Ezraisbae, I loved your idea, so thanks for that and thanks to everyone else who reviewed.

Chapter 11

Aria

She sent everyone home at the crack of dawn before Ezra could wake up. She was no longer in the mood to party with her friends. She hadn't gotten any sleep at all that night. All she could think about was what Ezra had asked her. What if he was serious? What would her response be? But then if he wasn't would she be disappointed? She didn't even know what she wanted.

Ezra came downstairs sulking his way to the kitchen with his hand clutching his head. "No more parties," he groaned. She smiled at the man that looked like death and poured him a cup of coffee. "Am I really that old? You were a lot more drunk than I was and you're not hungover." She wished she were. Maybe then, she wouldn't remember a thing from the night before and they could go on with the day as if it were any other normal, after party day where they slept half the day and prayed to sleep the other half.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" she asked him, completely ignoring his attempt at a joke.

He took a sip of his coffee and rested his head on his fist. "I remember playing Never Have I Ever which turned into a very sexual game and I remember your friends making things up that only I've done so I would get drunk and the rest of the night is a black hole." After a while, the questions all mixed together and she couldn't remember any of the game. For all she knew, she was taking shots for everything mentioned. Even the stupid things that were inevitably said when they were all drunk and the person in front of you looked like a dragon.

So he didn't remember anything. Was she supposed to bring it up or just let it go like nothing at all happened? The longer she sat and thought about it, the more she wanted him to be serious. They had been together for two years and she was practically living with him now. That was long enough to have waited for a fat rock. Plus, it would be kind of fun to be able to rub it in Hanna's face that she got the diamond before her. Hanna might suggest a double wedding and Aria would have to politely decline but she would make the attempt at one. And what was Aria going to do with the maid of honor thing? She wanted Spencer but what would Emily and Hanna think about that? They hadn't even gotten engaged yet and she was already planning their wedding. Maybe she would let Hanna plan it if she wasn't busy planning her own. She was a lot better at things like that and Aria would just get bored with it. That's what she could do. Hanna could be the wedding planner, Spencer could be the maid of honor and Emily… would do something special that might have to be made up but something special nonetheless.

She took a seat on the barstool beside him. "So you don't remember saying anything or… asking anything?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. "Are the rest of them still passed out or something? Where is everyone?"

Aria slammed her coffee cup down on the table a little louder than she meant it to be. "Ezra!"

He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut. "Can you not be so loud? Some of us are not very good at being hungover."

"Ezra!" she yelled again. She didn't really care that she was practically killing the guy. She wanted answers… or questions. Whatever way you want to put it.

He cringed and looked at her, his eyes squeezed shut. "What?"

"Last night. You said we should get married."

He set his mug down and looked at her with a suddenly concerned expression. There was no shock evident at all which made it even weirder. "I did?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't make something like that up."

"And what did you say?"

She shrugged. "I asked about it and you had no idea what you said so I said I was going to bed."

There was an awkward silence for a while and both of them sat there not being able to meet the others' eyes. She twirled her ring around her finger as a nervous habit and out of the corner of her eye, she could see his knee bouncing which was his nervous habit. After being together for so long, you learn everything about the other person. The way they laugh, the way they look at every point in the day, the way they smile. You learn exactly what they do when they're nervous or when they're excited, or angry. Aria knew everything about Ezra. She knew all the things about him that she didn't even know about herself. She could read him easily and she tried to pretend like he wasn't the same way with her but he was. She never admitted it but he knew he was right. ALL THE TIME. She hated that he knew her so well but it was also something that she had always loved. They worked well together because there was no surprises- not anymore anyway.

"I had been thinking about asking you for a while but I guess that's why they call alcohol liquid courage." He laughed a humorless laugh and took another sip of his coffee.

She bit her lip, not knowing how to respond to that. Relief bubbled within her as did happiness but the way Ezra didn't seem too happy about the one question that should've been the happiest of her life, made her smile fade as quickly as it had appeared. "So…"she prompted.

"So what do you want?"

"I want you to ask me when you're not drunk."

He smiled. "I think we can arrange that, Ms. Montgomery." He leaned in for a kiss but she backed away.

"Hell no. Your breath reeks of alcohol. Drink your coffee, Mr. Fitz, and brush your teeth. We will discuss this later."

"What is there to discuss? Didn't you just say you wanted to get married?"

She shook her head. "Do you want us to be known as the student/teacher affair AND the boring couple. When people ask how you proposed, I'm not going to tell them you were drunk and you had no idea that you did."

He smirked. "I don't think you can be the student/teacher couple and be boring at the same time. It's like an oxymoron."

She playfully slapped him in the arm and smiled. It was true, their relationship was anything but boring. Even when they were holed up in his apartment all weekend, they were still hiding from everyone and anytime someone showed up at the door, she had to hide in the bathroom. How many couples get to say they played hide and seek their first year of dating? "I'm not saying we have to go to Disney World and you have to propose in front of the castle, but at least do it when you're not drunk or hungover."

He laughed and looked at her with tired eyes. "You're so weird, but I love you for the weird dork you are."

"Says the pedophile."

"Says the teenage girl that goes to bars looking for guys to hook up with."

"Says the stalker." She bit her lip and cringed at the words as soon as they left her mouth. There was a silent agreement between the two of them not to go back there. Just like she never mentioned the scar whenever he was shirtless. Honestly, she was glad that he had that tiny scar. It was a reminder of his love for her and how he would go to the end of the earth to protect her. He was perfectly imperfect and how they met and why they met didn't matter. This wasn't then. This was now. No secrets. No regrets. "I didn't mean to go there. New conversation?"

"Where do you stand on kids?"

Her jaw dropped open and she swiveled her chair so that she was facing him. They had never, not once, talked about kids. They had barely talked about their future. They both had their own assumptions about what was going to happen but they hadn't talked about it together. Especially in the past, it was too weird to talk about the future when you didn't know if your boyfriend was going to be in jail or not.

"Okay, now I'm scared."
"Why? Time's wasting away."

She stood up from the island and shook her head. This was completely crazy. "The alcohol hasn't worn off yet. I'm going to take a shower."

"Can I come?"

She turned around to face him with arched eyebrows. "I thought you were hungover?"

He shook his head. "I can wash your hair with a headache, Aria. It doesn't take a rocket scientist."

She sighed and gave in. "Fine. But there will be no baby making in that shower. I've had a weird enough morning."

"If that's the way it has to be," he groaned.

She laughed at him and held her hand out for him take while leading him up the stairs.

Don't forget to review, please.

New question that has nothing to do with the story- Where is everyone getting Daisy Fitz from? Every time I read a story, they have a daughter named Daisy. People are asking Marlene to make them have a child and name her Daisy. Is there some part in an episode where they discuss this or is it just a trend that caught on in the Ezria community?

What should happen now? I love reading your feedback and seeing what you want to happen.