I'm back with another (longer) update. I'm not sure how I felt about the last chapter – it was written for months and I kind of wanted to post it just to get myself back in the groove. I had a crazy summer (insert necessary excuse here) and a major bout of writer's block. Anyway, I'm back and hopefully will not disappear for so long next time. Without further ado….
Spencer rolled over to look at the clock. 6:03. They'd only gone to sleep about 4 hours ago. Caleb rolled over, muttering about his growing headache. She'd had only 4 hours of sleep but Spencer's internal alarm clock would not let her go back to sleep. Sighing softly, she kissed Caleb's shoulder. "I'll go get you some Advil sweetie," she whispered.
Spencer set her feet down on the cool floor and stood up slowly. Though she didn't have any sort of massive headache, there was a dense fog surrounding her brain. She noticed Emily and Hanna fast asleep in the spare bedroom, a tangle of limbs and sheets. At least they'd been quiet – rumor had it that Hanna was normally quite the screamer. But that was neither here nor there, as Spencer really didn't like to think of Hanna and Caleb together. Guilt plagued her when they'd first gotten together, and though it had waned, Spencer still felt uneasy when Caleb and Hanna were around each other. Hanna and Caleb had split up years before, and Hanna assured Spencer everything was cool between them, and that Hanna had never felt as happy as she was with Emily.
Spencer retrieved the aforementioned Advil from the bathroom, a glass of water from the kitchen and returned to her bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. Caleb was not fully asleep, nor was he fully awake, as he lay on his side facing away from the door.
Spencer placed the glass of water and Advil on the night table and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently she reached around her fiancé and felt the muscles on his bare chest. As she began kissing his neck, Caleb rolled onto his back. Spencer swung her feet up onto the bed and laid the top half of her body against his. As she continued kissing his neck, her right hand reached down the length of his torso and found his morning wood. Caleb responded by wrapping his arms around Spencer and grabbing her ass. Spencer could feel moisture pooling in her panties as she stretched her leg over Caleb's and shifted her weight to straddle him.
Caleb was now fully awake. He gently moved his hands from Spencer's ass up the sides of her torso, lifting her shirt as he went. Spencer ground herself seductively onto Caleb's hardening erection as she pulled her shirt off. Caleb reached up and rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. When Spencer began to moan, Caleb pulled her down into a kiss.
Spencer maneuvered herself out of her shorts and panties, then shifted her focus to Caleb's boxers. She rolled off briefly while Caleb kicked them off. Caleb pulled Spencer back on top of him and she responded by lifting her ass in the air. She shifted her hips down just enough to get the tip of Caleb's hard-on wet. He moaned in protest, but Spencer just smiled. She loved teasing him like that.
Spencer only got a few more dips in before she felt Caleb's hands grasp her ass and pull her forcefully down onto him. She moaned in pleasure, enjoying every inch of hardon. Caleb reached down and swirled his thumb across Spencer's clit as she rocked back and forth. In the past few months they'd learned just how to please the other. It was only a matter of minutes before both of them exploded in mutual climax, coming together as One.
Meanwhile, across town, Aria jumps out of bed upon hearing the coffeemaker beep. She'd remembered to set up the coffeepot and turn on the timer so that the coffee would be ready as soon as she woke up. Knowing what a jam-packed weekend she had planned, Aria was smart enough to slow down her drinking and chug a bunch of water before passing out. Most everyone else, however, was not so wise.
As Aria bent down to pick up her pajama pants from the floor she heard the bed creak slowly. Knowing she had captured Jason's attention she wiggled her ass seductively. Jason moaned approval. Aria turned around and licked her lips in approval of Jason's bare chest and erection peeking out from his boxers. Very slowly Aria leaned over and began planting kisses from Jason's belly button up the side of his jaw. Jason reached around her side, gently grazing her breasts. When he got to her ass and tried to pull her on top of him Aria coyly turned to the side.
"We have company out there," she said teasingly in a quiet sing-song voice, fully enjoying the effect she had on Jason. Ever since they got back together she's felt like a giddy schoolgirl around him. It was as if she was living a dream. The moment was broken, however, when Aria heard the tell-tale moan of her hungover brother.
"Mike, be quiet!" Mona stage-whispered. "Your sister and Jason are still sleeping."
"Uhhhh," Mike continued moaning, albeit at a lower volume.
