Hey Everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hit a patch of writer's block thanks to my bad habit of making stories way too complicating and then get overwhelmed trying to keep details straight. Thank you to all the new followers – you have encouraged me to continue. Here we go….there's finally some Jaria in this chapter…I hope you like it!
"Aria, OH MY GOD!" Spencer squealed excitedly as she watched Aria and Liam approach Caleb's car hand-in-hand in the late afternoon sun. It was late fall, the air was brisk, the foliage a beautiful tapestry of color. Caleb caught Liam's attention and rolled his eyes behind Spencer's back. Liam chuckled and set his duffle bag of clothes on the sidewalk to shake his friend's hand.
"Hey Spence!" Aria perked up when she saw her friend, as if they hadn't spent almost every free waking moment together since Spencer's engagement. Aria's cool, level-headed friend was gradually morphing into a crazed bridezilla.
Lined up in a car behind Caleb's was the Skellar crew/Spencer & Caleb's neighbors. Marshall was driving, Ted in the passenger seat, Lilly behind Marshall, Robin behind Ted and Barney snuggled tightly between Robin and Lilly in the back seat. The two couples were getting packed up to head to Rosewood for an official engagement party for Spencer and Caleb. Ashley Marin had reserved the private bar area that had been recently added on to the existing luxury hotel.
As Liam and Aria piled into the back seat of Caleb's beat-up Subaru, Spencer turned to face them. "I absolutely LOVE your hair Aria. It's so retro – I miss that Aria." Aria had gotten her naturally black hair evenly highlighted with dark bluish-purple and burgundy-red streaks. The highlights gave the appearance of a shimmering night sky. Perfectly placed rhinestone bobby pins appeared as stars.
"You look fantastic Aria," Caleb complimented.
"I know, right?" Liam chimed in with a big grin, catching Aria's brown eyes in pure adoration. "You should have heard Ezra this morning, though. He lit into Aria because she's critiquing his latest chapter and I think he's taking personal offense."
"How so?" Spencer asked, concerned for her friend's well-being. As soon as Liam mentioned Ezra's name Spencer saw her petite friend's face fall slightly and shoulders tense up a bit.
"He told me I looked juvenile. That I reminded him of the high school version of myself that was stalker-obsessed with him," Aria explained as she looked down, shaking her head. "He asked if I was returning home to relive my 'glory days.' How the hell does he even know I'm leaving?"
"I didn't say anything," Liam began tentatively. "Jillian, however, told him we'd be out of town this weekend and not available for a meeting. Then she casually mentioned we'd be going to a friend's engagement party."
Jillian observed how professional Aria and Liam worked together, and though there were rumors they were a couple, she didn't buy it. Jillian had almost supernatural powers to see through Aria's façade. She knew Aria was going through something and needed someone to lean on. Also, Liam was the only candidate Aria would work with on Ezra's project. Jillian did, however, pick up on something between her junior publisher and the world-renowned writer but she hadn't yet been able to put her finger on it.
"Oh my god!" Aria freaked out. "Is that why Ezra mentioned last minute he couldn't make a meeting this week because he'd be visiting with Maggie's family in Philly? Trying to make it look like he didn't know we couldn't make it. He's gonna be at the Radley this weekend, I just know it."
As she began hyperventilating, Liam pulled a small paper bag out of his pocket for Aria to breathe into. The panic attacks seemed to be happening more and more frequently, as did the nightmares, so Liam had to be prepared. He was coming to terms with his current role as Aria's close friend and confidant. They flirted and an outsider might perceive them to be an item, but Liam was painfully aware that was not the case. Liam of course wanted something serious, but Aria was not in a place for that right now, so he was happy to be a shoulder to lean on and to give pep talks and encouragement before each meeting with Ezra. Maybe some day she'll come around, Liam thought wistfully.
