2016

A/N: The small time jump has not occurred yet in this chapter.

Aria was folding laundry in the living room when Ezra came through the front door on Thursday afternoon. She'd given him his own key to the place not one week ago, yet every time he used it, Aria seemed to forget and panic about who might be coming into her home – although it wasn't like a burglar would be nice enough to use a key.

She stopped mid-fold of one of Sophie's shirts to study the man who'd just come home. He was the same man as before, only now, he looked more exhausted, more fragile. Being around Nicole did that to him.

In the two weeks that he'd been officially temporarily residing at the Montgomery-Callahan apartment, Ezra had met with Nicole three times. The first time was per her request. They'd gone to lunch, or at least that's what Ezra had said. Aria wasn't exactly sure what kind of lunch took four hours, especially when it was with an ex. When he'd come back, Sophie had run into his arms to welcome him home. She'd taken quite a liking to the man she didn't know was her father, and by the way Ezra held her after his lunch-from-hell, it was clear he'd taken quite a liking to her too. Just like she'd been to Matt, Sophie was Ezra's source of comfort after a long day.

The second time had been by complete accident. Ezra volunteered to make a quick trip to the grocery store for some last minute dinner items. The trip that was supposed to take 15 minutes wound up taking 45. He ran into Nicole in the parking lot and according to him, she gave him an earful. About what, Aria didn't know and Ezra wouldn't say.

The third time was today. They'd had a meeting with their lawyers at 1. Ezra had left the apartment about 30 minutes prior to the meeting looking like he was about to vomit. Now that he was back, he appeared as if that was all he'd done for the past couple of hours. Aria wanted to reach out and pull him into a gentle embrace, but she wasn't sure if that would be appropriate.

Two weeks ago, back at the hospital, a hug would've been friendly and welcomed. Now, it would be an embrace filled with sexual tension and want. Lately, that's how everything seemed to be between them, even direct eye contact. But how could things not be? Aria was waking up wrapped in Ezra's arms every morning. They were staying up late to watch movies and helping each other make midnight snack. They were falling back into old habits faster than they ever thought possible. They desperately needed to discuss it, but now was not the time. Ezra's head was far from his body. He didn't need to be reminded of a past situation that was about to become current, while he dealt with a current situation that was about to become his past. One catastrophe at a time.

"The next woman I marry has to be in it for the long haul. I am never going through all of this shit again," Ezra spoke as he ran his hand across the back of his neck and plopped down on the chair next to a stack of Aria's underwear. She blushed and hoped he wouldn't notice.

"How close is the divorce to being finalized?" Aria questioned nonchalantly as she plucked another one of Sophie's shirts from the pile and began folding it in half. She prayed that her voice didn't convey her purpose for asking the question.

There was no denying that she had feelings for Ezra again. Every time they touched, she felt a wave of electricity overcome her body. Every time he laughed, she wanted to hear more. And every time she went to bed in his arms, she felt safe.

But just because there was denying it, didn't mean she wanted to admit it. Technically, Ezra wasn't on the market at the moment. Legally, he was still married. And Aria knew she'd always had a thing for forbidden or secret romances. That's part of the reason they'd kept their relationship on the down low the first time. There was something so incredibly sexy about sneaking around. It turned her on. So before Aria was willing to admit what her heart was screaming so loudly to her brain, she wanted to rule out every possibility for false infatuation. Ezra needed to be available before she could come to a solid conclusion. Aria just needed to know how much longer she was going to have to wait.

"Not close enough," Ezra huffed, leaning back so that he was almost lying down flat.

Aria simply nodded, afraid that if she spoke, her voice might betray her. She was a bit disappointed, but it wasn't like she was expecting him to say it would be finalized tomorrow.

"She's moving. Did I tell you that?" Ezra's tone was indifferent, although his facial expression told Aria that he felt otherwise. He almost looked disgusted.

"No," Aria shook her head. "Is she moving with that guy?"

Aria referred to Nicole's new lover as "that guy" only because Ezra had yet to use his real name. A small part of Aria wondered if he even knew the man's name. It was a silly thought. What man wouldn't know the name of the man who stole his wife? But then again, what man would bother to learn the name of the man who stole his wife? Until recently, Aria couldn't recall Nicole's name without someone reminding her. Jealousy was a powerful thing.

