The next morning, she awakes with a smile on her face. She knows that she wants to see Jason again and feels a bit guilty. Ezra isn't the first person she thought of when she woke. But she's supposed to be taking time to figure things out, and she shouldn't feel guilty.
Brushing off her thoughts, she gets ready for the day. After breakfast with her mother and Mike, Aria heads to school. She hopes that she won't immediately have to deal with her friends. She's still upset with them about their fight. She shouldn't have to justify her feelings for Jason to them. She supports their friendships and relationships, and it hurts that they can't see past all of this A mess and support her.
Her hope is dashed because as soon as she walks into the school, Emily is walking towards her. "Hey Aria, I wanted to apologize." What?
"Okay?"
"I'm not going to pretend that I trust Jason, or even like him for that matter. But I am sorry for how we all acted last night. I mean look at how we treated Toby, and now he's with Spencer. I'm going to be skeptical until proven otherwise, but I want you to be happy. We all deserve a little happiness in the midst of all of this."
Aria nods, "Thanks, Em. I understand you being wary, you don't really know him. But I do, and I trust him. He's grown on me, and I can't seem to shake him," she shrugs.
"I can see that. We'll keep trying to figure out who A is, and I promise I'll do my best to get to know Jason. We all know how Spencer can be and convincing her won't be so easy. But I'll do my part to make things a little easier on you."
The two girls hug it out just as Hanna and Spencer are walking down the hall.
"I see you two made up," Hanna remarks.
"Yep," Aria replies.
"I was just telling Aria that I respect how she feels and I'm sorry for last night. None of us are perfect and maybe we've been too quick to judge."
"Really, Emily?" Spencer questions.
"Yes, really! Are you forgetting that you were so sure that Toby was A? Now you two are dating. We should give him the benefit of the doubt, Spence."
"Yeah, well there's no room for giving people the benefit of the doubt with A prowling around. We don't know who we can trust."
"You're right, Spencer," Aria says, "We don't. But that doesn't mean we should automatically crucify Jason based on what you and Emily found in his shed. He had an explanation for all of that, and he admitted to being part of the N.A.T. club. He's not a threat. So please, just let this go."
"Fine, I hope you're right."
Later on, when Aria gets home from school, she realizes that she and Jason haven't texted each other all day, and she misses him.
How's your day been? Mine was long, and I've missed you – Aria
Mine was long, too. I was doing some more remodeling at my house. I've missed you as well. – Jason
Aria smiles.
We should do something soon. – Aria
What, like a date? – Jason
Her face reddens, but emboldened, she responds.
Sure, if you'd like. I just want to spend time with you. – Aria
That would be great, Aria. Did you have something in mind? – Jason
How about dinner? – Aria
Okay, can you come over tonight? I'll cook. – Jason
Yeah, I'll be there. – Aria
Aria's nerves start to get the better of her when she sends that last message. She's excited to see Jason, but this is going to be a date. Their first one. Ezra was her first real boyfriend, and they had fun together, but if she dates Jason? They'll be able to go out together for real. That thought excites her. She'd be able to really date Jason. Aria does love the fact that their first date will be at his place, though. It will be intimate enough to talk about things and he will be comfortable in his element. Maybe she will get to learn even more about him.
She tells her mom about her date, and Ella tells her that she needs to be home by 11 and to expect to discuss dating Jason with both of her parents tomorrow. Ella would fill Byron in about Aria seeing Jason tonight so he could mull it over. Aria thanks her mother and moves to her closet to pick something to wear. She wants to appear both sexy and sophisticated, and she searches for a while before she settles on the perfect outfit.
Once she puts the finishing touches on her look, she heads to Jason's for dinner. His expression when he answers the door gives Aria a sense of gratification. She's wearing a lapel neck eyelash lace panel belted blazer as a dress with a white camisole underneath and knee-length high heeled boots. He looks her up and down appreciatively and licks his lips, "You look amazing, Aria. Come in." He leads her to the kitchen where he's working on finishing up dinner. Jason is dressed in an olive-green button-down shirt with long sleeves and tan, form fitting pants. Aria realizes that it's her turn to ogle Jason. He's already drool-worthy in regular clothes (especially shirtless), but this outfit compliments his eyes and his form. She's speechless.