Aria giggled softly as she turned back to Jason and kissed him on the cheek. "Time to get up Sweetie, I'll go pour you a cup of coffee. Come on out when this goes down," she added with a wicked grin, gently patting his erection.
"You're so evil," Jason replied with mock anger as he drank in Aria's natural beauty. Even first thing in the morning after a night of drinking she managed to look almost angelic. He couldn't believe his luck at getting back together with her any more than she could.
"I know, but you love it," Aria flashed him her beautiful smile before sauntering out into the living room, shaking her hips seductively. "Good morning Sunshine," she called into the guest bedroom. Mike was not amused.
Aria walked into the kitchen, pulled out coffee mugs and poured one for Jason, Mona, Mike and herself. She heard Mona telling Mike he better not fall back asleep. Moments later Mona emerged from the guest room wearing a Rosewood lacrosse T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her brother's girlfriend was also wise enough not to over-indulge – likely because Mike was drinking more than enough for both of them.
"So maid-of-honor," Mona asked with a chipper voice, "what've you got planned for today?" Despite all that Mona had gone through in high school with Aria and her friends, she'd grown to love them all in the past year that she'd been dating Mike.
"Well first, we're going to drink this much-needed coffee," Aria chirped. During her time living with Spencer she'd developed quite the coffee addiction. "Then we'll pick up some bagels and head over to Spencer's to look at the designs Hanna brought for Spencer's dress."
"Oh my god, I can't wait to see the look on Spencer's face! Hanna gave me a preview of the designs, and even let me create a design of my own." Mona worked sort of as Hanna's apprentice in her growing design business. There was definitely some awkward power struggle between the friends, but Mona took it all in stride.
"That's so awesome!" Aria gushed. She was so excited about planning Spencer's wedding you'd almost think she was planning her own. Aria had recently begun dreaming of her own wedding, presumably with Jason, though she was very careful not to admit that to anyone. She didn't want to break the love spell.
"Then after we go through the wedding dress designs I've made appointments at two bridal shops in the area. Spencer wants to pick out the bridesmaid dresses while everyone is here together," Aria continued.
"Spencer is going with navy blue and silver, right?" Mona verified nervously. She'd incorporated a touch of color in her dress design and was getting paranoid she'd gotten the colors mixed up. It was extremely nerve-wracking to create a dress design for Type-A Spencer.
"She sure is," Aria confirmed with a wide smile.
At that moment Jason and Mike drug themselves into the kitchen. Jason exhibited signs of mild hangover, but Mike was obviously in pain. He was still moaning, and rubbing his head dramatically. Mona rolled her eyes and Aria grabbed a bottle of Advil. She placed a pill for each of the guys on kitchen island and poured them a glass of water.
"You're the best, sis," Mike mumbled. Now it was Aria's turn to roll her eyes.
"So what are the guys going to do?" Mona asked.
"That's Jason and Caleb's department. I know Barney suggested laser tag, as he always does, but I'm pretty sure that idea got shot down," Aria snickered as Mike laid his head down on the counter.
A couple hours later, Jason and Mike walked with Aria and Mona up to Caleb and Spencer's apartment. Spencer welcomed her friends in as Caleb embraced her from behind on his way outside. "I love you baby, enjoy your planning," he told her as he ushered Jason and Mike away from the door.
"Caleb, wait! Where are you going?" Spencer called after her fiancé. "Don't forget we have a dinner reservation at 7 pm!"
"Spencer, please," Barney cut in as he, Ted and Marshall walked up to the door. "We've got things under control," then turning to Ted and Marshall he stage-whispered, "Caleb might as well kiss goodbye to his manhood now." Apparently Spencer's fierce personality made Barney feel uncomfortable. Probably due to the size of his ego – surely he was insecure about something. Barney means well, and everyone enjoys his humor at least some times, so everyone put up with his crassness.
"Don't worry Sweetie," Caleb cut in. "We'll be there." He finished with a smile, trying to assure Spencer she had nothing to worry about. Of course with Barney around there was always something to worry about, but Spencer had bigger fish to fry.
Mona and Aria made their way into Spencer's apartment and were astonished by the scene before them. Spencer's apartment was never anything but neat and tidy. Hanna, however, was the antithesis of Spencer when it came to tidiness. Sketches were chaotically strewn about the carpet in the living room. In the midst of the mess sat the brilliant designer, with a tape measure in her hand and a pencil behind her ear.
"Oh my god," Aria exclaimed. "What the hell happened in here?!"
