***Last Chapter: He sat back up and hit Aria in the process.
"I am absolutely mortified." He shouted.
She covered her eye and couldn't hold back a little scream, her eye would swell she had no doubt about that.
"Let me see this, I'm a doctor."***

One year later

It was labor day. Aria had just arrived in Rosewood after studying in Iceland for a year. Mike was searching through the packed boxes for his lacrosse gear.

"What are you doing?" Aria asked, giggling at his frustration.

"I'm looking for my lacrosse gear. Tryouts are today, and I can't find it! Have you seen the box with my lacrosse gear in it?" He said, repeating the words 'Lacrosse', 'Tryouts', and 'Late' over and over again.

"Did you check the garage?" Aria said, looking at him as if he was stupid. "I think all the lacrosse gear is in there." She said, giggling. Mike ran into the garage and yelled, "Found it!" He ran back into the living room, where Aria was standing, leaning against the stairwell. "Have you seen mom?" Mike asked. "I'm going to be late!" He yelled, looking at the time.

"I'll take you. It'll take two minutes." Aria said, grabbing her car keys off the top of one of the taped boxes. Mike bolted out of the front door, and jumped into the passenger seat of Ella Montgomery's car. Aria sat in the car, and put the keys into the ignition. Mike plugged his iPod into the radio, and turned up the volume.

Ten minutes later

"I'll be back to pick you up at six, okay?" Aria said, looking at the clock on the dashboard that said it was 2:30 pm.

"Alright, Ar! don't be late!" Mike said, running off to the field with Noel Kahn and Sean Ackards.

"Bye, Finland!" Noel called out. Aria rolled her eyes, and drove to the Hollis bar and grille, called 'Snookers'. She was starving, and jetlagged. Ella and Byron hadn't picked up any food yet, so the fridge in her kitchen was completely empty.

Aria pulled into the Snookers parking lot, and parked Ella's car. Aria got out of the car, grabbed her purse out of the back seat, and locked the car doors, venturing into the empty restaurant. When she entered the restaurant Beauty Queen by Ben's Brother was playing out of the jukebox and throughout the sound system that was installed in the corners of the large room. Aria sat at the bar, noticing that none of the waitresses were on shift yet. As she was walking into the restaurant she noticed a handsome man sitting at the bar, three stools away from her, reading a book.

"Can I get a beer and a cheeseburger, please?" Aria asked the bartender.

"You got it," He says, not even asking for her ID.

Aria turned, and looked over at the cork board that had a missing person's poster on it.

Alison DiLaurentis.

Aria had missed Ali and all the other girls like crazy. She couldn't believe that Ali was still missing. She thought about how Ali would have been surprised about her sudden transformation. Aria no longer had Pink highlights laced in her raven hair. Aria had enjoyed the change. She no longer felt like an outsider.

The man sitting near her turned his head, noticing that she was completely and utterly beautiful, yet a bit distraught. "You alright down there?" He asked, causing Aria to turn her head, and look at him. She automatically thought he was gorgeous. He turnd his head back to his book, and Aria stared at his fingers, which were rubbing tiny circles into the page corners.

"I'm a bit jet lagged, I just got back from Europe." Aria replied, looking at the strange man's beautiful features.

"Where in Europe?" He asked, looking up from his book, and turning to face Aria. He immediately took in all the beautiful features of her face.

"Iceland." Aria replied, looking into his beautiful ice blue eyes. She felt like she was staring at him, so she quickly looked down at her hands.

"I spent some time in Reykjavik, before I went to Amsterdam. It's a great city." The man said, making eye contact with Aria as he spoke. When he finished speaking, he looked back down at his book, feeling as if he was staring, and she was uncomfortable with it. When the man looked away, Aria quickly licked her lips. She couldn't help but to have the same feeling in her stomach that she had when she met Wren Kingston.

"So, do you go to Hollis?" She asked, taking in his features. His Chocolate colored curls made her even more attracted to him.

