Chapter 15
Aria POV
"This is nice," Aria smiled to her parents. They sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Byron and Ella were sitting across from her while Mike sat to her right pushing the steak around on his plate with his fork. His elbow was propped up on the table and his clenched fist was holding his head up. "Isn't it, Mike?" Without lifting his head from his hand, Mike looked over at Aria.
Finally lifting his head up, he laid his arm down and gave a sarcastic smile. "Yeah, great." Byron shot him a look and he returned to his steak.
"I haven't seen Clark in a while," Ella spoke up hoping to steer the conversation positive territory. Fail.
"We, uh, broke up," Aria said. Ella closed her eyes and smiled apologetically. "It's fine. I don't think I was ever really that into him. I mean I liked him obviously but I may have stronger feelings for…someone else." Ella raised her eyebrows and looked over at Byron with a smile before turning back to Aria.
"And who is this someone else?" she asked innocently. Aria's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to answer with a lie.
"Awia!" she spun around in her seat and immediately grinned as the little boy climbed down from Ezra's arms. Her smile faltered when she saw Maria with them but she made sure to mask it for Zane. She scooted her chair out and she turned in it as the boy ran up. She opened her arms which he jumped in. She sat him on her lap.
"Hey, buddy!" The boy squealed with delight as Aria poked him in the stomach. Ezra walked up beside them and smiled down at them. Aria looked up. "Hey," she soothed.
"Hey," he said back. He smiled down at her until a throat clearing behind him made him turn. Maria was clenching her jaw at the sight of Aria and Zane but Aria didn't care. "We should probably get going. We have a whole day planned ahead." Ezra looked down at Aria with sad eyes.
"Can I stay wit Awia?" Zane asked with pleading eyes. Ezra was about to protest until he remembered he needed to talk to Maria alone.
"Um, sure. I-I mean if that's okay with Aria." He motioned his hand to Aria. She grinned up at him and nodded. Turning his attention to her parents, he smiled and said, "It was nice seeing you again Byron and Ella." They returned the sentiment as he turned and grabbed Maria's hand leading her out of the restaurant.
"Hello again, Zane," Ella cooed. Zane smiled over at her and waved before burying his face in Aria's neck.
"Oh, Dad, this is Zane, Ez-Mr. Fitz's nephew." Aria caught herself but her parents gave her an odd look. They must have noticed the slight slip of the tongue.
Ignoring his daughters slip, Byron looked at the boy. "Hi, Zane. I'm Byron." Zane peeked his eyes out from Aria's neck slightly before hiding them again.
Aria smiled at her dad. "Don't take it personally. Mr. Fitz said he doesn't really do much talking to strangers."
"Yeah, well he did seem to take to your daughter pretty fast though." Ella smiled. Aria brightly returned the smile before excusing Zane and herself from the table. They walked out the doors and went for a walk. Zane held tightly to her hand as they walked along the sidewalk of the main street of Rosewood before they came across a playground. Zane quickly asked if he could play for a few minutes which Aria allowed.
Ezra POV
"I thought you said Zane didn't take to people well." They had spent the past twenty minutes since they left the restaurant in silence. Ezra kept his eyes on the road ahead.
"Aria's an exception. He took to her well. Something about Aria just makes you love her." Ezra bit his lip as he realized how that sounded. Maria stared over at him. Ezra tightened his hold on the wheel as he grew uncomfortable under her gaze. "What?" he asked harshly.
Maria gave a frustrated sigh. "Ezra, you've been nothing but cruel to me since I got back from Ohio. Did I interrupt your week or something? Do you not want me here?" Ezra remained quiet. "Hello?" Maria questioned angrily. Sighing, Ezra pulled over at the park. He got out without a word. Maria sat in the car a few moments as she watched his retreating back. Finally, she got out and stomped after him fuming. "Ezra Fitz, I want a damn answer!" Ezra halted.