Mona chuckled as she shook her head. "This is pretty much par for the course. Tidiness cramps Hanna's creativity, or something like that."
Emily nodded her head in agreement. There was a knock at the door and Spencer opened it for Robin and Lilly. Robin's blood pressure when right up the same tree as Spencer's and Lilly felt more at ease than she'd ever felt at Spencer's. As a kindergarten teacher and fellow artist, her creativity was likewise crushed by tidiness.
Spencer passed around sparkling water and the girls sat down on the carpet to look at Hanna's sketches. Though she'd never admit it, Spencer was getting a wee bit overwhelmed. Wedding dresses, guest list, venue, music, decorations, bridal shower…there was just way too much to fret about. Of course, the pressure was high to do everything just right, and as it was, she was on the top of her sister's shit list for getting married first – aside from the fact she was marrying one of her best friends' ex. Everything about her wedding was a touchy subject with her sister. Her mind felt like it was on the verge of exploding about 90% of the time these days. But she still managed to hold up a steady front, thanks to years of practice. After about an hour of looking through a pile of intricate sketches, she'd managed to narrow her choices from 8 down to 3. One of those was Mona's design, but of course, even if she liked Mona's design the most she could never choose that one over Hanna's.
In the end Spencer chose the mermaid style dress with a silvery sequined bodice Hanna had designed, and the veil that went with Mona's design. The dress was fitted to complement Spencer's tall thin frame, and the texture gave a fuller appearance to her lack of hips. The veil was simple yet elegant. The hair piece was a small clip of navy blue flowers. There were two layers of tulle, sparkly and slivery-white. Light would reflect off the sparkles, creating a shimmering glow to her head. A perfect precursor to an explosion Spencer figured.
Once the details of the dress were ironed out, Hanna told Spencer strip to her skivvies to get measured. Feigning prudishness, Spencer insisted on going into her bedroom to get mostly naked. She knew she was on the verge of a meltdown. Hanna of course made a big deal about sighing and rolling her eyes, then followed Spencer into her bedroom. Though when Hanna walked into Spencer's bedroom, she understood why she had insisted on privacy.
Spencer was on the side of the bedroom furthest from the door, hunched down with her hands on her knees. Hanna could see her shoulders heaving unsteadily, and heard her friend trying not to hyperventilate.
"Oh, Spencer, honey," she said as she walked quickly over and put her hands on her friend's back. "It's ok, everyone gets overwhelmed planning for their wedding."
"But, it just feels weird, you know?" Spencer managed to get out between shaky breaths. "Me marrying Caleb, and you designing the most beautiful wedding dress. I would hate me if I was you," Spencer wiped a tear from her eye.
"I could never hate you, Spence. I admit it was kind of weird when you two go together, but then it was probably a little weird when me and Em got together," Hanna replied soothingly. "Caleb is a great guy, I loved spending time with him, but it just never felt right. I tried to tell myself that I was just being paranoid but no matter what I told myself, I honestly never felt complete when I was with him."
Spencer wiped her tears away and looked at Hanna. "Do you really mean that? You're not just saying it?"
"Of course I'm not just saying it sweetie. I still love Caleb, I always will, but I'm not in love with him," Hanna replied. "Besides, I'm with Emily now, and couldn't be happier. Now give me a hug and put your proud Spencer Hastings face on and let me feel you up – I mean, measure you," Hanna chuckled when Spencer quirked her eyebrows.
"Thanks, Han," Spencer replied, hugging her friend. Though not totally calm, she felt as if a weight she was unaware of had been lifted off her shoulders.
"So we have an appointment at Hope's Bridal first – that's the one across town. Then our next appointment is at Black-Tie Affair," Aria told the girls.
Hanna scoffed jokingly. "Black-Tie Affair? That sounds like a place for evening dresses, not bridesmaid dresses."
"I thought it would be fun to think outside the box a little bit," Aria pretended to be offended. She knew it was a bit untraditional, but it fit her eccentric personality just fine. There was a beautiful purple gown in the window that had caught Aria's eyes one afternoon, and she had an epiphany about her own wedding dress. White was just too traditional for Aria and her eccentric, counter-culture style. That purple gown would be just perfect for her, but, of course, she wasn't thinking about that right now. And besides, the sales guy she set up the appointment with sounded just delightful.
"I think that sounds fun," Lilly threw in her two cents nervously. Though Spencer, Aria, Robin and Lilly were all close, the girls from Boston were a little intimidated by Hanna and Emily.
