Aria

I felt so awkward walking into Jake's studio a week later. Last night, Ezra and I had been talking and I'd told him that the thing I regretted most about everything that happened was what Elijah had manipulated me into doing to Jake. Not breaking up with him; that was all me, and I knew with absolute certainty that I'd made the right choice. But cheating on him? Spending all that time with Elijah while he was away? That was Elijah's doing. I knew that now. Maybe I'd said yes, but I wouldn't have even been put into the position to say yes or no if it hadn't been for Elijah's manipulation.

Ezra was the one to suggest that I come and talk to him today. Clear the air. He'd offered to come with me, but this was something I needed to do myself. Jake deserved to know why this had happened. He was a good person, and he had been a good boyfriend. He deserved to know that I wasn't the kind of person who gets back together with her ex behind her boyfriend's back while he's out of town. Not without being manipulated into it.

When I walked into the studio, Jake was sitting in a chair with his foot bandaged and wrapped. What had happened in the month since I'd seen him?

"Jake," I said nervously as I walked up to him.

He turned to look at me. "Aria. What are you doing here?"

"Look, I'm sorry to just show up like this, but I need to talk to you," I told him. "Something happened, and it's something that actually directly affected how you and I left things. It's hard for me to talk about it, but you deserve to know. Do you have a few minutes?"

"If you're going to tell me more about what a great guy your on-again, off-again boyfriend is, I don't want to hear it. I may never compete again thanks to him," Jake spat.

"What are you talking about? What happened to you?"

"Someone put a bunch of knives and razor blades in my punching bag. The one I've had since I was fifteen. I kicked it and I tore a couple of tendons in my foot. Didn't take a genius to figure out who it was. It was Ezra."

God, Elijah had been a sadistic son of a bitch. Why would he do that? Why would he try to hurt Jake? Especially after I'd already broken up with him? Why would he involve Jake at all after he'd gotten what he wanted from me? He had nothing to do with Ezra. I couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes.

"God, Jake, I'm so sorry," I told him. "But that's actually part of what I came to tell you. It wasn't Ezra. None of what happened while you were away was actually Ezra. The guy you saw going off on the woman outside the Grille wasn't him either."

"Then who was it?" he scoffed. "Ezra Fitz's evil twin?"

I took a deep breath. "Actually, yes."

"Wait, that was sarcastic. Ezra actually has an evil twin?"

"It's kind of a long story," I said. "But yes. Look, can I sit down?"

He sighed; he clearly didn't want to talk about this. But I also knew that he wasn't cruel and he didn't hate me. If I wanted to talk, I knew he would listen.

"Yeah, sure," he said, taking his bad foot off of the chair he had it on.

I sat down and took another deep breath. Then I told him what happened. Even the part where Elijah had manipulated me into cheating on him. I knew he wouldn't be thrilled about that, but he deserved to know. I told him how I'd found Ezra in the cellar and what I'd had to do after that, about calling Wes to get Ezra and how we trapped Elijah and Ezra killed him to save my life. Then about how Ezra had almost died because he cared more about getting Elijah out of my life than about saving his own life.

"Wow," Jake said when I was done.

"Yeah," I sniffled. By this time, I was crying.

Jake was silent for about a minute before I couldn't take it anymore.

"Jake, say something, please," I said.

"What do you want me to say, Aria?" he asked me. "That because you thought this guy was Ezra, all of a sudden it's okay that you slept with him behind my back? I mean, I get where you're coming from, I do, but I'm just having a hard time getting past the fact that you still said yes. He didn't actually force you to do anything."

Just like that, with three sentences from my ex-boyfriend, a lot of the progress I'd made with not blaming myself was completely reversed. And the thing was, he wasn't entirely wrong. I still knew I'd been raped. I'd been manipulated and deceived into a man's bed because he made me believe he was someone else. But what Jake was saying? That was what I'd had a hard time coming to terms with in the first place. I'd still made choices too. I hadn't said no. I'd had a boyfriend, and I hadn't said no. Regardless of who it was that I'd slept with and whether or not I'd thought it was someone else, I'd still cheated on Jake.

"I know that, Jake," I told him. "I've been beating myself up for weeks over that. The thing is, though, I was manipulated into it by someone who wanted to hurt me. Someone who wanted to hurt everyone in this town just so he could hurt Ezra. I would never have been put into that position if it hadn't been for that."

