"We need to talk."

I sat on the couch, a wave of confusion washing over me. I pulled my hair in and out of a ponytail, which was one of my nervous ticks. "Why are you guys really here?" I asked. I knew they weren't here just for a visit, it's a 4 hour drive.

"Look, Ezra is just worried that something is wrong. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" I responded defensively, crossing my arms. They knew me too well for this! "I don't want to talk about it." At that moment Ezra walked in. He sat down next to me, I looked at him. We had been through everything together. I knew I could trust him, but to be honest. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I felt like I was drowning. Everybody was crowding around me. The pressure was to great and I snapped.

"I DON'T KNOW!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "EVERYTHING!" They were all taken aback by my sudden outburst. I raced out of the house, grabbing my bag, not wanting to face any of them. The blue sky above me wasn't like the blue it always seemed to me. I loved that bright sky, but my eyes only landed on a blue that was so grey I thought it would start to rain any moment. I tried to open the door to my car, but I realized I had left my keys hanging idly on the hook by the door. I looked back on the house Ezra and I had scrimped and saved to buy. Whenever I had looked at it before, it was bright and full of life, now with all of my friends rushing out to find me, I couldn't believe how dull it looked. I started to race down the street. It was the middle of the day and all of the people looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't know any of them. No one did in this city. I raced to the train stop. I swiped my metro card, which just so happened to be in my purse.

Please hurry! I pleaded with the train. No one was really out and about today, so I had the entire platform to myself except for a teenager groaning over having to read some book for school. I know that move. Hanna did that any time Mr. Fitz would give us another story to read, believe me, she knew how to read. Read texts on her phone. As I was lost in my thought, the Q train came pulling up into the station. It was one of the louder trains, and as it stopped in front of me, it let out a burst of air and I had to cover my ears. The breaks squealed and the doors opened. I rushed onto the train and as the announcer said Stand clear of the closing doors please, I said it quietly along with him. The conductor came over the loud speakers next. This a Coney Island bound Q train, next stop, Cortelyou. I know it by heart. I was so tired of fighting with myself, and letting people in, I wanted to do something for me. I went to the conductor's door and looked out the front of the train. I watched the houses go by and the beautiful ivy hanging off the graffitied concrete walls.

When I finally got to Coney Island I made a b-line for the ferris wheel. I paid my seven dollars for the ticket and got on. I picked one of the swinging cars, I had always the stationary ones boring. The girl who was directing people to their lines had a thick european accent. When I got into the metal box it creaked shut and I noticed a hole big enough to put my foot through in the bottom of it. But this ride always seemed to sooth me. My phone had been going off in my bag for hours and I didn't want to check it. Ezra was probably worried sick about me, he didn't know where I was. But I was enjoying the view. I looked down and saw the Spookarama, which despite the cheesy name, is enough to give a grown man a heart attack. Then I looked out, and all I could think about was how beautiful the beach was. From up here you couldn't see the nasty cigarette butts, or the broken glass, or the dead bodies I had been convinced were under the sand since the first time I had come here years and years ago. All I could see was the piercing blue of the water and the freezing cold wind wiping around me, as I just stayed there up in the sky.

I never wanted to go down to Earth ever again, but as we made another rotation, I knew it was about to end. I closed my eyes for a moment on the decent down, trying to imagine my life any differently. I knew deep down that no matter what, if anything had gone differently, I couldn't have been happier than I was right now. I had the love of my life worried sick about me, 3 kids at home crying out for me to hold them, and several very concerned friends racing down every street in my neighborhood, trying to find me. I picked up my phone and called Ezra.

-I'll be home in a couple of hours. Clearing my head. - I said.

-Aria? Where are you baby? Please come home, I want to make sure you're alright.- he all but cried over the phone.

-I'm fine Ezra. Just let me be for a minute. I'll be home soon. Love you. -

-No Aria, don't hang~ -

I cut him off and turned my cellphone off, so I wouldn't be disturbed anymore. I walked down the boardwalk to Coney's Cones, where I spent more than $5 on a large ice cream. Everything was so much more expensive here. When Ezra and I first moved here, we were both shocked at the prices. If you go anywhere other than a dollar store everything is more than double the prices in Rosewood. I missed home. I missed Mike. I missed everybody. I couldn't believe my friends had come all this way just on Ezra's hunch. But what I really couldn't believe was that I didn't go back to meet Spencer's new little daughter. Why didn't I go. She came to see my children, but I couldn't find 3 hours in my life to go see something so important. What kind of friend was I? As I was lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the hours go by. I was finally pulled out of my thoughts by the fact that the boardwalk wasn't covered in screaming kids anymore, but tattooed men and women with spiky hair and piercings. The dramatic change of Brooklyn at night. It always astounded me. Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Instinctively I kicked, hit, anything. I was a small person. 5' 2'', so I didn't have much more than being able to kick someone in the nuts going for me in the self defense department.

I heard a very familiar groan behind me. Oops. I had just about neutered Ezra.

"How did you find me Ezra?" I asked confused.

"I heard the music in the background..." he managed to say between exclamations of pain. He was keeled over in pain and I felt really bad.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, helping him stand up straight, and to the bench.

"At least I know you can take care of yourself..." he said, forcing a smirk through his winces. I laughed. Before I knew it I was hugging him. Falling into the broad chest.

"I miss you Ezra. I want to get better. I don't know whats wrong with me. I don't know whats going on with me, but all I can feel right now is annoyance, sadness," I cried, "I'm sorry, I love you. I don't tell you that enough-" I started ranting. Ezra smiled, and lifted my chin so that I looked him in the eye.

"Ar, I will get you any help you need. I just need you to come home right now, so that we can get you to bed. You haven't slept in so long.

I don't remember much. I must have fallen asleep on the cold blue plastic seats underneath the blasting air conditioner. When I woke up, I was in my bedroom, dressed in my favorite of Ezra's T-shirts. My hair was let out and wet, and I smelled like my favorite coconut shampoo. I couldn't believe how heavy of a sleeper I was when I was exhausted. I looked to my left and saw Ezra lightly breathing next to me. I bent over him and kissed his ebony curls. I relished this moment. He stirred a little, but didn't come out of his slumber.

"I love you," I whispered quietly to him. He smiled in his sleep, and I smiled with him. Finally.