"She's right," Emily spoke up. "It'll be fun. Maybe you can even schmooze with the buyer there. It'll be a good way to drum up some business."
"Ooooh, that's a great idea," Spencer said. "You should bring a couple of these designs! Of course, not the one I chose, but a few of the other ones. That way you can keep their sales people busy while we shop. I hate when people follow me around a store and try to tell me what I'm looking for."
The girls finished their water and nibbled on the bagels Aria and Mona had bought. No one dared eat an entire bagel though, because who wants to feel bloated when trying on dresses? Aria hadn't thought through all the details as Spencer would have – that'd cramp the smaller brunette's style too much. After Hanna had chosen which designs to take, the girls headed out into the street to wait for their Uber.
Hope's Bridal was a small store that smelled faintly like lilacs. The saleslady who greeted them at the door introduced herself as Gretchen. Gretchen was apparently the source of the lilac aroma, and Spencer had to do her best not to make a scene out of coughing.
"I'm the one that called on Monday about scheduling a few bridesmaids to try on dresses?" Aria nervously introduced herself in the form of a question.
"Oh, right! You must be the bride," Gretchen gushed. The registers in her saleslady mind were turning rapidly.
"Actually, that would be me," Spencer said rather loudly, diverting the sales lady's attention.
Gretchen looked a bit flustered, but quickly recovered. "Oh, of course. Your maid of honor must have booked the appointment. I'm around so many brides I have a permanent case of wedding brain! Tell me about your color scheme! Have you found a dress yet?"
Right off the bat this saleslady did not sit well with Spencer. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am having a dress custom-made. My friend Hanna here is a designer." Spencer was trying to deflect the attention from herself in any way possible.
"Oh, that's just adorable!" Gretchen replied with a syrupy smile and condescending tone, obviously avoiding any questions about Spencer's designer friend. "Well we just got in this new Vera Wang gown that would look exquisite on your frame. Why not give it a try?"
Spencer looked like she was about to explode. Aria pulled her down a row of vibrantly-colored dresses to get her away from Gretchen. Lilly, Robin and Emily all stood frozen in place. The situation was palpably awkward.
"Aria, I can't handle this," Spencer managed angrily between forced breaths. "Let's get out of here. Gretchen is an enormous bitch, and I don't want any of you wearing anything that has been drenched in lilac aroma."
With that, Spencer turned swiftly and made a bee-line for the door. The other girls quickly followed Spencer out the door and then headed over to Black Tie Affair.
The girls were greeted by a delightful salesman dressed handsomely in a charcoal polo and skinny black jeans with purple suede dress shoes.
"Oh, there you are!" he cried, as if he'd been waiting for them all morning. "I'm Nicholas, and I'm here to accentuate your fabulousness!"
As soon as she'd called to make the appointments, Aria knew they would have better luck at Black Tie Affair. Gretchen at Hope's Bridal was pushy on the phone, barely letting Aria tell her about the bride, before she started talking about their new designer dresses up in the window. Nicholas on the other hand just loved helping his customers find trendy new clothes that would express their personality.
Spencer was taken aback for half a moment, then relaxed into a smile. "Hi, I'm Spencer," she stepped up to shake Nicholas's hand. He clasped it in both hands, then pulled it up to kiss the back of it.
"And I'm honored to help your wedding party," he replied. Spencer's smile broadened as she realized Aria probably arranged for shopping at this place after dealing with Gretchen over the phone.
"So tell me what you have in mind, Spencer. Are you thinking all the same style, or all the same fabric, or just all the same color?" Nicholas asked. Spencer was happy to find he wanted to listen to her opinion rather than give it to her.
"Well, I haven't really thought about it too much. I guess I'll know when I see it?" Spencer had honestly no idea what she wanted the bridesmaids to wear. It was intimidating walking into a store with so many choices and trying to imagine what would look best on everyone.
"Of course. Tell me about your dress. I heard you got it custom-made?" Nicholas replied, excited to hear all about Spencer and what Spencer wanted.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. My friend Hanna here designed it," Spencer told him, pointing to Hanna. "And Mona designed the veil," she pointed towards Mona as well.
Hanna stepped forward and pulled some pages out of her purse. "I brought the design with me, tell me what you think," Hanna said nervously.
"Oh my god, this is delightful! I love the texture, and the veil? I love that pop of color! You girls are so talented!" Nicholas was almost like a little kid on Christmas morning. He reminded Spencer of Aria.