He sighed. "I feel bad about what happened to you, and to Ezra. I really do. I am glad that you're both alive. I do still care about you, Aria. And I appreciate you telling me that the person you're with now isn't some violent psycho and that he's not the one who put those knives in my punching bag. But can you honestly tell me that you didn't just say yes because you thought Elijah was Ezra? Forget manipulation. Forget deception. You still made a choice."

"You're right; I did. But you also need to know that the real Ezra, the man that I actually broke up with you to be with, would never have put me in that position. It doesn't excuse the choice I made to cheat on you, but I just can't stand you thinking the worst of Ezra. I can't stand you thinking that he would ever put me in that position."

"I appreciate that," Jake said. "Something else that's killing me? Everything you did to save Ezra? It was incredibly brave and selfless, and I'm not discounting that. I just can't help thinking that you wouldn't have gone to that much trouble to save me if I'd been the one you found starving to death in a cellar in the middle of the woods."

"Of course I would have, Jake," I said. "I would have done that for anyone I care about. Yes, Ezra is the man I'm in love with, but he's not the only one I would have gone to those lengths for. I don't just abandon the people I care about, and I do care about you."

He chuckled tensely. "Well, I'm glad to know you care, and that you're beating yourself up about hurting me. But I'm going to need a while before we see each other again. I hope you understand."

"I do understand. I didn't plan on coming back after today. I just wanted to be honest with you, to clear the air. Actually, Ezra is the one who suggested that I come here. He offered to come with me, because I was almost too nervous to do it."

"If he wasn't in a cast in a three-story walk-up apartment, would he be here right now too and making this even more awkward?" Jake asked.

I chuckled tensely. "No. I told him that this was something I needed to do on my own."

He sighed. "Look, I do appreciate you coming to talk to me, Aria, but you should probably go now."

"Okay," I told him. "But there was one more thing I wanted to tell you. Probably the most important thing. I really should have led with this, and I'd planned on it before you told me what Elijah did with your punching bag. You saved my life, Jake."

"I did what?" he asked.

"You heard me. You saved my life."

"How did I do that?"

"After I stabbed him and tried to run away, Elijah grabbed me from behind before Ezra or Wesley could do anything about it. And if it hadn't been for the martial arts I learned from you, I wouldn't have been able to get out of it. But thanks to you, I did. I got out of his grip and I was even able to slow him down a little. Just long enough for Wesley to put himself between me and Elijah, but still. If it wasn't for you, I might not be standing here breaking your heart even more than it already was right now."

Jake gasped quietly.

"What? Never actually heard a success story before?" I asked.

"Not like that one," he admitted. "I'm impressed. And, as your former instructor, I have to tell you that I'm really proud of you. I'm sure Ezra was too, and Wesley."

I smiled, remembering the glow on Ezra's face, him telling me how proud he was and how brave I was, when he'd seen me that night in the hospital. His smile had lit up the whole room.

"They were," I told him. "But hearing that from you means a lot, especially after everything else I just told you today. Thank you. I just wanted you to know that what you're doing here does make a difference. If you're ever in doubt about it, just remember that you saved a girl's life with what you taught her."

I couldn't believe my eyes, but I actually saw a genuine smile on Jake's face when I said that. I definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"Thank you, Aria," he said. "Really. That means a lot to me. Um, I can't believe I'm saying this after I just told you that I'm going to need a while before we see each other again, but I actually just started a self-defense class for beginners. If you'd be willing, I would love for you to come and talk to them. Tell them that this stuff actually works."

Talk about unexpected. I was floored. I couldn't believe he'd just said that.

"I would be honored. And don't worry, I know it's for their benefit, not yours."

He chuckled a little.

"Um, look, I actually do have to get going," I told him. "Ezra has a doctor's appointment in a couple of hours, and with how well he's moving around on his crutches, it's going to take his brother and I about that long just to get him down the stairs of his apartment building."

We both laughed.

"That bad, huh?" Jake asked.

"Pretty much," I giggled. "I swear, I think a chimpanzee from the zoo would be more graceful on those things. He's still recovering from the malnutrition too and he has barely any strength at all, so it's hard for him to support himself. But he's so stubborn, he refuses to use a wheelchair or one of those scooter things for people with broken legs."

