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I now present to you the second chapter. You know the deal; 20+ reviews gets you a faster update! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story or any ideas you might have!
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The New York City air was musky and sticky as Ezra stepped out of his cab on Washington Square Street. He adjusted his tie before charging forth into the air conditioned auditorium of NYU. He was late; he knew he was late and he hoped the dean hadn't made it to the 'M's already. If he missed Aria get her diploma, there would be hell to pay from the tiny brunette. There was only one seat and it was in the way back which Ezra slid into quickly. It appeared that Byron had gotten tired of waiting on his mentee and picked up whatever jacket he had been using to save his seat.
When he was 16, Ezra never thought he'd be sitting and waiting for quirky Aria Montgomery to graduate from college 10 years later. Either Byron had saw enough potential to continue mentoring him or Aria begged and pleaded with her father not to dispose of her new friend, but whatever it was, it had spurred a lifelong friendship between himself and the daughter of his mentor.
He'd been through the graduation process; in fact, this was the very auditorium he'd taken away his diploma and threw his cap up into the air five years ago. Ezra remembered waiting in his purple polyester graduation gown, his brow sweating under the hot stage lights. It had taken an hour alone to get through to the 'F's. He could only imagine how long Aria had been waiting.
Ezra could just make her out in the sea of students that waiting onstage. She'd matured over the years he'd known her, but that was a given. Aria had never grown from being 5 five tall, but her figure filled out and she had begun to dress in a style that was almost as quirky as the words that came from her mouth. She grew her hair longer and painted her lips a light red now and then. But despite growing into her beauty, Aria was still Aria.
She must have had superhero-like vision because Ezra could've sworn he saw Aria give a small wave in his direction. He was nowhere close to Byron, not that he could see the older man through the crowd, but Aria probably would not have winked at her father. He blushed, shaking his head in amusement.
Did he mention he was in love with her?
Ezra had realized it on her 20th birthday last year. Aria had invited him out with her and a bunch of her friends to a bowling alley near school. At first, he'd protested, saying it wasn't his place and that they'd celebrate at her father's townhouse some other time, but Aria was stubborn; when she insisted, she persisted until she got her way. Ezra had no idea where it had come from. He'd been watching her take her turn to bowl her ball down the lane, sipping back on a beer that he'd let Aria take a couple sips from. When the ball made a clear strike through the pins, Aria had let out a joyous cheer. It was in that moment where the butterflies in Ezra's stomach clicked; he was in love with Aria Montgomery.
Of course, he hadn't told her yet. He'd been harboring it for a year and had no intentions of telling her quite yet. Today was Aria's day – Ezra wouldn't ruin it with his pesky feelings.
"Aria Montgomery; graduating with a BFA in Vocal Performance with a focus in Musical Theatre." The voice of the dean dragged Ezra from his reminiscing to see Aria stand and walk carefully towards the podium to receive her diploma. He chuckled; she was wearing six inch heels and doing her best not to fall over in the stiletto pumps. Aria hated how short she was whereas Ezra found it endearing.
Her manicured hand snatched up the diploma and Aria looked out to the audience to give a sincerely charming smile. She knew how to work a crowd, but one would having grown up with an arguably famous father and performing onstage. Ezra felt his heart falter slightly. It was that smile which made him weak at the knees. The corners of her mouth would lift, her hazel eyes would glitter, and Ezra would be mush on the floor.
As she walked back to her seat, she gave him another small wave again. Aria could see Ezra clearly while standing in her high heels. He waved back and her smile widened. That was his girl.
"You were late, you jerk," Aria smirked. She'd burst into the small Chinese restaurant that the small trio had called their own, causing Ezra to choke on the scotch he'd been nursing. Other diners looked up, but their reaction wasn't one of the typical disturbed restaurant goer – they smiled. Aria had a certain aura to her that made people's hearts lighter. It made Ezra's heart thump.
"I was in rehearsal," Ezra defended, getting up to pull her chair out for her. If there was one thing he was, it was a gentleman.
Aria rolled her eyes as she sat down in her white gauze dress. "Always in rehearsal. You should've told them that your mother broke her leg and you needed to go watch The Sound of Music with her to make her feel better."
Ezra chuckled. "That's a completely bogus excuse." Aria never thought logically; she thought outside the box.
After many years of Byron's constant and enduring mentoring, Ezra became a semi-successful playwright. He'd written a play or two, but had been striking gold with unique Off-Broadway musicals. Of course, the dream was to see his name on a window card that belonged to a Broadway hit, but he had money in the bank account, food in the fridge, and a nice apartment. Ezra couldn't complain.
"It's less boring than saying you had to go to a graduation," she replied, taking her water glass to her lips. Aria gulped down a sip and placed the pristine glass back down on the table. Her finger nimbly picked at something on the bodice of her dress – perhaps a loose string or something.
Ezra looked behind them both towards the door. He'd gotten a table for three, but it was only two and wasn't appearing to change. "Isn't your father coming?"
"He was behind deadline, so he stayed home to write. Looks like it's just me and you," Aria said, flashing him her infamous smile.
Being alone with Aria made Ezra's stomach coil up into several knots. And then those knots were twisted and turned into another set and so on. He didn't know how to be alone with her anymore. Byron being around was a buffer, a blockage of sorts for the words that buzzed around Ezra's head, but never translated onto his tongue. Now, he was sitting across from the object of his affection in a dimly lit eatery. It could've been a date. Except it wasn't.
"You don't have a problem with that, do you?" He hadn't realized how quiet he'd been in those past few moments. Ezra had been trying to figure out what to say whereas meanwhile he wasn't saying anything. "It's like talking to radio silence."
"No," he replied to her, shaking his head furiously. Ezra had no problem being alone with Aria, as difficult as it may have been. He just needed to be cautious. For Aria's sanity and for the sake of his own heart. "Not at all. I'm actually glad. We never get to have one on one time. Byron's always butting in his two cents."
"He's annoying, isn't he," Aria laughed, taking another sip of her water. She looked beautiful; fresh faced and flushed with excitement over graduation. Her dark hair was styled into a messy side braid, curly tendrils framing her doll-like face. With peachy lips, Aria was the picture of perfection. It took his every cell not to lean over the table and kiss her wildly.
"Annoying perhaps, but a great teacher." Albeit a bit of a "cockblock", Ezra would not have been where he was today if he hadn't stepped onto Byron's front stoop when he was 16. He'd probably be teaching somewhere with a broken dream hiding out in his back pocket while he directed school plays.
"I don't need the spiel about my father. I am well aware of his handiwork," Aria smiled, folding her hands underneath her chin as she watched him. Ezra could feel her eyes on him, but it was something he was used to. She was always studying people, getting a read on their emotions and facial expressions. It was how Aria always knew when he was lying or upset. Even though Ezra claimed to hate how she could always figure him out, deep down, he loved it; it was settling to know she cared enough.
A waitress came over to greet them both. Aria and Ezra were almost too familiar with the restaurant – they didn't even need to look at the menu to place their orders. She ordered plain lo mein noodles with vegetable stir fry to fit her vegetarian needs. He ordered Sesame Chicken and Coconut Sticky Rice. In the past, Ezra would order a vodka soda and let Aria take a few sips. Now, she could order her own. Except just as she was about to ask for one, Ezra splurged and asked her to bring a bottle of champagne.
It wasn't a bottle of the finest fizzy liquid, but it would certainly do for the occasion. As soon as the waitress brought over their two glasses, Ezra raised his.
"To the beginning of your life," he toasted, watching the grin on Aria's face as she clinked her glass with his.