A/N: This chapter is... interesting. Things sort of escalated and I went with it. Without giving too much forewarning, I will just say, I'm trying my hardest to stay true to the show, true to the characters, and true to what I think would naturally happen, while still taking on some creative liberties and keeping the heart of the story light. Forgive me if this isn't everything you've ever wanted, and try to just have fun with it. This is a heavier chapter, but it's also longer... Hopefully at least some of you enjoy it.
When Ezra woke up, it was to cold sheets and an empty space beside him. He moved his hand around in search for Aria's body, but it was nowhere to be found. Groggily, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed away the sleep that blurred his vision.
"Aria?" he called into the dark room.
He looked over to the clock on the nightstand. It wasn't even 4 a.m. yet. Not knowing exactly what he would be walking into, he pushed himself out of bed, searching the floor blindly for a pair of pants… or his boxers… a t-shirt… he leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp. It cast a hazy red glow around the room and he smirked, remembering the activities of a few hours prior.
Ezra reached out and took Aria's strewn underwear off the lamp, shaking his head as he balled them up and threw them in the hamper across the room. There were a lot of clothes scattered across the floor – most of them Aria's. Magically, Ezra could not find his boxers or the shirt he'd been wearing earlier. However, he was able to find a pair of sweatpants thrown over the arm of a chair, and he quickly shoved both legs in, not worrying about anything else.
Carefully, he made his way out the door and down the stairs. As soon as he hit the landing of the floor below, he could make out a soft, hazy light coming from within the living room.
He stood for a moment at the edge of the room, taking in the sight before him.
Her legs were thrown over the side of the couch, her back lying horizontally along the seat cushions. In her hands was his copy of The Sun Also Rises. She was wearing his boxers, and with them, the shirt he'd been unable to locate moments before. The loose material was clinging to her in a way that spurred him to imagine what lay beneath… something about seeing her in his clothes did that. He'd never get after her for wearing them instead of her own, even if she was starting to stretch them out, but he did find it amusing that she'd been so eager to buy clothes that fit, just so she could stop having to wear his… and yet, there she was.
The V-neck, which tended to dip low enough on him, inched even deeper on her small body, and there was a shadow where the material dipped a little in the pocket of her belly button. She was incredibly tiny, and the extra space his clothes provided meant you could hardly make out the way she'd started to grow. But, sooner than either of them really realized, not even his shirts would be able to hide what was there.
Ezra inched into the room, throwing his shadow across the space in front of her, bringing her attention away from the page.
"Hey," he breathed, sleep heavy in his voice. "You okay? Baby keeping you up?"
Aria let the book fall a little, glancing back in his direction. "Yes," she said. She let out a sigh which slowly turned into a yawn. "I hoped that reading for a while would make me sleepy, but it's not really working."
Ezra moved over to sit beside her and Aria flipped her body so that her legs were now draped over his lap, her back against the armrest.
"You look sleepy," he said.
"I am, but I can't sleep. I'll be glad when the nausea passes," she said tiredly.
"Remember that it might not go away," Ezra warned carefully, trying not to make her upset. "I just don't want you to be disappointed if you feel like crap through the whole pregnancy."
Aria placed her book spine-up in her lap and looked down at her belly. She placed both hands on either side and pulled the t-shirt material tight. "Don't make Mommy sick the whole time you're in there," she said.
Ezra chuckled, reaching out and placing his hand across her abdomen. His fingers reached out just far enough that it looked like he was palming a basketball. She was still small enough that he could practically hold her entire belly in one hand. Aria could feel the warmth of his skin pressing through the material and it caused her heart to flutter.
"Why don't I put a movie in? Stay down here with you… just until you fall asleep," Ezra asked quietly.
Aria relaxed her arms, moving her hands so that they sat comfortably on top of his, and gave Ezra a smile. He was good to her.
She'd woken up about an hour ago, stirred by a bout of nausea, and when she'd finished getting sick, she'd quietly crept back into their room. She had expected her mad dash to the bathroom to wake him, but was glad to find that he was still comfortably lying on his back, the sheets pooled at his waist, one arm draped over his head and the other at his side. She had wandered further into the room, intending to sneak back in and curl up beside him, but stopped before she reached the bed.
He had looked so at peace that she didn't have the heart to disturb him. If he realized she was awake and feeling uncomfortable, he would be also.
Now, as she looked on at his tired face, she tried to convince herself that it wasn't her fault he wasn't getting any sleep, and she tried to remind herself that he wanted to stay up with her because that was his way of contributing.
