Chapter 7

The smell of Chicken Alfredo filled the air in apartment 3B, swirling into Ezra's nose as he stirred the sizzling pot on the stove. It smelt good, so he could only pray that it tasted good, too.

The sound of thunder broke through the silence that was filling the room, and he glanced over at Aria to see her in the same position as before. She was sitting on the window seat in the front of the apartment, the windows pushed open far enough that the sound of the rain hitting the metal flooring of his small balcony was clear, but not enough that the water could get inside. Her head was resting back against the wall as she looked out onto the streets below with her arms laying over her knees that were tucked up to her chest.

He had given her one of his shirts to wear, and he tried to ignore how good she looked in it, knowing know was not the time to have those types of thoughts. But, the shirt fell to her mid thighs, and with the way her legs were tucked up, he could tell she had decided not to wear any shorts underneath it, and it was hard to force himself not to think those types of thoughts.

He turned back to the stove as he felt his eyes begin to wonder again, shaking himself out of it. The meal was done cooking – at least he hoped – so he switched off the stove and transferred the food onto two waiting plates. Grabbing two forks and a few napkins, he carried the meal over to the window seat, sitting down across from her and setting the plates down in the middle.

Aria turned to look at him as he sat down, smiling down at the food on the plate in front of her. She knew for a fact that this wasn't one of the three meals Ezra could actually cook, but she knew he was trying to be extra sweet to get her out of the depressed mood she was in.

"It smells delicious." She whispered gently as she laid her legs down in front of her and lifted her plate onto her lap.

Ezra was both grateful and disappointed, though he slapped himself for the second one, knowing it was better for him not to be tempted.

"Well, let's pray it tastes good, too." He snorted, and her smile grew.

He watched anxiously as she put some of it onto her fork and lifted it to her mouth, blowing on it for a moment before popping it in her mouth.

Immediately after taking the first bite, Aria could tell that the taste was off and there was definitely something missing from the sequence, but it wasn't terrible and the way he was looking at her with such nervousness made her hum in approval and smile rewardingly at him.

"I'd say you did pretty well, Mr. Fitz."

Ezra grinned like an idiot, proud of himself for actually accomplishing another meal. He took his own bite, and it was better than anything he had ever tried to make before, so he agreed that it went pretty well.

They ate in silence for the most part, until Ezra could see a shadow cross Aria's features again, and she set her half-finished dinner onto the floor next to her, turning to look out the window again.

Ezra's own appetite left him when he saw the expression on her face. He repeated her actions, but as he sat up, he reached across to place his hands on her hips. She looked at him curiously as he lifted her up and pulled her over to him until she was settled on his lap, straddling each of his legs. Instead of it being anything sexual though, he simply wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly against him. She sighed, laying her head down onto his shoulder.

He tilted his head down to place a light kiss on the junction of her neck and shoulder. "I don't like it when you're sad." He murmured against her skin. "It makes me sad, too."

Aria pouted and moved her head to look at him. "I don't want you to be sad because of me."

"Tell me what's wrong then," He asked as he leaned his head back against the wall, keeping his gaze on hers. "Let me help you."

She sighed, closing her eyes. "You don't deserve to feel my pain, too."

"What if I told you that I wanted to, if it meant that I could help make you happy again?"

"I'd tell you that you're crazy." She snorted. "Besides, like I said, you don't deserve the pain. I do."

"What makes you think you deserve to be unhappy?"

Aria shook her head, not responding as she buried her face underneath his neck so he couldn't see her. She needed to drop the conversation; the last thing she wanted was Ezra to get involved in what she was going through.

It wasn't that she didn't think he could help, but she knew that if he tried to, he'd only end up getting himself hurt in the end. He didn't deserve that.

She, however, deserved everything that was coming for her.

Ezra sighed when a response didn't come, and instead of pressing the subject further, he dropped his left hand down onto the floor besides them, fumbling around until his fingers curled around a small remote. He pressed the power button on the top, turning on the stereo in the room. The soft playing of a guitar began to play out of the speakers, before a raspy voice joined in for the vocals.

Aria closed her eyes again, a small smile fluttered across her face as the familiar tune reached her ears. "God, I love this song."

Her smile grew when she felt Ezra's lips touch her ear, and he softly sang along to the lyrics.

Happiness is just outside my window.

Would it crash, blowing 80-miles an hour?

Or is happiness, a little more like knocking…

On your door, and you just let it in?

She giggled as he hummed along with the instrumental pause against her neck, tickling her skin softly. He smiled at the sound, before returning his mouth to its place against her ear to continue with the song.

Happiness feels a lot like sorrow,

Let it be, you can't make it come or go.

But you are gone- not for good but for now,

Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good.

Tears prickled at Aria's eyes slightly, as she realized that the lyrics of the song were what he wished he could say to her in words. She inhaled a slightly shaky breath knowing that she did feel gone; out of her body, like she was watching the disaster of her life play out in front of her.

