Aria puts a towel in her bag as the doorbell rings. On the way to the door she stops by the big mirror in the hallway and straightens her hair one last time after countless times before. She is taking a deep breath and opens the door to him.
It had been over 36 hours since Jason drove her home for the second time that night. They had stood opposite each other and intertwined their fingers. She longed for his lips without ever feeling them on hers once. But she didn't dare to take that step.
She wanted to let him decide and so she was grateful for the loving gesture, for the little kiss he breathed against the skin of her forehead. They had decided to leave things behind them, and yet Aria knew he would have kissed her goodbye that night if she hadn't acted so stupid because of Ezra. But the gentle touch of his lips gave her hope that she hadn't destroyed everything.
When Aria opens the door, his smile makes her last insecurity disappear. Jason is standing there in dark, short trousers and a simple light t-shirt. He holds a single pink gerbera in his hand. When she sees him like this, Aria laughs. She hugs him warmly to welcome him.
The hug is a lot more intimate than two people who hadn't actually seen each other for years would do. Through the fabric of her clothes, Aria feels the tingling of the places Jason touches her. His smell and the movements of his muscles, which she can feel under her hands on his back, let heat flow through her body again.
Smiling, he hands out his little present to her. "If you continue like this, I'll have a whole bouquet soon", she jokes as she puts the flower in the vase with the other. "That's the plan. A bouquet of flowers is just too expensive for me every time", he teases her. Aria's laughing.
"Come on, let's go", she says, closing the door behind her. On the way to his car, Jason softly puts his hand on her back and opens the passenger door for her. Aria smiles timidly and gets in the car, while Jason walks around the car and sits on the driver's seat.
As they walk along the path to the lake side by side, Aria decides to give him a clear signal. She knows he's only staying in Rosewood till Sunday. Then he goes back to New York. Even if she doesn't want to let him go anymore.
But the reality is different. She doesn't want to waste any more time and this time she wants him to know what she's feeling when he leaves her. She is almost certain that they are both on the same path in terms of their feelings for each other. Aria doesn't want to waste a single day making him think he's just one of many men in the world to her.
Since Saturday they had seen each other almost every day and written countless messages in between. Jason's already suggested every single date. He showed her that he enjoys spending time with her. It's time she takes the next step.
As her hands move side by side in the rhythm of their steps, she gathers her courage and puts her fingers against his and embraces them. She feels like a teenager in love, because this really innocent gesture costs her so much effort of will. She doesn't dare look at him. Especially not because she notices the way he smiled at her when he felt her touch.
Aria feels set back years ago. Never before has the presence of a man made her so insecure, because she hopes so much that he feels more for her than a nostalgic flirtation. Silently they continue walking until arriving at a slightly quieter spot of the meadow.
Jason prepares the blanket, which he took under his arm. "Time for a break", he suggests. Aria nods approvingly. She brushes her shoes off her feet and sits down gently on the blanket. Jason lets himself fall backwards with a sigh and lies down relaxed next to her.
When Aria looks over her shoulder towards him, she notices that he is staring at her with a smile. "What?" Aria asks, who is somewhat uncomfortable with this attention, which he perceives amused. "Nothing", he says quietly, "I just didn't think you could actually get even prettier than I remembered you for years", Jason admits, without feeling uncomfortable with his frankness.
Aria, on the other hand, casually slaps a hand over her eyes. "Jason, you can't just tell me that. I'm blushing", she says, laughing. For a moment, Jason just watches Aria and remembers the 15-year-old girl who used to look at him with the same look and red cheeks.
"You have always been red when I saw you", Jason mutters and smiles. "No that's wrong, I always blushed when I saw you", Aria reveals to him without thinking and looks embarrassed at the lake the next moment.
"I don't know how you do it, but I really feel like the 15-year-old girl around you again", Aria confesses to him without looking at him. Yet she knows Jason's face fills with a smile. "I didn't even know you liked me at that time before you tried to seduce me", Jason laughs at the thought of the night of the party.
Aria screws up her eyes as if she is trying to suppress the memory and starts laughing. "Come on, of course you knew I liked you. Maybe you didn't know I was in love with you, but I didn't know that about you either", Aria replies.
"You were the only Power Puff Girl who behaved normally around me and talked to me", Jason explains to her why he liked her so much. "Power Puff Girl?" Aria repeats the nickname Jason gave her. She starts laughing loudly.
Jason leaves it uncommented and just smiles. "You were different from the others. You didn't want to be like my sister and do everything to please her. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have gotten to know each other. Ali didn't like you talking to me at first", he reminds her of his sister's reaction.
"Yes, I know she used to stare at me afterwards, but I didn't care. I think she noticed how nervous I got around you. I've always blushed and to be honest, I was always afraid that she would hear my heart beating in my chest. I hardly looked at you back then, because I was afraid she would see how I felt, when I stare at you", she tells him, laughing.
"And you feel the same way now?" Jason asks cautiously. Aria remembers what she confessed to him just before. She feels like fifteen again she said. She gets as nervous as she used to be and as red as she used to when Jason is around her. He told her he hasn't forgotten her and she told him that she hopes for a second chance with him.
Aria doesn't want any more hints or ironic attempts to find out if the other person feels the same way. It was time to speak the truth and considering the seriousness in his look this is exactly what Jason wants.
"I was really nervous when I thought I was going to see you again. I convinced myself that it's because we haven't seen each other since that one night, and when I see you again, I'll realize that we've both grown up and became strangers to each other. " Aria plays embarrassingly with a blade of grass between her fingers.
"But it wasn't like that. It was like no time had passed at all. I feel the same way in this moment as I did when I sat across from you on your bed and asked you to kiss me. I feel the same way about you as I did before, except that this time I'm going to stop you from being reasonable."
When Aria turns to Jason, he suddenly sits upright next to her. Aria can hear her heart beating faster and faster in her chest as Jason gets closer to her face and breathes a light kiss on her red lips. With her eyes closed, she perceives the delicate touch.
But then she opens her eyes in amazement. The touch was just a hint of what she had expected and hoped for. "You make me wait six years for a kiss and that's all I get?" she says teasingly. Jason starts laughing.
He puts one hand to her cheek and kisses her again. But this time Aria feels the passion that they have been holding back for such a long time.
What do you think? Please let me know!