“ARIA!” Hanna screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw me. Gosh, Hanna’s voice just made my eardrums bleed. Ezra and I were still panting from our fits of laughter, moments before Em, Spence, and Han came in.
“Hey guys.” I said happily, seeing them again. There was a moment in my life that almost killed me and I was lucky to cheat death and I almost left the ones I love without telling them I love them or that I appreciate here for me. “You guys know I love you and I don’t know what I’ll do without you, right?” I said and I felt tears prick my eyes but I didn’t want to release the unshed tears in front of everyone.
“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, short stuff.” Spencer said but the way her voice cracked when she finished her sentence, she’s just trying to keep her cool and I smile and snort at the same time as my mind processed what she told me. Short stuff, huh?
“I love you too, Ar. I don’t like you scaring us like that ever again, okay?” Emily sobbed while Spencer is side-hugging her, making Spencer’s white top damp in the shoulder area.
“I love you too, shorty.” Hanna said as she hands me something.
“What is this?” I asked and they all shrugged at the same time.
“Why don’t you open it?” Ezra asked me and I smile at him, he’s probably right and that was a very stupid question for me to ask anyway.
“What part of ‘don’t’ stress her out’ don’t you understand, Fitz?” Hanna threw at Ezra.
“I was just—“
“Ezra, no. It’s okay, really. Han, he didn’t even stress me. Truth is, we were laughing for like, half an hour before you guys arrived.” I told Hanna but she just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, a familiar stance I knew all too well. She wasn’t going to back down.
“But still!” Hanna stubbornly argued and I don’t like her bad mouthing my Ezra. Wow, saying ‘my’ is still overwhelming, the fact that he’s mine.
“Han, it’s obvious that you don’t like Ezy but try not to show it too much, please? I’m still in the room.” I scolded Hanna but she shot me a weird look.
“Ezy is your nickname for Fitz? Pfft.” Hanna mocked and Ezra frowned. Not because his name was being laughed at but because I didn’t like it.
“Hanna, you are the one stressing her.” Ezra said in my expense and I squeezed his hand and when he looked at me, he squeezed it back and smiled at me.
“These two lovers can’t even keep their hands off each other.” Spencer smirked and Emily just stood there, with unfathomable eyes.
“Where’s mom and dad? Mike?” I ask and they smile at me because I was worried. I don’t normally show it when I’m worried.
“Eating at Burger King. Ella gave us the chance to see you first because they haven’t had lunch yet and considering that’s the nearest food chain here, they ate there.” Emily said and I pout while looking at Ezra.
“Pookie, don’t give me that look.” Ezra chuckled lightly because when I make that face, he knows I need or want something from him.
“Pookie? Are you guys even real?” Hanna scoffed and started to laugh. I know our nicknames for each other aren’t sweet as compared to hers and Caleb’s but…
“What’s your problem, Han?” Spencer asked, clearly annoyed at Hanna’s behavior.
“I mean, they’re like, what? Twenty-odd something years old and they call each other baby names!” Hanna said in between her laughs. Ezra facepalmed and I laugh at his reaction. He doesn’t tolerate annoying people like Hanna but since she’s my best friend, I have to handle her crap.
“Ezy please?” I asked Ezra again, now trying harder with my puppy eyes on and a full pout. He closed his eyes.
“Damn it, Aria. Don’t you take ‘no’ for an answer?” Ezra said, barely containing his annoyance and I giggle some more.
“I just want something from Burger King…” I mewl and Ezra looses it.
“Babe, you’re not allowed to eat anything greasy, too salty and too sweet foods! Do you want to go back here in spend more bed rest?” Ezra admonished me.
“Come to think about it, Burger King will make me stay here and do nothing…” I trailed on as Emily, Spencer, and Hanna tried not to laugh but they lost their control and ended up laughing their lungs off and Ezra ran his hands through his hair, a sign of utter annoyance.
“Being with girls must be so awful.” Mike teased Ezra and mom and dad is behind him.
“Mom! Dad! Mickey Mouse!” I called out and Mike paled when I called him my nickname for him. Mickey Mouse. I snicker at his reaction with complete disgust and embarrassment.
“Honey, are you okay? Are you feeling better?” Ella asked while she checked my temperature and looked at my wounds if they’re okay.
“Yeah, mom. It’s just I need one, teeny, tiny thing…” I said and looked at Ezra with a cheeky grin.
“Oh no, you don’t, little missy.” Byron said, thinking I was talking about having sex with Ezra. To think about it…
“Dad, please! I wasn’t talking about the ‘birds and the bees’!” I said and the girls lost it. They were all laughing hysterically on the floor and I laughed with them.
