"Why didn't you tell me you could play," Jason stated, making Aria jump as she finished writing something down in a notebook. "How long have you been standing there," she asked wide eyed.
"A while," he replied with his arms crossed over his chest watching her. "So why didn't you tell me?"
"I-…I don't really tell anyone," Aria confessed, moving her guitar off her lap to put behind her. "Its not something I share."
"You should," Jason added, leaving her doorframe to come closer to her. "It was really good Ar."
"Thanks," she blushed from her bed with her hands now in her lap. "So…" she starts as there is more awkward silence, "did you finish the windows?"
"Yea, you want to go see?" he asked. Glancing up to him, she nodded. Moving off her bed, she closed her song journal and took Jason's awaiting hand to walk downstairs.
"Wow," she gasps as her kitchen comes into view. They are good as new, looking perfect – like nothing had ever happened. Giving her a smile, Jason curled Aria in his arms and kissed her head.
"Thank you," she breathed, twisting in his grasp to look at him.
"Sure," he said, reading deep into her brown pools. "Will you sing for me like that again sometime?"
A blush flamed to her cheeks and Jason knew she was very embarrassed for getting caught. And although her reaction was really cute, he couldn't understand why she hid her talent. Her voice was amazing…beautiful too and he wanted her to share it with the world – or maybe just him.
"Yea, maybe one day," she mumbled, fiddling with the collar of his shirt in the process. Bringing her face up to his with the pads of his fingers under her chin, he leaned down, slowly kissing her with love.
Aria's phone began ringing which broke them apart. This seemed to be happening way too often for both their liking. Walking over to her purse, Aria pulled out her phone seeing it was her mom calling.
"Hey mom," Aria said glancing back to Jason.
"Hey sweetie how was school today?"
"Good, nothing too eventful," she replied. "How's Mike?"
"He's…good," Ella said hesitantly.
"Has he gotten out of bed yet?" Aria wondered while biting her lip.
"Oh yea," her mother said, "He went to his therapist today and everything. It should be helping soon, it's still a bit early to tell though."
Aria looked to the ground saddened by the truth she knew of her mother's words. This they were only hoping to help Mike. With the little improvement he has been showing so far, it seemed like nothing would help her brother.
"How are you being home alone?" Ella's voice rang over the phone. "Is everything okay there? Did you need us to come home?"
Surprised by her questions, Aria glanced up to Jason who had been gazing at her this whole time. "No mom, I'm doing fine here. Everything is okay, no need to rush home."
"So if I asked you if it would be okay to stay a little bit longer than we planned…" Ella said trailing on. This put a smile to Aria's face. Her mother was a funny one.
"Then I would tell you I will pick up the rest of Mike's homework for the week and notify his teachers."
"Thank you honey," Ella said relieved over the phone. "I promise to make this up to you okay? Your father and I just think its best right now if we stay here to make sure your brother gets himself up on his feet. If you would like I can call Mrs. Marin maybe, or even Mrs. Hastings to ask them if you could stay with them? I know that house can be a little scary all alone…"
"That's okay mom," Aria said blushing when she looked back up at Jason, "I'm doing okay here. Its not as bad as I thought it was."
"Okay, well if you need anything we are here okay?"
"Sure," Aria chirped, "tell Mike I said hi okay? If he feels up to it he can call me later?"
"Okay sweetie," Ella smiled, "have a good night."
"You too mom," Aria said before hanging up.
"Mike's okay?" Jason asked stepping towards her.
"Getting there," she said forcing a smile.
"And your parents?" he wondered.
"Staying for the rest of the week. They probably wont be home till Sunday now."
"Hmm…" Jason hummed with a raised eyebrow. Giving a laugh, Aria shook her head and kissed him once again.
Her and Jason had another night together, this time at Aria's house. They ordered some Chinese take out while settling on a movie from paperview. Throughout the night Jason tried to bargain his girlfriend into actually singing for him this time, but each time Aria refused with a blush on her cheeks.
"That's the reason nobody knows I sing," Aria said to Jason as the two laid together on the couch again. It was the same position as last night but this time both of them were playing with each other's hands.
