Chapter 12
Aria
"Do I have to help today?" Ezra groaned. Aria was at his bedside shaking him to wake him up. She had already spent an hour getting ready and Ezra was still not awake. She had done everything she could to get his lazy ass out of bed. The only she was missing was an air horn which she was planning on buying after the day was out.
"Yes. I mean, if you don't help move Spencer into Toby's house, I'm not moving into your house."
He threw the pillow off his face and looked up at the brunette. "Fine. Done. I'll help, but when are you moving in?"
"I'm already living here. You just got the perk of not having all of my crap taking up your space." She grabbed his hands and pulled him up from the bed, although she really didn't do much. Her petite body couldn't do much against his manly self. If he wanted to, he would pull her on top of him instead of playing along like he did so often, but lucky for them, he didn't play that game today. They had thirty minutes to get back to the apartment and move things. The girls, excluding Aria, were all at Spencer's house setting up everything and Aria and the guys were moving things. Technically, Aria was just overseeing the operation because Spencer wanted someone at the apartment with them to make sure that they didn't get distracted or go through her things. She was a little over paranoid about the guys touching her things even though most of it was wrapped in plastic and packed in boxes.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. Wanna join?" His grin was tempting, but she looked away so it was easier.
She poked his bare chest with a smile on her face. "First of all, I'm already ready, Sleeping Beauty. Second of all, when we take a shower together, it's never a quick shower."
He rolled his eyes and sulked his way to the bathroom. "Why do I get stuck moving Spencer's things?"
"Because you are a part of us now and we do everything together. We don't let our people move their own things. They're going to help me move. That's just how it works. Stop pouting and get over it. When you and I are a thing, you and Spencer, Hanna, Emily, Caleb, and Toby are a thing. Get it? Got it? Good."
Aria turned on her black heels and walked out of the bedroom, to the other guest room. Ezra had given her permission to use the first guest room as her dark room. Technically, he had told her that if she asked for permission to do one more thing in their house, he was going to punch a hole in the wall. Theoretically, obviously. Anyway, since then, she was always standing in there envisioning what the dark room would look like when she was done with it. Ezra had his office in the hallway of the downstairs, which left one extra bedroom that they didn't know what they were going to do with. That was the one she found herself in at the moment. She tried not to get too far ahead of herself. She didn't even have a rock on her finger yet and she was already envisioning what would happen to the extra guest bedroom.
"What are you doing?"
She turned around, startled by Ezra's sudden presence in the empty room. "You take really fast showers, Mister."
"I needed a towel. I thought you were making the other room into your dark room because it only has one window?"
She nodded, a guilty smile on her face. "I was. I was just thinking about things because this is the bigger room. But you're right. The first one has only one window. I'm going to make some coffee. I'll see you after your shower. And hurry up. Please. I don't want to be late."
Aria walked out of the room realizing she probably shouldn't be so obvious about things. There was no way he would buy any lies that came out of her mouth. He knew her too well. She just didn't want to talk to him about what she was thinking about. It all just seemed too weird. Hanna and Caleb had talked about kids and marriage and those things but they decided that they didn't want kids right away because they wanted to be able to have fun. Caleb wanted to have fun without the wedding band and Hanna was the other way but they were the same as far as the kids subject. At least they talked about it. Aria and Ezra had just briefly talked about marriage and it was only as far as both of them agreeing that they wanted to be married. Besides, her career was just taking off anyway. She didn't have time for kids or anything of that sort. Ezra, she knew, was ready to settle down and have it all. He had practically done everything anyway. Now, he was just ready for commitment. That was good for her even if she couldn't bring herself to talk about it with him.
"So when are you going to propose to Hanna?" Aria asked Caleb while they loaded boxes into the truck.
He shrugged. "I don't know yet. I have a ring. Actually, I have the one Hanna picked out that she all but bought for herself. I'm just waiting for the right time."
"Trust me, Caleb. The right time is sooner rather than later. The girl is losing it. I'm so tired of hearing about your commitment issues."
Caleb laughed at her and shook his head in disbelief. "She said I have commitment issues?"
Aria nodded. "Along with a few other choice words. You guys have been together for six years. Of course she wants something."
"Okay and what about you Ms. 'I'm so cool. I'm dating my teacher?' Have any wedding plans yet?"
Toby and Ezra came out of the building with boxes in their arms and Aria looked at Caleb. "We need to go get more boxes." She grabbed his hand and yanked him away from the truck, knocking him off balance for a few steps. "None of the girls know, so you're not going to let it slip, got it?"
"So you two are getting married?"
"Sort of. He asked when he was drunk and then he said he'd ask me when he wasn't drunk or hungover, so now I'm waiting. But at least him and I have gotten farther than you two have. If you were my boyfriend, your ass would be on the couch. You know what girls think when you're living with them but show no sign of commitment? They think you're using them for sex."