Liam and Aria stepped into the backseat of Caleb's car before he pulled quickly onto the street after the light behind them turned red. Ted veered into the empty road just behind Caleb. The group was heading down to Rosewood for an official engagement party. Hanna had planned a large gathering of friends & family at the Radley the following evening. Mrs. Marin was nice enough to offer complimentary rooms for Spencer & Caleb as well as Aria & Liam.
The trip to Rosewood was long, and traffic was heavy but moving quickly. Aria hated the drive from Boston to Rosewood, and insisted on everyone taking a half-day of work in order to get ahead of the NYC traffic that had the potential to make the 5 ½ hour drive about 8 hours. Caleb chose to take the Tappan Zee Bridge and I-287 South through Morristown rather than the more direct route across the George Washington Bridge. They hit the city just as traffic was beginning to pick up. Luckily both cars made it across the bridge before the pile up occurred 15 minutes later, stopping all west-bound traffic.
"You all thought I was exaggerating when I said we should leave by 1," Aria stated proudly. "If we didn't get out of Boston when we did, we'd never get through the city." The pair of cars rolled into the Radley parking lot at quarter to 7 – just in time to check in and meet Hannah and Emily for a drink.
The entire motley crew from Boston walked into the bar area just after 7. Emily and Hanna ran to greet Spencer and Aria with a group bear hug. "I'm so glad you're finally here!" Emily and Hanna proclaimed in unison.
"I'm glad to see you too!" Spencer gushed. "These are my friends from Boston, Lilly and Robin." Hanna and Emily's approach had scattered the guys, who were afraid of getting caught in the estrogen-fueled stampede.
"Nice to meet you," Emily shook Robin's and then Lilly's hand while Hanna shook in opposite order. It was a tangled mess of hands, at which Hanna giggled uncontrollably. "She's halfway through her second martini," Emily explained. "Her last martini," she said turning to look pointedly at Hanna.
The blond responded with a dramatic sad face. "Yes, mom," she replied.
As the girls moved to the far end of the bar to start catching up, Barney honed in on Ashley Marin. "Now there's a MILF if I've ever seen one," Barney nudged Caleb with his elbow. "She's all yours if you want a last hurrah before settling with Spencer. Otherwise I'll have her under my spell by midnight."
"Uh, no Barney, she's all yours," Caleb said immediately. "I used to date her daughter, Hanna. That blond girl over there with Spencer and Aria," Caleb pointed.
"I've never had a mother-daughter threesome, but I think that's something I'd like to try," Barney stated proudly, adjusting his tie dramatically.
"Barney, no. Can't you just keep it in your pants for one night?" Ted asked.
"Whatevs, I can settle for one at a time," Barney continued, refusing to take his mind out of the gutter.
"Isn't that Spencer's brother over there?" Marshall pointed in the direction of Jason DiLaurentis and Nicole. "Let's go say hi."
Jason was talking to Mike Montgomery while Nicole clung to Jason's arm. Nicole was of course making a scene as she talked to Mike's girlfriend Mona. "Oh my god," she gushed. "I absolutely loooove Boston. The people are awesome, the city is awesome, and I even got to meet the famous author Ezra Fitz! Is it true that he used to teach at your high school?"
Mona fidgeted uncomfortably, thinking about Aria's previous romance with Ezra and how angry the topic made Mike. "Uh, yeah, he was my teacher."
Mike jumped in immediately. "Ezra's a fucking creep." Mike only knew about Aria & Ezra's past in Rosewood, but that was more than enough for him to despise his sister's former love.
"Oh, well I heard some rumors about Spencer's friend Aria, the weird one over there dating the nerdy-looking guy with a plaid green shirt and glasses," Nicole pointed to Aria, completely unaware she was talking to the girl's brother. "Apparently she was obsessed with Ezra when she was in high school. She was always trying to get into his pants in a creepy stalker sort of way," Nicole continued smugly. "Now she's supposedly editing his new book, but everyone knows Liam does all the work. And not just on the job either, if you catch my drift," Nicole finished with a wink.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Mike yelled. Mona pulled on his arm, before he started flailing at Jason's airhead girlfriend. "What the fuck is up with your girlfriend, man?" Mike turned to glare at Jason.
