10. Blind

They all sat up at once and had the same smile plastered on their faces. "You look-"

"Hot hot hot." Hanna finished for Emily. A grin grew on Aria's face and she knew that she finally found what to wear for her second-first date with Ezra.

"I think it's the shoes," Aria shrugged, not even joking.

"Agreed," the others replied in unison with the same seriousness.

Aria cursed under her breath when she heard a knock from the door. It was 7 p.m., which meant the visitor on her doorstep must be Ezra. He said he would pick her up at 7 sharp, and he wasn't a minute late. And she still wasn't ready. She stood in the middle of her room, which looked like it had just been robbed. After finding what she would wear to her date, Spencer and Emily had cleaned up but it was now a mess again. Drawers were all pulled out and its contents spilt everywhere. Boxes were open on the floor, along with her bedcover. The bed was the only thing clean and tidy, and that's just because all of its pillows were strewn around the room. She was looking for her phone that had somehow magically disappeared. She tried calling it and she could hear it in her room. She just didn't know where it exactly is.

"I'll get it!" Spencer shouted across the apartment from where she sat on the couch. She pulled out the silver spoon out of her mouth and put it in the bowl still half full of rum raisin ice cream. It was her and Aria's favorite flavor. Actually, it was also Hanna's and Emily's favorite. They weren't sure how it happened but they were all hooked on the same exact kind of dessert. She reluctantly lifted herself off the couch and clicked mute on the TV remote. She was watching reruns of Friends that had aired since this afternoon. She couldn't resist herself and had planted her ass in front of the TV. She wasn't sure what Aria was doing, but she had heard hushed curses and banging of furniture from behind the closed door. She wanted to help with whatever disaster was happening with Aria, but she was yelled at for 'disrupting' and banished from the bedroom when she knocked to ask what was going on. Must be the nerves for her date.

She was going to open the door when Abby came dashing in and beating her to the punch. Abby lifted herself on her tiptoes and pulled on the door handle. The wood opened wide and revealed Ezra supporting a goofy smile. The smile was actually out of mixed feelings of nerves, excitement and total panic from worrying that he would do something wrong and push Aria away. It was hard enough to get her back in the first place. He didn't want to blow his chance now that he got it.

"Ezra!" Abby greeted him and without any hesitation, pulled him by his arm into the loft. He stumbled after the little girl and got his bearings once Abby let go when she saw that he already passed the threshold. "Are those flowers?" Her eyes lit up when she spotted the mini bouquet in his left hand. They were lilies, Aria's favorite. He wanted tonight to go off perfectly. He had after all planned this to every little detail. Starting with lilies.

"Yeah, do you like lilies?" Ezra got on one knee so that he would be eye level with his daughter. Abby nodded vigorously. Aria often bought some whenever she needed a pick me up so the little girl was accustomed to its scent. Ezra pulled out one lily and held it up in front of Abby. "This one's for you."

"Thank you Ezra," she said as she carefully took the flower in her right hand. She held it up to her nose and took a whiff, the tip of the soft petals brushing her skin. She closed her eyes as she did so, savoring the sweet smell. Ezra smiled as he saw the smile creeping onto Abby's face. She looked so delicate and angelic. Pure. He finally stood upright and faced Spencer for the first time.

"Hey," he greeted her. She nodded and smiled as a reply and walked them towards the living room. The three of them sat comfortably on the couch waiting for Aria. She had shouted that she'd be out in a second, following some rustling sound from her bedroom. "So you're still up for tomorrow right?" Spencer looked confused. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling to recall whatever it was Ezra referred to. "The open house. You are coming, right?" Ezra reminded the tall brunette. He had sounded worried that she decided to leave him high and dry. And he really was more than worried. He was counting on her. He knew that if he brought Spencer, the best student Rosewood High had probably ever seen, he would win the vacation days Rook promised.

