A/N: Bonjour.
Disclaimer: "Pretty Little Liars" is not mine.
Aria's footsteps faltered as the room came into view. People were quietly talking, their murmurs bouncing off walls and high ceilings, echoing throughout the building. The intricate patterns on the marble floors were indistinguishable with dozens of people scattered across them, mingling. A massive amount of chairs was set up in the center of the room, their fronts pointing to a stage. The atmosphere was vibrant and alive.
Aria didn't even realize she'd stopped walking until Ezra nearly bumped into her. She blinked her eyes in surprise, this being far from what she'd expected. Ezra halted next to her. His eyes were darting in different directions, taking in the scenery.
"What do you think?" he questioned.
"I didn't realize there were going to be so many people here," Aria replied quietly.
A jaw-dropping number was milling about. Meanwhile, Aria had turned as white as a sheet. What kind of writing competition was this? What had happened to the kind where you would submit a story and hear whether or not you'd won afterwards? What was the purpose of her reading her story out loud in front of all these people? Was it really necessary?
"I'm sure they will love your story," Ezra assured her.
"How do you know?" asked she. "You didn't even read it!"
"And whose fault is that?"
Because of the one week's notice, Aria hadn't had time to write something new. Instead, she'd dug up one of her old short stories and refused to let Ezra read it until it was completely edited. She was always nervous about showing people her work, but she didn't want to show Ezra anything she'd written until she was absolutely certain that she'd perfected it. There had been no time for him to read it by the time that she had actually finished, though.
Aria opened her mouth to defend herself, but her eyes were dragged towards another direction when Spencer walked past them. Ezra's hand went to Aria's arm as he gave her an alarmed look. Spencer had dropped her eyes when she had seen Aria leave Ezra's hotel room—and she had ignored the both of them for the past two hours since. There had been a few attempts at small talk on Aria's part, but none had been successful.
"I'll be right back," Aria said to Ezra, before she walked after her friend. "Spencer!"
Spencer was dimly aware of Aria's voice calling out her name, but she kept her eyes fixed on the people in front of her. She purposefully shoved herself through the crowd, although she didn't have a clue where she was going. She came to a stumbling halt when Aria grabbed her arm, shaking her out of her trance.
"What?" Spencer spat out furiously.
"I know you saw me," replied Aria. A hint of doubt flecked her voice, although she hid it well. Aria's face was guarded, but her eyes were practically burning holes into Spencer's as she carefully examined her friend. Aria hadn't been a hundred percent certain if Spencer had really seen her leave Ezra's hotel room, but the brief flash of… something on Spencer's face—though gone so quickly Aria nearly thought she'd imagined it—convinced her differently.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Spencer said.
She freed herself from Aria's grasp with one simple movement and continued walking. Spencer threatened to melt into the crowd of contestants, but Aria followed her, increasing her pace to match Spencer's.
"I don't know what you saw or what you think you saw," Aria said to Spencer's back, "but can we please just talk about it?"
Spencer didn't reply. She wove her way around small clusters of people of various ages, who were very busy exchanging pleasantries. Some people were already finding their seats, whereas others, like Spencer, were walking in different directions. A simple door, painted a brilliant ivory color, soon came into view. It was frequently blocked from Spencer's line of vision by people walking past her, but the symbol of a woman on it—identifying the room behind it as the ladies' room—was unmistakable.
"Spence!" Aria called out, her voice a tad bit pleading. "It wasn't what it looked like."
Spencer turned around so abruptly Aria nearly crashed into her. She arched a brow and her intense gaze all of the sudden landed on Aria. Aria shifted uncomfortably as she stopped walking, while simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief because she'd at least managed to evoke some kind of reaction.
"It looked to me like you were leaving Mr. Fitz' hotel room," Spencer said.
Her words knocked Aria's breath out of her chest. Spencer had seen her when she'd left Ezra's room. Aria had guessed as much, but why hadn't Spencer said anything about it? Was she angry? Was she confused? What was she?
Aria blushed. "Well, I did, but that's not what I meant by—"
Spencer didn't wait for Aria to finish. She'd already turned around, walking away again. Her disappearing figure grew smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared behind the bathroom door. This time, Aria didn't follow her.
It rapidly became clear to Ezra why two days had been scheduled for this writing competition. Each contestant took about ten minutes as he or she read his or her story, and there was a room full of the little bastards waiting to go on stage. Ezra was very grateful for the word count limit. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the judges—seated behind the crowd—who had to listen intently to each and every entry.