"A movie would be nice," she said. She turned to her side and snuggled her body down so that her legs were hugging his midsection, her boxer-clad butt jutting up against his hip. She wiggled a little, teasing him until he stuck an arm out and let it rest across her hip, his fingers trailing little circles along the hem of the boxers.
"Well, you're making yourself awfully comfortable," he teased. He leaned forward toward the coffee table and picked up the remote, flipping the television on. "How am I supposed to put a movie in with you burrowed in bedside me?"
"Just play whatever's in the DVD player," she offered, yawning through the last half of her sentence.
Ezra hit a few more buttons until finally the menu of an old film popped up on the screen. As soon as he could tell what it was they'd been watching last, he burst out in tired laughter.
Correction – what he'd been watching last.
"I'll change it," he said lightly, feeling Aria's body tense beside him. "Scootch over a little so I can get up. I'll come right back."
Aria let out another yawn and mangled the word, "No…" as she did so, closing her eyes.
There was obvious regret in her voice, but it wasn't enough to make him feel like she minded. He knew she hated Chinatown more than any other movie they owned, but if she was going to be sleeping anyway…
As if she read his mind, she said, "It'll help me fall asleep faster if I don't care about what we're watching." She stuck out her arm toward him, her eyes still closed. "Hand me a blanket?"
Ezra hit play on the movie, and reached behind them, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over her body. As he was tucking the blanket around her back, he heard her mumble, "…and maybe it'll keep you entertained while you're babysitting me."
There was a little bitterness to her voice now.
"I'm not babysitting you," he said, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders to, then pulling her legs closer to him. "I'm spending quality time with you."
The volume was still low enough that the two could converse easily. Aria was already growing more tired – whether it was the movie, the weight of the blanket, or simply Ezra's presence, she wasn't sure. He wasn't either, but he could feel her breathing slow down.
Almost out of nowhere, her tiredness changed to something altogether else and she was feeling a little smothered by his being there.
"You know you can go back to bed and sleep, I don't mind if you get a full night's rest," she offered.
They'd had this conversation, among many others, a few times to date. The morning sickness was getting better now, but at the start, it had been a nearly constant thing, except that it really only tended to hit her at night. The doctor had said it might be something to do with lying down, something to do with acid reflux, something to do with eating right before sleeping… It sounded like it could have to do with a lot of different things, and nothing seemed to help. Aria had tried everything imaginable, and all she could surmise was that the baby was a night owl. He or she simply preferred nighttime activity.
She'd have to learn to deal with it.
However, as she'd continued to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, her head buried in the basin of the toilet, Ezra had started getting up with her, and she had felt increasingly guilty for the fact that now neither of them were getting the amount of sleep they needed. She was carrying the baby, and she knew he just wanted to do his part, but she hated that it meant he had to just sit with her. She'd be glad for his offer when there was a tiny human in a cradle beside them who needed a diaper change, or wanted to nurse, or just be held… but right now, there was really nothing he could do.
Aria was too tired to fight and the movie was one that would truly put her on edge if she didn't block it out, so instead of pressing on, she simply stuck held out her hand beneath the blanket until Ezra interlocked his fingers with hers and whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you."
Ezra gave her hand a squeeze in return before releasing it. He reached over, tucking her hair behind her ear. He leaned down and planted a kiss against her temple at her hairline and whispered, "I love you too."
Then, without any word, he scooted her small frame forward on the couch and snuggled in behind her, pulling her back into him once he was situated. She let her head rest on his arm and breathed in the night-scent that covered his body. It was a very distinct combination of sweat, love, and Ezra. A scent she'd recognize anywhere.
Ezra felt her take in a deep breath and he reveled in the way her back arched into his chest. He left his arm at her hips holding her to him at the waist. He loved laying with her like this because he was able to cradle both Aria and the little life they'd created all at once, something that wouldn't be so easy to do once she gave birth.
As he left his arm tucked gently at her waistline, he smoothed his fingers back and forth where he knew her skin tended to itch as it stretched to make room. Slowly, her breathing started to slow and grow deeper again as sleep consumed her. He placed a light kiss at her temple before letting his own body fade into the cushions, the chatter of Chinatown nothing more than distant background noise.
Four hours later, Aria and Ezra were racing around the apartment in a desperate attempt to pull together their final draft of the book. They had one of their last edit sessions with Liam and he was scheduled to meet them at The Brew in ten minutes.
Aria was adamant on beating him there.
The fact that she and Ezra were officially together, engaged, and expecting a child together was not on Liam's radar as far as she knew, and she would not have their secret discovered because of poor timing.
