Hey Everyone! Welcome to the new followers! Thank you to autumnleaves18 for critiquing the ending of the last chapter. I love constructive feedback. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter:)
Aria finished her chai latte and walked with Jason out to his car. He opened her door chivalrously then walked slowly around the hood of his blue Camaro to the driver's side. Things were happening in dream-like slow motion. Can this be real? she thought, staring at the side of Jason's head as he drove. Aria felt as though her skin was alive with butterflies, and felt drunk with excitement. When they pulled into the Radley parking lot 5 minutes later, Jason got out and again opened Aria's door. He took her hand, kissed the back of it, and pulled her up to a full embrace. Aria wondered if he felt the electricity coursing through her veins. They'd both been fearful of making the first move, afraid the spell would be broken.
Once in his arms, Aria looked up and kissed the lips she'd been dreaming of for over a year. Everything felt right in the world. Jason responded by pulling her in closer and couldn't help but grab her ass a bit. Jason's head felt like it was about to explode as the last 24 hours' events unfolded at once. He hated that he felt thankful for Ezra. But without the sonofabitch skulking around, he might still be tied down with Nicole.
"Oh my god, Em, it's true!" Hanna gawked at Jason and Aria as she and Emily left their car.
Jason whipped around as the blonde's exclamation brought him back down to earth. "Oh, hey," he greeted them sheepishly. "I guess everyone heard what I said about Aria last night?" he asked rhetorically.
"Glad to see you found your ways back to each other," Emily said quietly. She felt a bit awkward around her ex-fiance's brother. Jason was never around when her and Ali were together, because Kenneth passed away unexpectedly during their first year of college. After that, Jason didn't feel the need to protect Ali anymore. Kenneth had a thing for young girls, and unfortunately Ali never seemed to grow up in his eyes.
"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I've got to go finish getting ready so Spencer doesn't freak out. You know how she is about timing and such," Aria sputtered. She hadn't expected to be confronted about Jason so suddenly. She'd planned to just ease everyone into the idea slowly by showing up to the party together and maybe holding hands – not blatantly making out in the parking lot. But goddamn, she couldn't help herself.
"Ok, well don't fall on anything when you're up there," Hanna said with a wink, looking pointedly at Jason's crotch.
Aria rolled her eyes and Jason smirked. The two couples walked to the Radley door. Emily and Hanna turned right past the high-class fake plastic tree while Jason and Aria turned left to hurry up the stairs. Jason walked Aria to her door and kissed her cheek softly before walking down the hall to the scene of the previous night's crime.
Jason slowly shook his head, mentally preparing himself to walk back into his room. Thankfully after he opened the door he found a clean, uninhabited room. The maids had come and made the bed, hopefully changed the sheets, and put fresh linens in the bathroom. The only suitcase was his own, but there was a flashing red light on the phone indicating he had a voicemail.
"You have five new voicemails," the cheerful recorded voice of the receptionist chirped. Ashley Marin insisted on having recorded voice greetings that came from real people, rather than the robotic-sounding recordings most phone services used. "Press one to play your first voicemail."
Jason took a deep breath before pushing the large number 1 key on the phone. He heard Nicole's sobbing voice, as both feared and expected. "Jason, sweetie, I am sooo sorry about last night. I swear it will never happen again. Ezra forced himself on me, I had no choice. I only pretended to like it so that he wouldn't be so violent. I'll be waiting for you in New York tomor-" the voicemail cut off and Jason slammed the phone down. He did not want to see Nicole again. Ever. Hesitantly he picked up his cell phone, just as his hotel phone rang.
"Hello," he said angrily, thinking it was Nicole again.
"Uhm, hey Jase," Aria said quietly. "I'm just about ready to go downstairs, is everything Ok?" Aria's stomach dropped as if someone had dropped a bowling ball down her throat. She knew this was too good to be true.
"Oh, hey you," Jason replied, as the sound of Aria's voice melted the anger that had tensed his shoulders. "I'm almost ready, I just need to make a quick call. Give me five minutes and I'll be by to pick your sexy ass up."
Aria giggled, the bowling ball replaced by butterflies. "Ok, five minutes." Jason heard her smiling through the phone.
With another deep breath, Jason opened his phone to see 8 text messages and 3 voicemails from Nicole. He didn't even bother to look at or read the messages. In the favorites section, he pressed Nicole Cell and waited half a ring before she picked up.