Jason realizes what she's doing and smirks at her from his post at the stove and she immediately looks down to cover her face with her hair. Her cheeks are ablaze from being caught, and she clears her throat to try and rid them of the awkwardness.
"So, what's for dinner?"
"Well, you told me that you don't really eat meat, so I made some vegan Thai yellow curry with vegetables. I hope that's okay." He looks at Aria with a shy smile.
Her stomach growls, "That sounds great actually. I love Thai food. I didn't realize that you were into cooking."
"There's a lot you don't know about me yet," Jason replies teasingly.
"You're right, I guess it's a good thing we're having dinner together then."
"I agree. Although, this night is missing something," Jason puts a finger to his lips inquisitively.
"Really? What is it?" Aria asks worriedly.
"This," he moves forward suddenly and pulls her into him for a kiss. Their lips meet and Aria loses all rational thought. It feels so good to kiss him again, and she doesn't want him to stop. As he goes to pull away from her, she wraps her arms around his midsection and kisses him intensely.
Jason responds in kind, and tangles both hands into Aria's hair to hold her to him. They kiss and kiss. Long kisses, slow kisses, teasing kisses. Jason suddenly remembers that he's cooking and pulls away to stir the food. Aria feels disappointment at losing their connection but knows that they should slow down and eat their food. The point of their date is to spend time getting to know each other, so that's what she's going to do.
Jason plates their dinner and Aria fills their glasses with water before they head to the table. He pulls out Aria's chair for her which she appreciates.
"So, what have you been fixing up around here?" Aria asks to get the conversation going.
"Well, today I was fixing up the guest bathroom. Drywall needed replaced. So, if you need to use the bathroom, you'll have to use mine. I'm not finished with it yet."
Aria nods, "It's so cool that you know how to fix things like that. I love what you've done with the family room."
"Thanks, I thought it could use a little color. Let's talk about something else, my house remodel is a boring subject." He chuckles.
"Sure, what would you like to talk about?"
"Hmm, how about you and the boyfriend?"
Aria almost chokes on her food, "Why do you want to talk about that?"
"For starters, I need to know what I'm up against. But I also want to know what made you feel like it was worth it to be with him," Jason says, sipping his water.
He's very blunt. It won't hurt to be honest.
"He and I met in a bar actually. I'd just gotten back from Iceland and needed to take the edge off. We talked and I lied about my age. We kissed for a while and then when I started back at school the next day, I realized he was my new English teacher, Ezra Fitz. He tried to break things off then and there, and he was upset with me for lying to him. But we kept dancing around each other and eventually we ended up in a relationship. We both knew it was wrong, but we just connected. I can't really explain it."
"So, what's changed to make you unsure of him?" Jason asks.
"When I think about it now it just sounds petulant," Aria shrugs, moving some food around her plate with her fork.
"You can tell me, it's okay."
"I've been upset that he and I don't have a public relationship. I started asking him to go public, let people know about us. But when I think about it now, I just feel stupid. I mean really, who would accept it? My parents would have him thrown in jail, Mike would punch him, and I'd be labeled Rosewood's biggest whore."
Aria feels sad, but she also gains some clarity. This is why Ezra has been so hesitant. She isn't living in a romance novel, and this isn't a work of fiction. It's real life, and consequences for their actions would be brutal. Becoming Rosewood's Hester Prynne is not exactly appealing to her. Although, wearing a scarlet "A" on her chest would be nice irony for her stalker, she thinks.
"I can't say that I agree with you dating your teacher, but the guy is stupid if he doesn't want to flaunt you," Jason says succinctly.
Aria shakes her head, "No, he's really not. I'm just finally realizing what he was telling me at the start. There's no future for me and Ezra. Not a happy one. He was my teacher, and it wasn't right to be with him after I found that out. What's more is, I don't want to be with him every second of the day, and he's not who I'm thinking about when I wake up or before I go to sleep."
Jason stares at her quietly, as if contemplating her words.
"Can we change the subject, please?" Aria is ready to be done with this conversation.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask you one more thing."
"What is it?"