"Oh right!" Spencer quickly said. A horrified look had crossed Ezra's face just a second ago when he found out that she forgot about the open house she was supposed to help with. She didn't mean to ditch or anything, she was just caught up with work and hadn't been paying attention to anything else. Today was the only day she had off of work and she spent it with her beloved TV. It felt like an eternity since the last time she had just lounged at home with a bunch of food and a movie marathon. She used to have tons of those with the girls and she missed it. "Yeah, I'm coming. What time should I be there?"

"10 a.m.? Maybe you can… I mean it starts at 10:30 so you can be a little late," He had started out wanting to ask Spencer for help with the preparation of the open house but decided that it would be kind of rude. She was already coming to help him, that's more than enough. But Spencer could see that he was about to ask for help and she actually didn't mind. On the plus side, it would be kind of nice to meet her old teachers. Especially now that she's oh-so-successful.

"I'll come at 10, I'll help." Spencer gave him a meaningful smile that said 'I know what you were going to say and I don't mind at all.' He nodded gratefully, feeling embarrassed. Ezra decided to avert his eyes and look at Abby, who was still admiring the flower in her hands.

In just a matter of seconds, the clicks of a pair of heels broke the silence. It was Aria walking out of her bedroom looking better than ever. The strapless hugged her body and showed her curves in all the right places. Not to mention her killer Louboutins, the best part of it all. Ezra got up to his feet and couldn't take his eyes off of her. His mouth hung slightly agape, mesmerized by what was in front of his eyes.

"Earth to Ezra?" Aria waved an arm in front of his face to get his attention. He hadn't said a word since she stepped into the living room and she was worried that something was wrong with her clothes. A stain? A nip-slip? Anything. She had been nervous that something would go wrong tonight and this could be it. She didn't think it would get messed up this early though, she always thought it would be later at the restaurant or wherever he was taking her. Actually now that she thought about it, she didn't know where she was going on this date.

"I-Um… You-you look beautiful." It felt like forever since the last time he saw her dressed up for a date, especially one with him. Since the time they had bumped into each other in the elevator, she was always wearing something casual. Even though casual for Aria was probably a pair of heeled boots, a very… eclectic dress, and huge earrings with something absurd like feathers. The look would no doubt be ridiculous on anyone else but it was perfect for the 5'2 feet brunette. It was just so… her. Even though Ezra loved her sense of fashion, he didn't understand why she would want to put black smudge on her eyes or peacock feathers in her hair. He thought she was already stunning in a pair of sweat pants and one of his Hollis sweaters. Of course Aria would feel offended if he told her that even though he meant it as a compliment.

"Thanks," a blush crept onto her neck and cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat from the compliment and she realized that she hadn't felt that way about someone ever since she and Ezra broke up. She missed that feeling.

"This is for you," Ezra handed Aria the mini bouquet of lilies. Her eyes lit up once she saw them and took it up to her nose to sniff it just like what Abby had done when she got her own flower. She couldn't believe he still remembered the little things about her. First the dollhouse and now lilies.

"Thank you," she finally looked up at Ezra who was smiling intently at her. "I mean, really thank you." He might have just thought of them as a bunch of plain white plants but the gesture meant much more to Aria. It meant that he cared about her and her feelings. It meant that even after keeping Abby from him, he could still forgive her.

"Are you guys going somewhere? The guys that bring flowers for mommy usually take her to dinner," Abby said causing Ezra to raise an eyebrow and Aria to blush. It was way too soon for them to be talking about other people they had seen after their breakup, especially if their daughter was the one to bring it up. Aria nodded followed with an 'Mhmm' as she put the lilies in a vase to distract herself from the embarrassment that must be showing on her face. "So Ezra's not staying?" A disappointed look crossed Abby's face. She had wanted to spend more time with him even though Ezra had actually spared as much time as he could to be with Abby.

"What do you say we go to your favorite dessert place on Monday?" Ezra walked over to Abby and knelt in front of her. She had mentioned it in their dinner last time and he of course didn't forget along with everything else she said. Abby immediately leaped off the couch and hugged Ezra while jumping up and down.

