Chapter 1

Aria's POV

Aria ran her hand through her glossy shoulder length hair, tousling the beautiful brown tresses while she gazed into the mirror at her boyish figure. She frowned, running her well-manicured hands across her naked body. She huffed, before releasing a dejected breath, her thoughts and her insecurities getting the best of her. Her breasts were too small, the tiny rosebud nipples erect and perfect as the cold air hit them. They were barely a b-cup as she continued examining herself, finding other aspects of her body lacking in some way. She sucked on her naturally peachy bottom lip, her teeth biting into the tender flesh, before she released it. At least they were full and kissable. Her hands uncovered her breasts as they roamed down her flat smooth stomach, feeling a slight flutter in her tummy come alive as it jumped with excitement at the very soft caresses. Her hands touched her narrow hips, then her well-shaped thighs, before reaching behind her to grab her butt, which was round and ample. Well, not totally lacking there, she thought with a little smirk. But she still felt that her body was lacking. It wasn't curvaceous or desirable. No wonder guys were never interested in her, she thought discouragingly as she released another breath of hot air. She still couldn't believe she never had a boyfriend. It wasn't the case for her childhood friends, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. They always had dates, or were in a relationship. She had always be the odd duck out. The plain Jane. The only parts of her that were remotely attractive were her thick brunette hair, fair complexion and her ass, and her big doe like eyes, which were a beautiful honey brown.

She shook herself from her thoughts, needing to get dress already. She didn't have time to wallow in self-pity as she quickly put on a pale pink bra and mixed match underwear, before holding a portion of her hair back from her face so that she could brush her teeth. She knew, it was an odd combination. She really had no one to impress. It wasn't like a guy would ever see her in her bra and panties anyhow. How her body looked couldn't be helped. She had lived with it for the past sixteen years of her live. She wasn't even supermodel tall, but short and very slender. She gurgled the water around in her mouth to erase the minty taste of toothpaste from her mouth, before spitting it out, and then she replaced her toothbrush back in its rightful place inside her medicine cabinet, before grabbing a hair piece to gather her hair into a tight pony at the back of her head. She was nervous and excited to meet her step-brother. All she knew about him was that his name was Ezra and he was way older than her, went to college at California State University, and that he was her stepfather's only kid. Her mother Ella, had only married his father Scott Fitz three months ago. Ezra was all that Scott would talk about, hoping that Ella and Aria took to him. She loved Scott, so she knew that she would eventually end up liking Ezra too.

Aria left out the connecting Jack and Jill bathroom and headed back into her bedroom, looking around the spacious bedroom that was decorated how she liked. She wondered what he would looked like, what type of things he was into, did he know a little about her and Ella, would he like her or Ella, what was he majoring in, would he be okay with sharing a bathroom with her and that his bedroom would be close to hers, what type of foods did he like, was he allergic to anything, what type of drinks did he love, or if he was even okay with his dad marrying her mother. All these thoughts plagued her mind as she rambled through her open closet to find something to throw on, her hands absently reaching for a shirt that had an open back and a pair of shorts, before she got down on her hands and knees to crawl over to her queen sized bed to search for her flip-flops that were made up with flowers, before standing again to put a pair of gold hoops in her ears and bangles around her wrist, grabbed her clutch purse and black sun shades, and then she left out of her bedroom, bounding down the steps two at a time. If she was not mistaken, she remembered Scott saying Ezra was 24-years-old. She even wondered if he had a girlfriend, before chiding herself. Who was she to even want to know? She had no right. It wasn't her business. It was his, if he wanted to share that information with her.

