Chapter Eight -

Okay everyone I appreciate all of the reviews of everyone saying my story is great and you would love to read more. Well this morning when I check a review a user asked me if I could post my stories earlier in the day. I'm here to tell you, like I've already mentioned, I post when I can. I have a five month old son, I only have so much time in the day where he is quite or asleep, when I get that time I have several things I need to do. I clean, shower, eat, write and visit any sites I like to do daily and I have to find time to sleep. Can you please not ask me to post at a certain time? If you want the story early well then you wont have a many updates and chapters as if I post whenever I can. Thank you for reading my message, I'm not being mean just honest, I have life outside of fiction. - Amanda

Noel and Aria sat at the Grille looking at the menus before the waitress came back. They ordered their lunch and continued talking. Noel had been asking her about her art, what inspired her. Aria didn't really know, when she got in the painting mood, it was like her hands and brush knew exactly where to go and after she would love it, no matter what Aria always found joy and wonder in her art and now it seemed Noel did too.

"Please?" Noel asked Aria.

"I don't know, I've never done art for anyone else" Noel had been begging Aria to paint him something since they had gotten to the restaurant.

"That exactly why you should do one for me, cause I love your art and if whatever you make sucks then I wont laugh" Noel said with a grin on his face.

"You horrible" Aria laughed.

"I'm just kidding" Noel laughed with her.

"I guess since you brought me to lunch I'll consider painting you something" she told him.

"Awesome" he exclaimed "Our foods done" Noel said as he watched the waitress walk from the kitchen.

The waitress sat down the food, Aria caught a glimpse of someone starring at her in the window. Was the a male? Did he have dark wavy hair? Did she just see Ezra watching them? Aria couldn't tell, the waitress was in the way, when she moved the figure was gone. Was she just seeing things? or was some really there?

"What's wrong?" Noel asked watching her.

"Oh nothing, I just thought I say Emily" she lied.

"Oh okay.."

Aria tried to forgot what she saw, or what she thought she saw. It didn't take long for it to leave her mind will Noel around. Noel kept making her laugh and smile, she realized she was happy. I forgot what this feels like she realized. Aria had spent too much time in her and Ezra's relationship arguing about getting caught and their parents to really be completely happy. Now here she was with Noel, smiling and laughing. What could go wrong?

After lunch Noel dropped her off at Hanna's house to get her car, she also needed to do some homework before the end of the day. Tomorrow was Monday, that would leave a month before the end of her Junior year and the beginning of summer, Aria would finally be able to get out of Rosewood for a vacation. All of her friends would, they had been trying to figure out where to go and what to do, but they hadn't settled on a place. At least they had one more month. Hanna greeted Aria when she arrived, Aria didn't expect her to be home.

"Hey!" Hanna yelled from the door.

"Hi, whats up?" Aria questioned, walking to Hanna instead of to her car like she was doing.

"I just wanted to ask about Noel" Hanna said pulling the door open. "Come in and talk to me"

"Okay, sure"

"Was that him that just dropped you off?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah, we just came from lunch" Aria replied.

"Awe, he took you to lunch" Hanna squealed.

"Yes Hanna we went to lunch" she smiled at how excited Hanna was. Aria shouldn't be surprised, Hanna never really liked Ezra, especially after the Jackie thing and how he never told Aria about his past and family.

"Oh my god, did you stay at his house? You never came back last night!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I stayed the night okay. Is that a problem?"

"No, not really... Does Ezra know about your affair?" Hanna smiled at Aria, Hanna sat down at the kitchen table and Aria did too.

"I'm not cheating on Ezra, last night I told him I wanted to be apart a while to think. Then I hung out with Noel and I don't know, I like him and I broke up with Ezra today and then Noel took me to lunch" she explained.

"So you hooked up with Noel" Hanna said like she figured out a secret.

"No!, I've only hung out with him twice Hanna god" What kind of girl did Hanna think she was? Just because she dated a teacher didn't mean she was a whore. "I saw you, you know"

"What?" Hanna's face dropped then, like she knew what Aria mean't.

"With my brother, is there a reason you tried to hide it?" Aria questioned.

"I don't know..." Hanna looked down and Aria waited. "I guess I didn't want you to know... I figured you would think he was some rebound hook up but I really like him"

"I wouldn't have a reason to think that if you would just come to me and tell me" Aria said. "but when I see you sneaking around I might think that"

"I'm sorry, he asked me out at the mall last week, he actually came with me to try stuff on and gave his opinion on everything"

"Mike's really nice when he want's to be Hanna so don't hurt him and everything will be fine with me" Aria told her. "Well I have to go do some homework, but you can call me or text me if you wanna talk about Mike or grill me about Noel more" Aria smiled to her.

"Okay" she laughed "I'll see you at school tomorrow"

Aria walked to Hanna's front door and out to the lawn. When she got in her car she saw a reflection in her rear view mirror. Was that a silver car? Ezra has a silver car. Did he follow her here? No, stop thinking about like that. Was all the A drama coming back to her, making her think someone was following her again? Someone like her ex? No, Aria decided, I'm just being crazy. The rest of the way home nothing else weird happened, that made Aria even more sure she was just being crazy. I'm gonna go home and shower she decided, that will clear my head, then I'll be able to focus on my homework and I'll call Noel after. Noel will make me feel better she thought, maybe I'll even try painting him something. Yes, I will she thought, I'm going to paint for him. When Aria got home no one was there but Mike, he was playing video games on the couch.

"I know all about Hanna" Aria said to him and he jerked his head up.

"What?" he said surprised, just like Hanna.

"I know you've been hanging out and all"

"Oh..., are you mad?" he asked watching her expressions.

"No Mike, I'm just upset you thought you couldn't tell me" she said.

"Like you didn't tell me about Noel" he shot back.

"What about Noel?"

"I know you hooking up with him, I saw go up to his room, he's my friend Aria that's gross!" he exclaimed.

"No, I'm not hooking up with him. I might be dating him though... I don't know yet" she told him the truth.

"Oh... so no more teacher?" he asked.

"Nope, no more teacher" With that Aria went up to her room and took her shower. Then she finished her homework and called Noel, she spent most of her time talking to him asking him things he liked to do, colors he liked and where he had been. Aria used all of this information to use for his art. In the end she thought he would like it, she sure did.