"Do you, uh, need an extra set of hands?"

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?" he said. "I'm not doing anything else this afternoon."

"What about the part where you didn't want to see me again for a good long while?"

"That was before you told me that what I taught you saved your life," he told me. "I'm honestly just glad you're standing here in front of me now."

"You're not going to be too hard on Ezra, are you? Between his broken leg and your bum foot, I don't think either one of you is in any kind of shape for a fight."

He chuckled. "Nah, I'll wait until he's recovered for that. You know me. I want a fair fight."

About twenty minutes later, I was walking into the apartment.

"Hey, Aria," Wesley said. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about Ezra's appointment. We'll probably be late now. We only have an hour and a half to get him there."

"Very funny, Wes," Ezra muttered from the couch.

"Hey, babe," I said, going up to give Ezra a kiss.

He pulled me down onto his lap and kissed me again, more than just a little peck this time.

"Um, yeah, this isn't going to help you get down the stairs," I said. "But I actually brought something that will. Well, someone."

"Did you?" he asked. "Who?"

"Come on in, Jake," I called.

Jake walked in, looking the most awkward I'd ever seen him. I had to laugh.

"Jake, Wesley. Wesley, Jake," I said.

"Hey, man," Jake said, shaking Wesley's hand and then turning to Ezra. "Ezra."

"Hi, Jake," Ezra said, sounding confused.

I chuckled. "I may have mentioned that you had a doctor's appointment today, and Jake offered to help us get you down the stairs. I'm about 93% sure he's not going to let you fall and break your other leg, so I accepted the help gratefully. Face it, a gorilla would be more graceful on crutches than you are."

"Gee, thanks," Ezra teased, kissing my cheek. "Thank you, Jake. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he said. "Should we get going?"

"Yeah," I said, getting up off of Ezra's lap. "Let's go."

Jake cut our time in half. And he even gave Ezra some pointers for how to use the crutches a little better so it wasn't putting so much pressure on his upper body. I was impressed. I wasn't expecting him and Ezra to become best buddies any time soon or anything, but the fact that they were actually getting along without trading insults was progress. As soon as we got Ezra to Wesley's car, Jake told me he'd text me with the details on his new self-defense class so I could figure out a time to come and talk to them. Then he left, and I got in the backseat with Ezra.

"So I take it your talk went well?" he asked, pulling me close next to him.

"Relatively," I told him. "That bandage on his foot? Elijah put a bunch of knives and razor blades in his punching bag and he kicked it. Tore a couple of tendons in his foot, and he may never compete again."

"Jesus," he sighed. "So how did he take what you told him about Elijah? What Elijah did to you and to him?"

"About how I expected. The thing he was upset with me for is the thing I was beating myself up for even before I knew about Elijah. The fact that I cheated on him. That's not me, and I still can't believe I did it, no matter how good Elijah was at head games."

"But if Elijah hadn't put you in that position, it wouldn't have happened," he reminded me.

"I know," I sighed. "I still don't feel great about it, though. I was put into the position, and regardless of who he was and how good he was at head games, I still said yes. While I had a boyfriend. I feel like I don't deserve to be with anyone at all if I have that little self-control."

"I happen to like your lack of self-control," Ezra teased as he kissed my hair, clearly trying to get my mind off it.

I chuckled. "Yeah, well, it hasn't worked out so well for other people. But…the thing that I had planned on opening with, I ended up closing with, and that kind of made him forgive me a little, though I'm sure he's still hurt."

"What was that?"

"The fact that the martial arts he taught me probably saved my life. He told me he was really proud of me and actually asked me to come and talk to a new self-defense class he just started teaching."

"That's amazing," he said, turning my chin so I would look at him. "See, I'm not the only one who's proud. I know I'm a little biased, but still."

"Yeah, you're just a little biased. But that's okay. I want to make you proud."

"You do," Ezra told me, and kissed me. "Every day."

As soon as we got back from the doctor (where we got a good report—Ezra's stomach was on the mend, thank God), Wesley left for New York for a few days. He had to work things out with his college professors so they would let him complete his assignments remotely while he was here taking care of Ezra. So I was staying at the apartment while he was gone. I was in the bathroom and I went to change the toilet paper roll when I found…something else. Something that scared the hell out of me.