Marshall, Ted and Liam walked over to the commotion between Mike and Nicole. Barney was off circling the bar area like a vulture looking for the right target.
"Hey guys," Ted greeted nonchalantly.
Thankful for the distraction, Jason introduced Mike to Marshall, Ted and Liam. "This is Aria's brother Mike, and his girlfriend Mona."
Nicole's eyebrows raised slightly when she learned she'd been bad-mouthing Aria in front of her brother. Nonetheless, Nicole did not let up. "It's so great to see you all again!" Nicole greeted each newcomer with a hug. "We were all just talking about Ezra Fitz and his new book. You and Aria are so lucky to work with such a brilliant writer," she gushed with a saccharine sweetness to Liam. "It's so fantastic that you get to work with your girlfriend and one of the greatest writers there is. Tell me, is there no conflict of interest there? You working with your girlfriend, a formerly infatuated student of Ezra's? Do you ever get jealous or nervous she'd leave you for him?"
The awkwardness was so thick it could be sliced with a knife. The group of guys all looked nervously at each other. Mona broke the silence.
"What are you talking about Nicole? Do you know anything about Aria other than rumors?" Though she hadn't been particularly friendly with Mike's sister when they were in high school, Mona and Aria had gradually become friends through the years of Mike and Mona's relationship.
"I know plenty about Aria. Right Jason?" she turned to look at her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. "She was your sister's friend, she has an obsession with stalking guys that are way out of her league, and…"
Nicole stopped when Jason shook her off his arm and glared at her. "You know nothing about Aria. Sounds like you've been spending too much time with your new BFF Maggie, who no doubt is filling your head with lies."
Nicole pouted and set her empty drink cup on a nearby table. "I think I need to step outside and get some air."
The group watched as Nicole made a bee-line for the hotel door, grabbing her phone on the way. After about 10 minutes, she returned briefly to inform the group she was worn out from the day of travelling and needed to rest before the big engagement party the following evening. Jason offered to walk her upstairs, but she insisted she'd be fine.
About 15 minutes after Nicole stormed upstairs, Liam was at the bar talking with Ted and Marshall with Jason and Mike standing about 10 feet down. During a lull in their conversation, Liam caught a glimpse of the poorly-disguised, arrogant, dark-haired author he had the miserable obligation of working with. As Aria predicted, Ezra had in fact shown up at the Radley, though apparently for different reasons than expected.
Meanwhile, Jason and Mike were engrossed in conversation about Mike's new job as a sports radio host in Philly. Mid-sentence, Mike stopped and did a double-take as he caught Liam wide-eyed and open mouthed.
"Ezra?" he said mostly to himself, but loud enough for Jason to hear as well. The elevator door closed before Jason got a chance to see for himself. "Let's follow him," Mike declared.
Jason had a sick feeling in his stomach, and agreed. "You take the second floor, I'll take the third," Jason instructed as they walked quickly towards the elevator. Jason and Nicole's room was on the third floor.
As the elevator door opened on the top floor, Jason walked out and looked both ways. The hall was empty. He turned to the left and walked to the end of the hall where Nicole was supposedly getting rest. Jason heard commotion in the room, swiped his room key and walked in to find a sight he'd never forget.
Stark naked, Nicole was on the bed, down on all fours, moaning loudly. Behind her, Ezra stood almost fully clothed with his pants and boxers at his knees. His hard cock plunged in and out of Nicole's wet pussy as he called her a dirty slut. Using his left hand, Ezra grasped Nicole's hair while his right hand massaged and smacked her bare ass.
"You like that, you horny bitch?" he growled. "I bet your poor excuse for a boyfriend can't fuck you like I can. It hasn't even been 24 hours since our last fuck and you just can't get enough."
Nicole and Ezra were so engrossed in their dirty romp that neither of them had noticed the door open. Jason was frozen in shock until he heard the elevator door open again. Mike hadn't found anything on the second floor so he went upstairs to back up Jason.