This was the week of announcements… or rather, the week of getting this news off her chest. She'd lived in a perfect stat of bliss for three months, but it was high past time she clued the rest of her world into what was going on. Regardless of whether or not she was especially excited to tell some parties. The last thing she wanted was for Liam to have anything else to stack up against them, and it would only add fuel to the fire if she and Ezra rolled in late, frazzled, and without having their story straight.
Literally.
Their whole manuscript seemed to be put together in the wrong order.
Aside from the more tangible stresses of being pregnant and unorganized, old habits seem to die hard, and one of Aria's worst habits was feeling a need to keep personal things under wraps for as long as possible. That and the increased level of anxiety she'd picked up along the way made her out to be a tiny, rolling ball of crazy.
She had a thing for secrets and she had a thing for secrets that were big.
She had begged Ezra to keep their current situation under wraps "until the time was right" on all fronts - personal and otherwise. Up until a few days ago, when they'd shared the news with her family, she and Ezra were the only ones who knew of their little peanut's existence. Those weeks were some of the very best, despite all the hardship that came as a packaged deal.
Most of the people they saw on a regular basis knew about their engagement, and it was so relieving that they had that topic of conversation to fall back on. Aria had spent hours talking with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna about details, debating the practicality of an indoor ceremony compared to the riskier, more romantic scene of a garden wedding… but every time she'd thought to bring it up, the baby had felt too precious to put out in the open.
She and Ezra had decided, together, to get past the first trimester before bringing the little life to light, but, as the days passed, the time was quickly approaching where she'd have to come face to face with breaking the news to everyone.
That, or she'd have to be okay with the little one making him or her self known on their own, because it was official: she had a baby bump, and it was only going to get bigger.
Telling Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Alison would be fun. She'd finally gotten to a place where she looked forward to breaking that news - and honestly, she was fairly convinced that Spencer was suspecting, but as far as she could tell, she'd deflected her well enough for the time being.
However, telling Liam in particular was making Aria more anxious than she'd been when she'd had to tell her parents.
Aria was growing increasingly convinced that anxiety was a symptom of pregnancy… because next to the nausea, it was the one thing that she just couldn't seem to shake.
Being honest with your employers, regardless of the nature of your personal context, was generally thought to be a good thing. Somehow, Aria had yet to see truth there. No good was going to come from cluing Liam in to all the things that were going on between her and Ezra.
It didn't matter if they were over, it didn't matter if she was happy... and she certainly didn't feel like it would matter to him if it'd been a day, a week, a month, or a year since she'd broken up with him. The thing was: Liam hated Ezra.
Which mean, regardless of circumstance, anything that involved Ezra was going to be a point of dispute for Liam.
She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and imagined a happy place… a few months down the road, curled up in bed, a tiny baby sleeping on her chest, and Ezra reading aloud beside them. It might be a generous image of parenting, but for the time being, that's what she needed: the most positive picture possible of what was to come.
"Have you seen the last chapter?" Ezra asked from in front of his desk. "I could have sworn I had it here yesterday – I was going over some of the dialogue before I went to the grocery."
Aria opened her eyes and looked down at the mess of papers in front of her. She was standing at the kitchen table, elbows deep in papers and notes and old coffee cups.
"I was reading it this morning, before I decided to try Hemingway instead; try under the couch," she offered, her words curling up as if they were a question. At this point, she had no idea where anything was.
Ezra moved from the desk to the couch in one fluid motion. "Aha," he said, half his body under the back of the piece of furniture. Aria chose this moment to turn around, just in time to appreciate the view.
She watched appreciatively as Ezra stretched his arm further under the couch, reaching for the stack of papers. His jeans clung nicely to his form, accentuating the product of his morning runs. When he pushed himself back up into a standing position, Aria quickly looked away an busied herself straightening more paper.
She glanced back over and the look on her face caught him off guard.
"What?" he asked as he straightened himself out, dusting the knees of his pants. "Do I have something on me? Was there a huge dust bunny down there or something?" He turned a little, seemingly chasing his own tail as he looked for a blemish or cluster of dust.
Aria felt her face go warm. She shook her head and cleared her throat, directing her attention back to the pages on the table. "No, no dust," she said half-heartedly. Ezra came up behind her and reached around her, pulling the manuscript from the stack and placing the missing pages where they belonged.
"We better hurry," he said, his breath too hot on her skin.