Ezra slowly nodded his head, "Mhmm. They're moving to Kansas City. Apparently his job is taking them there."

"She told you that?" Aria raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that she didn't believe Nicole. Why would anyone lie about moving to Kansas City? Not that there was anything wrong with it, it just wasn't Los Angeles or Boston or anywhere a little more noteworthy than some city in the Midwest. She just didn't think that Ezra and Nicole were on good enough terms to have a conversation so civil that it would lead to her plans for the future.

"My lawyer did," Ezra shrugged, shaking his head. "Awhile ago actually. She and I talked about it at lunch last week. It was brought up again today in the meeting. We had to reschedule our next meeting because she will be there house hunting."

Aria's eyes widened, "They're already looking at houses? When do they plan on moving in?"

"A month or so if they can."

"That was fast," Aria reached across to pick up the first pair of panties in the pile next to Ezra. He eyed them, but said nothing on the matter.

"Nicole is ready to leave. She says the sooner the better, and based on the circumstances, I couldn't agree more," Ezra shifted his position to a more upright one.

"What do you mean?" Aria furrowed her brow. The statement in itself was harmless, but the inflection of Ezra's voice made her ears perk up. Whatever was going on with this move was a little more serious than a job transfer.

"Just the divorce and everything," Ezra said after a moment of hesitation. "They want a clean start."

His answer was rushed. Whatever was really going on, Ezra didn't want to talk about it, so he made up a fake, easy solution to Aria's question. She knew this, but she didn't press him. Divorce had always been a sensitive topic for Ezra. It was even more so now that it was his own. She'd leave him alone for the time being. If he wanted to elaborate on the real reason for Nicole and "that guy's" move, he would.

"So, how will you guys meet if she moves to another state?" Aria asked, already knowing the answer.

"Skype is a wonderful thing, Aria." He sounded annoyed. That was her cue to change the subject completely.

"Sophie's at a friend's house. She's spending the night." That was a safe topic.

"Which friend?" Ezra picked at a loose string on his shirt, asking the question as if he knew all of Sophie's friends already.

"Naomi," Aria grabbed another pair of panties. "You haven't met her."

"Who were the little girls that were over here a couple of days ago?" Ezra squinted his eyes and cocked his head, seemingly believing that those motions would help him remember.

"Katie and Lauren," Aria smiled fondly at the memory of the playdate. "Katie is the one with the blonde hair. Lauren had the glasses."

"That's right," Ezra gasped at his recollection. "Those were the girls who'd had too much sugar for lunch."

Aria giggled, "They weren't hyper, Ezra. They're 8. That's how 8-year-olds are."

"Aria, their screams are still echoing off of Sophie's bedroom walls," Ezra tried to speak in all seriousness, but cracked a smile at his extreme exaggeration. He knew that his comment made him sound all too knew to this parenting thing, but that's exactly what he was: new. He was still learning everything there was to learn about being a parent. Hell, Aria was still learning. However, Aria had at least mastered handling the horrifying event that was a playdate.

Maybe it was because Aria had dealt with the shrill cries of her infant in the middle of the night all those years ago. Maybe it was the fact that Aria had listened as Sophie screamed and slapped and whined as she threw her Terrible Three's tantrum. Maybe it was just that Aria knew kids were loud. Whatever the reason was, Aria had grown accustomed to constant high pitched noise emitting from her daughter's bedroom – not that it happened often, but it did happen. Ezra had not.

The day that Sophie had her friends over, they had shut themselves in her room to play pop star. Ezra thought that meant he'd have a quiet space to start brainstorming lesson plans for the upcoming school year. Aria knew that wouldn't be happening, but she didn't forewarn him.

Instead, she let him join her in the kitchen after about 30 minutes of scream-singing from the three little girls behind Sophie's door. He'd poured himself a glass of water, popped an aspirin, and took a seat at the table, his head immediately finding a place in his hands. He didn't say anything though, not to Sophie, not to Aria. He just sat in silence and listened to his daughter have fun with her friends while his brain swelled in his skull.

He turned in early that night, as if Sophie's fun had worn him out, leaving Aria and Sophie to have some quality mother-daughter time, something that they, surprisingly, hadn't had in awhile. They watched "Inside Out" together, but only got about halfway through before Sophie interrupted Aria with a question that had been haunting her mind ever since. "Is Ezra going to be my new dad?"