"I don't see why you have any reason to be afraid though Aria. Your voice is amazing. Anyone would be crazy to hate it."
"I'm sure there would be some people," she teased to him as he kissed her head.
"Please sing for me?" Jason said, moving her so she could see the puppy dog look he was giving her. Narrowing those beautiful eyes of hers, Aria looked weary and soon thought about giving in.
"Fine, but only if you tell me what N.A.T is and why you're in it," she blurted out. Shocked with herself, Aria quickly shut her mouth and turned to a stiff looking Jason.
"How do you know about that?" he asked her sitting up now.
"Uh…well…Spencer was packing up some of Ian's things with Toby and he was going through the yearbook and saw that Ian's name had N.A.T below it. So Spencer took a look at it, since she practically knows every club in Rosewood, and she didn't know what it was. You and Garrett had it under your names too…" she spoke softer as she continued, "I didn't know you graduated with the both of them. I mean, it didn't really occur to me."
"Yea," he said somewhat detached, "they were my friends in high school."
Eyes widening, Aria began to play closer attention.
"But wait, what does this still have to do with me?" Jason wondered.
"You were in the club," Aria supplied. "What was it?"
"Just some thing we made up," he said defensively.
"That's it," she asked with narrowed eyes, "just some club?"
"Its not that big of a deal Aria. People make up lots of clubs."
"But it doesn't exist now," Aria rebutted, "and it hasn't since your class made it up. So you really want to stick with that story?"
"Oh, so I have a story now?" Jason asked with edge. "Ask me the real question you want to ask Aria. Its obvious that you and your friends don't trust me."
"I trust you!" Aria's voice raised, getting up from the couch, "I'm the one that trusts you the most. I'm trying here Jason but your answer to your question just…doesn't give me much to go on. It was a club that you created and that's it? I don't get why? Or how? Maybe who started it? What you guys did in it?"
"It doesn't matter Aria, it was all in the past!" he said back.
"No its not Jason! It matters, more than you know!"
"Why?" he asked lowering his loud tone. Concern started to appear in his eyes and his demeanor had changed. "Why is this suddenly so important?"
Aria went quiet, unable to say a word. She couldn't explain to him that it was because there were still secrets and unanswered questions surrounding Ian. She couldn't say that because this could possibly help them figure out a piece to 'A's game. And she definitely couldn't tell him it was because she was in danger and he might be too.
"I just have to know," she settled on, calming down too. "Please Jason, tell me what the club is. I don't want to keep secrets like this."
"You and your friends really have trust issues you know that?" he asked her.
"More than you know," she muttered. Glancing to Aria, who came and sat back down next to him, he let out a breath and looked to her. "I'm guessing Spencer already found out what N.A.T stands for right?"
"We see all?" she questioned. Jason nodded.
"Us guys…we used to be friends like you and your friends are now," he started. "And we started this club called the N.A.T. Most of the time we just sat around getting high and drunk, it was nothing out of the usual. And other times…we went around and video taped people from the neighborhood."
"Like your sister… and us," Aria realized as the facts dawned on her.
"It wasn't just you guys," Jason confessed, "We went all around Rosewood. Ian was really into it."
Aria blankly stared in front of her, putting everything together. How Ali always felt like someone was watching her – that was Jason and the guys. And then the thing in her room where she blamed Toby…but wait. Why did she blame Toby? Was it because she had something on him and wanted to use it?
"Most of the time I stayed behind to do drugs or get drunk as Ian and Garrett went to go shoot some tapes. Sometimes Melissa would go along with them too, and even that Jenna girl who thought she was the shit tagged along," Jason's voice explained, making Aria stop.
"Wait what?"
"Jenna and Melissa would stop by to get high with us. Sometimes they would drink but they were more into the drugs and their two guys."
Aria opened her mouth still halted in place, "Jenna and Garrett were dating then too?"
"What do you mean?" Jason asked, thrown by the question.
Aria shook her head and put her hands up to her face. This was getting to be all too much. How long had Jenna and Garrett really been seeing each other? It was longer than the girls had suspected, that was for sure.