I'd left a box of tampons here, just basically preparing for any eventuality while I was staying here off and on. And I realized when I saw it sitting there that I'd skipped my period. I was supposed to start it the day that Ezra had come home from the hospital.

I didn't even have to do any math. If Ezra was about to be a father, it would be too soon to tell since the first time we'd slept together since we got back together was about a week ago. And I'd never slept with Jake. So that left only one person. Elijah.

How in the hell had this happened? I was on the pill. I was careful. I did all of the other little things one was supposed to do to avoid pregnancy after sex. Pee within half an hour afterwards, all that jazz. Maybe that was an old wives' tale, but it couldn't hurt, right?

The other thing that was killing me was that what Jake had said to me today was still on my mind. Elijah hadn't forced me into anything. I'd still made a choice. Maybe I'd made the choice under false pretenses, but it was still my choice. So if this wasn't just all the stress I'd been under this month manifesting itself, if I actually was pregnant, it was no one's fault but my own.

I could only imagine what my face looked like when I walked out of the bathroom. Ezra immediately sat up straighter in bed, and I could tell he would have run over to me if he could have.

"Aria, come here," he said. "I'd be the one coming to you, but since I'm in a cast..."

He didn't have to ask me twice. I went over and crawled into bed next to him, snuggling close and resting my head on his chest. He kissed my hair and then pulled back and tilted my chin up so I would look at him.

"You look like you saw a ghost in the bathroom just now," he said. "And I'm pretty sure it's not that frightening in there since you've been the one cleaning it. What is it?"

I took a deep breath. I couldn't keep this from him. And, really, I didn't want to. I needed to talk to someone and I knew he would be supportive and wouldn't judge me.

"I'm late," I said.

Ezra just tightened his arms around me, kissed my forehead, and was silent for a minute.

"How late?" he asked.

"I was supposed to start the day you came home from the hospital. But there was so much else going on that I didn't think about it until I saw the tampons I'd left here just now."

"There's more, isn't there?"

"Yeah, there is. Since it would be way too early to tell if you were about to be a father, there's only one person it could be."

"Elijah," he sighed.

"Yep."

"If he wasn't dead, I'd kill him."

I chuckled a little. "I feel like bringing him back just so I can kill him again. But the thing is, Jake was partly right today. I made a choice. Maybe I slept with him under false pretenses, but he didn't force me. So if this isn't just stress, if I really am pregnant, it's no one's fault but my own."

"Stop it, Aria," Ezra scolded. "Yes, maybe you made a choice, but so did Elijah. Do you know what choice he made? He made the choice to manipulate you and get you go to bed with him willingly. I can almost guarantee you that if that hadn't worked, he would have forced you. Frankly, I'm glad we never had to find out. There's enough going through your head right now as it is. Don't make it worse by beating yourself up. And you've been under a lot of stress this month. That could be all this is. I hate to point out the obvious, but there's only one way to be sure."

I sighed; he was right. And that meant a trip to the pharmacy for a couple of pregnancy tests. Yes, a couple. I was that anal and paranoid. I had to be one hundred percent sure. I needed at least two tests to give me the same result if I was going to be satisfied.

"God, I'm not looking forward to the looks I'm about to get when I go to the pharmacy," I said.

"Do you want me to come?" he asked. "I mean, it'll take three times as long at least, but if you don't want to be alone, I will happily go with you."

I smiled. I loved Ezra so much. He really would do absolutely anything for me. He wasn't going to let me do this alone, no matter what happened. But I did have to do this part alone. He was still a teacher at Rosewood High. I was still in his class, and if all went well, he was going back to work in a couple of weeks. Whether we were past hiding our relationship or not, this was one situation where we couldn't be seen together.

"No," I told him. "You are still my English teacher. And you're going back to work soon. Whether or not people know we're together, you can't be seen with me while I'm buying pregnancy tests."

"Tests? Plural?"

"Yes. I'm that anal. I want more than one test to say the same thing," I said. "I'd say not to go anywhere while I'm gone, but..."

"Don't worry, I'm not moving from this spot."

I sighed and unwillingly left the safety and comfort of Ezra's arms. As I was sitting on the bed putting my shoes on, he suddenly pulled me back towards him.

"Hey," he said softly. "There's one very important thing I didn't say yet."

I had a feeling I knew what it was going to be, but he was right. I did need to hear it.

"What's that?"