But what is she was gone for good?

As if he read her mind, Ezra pulled her back from his neck until he could see her face clearly. Their eyes met, and Aria's breath caught and she could feel her stomach twist again. But, this time it was a different sort of twist. It wasn't one of panic, or of fear, or of guilt. The look in his eyes made her stomach twist with a sort of passion. Excitement. Want.

Her body moved before her brain could catch up, and soon the only thing that she could think about was the feeling of her lips on his. His tongue immediately peeked out to run across her lip, and she sighed, willingly parting her lips to grant him access. Their tongues sought out each other's carefully, but once they touched, they battled for dominance.

Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard,

Happiness was never mine to hold.

Aria's hands traveled up the back of his neck until they were twisted and tangled into his hair, tugging softly and making him groan. Their lips broke when the need to breath became more evident, but Ezra's mouth didn't go far from her skin. Instead, it grazed down her neck, kissing and suckling every now and then.

As he listened to the lyrics vaguely in the background, he recalled all the times she had shamelessly teased and flirted with him before they had finally gotten together. The way she would press her body against his, brush her lips across his ear, or tell him something completely inappropriate just because she knew how much it affected him.

That was his Aria. The girl who was constantly filling his mind and diverting his attention. Who would be playful and splash you with soapy water while washing dishes. Who was incredibly stubborn and would argue with you forever over her opinion on a classic novel just to prove a point.

Who was unbelievably sexy and currently beginning to grind her hips down onto a very noticeable problem she herself was creating.

"You're my firecracker." He murmured gently, before kissing his way back up to her mouth. She smiled into the kiss, feeling her heart swell over his words and began moving her lips more passionately against his.

Ezra moved his hands from her hips up her sides until they rested right below her breasts. His thumbs rubbed small circles on her ribs, causing her to arch farther into his chest. She mewled slightly against his lips, silently begging him to go higher and quit teasing.

Happiness damn near destroys you;

Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor.

So you tell yourself, that's enough for now.

Happiness has a violent roar.

Things were heating up quickly between the two of them. Almost too quickly, and Ezra fought to keep up. With the moans that were becoming more constant from Aria, the way her hips were dragging along his, and the groans he was trying to suppress, he knew they needed to stop soon before they did something they couldn't take back.

With that in mind, he forced himself to break away from her lips, noticing the pout that immediately formed on the as he did. He grinned, kissing her pouted lip quickly and moved away before she could deepen it again, and ran his fingers through her hair lightly to move it out of her face.

"Easy, sweetheart." He smiled softly at her.

She whined, which he ignored as he scooted the two of them down the window seat a bit so he could lean back comfortably with her lying across his chest. His eyes caught on the hem of his shirt she was wearing again, which after their activities had shifted up to her hips. He cleared his throat, pulling one of the blankets that rested on the bench over them, affectively covering his view.

Having seen his gaze, Aria grinned at him smugly. "What; did you not like the view, Mr. Fitz?"

He snorted. "I don't think not liking it was the problem, Miss Montgomery."

She giggled, laying her head on his shoulder and looking out at the rain that was still pouring from the sky.

Conversation flowed easily between the two of them for the next few hours when a comfortable silence wasn't needed. Ezra basked in the sight of seeing her eyes light up as they discussed their favorite books and music. The way her head would fall back slightly and her eyes would close as she laughed at something he had said, or the way she would jump when a crack of loud thunder would break through the apartment and she would blush and hide her face in his neck.

They talked about everything, from the embarrassing childhood stories they had; Ezra attempting to cook a mother's day breakfast one morning and almost burning the house down, or Aria's stuffed animal cookie monster she would sleep with tucked between her legs.

Ezra paid close attention to all the small things, like the fact that her favorite ice cream flavor was double chunk fudge brownie, or her favorite movie was The Notebook. He wanted to be able to provide her with something easily and quickly when she was having a rough day that would immediately cheer her up, or at least distract her from the harsh reality outside of his apartment walls.

The time continued to tick by as the sky got darker outside the window, and the higher the moon rose the more their conversation began to cease until the only sound was the rain continuing to hit the small balcony.

Aria watched the droplets race down the window plane, basking in the feeling of Ezra's fingers slowly running through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. She tilted her head back slightly on his shoulder, finding his eyes closed and his head rested back against a seat cushion.

She smiled at how peaceful he looked, and the fact that she hadn't thought about any of the consuming thoughts in hours hit her suddenly. Her lips parted at the realization, shock written all over her face.

How could this one person be her safe place to land; to go to when she needed to escape reality? How could he have the power to make her forget everything in her past and make her feel happier than she ever had before by just talking with her?

She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes before nestling her face into the skin of his neck. She heard Ezra hum softly, turning his head to rest against hers.

