Ezria: a new era

3 Months Too Late

Aria's P.O.V

I was kind of excited about my move, a friend from college hooked me up with an apartment to sublet for an undetermined amount of time while he went to New York. He was going for two years, and it was lucky I ran into him on the street when I first arrived. Sometimes the universe really does get it right. For once.

I decided that dwelling on the past with Ezra wasn't good, and if he couldn't get his act together then it would just hurt the both of us. Enough said.

The only thing I couldn't get past was how much I was worrying for Ezra. If we hadn't of had plans that went down hill then I never would have been there to help Ezra. He could of been in a worse state and no one would of arrived to help him.

But worse then that I was worrying about his health now, and if he was going to get any help to deal with whatever pain he is holding onto. He was in desperate need of it, not to mention attempt to tackle the drinking problem he's accumulated.

The only thing that resembled the old healthy Ezra was his touch, that tender gentle loving soul. His touch could send me miles away into space on cloud 9.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 months later

Ezra's P.O.V

I'd finally found her again. As I parked in her driveway to see she was living in a small apartment complex, I took a deep breath in and prepared for the worst.

I'd been going to AA meetings, was on the right medication now to sleep, and had been to one therapy session all for Aria. I wanted her to know I was serious about us, and I could change for her.

I didn't know if I was ready to talk. I wanted to so badly for Arias sake, but it's sketched into my brain and I'll never be able to remove my burdens. Why should I pass them to Aria if I can't deal with them myself? I know though that with time and therapy, I can get through it, and eventually explain everything calmly to Aria.

Knocking lightly on her door, the anticipation to seeing her again was killing me.

"Okay, you go ahead I'll be there in a minute." I could hear her voice faintly through the door, sounding happy and amused.

As the door opened, Arias smile faded and became a straight line.

"Hi." I said politely, feeling a little awkward. Who was she talking too before?

Aria continued to stare at me, searching me over and looking confused. "You look... really good."

"You sound surprised." I said back curiously. Man, I must have looked like shit before.

"I guess I am, uh," Aria looked back inside and widened her eyes. "I'm sorry, why are you here?"

I took a deep breath in. This was it. I was going to beg her if necessary. I needed my beautiful Aria back.

"You coming in or what, who was at the door?"

A man emerged looking around the same age as Aria, wearing nothing but a towel and his hair damp.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know-" He began before I cut him off, feeling embarrassed for not realising she could move on.

"Nah it's fine, I'm Ezra." I put my hand out to get a wet handshake back. As I wiped the water off onto my pants I saw Aria bite down on her lips, something she did when she was uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Todd." He simply replied, "I'm going to let you two finish, uh I'll wait Aria." Todd looked concerned, most likely about how Aria was reacting, it probably gave the affect of me looking like an ex boyfriend.

"Okay." Aria replied blankly, straightening her stance and faking him a smile.

I closed my eyes slowly and bit down on my bottom lip. I just couldn't help to frown in annoyance at myself. She moved on, why did I not think that she would?

Because I never could. It was that simple. I never thought to process that thought. And now she was happy, I couldn't strip her of that.

"So you were going to say something?" Aria asked me curiously, playing with her thumbs.

I shook my head slightly and pursed my lips together. She was happy with someone else, and no matter how much I wished it was me, she needed to be happy. I was stupid to think I deserved her.

"Ezra..." The expression on her face was looking desperate, acting as if she needed to explain her actions. I could see her hand move forwards to reach out for me but kept back.

"Does he make you happy?" I asked in a stern tone. If this was another asshole like her last boyfriend I swear to god I would slit his throat.

Aria nodded slightly after squinting her eyes at me. She was concerned, I could tell, but this reassured me a whole lot. "You can't keep saving me Ezra." She quietly said, her voice carried with sadness.

"I'm always going to help you Aria. If you ever need anything... I'd do it for you. I'd do anything for y-"

"I know." Aria said definitively, drawing in a big breath. "But... It's over."

I stood there and realised how good of a liar she really was. How she could even say those words was amazing. The problem was you could tell she didn't believe it. Not in a million years. "It's never going to be over."

I left after that, not being able to hear a rejection. Before I turned around though, I could swear Aria smiled slightly in agreement and blush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arias P.O.V

This was all too much. I thought I'd seen the last of Ezra Fitz, but once again, he found me. The universe just kept pushing us together, the connection between us was undeniable. Even his words were, "it's never going to be over."

But how much more can we take before it's enough? Our hearts and mind have taken enough damage already. He's been shot, I've been attacked, he wrote a book and betrayed me, I kissed his brother, he had an illegitimate child, I threw out the furry lime in his fridge.

He found me though. He actually came back... And he looked good... different... changed. Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see and our hearts will be broken again if I let him in.

Every time we try to be friends, we end up in bed. Being strictly friends is impossible for people with such a deep connection like ours. So that possibility is out.

I sighed, knowing how much I miss him.

"You okay?" Todd appeared before me, still damp and wrapped in a towel.

"Yeah." I replied, waving it off.

No matter how many times I try to move on, nobody is going to be able to keep me content. Because there's only one person who could ever do that to me, who could ever make me feel that kind of love and happiness again. Not in this lifetime.

I keep going back and thinking, what if we met later? What if he didn't meet Ali? What if we met purely by coincidence? Would we still be together?

I'm meant to be happy with Todd but I can't stop thinking about Ezra.

"So you want to have that shower still?" Todd asked, irritating me a little. Horny much?

"No, uh I think I'm going to take a walk actually." I decided, standing up and heading for the door.

"Okay well, I have a meeting soon so I'll probably just head out before you get back." Todd came and kissed my head tenderly.

As he did so, I closed my eyes and guiltily imagined it was Ezra. It wasn't the same, but it made my heart skip a beat.

God, it's so true. It's never going to be over.