“Aria, don’t even try to ask them about it.” Ezra scolded me again and I felt like a delinquent 12-year old.
“What is it, honey?” Ella asked while playing with my hair.
“Can I get something from Bur—“
“No!” Ezra said with finality and I pout at him.
“Please?”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No, Aria.”
“Please with a cherry and a kiss on top?”
We continued but Byron cleared his throat. Our mini teasing fight got into his nerves.
“What is it do you want, Aria?” Byron asked and I stuck my tongue to Ezra because with Byron’s tone like that, he’d give anything just so I could shut up.
“Burger Ki—“
“NO.” Byron and Ella said in unison and Ezra smirked.
“Told ya they won’t budge, babe.” Ezra said and chuckled at my loss.
After one week…
((Ezra’s POV))
My alarm woke me up at four in the morning so I could give Aria some of her medicines. Dang it, she has to take it every four hours. I walked groggily and with no life from the living room’s couch up to her room.
“Pookie, wake up. Babe, please.” I begged Aria to wake up I mean, she’s not the only one who has to get up for Pete’s sake!
“Sleep is for the weak and I am weak so sleep is for me.” Aria babbled and I smiled; all the tiredness and sleepiness left my body in an instant. How did she do that within minutes, that I don’t know.
“Baby, you need to drink your meds.” I said and shook her, trying my best to wake her up.
“Fiiiiine.” She whined and took the medicine from my palm and brought it to her mouth and drank a gallon of water from her bedside table.
“Good night, er, morning, Pookie. Sleep well.” I said and tucked her in her bed. Oh how I miss sleeping in a bed…
I walked out of the room but stopped since Aria called me.
“Ezy, sleep beside me.” She said, almost slipping away to sleep but I heard her correctly. Me needing sleeping in a bed didn’t wait for another command and slipped beside her.
I plant a kiss on her temple and cuddled with her.
“Ezra Fitz!” Some authoritarian shouted my name and I am awake in an instant. Who the heck… Oh crap, it’s Byron.
“I told you to specifically sleep on the couch downstairs and I see you at my daughter’s bed rather sleeping comfortably!” Byron hissed and when I thought I’m about to lose my family jewels to the woman I love, she spoke up.
“Dad, I let him sleep in here. He was obviously tired and in need of sleep so I just let him sleep beside me. Nothing happened, I swear.” Aria mumbled, still trying to catch some sleep.
“There better not be.” He said and shot me another look.
It’s obvious I still have to earn Byron’s trust because I already gained Ella’s and Mike’s trusts. Of course, Byron was just being a normal father to his daughter. Overly but sometimes unnecessary protective. If I would become a father like him in the future, hopefully with Aria, I would be like that, too.
I got up and went straight down and saw Mike staring into the thin air.
“What’s wrong, bud?” I asked him, trying to be a close friend to him. He cared and loved Aria deeply as his sister and he was in his worst since Aria’s been admitted to the hospital.
“I-I just feel something’s wired to go wrong.” Mike said helplessly and I was curious enough to ask him, “Why? What is it?”
Mike shook beside me and tried his best not to cry but he did. This kid is having some inner turmoil.
“I had bad dreams about Aria. And my dreams are, uh, how do you put this into words… somewhat like a look into the future and I’m scared about the information.” Mike said as his man tears falls.
“W-what do you mean?” I ask him, now scared about his dream. If his dreams are somewhat psychotic, I should try to listen to this dream because it involves Aria and it isn’t good.
“Something’s just gonna go wrong. I could feel it. And it will happen soon, Ezra. I’m scared. I don’t want to lose Aria. She’s my rock.” Mike said and I pat his back. I heard everything from Aria. Aria was his rock when Ella and Byron’s marriage wasn’t in the best situation and Aria was always there for her brother that’s why in return, Mike looked out for his sister.
“We’ll try to protect her.” I said, trying to sound strong.
Because I should be.
A/N: Wow, I just put up another chapter and I just did yesterday! i'm on a roll! hahah
Anyways, let's be serious now. So I was thinking of changing the title (again, sorry.) to Thirteen Reasons Why. I'm not trying to imitate the book 'Thirteen Reasons Why' by Jay Asher okay ._. I think that it will fit the story's storyline well (and you'll know why soon! ;) )so yeah :) any comment about it? :) The next time i'll upload another chappy and no one protested against the change of title, i'll change it! :D
And please try to read my two other stories! ;) Go to my profile and check it out someday! x
Vote, comment, fan and share! xoxo