She didn't know why she was so intrigued with Scott's son Ezra. It wasn't like she knew him. She had never had an older sibling. She had always been an only child. Her father Byron had died when she was very young. She couldn't even remember him. Yeah, her mother had dated, but no one right had come along until Scott. He and her mother had dated for almost two years before deciding to tie the knot. In that time, she had never met Ezra. He had always been too busy away at school or traveling around the world with his fashion designer mother Vivienne. She could only image that he was intellect. He had traveled around the world for god sakes. He had lived all over the map, Pairs, Milan and Tokyo, Russia, Germany, and other places she couldn't remember. The things he had seen, had learned. She wondered if he spoke different languages'. She wondered if he'll be keen on teaching her some, she wondered what he was like and he if liked to read, wondered if he liked a certain type of music, and if he would stay with them at least until the summer break was over. Maybe she could even show him around Rosewood, taking him to the hottest hangout spots that other college students' hangout at. She couldn't imagine him wanting to spend his entire summer break with just a 16- year-old girl. Guys considered her boring and unattractive. She knew in her heart that Ezra would think that she was dull as dishwater and plain too. She flinched inwardly, her heart sinking at that notion. If only she had inherited her mother's gorgeous looks. Her step-father Scott was okay looking for an older guy and she knew that Ezra would also inherit his father's good looks. She hated being the odd one out, the unappealing one. She hated feeling self-conscious. She knew that Ezra probably dated gorgeous Ivy League types. She gave a bitter laugh. It sucked being a 16-year-old virgin that had never been kissed. Why did she even care what Ezra would think of her? All she should really care about is if he could honestly accept her as his sister.

She shook her head, shutting off the endless things she wanted to know about Scott's son Ezra and what he'll think of her, her hands going around her waist as she hugged herself protectively. She could smell the aroma of fresh coffee, bacon and eggs, and toast. It was Scott's specialty. She allowed a warming smile to touch her heart-shaped lips. She licked her slightly dry lips, making a mental note inside her head to apply some lip balm. She stepped into the kitchen, instantly spotting Scott over the hot stove as he cooked them both breakfast. Ella had already left for work. She was a successful real estate agent. Scott owned an accounting firm downtown. They both made good money, which was why that could afford the lovely house that stayed in now in a well off gated community. She continued staring at her step- father as he sprinkled a dash of pepper into the white eggs, before dumping the finely chopped tomatoes in. He was a great cook. Ella couldn't cook. She was even awful at cooking herself. She had tried multiple times but failed horribly. He finally looked up at her from what he was doing, motioning her over with a soft smile and a wave of his hand. She went to go stand by him, handing him the sliced Italian sausages', then the red-hot flakes and diced green peppers, and then a big wooden spoon for him to stir everything together. She leaned down towards the skillet, loving the smell of the different flavors merged together. It smelled delicious.

"Can you go get us two plates?" Scott asked her as he removed the skillet from the stove top, then he started to shuffle some pots and pans around, before turning around to retrieve two coffee mugs out of the top cupboard, and then he made his way over to the breakfast table with his hands loaded.

"Sure," Aria said as she moved down the long countertop, searching through the many top cupboards. "Which ones?"

"Doesn't matter, you decide" Scott called back as he walked back over to the stove again to get the skillet and the coffee pot, and then he went back over towards the table, setting everything up. "Did you sleep well last night? I heard you up early moving around, so I decided to get up to make us both some breakfast before I head into the office. Ezra's plane lands this afternoon".

Aria pulled down two green square glass plates, before making her way over to the table and sat down. Green was her favorite color.

"I did," Aria said smiling over at him, before piling her plate up with eggs, bacon, and toast. She took the coffee mug he handed her, watching as he distributed some food on his own plate. "And I know that you're excited to see him, Ezra".

"That I am. I haven't seen Ezra for so long. He has always been traveling around the world with his mother and attending college, but I'm glad he's spending the summer break with all of us," Scott said just before biting into his toast and scooping up some eggs with his spoon. "And I really believe that you and him are going to get along just fine. His never had a younger sibling. His mother and I could never have any more kids".

Aria listened avidly, before asking,

"What is he like, Ezra I mean?" She asked quietly, blowing on her coffee, before taking a generous sip as she watched as the different emotions played across Scott's face when he thought of his son. She could tell that he loved him very much. It was the same way with Ella involving her. She couldn't wait to experience that kind of love with her own children somewhere in the distant future. What? wait, who said that she would even have any kids? A guy had to find her attractive first. She bit down on that harsh reality. It wasn't about her. She bit the inside of her cheek, before licking her dry lips again as she swallowed down the black coffee. "Is he happy your marriage to my mom?"

"Where do I start?" He asked with a laugh, looking over into her eyes, his bright blue eyes smiling. They were striking. She suddenly wondered if Ezra would have his father's eyes. "His smart, driven and honest to a fault, funny, caring, has a bit of a temper, but he's really a good kid. And he loves that I married your mother. He wants me to be happy. I haven't been happy in a very long time until met your mother".