He choked on his spit and looked at Aria with wide eyes. "That's not…"
"It doesn't matter…" she interrupted. "You're sleeping with her, she's playing housewife and doing everything for you, you're not showing that you want more out of the relationship. She feels used and unappreciated. Once the honeymoon phase is over, you've got to work to make your girl happy."
Caleb picked up a lamp from her room and Aria took a few bags of clothes. "I love you, but we're good. And what's the point in marriage anyway? You sign a piece of paper, say 'I do', and it's over. The end."
"Ezra, smack him for me!" Aria told Ezra when they passed the other two guys. She had no free hand, but that's what she had Ezra for.
Ezra did as told and smacked Caleb, hard, in the arm. No questions asked. Toby looked at all of them with scrunched eyebrows, trying to figure out why his friends were such freaks.
"Ow! What the hell!" he yelled, looking back at Ezra.
"I don't know. But I don't chance it with Aria," Ezra responded. "If I don't do as told, she gets mean and that's not fun for anyone."
Aria smirked, loving the control she had over her boyfriend. "You never ever say that to a woman, got it? What does Hanna see in you anyway? You're awful!"
"Thanks. You're pretty great yourself," he sarcastically responded.
Her phone started ringing in the back pocket of her jeans and she answered it cautiously. Last time she had gotten a call, I had been from Hanna who was fuming because Spencer was being controlling and annoying. Hanna called Aria because apparently it was her job to calm the obsessive woman down but she didn't do so well with that. From the phone calls she had gotten and the angry texts that she had received and not replied to, Aria was afraid to go over to that house. It was like three women PMSing times seven. The three guys and Aria were taking their sweet time getting things loaded. They weren't ready to walk into a warzone.
"Where are you?" Spencer yelled into the phone.
Aria put the phone on speaker while the four of them stood in the staircase of the apartment building. "We're almost done," Aria replied honestly. She looked around at the guys that wore nervous expressions. Toby was cringing at the sound of his angry girlfriend's voice. At least the rest of them got to go home at the end of it. He had to live with the woman that, at times, could be more than anyone could handle. Aria knew this better than anyone. Spencer was just plain scary.
"You were almost done a half an hour ago!"
Caleb lay a hand on Toby's shoulder. "This is your last chance to run. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? You can escape. Once you're in there, there's no going back."
"I heard that!" Spencer's voice boomed through the speakers. "I'm telling Hanna what you said, Caleb. She already hates you because of your commitment issues."
He turned to Aria with a frustrated expression. "Does everyone know about me not proposing? I mean, Toby hasn't and Ezra hasn't either. Why am I the one with commitment issues?"
Aria shrugged with a smile. "Ezra sort of did and Toby's been in New York. You have no excuse."
"Wait," Spencer said, her voice a lot lighter than before. "When did Ezra propose?"
"Gotta go. Bye!" Aria hurriedly said into the phone. That wasn't supposed to slip out. She wasn't even supposed to tell Caleb. Having your boyfriend propose to you while being hammered didn't really call for celebration.
"Okay, let's get the few other boxes and head out to get some lunch," Aria suggested.
"Sounds good," Ezra agreed.
"Hey, what do you guys think of taking a trip to New York one weekend?" Toby asked. "There's a lot I want to show you guys and I'm sure we're all ready for a vacation. After everyone gets moved in, we should do that."
Aria nodded. "I'm sure everyone would be on board with that. There's no such thing as too much time away from Rosewood. It might even make the guys here step up. Just think about it you two. Toby doesn't have to worry but Caleb and Ezra need to start watching their backs."
She pushed past them to leave the men pondering what she said. Spencer was in no rush but she and Hanna obviously were and what could be better than a proposal in the city that never sleeps? Marriage didn't even matter. Aria was just excited that all of them got to get out of town together. They were going to have so much fun.
"I'll come with. It'll be just like old times."
Aria's smile dropped from her face and she turned around again to see the same blonde staring at her that she swore she'd never have to see again. After the night at the cabin, she was too creeped out to even be around Alison.
"No. No you won't," Aria told her firmly. That smirk didn't leave her face. It creeped Aria out majorly. She couldn't even look at the woman's face. The thought of having to see Alison every time she went to the grocery store terrified her.
"Make that a trip to the bar instead of lunch," Caleb said.
"I'm in!" Aria responded almost too quickly.
Ali snickered and walked past them so she was standing at the top of the stairwell. "I'm around so just let me know when that road trip is. Can't wait, Friends."
Aria looked at the guys and then down at the ground. She was suddenly nauseous and feeling very uneasy. There was actually no way to escape her. She felt like she was drowning in -A mess all over again.
Thanks to everyone that reviewed and a special thanks to Diasyfitz for the review and the ideas. I will definitely take them into account when writing. I love it. It's funny though because I always thought I wrote too much dialogue and that made it boring, but I guess some people like more dialogue. I'll remember that when I'm stressing out trying to perfect it.
Remember to review and give me ideas please.