Jason leans forward, resting his forearms on the table, "Who do you think about every morning and night? Who do you want to be with every second?"
Aria smiles and lets out a breath, meeting his intense gaze. "You."
He just stares at her, partly in disbelief. He's been hoping she'd feel the same way he does, but his hopes were dashed when she told him about being involved with Ezra. Hearing her say how she feels now is almost surreal. He stands up and begins clearing the dishes from dinner, then heads into the kitchen.
Aria watches him go for a moment before she feels like a total idiot. This is supposed to be a date, and here they just were, talking about Ezra. That's not what she wanted to be doing when they talked about this earlier.
She gets up from her spot and moves to stand next to him at the sink. He's washing the dishes, his focus entirely on his task. She looks up at him and quietly assesses him for a moment. He's truly beautiful. She can't get over how caring he is, and the fact that he listened to her talk about her relationship without even flinching. He really wants her to be happy, and she… She wants to make him happy.
Jason feels her eyes on him and turns his head to look at her, "I'll wash, you dry?"
Aria nods, "Sure."
Once they finish with the dishes, Jason grabs her hand and pulls her along to his family room to the couch. They sit down and pick out a movie to watch, but Jason speaks before they can put it on.
"Aria?"
She looks up at him, "Yes?"
"Do you want to give it a shot with me?" He asks, thinking about their earlier conversation. It's been burning his insides not asking her this. But he figured he'd let the seriousness of their moment at dinner die down first.
Aria bites her lip, and nods. Jason's eyes flick down to the offending teeth, and he reaches up to free her lip from their hold with his thumb. He brushes his thumb across her bottom lip softly, causing her to gasp.
"Okay, but I won't share you with him. I don't want you to be with anyone but me if we're going to do this. Can you handle that?"
"Yes. I plan on telling him tomorrow that we can't see each other anymore. I'm pretty sure he already knows it's coming."
Jason nods, "Sounds good to me. It's been hard to kiss you knowing you're not really mine. I'd really like to enjoy spending time together without worrying you'll be ripped away from me."
He's so vulnerable, and it was unfair of me to put him in this position.
"Jason, I'm sorry. I promise I'll talk to him tomorrow. You're all I can think about and right now, all I want to do is kiss you."
Jason doesn't hesitate. He pulls Aria close and kisses her with all he's got. Aria responds in kind and pulls herself up so she's straddling his waist on the couch. His hands cup her cheeks and slide back into her hair. He lets out a groan when Aria grinds down against him and moves his hands to her hips to pull her against him again, which causes her dress to rise up her thighs. Aria moans into Jason's mouth at the sensation and presses her entire body on him. They kiss languidly now, tongues moving together sinuously, and it causes goosebumps to rise on her body. Jason pulls away from her lips and starts planting kisses along her jaw, down her neck to her collarbone.
"Mmm.. Jason," Aria pants.
Their hips continue to move against each other, and Jason can't take it anymore. "Aria," he breathes, "We should stop."
"What if I don't want to?" she asks, looking down at him.
Jason blinks in surprise before he recovers, "Then we should go to my room."
She smiles at him and nods, then gets up off his lap and holds out her hands to help him up. They go upstairs to his room, and she takes in her surroundings. He now sleeps in the master bedroom, and his bed is huge. It's got an oak four poster bed on the middle wall with grey bedding and a nightstand on either side. The bathroom light casts a glow in the room from the left side and moonlight shines in from in front of her.
Jason watches her as she takes in his room. He smiles at her awed expression, feeling pride at what he's accomplished. He spent his first weeks back in Rosewood renovating this room. She turns to him and smiles, reaching for him again. He grabs Aria's hands and pulls her flush against him, dipping down to taste her lips again. She starts unbuttoning Jason's shirt and pushes it from his body once she undoes the last button. They move slowly towards the bed while Aria undoes her belt that's holding her dress together, letting it fall to the floor. Her dress comes apart in the middle drawing Jason's attention. He picks her up gently and sits her on his bed, then motions for her to scoot up so he can climb in. As he climbs on the bed, he sees the bare skin of Aria's stomach all the way to her cleavage where the dress parted down the middle. Her breasts are still covered by her bunched up camisole, but her pushup bra accentuates them, and he can't help himself. He runs his nose along the exposed curve of her right breast, then the left one, and places a light kiss on her sternum. Aria revels in the sensations he is creating within her body. If he can do that to her with his nose and a light kiss, she can't imagine how good he's going to make her feel with other parts of his body.