The answer wasn't yes. The answer was that he'd always been her dad. But she wasn't about to tell Sophie that, nor was she about to tell Ezra about the one-sided exchange. If she did, he'd do what he always did when the subject was brought up: urge Aria to tell Sophie the truth. She knew that she had to do it eventually, but eventually didn't have to mean soon.

"I keep forgetting that there's this whole curtain you've yet to peek behind when it comes to parenthood," Aria clucked her tongue, shaking the thoughts from her head and focusing on their current conversation.

"What curtain?" Ezra raised an eyebrow, his tone weary.

"The curtain that hides the shit storm that comes with being a parent," Aria held back her giggles to seem serious. She wanted to scare him a little. It would be fun to watch him piss himself.

"And screaming children is not a part of that shit storm?" Ezra laughed, though it was fake.

Aria shook her head, "Oh no. There are things that parents do and put up with that are much worse than the screaming you heard the other day."

That was true. At 18, Aria pictured parenthood to be so different than it actually was. She imagined her sweet baby girl staring up at her with her big eyes and cooing for a better part of the day. Babies only cried when they were hungry or tired, right? Wrong.

Parenting wasn't as glamourous as TV made it seem. Sophie was constantly pooping, or crying, or hungry, or projectile vomiting, or a mix of all four. The amount of times that Aria caught some type of bodily fluid…or solid…coming out of Sophie in her hand was more than she wanted to freely admit. It was only in the rare moments of peace that Aria could look at her child and remember why she put up with all of that.

She thought things would be easier as Sophie got older…they weren't. Each year brought on a new set of problems: potty training, tantrums, picking up on words like "fuck" and then saying them aloud in a mall for everyone to hear.

The chaos did slow down as Sophie reached schooling age, but there were still moments that Aria wanted to pull her hair out. Recently, Sophie had picked up on her mother's attitude. She'd begun rolling her eyes and scoffing when she didn't agree with Aria. She'd lied about completing homework assignments just so that she could go play with her friends. And just the other day, Aria swore she heard Sophie talking about a boy she liked to one of her friends. Boys were a big hell no from Aria, and she assumed they were an even bigger hell no from Ezra.

"Can't wait to find out what they are," Ezra rolled his eyes sarcastically. Aria would've been concerned, but the goofy grin that sat on his lips as he did so, calmed her. He wouldn't be scared away by the ugly parts of parenthood. "Care to name a few so I'm prepared?"

"Nothing prepares you for the rush to volunteer to catch your child's throw up so that it doesn't get all over her favorite teddy bear." Aria giggled as she watched Ezra's expression morph into one of horror.

He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself at a loss. There was no real appropriate response to Aria's comment, so when the gap between their words became too long, Aria decided to fill in the space herself.

"You've had it relatively easy so far, but let me warn you, being a parent is extremely unsexy."

Aria leaned over to grab another pair of her underwear, making a happy mental note that she was almost finished folding for the day. However, as she began retracting her arm, Ezra clamped a hand down over her wrist, holding her in place. She looked up at him in confusion, but began laughing when she saw him eyeing her panties with a devious smirk on his face. If she knew him at all, she knew he was about to make a witty comment regarding the fabric in her hand and the subject they were just discussing.

"I beg to differ," He shook his head, using his free hand to pull the lace out of Aria's hand and hold it up to the light. "You're a parent, and these look pretty sexy."

"Stop," Aria blushed, snatching the panties from his grip and pulling them into her lap. "These may look like underwear I'd wear when I want to get laid, but in reality, I just wear them to remind myself that I'm not old and worn out while going about my motherly duties. They're better than granny panties," She winked as if she were kidding, but she weren't.

Being a mother took a lot out of her, and sometimes she caught herself forgetting that she was only 26. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror sporting a pair of what she called her "fuck me" panties, made her feel a little better about constantly doing laundry, making food, cleaning the house, taking Sophie to the doctor, and so on and so forth. Plus, wearing them was like wearing a sex security blanket. If she had a date, but was so busy beforehand that she barely had time to change shirts, she would at least be prepared if the two of them wound up in bed.

"Aria, you aren't old," Ezra shot her a sympathetic glance, as if to say "I'm sorry that I don't feel that way too." Aria offered him a small smile, but rolled her eyes. "Really. You're 26, you just don't get to act like it enough. You've always got to be mature for Soph. You can't really do anything reckless anymore."