"Just Graduated." He replied, nodding. "I'm going to start my first teaching job." He said, smiling at her.

"I think I'd like to teach." She said, smiling back at him. Happiness by The Fray begins to play throughout the bar. "God, I love this song." Aria said, looking up at the ceiling from her hands.

"B26." The man replied, which caused Aria to look at him, and smile. "What's your major?" He asked, after a long pause of them gazing into eachothers eyes.

Aria began to stutter. She really hadn't thought about it. She spent her time in Iceland partying, and wanting to return to Rosewood. "Well, I-Uh, I'm leaning towards English." She said, hesitantly.

"Really? That's what I'm teaching." He said, smiling at her. They sat there, smiling at eachother for a few seconds. Aria couldn't believe that she still didn't know this man's name.

"Oh, and I write, too. So far, it's mostly personal. Just for me." She said, staring at him. She had the sudden urge to lean over, and kiss him. She couldn't believe that someone so beautiful could be so sweet, and smart. Why is she so attracted to older guys? That was a mystery to her.

"I'm impressed," the mystery man said.

"Why?" Aria asked, giving this mystery man a questioning look.

"Well," He said, taking his things and moving over so that he and Aria were sitting right next to each other, and not two bar stools away. "I tried writing." He continued. "I didn't get very far. You're lucky. If you're writing for yourself, it's pure passion." He said, licking his lips, and spinning his nearly empty glass of whiskey. "Maybe you'd let me read something of yours?" He asked, staring into her green-hazel orbs. Ezra was completely mesmerized by her beauty. He took a breath in, and could smell her intoxicating rose petal perfume, which made him smile.

"Yeah, you really want to?" She asked, she didn't think anyone would like to read her writing.

"Yeah." He said, a chuckle laced in his voice. "You're smart, you've traveled, great taste in music. I'd like to know more about you." He said, licking his lips, and looking at her face, taking in all the little details. He continued to look at her, almost holding his breath whil he waitedfor her reply.

"Yeah, I'd like to know more about you, too." Aria said, smiling, and gazing into his beautiful, blue orbs once more. She realized that, while they are already conversing, she doesn't even know his name, "I'm Aria, by the way." She said, taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage that had been placed in front of her. She looked at him, quietly waiting for the gentleman to do the same.

"Ezra." He says. "Ezra Fitz." They shook hands, and Aria's cheeseburger was brought out from the kitchen.

"Thank You." She said to the bartender. Aria and Ezra talked for hours, until Aria finished her beer and cheeseburger. Ezra insisted that he should pay for it, so she let him.

"Will you excuse me? I have to go to the bathroom." She said, turning to face Ezra.

"Can I come with you?" He asks, staring her in the eyes. Aria grabed his hand, and pulled him into the girls bathroom. Ezra locked the bathroom door, and lifted Aria up onto the sink. He pushed himself between her legs, and she automatically began to attack his lips with her own. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but for once, she was going to enjoy the moment. Ezra's movements mimiced Aria's, and as they kissed the song More of You by Mozella played through the sound system in the restaurant. Aria felt as if the song's lyrics were saying exactly how she felt about Ezra.

So it goes without saying that I'm hooked on you,
and by now, I'm out of my mind with this self abuse.

Ezra deepened the kiss, and slid his hands up and down Aria's arms as she placed her hands on his cheeks. They broke away from each other quickly in order to breathe. As they did so, they gazed into each other's eyes. Aria never knew she could experience a connection as strong as this one. Ezra smiled, a boyish grin plastered onto his face, he obviously felt the chemistry too. Aria smiles back. It amazed her how she was attracted to Ezra like a magnet. Their lips latched together once more, mimicking each other's movements again. She felt like they knew each other longer than she knew anyone else. Earlier, the situation reminded her of a certain Wren Kingston, but not anymore. Wren's touch wasn't as electric, his smile was never that breathtaking and his looks were never as smoldering. Aria was overwhelmed. She never saw that coming.

