Byron POV

How dare him! He was a guy in his twenties pining after a married woman in her forties! She was twice his age! I paced the hallway in anger. Maybe, with any luck, I scared the crap out of him today and he will have the sense to take back his offer. He had no right to take Ella out. She was supposed to be reconciling with me. Not spending the weekends with me and fucking him whenever the hell she felt like it!

I started walking to the kitchen when I saw Aria sitting in the living room. "Hey! I thought you were going to be gone all day." She put the cap on her pen and closed the book she was writing in. She always had that thing with her.

"Oh, change of plans," she replied.

"Good. I'll take you and Mike out for dinner later, okay?" I said with a smile. I turned and started walking to the kitchen when Aria shouted after me.

"Hey, dad?" I stopped and faced her. "How were the parent/teacher meetings?"

I should have known she'd ask about them. "Oh, they were fine. You know, I really like that one teacher," I said. "Your French teacher," I added quickly.

"How'd you like Mr. Fitz?" she questioned.

"He was okay," I lied. I quickly turned and headed for the kitchen once again.

"Okay?" Aria was amazed that I found the guy okay. I halted and turned to face her.

"All right, listen, I'm gonna tell you the truth. I thought he was a lightweight," I said honestly.

Aria's hazel eyes stared at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"There's just not a lot of depth there."

Aria was surprised. "Boy, that's-that's funny because I like him." She smiled. "He's a nice teacher," she added quickly.

"Yeah, well, I mean, I can see why he's a hit with the kids. I mean he's a nice looking guy, he's easy going, and he-he does that boyish smile thing a little too much but I figure that must work for him," I said hastily.

"What's that thing about judging a book by its cover?" she interrupted.

I shrugged. "Yeah, well sometimes you can get a pretty good idea of what's inside based on the cover." I started for the kitchen again. Aria followed me.

"You know he's published," Aria informed me. She was doing everything she could to change my mind.

"Online journals aren't published," I replied turning to her. "Published is ink and paper."

Aria narrowed her eyes at me angrily. "You were with him like, what, half an hour? I'm in his class everyday."

"Yeah, well every English department has one. Full of charm and promise it's…Look I understand that you and your mother see more of him than I do but perhaps that's why I have a clearer perspective."

Aria looked at me confused. "What's mom have to do with this?"

"Well, she's not immune to that kind of charm. This book signing thing he's taking her to…"

Aria let out a sigh. "That's not just mom. Half of the teachers in the English department are going." I looked down. Well, I feel like a jackass now.

"Oh," I whispered. "Well, listen, when Mike gets home we'll pick a place for dinner." I walked away from her.

I should have known Ella wouldn't sleep with him. He's not her type. They may flirt but I don't think she'd ever do anything. Plus, he really didn't seem like the type of guy to go after married women. I leaned against the kitchen counter in thought. I owed this guy an apology.

"Dad?" I heard Aria shout from the living room.

"Yeah?" I yelled back.

"I'm going over Spencer's for the night! Is that okay?" she asked.

"Yeah!" I hollered back. "That's fine," I whispered more to myself. I sighed and dug in the fridge for something to eat.

Later that evening, I called the school. I asked them if I could speak to Ezra but they had informed me that he'd already gone home. They asked if I wanted to leave a message but I declined. I was going to just leave it alone but I thought back to earlier. I was an ass to the guy. What if he punished Aria because of it? I sighed and got out the phone book. I flipped through the pages until I found Ezra Fitz. I dialed the number on the page and listened to it ring. It rang several times before the answering machine picked up.

"Mr. Fitz, this is Byron Montgomery. I'm Aria's dad. Look, uh, I'm sorry about how our meeting went. I owe you, make good on that. I've read your stories and I'd like to talk to you so maybe we could have a beer? Give me a call, okay? Thanks," I said before hitting end. I sighed. He probably wouldn't call back.

A few minutes passed before the phone rang. I answered it. "Hello?"

"Mr. Montgomery? It's Ezra Fitz, Aria's English teacher," said the voice on the other end.

"Oh, yes, right, Mr. Fitz. Listen, I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was way out of line. It's just been a stressful couple of weeks." I closed my eyes at the excuse I made.

"Oh, it's fine. I kind of figured the stress had to be getting to you," he sympathized.

"Sorry?" I said. Ella told him about everything that's going on?

"Well, I know you and Ella separated. I realize now that her and I going to a book signing together may have sounded much like a date to you. I'd just like to assure you, Mr. Montgomery, that I have no intention of dating your wife. She's great and all but…it'd be awkward to say the least." He chuckled nervously. I laughed.

"I could see where that I might be awkward." There was a long silence. "So, would you like to grab a beer? I read some stories of yours online. There really good."

Ezra scoffed. "Thanks," he said politely. "I don't think they're that great. I've actually been using your daughter's expertise. She's been reading them over and checking for mistakes. She's my personal spell-checker." He laughed.

"Yeah, she liked to do the same with some of my old stories. Now, she writes her own," I informed him.

"I know. I read a few of them," he replied. I was flabbergasted. She let him read her stories?

"I'm stunned," I told him.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"She never lets me read her stories. If I so much as attempt to read them she flips out on me."

Ezra chuckled. "Yeah, well, it's different having your teacher read your work than it is your dad." I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Mr. Montgomery, I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to go. I'd love to have that beer sometime. Just name the time and place." He agreed to meet me at one of the local bars next week. I was completely wrong about the guy. He didn't just act like a nice guy, he was one. He was a genuinely nice guy.

A/N: Soooo, I was right about Ella seeing Spezra together(= Although, her reaction kind of surprised me a little. I always thought she suspected Aria and Ezra were together but based on episode 10, I'm guessing she has no clue whatsoever. That completely goes against this story! Lol. Oh well=P Does anyone know if Ezra is in episode 11? In other news, school starts back August 23rd so I'm not sure how much writing I'll be doing. I will do my best to write but I'm not making any promises. It will be difficult with an AP class and work and school. Anywho, be sure to review!(=