Author's Note: Chapter 2!

Aria

When she looked out the plate-glass window overlooking the congested city streets, Aria was surprised to find that the heavy snow that blanketed the roads was no more; the gigantic flakes having tapered off, appearing only sporadically as the light of the moon began to wane. The warming temperature produced a light condensation, sluicing the fog ridden window and making the scenery glisten anew.

Looking down at the laptop perched on her knees, she felt particularly satisfied, finally attaching the document and hitting send.

It was nearing ten o'clock - she was able to make that conclusion with a single neck rotation - and reasoned that her boyfriend should be getting home in, give or take, half an hour, and be delighted - hopefully! - to find (a very late) dinner ready to eat. Aria found comfort in this, also that her pitch was finally completed, (it had taken the entire day) and pranced jovially out the door and down the couple flights of stairs: en-route to the Chinese place that just opened up a few blocks away from their apartment building.

"Jake," she greeted from her nook of fuzzy blankets and throw pillows, pressing pause on the movie she had been watching. "You're home." "That I am," he confirmed, placing his equipment bag on the ground in front of him before moving to kiss her hello.

"Hello," she quipped, giggling softly as he brushed his nose with hers in authentic Eskimo fashion.

"Dinner?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at the assortment of take out containers strewn across the coffee table fronting the sofa. At his girlfriend's affirmation, he asked a follow up question.

"Want me to get us plates?"

'No' she thought dismally. The memory of her and Ezra sitting Indian-style on the floor of his quaint one-bedroom apartment was suddenly very fresh. "I normally just eat out of the container, if that's okay?"

Aria could sense he didn't know what to say to that, as he uttered a lame "yeah" and shuffled to the kitchen to grab a plate for himself. She shook it off, grabbed the remote in her palm, snuggled deeper into the blankets with her chow mien, and pressed play.

Jake plopped down a second later and proceeded to snuggle into her side, smorgasbord of oriental foods moving slightly on his lap. "That looks good," he commented, having gotten none on his plate due to her hogging the entire container.

Aria nodded, mouth full of noodles. "Mhm."

"Can I have some?"

This caused Aria to sit up straight, the thoughts pertaining to the happenings of the Audrey Hepburn movie dissipating as forlorn rumination moved in.

Her and Ezra sharing Chinese snuggled in the depths of the blankets, close enough to feel the heat radiating off one another, while watching this very film.

The one Jake seemed to be so disinterested in, that he found trying to steal chow mien a better means of leisure.

"No!" Aria exclaimed, feeling oddly proprietary over something so measly as a box of noodles, as if somehow, letting him take some would give access to what she held so dear, and as much as she liked Jake, she couldn't bring herself to do so. In some ways it would be like a betrayal to the one she truly loved.

"Here, have the rest," she grumbled, shoving the container into his hands. "I'm going to bed," she added, with an equal air of hostility. "Goodnight." He was confused, she could tell, glad though, that he'd gotten the noodles as he shoveled them down his gullet in that piggish way she'd come to find very unattractive.

"Goodnight," was his verbal response, muted by the next forkful of noodles, as he began, completely oblivious to her mood, to watch the basketball game he'd turned the television to. She sighed emphatically, dragging her feet along the hallway until she reached the end: their shared bedroom.

Author's Note: Another short one, sorry... : ) (this smile is supposed to be sheepish) Ha Ha