"Oh thank god," she cooed in the sexiest voice she could muster. "I thought you were never going to get back to me. Are you still returning to New York in the morning?"
"Do you not remember anything from last night?!" he screamed. "I don't ever want to see your face again! I will not be returning to New York tomorrow. I have to see my sister Ali and her two kids. Besides, you need time to get the hell out of that apartment. If you're not gone by Friday I'm going to cancel the lease early and have your ass evicted. Comprende?" Jason heard sobbing on the other end. He could finally admit to himself that Nicole was the ugliest crier he had ever encountered. While in Ethiopia he'd convinced himself it was endearing, but one he'd seen Aria again he could no longer stand to be around Nicole.
"Fine," she replied quietly. "I'll be gone by Friday."
"Good." Thankfully he'd brought his computer with him and could work remotely for the week. Staying in Rosewood may have been a lie, at least somewhat. If the rest of the evening went as well as the afternoon, he'd be on the road to Boston in the morning. After downing a bottle of water from the minifridge, Jason composed himself changed into a pair of khakis and green button-down shirt. He grabbed his tan corduroy blazer and walked down the hall to pick up his date.
Aria had changed out of her purple and silver dress into a form-fitting black dress. The dress was floor-length with a side slit up to her thigh, and a deep V-neck. She'd put on an amethyst pendant and sliver platform heels.
"You look gorgeous," he said as he embraced the woman who owned his heart. "I feel a little underdressed now though."
"Oh Jason, you look quite dapper," she said behind the permanent smile she'd worn since they left the Brew. "I love the blazer. And that shirt makes your eyes even greener." Aria looked up at the adoring face smiling down at her. Jason put his warm hands on either side of her head and kissed her passionately.
"Thank you," he replied, before realizing Aria was sharing a room with Liam. "Is Liam in there?" Jason was now craning his neck to search for an audience.
Aria chuckled. "No, he's downstairs with Mike and Mona. He texted me earlier that he'd meet me down there. I hope it's not too awkward of a conversation."
Hand-in-hand Jason and Aria walked towards the elevator.
Spencer and Caleb greeted guests as they arrived to the dining area Ashley Marin had reserved for the engagement party.
"I'm going to murder Hanna," Spencer said under her breath as more and more guests piled in. "This was supposed to be a small family and close friends event."
"Calm down, sweetheart," Caleb replied as he rubbed Spencer's back gently. "You know how Hanna gets excited to plan parties, each has to be more epic than the last." Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw a flash of pink. "Speaking of the devil, here she comes."
"Hey Spence! Hey Caleb!" the blond party planner ran up to the happy couple, hugging each one in turn.
"Hey Hanna, it's good to see you. Thanks for planning this for us," Caleb said with a genuine smile. There was absolutely no awkwardness between the former lovers.
"Where's Em?" Spencer asked, glossing over her annoyance at the abundance of people. Hanna was so excited, Spencer couldn't actually be upset with her.
"Oh, she's back at the bar talking to your friends from Boston. Those girls are really chill. Will they be part of the bridal party?" Hanna couldn't wait for the formal announcement of the wedding party later that evening. She'd assumed they would be, considering they'd spent the day together.
"We'll make that announcement when the time comes, Han," Spencer replied mysteriously. Of course they will be, she thought. "Is Ali coming tonight?"
Hanna took a deep breath, trying to be cool about her former friend, her girlfriend's ex. "I invited her, but she didn't RSVP. I think it depends on if she can find a babysitter for the evening."
With that, Alison DiLaurentis walked towards the dining room, arm in arm with Lorenzo Caulderone, one of Rosewood's finest policemen. When she saw Spencer, Ali's eyes lit up and she waved excitedly. Then her gaze fell on Hanna and a sour expression replaced the excitement.
"Spencer, congratulations! Sorry I couldn't make it to brunch, I was spending quality time with my fiancé and our twins." Alison held up her left hand to display a stunning diamond ring. Lorenzo squeezed her shoulders and planted a kiss onto the top of her head. The newly-engaged couple completely ignored Hanna.
"I'm gonna go check on the food," Hanna said loudly, breaking the tension bearing down on Spencer. Spencer was quite obviously stuck between a rock and a hard place with Ali and Hanna.
"Sounds good Han," Spencer turned her attention away from Alison's huge diamond and matching grin of superiority.