Rage flashed through Jason's body as he ran over and punched Ezra square in the jaw. Nicole whimpered at Ezra's withdrawal then tensed in fear when she realized she'd been caught. She quickly pulled the bed spread around her naked body. Mike walked into the room to see Nicole hiding in the blanket, Ezra with his pants around his knees, fully exposed, and blood dripping from his lip. Jason turned when he heard Mike, and Ezra sucker-punched him in the stomach. While Jason was doubled-over in pain, Ezra threw another punch to the side of Jason's head.
Mike ran over to throw in his own punches at Ezra. Within minutes, Marshall, Ted and Liam arrived on the scene. Knowing he was out-numbered, Ezra pulled up his pants and ran out of the room. As he barreled towards the elevator, two security guards caught him and carried him outside.
"Don't you ever come back here again!" Tom, the taller of the guards yelled as Ezra ran to his car.
Back at the scene of the confrontation, Jason was yelling at Nicole. "Get the fuck out of here! I don't ever want to see you again!"
"But Jason," Nicole was crying at this point. "I love you! Ezra came on to me and wouldn't take no for an answer! I couldn't fight him off any longer, I was getting scared!"
"That is a load of fucking bullshit," Jason said a sudden with eerie calmness. "You've been talking about him non-stop, and talking shit about Aria constantly. I think you're jealous of Aria. And honestly, you should be. I could never love you the way I Iove Aria."
The room got silent. Everyone stared at Jason in disbelief. No one knew of their short relationship except for the two of them, and Spencer.
The following morning, Hanna called up to Spencer, informing her she was late to the bridal party planning brunch. Spencer jumped out of bed, frantic.
"What's going on honey?" Caleb mumbled, pulling a pillow over his face to block out the morning sun. After closing down the bar the previous evening, Caleb had a splitting headache, as he assumed Spencer probably did too.
"I'm late! I over-slept! Hanna and Emily are downstairs waiting for me! Oh my god, what the hell happened last night?!" The words flew out of Spencer's mouth as if she was on fire.
"Calm down, sweetie," Caleb comforted her. "We got here, had dinner at the restaurant, then a few drinks at the bar."
Once dressed half-respectably – Spencer felt too rushed to shower and just threw on her skinny jeans with her blue & grey striped polo from the night before instead – Spencer walked next door to wake up Aria. As she raised her hand to the door, out walked her maid of honor in a cute sparkly grey dress and oversized purple belt.
"Morning, sunshine!" Aria chirped when she saw Spencer looking a tad bit frazzled. "Your entourage waits below!" she added with a flourish of her hands
Hanna had booked their entire weekend starting with "casual" drinks Friday evening, a bridal party brunch after which the girls would go browsing through bridal stores, not officially dress shopping, more planning a "feel" for the wedding. Saturday night was the official engagement party, and every time Spencer asked Hanna to verify it was just a small gathering, Hanna smiled and nodded as the guest count ticked up inside Hanna's head.
Aria and Spencer arrived to the Radley dining room to see Hanna, Emily, Robin and Lilly waiting at a large round table in the far corner of the room. Their waiter had just walked away after delivering mimosas.
"Thank god," Spencer mumbled to herself. "Hair of the dog."
"What was that Spence?" Aria asked. "Feeling a bit under the weather, are we?" Aria took pleasure in this rare turn of events. Spencer was almost always the least hungover after their nights out. Though Spencer had certainly drank most of the guys under the table at the end of the night when someone thought shots sounded good.
Spencer looked around the table. "Where's Ali?" she asked. "I'm sorry Em, but she's still my friend and I'd like her to be part of my wedding."
"Ali couldn't make it," Hanna deadpanned. "I've tried calling her, but she refuses to talk to me. Sometimes I wonder if she's more mad at me than at Emily."
Spencer looked at Hanna with a baffled expression. "Why would Alison be mad at you? Because you're still friends with Emily?"