"Right," she said. It was going to be extremely difficult to sit and talk to Ezra and Liam at the same time. She could hardly keep her emotions – nay, hormones… what she was feeling at the moment was far from emotional – in check while they were alone. She knew that the second they had any kind of audience or reason to keep from acting intimate with one another, those desires would skyrocket.
She seriously needed to practice self-restraint and get her hormones in check. She hadn't realized it was possible to move from anxious to horny in the same second.
Ezra must have sensed a shift in her persona.
"Just remember to breathe," Ezra said as he leaned away from her and moved to the other side of the table. As he was bent over, gathering the various stacks on the table and trying to place them in some kind of order, he looked up at her, his eyes peeking out from beneath his eyelashes. "It's going to be fine, but we do need to leave. Are you ready?"
He was acting shy for some reason… and boy was it turning Aria on.
"Yes," she said, the words coming out in a choked whisper. If she let him know in any way that what he was reading in her body language was the desire to jump his bones rather than a reluctance to head downstairs, they were going to be late for sure, and she wanted to take advantage of her good mood while she still could.
A few moments later, Ezra was at the counter fixing a few cups of coffee and Aria was comfortably seated in the corner of The Brew, her small frame nestled into what the staff had recently started referring to as "her chair." She had been spending a lot of time in the coffee shop. It was less distracting that being home… most of the time. It kind of depended on whether or not Ezra was working on the book or working in The Brew.
And whether or not she was in one of her... moods.
Ezra came over with two cups of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, and just as he was about to sit down, the door opened, sending a tinkling of bells through the shop. Aria looked up, past Ezra and braced herself. There had been three other moments, just like this, but before Aria hadn't been met with the sight of her ex-boyfriend, now turned editor.
Unfortunately, it appeared that the time for their awkward encounter had finally arrived. Liam met Aria's eye and walked over to meet them.
Ezra, at putting together who was approaching behind him, stood and stuck out a hand just as Liam arrived before them.
"Good to see you again, Liam," Ezra said.
He did his best to squash the bitter feelings he had toward Liam. He was stressed enough about their meeting today. Considering Liam had spent most of their last edit session going over all the things Ezra was doing wrong in the book – which ended up being more of a critique of his personal life than anything else – Ezra had a hard time taking him seriously… or giving him any kind of real respect. He appreciated the creative criticism Liam had to offer on their book, but anything past that was unwelcome.
Liam's opinions about the way Ezra and Aria had met, and the relationship that had ensued thereafter, were not new in any respect. However, right and wrong aside, Ezra still didn't appreciate the way Liam spoke to Aria, or himself for that matter. Something about Liam rubbed Ezra the wrong way, but the last thing he wanted to do was put personal vendettas on the table at a business meeting.
Diving right into awkward moments, Liam gave Ezra a tight-lipped smile and refused to take his hand, instead choosing to ignore it and pretend like he didn't see Ezra waiting for the return greeting.
"I've got a lot of stuff here we can go over," he said, glancing at Ezra before making pointed eye contact with Aria. "Jillian sent over some proofs and she's got quite a few notes herself – mainly small structural things, a few funny formatting issues here and there… shouldn't take long to go over, but this will be our last formal meeting before we print galleys."
Liam kept both hands gripped around the strap of his messenger bag. Aria watched as Ezra awkwardly retracted his hand and placed it in his pocket. He looked over to her, still standing, as Liam plopped down in the middle of the couch that sat beside the chair Aria was currently residing in. This meant that Ezra either had to share the couch with Liam, or take up the chair opposite Aria.
Or, he could walk over to where Aria was sitting and invite his fiancé and mother of his child to sit on his lap.
As he imagined the look that would surely cross Liam's face were he to be so bold, his heart took a little leap. The surge of amusement (or maybe it was pride) that swept through him was enough to quell his bad attitude for the moment.
"Liam," Ezra said, making one final attempt at being courteous, "can I get you a coffee?"
Liam continued to pull notes and his laptop out of his bag and looked up to Ezra briefly. "That'd be great, thanks," he said, before turning his attention once more to what was before him.
Ezra and Aria made eye contact over Liam's head. Aria's face displayed all the uncertainty she was feeling and Ezra tried his best not to let his own discomfort show. He'd been really trying to hold it together for her sake. So far, it was working, but this meeting had the potential to be his undoing.
Before it was too noticeable that he still had not moved from his spot, Ezra motioned for Aria to breathe, subtly taking his hand and bringing it up and down in front of his chest, and he left them to retrieve a cup of coffee for their editor.