"I want you to be happy." He murmured drowsily into her hair.

She nodded, pressing a small kiss on his collarbone, pausing for a moment before continuing. "You are my happiness."

Ezra smiled lazily, pulling the blanket up farther around them before tightening his arms around her. He sighed in contentment; sleep finally taking over.

Happiness is like the old man told me

Look for it, but you'll never find it all

Let it go, live your life and leave it

Then one day, wake up and she'll be home

Aria shut the door to her locker, sighing at the fact she had to go sit through another class. The fact that it was history made it only that much worse. She hadn't been doing the work for her in class project and was really far behind. She'd been too distracted lately to concentrate on school work.

She started down the hall to the classroom, her eyes dancing around her as she did. She saw Hanna talking to Mona next to her locker, internally rolling her eyes. Mona thought that since she had lost weight over the summer, gotten a new style, and that Alison was gone, that automatically made her queen bee. Please.

She turned a corner, finding Emily walking down the hallway in the opposite direction as her with that Maya girl. She glanced down, catching onto the way that their hands brushed against each other's with each sway of their arms. She smirked slightly; she had always been able to tell Emily wasn't as into boys as she let on when she started dating Ben. There was no way they had next like she said they did. Aria was pretty sure she even used to have a thing for Ali.

She sighed as she reached her history class and was about to walk in when a voice calling out to her made her stop in her tracks. Turning around, she spotted Noel Kahn walking towards her with that boyish smirk across his face.

"Hey." He greeted when he approached her. "I realize I didn't officially get to welcome you back to Rosewood."

She smiled. "Thanks."

He smiled, and she watched as he quickly looked her up and down for a moment before returning his eyes to hers. "So, I was wondering if you had a date to Homecoming yet?"

"Not exactly." She told him hesitantly, sensing what was coming.

He grinned widely. "Perfect. Well, why don't you go with me?" He held up two tickets that he had pulled out of his pocket.

She shifted on her feet. "I don't know what my boyfriend would think about me going to homecoming with another guy."

"Boyfriend, huh? I thought you said you didn't have a date?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Shaking her head, she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't. Homecoming just isn't really his thing."

Actually, Aria was the one who wasn't feeling Homecoming. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was going to watch everyone get drunk and fall on their asses; the girls crying randomly and making fools of themselves and the guys thinking they're the sun and everything revolves around them, moving on from girl to girl. And dragging Ezra into that mix was definitely not on her to do list.

Noel nodded, but the look of determination didn't leave his eyes. "Well, just because it's not his thing doesn't mean you shouldn't go."

Aria opened her mouth to respond, but sensing her further refusal, he continued. "It's not a date. We can just go as friends."

She sighed. "I don't know…"

"Look, we're both going to need someone to dance with, right? It's better than standing by the fruit punch watching some kid eventually end up spiking it with alcohol. And I promise I'll make it fun. Believe me, you have no idea of any of the moves I behold."

He started to sway from side to side slightly, his head rolling around on his shoulders. Aria giggled, looking at him carefully. His intensions seemed harmless, and while he was pushy, she thought it was kind of sweet in a way.

"Fine." She finally responded. "But only as friends."

Noel grinned largely, giving her a quick nod. "Of course." He bent over in a bow, holding up the ticket in front of him in a cheesy, grand gesture. "For my lady-non-date."

She slapped his arm playfully, taking the ticket out of his hand. "Why thank you, oh romantic one."

"That's what they call me." He straightened up, the smile still plastered onto his face. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight."

Aria nodded. "Eight's good."

He said goodbye, and she watched him walk down the hallway away from her.

Noel Kahn had always been the one she wanted. But, unfortunately, he was always the unattainable one. There had always been another girl in his life, and even though she had been friends with Ali at the time – which put her on a pedestal – Ali always stood higher than the rest of them. She had been like the brightest star who outshined even the closest to her. While everyone knew who the other four of them were, it was impossible not to know Alison's name. Even though she treated everyone like crap, they all seemed to still want to be her friend.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Aria walked into her history class. She walked down the middle aisle, taking her seat next to Hanna in the back who was currently staring at her phone with an odd expression.

"You okay?" She asked, pulling out her binders.

"Are you going to Homecoming with Noel?" Hanna asked, lifting her head from its position to look at her friend.

Aria stared at her in bewilderment. "How did you know that? He asked me like five seconds ago."

"Sean texted me."

"Oh."

Hanna sighed. "What about Fitz?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "We're just going as friends, Han. He's not a threat to Ezra. Not by a long shot."

"Why would you want to go with that douchebag anyways, though?" Hanna pushed. "He never spared you a single glance freshman year, and the only reason he is now is because you're back from a foreign country with a bolder and sexier look."

"It's really not that big of a deal, Hanna." Aria sighed, scribbling on her notebook.