Jason lifts his head and meets her eyes before he kisses her on her lips. He hovers over her on his hands and knees, and Aria needs to feel him against her, so she parts her legs to cradle his body against her. When their bodies make full contact, the pair lets out sounds of relief at the feeling. His tongue slips into Aria's mouth as she gasps, and Jason kisses her fiercely. She feels breathless and her heart is racing a mile a minute. Jason's hips rock against hers and she moans, pushing her hips up against his in return. Jason exhales harshly and pulls away from her mouth, trailing kisses from her jaw down her neck while pushing her dress off her shoulders. Aria leans forward to allow him to take it all the way off, leaving her in just her camisole, bra, and panties. Her chest is heaving, and Jason's perusal of her body leaves her wanting even more. Emboldened by his reaction to her form, Aria quickly rids herself of the camisole top and realizes that Jason still has his pants on. She kisses him again, raising up onto her knees, which he mimics, and goes to work ridding Jason of his pants. Though they're very nice, and form fitting, she's really interested in seeing what is underneath them. He helps her get his pants off, then meets her hazel eyes with his green ones seriously. "Aria, are you sure you want this?"
She nods in affirmation, "Yes, Jason. I want to be with you, please?" she asks huskily. How could he ever deny that? He shifts slightly to the side to grab a strip of condoms from his bedside table and rips one off the strip. Aria pushes his boxers down to free his erection from its confines and gasps audibly at the sight before her. Jason smirks down at her, "Like what you see?"
Aria bites her lip, "Very much so," she smiles up at him. He puts the condom on expertly, then reaches up and behind her to unlatch her bra. He slowly slides it down her front, watching intently as more skin is revealed to his eyes. Once the lace article is out of the way, Jason dips his head down to capture her right nipple in his mouth, gently lathing his tongue over the bud before lightly tugging at it with his teeth.
Aria gasps, "Mmmm, Jase," she cards her fingers through his locks and holds his head to her chest. Her hips move forward on their own volition, and the motion makes Jason slowly lower Aria back down to his bed so he's once again on top of her. He switches his attention to her left nipple, repeating the same actions from before and traces her right one with the pad of his thumb. Aria can't stop the noises coming from her mouth, but the pleasure he's giving her erases any embarrassment. Jason's hand descends from her breast, down her ribcage to her hip, where it rests just above the material of her panties. She bucks her hips slightly to give him the go ahead to remove them, to which he pulls his mouth back to hers and kisses her slowly. He digs his fingers into the lace adorning each hip and gently tugs them off of her, throwing them behind his head and places his hands at the bottom of each of her thighs. As they continue to kiss, Aria pants helplessly and her breathing becomes uneven when she feels his hands make their ascent up her thighs. The roughness of his hands is a nice contrast to the softness of her skin and causes a delightful friction that shoots to her core. As Jason reaches the apex of her thighs, he parts her with both thumbs slightly, then drags two fingers teasingly through the wet folds. Aria breaks their kiss at his touch and inhales sharply, opening her eyes only to get caught in hooded pools of green. "So wet," Jason rasps. Aria can't take the anticipation anymore and reaches down between them to stroke his condom clad erection. He's so big and so hard that she can't wait anymore, "Please baby?" she asks, looking up at him with her big, glowing hazel eyes. "Please what?" he teases. Jason grasps his erection and tantalizingly slowly, he rubs the tip against her opening, which makes her mewl and thrust her hips. "Please give it to me," Aria moans. Jason smirks in reaction, enjoying the sexy connotation of her words, "Well, since you asked so nicely." He slowly pushes into her, stretching her walls deliciously and Aria thinks this must be what heaven is like. He drops his head into the crook of her neck once he's fully seated, stopping to let her adjust to him. He also needs a minute to get his bearings. Aria is so warm and tight and wet that he worries he'll punk out like a prepubescent boy. All of the anticipation that has built up has made holding out somewhat difficult for Jason, but he will do it to please her. Once she relaxes