"So," Aria said, desperately trying to fill the silence. She didn't really know what to say. There were a few things that needed to be said, and a few things she didn't want to bring up. They might have been one and the same. She watched as Liam struck a few keys on his laptop. His nervous energy was rubbing off on her and she could feel her insides begin to tighten as an old emotion started to take over her thoughts. Guilt. She reminded herself to breathe.
"So, how has Boston been?" she asked, breaking the silence. She internally beat herself up for such a lame opening. How's Boston? What was she even asking about? The weather?
Liam gradually looked up to her with a look of pity across his face.
"Listen," he started, calming his hands and folding them in front of him, letting them hang over the keyboard. "Jillian mentioned…" he let his voice trail off for a second and his eyes diverted from her face to her hand.
Aria instinctively went to cover her engagement ring, but it was too late. She didn't know what she'd hoped. She wasn't interested in pretending like any of her new developments with Ezra hadn't happened, but she hated, for Liam's sake, that things were turning out the way they were. She didn't like to think that her happiness was bringing him discomfort. Say what you will, but she had cared about him.
"It's not a big deal, Aria. She said you were wearing a ring the last time you two Skyped, and she gave me a heads up. We don't have to talk about anything but the book if you don't want. I'm not here to harass you. I'm just here to do my job."
"I know," Aria said. As an afterthought, she added, "Ezra and I are getting married next summer. I – my intention was never to hurt you, Liam." She felt like she was stating the obvious, but it needed to be said.
Liam went to say something else but as soon as his mouth opened, Ezra came back, coffee in hand. "I brought a carafe, in case anyone wants a refill." He set both Liam's cup and the carafe on the table between them and took a seat in the chair across from Aria, placing both hands on his knees. "Where should we get started?"
The space between them was suddenly too tight. Aria fiddled with her left hand where the weight of her engagement ring seemed to be pulling her whole body down toward the ground. She was staring at Ezra with a dark look in her eye and he was looking between her and Liam, trying to figure out what he'd missed. Both of their faces told him something had been said… exactly what something, he wasn't sure.
"I'm sorry," Aria blurted out, her face hot. She could feel her pulse beating in her neck. While the words were already tumbling out, she pushed herself to vocalize the rest of what was weighing on her. "We're –"
Ezra's eyes grew wide as Aria nervously shifted in her seat. She had crossed her legs, and it had provided the perfect accentuation of the life being carried at her waist. He racked his brain for a way to redirect the attention off of her or to take the blow for her by making this announcement. He could tell that's where this was headed… though he still didn't know what had been said before. Perhaps she'd already dropped the wedding bomb? He hoped. Maybe that would lessen the blow that would come with the baby.
Before he could say a word, Liam cut in.
"Let's not talk about it," Liam said, using his hand to gesture away the awkwardness. "I'd… really rather not talk about your wedding." He was now looking down to wear Aria was fiddling with the ring on her finger.
Both Aria and Ezra watched from opposite sides of the table as Liam's eyes grew wide. Aria noticed the line along his forehead furrow as he made the connection. Her hands steadied and heat rolled down from her neck to her chest. She shifted her eyes from Liam's face to Ezra's across from her and the look in his eyes made her heart sink. She felt like she was going to disappear into the chair. She wanted to disappear into the chair. And she could tell that Ezra was wishing he could do anything to trade places with her right now.
"Oh, god," Liam said, his voice laced with disgust. "Tell me you're not?"
Aria instinctively moved a hand to cover her belly, protecting what was inside.
"Liam, don't," she started.
Liam looked between them.
"Don't what?" he asked, accusation thick in his voice.
"You know what," Aria cut in. "You were right - let's just work on the book. None of this matters right now." She subconsciously pulled at the hem of her shirt, making sure that it wasn't clinging to her too tightly.
It wasn't like it mattered though. He knew now.
"I don't think I can do this," he said. "I thought I could look past you two being together, but I can't. I can't condone what you did and I can't be part of what you're doing now – in any fashion."
Ezra cleared his throat and scooted forward in his chair. He watched Aria as he spoke his next words, wanting nothing more than to go over and hold her. She had her eyes closed and still had her hand resting at the base of her belly, just barely letting it sit there, out of sight.
"Liam, I think we need to just make it through this last session. After this, we'll go to Jillian and we'll ask her to put someone else on the team. Let's not make it personal."
"Not make it personal?" Liam cut back. "It's too late for that."
Aria opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "We've been over this. Please; let's not dredge this back up."
Liam was seething. He pushed his glasses up, a tell Aria knew to mean he meant serious business. "I have tried to be as understanding as possible of the two of you, but this is where I draw the line. How long have you two even been back together?" He directed his attention at Aria and Ezra felt his pulse quicken. "How far along are you? Were you sleeping with him the whole time we were together?"
