A/N: This story was inspired by a fanfiction I had read a while ago called 'The Popstar and The Sport's Journalist' which is a really great story that you should also definitely read.

In this story Ezra and Aria's relationship history is exactly like it was on the show up until season 6. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

The Great Escape

Do you ever ask yourself how you got where you are now? Wonder where it all went wrong? Where that significant turning point happened in your life that turned it all upside down? I was top of the class, I was head of the photography and poetry club, and I graduate Hollis with flying colours. So, what happened to lead me here? My future was so bright then all of a sudden the light dimmed and there was no way for me to salvage it.

Maybe it was when he left. Maybe when he decided I was no longer who he wanted, but I didn't understand how that was possible. He left me when I was in my final year of High School and still I continued on with my life. I wanted to prove to him that I didn't need him, but I guess I did. I needed something or someone to keep me on the straight and narrow. I just wasn't aware of that until it was too late.

I guess it wasn't just him. It was everything, but he was a large contributing factor to my downfall. I had wanted to break away and somewhere deep down I thought maybe moving to New York would get me closer to finding him. I never did move on, regardless of all the nameless loveless nights, I still hadn't forgotten about him. I still had my friends and family to help me through it. It's not like we were together anymore, so in truth he didn't owe me anything. That just wasn't the point. We spent two long years together and he just up and left without even a goodbye, an email, a text, just a note.

A part of me wondered if he had left or was kidnapped by A, but I think I was deluding myself to believe that because I couldn't cope with that fact that he had abandoned me. I asked myself if it was my fault, if I had pushed him a way, yet that wouldn't have made sense. We were doing well as just friends, of course it was hard to withhold physical contact or the usual compliments that we flattered each other with, but other than that we were good.

I wonder if he even thinks about me anymore. I wonder if he has a wife and kids. I wonder if he thinks of me whenever he eats key lime pie, or listens to The Fray, or watches 'It Happened One Night.' Because I certainly thought of him. The only way I could possibly forget was by indulging in escapism. Yes, by that I meant drugs and alcohol. It was New York City; it wasn't hard to get a hold of. I had friends in all the wrong places, and misery loved company.

I had a job, I had a good job. I worked in Fashion. I know, it wasn't the initial path I had planned on taking, but I bumped into a guy one night who found my extravagant fashion sense to be sensational. Sensational enough to recruit me as an intern for his Fashion Line. It wasn't great pay at first, but it also came with an apartment that I shared with a model, Katie Pollard. She was tall, slim, beautiful, and had long red hair. I was hesitant at first with not knowing anything about the girl other than that she was a model who moved here from London. At first look, to me she was just another spoilt beauty who I envied, but when I spoke to her there was more under the surface. We soon became best friends.

I obviously missed my life at Rosewood, but it wasn't the same anymore. I didn't miss Rosewood; I missed how Rosewood used to be. I missed living with both my parents, I missed having friends without the complications of being stalked, and I missed him. I missed him being around. I missed seeing him every day in class or waking up in his apartment every Saturday and Sunday morning to the smell of pancakes. Knowing he wasn't there meant that I missed it much less.

Other than that, my life in New York City was most girls' wet dreams. I was surrounded by models, not all of which were girls, I had money to blow, I had a fancy apartment, and I was best friends with the most well-known models in the US. Things had progressed a lot since I had first started the job. I was now even allowed to input ideas into the line. It was perfect, but it wasn't for me. I knew that, but the partying most certainly helped me forget that.

"Aria! Where is my fur coat?" Katie shouted as she rummaged through her thousands of clothing items.

I hated hangovers. The morning afters were always the worst, especially since it seemed Katie was immune to hangovers. She didn't understand the torture she inflicted on me at the sound of her voice bellowing through our apartment. I could barely remember my name let alone know where her fur coat was. Why this clothing item was so essential I didn't know, but it seemed she was persistent in finding it which meant I wasn't getting any rest unless I helped her.