Aria nudged Spencer and looked pointedly at Hanna and Emily. Obviously the bride-to-be was more out of it the previous night than anyone thought. Everyone at the table began laughing as the light bulb turned on over Spencer's head. Emily unwound her hand from Hanna's and put her arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulled her in to kiss her cheek.
"A little bit more than friends," Hanna answered, blushing slightly. "After Ali kicked her out, Emily had no place to go. Pam had downsized and lives in a small apartment by the park on the west side of town."
"Hanna was nice enough to take me in," Emily said appreciatively. "But she had more rules than my mother would have," she added, rolling her eyes and smirking.
"I had to watch you spiral out of control when you were with Ali," Hanna looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "I could tell you weren't happy with your life. Ali was turning back into the manipulative bitch she was when we were younger and used those kids to control you." Now Hanna looked back to the group. "I made her promise to stop sleeping around and each time I caught her moping, I'd start tickling her or doing something else to cheer her up. I guess things kind of progressed from there."
"Have you always been into girls?" Lilly asked. She had wanted to date a girl in college, but she'd met Marshall too early and never got the chance. Though, as their relationship got more and more serious, Lilly really felt the need to know what it was like to be with another woman.
"No, actually not at all," Hanna replied, winking at Spencer. "As a matter of fact, I broke in Caleb before he and Spencer got together."
"For real?" Lilly asked, stunned. "I'd cut a bitch if that happened to me!"
Spencer chuckled. "I never in a million years thought I'd date Caleb. He moved to DC after breaking up with Hanna, and we started hanging out then. My ex-boyfriend and his perfect fiancé, who also worked in DC, had moved into my neighborhood. It was really uncomfortable and depressing for me. Hanna actually suggested dating Caleb. She had moved on, was dating some Australian guy from Philly while she started her clothing line here in Rosewood. To be honest, I think she was a little surprised I did start dating him, but she said they'd grown apart and gave us her blessing."
"It's true," Hanna added cheerfully. "Caleb and I are too different to work out. We lived in Manhattan for a short time after high school, but we both grew restless. I wanted to be near my mom, and Caleb wanted to stay as far away from Rosewood as possible. I moved back here, and my old friend from high school, Lucas, had bought an old factory and offered the space for me to do whatever I wanted. I wanted to design clothes, so that's what I do."
"Oh my god," Lilly gushed making the connection between her favorite designer and the blond sitting across the table from her. "So you are the eye behind Hannalin? I absolutely love your contrasting colors line!" Lilly stood up to show off her royal purple calf-length skirt with hunter green pin stripes and pinkish-grey top.
"That's me," Hanna replied humbly. "That particular line was inspired by my good friend Aria," she added, smiling at her mildly-eccentric friend. "But enough about me, we're here for Spencer. So let's raise our glass and wish Spencer and Caleb a long and happy marriage!"
With that, everyone raised their glass and chimed in with "to Spencer and Caleb!"
After the girls finished their brunch, Hanna was already bubbling about the next thing on their agenda. She'd made an appointment at Rive Gauche for Spencer to try on wedding dresses. The high-class store also offered an array of non-traditional bridesmaid dresses – the kind not available in chain bridal stores.
As they turned the corner from the dining room towards the exit, Aria caught the back of Jason DiLaurentis as he stormed out of the elevator, mumbling to himself.
"Jason!" she yelled. "What's going on? Where's Nicole?"
Jason turned abruptly at hearing his name, and Aria was horrified to see the black eye Ezra had left the night before. "That bitch is fucking gone," he said with a menacing tone, as the mere mention of her name caused his rage to rise to the surface again. "I have to get out of here."
"What the hell, Jason? You're not leaving town before the party tonight, are you?" Spencer was confused, as memories of the previous night flashed through her head.
"I don't know yet," he replied curtly, glancing at Aria before turning and continuing out to the street.
"What the fuck happened?" Aria asked, looking hurt and confused.