Aria nodded, but said nothing so that he could continue.

"Sophie's out tonight, right?" Ezra asked after a brief pause in his own dialogue.

Once again, Aria nodded, though, more cautiously this time.

"How about you and I go out and do something that 26-year-olds do? We can go to a club- "

"Ezra, it's Thursday – "

"Quiet, mother," Ezra teased. "If you don't want to do that, we can just have a night on the town. Maybe see a movie, go bust teenagers hooking up at the Rosewood Lookout…" Aria chuckled. "What do you say? We both need a de-stresser. We're alone tonight. It'll be perfect."

"It's not a date, right?"

The words came out before Aria could tell herself that saying them would be a bad idea. Of course it wasn't a date. She wanted it to be a date. But now Ezra thought that she didn't want it to be a date. She wanted him to think she didn't want it to be a date. However, she hadn't meant for her desire to pretend that she didn't want it to be a date be so obvious that Ezra actually thought that she didn't want it to be a date. In summary, she fucked up.

"Uh…" Ezra hesitated. His eyes betrayed his true intentions as they darted back and forth, searching for a sufficient answer. Aria could call him out on it, but she didn't want to be rude. "No. Not a date. Just two people hanging out."

"Okay…" Aria trailed of, biting her lip. "Then I guess it's not a date. I'll be ready by 8."

"Sounds wonderful."

Line Break

They had gone to see a movie at the drive-in. It had been a rom-com, but that was about all Aria could remember about it as they pulled away. She'd been too distracted by the blatant sexual tension that reared its head whenever the two main characters would kiss on screen. They'd chosen a drive-in to avoid being seen by any unwanted parties, thinking that was the best option. But the more the characters kissed and the more Aria felt strained to keep her eyes on the screen, while Ezra's were clearly on her, the more she wished they'd chosen a real theater with seats and an escape route.

Neither of them mentioned it though. Nor did they mention that first memory that popped into their heads upon pulling into the dirt lot: their first time getting each other off. It had been messy and embarrassing, something they wouldn't bring up even if it wouldn't cause an increase in the tension that was already bursting at the seams. Instead, they kept quiet, watched the movie, and then drove away towards a late night diner for food and distraction.

They busied themselves with choosing a menu item and intently stirring their coffees for a solid 10 minutes before Ezra finally broke the silence with the last question Aria thought she would be asked.

"Why haven't you remarried?"

Aria stopped mid-stir and raised an eyebrow. She could be honest. She could tell him that she was rushed into her first marriage and wanted to make sure that her next one was brought about in a more natural and organic way. She could say that a part of her heart still belonged to Matt…and still belonged to him. She could tell him that she just hadn't found the right one yet. It was all true, yet it all felt like too much to say. She wasn't in the mood for a heart to heart.

"Well, you saw how my last date ended," She joked, although it wasn't a joking matter.

Ezra frowned, "I…I still can't believe they let him out of custody."

The comment was more directed at the universe than at Aria, but she decided to respond based off of his words. The further she could push the original topic out of his mind, the better. "They let Liam off and he did a lot more to me."

Saying that name out loud made Aria's tongue feel numb. Usually, when she referred to her Halloween attacker of 8 years ago, she called him just that: her attacker. Her friends called him other names like scumbag or asshole, but like her, they refused to use his name.

"His family had money," Ezra rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make it right, but that's the reason he's not sitting in a cell right now."

"I know," Aria nodded, a chill running down her spin at the same time. A lot of men were getting the same treatment because they had money. She didn't know Noel's circumstance, but she wouldn't be surprised if it were the same.

"Do you…do you think that if…if what happened on Halloween 8 years ago hadn't…that…"

"We would still be together?" Aria finished Ezra's sentence for him when it appeared that he was struggling to do so himself.

It wasn't so much that Aria knew Ezra so well that she could finish his sentenced, but rather the fact that she had wondered that same thing many times before. Had Halloween not happened, they wouldn't have broken up shortly afterward. That means that Aria wouldn't have flirted with Matt, and she certainly wouldn't have slept with him. Ezra would've never had to find out and he wouldn't have kept Aria at bay. Then, when Aria got pregnant, Ezra would've had no doubt that the baby was his. They wouldn't have fought and he wouldn't have walked away. There was no telling if they'd still be together now, but at least things wouldn't have fallen apart as quickly as they had.