"Anyways, yea, they were dating at the time. I was pretty sure Jenna always had something on the side though but hell, I was the stoner kid so no one really listened to me."
Toby, Aria thought to herself. Jenna's stepbrother was the man on her side.
"Are you ever going to tell me what's going on?" Jason wondered as they went back to sitting in silence. "Aria, you say you don't want secrets in this relationship, but you sure seem to be keeping them…"
"It's a long story," Aria quickly replied.
"And we have time," Jason said, "lots of it."
"It's complicated," she tried again.
"I'm sure you can uncomplicated it for me," he responded again.
"Jason," Aria groaned.
"Aria, I don't get you," he huffed, "you keep asking me to tell you the truth, to not hide anything, but look what you are doing to me. We are supposed to trust each other and we obviously can't do that if this is all one sided."
Aria swallowed hard. Her one-day relationship with Jason was already starting to crumble and the words of 'A' were filling in her head.
"My friends don't trust you," Aria stated, "well, Spencer mostly."
"And?" he asked her, grabbing her tense hand.
"And that's it. Spencer is just worried for me in her own kind of way, which is freaking out usually. She takes critical analysis of everything around us and then when questions arise which may point to you knowing something and I can't shoot down…it turns ugly. So anyways, I guess I come to you to ask you about them because I can justify myself later when Spencer brings it up again," Aria shrugged.
Jason nodded, taking his turn to now blankly stare off into space. Worried about him, she turned to face Jason and inhaled deeply ready to try and explain some more things. "Look, I'm sorry Jase, I don't mean to be this crazy bitch all the time. I trust you – I do. The matter of fact is you are about one of the only ones I really do trust and feel safe with. And I'm sorry I keep putting you in these positions. From now on, I will really try to keep my sleuthing to a minimum okay? Whatever Spencer says can just go…whatever."
"What makes you trust me Aria?" Jason wondered, quite randomly if Aria did say so herself. Pausing at the odd question, she sat back a bit and stared at him. "Is there any reason not to?"
"Is there any reason you should?" he asked back.
"Well besides the fact that I'm dating you…" she trailed off confused. "Jason, you haven't done anything to break my trust, and I think you've certainly earned it. I'm not just being this way because I like you – I mean its an odd way of showing it of course but I don't know, like I said, you feel safe to me – and that counts for more than you know."
"You know you can always count on me right?" he asked her seriously then. Taking her hands in his, he faced her too. "No matter what goes on with us, I will be there to protect you Aria."
She gave a smile at that, loving the way he was so passionate about her.
"I know you're hiding something," he stared again, and this made her body turn rigid and immediately become defensive, "but," he spoke up as she went to protest, "I'll let you deal with it for now. But you need to promise me if anything happens – if you ever start getting into any real danger and that doesn't just count as the physical stuff Aria – you will come to me okay? No matter what."
Swallowing hard, Aria had to think about this. There would be no way she would ever break a promise, especially like this to Jason, but could she really up hold it?
"What if it ever puts you in danger?" she asked quietly.
"You're all that matters to me," he shrugged, "without you, what am I doing here?"
So that answered Aria's question. His happiness, the happiness of Jason DiLaurentis landed in the hands of Aria Montgomery. He was here for Aria, he was staying in Rosewood, the place of his sister's death because she was here and she was what made him happy.
"Promise me Aria," he said tugging at her hands. "Promise me."
Biting her lip, Aria continued to think. She knew if she didn't make this promise there would be more issues to deal with with Jason. He would be more than upset; he would be furious and possibly start to demand answers then. But she knew if she made this promise to him and made sure to keep it, it could also land him into a lot of trouble with 'A'. What was she going to do?
"I…yes, I promise," she settled on, letting her heart guide the way. Jason meant a lot to her. He meant so much in fact she was willing to take on more of what 'A' was dishing to her for the DiLaurentis. It was hard for Aria to admit, thinking it was still too early in the relationship to say this, but Aria loved him. She loved Jason, and if he had to be the shoulder to cry on before getting mauled by the mysterious 'A' or come close to facing death with, then so be it.
Bring it on 'A'.