Spinning around, Ezra clenched his jaw. He walked up to her. "Look, Maria, I don't mean to be mean, okay? It's just…I…We…I don't think this," he motioned between them, "is going to work." Maria's mouth dropped open.
"What the hell happened while I was away, Ezra?" Ezra swallowed and looked down. "You're breaking up with me? What am I supposed to do? I can't raise a child on my own!" Maria's eyes filled with tears. Ezra looked away.
"Maria, I just…"
"This is about her, isn't it?" she interrupted. Furrowing his brows, Ezra shook his head in confusion. "Aria," she clarified. "Something happened when she was staying with you, didn't it?" Ezra shook his head.
"No," he tried to convince her. "I just started a new job and the stress is pretty bad. I don't need a relationship right now." Maria clenched her jaw as the tears made its way down her cheeks. Ezra went to reach out and wipe them away but Maria smacked his hands away before turning and slowly walking back in the direction they came. Ezra sighed, put on his sunglasses, and looked over at the playground. He squinted when he saw someone he recognized. Smiling, he made his way over to them.
"Hey," Aria jumped at the sound of his voice. Looking up and putting her hand above her eyes to shield them from the blinding sun, she smiled.
"Hey," she said. Ezra plopped down beside her and draped an arm along the back of the seat. Aria leaned back slightly against his arm. Ezra looked over and grinned at her before turning and watching Zane play. "Where's Maria?" Aria asked nonchalantly as she too watched Zane.
Ezra returned his gaze to Aria. He stayed quiet for a little while and then turned back to Zane before stating, "I broke up with her." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the slight smile play at the corner of Aria's mouth. "I have feelings for someone else," he continued. Aria turned her gaze to him and smiled genuinely. She reached over and squeezed his knee. He grabbed her hand and placed back in her lap as he looked around. Aria frowned.
"Aria, we're still teacher and student." Aria nodded as she bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm looking at other schools in the area. I might end up switching schools. If I do, we can show as much PDA as you'd like. Deal?" Ezra asked her. Aria nodded.
"Uncle Ez!" Ezra turned back to Zane. "What are you doin here?" he asked as he stood in front of him.
"Watching you play." Ezra grinned down at the small boy.
Zane looked around in search for someone. His gaze landed back on Ezra. "Where's your girlfriend?" he asked.
Ezra leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "We'll talk about that later, okay?" he whispered. Zane looked over at Aria who gave him a slight smile. Zane returned his attention to his uncle and nodded with a smile. Ezra ruffled up his hair. Zane pushed his hand away and gave him an angry glare before trying desperately to fix his hair. When he felt his hair was proper, he turned and went to play again.
"What is with that boy and his hair?" Aria chuckled. Ezra just laughed and shook his head.
Aria and Ezra chatted for awhile before Ezra decided to head home. After giving Aria a quick hug, he grabbed Zane and headed to his car. Once they were alone, Zane bombarded him with questions.
"Whoa!" Ezra held his hands up in surrender. "I can't answer all these questions at once. Can we at least get home first?" Zane was unsatisfied but nodded in agreement.
They walked through the door. Ezra turned after making sure the door was locked and saw Zane standing there looking up at him with big confused blue eyes. Ezra sighed and picked him up and sat him down on the counter. "Okay. What do you want to know?"
Zane took a deep breath. "Mawia," he stated. Ezra nodded.
"Maria and I were dating…"
Zane interrupted, "But you and Awia…" he trailed off. His sad eyes were glistening with tears.
"Hey!" Ezra reached up and wiped the tears as they fell. "Aria and I are…complicated." Zane looked down.
"I want you to date Awia," Zane said. Ezra smiled at the boy.
"I'm working on it. Right now she's my student." Zane looked at his uncle in confusion. Ezra sighed. "I can't date my student. I'm looking at other schools and if I get a job at one of them we may try to date." Zane smiled.
"Are you and Mawia still dating?" Ezra shook his head and Zane's smile got wider. Ezra grinned down at the boy.