The schedule had been announced. Juniors were on Saturday, seniors on Sunday. Listening to the stories of others was optional for contestants. Three Rosewood students were scheduled for Saturday afternoon, though, which is why the entire group had had the pleasure of listening to the stories of a bunch of strangers for a good hour and a half now as they waited for the Rosewood juniors to go on stage. Some were really well-written, but most were absolutely terrible. The English teacher inside of Ezra Fitz could barely stand to listen to them, making mental corrections and improvements without thinking twice about it.
He felt a little bad as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket out of boredom, but not bad enough to stop himself from doing it. He glanced at Aria, sitting a couple seats away from him. She had sunk as far as she could into her seat, the weight of her head supported by her hand. He smiled as he watched her stifle a yawn, before he returned his attention to his phone.
Aria jumped in her seat as her phone chimed loudly, interrupting the quiet in the room. The girl on the stage paused mid-sentence. A couple people turned around in their seats to see where the noise was coming from, glaring at Aria as they singled her out.
"I—I'm sorry," Aria stammered.
She was well-aware that her face was doing a good impersonation of a strawberry. She quickly found her phone and fumbled with the device. The ringtone had stopped, but she turned off the sound. The girl on stage resumed where she'd left off. Aria gave Ezra a dirty look as she saw that he was the one who'd texted her. He responded with an innocent shrug. Aria shook her head as she opened his text.
I think we should take Spencer with us tonight.
The message wasn't what she'd expected and Aria inwardly smirked at the idea. She looked up to meet Ezra's eyes in the crowd, bewildered and confused by the mere suggestion, especially since it was coming from him. Her expression turned deadly serious as she noticed that Ezra didn't seem to find the prospect very funny, as even the smallest trace of amusement wasn't detectable on his handsome features. Her fingers moved quickly and Ezra got his reply a couple seconds later.
You're kidding, right?
Aria was nervous about meeting Brody Adams, which was going to happen tonight. She didn't know anything about the guy, except for his name and whatever small knowledge she'd gained during their unusual chit-chats on the phone. During their first conversation, Aria had been on a date with another guy and Ezra was supposed to pick her up in his car. During their second conversation, she had been with Ezra in New York City—the town he was visiting because he was supervising a high school trip. Brody had to be curious how Aria was related to Ezra. Bringing along Spencer, who was wondering the exact same thing, was probably not the best idea there was out there.
I'm not. I think it might be good for her to see us together.
Aria nearly groaned in frustration—she couldn't reply out loud, but she had plenty to say. This was, after all, Spencer Hastings they were talking about. The girl had an IQ too big for her own good and Spencer was going to figure them out in no time if she actually put her mind to it. Perhaps "you're living together" wouldn't be Spencer's first guess, but "you're attracted to each other" might very well be.
I don't think so.
Aria waited until Ezra got her text, and met his eyes. She shook her head at him, indicating that it was a bad idea. He took it into consideration, before he started on his reply. Soon afterwards, Aria's phone vibrated, alerting her to a new text message. She opened it.
Why not?
Aria had so many reasons she didn't even know where to begin, but she was more curious about why Ezra thought that it was a good idea to bring Spencer along. He had to know what complications that might cause.
Why would it be good for her to see us together?
Ezra replied without hesitation.
Your family is in Iceland. You shouldn't push away your friends.
The last Rosewood junior was scheduled to go on at 4 PM, and by 4.30 PM the group from Rosewood High School finally left the building. They went back to the hotel to freshen up and ate dinner together, this time at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant Ezra had discovered by accident as they strolled through the neighborhood.
Spencer was behaving like her normal self again, making witty remarks and clever jokes. Aria decided not to question it, sitting next to Spencer with as much distance between her and Ezra as was physically possible while still sitting at the same table.
The students got the evening to themselves, as long as they'd be back at the hotel by 1 AM and wouldn't wander off alone. Anna Mendoza went back to her room. Spencer was a little thrown off when Aria suggested they'd go with Ezra, but she agreed. Aria had a feeling Spencer was hoping to find out a little more about her weird situation with their English teacher.
They walked through unfamiliar streets to get to wherever it was that Ezra and Brody had agreed to meet. Both Aria and Spencer had no idea where they were going, but Ezra did seem to know. Either he had been in this part of New York before or he had a knack for guessing which way to go when they reached a crossing. After a five-minute walk he finally came to a stop. Spencer's eyes widened slightly.
"He's taking us to a bar?" Spencer hissed incredulously in Aria's ear.
Aria wasn't sure how to respond. Was he taking them to a bar? She took him opening the door for them as a yes. She shrugged uneasily at Spencer and went inside. Spencer followed and Ezra closed the door behind them. No IDs had to be checked, which meant they probably did that if you ordered an alcoholic drink at the bar. The place was nearly deserted, only three boots filled with people. A soft hum of a song Aria didn't recognize was easily heard over their chatter.