"Then why are you doing it in the first place?" She continued. "Honestly, Aria, don't be the type of girl who falls for a good looking guy just because he's pretending to care about her so he can get in her pants."

She knew she should keep her mouth shut, but the frustration within her continued to build and Aria huffed out in anger, turning to her friend. "And what's your excuse then?" She asked sharply. "If I remember correctly Sean used to think you were a freak. You think that just magically changed over a year and he got to know the real you? No, he likes you because now you're skinny and have nice clothes and don't eat everything in sight."

As soon as the last part left her lips, Hanna's mouth dropped slightly in hurt, and a small amount of regret filled Aria's chest.

Letting out a breath of almost disgust, Hanna grabbed her backpack and binders and stood up, moving to a seat along the next aisle. She slammed her books down on the desk, creating a curtain with her hair to block out view of Aria completely.

Aria sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. If there was one thing she had gotten from Ali, it was her inability to shut her mouth when she was crossing a line. It tended to cause her to not only cross it, but practically erase the line entirely.

Class dragged on, and by the time the bell rang, Hanna was out of her seat and through the door before Aria could even stand up.

xxx

Standing in front of her mirror, Aria smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. She tilted her head to the side, trying to decide whether it fit the occasion or not.

Her phone buzzed on her dresser, and she picked it up, opening the new text message.

"I miss you.

Come over tomorrow? – E"

She smiled slightly, her fingers moving over her phone keys as she quickly typed a reply.

"I miss you, too. Can't tomorrow, though.

How does a Saturday movie marathon sound?

Before hitting send, her fingers hovered for a moment, trying to think of how to sign it off. He usually ended his messages with the simple '-E', but for her to do it the same way made her stomach churn.

She sighed, settling with 'Aria xoxo', before hitting send.

Turning back to the mirror, she gave the dress a final look before deciding it would work well for tomorrow. Her phone buzzed again.

"Sounds like heaven. Can't wait. –E"

She smiled and bit her lip at his response, tossing her phone onto her bed.

"You look nice." A voice came from behind her, and she looked in the mirror to see her mother standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. "What's the occasion?"

"Homecoming's tomorrow." Aria told her, walking into her bathroom for a moment to unzip and step out of the dress, hanging it on the back of her door before slipping on a sweatshirt and sleep shorts and walking back into the room.

Ella raised her eyebrows. "Who's the date?"

Aria shrugged. "It's not really a date. Just a friend."

Ella nodded, and Aria quickly caught the strange look on her face. "Is something wrong?"

Sighing, her mother moved further into the room to stand in front of her. "Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?"

Aria's mood immediately soured, and her face dropped. "Yeah."

"I'm moving out tomorrow."

Stiffening up, Aria shook her head. "Do you still love dad at all?"

Ella hesitated for a moment, seeming to really think through the question before she responded. "A part of me will always love your father. But I need to leave because-"

"Because it's easier to walk away than to fight for what you really want." Aria finished, a tear betraying her and slipping down her face.

Ella shook her head, taking Aria's hands into her own. "You're young, sweetheart. There are… a lot of things that are going on here that are… just outside of your reach."

Aria shook her head, her anger flooding through her again as she ripped her hands out of her mother's. "Yeah well, this isn't one of them." She snapped, turning her back towards her and making herself busy with the clothes on her bed.

She could hear Ella sigh behind her and she locked her jaw, trying to stop anymore tears from falling from her eyes.

"I picked up some Chinese." Ella told her softly. "I'll leave it on your desk for you."

A few moments later she heard her door close gently, and she huffed, shoving all of her clothes of her bed to try and release some of her anger. She turned around, seeing her favorite chicken and soup sitting on her desk with a fortune cookie on top.

An idea came to her, and she shook her head at her naïve imagination, but walked forward to grab the fortune cookie in her hands anyways.

Just one sign that something good will happen soon. She thought as she ripped open the cookie, cracking it in half and pulling out the small slip of paper. Anything.

Unfolding the paper in her hands, she took a deep breath to try and calm herself, swallowing hard before reading the words to herself.

A gasp immediately escaped her lips, and she tossed the paper onto the desk as if it had burned her, stepping backwards until she reached her bed. She shook her head, curling over onto her side and closing her eyes, her appetite suddenly gone.

She tried to relax herself and get her thoughts to stop spinning erratically in her head, but they kept focusing on the words they read on the paper five feet away from her.

Liars tramps and bitches oh my! There's no place like Homecoming. See you there. -A

Author's Notes:

I suck. I really do. And I'm a terrible person for not updating this story fast enough. But I love all of you so much, and I'm honestly trying to find more time to write; I swear. I love writing it just as much as you love reading it!

Keep up the wonderful and glorious reviews; they're the one thing that makes me believe that sitting down to write this story has value. (Super cheesy line right there).

Next chapter: Homecoming!

Kiss Kiss Kiss.