Pretty Little Liars: The Beginning {Episodes 1-10} (REVISED)

34. Aria 📚

It was pouring rain when Aria stepped outside of her favourite hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in downtown Rosewood. She was clutching her favourite hot coffee in her hand, hoping that it would keep her warm against the chill of the wind and rain. She pulled her jacket closer to her body, bracing herself for the downpour.

The street was completely empty as Aria began her trek home, aside from two stragglers who had the good sense to bring umbrellas. She had almost called one of her friends to come pick her up, but she hadn't thought the rain would be so bad. Her hair and clothes were completely soaked within seconds, and she was shivering badly. She would be surprised if she wasn't sick by the time she got home.

As she passed the hardware store, she saw a silver car coming up the road beside her. She thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen it before. Then again, it really did look like just about every other car in Rosewood. As she glanced in the windows, however, a familiar pair of soft blue eyes was staring back at her, concerned.

Ezra must've lived in that area. Why else would he be all the way on this side of Rosewood in the middle of a rainy day? Or maybe he had also been at a coffee shop, maybe a couple of blocks away from Aria, reading the same two pages of Ulysses that he'd been reading the day they met. Whatever the case may have been, the moment that their eyes locked together felt endless. For a moment, Aria thought he might stop, invite her into the warmth of his car, or even his arms, his lips. But he kept driving.

She watched his car venture further down the street, leaving her behind in the cold. Aria felt a little betrayed. Just because they weren't together anymore didn't mean he had to stop helping her out completely. If the roles were reversed, she would've stopped for him in a heartbeat. She watched him slow down at the stop sign, and just when she thought that he would turn the corner, the passenger side door flew open.

Aria ran to the safety ion Ezra's car, immediately soaking in the dryness of the warm air blowing through the vents. They didn't speak at first, just driving silently through the streets leading toward Aria's house. She couldn't find the words to say anything to him. She wanted to tell him everything that she had been thinking ever since she went back into his classroom, everything she had been feeling since their first kiss at the Hollis Bar.

Ezra pulled to the side of the road around the corner from Aria's house. Before she could stop herself, she pulled him in for a kiss, running her hands through his curly hair, while he did the same for hers. It was like a release of every thought either one of them had had, an explosion of love and passion that steamed up the windows of the car. That was all it took for Aria to know that Ezra really did love her. There was never any doubt about that in his mind.

When they finally pulled away from each other, they were breathless and still speechless. Aria thanked him quickly for driving her home and walked the rest of the way to her house. The rain had slowed considerably, but she was still dripping when she opened the door and stepped inside. No matter how much it rained, it would never wipe the smile off her face or wash away the memory of that perfect kiss.

"We need to talk. You can't keep doing this."

Aria felt like she had just fallen fifty feet. Her father was sitting on the couch, a book propped open in his hands. As far as Aria knew, he'd been home all day. Was it possible that he had seen her with Ezra? There was no way. He couldn't have gotten home before she did, not to mention dry. Unless someone told him, someone who already knew about their affair.

Mr Montgomery closed the book he was holding as Aria turned to face him. He wasn't smiling; in fact, Aria was pretty sure he hadn't looked this serious in months, years even. It was a look that told her that she was in trouble, a lot of it. Ezra could lose his job or go to prison if anyone found out what was going on between them.

"You're not very good at hiding your feelings, and your mom knows something's up," Mr Montgomery continued. Panic began to build up in Aria's chest. Her mom must've noticed something that day at the theatre. "Look, Aria, I don't like to lie, but sometimes telling the truth does more harm than good. Now, when we were in Iceland, you found a way to let go of what happened."

Aria's fear quickly turned to anger. This conversation wasn't about Ezra at all. He was in the clear. Mr Montgomery wanted to talk about his stupid affair with that stupid blonde, Meredith. The question that ran through her mind every time she saw her dad came out of her mouth without her permission. "Are you seeing her again?"

She didn't know if she really wanted him to answer. "She teaches at Hollis, so I do see her," Mr Montgomery replied. "But not like that."

Aria stepped into the living room, completely forgetting her clothes were soaked, and sat down across from her father, setting her bag next to the table beside her. She didn't know if she was more angry or worried. She didn't want to be mad at her dad forever, but she couldn't let go of what happened. When they lived in Iceland, it was easier to let go because it wasn't staring her in the face every day. Now that they were back in Rosewood and her dad was back at Hollis, it was on her mind constantly.

"Were you in love with her?" Aria asked.

"I had very strong feelings for Meredith," Byron admitted, "and my attraction to her took me completely by surprise. I had no intention of being unfaithful to your mother. You're too young to understand this, but the truth is I gave into my emotions."

Aria understood completely. How else could she explain why she had kissed Ezra so hard not five minutes ago? She'd always had a hard time keeping her emotions in control as it was, but with everything going on, it seemed to be even harder.

At that moment, Mrs Montgomery and Aria's brother, Mike, came through the front door both carrying brown bags full of delicious-smelling food. "Mr Chung was very happy to see us," Mrs Montgomery said once she got the door shut. They brought the food into the sitting room.

Mr Montgomery's entire demeanour changed as soon as she walked into the room. "From the looks of all this food, I'm sure that he was," he said with a chuckle.

Mrs Montgomery smiled at Aria. "We got you kung pao," she said.

"You're not going out tonight?" Mr Montgomery asked her.

Aria reached out for the bowl of kung pao tofu and looked at her father. "No, I think I'll stay home," she said with a smile.

"I like the sound of that," her mom said as she began to pass out food around the centre table.

It would be nice to stay at home for a change. Aria felt a need to be closer to her family than she had been since they had come back. She didn't know how long she had before things would start to change again. Aria thought that maybe if she kept a closer eye on her dad, that maybe nothing like what happened with Meredith would ever happen again.

"I'm gonna go get out of these wet clothes, okay?" she said as she stood up and grabbed her bag.

Aria made her way to the staircase and began to climb the steps. When she got about halfway up, she paused and turned back to her family. Her father was trying to force some of the extra food into her mom's bowl. It seemed she had bought way more food than she had meant to. Things finally were starting to get back to normal in her house.

Her phone chimed in her bag. She reached for it, thinking that maybe Ezra was messaging her to make sure she had made it inside. He was thoughtful like that. When she looked at the notification, her heart sank. It wasn't Ezra.

When students kiss teachers, 

someone gets HURT. That's a 

promise I'll keep... --A

Someone had seen. Someone was still watching every move that she made. She needed her family now more than ever, and she needed to make sure that everyone she cared about stayed safe. Aria needed to find out who A was as soon as she could.