"Nice ring," Caleb said coldly, as if Ali was making a point to show how her ring was more impressive than Spencer's.
"Congrats, man," Lorenzo shook Caleb's hand like they'd been friends forever. Ali's arrogance must've been wearing off on him.
"Thanks," Caleb said as Barney walked up behind them.
"Pssst, Caleb," Barney said in a stage whisper. "Shots at the bar. Be there in 5 minutes." Barney turned to walk away when he noticed Ali's ring.
"I'm Barney," he said, turning full attention to Alison and stepping between her and Lorenzo. Ignoring the dirty look from her fiancé, Barney continued in the same faux-oblivious fashion. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Lorenzo cleared his throat. "That would be me," he said. "Lorenzo Caulderon, Rosewood PD."
"Whoa," Barney threw his hands up in innocence. "I was just trying to break the tension."
"Tension?" Lorenzo raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"It's totally not cool for your fiancé to be showing off her ring at Spencer's engagement party," Barney said casually, as he walked away. "By the way, you're down to 4 minutes Rivers, don't miss the shots."
"Is my brother here?" Ali asked, quickly changing the subject. "I can't wait to show Nicole my ring!"
"Uh, yeah," Caleb replied quickly, "somewhere back there." Caleb waved in the general direction of the bar. It certainly wasn't his duty to break the news to Ali that Nicole would not be in attendance.
With that, Alison and Lorenzo breezed past Spencer and Caleb, in search of Jason and his now ex-girlfriend.
"Oh my god, what a bitch!" Spencer fumed, as she looked at her watch. It was 6:09. "They weren't even here on time. Ali needs to go."
"It'll be ok," Caleb turned and kissed his fiancé's forehead. "Why don't you go find your girlfriends, and I'll meet the guys at the bar. We can make our announcements after dinner's over." Spencer embraced Caleb, gently kissing his neck, and walked over to Emily and the Boston crew.
Jason and Aria stepped out of the elevator in unison and headed towards the growing crowd in the private dining room reserved for the engagement party. Aria looked towards the bar to see Liam chatting with Mike and Mona. Liam turned and waved, a big drunken smile plastered on his face. Though deep-down Liam knew he was not the one in Aria's mind, he held onto hope. That is until last night when he heard Jason profess his love for Aria. The love proclaimation turned on the lightbulb in Liam's head as he slowly realized why Aria had been afraid to start something real with him. Aria had eyes only for Jason. Seeing Aria walk in to the party with Jason confirmed his suspicion and he knew he did not stand a chance against the guy who brought such a beautiful, genuine smile to Aria's face. Each meeting with Ezra these past few weeks drained more and more of the life from her eyes. Tonight, however, the light in Aria's eyes shone with a love as deep as the sea.
"Hey guys," Jason said as the couple walked up to Aria's brother, his girlfriend and Aria's coworker. Jason shook Mike's and Liam's hands and gave Mona a quick hug.
"Hey man," Mike replied as he handed Jason a beer. "Good to see you in a better form today than last night."
"Thanks," he replied, as the bartender emerged with a glass of wine for Aria.
"Liam ordered for you when he saw you two walk off the elevator," Mona explained to Aria's bewildered expression.
"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that," Aria looked nervously at Liam. Before she had a chance to continue, Liam calmed her fears as if he could read her mind. "I'm really happy for you Ar," he said genuinely. " I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. It's beautiful. Cheers!" Liam caught Jason's quizzical eye and raised his beer glass to toast.
"You're such a goofball," Aria giggled at Liam, as Jason casually put his arm around his girlfriend's tiny waist and pulling her into him. Their bodies fit together perfectly and he still couldn't believe his luck at having a second chance with Aria. Closing his eyes, lost in his thoughts, Jason leaned over and kissed the top of Aria's head.
"Jason! Oh my god," Ali made her grand entrance to the little group. "What are you doing?! Where is Nicole?"
"Nicole is gone. I caught her fucking Ezra, or rather getting fucked by Ezra, last night," Jason snapped as his bratty sister broke his moment. Ali seemed to love Nicole more than she loved Jason. And who had been the one to comfort her after every time Kenneth snuck into her room at night? Spoiled bitch.
"Oh, that sounds as likely as Santa fucking the Easter Bunny," Ali said haughtily before turning to Aria. "And you. Why the hell are you hanging all over my brother?" she asked with an unpleasant face.