"Well, down these two aisles are the official "black tie" styles – available only in black of course. Over here you'll find the silks and satins and on the other side of the dressing rooms you'll find the tulle. I'll go grab you a book of colors for each material, and let you have a look around. When you find the right size and style to try on, bring it over to this rack. We don't have room to keep each size of each color of each style in house, but when you find a style and size that fit we can order from any of the colors," Nicholas paused briefly to answer questions, and hearing none he breezed away to fetch the color books. The girls were impressed with the surprisingly vast array of styles. It was like a hidden gem of a bridesmaid store – so much better than the big box stores.
Spencer's bridesmaids set off down the tulle aisle, as Hanna suggested that fabric would best compliment Spencer's dress. Nicholas returned with color books and a glass of champagne for Spencer. "You look nervous honey, come have a seat and relax," Nicholas said, turning down his volume and excitement as he deemed the situation required.
Spencer wasted no time flopping down in a cozy arm chair in the middle of a circle of dressing rooms. The champagne bubbles tickled her throat, and the alcohol on a mostly-empty stomach eased the frayed edges of her mind quite nicely. The girls bounced back and forth between modeling dresses for Spencer and adjusting sizes. Robin jumped in to help organize the dresses and size changes in the background so Spencer could just relax and judge the best of the best. About 2 hours and 3 flutes of champagne later, Spencer found a dress style that flattered each of the bridesmaids. All the girls would wear the same, off-the-shoulder dress with a high waist and just-above-the-knee length.
After the bridesmaid dresses were ordered, the girls stopped for a late afternoon drink before meeting back up with the guys for dinner. Spencer was visibly more relaxed. Haven chosen both a dress for herself and for her bridesmaids was another thing to check off her list. And of course the champagne helped with that too.
"So Emily," began Robin, "you were once engaged to Jason's sister? You're so nice, surely she can't have always been as rude as when we met her. What happened?"
"Oh, where do I begin?" Emily asked rhetorically. "I thought Alison was the love of my life. I'd been in love with her in high school, and was devastated when she disappeared. I was sure she'd never feel the same, but somehow she did, or at least told me she did.
"We broke up before I left for college. Then somehow when we returned to Rosewood for her sister Charlotte's trial, we got back together," Emily tried to keep an even voice, but everything that had happened with her ex left a very bad taste in her mouth and induced severe panic. She got so upset she could barely follow a coherent timeline.
"But then after Alison gave birth to their twins," Hanna jumped in, "she became a psycho controlling bitch."
"How did she get pregnant?" Lilly asked.
"Good question," Hanna said coldly.
"Well, I had donated my eggs just before we got back together because I needed the money. Then the family that was going to use them backed out last minute. Ali said I should save then. Then she had the idea of getting them fertilized, and carrying the baby herself. It seemed like a good way to start a family – then we'd both be biological parents," Emily explained. "Something about the whole situation never sat well with me though."
"What do you mean?" Lilly replied.
"Well we had discussed the idea, but not seriously. Then all of a sudden she got frantic about having the procedure right away," Emily began treading on very thin ice. The whole situation was beyond upsetting.
"Why did she get so frantic all of a sudden?" Robin asked.
"I think she was already pregnant when she went all gung-ho about getting Emily's eggs fertilized," Hanna jumped in. This was a very sore subject for her as well.
"What makes you think that?" This was all news to Aria. She'd been so caught up in her own life after Ezra's attack she had all but lost touch with her friends for a few years. Then after Charlotte's trial, when Jason left for Ethiopia, she fell apart again.
"There were a lot of rumors going around about Ali. Remember how Mr. DiLaurentis passed away during our first year of college?" Hanna asked. The girls slowly nodded their heads.
"Well it looked like an accident but then the police got an anonymous tip that it wasn't an accident. Very far-fetched it seemed, but the DiLaurentis family is certainly ripe with drama," Hanna threw in snide comments about her girlfriend's ex, her former best friend, whenever possible. "Well Rosewood's finest launched some sort of 'investigation'" Hanna added air quotes, "and Lorenzo was the lead detective on the case. The trail went cold for a few years then somehow someone found new evidence and the case was magically opened back up. Ali got obsessed with getting to the bottom of things and spent more time with Lorenzo than with Em."
"And then suddenly she wanted to get my eggs fertilized immediately," Emily was trying to breathe calmly but Aria noticed an impending panic attack; she'd certainly suffered enough of them to recognize the symptoms miles away. Aria stood up, walked over to Emily and began rubbing her back gently. Hanna held her girlfriend's hand and shot an appreciative smile to Aria.