I guess I should have looked out for myself,
I guess that I could have found someone else,
But I never met anyone whos lovin' made me so damn crazy.

Ezra and Aria's tongues constantly battled for dominance, and Ezra couldn't believe that Aria had slipped under his radar until today.

Every little thing that you do,
Every single word you say,
Every time you're looking away,
You got me looking for more of you, more of you.
Every time I'm ready to go,
Every time I think I'm back in control,
Something gets a hold of my soul,
And I'm begging for more of you, more of you.
I'm begging for more of you.
I'm begging for more of you.

Aria's alarm went off, telling her it was nearly 6:00pm. Ezra quickly broke the kiss and looked down at Aria's hands, which were reaching for her pocket.
"What's wrong?" He asked, placing his hands on her shoulder.

"I set an alarm. I have to go." She said, looking up at Ezra and biting her lip, her heart still racing.

"Can I see you again?" Ezra asked, placing his hand upon her cheek, he was afraid she would become the one that got away.

"Yeah," Aria said. "I'd like that." She smiled and handed Ezra her phone, as Ezra added his number into Aria's phone, he handed her his phone so he would have her number also. Ezra handed Aria her phone, and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips, which soon turned into another passionate kiss. Aria left the bar twenty minutes later, handing Ezra his phone as she did so. It was now 5:50 pm. Aria quickly unlocked Ella's car, silently swearing at herself for being so mesmerized by Ezra. When Aria finally unlocked the car she threw her purse into the back seat, and quickly put her keys into the ignition.

Twenty Minutes Later

Aria pulled up to the School and looked at the clock on the dashboard as she rolled down the passenger side's windows.

6:10 pm

Mike ran up to the car, throwing his lacrosse gear in the back seat. "What took you so long?" he asked, jumping into the passenger's seat of the car through the open window. "I've been waiting for hours." Mike said, exaggerating the amount of time he's been waiting for.

"I went to snookers, ate some lunch, started reading, and lost track of time." Aria says, partially lying about what she did today. What else was she supposed to say? That she got into a steamy make out session in the bathroom?

"Well, will you hurry up on the way home? I'm starving!" He replies, as his stomach begins to rumble. Aria slowly pulls out of the school parking lot as Mike plugged his iPod back into the radio.

Later that Night.

Aria was getting ready for bed when her phone went off.

Did you get home on time? -Ezra

Aria read the text, which caused her to smile.

Yes, I did. Thank you for asking. -Aria

Aria put on her pajamas, and climbed into bed, placing her phone on her nightstand next to her.
Her phone chimed once more.

Can I see you again next weekend? -Ezra

Aria reread the text message multiple times. She wanted to scream and dance around the room, and let her hormones express themselves, yet managed to not do so. She couldn't believe the spark she felt when she was with Ezra, and she had never felt it with anyone else before. She tried to play hard to get and wait a few minutes right before she texted back, but after kissing him, she figured it was a little too late to do so. She typed back,

I'd love that. -Aria

Aria and Ezra sent messages back and forth for another hour, until Ezra said he had to get ready for bed, since he had to be up early for work the next morning.

Good Night, Aria. Sweet Dreams. -Ezra

Aria smiled, and quickly replied.

Good Night, Ezra. Good luck at work tomorrow. -Aria

Aria turned off her cell phone, placed it under her pillow, and quickly fell asleep, hoping she would relive their first encounters in her dreams.

We apologize for the delayed post! Between school finals, and communication... And just procrastination all together. We were all working on our own stories, but we remembered that Our Secret was left on a cliff hanger. BEFORE YOU GO CRYING THAT IT'S TOO MUCH LIKE THE PILOT EPISODE: We (well, I) wanted their first encounter to be as close to the TV and books as possible, so that's why the dialogue is similar, if not the same. Well, we hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review, follow, favorite, and check out our stories (Kaynasou, EzraFitzgerald, SirethaElaine)! We'd appreciate it!
~EzraFitzgerald