"Anything else?" Zane shook his head. "Good. Now, let's get some much needed rest." Ezra picked up his nephew and lifted him above his head like an airplane. Zane giggled as Ezra plopped him down on the bed. Zane got under the sheets and yawned. Ezra leaned down and kissed the boys forehead.
"Wuv you, Uncle Ez,"
Ezra smiled. "Love you, too." Ezra cut out the lights and lied down on the sofa. He was almost asleep when he heard his cell phone beep. He reached down beside the couch where he had laid it and picked it up. He squinted as he read the text.
Hey, Ezra. It's Aria. Got your number from my moms phone. Sorry if I woke you.
-Aria
Ezra typed back,
Hey. It's cool. What you doing?
-Ezra
Ezra laid the phone down on his chest as he waited for a response.
Laying in bed…thinking. You?
-Aria
Ezra smiled.
Same. What are you thinking about?
-Ezra
You.
-Aria
Oh, and Zane. But mostly you.(;
-Aria
Ezra chuckled.
Funny. I was thinking about you, too. (; By the way, I forgot to tell you at the park today that I have gotten some interviews set up for next week for a few schools in the area.
-Ezra
That's great! Where at?
-Aria
Well, the one I'm hoping to get is at Hollis College. But there are some other high schools that I'm interviewing for.
-Ezra
Ezra noticed the longer wait that followed that text. He was contemplating on texting back to see if he said something wrong when his phone beeped.
You do know my dad works there right?
-Aria
Shit. He hadn't known. What did it matter though? If he worked at Hollis he and Aria could be together and there was nothing wrong with that.
And…? We'd have to tell your parents sometime, right?
-Ezra
I guess.
-Aria
They spent the next few hours texting. They talked about literature, Zane, their families, and more. Ezra was seriously falling for this girl. He wanted to tell her but should he say it in a text? Or should he wait and tell her in person? It'd be easier through text but she'd probably believe it more coming from him in person. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she felt he was moving too fast? Sighing, Ezra texted back with a simple goodnight before falling into a deep sleep.
Aria POV
The next morning, Aria woke up with a new text from Ezra.
Good morning(; See you in class!
-Ezra
Aria grinned as she flipped the phone closed. She fell back on her bed in ecstasy. Finally, she and Ezra were going to be together. No more Clark. No more Maria. No more stolen glances…well, not after he gets a new job anyway. Sighing, she got up and got ready.
Aria practically skipped into school and up to her locker. She hummed as she did the combination on her locker.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Hanna asked. Aria grinned at her friends over her shoulder.
"Nothing," she cooed. Her friends looked at each other with a smile. Sighing, Aria turned and leaned against her locker. "Everything is just falling into place." Aria turned back to her locker and grabbed a few books. Slamming her locker closed, she turned to her friends. "Look, I have to ask Mr. Fitz a few questions. I'll see you guys in a few." She gave a slight wave as she skipped to his classroom.
Aria leaned against the doorframe as she watched him look from a piece of paper to the chalkboard before writing something on it in chalk. He looked amazing in the light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm. Her eyes roamed further down and she bit her lip. His butt was outlined nicely in the kaki pants. He must have seen her watching him out of the corner of his eye because as he wrote on the board a smile widened across his face. Aria stepped in and closed the door behind her.
"It's not nice to stare, Miss. Montgomery," he said seductively. Aria raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"If you didn't look so good I wouldn't have to stare," she replied. He smiled at her. Aria looked down at the desk thinking about all the things she'd like to do to him on the desk before meeting his intense gaze once again. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, where's Zane staying?"
"He's with a neighbor. I've known her a while so I trusted her to take care of him." Aria nodded in understanding. The bell rang and Aria gave him one last smile before strutting to her desk. She could feel his eyes on her bottom so she swayed it back and forth a little more just for him. When she turned, his face was a bright red as he sat down behind his desk and scooted his chair in as far as it would go. She smiled to herself in satisfaction.