Previously:
She waved as Ezra drove away and then rang the doorbell, bracing herself.
A few moments later the door opened, revealing a surprised Ella.
"Hey mom."
Chapter 13:
"Aria?! Oh my God! Byron! Mike! Come down here!" Ella said, rushing forward and enveloping her daughter into a hug as the two men came downstairs.
"Aria!" Mike said, tackling her in a hug. Byron wasn't far behind.
"Where have you been?!" Byron asked, staring at her as though uncertain if she were really there.
"I needed some space." Aria replied.
"Why didn't you call?" Ella asked.
Aria shrugged. "I just needed to get away from my routine for a bit."
"Where did you go?" Byron asked.
"Ezra's. And I went out with the girls a bit." Aria replied.
"What about school?" Ella asked.
"I went, I just avoided your class." Aria said, and then quickly added when she say her mother's expression "I just needed to get away from you guys for a bit. I'm sorry for worrying you all but I needed to deal with everything that happened."
Mike placed a hand discreetly on her arm and squeezed, signalling that he wasn't mad at her and she wasn't alone through the questioning from her parents. She smiled gratefully at him.
"Look Aria, we understand that you're hurting but we just want to be there for you. We can't do that if you don't let us." Byron said reasonably.
Aria took a deep breath. "But the thing is, you guys have been treating me like I'm made of glass. Say something wrong and I'll break. I get that you all care but I just want to be myself, I just want my life back. That's something I couldn't get here. The girls understand and they've been great about it and, it took Ezra a bit of time but he got it too. I came here today because I promised my therapist that I would try to tell you guys how I felt and now I've done that. Whatever you do after this is all on you."
Byron and Ella stared at her for a moment before Ella spoke. "Honey, we didn't mean to make you feel that way."
Aria nodded. "I know, but you did. And I can't handle it."
"Sweetheart, we'll try to fix things-" Byron started.
"No. That's what I want you not to do. I don't want anyone trying to fix anything. I just want to live my life." Aria said, starting to get frustrated.
Byron sighed. "Okay."
"Thank you." Aria said, sighing in relief. This really hadn't been as bad as she'd thought it would be.
"So are you staying?" Byron asked.
Aria hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm going to be staying at Ezra's for the time being but I'll come over often. I need to see you guys acting normally before I can fully become part of...this." she said, gesturing around her.
Byron opened his mouth to protest but Ella silenced him. "Okay, but you have to promise you won't shut us out like you did before."
Aria nodded. "I promise."
Ella smiled at her daughter. "So are you staying for dinner? You can call Ezra to join us."
Aria smiled back. "That would be great!" she said, taking out her phone to call Ezra.
*PLL*
"So Ezra, how's everything at Hollis?" Mike asked, trying to make conversation as he shovelled some mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"It's going great. I really like teaching, and the students are great!" Ezra said smiling as he took a bun from the bowl and took a bite. "How's school?"
Mike shrugged. "The usual. We have a lacrosse tournament on Tuesday and we've been practicing like crazy but we're all really excited."
"You should see their team, it's great!" Ella gushed, smiling proudly at her son.
"You guys are going to be great." Aria said, spearing a piece of broccoli onto her fork.
"You should come out and watch us play." Mike said excitedly.
"I have a free period in the afternoon. I think I'll drop by for a bit" Aria said, smiling at her little brother.
"Great!" Mike said as they continued to eat their dinner.
*PLL*
"That went a lot better than expected." Aria said, leaning back in her seat as she Ezra drove towards him apartment.
"Told you so." Ezra teased.
Aria rolled her eyes playfully. "Congratz! Want a cookie?"
"I think I can think of a better reward." Ezra said, winking as he pulled up to a red light.
Aria giggled before removing her seatbelt and leaning forward, giving him a kiss. "Happy?"
"Very." Ezra, smiling as he pulled her back to him and reconnected their lips. A loud horn honking made them both pull away, startled as they noticed that the light had turned green.
"Oops." Ezra said, chuckling.
"Gosh, keep your eyes on the road." Aria teased, leaning over the console to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Well maybe if my passenger wasn't so distracting..." Ezra started.
"Hey, don't blame me, you're the driver." Aria raised her eyebrows.
"Next time you're sitting in the back." Ezra said, chuckling.
"Why, so you can admire me from the rearview mirror and pretend that you're really focusing on the road?" Aria joked.
"Darn it!" Ezra said, laughing as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment.
"Sorry babe, but I know my man." Aria said, laughing as she tilted her head up and kissed him.
*PLL*
"So, when's your next appointment with Deb?" Ezra asked as they settled on the couch, a book in each of their hands. Ezra was sitting on one side, leaning against the armrest and Aria was in his lap, her legs sprawled out in front of her, her back against his chest.
"Next Thursday." Aria replied, turning a page on her book.
"Great, want to go out for dinner afterwards." Ezra asked.
Aria smiled up at him. "Sure. That sounds like fun, what did you have in mind?"
"How about we go to that new vegan place that just opened up?" Ezra said, leaning forward and grabbing a flyer from the coffee table which he handed to Aria.
Aria examined it for a moment before nodding. "Sounds good." she said, leaning up and giving him a peck on his cheek.
"It's a date." Ezra replied smiling. He was so happy that she was starting to act like herself again after just one appointment. Who knew what would happen after several more.
Hope y'all liked the chapter. I figured it was time to take a break from all the sadness so I wrote a happier chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for the future. :)