I dragged my almost lifeless body out of the bed and padded to the walk in closet. It was a mess. Clothes were piled up in every inch of the room and I knew that I would be the one cleaning this up once she goes about her day. I felt like I was her secretary rather than her best friend at times. I glanced at my side of the closet and was relieved to know that it had remained untouched. At least she respected other people's property because she showed little towards her own.

"Have you checked the boxes on top of the shoe rack?" I yawned as I rubbed the sleep out of my drowsy eyes that were coated with smudged eye liner.

"Good idea." she squeaked with sudden optimism as she pulled the box marked with her name from the shoe rack.

Katie was sent a lot of free clothes from other brands and labels because if people see Katie wearing it then they would want to buy it. What they didn't know was that Katie could make anything look good. She could walk out of the house wearing a trash can and make it work. She was a fashion icon. I, however, was just her friend. I was known because her Instagram was basically filled with me, but once they find out I am 5'2 then any chances of being scouted go out of the window. I was fine with that; I saw what Katie went through to be a model. The expectation seemed exhausting. Hardly ever eating or constantly exercising. I just couldn't do it. I loved desserts way too much.

"You're a star, Ar." She exclaimed as she unfolded the fur coat from the box before she threw it to the ground and pulled me into a hug that almost stopped my blood circulation.

"Pick that up before you lose it, Kate." I warned and the ditsy red head did as I said before dancing out of the room and adding the finishing touches to her outfit.

I ambled out of the closet and closed the door behind me, not willing to look back at the mess I inevitably had to clean up. I wasn't too fussed, it had become a routine. I was becoming accustomed to the drinking and the drugs and the partying that I hoped I soon wouldn't be affected by the morning after like Katie. How lucky could she get? She was beautiful beyond words and she could drink until her spleen almost collapsed without ever dealing with having a hangover the morning after.

"How do I look?" she chirped as she spun herself around in front of me, pulling ridiculous faces in the meantime.

"Do I even have to answer that?" I laughed as she gave me the look of a confused puppy, a look that seemed to be forever present on her face. "Beautiful as always." I smiled before trudging back to bed and collapsing onto it, smothering my face with the pillow to block out the sunlight that streamed into my bedroom. Getting back to sleep now seemed unlikely.

"Are you awake, my beautiful best friend?" Kate sycophantically cooed. She knew how to get her own way. I just hummed in response, not removing the pillow from my face. "I left my ride outside the club and I have an interview for 'Times Magazine' on my stance against animal testing. Can you give me a ride?"

I removed the pillow that was covering my face and gave her an incredulous look, but she seemed bemused by my look of disbelief. "You're wearing a fur coat."

"It's faux fur." She said matter-of-factly, gaining the roll of my eyes. As much as I loved Katie, it was like living with a child. "Should I change?"

"Yeah. What times the interview?" I asked as I crawled out of bed for the second time in the past 10 minutes.

"12:30." She called as she strutted off to the closet.

"It's 11:00." I called back in confusion as I checked my phone. Another 10 missed calls from guys I must've given my number to last night, all of which I planned on blocking. If I didn't remember any of them then they must not have been important.

"I like to be fashionably early." She replied as she returned from the closet with two outfits, holding them against herself and looking at me for my opinion.

"That's not a thing." I laughed. "The right one." she nodded in approval and disappeared to get changed. "I'm having a shower. I cannot leave the house with you whilst looking like this. The headlines won't be 'Pollard speaks against animal testing' it'll be 'Pollard treats homeless lady to a day out'." I joked gaining a laugh that echoed from her bedroom.

"Either way it gets me good publicity." She responded to which I hummed in response to before disappearing to the bathroom.

It was 12:00 and I was putting on the finishing touches of my make-up while Katie sat on the edge of my bed, scrolling through my phone, waiting for me. She was dressed and ready in no time, needing little effort to look stunning.

"Aria!" she groaned throwing herself back onto my mattress. "How long are you going to take? I am going to be late."

"I am done." I mumbled as I applied my red lipstick and turned to her for approval.

"You look beautiful, as you always do, now can we go." She said as she stood up and dragged me towards the door.

"My purse, keys, and phone!" I called in panic; she rolled her eyes at me before running back to my room and grabbing all of my necessary items.