Spencer took a deep breath as she remembered her conversation with Liam the previous night, just before the shots began. "Do you remember seeing Nicole in the bar last night?"
"How could I not? She was gushing all night about how great living in Boston will be," Aria spat in disgust. "She was surrounded by all the guys, including my brother, and of course Mona. That bitch always has to be the center of attention. I bet she was bad-mouthing me about Ezra."
"Yes, but did you see her leave?" Spencer probed.
"Well, no. When I saw her hanging all over Jason, I went straight to the bar. I downed a glass of wine and got bombarded by my mom and your mom wanting to talk about the wedding. It sounds like your mom is coming around, Spence. Probably thanks to Melissa returning to London," Aria replied. "But I called it an early night because just being in the same room as that bitch wears me out. Why?"
The group had stopped outside the Radley, waiting for the ride Hanna had arranged for them to go shopping. She had pulled out all the stops for the weekend – including hiring Lucas's driver and stretch hummer. Hanna would need to pull some serious strings for the bachelorette party to top this bridal-party kick-off party.
"Well, shortly after you went upstairs, Hanna and Emily left too. I was at the bar with Caleb, Barney, Lilly, Robin and Mona. We were wondering what happened to the other guys. Then not two minutes after I asked where everyone went, I heard a commotion. Two bouncers were carrying some guy outside. Looked like the guy was roughed up a bit and maybe slurring his words," Spencer explained.
"Who was it?" Aria asked, wondering what in the hell this had to do with Nicole.
"At the time I didn't know. Then Liam, Ted, Marshall, and Mike returned to the bar. Mike looked ready to snap, and Mona immediately grabbed his arm to lead him home. Ted & Robin and Marshall & Lilly split. So it was just Caleb, Liam and I at the bar," Spencer continued. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"The guy the security guards were carrying out was Ezra."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Aria exclaimed. "I knew that sonofabitch would show up here. God, why can't that asshole just leave me alone?!"
"He wasn't here to see you last night, Aria. Jason walked in on him banging Nicole." Spencer was silent for a moment to let that sink in.
"Jason punched Ezra, then Mike came for back up and Ezra sucker-punched Jason in the stomach then in the face, which is why he had a black eye," Spencer finished.
"So what the hell happened with Nicole?" Aria asked.
Spencer looked around, catching Robin and Lilly's eyes as they appraised the sidewalk intently. No doubt Ted and Marshall had given them the lo-down on what happened after Ezra was kicked out.
"Liam asked me if I knew anything about you and Jason," Spencer continued. Hanna and Emily raised their eyebrows. "Jason told Nicole to leave, saying he could never feel the same way about her as he does about you."
Aria's brown eyes opened wide and her heart started thumping. "He said that?" The goodbye scene in the Philly airport flashed through Aria's mind. She was sitting on the floor crying as Jason had walked away from her. She had to sit down. A panic attack was looming as the hummer drove up to carry the girls away. Spenc
er sat and put her arm around Aria.
"That's a good thing, right?" Spencer asked her friend. "I don't think it's a coincidence Jason is looking to expand the Carisimi group into Boston."
"Wait a minute," Hanna blurted. "Is there something going on between you and Jason, Aria?"
"There was," Aria whispered. "Around the time of the trial, before I moved to Boston, Jason & I had an intense short-lived relationship. When he left for the Peace Corps, and I moved to Boston, I was distraught."
"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Emily asked. "We thought you were hooking up with Ezra again."
"I was afraid of Ali, to be honest," Aria replied. "And Ezra is a fucking creep. I broke up with him before I moved to Savannah and he didn't take it well. During my junior year he showed up drunk on my doorstep and sexually assaulted me. I had a restraining order and everything. He's been harassing me again in Boston, and I'm stuck working on his book. Liam has been my savior."
"So wait," Lilly interrupted. "Aren't you an Liam a thing now? I mean you practically live together."
"I hooked up with Liam once," Aria replied. "The morning after Spencer and Caleb's engagement/apartment-warming party. After Jason showed up with Nicole, and she kept on gushing about Ezra."