"I love you," he said, putting his hand on my face. "And no matter what the test says, we'll figure it out. Together."

I smiled and kissed him. He always knew exactly what to say. Even in the middle of the utter insanity of the last ten minutes.

"I love you too," I told him. "I'll be back soon."

I was back in half an hour, but I couldn't make myself actually go and take the tests. I was too scared of what they would say.

What in the hell was I going to do if I was pregnant? I didn't believe in abortion as a form of birth control. And because the act that had brought me to this place had at least partially been my choice, I couldn't justify it. But I was still in high school. This would completely screw up my plans of going to college. My parents would be so disappointed, and my dad might very well disown me. Plus, I was involved with a teacher and everyone knew and just ignored it. Whether or not this was his kid, people would certainly think it was. It would even come out looking like his. That would ruin what reputation he'd managed to build back up. And me? Well, I'd be a pariah in this town. The slutty high schooler who had slept with her teacher and gotten herself knocked up. Maybe everyone just swept us under the rug, but no one particularly approved of us. They never had. After this? We'd be outcasts. Ezra and I might as well just exile ourselves to Siberia if I was pregnant.

"Aria," Ezra's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

I pulled back from his chest so I could look at him, not saying anything.

"Look, I know you're scared, but you're not doing yourself any favors putting off the inevitable. Just go and take the test. I'm right here, and no matter what, we'll deal. Okay?"

God, he sounded so calm. How could he do that?

I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom and peed on the sticks. Both of them. I knew it was stupid. These tests were 99% accurate. But I just had to be sure. I put them in one of the boxes and set a timer for five minutes on my cell phone, then went back and sat on the bed next to Ezra. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. And, together, we waited. I'd never realized how long five minutes could feel. It seemed like an eternity later when the timer went off. My heart was in my throat and my hands were shaking as I sat up and pulled the tests back out of the box.

I was afraid to look. I almost didn't want to know. I sat there holding them without looking, just staring off into space.

"Hey," Ezra said quietly after a minute or so. "Are you actually going to look at some point?"

I knew he'd already looked. I wanted to tell him to just tell me, but I knew he wouldn't. This required an altogether different kind of bravery than fighting Elijah had. In a way, this terrified me even more. I was sure he knew that too, but he also knew I had it in me. And he was trying to get me to realize it for myself.

I took a deep breath; this was it. The moment of truth. My life could be about to change. Then I swallowed my fear and looked down. And there was only one line on each of the sticks. The control line. The tests were negative. Both of them. I wasn't pregnant.

Completely overwhelmed with relief, which was such a contrast from the emotions I'd been feeling for the past hour and a half, I just started crying. I couldn't form words. Ezra pulled me into his lap and kissed my temple. He just sat there rubbing my back and let me get it out.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's okay. You're okay. I've got you. You're okay."

It took about half an hour for me to stop crying. That was something I hoped I never had to do again. Not until I was ready for there to be a second line on the stick. Which wouldn't be for a while.

I looked over at the clock, and it was getting kind of late. I had to start making dinner. I wasn't even remotely hungry, and I was sure Ezra wasn't either, but he was on strict orders from the doctor to eat three well-balanced meals a day, plus a few snacks throughout the day. And as long as I had anything to say about it, he was going to follow his doctor's orders to the letter.

"Well, that was fun," I said, breaking the silence we'd been lying here in ever since I'd looked at the tests. "Let's not do it again."

Ezra chuckled and kissed my hair. "No?"

"No."

"Damn. And here I was hoping for a repeat next month."

I couldn't help myself; I laughed. Which I was sure was his goal.

"God, I hope not," I said, sitting up. "Though at least I'd be happier about the potential father. I'm going to go start dinner, okay?"

"You know, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't kill me if you just ordered a pizza," he said. "I'd say you've earned a break from playing nurse tonight."

"Nice try," I scoffed. "First, I'm not about to let the acid from pizza sauce eat a hole in your stomach. Second, taking care of you is not a chore. You're alive and well. I'll take having to help you out a little bit and cook you nutritious meals as a trade-off for that any day."

Ezra pulled me back down next to him. "I love you. But you worry about me too much. I'm fine. The only thing that's less than stellar about my condition right now is the fact that I'm still in a cast for another three months."