"Can I, mom? Please please please!" Aria was definitely what you called a 'fun' mom, but she was surprisingly strict about eating dessert. The only person she trusted with Abby's daily eating was Spencer. However with Abby's pleading eyes staring at her right now, she couldn't help but allow it.

"Okay," She finally said after a few beats. Abby was on top of the world. This kind of thing didn't happen everyday for her. "Now I have to go, don't sleep too late okay?" Abby nodded still with a grin plastered on her face. Aria kissed her cheek and headed towards the door. Ezra followed behind her after giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead and saying his goodbyes.

"So where are we going?" Aria asked as soon as they both stepped out of the building into the parking lot. The smell of rain and grass filled their nostrils and the chilly wind felt colder to their skin than they thought it would. Aria thanked God she had decided to grab a leather jacket at the last minute and had put it on in the elevator. She easily walked on the wet pavement in 5-inch stilettos, expertly avoiding puddles. It had been raining earlier that day and she could still see faint traces of a rainbow in the sky. She and Abby had looked up at it through the window, admiring how something so beautiful could even exist.

They headed towards the familiar silver sedan, which looked almost precisely the same as it did years ago when she used to have secret meetings in alleys with him in this exact vehicle. Except for the faded Hollis bumper sticker that Aria could still remember it being blue but was now a soft grey even almost white, it's writing barely readable. She also noticed some scratches and minor dents that weren't there back then. Ezra was actually a pretty good driver but he had never been a careful one. Fortunately, he wasn't reckless enough to put himself in danger.

Ezra shook his head as he opened the car door for her, as always a perfect gentleman. "You'll have to wait and see." He had planned to surprise her with their destination tonight. He saw tonight as a re-do of their first date and he didn't want it to be some average dinner or a movie or whatever people usually do on first dates. He wanted it to be special. Ezra closed the door and got into his own seat before putting on the seat belt. Aria was about to protest about not have any clue to where he was taking her, when he held up a finger to stop her. He reached into a compartment and pulled out a sleeping mask. "Put it on."

"What?!" Aria raised an eyebrow. The sleeping mask hanging from Ezra's hand looked comfortable and somehow inviting but the idea of being blindfolded made her even more nervous than she already was. She always knew that he was a romantic but she didn't even suspect this coming.

"Come here," He motioned for her to come closer so that he could put it on for her. She did and he slipped it on her head easily, careful not to mess up her hair. The mask was a plain dark blue he had gotten from an airplane. He wasn't sure if you're actually allowed to take those things but he had fallen in love with its soft velvet fabric and slipped it into his bag when the stewardess wasn't looking. It wasn't technically stealing, right?

"Ezra, I can't see anything." Aria sounded worried. She hated feeling hopeless, which is exactly what she felt right now. She preferred being in control of situations. If she couldn't even see where she was, how was she supposed to make sure everything goes well tonight?

"That's kind of the point," Ezra said with a slight chuckle. "Look, don't worry okay? I'm right here." He grabbed her hand and she felt its warmth spread through her body. It was amazing how just a single touch from him can have that kind of effect. No one else ever made her feel that way. She heard the engine roar and it felt like the car started moving, but she could still feel his fingers intertwined with her own. It somehow made her feel better, like everything was going to be just fine.

It was just a few minutes into the drive when Aria asked if they had already arrived. "Are we there yet?" She was growing impatient especially when all she could see was the back of her eyelids.

"Of course not Aria, it's only been a few minutes." Ezra smiled, remembering how impatient she was. It might be annoying to some people but he didn't mind. In fact, it was one of the things he loved about her. One of the million things. "Unless you want to eat on the side of the road..." Aria sighed in frustration.

