Later that day, the pair curled up on Ezra's sofa; Aria with her head in his lap as she lay across the cushions. She couldn't stop staring at the diamond on her finger, how special it was to her and how incredibly glad she was to keep it. Ezra watched his fiancée, stroking her hair with his feet resting on the coffee table in front of him.
He was so glad to find Nicole alive, and indescribably happy that she was unharmed. But after she had bought him a ticket, encouraged him to go and not tried to stop him; he knew Aria was more selfless than he. She was the one true love of his life and he couldn't ever let go of that.
"Hey," said Aria, tilting her head to look up at Ezra. "I never asked, I'm so sorry.. Is she okay?"
"Nicole?" Ezra questioned. "Yeah. She's fine. In New York with her parents now."
"Oh, I'm glad."
There was an air of silence between the two as Aria put her head back down in Ezra's lap. She wanted to ask more, but didn't want to seem like she was a crazy jealous girlfriend.
"She was held in a camp," Ezra started to explain. "The rebels didn't like the aid workers, they felt we were working against them. So they seized the truck and made it look like everyone had been killed. But Nicole was lucky, because she knew about first aid, they could use her to their advantage... They were too scared to harm her because they needed her. She's alright now. Just a little shaken up."
"God, that's so crazy," Aria said, relieved she didn't have to ask the questions. But she couldn't help herself. "How was it? You know, seeing her again?"
"Aria..."
"I'm sorry. That's personal. Forget it."
"No no, honey that's not what I'm saying. I just, I don't want you to be upset. Nicole and I have a history, but that's what it is now: history," Ezra explained. "When I got to where the rescue crew had taken them, I had to follow a few people to get to her and when I found her, she was sitting with this guy, crying."
"You don't have to tell me Ezra, it's alright," she said, sitting up and turning to face him.
"Aria," Ezra said, taking her hands and looking directly into her eyes. "I don't want there to be any secrets. I don't want you to keep wondering and second guessing us."
She nodded, feeling a lump form in the back of her throat and tears threaten to spill down her cheeks.
"She looked up at me," Ezra started. "And I don't know what kind of look it was on her face; happiness? Confusion? Relief? Terror? It was weird, but she got right up and came over to hug me. We hugged for a little while and.. and we kissed."
She didn't say anything, but Ezra knew the tears would be falling now. He looked at her and wiped her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, pulling her toward him and kissing her forehead.
"It wasn't an 'I love you' sort of kiss," he explained. "More like a relief or 'I'm so glad you're okay' kind of kiss. It didn't last long, and there was nothing funky with it. Just a simple kiss."
The words weren't making Aria feel any better, just confusing her more. She stayed still, searching Ezra's eyes. She knew he was telling the truth, she knew deep down that it didn't mean anything romantic. But she still didn't like hearing about her fiancee kissing his ex-girlfriend.
"We stayed silent for a little while, but then she introduced me to the guy she was sitting with on the bed. Her boyfriend."
Aria's face finally cracked a small smile. Relief painted her face and she squeezed Ezra's hands that were intertwined with her own.
"She said she'd missed me, and she was so scared not knowing what had happened to me. But that she had found comfort in the people around her and found a way to move on. The three of us, we talked for hours and I told her about you and I. She said she was happy for us and that she'd hoped that if I'd found my way back to the US, I'd find my way back to you. It's not just me that can see this Aria... It's been you, from the beginning."
Her heart had stopped beating a million beats per second and had slowed to a relaxed pace. With Ezra's hands in hers and her eyes on his, she could finally breathe again. He was her Ezra, and would be forever.
"I can't wait to marry you," her voice cracked, tears still falling from her eyes. "Thank you for loving me through everything."
Grabbing her face in his hands, Ezra pulled her toward him and kissed her; feeling the familiar warmth and softness of her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Hands in each other's hair, they leant into the kiss, trying to be as close to each other as possible.
She smiled into his lips, glad to finally kiss him and feel like everything was going to be okay. Breaking away, she leant back a little, giving herself room to slip off the t shirt she was wearing. She leant back down and planted her lips on his again, the two of them kissing deeper than before, hands all over each other. Her legs wrapped around his waist, Ezra picked his fiancee up and carried her to what had become, and what would remain, their bedroom. Placing her ever so softly onto the bed, he stood to remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt before climbing on top of her and kissing her chest, neck and lips.
"I love you, so so much Aria," Ezra whispered onto her lips. "Always have, always will."
"I love you too, Ezra."