don't think I'm actually going to do that," she rambled.
"Then what is it?" he asked once more. "Aria, tell me, you're worrying me."
"Ezra, they offered me the job. In New York City."
She saw as he slumped back in his seat. "New York."
"Yeah."
"That's not Philadelphia."
"No, it's not."
"Oh."
Aria could see the wheels turning in his mind as he attempted to process the information. "So, are you taking the offer?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "When you went to San Francisco, there was a specific time period you'd be there, and then you knew when you'd be back. This job is permanent. If I take it, I don't know how long I'd be in New York, or when I'd be back. We've done long distance for so long, Ezra, I don't know if I can handle doing it again. Maybe I should just take the interview in Philadelphia and go for the internship, that way we don't have to be apart again."
"Aria, do you remember what you told me when I said I was on the fence about going to San Francisco?" he asked. She shook her head, it seemed like it was so long ago that he was leaving and they had been through so much that she couldn't remember most of what she said that day. "You told me that no matter what I wanted to do, it was fine with you. You told me to make my decision based on what I thought was best for me, because I had already done so much for you.
"So now, I'm telling you the same thing." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, giving it a light kiss. "Do what's best for you, because you've done so much for me. I've already been outside of Pennsylvania, it's time for you to experience that life, too. And besides, New York City and Philadelphia are only about two hours apart. Much less travel time than Philadelphia to San Francisco."
She mulled this over in her mind as he traced circles over the back of her hand. "You're right, I need to get out of Pennsylvania," she whispered. "But you-"
"I will always be right there for you. It's only two hours."
"New York will never be home without you," she said, placing her other hand on his cheek.
"While you're having your New York adventures, our Philadelphia apartment and I will be waiting for you to come home."
They sat in silence, watching each other as the sun set off in the distance. "So, I'm going to New York."
"You're going to New York."
And for the first time that day, Aria smiled. A real, true, bright smile. For the first time that day, she was truly happy.
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this. I think I bit off more than I could chew, trying to cover the next three years of their lives in a single chapter, especially considering each section came out to an average of three to four thousand words, some with even double that. I thought I'd be able to finish it in two weeks, as long as I wrote a section a day. But some sections took me days, others I couldn't even bring myself to start, and I started to lose my inspiration to write for a while there. Couple that with me being a science major trying to finish up my last year of college so that I can get my degree, and you've got a result that leaves you guys with no update for months. And for that, I am truly sorry.
I've had some sections of this written for months now, and the other bits, I wrote recently. I'm betting you could tell the difference in the writing styles. I hope you out there who are still reading this aren't disappointed.
There will be an epilogue coming soon. Hopefully it doesn't take me as long to post that as it did for me to post this. But, just remember this isn't where their story ends quite yet. There's still a little more to come.
I hope you enjoyed this mega chapter! If you did, please leave a review! I'd love to know what you thought.
Also, apologies for any typos. I was too excited to post this that I only did a quick proofread.
- J