I love this story. I also love all those who have been reviewing. My show's done, so expect updates from all stories!

I just need to say that I've been reading "The Hunger Games" and I'm obsessed with Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta. I think Ian and Lucy would play them fantastically. To be honest, I care more about them then I do Katniss with anyone. Anyways…onto the story!

I know this chapter is short…I'm thinking of ideas! Help would be lovely if you want!

Ezra had always called himself a hopeless romantic. It was the reason his notebooks were filled to the brim with various original love sonnets and mushy short stories. Despite his favorite book being To Kill a Mockingbird, by the time he was fourteen he had read all of Austen's classics and Jane Eyre. Ezra's friends made fun of him and tried to get him to read action novels or not read at all, but he never listened. Ezra liked what he liked and there wasn't much that pre-pubescent boys could do to change that.

But was he a believer in love? During his college years he didn't believe. Vied after, he was albeit none of the girls were special enough to ignite that spark Ezra had always read about. At one point, he had all but given up until the night his roommate, Wren Kim, dragged him out for a double date with his current girlfriend, Spencer, and her friend Aria Montgomery

For the first time, the non-believer fell head over feels. Aria had been entrancing. She and Spencer were freshmen at NYU while Ezra and Wren were seniors at Columbia. Her smile had been warm and her smile inviting. Unfortunately, the double date had been their only. Ezra and Aria became best friends instead.

Currently, he was sitting at his desk, grading student papers during the prep school's after hours. Ezra hated to bring work home with him; he'd much rather keep it all separated, and there were too many things to make up after he sacrificed the previous night for Spencer's game night. The same night where Aria fell asleep on his and Hanna picked up on his feelings.

"Hey," perked up a voice from the middle of his doorway. Aria stood with a tray of coffee from Dean and Deluca's. Coffee had always been Ezra's signature drink as well as Aria's. Sunday coffee runs had been an ongoing tradition for them both over the years.

"I brought you your daily caffeine fix. Although I'm not quite sure why you'd be grading on a Saturday." Ezra chuckled at the confused expression on Aria's face.

"After hours; you know how I hate to bring my work home with me."

"Oh, right," Aria blushed slightly. The giddiness that seemed to be flushing over her scared her deeply. Lowering her voice, she put her hand on her hips and mustered up the manliest tone she could utter, although it wasn't much. "I like to keep work and my personal life separate. It's almost like church and state."

"You've got it, Ar," Ezra laughed, resuming back to the papers he had yet to grade. The piles seemed to go on forever, completely overwhelming him. His hand immediately shot out for his coffee. Ezra look a hearty sip and glanced at Aria.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"Once or twice. I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

"I'm not going to inflate your ego."

"You're no fun," she pouted, picking up her purse and the own coffee she carried with her. Although wanting to spend time with Ezra, Aria was scared the more moments spent with him would only buy her emotions more minute s to sort themselves out, despite the fact Aria knew where they were headed to conclude.

Maybe tonight she'd go to a club and find someone new to dwell upon; someone who hadn't been her dear friend for years, someone who wouldn't be jeopardized for their role in her life when a break up rolled around. There were plenty of places to choose from in the city. Aria would just have to consult Hanna.

Breaking the silence with a cough, Aria patted Ezra's hand and kissed the mop of black curls in what she hoped would be a friendly manner. "I might go out tonight, but we'll make plans for the weekend. And we always have Sunday."

"Right, Sunday," Ezra smiled. "Our coffee and chocolate chip scone tradition."

"You've got it. We just have to make sure they have the chocolate chip this time. The other…was it raspberry? Regardless, it was disgusting."

"Oh, please, Aria. Don't be so dramatic. It wasn't horrible."

"It was for me."

Her tone made the conversation sound like it had reached a moot point. That was one of Aria's quirks; she was over opinionated. If she thought something was right, then it was right. There was no need, at least in her mind, for further conversation on the subject.

"I could go with you," Ezra offered. He bit his lip before resuming his work that was spread across his desk. Part of his heart lurched, knowing exactly what could happen that night if Aria went out. She'd meet someone. Plenty of people went out weekday nights in the city. Here, the inevitable was always possible.

"Its fine, Ez. You don't have to."

"But, I want to."

With reluctance, Aria let out a sigh. "Maybe I'll just stay in. It's Tuesday anyways. What fun is there to be had on a Tuesday night?" She shrugged, raising her iced coffee to her lips to take a hearty sip. It wasn't that she didn't want Ezra to come along; in any other circumstance, she'd be glad to have him there with her. But Aria had wanted to clear her head and resolve any possible feelings she had towards him with the aid of alcohol. If Ezra was there, there wasn't any telling what could happen.

"It's your call. All I'm saying is that I'd be glad to go with you." Ezra chewed on the cap of his pen. Dents formed in the now softened plastic. His eyes barely lifted up to meet hers and a certain tension filled the air. Aria placed her hands on her hips, watching Ezra for a bit.

This was how things went when they were exasperated with one another. There wasn't any talking or their light joking from earlier.

Aria felt a few sorrowful tears sting her eyes. She never liked arguing with Ezra. Sometimes, she was afraid she'd come close to losing him. Others, it was tiring and left her exhausted. Ezra himself hated fighting with Aria. He often thought it was what would possibly push her away from him in the long run.

"I'll see you later," she announced, picking up the empty cardboard coffee tray and walking straight out of the wood paneled classroom. Ezra watched her, practically slamming his head down on his desk in frustration as soon as Aria was out of sight.

Work had been light at the bookstore, so Aria closed up early. It didn't happen too often, but she relished when it did. Especially when the weather was as gorgeous as it was. The light breeze whipped at the hem of her sundress as she and Hanna scaled the streets, looking into shop windows. Her friend owned a boutique and closed it for a few hours to spend some girl time.

"I don't know where it came from," Aria said, her mind on the sudden tension between Ezra and herself and her eyes trailing on a pair of shoes in a shop window. Hanna's eyes followed and she grimaced.

"Not your kind of shoes," she said, pushing them along. "What brought on the stare down?"

"I have no clue," Aria answered, seemingly distressed. "I just said I wanted to go out tonight and he said he'd come along. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to, but he insisted. So I ended up telling him I don't want to go out anymore."

By the time Aria finished her explanation, Hanna's head was spinning. "Don't you think you could've offended him by what you said? I mean, you basically shoved him aside and blatantly said you didn't want him there."

"Maybe," Aria agreed, biting down on her lip. "But there was much more than that. In a way, he seemed…jealous." It sounded more like a question than a straight statement. Nowadays, things with Ezra were getting confusing. Aria just wanted a clear sign on where they stood with one another.

Hanna's lips grew into a knowing smile. She'd witnessed Ezra's feelings the other night at game night when Aria had fallen asleep against him. The girl clearly didn't have a clue as to what she did to him. "He could be. Did you ever think there was a line you two were crossing past the friendship boundary?"

"What do you mean," Aria asked curiously, still observing the sights in the windows to her right side. Her heart sped up in her chest; Hanna was somewhat spot on in what she was saying.

"I mean, have you ever thought that you two could be more than friends? That there are feelings there you both haven't explored yet? Let's face it, Ar; you and Fitzy have amazing chemistry."

Aria blushed. "I guess we do. But chemistry doesn't make up for everything in a relationship."

"You trust him more than you trust Spencer and I. If you two didn't have to label yourselves as friends every five seconds, I would've thought you two were a married couple by now."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hanna," Aria scoffed.

"I'm not! Just…observe yourself next time you're with him. And when this tension passes. Then maybe you'll see." Little did Hanna know that Aria already had.