"Aria is my date for the evening," Jason cut in. "She also used to be one of your best friends, what the hell has gotten into you?"
"Well I can't trust any of those bitches anymore. After Emily left me for Hanna –" Ali began before Aria cut her off.
"Just stop Ali," Aria spat in disgust. "Play nice or leave. Tonight is about Spencer and Caleb, not you."
"I beg to differ," Ali said as she put her left hand on Lorenzo's chest to show off her new diamond.
With that, Ashley Marin stepped up to the little stage area in the front of the room. "Excuse me, everyone, please find your seats. Dinner will be served momentarily."
Aria and Jason were seated at the front of the room with the bride- and groom-to-be, as well as Mike and Mona.
After dinner was served, the waitstaff carried out dessert and poured coffee. Caleb stepped on to the stage with Spencer to address the party.
"Thank you all for coming out tonight. Spencer & I are grateful to spend the evening with family and close friends. We are still in the early stages of wedding planning, but want to take a minute to announce our wedding party." Caleb turned to flash a smile to Spencer. "I'll go first to build the suspense.
"First off, my best man, Toby Cavanaugh. For those who know our pasts, it might seem weird that I am asking my fiancé's ex-boyfriend to be my best man, but Toby's been like a brother to me for years. Come on up here, buddy." Toby stood from the table just next to theirs and walked on stage to embrace Caleb.
"Thanks for having me here, brother. I couldn't be happier for you two," Toby motioned to Caleb and Spencer.
Caleb then rattled off the rest of the groomsmen. "Next, Mike Montgomery, and my friends from Boston Ted Mosby, Marshall Erickson, and Barney Stinson."
There was a round of applause as Caleb spoke into the microphone once more. "And the moment we've all been waiting for, drum roll please, Spencer's announcement of the bridal party!"
Spencer rolled here eyes as she grabbed the microphone from Caleb. "Again, thanks everyone for coming out tonight. And a special thanks to Hanna Marin for planning this shindig." Spencer paused for a round of applause. "First off, I'm excited to introduce my maid of honor, Aria Montgomery. Aria welcomed me into her apartment when I transferred to BU a little over a year ago. We were best friends in high school and have had the time of our lives together in Boston. Aria Montgomery, everyone!" The crowd clapped dutifully. "Next up, the rest of my bridal party. Hanna Marin, the aforementioned mastermind behind this lovely evening, Emily Fields, Mona Vanderwaal, and my friends from Boston, Robin Scherbotsky and Lilly Aldren."
Toby took the microphone next. "I'd like to propose a toast. We've all been through so much together growing up in Rosewood. It's been good, bad and at times quite ugly. That we've all been friends through the years says a lot about the bond between us. I know Spencer and Caleb well, and I know how well they compliment each other. Let's all raise a glass to Spencer and Caleb's happy future."
With that everyone raised their glasses in collective cheers and the wedding party exited the stage. Moments later, heavy velvet curtains opened to display the band Hanna had booked for the occasion. People got up from their tables and sauntered up to the dance floor that was set up just in front of the band.
"It's sooo good to see you again," Alison's sarcasm pooling at her feet when she addressed Emily. Alison and Lorenzo sat at a bar table as they were not expected and did not have actual seating. It appeared she'd not eaten anything, preferring to fill up on champagne instead. Lorenzo didn't drink, he never knew when he might be called on to save a kitten from a tree or something.
"Why are you here Ali?" Emily asked.
"Oh didn't you hear, Hanna invited me," she replied snidely. "I think she wanted to show off how happy you are with her. I hear you've been talking shit on me. What's that about?"
Emily did not want to fight with her belligerent ex-fiancé. Especially a drunken belligerent ex. "I speak nothing but the truth. If you are a shitty person, if you treat me like shit, I have nothing to say about you but shit."
"Oh no you didn't! I treated you like a queen, I gave you the world," Ali retorted. "And you couldn't keep it in your pants. You cheated on me so many times I can't even count."
Their voices were growing louder, and a crowd was gathering. "Girl fight!" Mike Montgomery cried before Mona elbowed him sharply.
"Ugh, this town is so disgusting," Ali turned unsteadily on her heel. Lorenzo tried to catch her, but it was too late. Miss Queen Bee Alison DiLaurentis was sprawled across the bar floor, writhing in pain.
"Oh my god, someone call 9-1-1!" Lorenzo cried with a high-pitch yell. Apparently Ali's dramatics had worn off on him as well.
