Disclaimer: I don't own PLL.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Morning girlies!" I exclaim as I sit down at the table next to Spencer, Hanna across from me and Emily across from Spencer.
"Morning..." Spencer drawls curiously.
I look at all them with raised eye brows and they all narrow theirs in response.
"What put you in such a good mood?" Spencer asks me suspiciously.
"Oh! You totally got laid last night." Hanna exclaims accusingly, raising a finger to point at me.
"Hanna!" Emily exclaims mortified, glancing around at the other tables.
"What?" Hanna fires back in defence.
"I kind of have to agree Hanna on this one... Aria so got lucky last night." Spencer tells Emily before wiggling her eye brows at me.
"Guys! Stop it..." I tell them giggling, and reaching across to steal Hanna's coffee before bringing it to my lips to take a sip.
"So, I'm guessing everything went well with the bitch Jackie then?" Hanna asks me snatching her coffee back and glaring at me.
"Yep. It went perfectly. It felt great." I told them, catching my bottom lip in my teeth trying to stop my large smile.
"And you forgave Ezra that easily?" Emily asks with a quiet caring tone.
"I bet she made him work for it." Hanna throws a wink at me before releasing loud giggles at her accusation.
"He said he was just trying to buy us time... that he was working on getting blackmail on Jackie." I tell them while picking at my black nails.
"And you believed him?" Spencer's tone is littered with shock and disbelief.
"I did," I nod my head softly before taking a deep breath; "he told me that if he couldn't find anything on her, he was going to go to the dean and tell him everything. That I was too important to lose."
"Awwww." I roll my eyes as all three of them gush.
"And you believed him? You? Aria?" Spencer pushes me once more and I shrug whilst nodding my head.
"Yes." I breathe out finally and the table is surrounded by shocked silence.
"Wow." Emily says while leaning back in her seat.
"It's really not a big deal guys." I tell them averting my eyes to my phone, checking the time.
"Not a big deal?" Spencer asks with a snort.
"Please, Aria. This is you we're talking about. You don't trust anyone except us. You sure as hell don't get into a relationship and trust that easily. We're just trying to work out what happened..."
"I don't know. It feels different with him, like I can trust him. That I can count on him being there for me, wherever or whenever. I feel like he accepts me for me. When I'm around him I forget about everything else, it's just the two of us. My heart beats faster when I'm around him and I get butterflies in my stomach and I can't stop smiling... Does that sound stupid?" I ask them surveying their shocked faces.
"N-no. Of course not."Hanna tells me quickly before glancing at the others.
"It sounds like love." My mouth drops open at Spencer's statement before I shake my head fiercely.
"Don't say that. He said it... by accident and I don't think he meant it. But he said it, and we're supposed to be taking things slow. That's not slow." I reply in a rush before shaking my head some more, forcefully denying the possibility of love.
Love.
I hate that word.
I don't believe in love.
Do I?
"Love doesn't exist." I tell them before biting my bottom lip in thought.
"Aria. It does, we have never pushed you before because we were waiting for you to meet that guy that will help you believe again, that guy who will treat you like you're his everything. You've found that guy; don't screw it up by taking too long to realise what's right in front of you."Spencer tells me grasping my hand, and running her thumb gently along my knuckles.
"Which is what?" I ask cautiously, holding my breath waiting for the answer.
"Love. You're in love with him. Aria, don't deny it. Embrace it." Spencer tells me, her eyes staring into mine intensively.
"What? I don't." I shake my head, feeling a tear slip down my cheek.
"Aria, love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Please, please don't realise it too late. Because if you take too long... you'll end up losing him. He won't wait around forever Aria. Sometimes you just have to take a chance on love." Spencer tells me again, while the other girls watch on for support.
"What if he hurts me? I don't want to get hurt again." My lips start to quiver as more tears slip down my cheeks, and Spencer reaches up wiping them away gently.
"What are you looking at?" I giggle softly as Hanna hisses at a bunch of freshman girls for staring at us.
"I know you don't want to get hurt again. But it's the risk you have to take to be happy Aria. If you don't risk it, to be truly happy with the man you love then what's the point of life? If you don't find someone to share it with. Someone to ask you how your day was, someone to listen to you, someone to comfort you... Aria, Ezra loves you and he wants to be that guy. So let him." Spencer's hands are now cupping my cheeks before she brings me into a tight hug, my sobs rocking my body.
"I don't know." I mumble out through my crying, releasing a hiccup.
"Just think about it ok? And really try... that's all I'm asking." She tells me again, her fingers running through my hair.
I nod my head into her shoulder before pulling back and wiping my tear stained cheeks with my fingers.
"Now, let's go get you cleaned up." Hanna tells me shaking her handbag stuffed with makeup at me, before rising from her seat and pulling me with her.
I walk down the hallway towards Ezra's office quickly, trying to see him before my next class.
I feel a large smile spread across my face as I reach the door, my hand freezes on the door knob as I stare through the small glass pane in the door.
My eyes narrow at the back of Jackie's head before I yank the door open and march inside. I let out a small hiss as I see her sitting on his desk swinging her legs innocently.
Jackie turns her body slightly to face me and smirks before crossing her legs, purposely trying to flash Ezra.
I take a threatening step closer to her, before moving my eyes to meet Ezra's.
We communicate silently with our eyes for a moment and I start to calm down.
This is what she wants; she wants to get a rise out of me.
"Jackie. Hi, how nice to see you again." I give her a fake smile making my way closer, my eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Aria, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Professor Molina."She bites out at me and my smile grows in return.
"Have you been smoking more weed than usual? I think you've forgotten about our little arrangement. And the fact that Ezra is mine not yours."
"I haven't forgotten anything. I just came by to talk to Ezra about the curriculum." She tells me with a glare.
"Uh huh. Right. Then why are you sitting on his fucking desk like you belong there?" I raise my eye brows challenging her and she just smirks in return.
I curse when I realise she's getting the rise out of me she wanted.
"I mean, sit there if you want. It is a very nice desk isn't it?" I come forward and run my hand along the edge of it slowly, while she narrows her eyes in suspicion.
"We've created some wonderful memories on it haven't we babe?" I ask Ezra as he chocks back a laugh; bringing his hands up to cover his mouth.
"What?" Jackie exclaims her mouth hanging open.
"Oh come on, you do know what we've done on it right?" I raise an eye brow, and smirk as she jumps of the desk so fast she trips over and barely catches herself.
I giggle as she flees the room slamming the door behind her.
Ezra chuckles as I make my way slowly around the desk before sitting down in his lap, his hands circling my waist and bringing me closer to him.
"That was entertaining." He tells me pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Mmmm Hmmm." I mumble while attaching our lips in a long kiss.
I sigh as we pull away and rest our foreheads against each others; I lean in for another kiss wrapping my arms around his neck.
I groan when I catch a glimpse of my watch and place a chaste kiss on Ezra's lips before pulling back and standing up.
"I have class." I tell Ezra with a long sigh, before leaning down to kiss his forehead bringing my right hand up to caress his cheek.
"Will I see you after class?" Ezra asks with hopeful eyes and I place another kiss on his lips.
"Of course. See you then baby."I mumble against his soft lips before pulling away and walking out the door with a large smile on my face.
"Maybe we can create some more wonderful memories on the desk when you get back!" Ezra's calls out behind me, and I throw my head back and laugh.