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Chapter 8:

Ezra was in the kitchen, preparing breaking when Aria woke up.

"Morning sweetie." she said, smiling as she got out of bed.

"Good morning beautiful!" Ezra smiled back and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Aria went to wash up before breakfast and when she came back, the smell of pancakes wafted through the apartment.

"Mmm, something smells great." she said, happily.

"I made pancakes, and no, I didn't set anything on fire." Ezra said proudly.

"Wow! I never thought I'd see the day when you cooked a meal." Aria teased as she poured them each a fresh mug of steaming coffee.

"I'm a man of many talents." Ezra said, laughing as he took his mug from her.

"Wow, and you even set the table with flowers! What a gentleman!" Aria said, laughing.

Ezra got up and pulled Aria's chair out for her in an over-exaggerated manner which just caused Aria to laugh even harder. When they had both calmed down, they sat down to eat.

"So what time does Malcolm get off school?" Aria asked.

"3:30. And I should be home by 7:30. Are you sure you're okay with doing this?" Ezra asked.

Aria smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've babysat before, and Malcolm's a sweet kid. We'll be fine. I'll probably just take him to the park or watch a movie. or something. We'll be fine."

"Thank you so much for doing this! I don't know what I would do without you." Ezra smiled, gratefully.

"Don't worry, I'll always be here for you. Aria said, putting her hand on his knee. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Maggie?"

"More or less. Umm...there's one thing though." Ezra said, uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked, worried.

"Umm, I was thinking...if my mom does take her house, I was going to let her and Malcolm crash here until they could find a place to stay...I mean, Malcolm's my son and..." Ezra trailed off.

"Oh, umm...okay." Aria said, uncomfortably.

"Don't worry. Maggie isn't a threat. But she's a friend, and she had to raise Malcolm alone for seven year and I feel bad about that, even though it's not my fault. And my mom is the one who's taking her house so..."

"It's fine. Really. You can't just leave them on the streets." Aria said, trying to hide her true feelings about the situation.

"Hey, I love you. And nobody is ever going to come between us." Ezra said, pulling Aria closer to him. He knew her too well for her to hide her true emotions from him.

"I know. It's just...weird, I guess." Aria tried to explain.

"I know, but it'll be over before you know it." Ezra said, reassuringly. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers.

LATER:

Aria pulled up to Malcolm's school and looked for the little boy among crowds of little kids. After a while she spotted him talking to a few boys who looked to be his age. She was about to call him when she saw an older boy approaching the group. The boy looked to be about 10 years old and was taller than Malcolm and his friends. He went straight to Malcolm and shoved him roughly. As Aria watched, mouth hanging open, Malcolm fell to the ground and the older boy started walking towards him as Malcolm's friends ran away. Aria got out of the car and ran to the two boys.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Aria yelled, and everyone in the playground turned to stare at her. The ten-year-old boy looked at her with wide eyes and ran off. "Get back here!" She called, running after him, but the boy ran away and Aria ran to Malcolm to help him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Malcolm nodded silently, tears rolling down his cheeks. Aria pulled him into a hug, murmuring that it was okay, and that she'd make sure nobody would hurt him. Soon, Malcolm's sobs decreased to sniffles and Aria turned to examine him for injuries. He had a few cuts on his arms and a bad scrape on his knee but she promised him she'd fix it when they got home. They got up and slowly walked to the car, Malcolm limping slightly.

"Want to get some ice cream on the way home?" Aria asked, trying to cheer him up.

Malcolm nodded slowly. "Yes please." he sniffled.

Aria looked back at him for a moment. "Who was that boy?"

"Mitchell."

"Why did he push you?"

"He doesn't like me."

"Why not?"

"I accidentally dropped paint on him last week in art class." Malcolm said, hanging his head.

"Does he know it was an accident?" Aria asked, pulling up to the ice cream shop.

Malcolm nodded. "I told him but he's still mad at me. So he takes my lunch and hits me." he said, sadly.

Aria's heart went out to the little boy. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"He said if I told on him, he'd beat me up." Malcolm said, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks.

Aria pulled him into a hug. She had been bullied as a kid too, by Allison. She knew exactly how Malcolm felt. "Don't worry, buddy. Here's what we're going to do. When your dad gets home, we're going to tell him what going on, and then he's going to talk to your principal and make sure Mitchell doesn't bother you again, okay?"

Malcolm looked at her, fear in his eyes. "What if Mitchell beats me up?"

"He won't. We won't let him. I promise." Aria said.

Malcolm nodded slowly. "Okay. Thanks Aria. You're the best." he said, smiling.

"Thanks sweetie. Now let's go get some ice cream."Aria winked, and they walked inside, Malcolm's tiny hand holding Aria's.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to review. Let me know what you want to see in future chapters :)