"I think we all need some time to think about all of this." Ella looked around the room, her eyes lingering on each of us for a moment, before moving to the next person. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, frightened. How did A know I was pregnant? Oh right, Aria. A knows everything.
Byron nodded in agreement, before standing up.
"Why don't we all go grab some ice cream or something? We can go to the little parlor off of 45th avenue." Byron suggested, trying to lighten the tension in the room.
I looked over to Ezra, who had a confused look on his face. I shrugged, thankful to be leaving the rigid atmosphere.
"I'll ride with Ezra." I grabbed Ezra's hand and pulled him out the door with me, before Ella or Byron could object.
"That was..." Ezra started to say, as soon as we walked outside.
"Intense?" I finished.
"No." He shook his head. "I was going to say that it went much much better than the scenario I envisioned in my head." He chuckled.
"You know that this is all fake right?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think they actually accept our relationship and this baby as much as they're showing us they do." I sighed as I got into the passenger seat of his car.
"I'm sure they'll come around eventually." Ezra assured me, as he put the keys into the ignition.
He leaned over to kiss me, before we left the driveway.
During the ride, I watched him intently, noticing his habit of drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited for the lights to change from red to green. He noticed me staring at him and chuckled.
"What are you thinking about?" He took my hand in his. I looked down at our intertwined hands and admired how perfectly they fit together. No one else's hand was shaped more perfectly to fit inside mine.
I smiled a little before answering. "You know, this is the first time we're going out in public as a couple."
"It's a little scary, huh? And your parents will be there with us." He nodded.
"If we see anyone from school, it'll be so awkward!" I sighed.
"Aria, why? When have we ever cared what other people think of us?" He looked genuinely confused.
"We don't... It's just weird, I guess." I shrugged, as we pulled into the parking lot.
He didn't say anything in reply as he shut the ignition off. I unbuckled my seatbelt and was about to open my door, before I noticed that Ezra was staring off ahead of us.
"What are you looking at?" I asked, moving closer to him, trying to see what he was seeing.
"Nothing." He shook his head. "Just... thought it was someone I knew." He smiled at me before getting out of the car.
I squinted ahead of me trying to see whoever it was that he was seeing, but no one familiar came into my view.
"There are your parents. Come on." He gave a light tug of my hand, urging me to walk forward.
We entered the parlor to find my parents sitting at a far booth near a window eating their ice cream, as if there was no other care in the world. I smiled, thankful that they were able to act civil in public, after the news we just broke to my dad.
"Hey." Ezra and I said in unison, as we sat down across from them.
My mom gave me a small smile, before handing me some money.
"Here, this is for you and Ezra."
"You don't have to do that; I can pay for my own." Ezra shook his head.
"You're practically family now; I can pay for your ice cream, Ezra."
Ezra smiled at Ella, before we walked to the other side of the shop.
"Mhmm..." I licked my lips, admiring the many different flavors. "I love ice cream." I gushed. "It's my absolute favorite thing in the world." I closed my eyes in bliss. "Besides you of course." I winked at Ezra, who chuckled before placing his order.
"I'll have a scoop of rocky road, please." He turned to me, waiting for me to choose.
"Can I have... A scoop of cookie dough and a scoop of cookies and cream, with caramel on top?" I asked, giving the cashier a sweet smile.
"Sure, that'll be five twenty five." He said, as I handed him my mothers' money.
I turned to Ezra.
"I have a feeling that this baby is going to love ice cream just as much as her mother." I nodded my head, making a very serious face.
"I think I'll be able to deal with that." He smiled that boyish smile I loved, before we took our ice cream. We walked back over to my parents, who were just finishing up theirs.
"Seeing that you guys are already done..." I laughed, motioning to my parents' empty cups of ice cream.
"Oh." Ella looked down at her cup. "Well... we're going to start heading home, so we'll see you at home later?" Ella's voice came out as more of a question that a statement. I noticed that she had a distant look in her eyes; I'd have to ask her what was going on later.
I bit my lip and nodded, as I watched my parents slide out of their booth.
"Do you want to stay here? We can go take a walk in the park around the corner, instead." Ezra said, scooping up a bit of ice cream and putting it in his mouth.
"I would love that, Mr. Fitz." I took his hand in mine as we made our way out of the little shop.
As we strolled into the park, I looked around, taking in the peaceful surroundings. Little children were playing on the swings, while their mothers stood behind them, watching their child closely. I spotted an older couple sitting together on one of the benches on the far side of the park. The woman's head was resting on her husbands' shoulder, and they were holding hands, watching the children playing on the slide near them. I couldn't help but wish that one day Ezra and I would be like them. Growing old together, surrounded by our grandchildren. Mother ducks waddled their way around the park, with their babies following closely behind them. The waters of the lake were clear and calm. The birds sat in trees chirping away. It was a perfect fairytale scene, as me and the love of my life walked along a stone path through the park.
"This is enchanting." I swung Ezra's hand with mine.
"It's so peaceful here, like there's nothing bad in the world." He nodded in agreement.
"It's like a fairy tale." I smiled. "When I was younger, I used to always imagine my life like this. Me and my prince together forever, in a fairy tale land, living happily ever after." I laughed.
"After my parents split up, I gave up on thinking that a life like this could actually exist." He laughed. "And then I met you." He said, with the biggest smile on his face. "And I realized that it can exist all the time. This love, content, and peacefulness. Everything just feels so right, as long as I'm with you."
I looked into his baby blue eyes, seeing only love and admiration. He placed a finger on my chin and titled my head up, so he could kiss me. Our lips met in a gentle and tender kiss; making the moment even more perfect. I felt the familiar tingles that came every time Ezra so much as touched me. As we pulled away at the same time, both of us broke out into breathtaking smiles. I knew that no matter how long we were together, I would never get tired of Ezra Fitz. We were made for each other, no matter what anyone else said or thought.
That's when I remembered that we were in public, in Rosewood, one of the smallest towns in Pennsylvania. I looked around to make sure I didn't know anyone who was here. However, through my peripheral vision, I was barely able to make out a figure in all black, who quickly, it seemed, made sure that they were out of my view.
"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, sensing my sudden discomfort.
"N-nothing." I blinked, trying to figure out if I was hallucinating or not. I definitely just saw someone in all black, who was watching me pretty closely. I gasped as I realized who this person probably was.
"A." I whispered, quietly.
Ezra somehow, managed to hear me. "What?" He stopped walking, and turned to me, confused.
I realized that I needed to tell him about A, and soon. I knew he would worry and become over protective of me and the baby, especially if I showed him the text that A had sent me earlier. I just felt so bad involving Ezra in A's games. I shook my head, knowing that I had to protect Ezra. He, she, shim, whatever the correct term is, was definitely going to pay if they ever came near my baby. I knew that both Ezra and I would make sure of it.
I was pulled out of my train of thought, as I heard the high pitched voice of a little girl get louder, as she came closer, screaming, "Daddy!"
The beginning was mostly fluff, and then the end got more dramatic :) Hope you liked, and don't forget to leave a review please! I love knowing what you guys think and how I can improve my story! :)