A/N: Thank you for all of the great reviews! I am glad people are reading and enjoying the story. This chapter is a little short, but I wanted to get one posted this weekend.

Chapter 5:

Ezra stormed down the steps only to find Ella at the bottom. "Ezra, I was just looking for you. Did you find the bathroom alright?"

"Yeah. I…" He stumbled and pulled at his shirt to make sure it wasn't messed up, "I'm not feeling very well. I'll have to take a rain check for the rest of the night."

"Oh That's a shame. Sara really seemed to like you." Ella frowned, "I'll go get her so you can say good-bye."

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty bad, but tell her and Byron I said good-night and thank you." He refused her offer and didn't wait for a response before pushing past her and rushing out the door.

Ella stared at the door with confusion. It wasn't like Ezra to be so abrupt and dismissive. Before she had another second to contemplate his behavior Aria came flying down the steps, seemingly on a mission. "Aria. Is everything okay?"

Aria didn't bother to reply. Instead, she walked straight past her and out the front door.

Once outside, Aria was disoriented by the amount of cars surrounding her house. She wondered how she would find Ezra's car before he got away.

Luckily, at the moment, she heard a beep and saw a flashing headlight just across the street. In the dark she could just make out Ezra silhouette.

"Ezra, wait!" She yelled loud enough for him to hear from her front step. She didn't hesitate or look around to see who might be a witness, because she didn't care much at the moment. She ran towards his car.

Ezra ignored her call as he made his way to the driver's side door and went to pull it open just as she reached him.

"Stop. You're not leaving." She ordered, pushing his door closed.

"Why? Why should I make myself look like fool while you pine away for Jason?"

"I'm not pining. I'm just feeling something that I can't help. Something I don't want to feel. Believe me."

Ezra stared at her. "I gave up way too much for you to lose you to some other guy."

"You're right." She agreed.

"So what does that mean for us?"

"We may have been together for less than a year, but we've already been through more than most couples ever go through." She pointed out. "Noel, Simone, Jackie, you leaving town…then there's that whole student/teacher thing." She tried to joke, but he wasn't buying it. "We went through all of that and we are still here. That should say something."

Ezra stared down at the ground, "Maybe a relationship with this many obstacles shouldn't exist."

Aria bit her lip, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. "You don't mean that."

"What else should I conclude from all of this?"

"Ezra, all of our problems could be solved with one action." She told him with anger in her voice, "But you're not willing to solve them."

"Fine. Let's go tell your parents then." He looked up, locking eyes with her.

"Are you serious? Right now?" She swallowed hard.

Ezra nodded. "Yes. Right now, if that's going to solve everything."

"I have a house full of people and a majority of them are your former students." Aria pointed out in astonishment that he was even proposing this.

"Exactly. Telling people will only bring more problems, not less."

"Ezra…" She had no argument.

"I should go." He sighed, pressing his lips softly against her forehead. "I'll talk to you in a few days. I need some time to think."

Ezra opened the driver's door and climbed in, starting the engine. Aria knocked on the window and he paused for a second before rolling it down.

"I love you, Ezra. Nothing and no one can change that." She told him sincerely.

"I hope that's true." He replied, as she stepped away from the car and allowed him to drive away into the darkness.

Aria felt a sudden chill pour over her. He was upset and it was understandable, but she knew he would come around. They both knew that it was impossible to stay away from one another. At least, she hoped.

As Aria made her way back towards the house, she noticed that the front door was wide open. She could have sworn she had closed it. In the door frame she could just make out a still figure staring in her direction.

It was Mike.

"Mike." Was the only word that Aria could muster as she approached him.

"Mom asked me to come to see if you were okay. She said you looked upset." He told her.

"I'm fine." Aria swallowed hard and hugged her arms across her chest, "It's cold and I should get back to the party."

Without another world, she averted her eyes to the ground and hurried back into the house. She didn't know if he had seen any of her interaction with Ezra, but she was too afraid to ask. She wasn't ready for this to come out, especially after the night she was having.

As soon as she rejoined the party a familiar voice called her name once again. It was Jason.

"Aria. There you are." He approached her once again. It creeped her out how he was always there waiting in the wings for her to appear. "Is everything okay with Spencer?"

"Spencer?" She repeated, still distracted by her fight with Ezra and her subsequent interaction with Mike.

"Yeah. She pulled you away before. She seemed worried." He reminded her.

"Oh. That." She remembered, "That was nothing. Just guy problems." She lied.

"I thought she might be trying to get you away from me."

He was certainly perceptive.

"No. She wasn't." Aria shook her head.

Jason smirked with disbelief. "Well, now that your friends aren't around to interrupt, can we go outside and talk?"

Aria frowned. The last 15 minutes or so had made it painfully clear to her just how much she was about to lose for a meaningless crush. She couldn't let that happen.

"This really isn't a good time." She refused.

"Okay. When will be a good time?"

Aria stared up at him, "There won't be. I'm sorry."

Before he could get a chance to respond, she pushed passed him, climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom, locking the door behind herself.

Letting herself fall onto her bed, she pulled out her phone and hit speed dial for Ezra's cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. She decided to leave a message.

"Hi. It's me. I really need to talk to you. It's important." She paused, "I think my brother knows."