"Wow," Robin and Lilly were both stunned. "So you just went along with it?" Robin continued softly. She knew this was a tough subject, but the story was certainly gripping.
Emily exhaled loudly. "I didn't think I had much choice. Ali was always so hot and cold. She seemed really excited about starting a family, and I guess I just thought if I didn't go along with it she'd drop me like a wet rag." Emily let out a pent up sob, and Hanna wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Emily buried her face in Hanna's shoulder.
"That's awful," Lilly chimed in, stunned by the absurdity of it all.
"Well, it seemed like Ali had turned a new leaf. After the procedure," Emily put procedure in air quotes, "Alison was the picture-perfect almost wife. At least until the hormones kicked in. I had no idea what it was like to be pregnant, and Alison managed to use that against me. Always guilting me into doing things for her. I just assumed it'd be better once the twins were born."
"Sounds like she was just leading you on," Robin replied softly.
"It was kind of awful to watch," Spencer said. "I felt torn because I'd been good friends with both of them but I didn't want to get into the middle. I wish I had known how bad things had gotten for Emily."
"Luckily she had me," Hanna jumped back in. "There were so many nights Emily felt she had no one to turn to. Alison kicked her out on more than one occasion if Emily did something that even remotely upset her. Staying with Pam was never an option, of course, so Emily always called me."
"Hanna's the best thing that happened to me since I'd gotten back together with Alison," Emily replied. "I love you baby," she said, turning to kiss Hanna's smiling lips.
"Awww," the other girls said in unison.
"Well it seems like it worked out for both of you," Lilly said. "I didn't particularly care for Alison at Spencer and Caleb's engagement party. So, cheers to finding true love!"
"I'll drink to that!" Spencer replied enthusiastically.
Everyone else raised their glasses and toasted Emily and Hanna. "To love!"
Robin decided it was a good time to change the subject. "So Aria, what's your plan for the book you mentioned?"
"Well I don't have specifics yet, but my boss Jillian wants me to tell my story about Ezra," Aria replied. "I've got such a long history with him, and a very unique view point."
"That sounds potentially dangerous," Spencer chimed in. "What if your story somehow implicates you with his child-porn ring?"
"Spencer, no!" Hanna cried. "Aria's publisher would never let that happen. Her story will just provide additional evidence that Ezra was a creep. Always telling her he loved her, but at the same time hiding her out in his apartment. I feel like I could write an exposé on our former teacher, Aria can tear what little shred of humanity the public perceives into pieces."
"Then there's the other thing…" Aria began. Spencer quirked her eyebrows, unsure where this was going. She'd been so wrapped up in her planning that she realized she hadn't had a chance to really talk to Aria about all the Ezra stuff.
"Jason knows the guy financing the book. He called him 'Uncle Vito' when they met. But Jillian introduced him to me as Don. Don Puzo. He knows Ezra's family from way back – the Fitgeralds were notorious….somethings?" Aria ended her statement as a question.
"Vito, that's an interesting name," Lilly interjected.
"My old roommate had an Uncle Vito," Mona added. "I guess it's some kind of common Sicilian nickname."
"I wonder why we've never heard of him before," Spencer said. "I used to think we knew everything about each other but Ali certainly hid a lot."
"Well I kind of got the impression from Jason that his father had a bit of a falling out with that Don/Vito guy. Maybe that's why we never heard of him?" Aria replied.
"So has this Don/Vito guy offered any information on Ezra's family?" Emily was intrigued and happy to not be discussing her ex anymore.
"Nothing yet," Aria replied. "We haven't gotten into any details about the book, other than it's happening. I'm meeting with him Monday morning."
"Oh shit," Spencer interjected. She knew her friends all needed a distraction from the conversations about ugly parts of their past. "Look at the time! We'd better head over to meet the guys for dinner. Caleb will never let me forget it if I'm the one that's late."
A/N: I hope the conversations at the end weren't too rushed or awkward. I've struggled to get back into the story after taking so much time away. I wanted to lay out a bunch of background, and I may have created too many characters. I have a very hard time sticking to a single story line.
On another note, I'm planning to start a new fic that will be entirely about Aria's book. That story is so convoluted it needs its own platform. If you have any ideas or questions or other thoughts, leave a comment or PM. I'd love to hear from you!