Chapter 11:
(Quick note. There's a bit of a time gap this chapter. Aria is now seven months pregnant)
"No! Stop, please! No!"
Ezra's eyes flew open as a scream filled his ears. He turned around to see Aria shaking and crying, her eyes shut tight.
"Aria, wake up." Ezra said, shaking her gently. Aria's eyes flew open and she started to hit him, her eyes wide in terror.
"No, stop it! Let go!" she yelled, her eyes wide in terror.
"Aria, it's me." Ezra said, trying to stop her flailing limbs.
Aria struggled for a moment before collapsing against his chest.
"Shh, it's okay. It was just a dream." Ezra soothed, running his hand up and down her back.
"H-he was hitting me, and he w-wouldn't stop." Aria sobbed, clinging to Ezra's body so hard that it hurt him but he just continued to rub her back.
"It was just a dream. I won't let him hurt you ever again." Ezra murmured. He continued to calm her for the next hour until her crying reduced to hiccups. After a while Aria let go and got up.
"Where are you going?" Ezra asked.
"I'm going to go for a drive, I need some air." Aria replied, grabbing her keys.
"Okay, let's go." Ezra said, getting up.
"You're coming too?" Aria asked, surprised.
"Of course! It's 4 am and you're pregnant and upset." Ezra pointed out, tossing Aria a sweater as he put one over his own head.
Aria smiled, relieved. She was glad that he was going with her, she didn't want to be by herself. "Thanks." she said, handing him the keys. He held her hand as they walked out of his apartment and down to the parking lot.
"Anywhere specific you wanted to go?" Ezra asked, settling into the driver's seat.
Aria shook her head. "Is it okay if we just drive around for a little while?" she asked quietly.
"Of course." Ezra said, pulling out of the parking lot. He started to drive around, eventually towards the outskirts of Rosewood. Aria stared out the window in silence. Ezra could tell that she was exhausted but he knew that sleep wasn't easy for Aria because she had nightmares often and woke up screaming. Lately they had started to become less frequent, but tonight had been really bad. Ezra reached over and squeezed Aria's leg before reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers. Aria looked over and gave Ezra a tired smile before going back to staring out the wind.
"What are you thinking about?" Ezra asked after a few minutes.
Aria shrugged. "A little of everything I guess. The baby, my dream...Jake."
"Want to talk about it?" Ezra asked.
Aria sighed. "Whenever I'm thinking about anything, Jake always manages to creep into my thoughts. I could be thinking of something as simple as what I want for dinner, or whether or not to buy something and then all of a sudden something will trigger a memory of when I was with Jake and it's driving me insane."
Ezra squeezed her hand. "That's not your fault. He had a huge impact on your life and you couldn't help that. He may be someone you think about a lot now, but with time your memory of him will start to fade away."
Aria's lips turned up just the slightest bit. "Thanks. You always know the perfect thing to say."
Ezra squeezed her hand again and offered a smile before turning his eyes back to the road.
"Try to get some sleep." he said gently, touching her cheek with his hand before placing it back in hers. Aria closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window. Ezra started to hum Happiness quietly, trying to lull her to sleep. Before long, he could hear her soft snores over the engine.
Ezra looked over at her to make sure she was asleep before turning around a driving back to Rosewood. He arrived home within an hour with Aria still asleep and he gently lifted her out of the car. She sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest as he gently carried her up to his apartment. Once inside, he placed her on his bed and tucked her in before sliding in next to her. Once he was in bed, he felt Aria cuddling into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Soon enough he fell asleep too, his love by his side.
*PLL*
"Ezra? Wake up!" Aria whispered, shaking Ezra.
"Mmmm" Ezra groaned, slapping Aria's hand away as he covered himself in a blanket.
"Ezra!" Aria said, annoyed. She shook him again.
Ezra lifted his head out of the blanket. "What's the matter?" he asked groggily.
"Can you get me a burger and fries...and maybe a shake?" Aria asked.
Ezra looked at her strangely. "Aria, it's 9am."
Aria shrugged. "I can't control the cravings. Blame the baby."
Ezra rolled his eyes as he sat up. "You're lucky I love you."
Aria smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "Thanks babe."
"Back in a bit." Ezra responded, pulling a pair of jeans over his boxers and grabbing his keys before exiting the apartment. When he returned a half hour later he found Aria curled up on the couch, asleep. He put the food on the table and went over to her, gently shaking her awake.
"Aria? Honey, your food's here." he said gently as Aria opened her eyes.
Aria sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Okay." she said, getting up. As soon as she stood, she lost her balance and almost fell face-first onto the ground if Ezra hadn't caught her.
"Wow, are you alright?" Ezra asked, concerned.
Aria nodded, holding her head. "Yeah...yeah, just a little dizzy. I'm fine."
"Here." Ezra said, helping her sit back down. "I'll bring you the food and you can just eat here."
"Thanks sweetie." Aria said, as Ezra grabbed a tray and put the burger, fries and shake on it, giving it to Aria.
"Anything for you." Ezra replied, taking a fry and popping it into his mouth before sitting down next to Aria. "I'm ordering you to bed rest for the next few days at least. At seven months you should be taking things easy. You need to relax for the baby's sake, especially because of all the stress that you've been dealing with. Just try to take it easy, okay?"
"But Ezra, we still need to finish picking out the baby's clothes and we still haven't bought the crib and-" Aria started.
"No buts Aria. I'll have the girs help finish picking out the rest of the clothes, crib and everything else. All you need to worry about is making sure you and the baby stay healthy" Ezra said firmly.
Aria looked like she was about to protest but Ezra gave her a look and she kept quiet. Once she finished eating she lay down on the couch and turned the TV on, falling asleep within an hour.
As Ezra watched his girlfriend sleep he thought of how much things had changed lately. At first he had been very uncomfortable with the thought of Aria keeping the baby, although he made sure not to let it show, but now he actually started looking forward to the idea of being a sort-of father. The child may not be his, and it may not have been made with love, but it belonged to the love of his life and he was actually excited to welcome the new baby into the world. Everyone else seemed to be happy too as the girls were always constantly buying new things for the baby, and Ella and Byron had been helping them out a lot, taking care of Aria while Ezra worked, bringing over meals sometimes because they knew that too much take-out was bad for the baby, things like that. Everyone had really come together to help make sure they were ready for the baby's arrival when the time came.
The best part was that Aria hadn't seen or heard from Jake in at least three months and he had no idea that Aria was pregnant. They were careful to make sure that Aria didn't leave the house very often just in case, and they were always looking out for Jake whenever she was out, but so far things were going well. Hopefully they would stay that way.
Ezra got up and gently lifted Aria up from the couch, trying to be careful, but with the added weight of the baby it was difficult. He carried her to the bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead before leaving her to sleep peacefully.
Hope you liked the chapter! I know this chapter wasn't too eventful but next chapter there is sure to be some stuff going on. Remember to review, I love hearing from you all :)