her legs and wraps her arms around his back, he starts to move within her. His thrusts start off long and slow, and he pulls himself up slightly so he can look down at her. Her breasts bounce enticingly with each thrust and Jason moans at the sight. His thrusts increase in speed, and Aria pulls up on her elbows to plant kisses along his neck. She runs her fingers through his blonde tresses, and he looks her in the eye, giving her a perfect opening to flip him over so she is on top. Jason looks up at her in surprise and lets out a soft chuckle before settling back and letting Aria take the lead. She smiles down at him and starts bouncing up and down, finding a rhythm that suits them both. The angle causes Jason to hit just the right spot within her and she can't stop moaning. Her loud moans turn Jason on to no end. It's always the quiet ones, he thinks. He moves his thumb between them to rub against her clit which swiftly sends Aria over the edge. She throws her head back in bliss, cupping her breasts and bucking wildly. Jason thinks she's never looked more beautiful than right now. Once she's come down from her high, he flips them back over, only this time Aria is on her hands and knees with Jason behind her. He rubs himself against her entrance again, teasing her as he had before. He purposely bumps her clit to send sparks through her body. "Oh, Jase. Please fuck me," Aria moans before she pushes back toward him. Fuck me, Jason thinks. Who knew she had such a dirty mouth? "As you wish baby," he says before teasing her entrance again, then thrusting into her to the hilt. He sets a frantic pace, slamming in and out of her roughly. "Oh god, Jason! Oh my god… fuck, you feel so good." Aria's moans start to pull his orgasm from him, and he groans. Her walls tightening around him make her impending orgasm known and she moans so loud in her release that he can't take it anymore. She milks him for all he's worth, and he moans, letting a few expletives escape along with her name before he collapses beside her on his bed.
She pulls the sheet up and over her, and Jason goes to his bathroom to rid himself of the condom before returning to Aria. She rolls over, noting that she has about an hour before she needs to be home according to his alarm clock. When Jason returns to bed, he jumps up next to her, causing her to squeal in surprise and laughter.
"What are you doing?" Aria laughs.
"Coming back to bed," Jason smiles and raises his eyebrows suggestively.
He crawls under his sheet and pulls Aria close to him, her back to his chest and he just holds her. Aria can't remember ever having felt this way, ever. They had amazing sex and now, here he is holding her like she's delicate. Jason places a kiss to the top of her head and breathes in her scent. He hopes that it lingers once she's gone. He speaks after a while.
"Are you okay?"
Aria smiles at his thoughtfulness, "Yes. I'm perfect actually," she says, spinning around to face him.
Smiling down at her in return, Jason replies, "Good. So am I. I just hope that it wasn't too soon. I don't want to ruin my chance with you. You mean too much to me."
Aria's breath catches in her throat. "You mean a lot to me too, Jase. I don't think it was too soon. I've personally liked you for years but getting to know you recently has just amplified it. We can slow down a bit if you need to, though."
He nods, "Let's just see where things go. I won't be seeing anyone else, just so you know." Jason lightly squeezes her with his arms.
"I won't either. I'm letting go of Ezra tomorrow completely and then I will be free to give this a real chance. I like you so much, Jason." She kisses him tenderly, and he returns it enthusiastically.
He decides to taunt her a little bit when they pull away. "So, who knew Aria Montgomery had such a dirty little mouth," Jason smirks at her.
Aria blushes fiercely, mouth agape. "Jason!" she swats at his chest, then buries her head in his chest in embarrassment.
"What?" he asks, laughing. "I thought it was really hot," he bites his lip and looks at her with a lilt in his eyes.
"Shut up!" she protests weakly, shoving at his chest now.
"Okay, okay. I still think it's hot though," he shrugs.
They lay together for a while talking about everything and nothing, just enjoying the feel of each other and getting to know one another better. Aria tells Jason she needs to get home on time, so they get dressed and he walks her to her car. After kissing her senseless, he sends her on her way. Aria smiles the whole ride home and even more when she gets settled into bed for the night. She's been smiling a lot more often, she notes.