I pulled him in for a kiss that he had to break. Words couldn't express how grateful I was that he was here. I honestly didn't know if I could have dealt with this pregnancy scare if it hadn't been for him. I didn't know what I would have done. He'd been so strong. Strong enough for the both of us.

"Maybe I do worry too much, but I'm still cooking dinner," I told him.

He chuckled. "Okay."

Suddenly, I realized I hadn't actually said anything to him about how relieved I was that he had been here today.

"Hey," I said. "Thank you. For being here. For being strong enough for the both of us. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Well, it's not like I really could have gone anywhere," he teased.

"Ezra, I'm serious," I said.

"I know. And I was just doing what you've done for me every day since you found me at the cabin. I don't know what I would have done these past few weeks without you, either. I probably would have died down there. And even if I hadn't, if I'd somehow gotten out, if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been able to cope. You've been strong enough for the both of us through everything Elijah threw at us. Today it was my turn."

"I have mentioned that I love you, right?" I said, wiping a few tears from my eyes.

He laughed a little and kissed me again. "Yes. But I'll never get tired of hearing it. And I love you too."

I laid there for another minute before sitting back up. Just as I was about to get out of bed, Ezra grabbed my arm again. He didn't try to pull me back down, but he clearly had something else to say still. I turned around to look at him. And melted into a big puddle when I saw how he was looking at me. He was very obviously concerned, but he was also proud of how I'd handled the hand I'd been dealt today. I'd been terrified (hell, I was still a little shaken), but I'd done what I had to do. I'd acted responsibly and I'd trusted him enough to let him help me. I got all that from just one look. I'd gotten pretty good at reading his mind too.

"Aria, tell me the truth," he said. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "No. Not completely."

"Is there anything I can do?"

I had to smile; I was the luckiest girl on the planet.

"No," I told him. "I just need time to process this. Honestly, my head almost exploded when I was thinking about what in the hell I would have done if I had been pregnant."

"What would you have done?"

"I don't know. I'm not a fan of abortion. But the thing is, it wouldn't just have been my reputation on the line. It would have been yours too. Everyone sweeps it under the rug, but they know about us. The whole town would have assumed it was yours. When it was born, it would have even looked like it was yours, because it would have been your dead evil twin brother's. So, really, I probably wouldn't have had a choice. Unless we both wanted to exile ourselves to Siberia."

"Well, if I'm exiling myself, I'm going somewhere warmer. Maybe Mexico?" he teased, dragging himself to the edge of the bed to sit next to me.

I chuckled. "What about the Bahamas or Jamaica? As long as we're going someplace warm, we can at least make it exciting."

"Mexico is exciting. Mayan ruins, beaches, margaritas…"

I laughed. "Margaritas? Have you forgotten that in this scenario, I wouldn't be able to have alcohol? Seriously, though, it just kind of made me think. Even after the tests came back negative. We're careful, but nothing is foolproof. I'm not saying I want to go backwards, but—"

"But nothing," he cut me off. "This made me do some thinking too. And I came to a conclusion. I'm not going backwards, Aria. I'm done hiding. I'm obviously not going to flaunt our relationship while you're still my student, but I'm not going to let anyone tell me the way I feel about you is wrong. Because if this past month has shown me anything, it's that there is nothing more right than what we have together. You're the one I want to spend my life with, and I'm making that choice knowing everything that comes with it. Knowing what it means for me if something like an unplanned pregnancy happens. Knowing—"

I cut Ezra off with a kiss. What he'd just said? It was bordering on insanity. And what he'd said a few minutes ago? He hadn't even given leaving town with me if I'd been pregnant a second thought. He'd just made a joke about where we would go. Again, insanity.

"You're crazy," I told him, only backing up an inch at the most. "You know that, right?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just in love," he said, bringing his lips back to mine.

I chuckled. "The two aren't mutually exclusive. I would know. I only fell in love with one of my teachers. If that's not crazy, I don't know what is."

"And to this day, I still have no idea why. But I'm glad you did. Because I honestly cannot imagine my life without you."

"I can't imagine my life without you either," I told him, giving him one more kiss. "Now, I actually mean it this time. You're going to let me get off of this bed, and I'm going to start making dinner."

"Are you okay now?" he asked, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, I am," I said truthfully. "But I am going to play the sympathy card and pick the movie tonight."

Ezra kissed the tip of my nose. "Deal."