"So we are eating!" Aria said, victory showing in her voice. She sounded pleased that she at least got one clue to whatever they were going to do tonight. Ezra couldn't help laughing at how she was acting. He knew that not knowing anything was bugging Aria but he wanted her to be genuinely surprised when the blindfold –or at least the eye mask he used as a blindfold- goes off. With what he's planning, he's pretty sure that she would be surprised anyway. But better safe than sorry.

"Yes, we are. Wouldn't want you to starve." They finally arrived at the destination and Ezra expertly pulled into a parking space. He hit the breaks and the car stopped, which cause Aria to gasp in her seat. "We're here, but don't take off the mask yet. Wait until we get inside."

"You mean I have to wear this into the building?" Ezra answered her question with a yes and she wasn't sure if she should think it's sweet of him to plan a surprise for her or to be worried that she would trip while walking. "I don't think that's a good idea…" She decided to side on the latter. With the nerves she had tonight, who knew what clumsy thing she would do without her vision.

"Don't worry, I'll guide you there. And if you're concerned about people staring I'm sure they'll get the idea that I'm just trying to surprise you." Aria gulped. There are a lot of people here? She didn't even think about the people staring at her in the weird sleeping mask. She heard Ezra's car door open and figured that he was probably getting to her side of the car so that he could open it and take her inside. She considered peeping while he wasn't around to see, but decided against it. Her own door opened and she could hear the crowd of people. The sound was distant but it wasn't very faint. She could tell there were a bunch of people there tonight but not too much that she would have to squeeze through a crowd.

Aria felt Ezra's hands taking both of her own and his calming voice telling her to slowly step out of the car. She put her feet out of the car one by one, scraping the heels on the ground. It sounded like pavement, like in an open parking lot. Ezra laughed at her action commenting that she would really be helpful if they were kidnapped and blindfolded, to figure out where they are. She joined him in the soft laughter that came along, which calmed her nerves but not by much. She got up on her feet and took a step forward but bumped into something hard, which could only be Ezra because he grunted from pain.

"I-I'm so sorry I thought you wer-" Aria was about to ramble on an apology but Ezra cut her off.

"It's okay, come on." She could hear double beeps nearby, which was Ezra locking his car. After what sounded like him checking the car doors and slipping the keys into his pocket jeans, he told Aria to keep walking in the direction he was moving her towards. After a few stumbles over pebbles and steps, they were finally inside a building. Aria could feel music thumping in her ears yet not too loud, and could immediately tell that it was a live music. There was a crowd mildly cheering and she could smell alcohol and grease. The scent reminded her of something or somewhere, but she didn't know exactly what. Then she heard people playing darts and waitresses yelling orders. Someone called for a bartender and there were scrapes of wooden stools. She suddenly had an idea of where she might be. Just then she felt the sleeping mask lifted off of her head and she blinked repeatedly to get used to the light. It didn't take her too long, since the room was slightly dim with plain yellow Christmas lights decorating the walls. She instantly recognized the place. Her suspicion had been right.

"Ezra," It was all she could say. She tried to form words, any words, but nothing came up. Instead, a genuine smile took over face and reached her eyes. "I don't know what to say, I can't believe we're here." Ezra watched her expression and it made his heart skipped a beat. She was speechless. It was the exact reaction he wanted and he was so glad he had been the one who caused it.

"Let's find a seat." He grabbed her hand and led her into the crowd.

Okay, first of all let me say sorry. I really am, a lot. It's been ages since I updated but finals are coming up and I'm studying 24/7, literally. School will be over in about a month so I'll be able to write and update whenever I want by then! Again, thank you for reviews and follow/favorites! Even after I haven't updated in a while, I got some new readers :) Also thank you to readers who have been here from the very first chapter!

So where do you think are they? I kind of think it's pretty obvious but maybe not either. Tell me your guesses in reviews, and as always... please review!

mickrawson: It actually isn't inspired by that song.. I actually don't even know that song hahha but somehow I want to check t out now. Thanks for reading and the review!

Also, i reread my chapters and realized that there are like a million grammatical errors and misspellings. I've cursed myself for them and I apologize!