"That's not fair," Aria said. "You know I wasn't. Ezra and I hadn't talked for five years before I came back to Rosewood."
Ezra was starting to grow very uncomfortable, but he imagined he wasn't the only one.
Liam turned his attention back on Ezra. "So help me god, if you're forcing yourself on her, I will go to the police. I don't give a fuck what happens to you. I don't."
"Liam, seriously." Aria's voice had taken on a completely new tone. She was whispering, but her words cut sharp. "Stop it. For the last time, it's not like that."
"You know," Liam said, "you keep saying that, and I'd like to believe you, but I think I've got a pretty clear picture of what it is. Your English teacher seduced you, manipulated you, and when you were finally able to move away and make something of yourself and start a new life, he found a way to insert himself into your life again and now he's convinced you that you can't live without him. You're brainwashed, Aria, and I think you should come back Boston with me."
"Liam - stop." Aria was on the edge of her chair, her eyes huge as she looked around the room. "You're making a scene and people are starting to stare."
"So?" He gestured at her. "You two seem perfectly fine with making a spectacle of yourselves."
"That's enough," Ezra said, standing. Aria recognized the sharpness of his voice from the time she'd accused him of murdering Charlotte, and even though his words weren't directed at her, the way he spoke sent a chill own her spine. "We're done here. This conversation and this meeting is over. Aria, I think you should go home. I want to have a word with him. Alone."
"She's not going anywhere," Liam said, standing as well. "Is this the way you always talk to her?"
He was about five inches shorter than Ezra - just short enough to be noticeable. Liam had to stand back a bit in order to meet him in the eye. Ezra's heart was beating a mile a minute. He looked to a few customers who were sitting nearby. There were two older women who could surely hear every word that was being said. He gave them a curt smile and short nod.
"I apologize for the disruption," he said to them. "Please, forgive us."
The ladies seemed, at the very least, embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping and returned to their chatting, their voices hushed enough so that they could still make out whatever would happen beside them over the next few minutes.
"Liam, I think it's best if we don't continue this working relationship. We'll call Jillian this afternoon, explain that it was just going to be too hard to work with you so closely, and arrange for a new editor to be assigned. I'll be sure to explain that it has nothing to do with your work ethic."
Aria snorted from her chair. Ezra shot her a warning look, and she rolled her eyes in return.
"This has nothing to do with the book," Liam said. His voice was hushed now. "This is about what's best for Aria. This is about you being a disgusting excuse for a man." He looked back at Aria who was still sitting, watching both men as they had it out before her.
"Stop it, both of you," she said. Her temper was growing short, and she wasn't feeling well.
"No," Liam said. "I walked away last time - I'm not walking away again. Listen to me, Aria, this isn't right. He's taking advantage of you, and if you're not going to put a stop to it, I will."
Something snapped within Aria as his words hit her. She was pushing herself out of her chair, lunging toward Liam with a fire in her eyes. It was taking everything she had not to raise her voice at him. Thankfully, her pride got in the way and she kept her voice at a harsh whisper.
"The only person who is going to be listening is you," she said, her hand cutting the air between them. "You don't know Ezra, and you hardly know me. Has it ever occurred to you that he's not forcing me to do anything? That he never forced me to do anything? Have you thought for even a second about the fact that maybe I wanted to be with him then as much as I want to be with him now?" She was furious. Livid. Call it what you will: the straw the broke the camel's back, baby hormones, her territorial nature kicking in… whatever. She was done having this conversation with her parents, she was done having this conversation with Liam, she was done having this conversation, period.
Ezra stood slightly between them, slightly to the side, in awe of Aria's outburst. He'd been the recipient of her anger enough times to know that there was only one way this would end. He stood back and let her take control.
"Think about it, Liam. You and I were together for only a few months, but I was with him for years. I might have been in high school, and he might have been in his twenties, but there were always two of us. There were two of us the first time we kissed, two of us on every date, and two of us every time we had sex. Do you hear me? We are done having this conversation. All of this," she moved her hand in a circular motion between them, "is in the past, and you do not have the right to an opinion on the matter."
Ezra was growing increasingly uncomfortable as he listened to Aria's monologue. Several times he had to hold himself back from stopping her. He wanted to let her take charge, but she was treading a thin line between setting Liam straight and digging them into a very, very deep hole. One he was terrified they may not be able to get out of.
