Chapter 11
Five days later, Aria had driven Ezra around to her house to see her parents off for their travelling. Ezra was sitting on the couch and Mike was helping Byron put the suitcases and bags into the car. Aria was talking with her mum at the front door. Mike and Byron returned with everything in the car.
"Okay. We're all set, you ready for the trip of your life Ella?" Byron asked and they all laughed. Ella nodded and a huge smile broke across her worried face. She gave Ezra a small; gentle hug and then Mike, who was trying his hardest not to let anyone see his watery eyes, and then Aria who didn't try to hide it at all. Byron gave Ezra a handshake and his kids a tight hug.
He gave them another speech about all the rules and Aria and Mike laughed through their tears.
"Oh, and we've decided Ezra can stay here as long as he likes, so he doesn't have to keep trying to get up all those stairs," Byron smiled at Aria and Mike before turning to Ezra and giving him a small pat on the shoulder. Aria's face had a huge smile on it and Ezra laughed in shock and then thanked Byron and Ella.
"But of course you'll have to sleep on the couch or up in Aria's bed and she'll sleep in ours or on the couch," Byron turned serious and both Aria and Ezra nodded and agreed. Aria gave her parents one last hug before they left and she stood at the window with Mike and watched their car drive off until it was out of sight. Aria sighed and gave Mike a small comforting hug before going to sit with Ezra.
"So you can stay here, how awesome is that!" Aria smiled to Ezra who was nodding his head in agreement and smiling also.
"Yeah, so you can look after us Mr. Fitz, I hope you're responsible," Mike joked as he walked past, and then upstairs. Aria and Ezra laughed, and Ezra brushed her hair out of her face and leaned into a kiss. They broke apart when they heard Mike jumping down the stairs and looked expectantly to the bottom of the flight. Mike landed with a final jump and looked sheepishly at the two sitting on the couch looking at him.
"What?" Mike laughed as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed some food. Aria's phone rang and it was Spencer. She got up and walked into the hallway to talk to her.
"Can I come crash at yours for a while? Melissa is driving me insane with Ian and he won't stop crying. I thought infants weren't supposed to cry all the time!" Spencer wailed into the phone. Aria could hear Spencer's nephew screaming in the background and laughed.
"Yeah sure, Ezra's over because my parents just left for their trip and he wanted to see them off with us," Aria replied, still laughing slightly.
"Okay thank you, I'll be over really soon, and why do you keep laughing?" Spencer asked wearily.
"The fact that you still don't like Ian, he's your only nephew and you can't stand him," Aria shook her head and then after Spencer tried to argue she hung up.
She turned to Ezra and smiled as he talked to Mike. Once they finished their conversation he turned to her, sensing she was looking at him.
"Spencer will be over soon, Ian is driving her crazy. Again," Aria laughed and Ezra chuckled.
"I've never met someone so repulsed by their own family," Mike added, laughing at the memory of when Melissa first brought Ian home and Spencer practically ran out of the house over to Aria's.
About five minutes later Spencer was knocking on the door. Mike answered the door and led her to the living room, where Ezra was sitting on the couch with his leg up, flicking through the TV channels and Aria was sitting next to him. Spencer mumbled a hello to them all.
"Aria have you got any really strong painkillers in here?" Spencer asked, walking into the kitchen to raid the cupboards.
"Yeah, up in the cupboard above the drawers. Ian give you another migraine?" Aria laughed and Ezra was trying his hardest not to crack a smile. Spencer walked back in with a glass of water and two pills before stopping and seeing Aria quietly laughing and Ezra obviously trying not to smile.
"What? Have I got something on my face or something?" Spencer asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"No, I just find it funny how you're never in pain, except for when Ian is around," Aria burst out laughing and Ezra finally began to chuckle.
Spencer's mouth dropped open and then she scowled at the two.
"Well I told you he was a devil didn't I. I'm glad my pain amuses you both," Spencer took the pills and then sat on the armchair and sighed.