We drove to the Coffee house that they had especially hired out for the evening to interview Katie. I had no idea how long the process was. She had already done the photo shoot so thankfully, that wouldn't be an extra few hours added to my day. I had things to do, people to meet. Admittedly those things were to get wasted and those people were my dealer and my friends, but they are still important to me.

I sat in the corner of the Coffee house alone, scrolling through my phone to preoccupy myself from the most boring time of my life. It was amusing, however, to hear Katie's ditsy-self attempting to sound professional. I knew that not all models were stupid, but Katie certainly fit the stereotype. If it wasn't for her publicist then she definitely wouldn't have even been able to attempt to answer those questions. Half the time when she speaks they aren't even her own words. It sad really when you come to think of it that she isn't really her own person, she is a puppet, but at least in this case it was for a good cause.

They had supplied me with free lattes and allowed me to charge my phone which was certainly perks in this all. I didn't get to charge my phone this morning, thanks to Katie. I wasn't too fussed, there was no one to contact. It is crazy how in this world, where I am surrounded by people and everyone knows my name, I have never felt more alone. I had friends, but none of which were as close as the relationships I had with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna. In this industry it's hard to have real friends. I wasn't famous, so I didn't have to worry as much, but people were always so secretive no matter how much they seemingly trusted you. I also had to watch every word I said in case I accidentally slipped up and landed Katie in some trouble. Other than that, it wasn't so bad. Anything was better than Rosewood.

"Can I have an interview with the best friend?" a male voice questioned as he stood in front of me.

I didn't even bother to look up at him; I was too preoccupied with my Instagram feed. It was probably just another guy trying to flirt with me or someone trying to get the dirt on Katie's love life. Did they think I was stupid enough to go and blab my mouth to any stranger about my friend's private life? I wasn't in the mood for this, no matter how much coffee I had consumed, I still had a migraine and stomach cramps. The only way I could get rid of those was by getting high or drunk. The only real cure for a hangover is alcohol.

"Nope." I bluntly replied as I continued to scan my phone through my shades and sipped my latte.

"How about a catch up with an old friend?" The man asked again, this time his voice rang familiar to me. Too familiar.

I furrowed my brows in the direction of my phone as I remained frozen. I knew that voice anywhere, but it couldn't be him. I felt as if tears were about to burst through my eyes as a lump formed in my throat. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to look up at him and confirm my suspicions because, as much as I missed him, I didn't want to see him. I couldn't. My life was a complete mess and I couldn't have him seeing me like this. I guess he didn't know the ins and outs of my new life style, but he knew who I was associated with and if he had seen the papers then he knew enough about them to make assumptions about me.

I mentally prepared myself before I looked up to meet those all too familiar dark blue eyes that made butterflies fill my stomach. I couldn't believe my eyes, I had dreamt about seeing him again, I just never thought it would be like this. What could I even say? In fact, I couldn't say anything. I was completely dumbfounded by his presence. Finally, as the silence seemed to prolong, I spoke.

"Ezra?" I breathed out.

"Yeah." He fervently nodded with that boyish smile that had stolen my heart the first day I met him in that bar.

"What are you doing here? Are you interviewing Katie as well?" I asked, my voice quivering with my evident nerves.

"No, I came here for you. I-I had been wanting to get in contact with you for years, then I was told that our magazine would be interviewing Katie Pollard and I was doing some research for the article on her Instagram when I saw you there. It was just my luck that you came here today." He explained with his voice full of excitement. I didn't understand why he was so happy to see me when he was so content on leaving me all those years ago. My lips curved into a shy smile, not wanting to be rude. I still was at a loss for words. "I can't believe you are here."

"Yeah, well don't get so use to it. I am leaving soon." I replied in the same blunt manner as before as I returned to sipping on my latte. He gave me a look of concern, not budging as I diverted my attention back to my phone causing me to groan at his inability to take a hint. "You can't just turn up out of the blue and expect me to forgive you for abandoning me."

"Look, I can explain." He began saying before Katie strutted towards us, saving me from his pathetic excuses that could never make up for the way he left me.