Ezra nodded to affirm her ending to his sentence.

She sighed, "I don't know. If our fallout hadn't happened, it's possible something would've. I like to think that everything happens for a reason. For some reason we were meant to move on with different people."

"What do you think that reason is?" Ezra cocked an eyebrow, eyeing the waitress as she began walking towards their table with the food they'd ordered.

"We needed to grow up and couldn't do that together," Aria reasoned.

"And what do you think the reason that we're back in each other's lives is?"

"So that Sophie could have a father – "

The waitress was now at their table, her presence cutting Aria off in the worst place possible. That wasn't the only reason Aria could think of, but it sure did sound like it.

She watched Ezra's shoulders slump. He'd wanted a more…romantic answer. He wanted her to say that maybe they were given a second chance. And truth be told, had the waitress been a few seconds later, she would've. But maybe it was a good thing she didn't. Keeping him in the dark would spare his feelings should Aria change her mind once the divorce was finalized. In the long run, it was better to say nothing and disappoint him than to say something and get his hopes up.

The conversation ended there. It was back to verbal silence as they ate their food, although not complete silence. The glances they exchanged every so often spoke louder than anything they could've said. Fear, sympathy, desire, wonder. They'd both unintentionally fallen for each other again, and they were both equally as conflicted about it.

The fallout lingered in the back of their minds, but so did Aria's words. Everything happens for a reason. There was a reason that Ezra was at that bar that night Noel tried to assault Aria. He was supposed to save her. In a weird way, it was like the universe was giving them a nudge to begin talking again. It was using the very thing that began tearing them apart 8 years ago to put them back together now. There was some kind of plan being set in motion by a force beyond them. And they both knew that that plan was meant to be way more than just provide a father for Sophie.

Was it wrong to skeptical of such an obvious force of nature? Was it wrong to believe there may not be a happy ever after waiting for them if they took hold of this opportunity? Was it wrong to believe that there was?

Aria could feel this gravitational pull in Ezra's direction, but she felt compelled to play a game of tug-of-war. She couldn't let herself get hurt again. Surely Ezra was thinking the same thing…if he was thinking clearly at all. The man was going through a divorce at the moment. There's no way he was processing things correctly. What if he was just looking for an outlet and Aria was familiar?

But what if he wasn't?

"Aria – "

"I'm going to the bathroom," Aria spoke at the same random time that Ezra did, only she didn't both to stop her sentence like he had.

"Um, okay," Ezra sighed, his eyes darting back and forth between their nearly empty plates. "I'll pay and meet you up front."

"Thanks," Aria said, already scooted half way out of their booth.

As she walked away, she could feel Ezra's eyes on her – not in a sexual way, but in a longing way. Her heart contracted in her chest, but she kept walking as if she felt nothing. Looking back would only confirm her feelings.

God, she felt like she was walking away from a breakup, not just going to the toilet. Though, public bathrooms and crying did have the same nauseating effect…

Once she had done her business, she met Ezra up front like he'd promised. They walked out of the diner side by side, holding their own hands awkwardly away from the others'.

The inside of the car was dark. The only thing illuminating their faces was the flickering light of the diner in front of them. Aria kept expecting to be flooded with light once Ezra turned the ignition. The radio and the dashboard would light up and she would be able to make out her feet in the floorboard. But seconds passed and Ezra just sat there, staring straight ahead and making no move to turn the car on.

Aria parted her lips to ask if he was alright, but was silenced by a small but powerful phrase coming from Ezra's mouth.

"Fuck it."

Before Aria could process what was happening…he was kissing her.

A/N: Please don't hate me for the brevity of the very last sentence. I promise that you will get to see Aria's reaction in the next 26 chapter (yes, that's the time jump chapter, but you will get to find out in full how she reacted). But for now, speculate! Let me know how YOU think she will react in the reviews.

I know it was a little over a week since my last update and I apologize. Weeks 4 and 5 of college are test weeks, so I've been busy studying. In fact, once I upload this, it's back to the grind stone because I have a test tomorrow and ya girl is still clueless (wish me luck). Or don't wish me luck and just leave me a bunch of reviews. Either way, I'll be happy. (But I'll be happier with more reviews, haha)

Thanks for much for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed. Update in a week or so!

-Erin xoxo