Brody wasn't hard to find. As soon as he saw Ezra cross the threshold, he stood and walked over. They greeted each other, hugging briefly. Spencer was frowning by the time that they let go of each other.
Brody gave the girls a lazy grin, towering over them. He was tall—much taller than Ezra. His sandy brown hair was messy, repeatedly falling over his face. His broad shoulders and well-built body revealed that he was definitely older than they were. Twenty-three, if Aria had to guess.
"Nice to meet you, ladies."
They both nodded in acknowledgement.
"This is Aria," Ezra said, motioning to Aria, "and Spencer." His hand moved on to his other English student.
"I'm Brody."
Brody shook Spencer's hand first. His grin grew wider as he turned to Aria—he definitely remembered her, as she'd expected he would. He didn't hide it when he looked her up and down. He studied her for a moment, comparing her to the image of her he'd created in his head.
"It's nice to finally put a face to your voice," Aria said with a small smile.
"Yes, it is," Brody said with a chuckle. He turned towards Ezra. "I'm going to get some beers and then you can show me if you still know how to play."
Before Ezra could respond, Brody had already disappeared. The frown on Spencer's face hadn't. She hadn't said a word since they'd arrived, and Ezra was starting to realize that he and Aria needed to give her some sort of explanation soon. Ezra's hand went through his tousled hair, before he turned to look at Aria and Spencer.
"That's one my college friends," Ezra said, more to Spencer than to Aria. "Do, err… Do you guys want to play pool?"
"Yes, we do."
Aria turned to look at Spencer in surprise, not expecting her to answer and not expecting her to agree to play. Ezra hid his reaction a little better and motioned for them to follow him. They crossed the room and Aria finally noticed the pool table hidden in a corner. It was surrounded by tables, which were in turn surrounded by ladder-back chairs—none of which were occupied.
"Why are we meeting his college friend in a bar?" whispered Spencer in Aria's ear. She nervously glanced at Ezra, who was walking a couple feet in front of them.
"I don't know," Aria whispered back. She was genuinely surprised he'd chosen this location. Then again, it was probably Brody who had made the decision, as he lived in New York.
"Is this the guy you spoke on the phone with?"
"I think so."
Ezra took three cue sticks from the wall, and handed Aria and Spencer one. The pool table was hard to miss now that it had been pointed out. An interesting lamp hung above it, lighting up the quarried slate covered in green cloth. Colorful balls with numbers on them were spread over the table. Ezra positioned the object balls in a triangular rack, readying them for an 8-ball game. The white one, the cue ball, he took in his hand.
"Have you guys ever played before?" Ezra asked.
Aria shook her head, because she hadn't, while Spencer nodded, because she had. Spencer opened her mouth to add something, but closed it again as Brody returned with four beers on a tray. He placed it on the nearest table and grabbed a cue stick.
"Shall I break?" he asked.
"Go for it," replied Aria with a shrug. She had no idea what it meant, but she assumed it was taking the first shot of the game.
She was right. Ezra handed Brody the cue ball and he started the game, hitting the ball with a nudge hard enough to break the rack and pocket two balls. He missed his next shot, either because he had no aim, because he was distracted, or because he simply messed up his shot. Aria was up next and, although she'd studied Brody intently, she still had no clue what to do. She gave Ezra a panicked look.
"Do you want me to help you?" Ezra asked her with a chuckle.
"Okay," Aria said hesitantly.
Her eyes widened slightly as Ezra stepped behind her. She glanced at Spencer, who was wearing a mask of indifference, and back at the table. She cleared her throat and assumed the position she thought Brody had been in. Ezra's chest touched her shoulders as he loosely wrapped his arms around Aria. She felt his breath at the nape of her neck.
"Your right hand," Ezra said, guiding it, "should be right about here. In the beginning it's really about what feels comfortable."
He turned his attention to her left hand, adjusting her fingers, helping her balance the cue stick in the right way. Aria had to remind herself to keep breathing.
"Do you think you can hit it?" Ezra asked. He moved even closer, his breath fanning her right cheek.
"Yeah, I think I'll try," Aria said quickly.
Ezra stepped backwards, taking his warmth with him, and Aria gave Spencer another worried look. Her entire facial expression had changed, her mask of indifference replaced by a kaleidoscope of emotions—surprise and confusion being the most dominant ones. Spencer's eyes were full of questions as their gazes locked and Aria quickly looked away. She leaned over the table and hit the ball she had to hit dead-on.
A/N: I'm going to France for three weeks, so I won't be able to update for a while. It's going to be some experience—the nearest grocery store is an hour away from our campsite. My "bonjour" and "je-ne-parle-pas-français" probably won't get me very far, but we'll see, haha. :) Please review!