If the wrong person overheard any part of this conversation, things could be taken in a dangerous direction. Because bottom line: they did love each other... but bottom line: they had been in the wrong all those years ago; both of them. And at the moment, she wasn't being shy about that fact.
The energy around them was buzzing, but thankfully, Aria's words had been quiet enough not to draw extra attention, and for the most part, it seemed that people had gone back to their business. Ezra was glad he'd picked the furthest corner of the shop for their meeting.
"Aria, do you mind going home, please? Getting so worked up isn't good for… I'd just appreciate if you went upstairs." His voice was soft, caring. He was about to say, getting so worked up isn't good for the baby, but he thought that under the present circumstances, drawing direct attention back to their child wasn't exactly the best idea.
She nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear, struggling not to let out the tears that were brimming in her eyes. He sounded defeated, and he sounded tired. He sounded like he dreaded what as going to come next – whatever it was. He ignored Liam for the time being and walked over, taking her by the shoulders. "You don't look like you feel well," he said.
Aria looked to him and let out a deep breath. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said, before pushing past him and purging the contents of her stomach into the trashcan in the corner. Ezra was hot on her trail and swiftly moved behind her, pulling her short hair as far back as he could, away from her mouth, as she finished getting sick. His heart was pounding, and he could feel himself starting to feel sick as well - though from different reasons.
This was by far one of the worst mornings they'd had in a long time.
"Sabrina?" he called over his shoulder. The young woman, who had been keeping a careful eye on the situation since Liam had entered the building quickly picked up a new towel from beneath the counter and came around to meet Ezra at Aria's side.
"I'm sorry," Aria said as she pulled back and wiped her mouth. The tears that had been brimming her eyes were now streaming down her cheeks in a silent, hot trail. Ezra pulled her into his chest, letting one hand drift down to the small of her back while his other cupped the back of her head. Liam was awkwardly standing in the background, watching and waiting. The whole of the shop seemed to have their eyes locked on the group.
This is just great, Ezra thought as he struggled to avoid eye contact with everyone around them.
"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked, her voice full of concern.
Ezra spoke calmly. "Would you mind taking her upstairs and getting her a cool washcloth and a can of sprite? There's a case in the refrigerator – or there should be… if not, there should be another case in the pantry."
"I'm fine, Ezra," Aria cut in.
"No, you're not," he said, loosening his hold on her so that he could see her face. "You had a full stomach. You're going to get sick at least a few more times before you'll be fine, and even then, I don't want you near this."
He looked over to Liam, who was starring daggers, both hands positioned on his hips like he was ready to have it out.
"Come on, Aria, I'll make you some tea; it'll help calm your stomach." Sabrina reached a hand out and took Aria's elbow. She dropped her voice. "As soon as you're all set, I'll come back down and send Ezra up. Just let him take this one for the team."
Aria closed her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. She was already spinning again now that she was standing completely on her own, out of Ezra's firm grasp. Giving into defeat she looked at Sabrina sympathetically and nodded her thanks. "Okay," she said, half-heartedly. "Thank you."
"I won't be long. Go upstairs and try not to think about any of this," Ezra said, kissing the top of her head before she left.
Aria didn't say anything as she walked back to her chair, grabbed her things, and let Sabrina lead her up the stairs to the loft.
Once they were on the landing, in the quiet hallway that lead to Ezra's apartment, Aria let out a breath.
"Are you okay?" Sabrina asked as she pushed open the door and let Aria pass through the entrance first. "I couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked like you were in a pretty heated argument."
"I'm fine," Aria said. "Really, thank you, but you don't have to stay.
"I'm not going to just leave you up here. Clearly you aren't feeling well."
"It will pass," Aria said.
She walked over to the couch and let her body sink into the cushions. As she lay there, she looked over to Sabrina who was sweetly hovering by the door, unsure what exactly to do with herself. She tried to compose herself before speaking again.
"Thank you for coming up here with me," Aria said. "I've been awful to you in the past. I'm an awful person." She let her hands rest on her belly and left her eyes trained there as she picked at her nail polish.
"You're not an awful person," Sabrina said.
"Yes, I am. I've single-handedly ruined Ezra's life on more than one occasion. Now I've ruined a lot for Liam too… I've been terrible to you, putting your job at risk, treating your rudely… Getting between you and Emily. The list goes on."
"Aria, I have a hard time believing any of that is true. I know for a fact that you haven't ruined a single thing for me, and that you have not ruined anything for Ezra."
Aria stopped her nervous hands and looked up to meet Sabrina's eyes. Aria had tears streaming down her face and her skin was pale with nausea.