She nodded her head slowly, picking up her fork as she push some more eggs into her mouth and started to chew thoughtfully. Ezra sounded great. She wondered how his relationship with Ezra was. She liked that he was all right with his dad marrying her mother. She never wanted him to hate her, or her mom, or be uncomfortable with the situation.

"How's your relationship with him?" Aria asked hesitantly, not wanting to seem like she was prying as she placed her fork down beside her plate and reached for her mug of coffee again. Drinking coffee was a nasty habit of hers. She had vowed to quit so many times. "I know that you love him very much".

He blew out a drawn out breath, before answering her question.

"Our relationship is not the best, we bump heads a lot, but for the most part, we get along great," Scott answered honestly as he smiled over at her, studying her face with kind eyes. "You and your mother have an amazing relationship, a tight closeness. I only hope that me and Ezra can mend that bridge over the summer break while he's staying with us. And I do love him, I love him a lot".

"You will," Aria said with some encouragement, before stretching her hand out to cover his longer one and gave it a tiny squeeze, and then she pulled it back to finish eating her breakfast. Her eyes connected with his, hoping to transfer some hope into him. "You are a wonderful guy. My mom loves you very much and she's really happy, and you are a wonderful step-dad".

"Thanks, Aria, that means a lot to me," Scott said getting up to engulf her with his big arms, hugging her tight and dearly, before letting her go. She was his daughter and he loved her. "You are a wonderful daughter and I love you".

"And I love you too," Aria said thickly, feeling a small lump forming inside of her throat.

They finished eating in silence each lost in their own thoughts, before he got up to answer the ringing telephone out in the hallway. She got up to wash the dirty dishes, dried them with a dish towel, and then she put them away as he came back into the kitchen looking totally frustrated.

"What is it?" Aria asked with concern as she put the last of the pans away, before giving him her full attention. "Who was that on the phone, was it mom?"

He shook his head no, before running hands through his dark hair that had strikes of grey dusty throughout it and closed his eyes briefly, before he looked directly at her.

"No, it wasn't your mom, it was Ezra. He called to tell me his plane touches down this morning and not this afternoon like we eventually thought," Scott relied, cursing underneath his breath. "I have an important meeting at the office this morning, and I can't possibly make it to the airport in time to pick him up. I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I could get one of my partners' to cover the meeting for me".

"Don't do that. I could pick Ezra up from the airport. I have absolutely nothing going on this morning," Aria volunteered, before instantly regretting it. She really wanted to see and meet him, but she still was a nervous train wreck. Oh well, she couldn't take it back now. She saw the grateful look in Scott's eyes. "That way you can still make your meeting. I mean I'll just be here sitting around until it's time for me to go into work".

"Are you sure?" Scott asked her, not wanting to burden her with the task of driving all the way up to the airport by herself to pick up Ezra. I really could get a partner to cover for me".

"I'm positive, I want to meet him already anyway," Aria stressed with a force smile, before idly hugging herself as she watched the big grin spread across Scott's face. It made the age lines around his eyes and mouth more pronounced. "Do you have the information on his flight?"

"Thanks, sweetheart," Scott said as he walked over towards her to hug her with one arm and kissed her temple, before drawing back. "And I'll go get it now".

She watched quietly as he dashed down the hallway towards his study to recover the information. She took one of her hands and rubbed at her eyes, before gently chewing on her bottom lip, willing herself to get a grip. She applied cherry lip balm as she waited on Scott to come back with the information on Ezra's flight, gazing hard at the beautiful black lashes that framed her large eyes. They were long and very thick. She couldn't believe that she was finally going to meet the infamous Ezra Fitz. She didn't have to wait long for Scott to come back to hand her the information that she needed as she left out the house just as he was making his way further down the hallway to get ready for work in him and her mother's bedroom. She sported her sun shades, before getting behind the wheel of her 2013 black Toyota Highlander, and then she pulled out of the long driveway and made her way to the highway, before starting the hour-long drive up towards the airport as she drummed her black painted fingernails against the steering wheel. She was unaware of just how much Ezra Fitz was about to change her life, make her become very aware of her body.

Yes, my second Ezria story after the success of HLHS. I'm so happy to be back you guys! Please review and let me know if I should continue with this story or not :). If so, then I'll post the next chapter on Sunday.