Chapter 25:

"But he-, How can-, But-" Clearly unable to formulate a proper sentence, Ezra stopped talking.

"I know it's shocking and you probably think I'm insane but think about it. He can do all kinds of tech stuff, he's obviously smart, and I've talked to him. It's really Caleb." Mike said slowly.

Ezra's face turned from shock to fury. "That bastard! When I get a hold of him, I'm going to-"

"No! Whatever it is, no you're not, at least not yet. You just made a promise to me and you better keep it!" Mike said, authoritatively.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I just didn't see that coming." Ezra said, instantly feeling guilty for letting his emotions get the best of him right after he promised he wouldn't do just that.

"It's okay. Now listen, the reason I'm telling you all this is because I need your help. A wants me to get Aria to go to the New Year's Masquerade that the country club holds every year. Caleb's going to make the lights go out and then I'm supposed to put something in her drink that'll make her faint and she'll wake up feeling really sick. And apart from that, he's going to plant drugs in Emily's purse so she gets in trouble with the police. I don't even know what's going to happen to Hanna and Spencer." Mike said, fear in his voice.

"Don't worry, you're not in this alone. I'm going to be there to help you, and we'll take on Caleb together." Ezra said, putting a hand on Mike's shoulder.

Mike smiled gratefully. "Thanks. But I have no idea what to do. We need a way to expose Caleb at the masquerade."

"We'll figure something out." Ezra said, reassuringly. Both men froze when they heard the apartment door opening.

"Hey babe-" Aria walked in carrying two cups of coffee. She stopped, staring when she saw her little brother. "Hey Mike...what are you doing here?"

Mike looked at Ezra for a moment, panicked. "I was just...uh..."

"Mike called me because he...um...needed help with an English assignment and you weren't home so..." Ezra said, trying to cover up for Mike.

"Okay..." Aria looked skeptical. She knew Ezra was lying but she figured her brother was embarrassed about something that he needed to talk to a guy about. Either way, she was happy they were getting along well. "So, what are you working on?" she asked, sitting down next to Ezra.

The two men looked between each other. "Oh, we're finished. I was just leaving." Mike said, getting up quickly. "Thanks for your help."

Ezra smiled. "Yeah, no problem. Let me know how it goes."

"Yeah, uh, bye." Mike said awkwardly as he let himself out.

When Mike left, Aria looked at Ezra, eyebrows raised. "So...what was his "assignment" on?"

"Oh, um, he was just, um...working on this essay for, um, To Kill a Mockingbird. And he didn't want to bother you while you were out with the girls so he texted me, asking if I could help him with it." Ezra said, cursing himself for being such a bad liar.

"That's funny, he told me he was reading the Great Gatsby for English class." Aria said.

Ezra smiled uncomfortable. "Oh, did I say To Kill A Mockingbird? I meant the Great Gatsby. I just, I really like both of those books so I must have gotten them confused." he said, smacking his forehead. "Anyway, do you want something to eat? I was just about to get some dinner."

Aria shook her head. "No, I told Mike I'd be home for dinner. I was just dropping by on my way home...Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?" Aria asked, looking into his eyes.

Ezra paused for a moment. He really wished he could tell her, but he owed it to Mike to keep the secret. He had made a promise and he intended to keep it. "Yeah, everything great." he said, holding his breath, silently willing her to believe him.

Aria stared at him a little while longer and finally decided to just drop it. "Okay."

Ezra was grateful that she'd dropped it, but he knew he shouldn't just leave it at that. She knew he was lying and he had to come up with a cover-up, and fast. He felt a vibration in his pocket.

"One sec." he said to Aria as he read the text. It was from Mike.

"Just tell her it was a guy thing that I made you promise not to talk about because I'm embarrassed. She's probably thinking it anyway."

Ezra silently thanked him. He turned to Aria. "Okay, I know you don't believe me and you're right. I'm the worst liar in the world."

"So why did he come here?" she asked.

Ezra hesitated slightly and looked uncomfortable, careful not to over-do it. "He needed to talk to someone about...guy stuff, and he was afraid his friends would make fun of him, and he thought you'd be with your friends all day so he came here."

"Oh. Sorry, I shouldn't be so suspicious, I've just been kind of jumpy, with everyone thinking he was A and all, it was just really weird. I'm sorry." Aria said, sincerely.

"It's okay, you're just worried for him. It's adorable how much you care about him." Ezra smiled as he moved a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

Aria tilted her head up and kissed him. "Thank you for looking out for Mike. It's really sweet of you."

"He's practically family for me." Ezra said, leaning in to kiss her again.

"How did I end up with someone as amazing as you?" Aria asked, staring up at him as she rest her head against his chin.

Ezra chuckled. "I ask myself the same about you everyday." he said, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny body.

Aww, gotta love the Ezria moments. I hope we have more of them in the show, we've barely seen them happy this season. Any guesses on Red Coat? Don't forget to review! :)

Btw, I'm stuck on how I want them to expose Caleb, so if you have any idea, even if you think they're dumb, LET ME KNOW! I'll credit you in the AN's and I'd be really grateful. I'm totally stuck.

One more thing, I really wanted to thank everyone that reviews or PMs because you honestly make my day! So thank you to all of you!

PS. HAPPY PLL SEASON FINALE DAY! :)