"You saved him, Aria," Sabrina said, coming over and taking a seat beside her on the couch. "There were months where I was afraid I'd come in to work to find him upstairs, unconscious or worse. I made a habit of bringing him coffee in the morning just to have a reason to check up on him. I know you think you know how bad it was, but Aria… before you came back to Rosewood, he was so much worse. Having you here… that was the first time I'd seen him breathe in years."
Aria listened as Sabrina spoke, and each word that came out of her mouth sat heavily on Aria's heart. She took in a ragged breath and was about to say, thank you - for what exactly, she wasn't sure - when she felt the bile rising in her chest. She put a hand to her chest in anticipation and a moment later, bolted up from the couch and toward the bathroom.
"I'll get a glass of water and a rag," Sabrina offered, heading to the kitchen.
A moment later, Aria was back on the couch, her head hanging between her knees as she tried to calm herself. She knew the nausea would subside if she could just get her breathing under control. She looked up as Sabrina came back into the room, a bucket in one hand, a glass of water in the other, and a cool rag draped over her wrist.
She sat the bucket on the floor beside Aria and draped the rag over the side, then held the water out to her. "Only drink it if you think it'll stay on your stomach. Otherwise, try taking a few sips a little later on. Make sure you stay hydrated."
Aria took the glass. "Thank you, Sabrina. Really. I'll be fine, go ahead and go back downstairs. I'd much rather you check on that situation than have to hover here with me."
"I don't want to leave you if you need me…" she said.
"We'll be fine," Aria said. She leaned back, letting her head rest against the back of the couch. She smiled for the first time since early that morning and pulled her shirt back a little. "It might be a while until I stop getting sick. The baby doesn't like when I get stressed."
"Oh my god," Sabrina said, throwing her hands up to cover her mouth. "You're pregnant?"
"Very," Aria said with a laugh. "Please don't say anything to Emily yet – or anyone, really. She's one of the next on a very long list of people I need to tell."
Sabrina stayed standing. "Wow," she said. "Should probably go check on things downstairs if that's has anything to do with this."
"I hope they haven't killed each other," Aria said.
"I hope they haven't driven off all the customers. Are you feeling any better at all?"
"Not really," Aria said. "I'll feel better when I know what happened after we left."
"Okay, I'll go down and I'll try to send him up."
"He might not come up right away," Aria cautioned.
"Oh, I think you'd be surprised," Sabrina said. Aria thought she'd move to leave, but she didn't. Instead she stood there for a few seconds, her arms crossed, just staring at Aria's belly. "I can't believe you told your ex you were pregnant before you told your best friends."
Aria's eyes brew wide in disbelief. Sabrina was sweet and her only fault was being too honest at times. Aria tried to remind herself that she probably didn't mean it to come off as harsh as it did.
"Trust me," Aria cut back, "it wasn't an ideal situation.
Sabrina made a barely audible grunt of agreement before letting her arms drop back to her side and turning to leave. Before she passed through the door, she leaned back and looked at Aria. "You're brave," she said. "You're braver than I would be. I won't say anything to Emily, just don't keep this from her for too much longer. She'll want to know."
As soon as the door was closed, Aria was overwhelmed with the silence around her. She and Sabrina always had odd encounters – they were always awkward together. They both meant well at the start, but it somehow always ended up being uneven somehow. Aria wondered what was going on downstairs, and she hoped that Ezra came back up soon. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to relax until she knew what had happened after she left.
A/N: So there you have it. Liam has been somewhat dealt with. I figure they're still writing the book, and he can't be gone for good... I wonder what transpired between them after Aria left. (Like, genuinely, I wonder... we'll have to find out together.) I know I said this would be a lot of fluff, but I want the fluff to really feel good, so just know that I only plan on mucking things up for a little bit, and only enough to make the good stuff worth the wait. Trust me. There's nothing I hate more than seeing my OTP suffer.
Leave a review if you feel so inclined! I also want to know what scenes you'd like to see in future chapters.
P.S. I also want to address any commentary I have on the teacher/student relationship through Liam/Ezra/Aria. For the record: I do not condone this in real life. I do not want to romanticize it. For the sake of the show and the characters, I look past it. I have fun writing them. Not every story is perfect, and not every person makes the right choices. That doesn't mean that their story doesn't exist. So. That being said, please just know that this is a work of fiction (like, extreme fiction considering it's fiction based off fiction) and I'm hoping against all odds that if you're reading it, you have a similar viewpoint. If you don't, please just move on.