Toby ran over. In addition to being a former police officer, he was also atrained EMT. "Alison," he said gently, holding up a finger. "Can you focus your eyes on my finger?"
Ali complied. Toby moved his finger back and forth, Ali's eyes transfixed. She'd stopped bawling.
"Ok, good. Now let me see your ankle," Toby said. She moved it into his lap. He gently turned and twisted her ankle, not feeling any broken bones. "Does that hurt?"
"Yeah, owww, please stop," Alison whimpered.
"It's just a sprain, she doesn't need an ambulance," Toby stated. "I've got some ace bandages in my car. In the meantime, just sit and put your leg on a chair. Have Lorenzo get a bag of ice and hold it around your ankle."
Alison complied. There were purple spots forming around her ankle. Everyone was staring at her. I'm Ali and I'm fabulous, she thought. Alison 1, those other bitches 0.
At midnight, the band played their last number, "Good Feeling" by the Violent Femmes. It was an epic end to an epic party.
Aria and Spencer collapsed at their table, a half-empty bottle of champagne between them.
"Another toast to you and Caleb," Aria giggled. There had been too many Spencer-and-Caleb toasts to count.
"Better yet," Spencer slightly slurred her words. "A toast to you and Jason! I'm so happy for you, Aria!"
"I'll drink to that," Aria awkwardly leaned across an empty seat to hug the bride-to-be.
Caleb and Jason stood off to the side, watching their loves with amusement.
"You're a lucky guy, Caleb," Jason said thoughtfully. "Take care of my sister."
"You're a lucky guy too Jason," Caleb replied. "I swear to god if you hurt Aria I will rip off your arms and legs then beat you with the bloody stumps," he added jokingly.
"I swear I won't hurt her," Jason chuckled, raising his hands in drunken surrender. "I promise to love that girl with all my heart until the day I die," he added quietly, as if he didn't intend for Caleb to hear.
Once the champagne bottle was empty, Caleb and Jason gathered up Spencer and Aria and headed upstairs.
Jason opened the door to his room, ushering Aria in before him. The day had passed in a whirlwind. The two former lovers would be soon be reunited as one. Aria slowly kicked off her heels and sat tentatively at the edge of the bed. She crossed her legs seductively, causing the long slit in her skirt to open over her well-toned legs. Jason bit his bottom lip as he watched Aria lean back and stare up at him with smoldering eyes. He took off his blazer and pulled Aria up off the bed. She locked her arms around his neck as he leaned in press his lips into hers, the passion building.
Jason caressed Aria's back gently as she searched his mouth with her tongue. Aria could feel Jason's excitement poke near her belly button, just where it had so many times in the past. Jason fumbled slightly with the zipper of Aria's dress as she deftly unbuttoned his shirt. Aria felt tingly as a warm breeze buffeted her naked torso when her dress hit the floor. It was as if the universe was blessing their reunion.
Aria removed Jason's shirt and white undershirt, admiring the toned abs she'd run her hands across countless times. Jason looked down at the dark-haired goddess below him. He opened his mouth to tell her how beautiful she was, but Aria put her finger to his lips. She did not want to disturb the symphony of the universe, did not want to break the spell. There would be plenty of time for talking later.
After all their clothes were strewn about on the ground, Jason lifted Aria and gently laid her back on the bed. After drinking in her beauty with his eyes, Jason began planting soft kisses along her inner thighs. Aria moaned softly. He continued kissing until he reached her center. Aria was dripping with pleasure. Jason hungrily explored her netherlips, eliciting soft moans from Aria.
After bringing her to the brink of orgasm, Jason positioned himself just above her entrance. He held himself up on his elbows, planting wet kisses on Aria's lips. She moaned at the familiar aroma of Jason's wet face, which caused her explosive-level excitement to build a step higher. Jason could barely contain himself, and began to slowly ease his throbbing cock into Aria's wet pussy. Despite his attempts to make the moment last, Aria's orgasm set him off. The symphony of the universe reached a grand crescendo as Jason and Aria came together in an earth-shattering orgasm.
a/n: Sorry but not sorry to the Ali fans on here. As I write various scenes, my subconscious disdain for various characters takes over. Rather than try to censor myself, I just let it go. Anyhoo, let me know what you think! Also, let me know if there is further interest in smutty Spaleb scenes.