"Who's this?" Katie innocently chirped as she eyed Ezra with approval before winking at me eliciting me to groan.

"No one. Are you ready?" I heatedly asked as I avoided Ezra's shocked gaze on me.

"Yeah, let's go." She warily said, giving another glance at Ezra who didn't remove his eyes from me.

We began driving back to our apartment, my hand gripped tight around the wheel as I swerved through traffic. I was furious to say the least. I don't know how he could just do that. How could he expect to waltz back into my life and for everything to be all happy? How could he think everything would be okay between us? Did he realise how much he hurt me? I hated him. I fucking hated him… but I loved him. I loved him so much.

"Are you okay?" Katie asked. I could tell she had been biting her tongue the entire car journey, but once I had pulled over she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Yeah." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Who was that?"

"I-it was Ezra." I hesitantly confessed.

The words felt as if they were falling from my mouth without me processing them myself. That was actually Ezra Fitz, the man I had thought about every second since he had left. The man who had broken my heart. The love of my life. I was so filled with anger that my mind didn't really process everything until that moment. All the things I thought I would say when I saw him again, some full of love and some full of loathing, yet all I did was leave. I guess that didn't make me any better than him.

"No way." She murmured as she was taken over by the same shock I was. "He was a lot hotter than I thought he'd be."

"Really? Now is not the time, Kate." I cautioned before burying my face into my hands.

"Sorry." She sheepishly replied. "Come on, cutie. Let's go inside and eat some ice cream and watch old movies."

"I can't. I need to go for a drive to clear my head." I explained as I looked back up to Katie with a determined look on my face. I needed to get him out of my head and I planned on doing it the only way I knew how.

"Aria, I don't think that's safe." She shook her head with a worried expression that for some reason pissed me off.

"I'll be fine." I spat. I noticed how she flinched at my words and instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Kate. I just need to be left alone for a while." She nodded in understanding before leaving the car and disappearing into our apartment building.

It was only 3 o'clock. I didn't know where I planned to go, but I couldn't just sit around without doing something to take my mind off of him. Katie was against drug abuse, she took coke, but only to party and it actually helped her lose weight. It's crazy what she did to remain slim. I did it for other reasons. I did it to escape from my reality, my flowery hell. I was living the dream, but to me it felt like a nightmare. This is not where I planned to be at 24 years of age, but here I am. I expected to be married to him, working as a journalist or a photographer, but instead I am partying almost every night and doing things I would have never done in my wildest dreams.

I drove around for an hour to clear my head before I headed to Monika's apartment. She was another one of Christian's (the head of our fashion company and the person who recruited me) models. We had become close, not as close as I was to Katie, but we were close. She was the most corrupt out of all the models. She didn't care about what the media thought, if anything she basked in the negative public attention. Any attention for her was good attention.

I made my way to her apartment door, I could hear the music blaring from inside. I guess there was never a bad time to party for Monika. I knocked on the door, shocked that she had opened it in seconds with how loud the music had been. The door swung open and I was hit with a cloud of smoke as I entered the room. Monika was apparently as high as a kite and stunk of weed, but once again she didn't care.

"My little Aria." she cooed as she pinched my cheek. I liked Monika, but she certainly had a way of condescending people. "Coming to The Vibe Club tonight or are you on duty?"

"I am coming, but I kind of need something to get by until then." I awkwardly explained as I took a seat beside her on her couch.

"Is Aria getting addicted or are you just desperate to be numb for a while?" Monika asked with a hint of mocking in her tone.

"Like I said, I just need something to get by." I sighed, not in the mood for her mind games.

"You got a fifty?" She asked as she jumped up from the couch and waltzed into her room. She came back moments later holding a small plastic bag with white powder in it. I nodded and handed her the fifty. "Watch yourself Aria, there's a thin white line between using and abusing."

I have already written around 5 chapters of this FanFic, but I am not entirely sure how I feel about it yet. I will try to update as soon as possible. I have many more ideas for stories that I have been thinking about writing, it seems while Ezra and Aria are apart in the series I tend to write more. I guess it's my way of trying to salvage their relationship. Anyway, thank you for reading.

- Tasha x