They sat around and talking for a while and then Spencer received a call from Toby and excused herself. Aria went and got three drinks from the fridge and handed one to Ezra and put the other on the table for Spencer. Spencer came back holding her hand over the phone
"Hey Aria, can Toby come over for a while?" Spencer asked and Aria smiled and nodded. She talked with Ezra for a few minutes and then Spencer was back and thanked Aria for letting Toby over and for the drink. They talked some more until there was a knock on the door and Spencer jumped up and opened it. Toby was caught by surprise when Spencer immediately kissed her but then backed outside a little more and closed the door, not breaking the contact between his lips and Spencer's. Aria nestled her head to Ezra's shoulder and took in a deep breath. Ezra ran his fingers idly along Aria's arm and then kissed her head. She looked into his eyes and they kissed gently, still aware of Ezra's injuries. Spencer and Toby soon joined them. After a while of more talking Ezra's stomach rumbled and Aria looked out at the window and noticed it was getting dark.
"Do you two want to stay for dinner, I might cook something or we'll just order?" Aria suggested and when they decided to order takeaway Aria yelled up to Mike who was in his room. He wanted takeaway too so Aria ordered pizza.
After they ate Mike and Spencer helped Aria clean up and wash the dishes in the kitchen while Toby and Ezra chatted in the living room. Ezra hadn't moved from his position on the couch except to go to the bathroom.
"So how's your ribs, do they feel any less painful?" Toby asked, remembering when he was injured falling from some scaffolding last year.
"Yeah well, I'm not in constant pain because of them, but every time I move I feel it, hopefully in a week or two they'll be better, well at least good enough for me to be on my feet most of the time," Ezra replied, a hand going to his broken ribs.
"Hopefully. You're going to start getting fat if you sit around and do nothing for too much longer," Toby joked and Aria came in from the kitchen and lightly whacked him on the shoulder.
"Ezra's not going to gain much weight or he'll have to go on a diet soon," Aria laughed and Ezra shook his head as Toby started laughing. When Spencer and Mike returned minutes later Spencer decided to head home to spend some time with Toby. They all said goodbye and soon Ezra had his arm around Aria and Mike was lounging on the armchair next to them. Mike picked a movie and put it on. It was quite a gory movie so Aria spent most of the movie with her hands covering her face or buried into Ezra.
Mike began to laugh and Aria looked at the screen, just in time to see someone get his head chopped off. She screamed and buried her face into Ezra who tightened his hold on her and shook his head. Mike laughed even louder and his sister. When the movie finished Mike went up to his room, and Aria was still burying her face into Ezra's shirt moaning.
"That was the worst movie ever!" Aria mumbled into Ezra who shook his head and laughed.
"Really, I thought it was bloody good," Ezra joked using the blood reference well. Aria couldn't help but laugh at the reference. After her parents called to check up on them all she picked a more suitable movie and they sat and watched, this time Aria didn't have to bury her face into Ezra every second scene.
At the end of the movie it was close to 11pm so Aria went up and sorted the sleeping arrangements and then came back down to Ezra on the couch.
"Okay, I thought you'd feel weird sleeping in my parents bed, so you can sleep in my room and I'll sleep in their bed. Sound okay?" Aria asked Ezra who was starting to get up. He nodded his head as they got to the foot of the stairs. Aria helped him jump up the stairs and then down the hallway to her room. Mike opened the door and yelled a goodnight to them both before closing the door again. Aria helped Ezra into her bed and put his crutches against her bedside table. He brought her down to lie next to him and they laid there in peaceful silence, looking into each other's eyes. Aria yawned after a while.
"I'm going to go to bed. You alright in here?" Aria asked after giving him a gentle kiss. Ezra smiled and nodded and then pulled her in for a heated kiss. They broke apart and their breath was ragged. Aria smiled her huge smile when she got her breath back.
"Goodnight, I love you," Aria said to him and they kissed again.
"Sleep tight. I love you too," Ezra replied and after one final kiss Aria reluctantly walked out of her room and closed the door.
She walked into her parent's room and a wave of sadness overcame her. She finally realised her parents wouldn't be around for six weeks and she didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that. She shook the thoughts away as she though of Ezra sleeping in her room just down the hall, and got into bed. She smiled to herself as her mind went blank and sleep took over.