"I knew it! I totally called that happening," Lilly said excitedly to Robin. "You owe me 5 bucks!"
"We're just friends now. He knows about Ezra's abuse, and even though he wants something serious, I told him I'm not ready. He totally respects that," Aria said.
"Well let's just forget about the guys for the morning," Hanna burst in as she noticed the day taking a downward turn. "We've got dress shopping and planning to do!"
"I agree," Spencer piped in. "Let's forget about all the drama and create some new memories! We haven't all been together under pleasant circumstances since high school. And of course we have some new friends to break in," she finished, waving her hands towards Lilly and Robin.
"Okay," Aria stood up. "I can do this." The petite brunette took a deep breath and climbed up into the hummer.
After the dress shopping session, Aria's mind drifted back to Jason. Could it be true? Is he still in love with me?
"Hey Spence," Aria began. "Would you mind dropping me off at the Brew? I need some time to write and clear my head before the party tonight."
It was 4:30 and the party started at 6. "How will you get ready in time if you stop off at the Brew. You'll lose track of time like you always do!" Hanna didn't understand someone could get ready in less than an hour.
"It's only a 15 minute walk from the Radley. I'm already dressed for the party. It'll only take me like 15 minutes to freshen up. I'll be fine," Aria responded defensively. "I really need some time alone to process everything."
"Sure thing sweetie," Spencer answered. "Take all the time you need." After all the long talks they had in Boston after Jason returned, Spencer knew her friend had a lot to process. She couldn't risk Aria having a back-slide to the person she was when Spencer moved to Boston.
As Aria walked away from the Hummer to the door of the Brew she grew apprehensive. She remembered that night all those years ago when she ran into Jason there. Just before their love affair began. Sure enough, as she walked through the door she spotted the shoulder-length dirty-blond hair of Jason DiLaurentis. His back was turned and he didn't notice when she walked in. Aria ordered a soy chai latte and walked nervously towards the back of the café.
Jason looked up from his book when Aria sat tentatively in the chair across from him.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hey," he replied.
They stared at each other for a few moments, disbelieving the reality of the situation, hoping dearly this was not a dream.
"Your hair," Jason smiled behind the beard he'd grown in Ethiopia. "You look beautiful."
Aria smiled shyly. "Thank you. I love your beard." The situation was awkward. Like two teenagers on a first date.
"Aria," he began, "I owe you an apology. I should have never left. Seeing you on the floor of the Philadelphia airport crying is the worst memory I have. I didn't know what else to do. I had been sure you took that job at Umbrella Publishing to find your way back to Ezra."
Tears filled her eyes as she remembered that day. It was the worst memory she had as well. "Jason," she barely managed to squeak out. "Ezra is a monster. I could never go back to him. He raped me when I was in college. I couldn't bear the thought of being with another man until I ran into you here during the trial."
Jason stared wide-eyed, words caught in his throat. "Why didn't you tell me about Ezra?"
"I couldn't bear to remember it. Spencer is the first person I told. Then Liam," she replied.
"Are you and Liam together?" Jason asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"No," Aria responded firmly. "We hooked up once, the night after I met Nicole. After that he just continued to stay with me because Spencer was gone and Ezra was stalking me."
"Oh my god Aria," Jason replied behind the black eye delivered by the very asshole they were discussing. "I assume by now you've heard about what happened last night?"
"Yes Jason," she replied, gingerly touching the side of his face. "I want to say I can't believe Ezra did that, but honestly I am not at all surprised. Do you know where Nicole went?"
"She called me from the train to New York. I didn't answer but she left an angry message. Apparently she is moving all her stuff out and returning to Tennessee," he replied. "I am so sorry about all the things she said about you."
Aria laid her hands across the table and Jason picked them up. He gently kissed the back of each hand, looking deeply into her eyes. "Will you be my date this evening?"
Aria smiled in return with her whole body. "Of course I will!"