A/N: thank you for all of the amazing reviews, i cannot say enough how grateful i am that you guys take the time to comment on my stories. it really means a lot. anyways here's chapter two! it will be the last one, but ive got a new chapter for Our New Beginning coming shortly along with a new story. sorry about the ending, i was having a very hard time trying to stop it from sounding corny and i sort of failed with that one... and im sorry about the confusion: italicized means it's in the past or a flashback and the same goes for all of my stories. thank you again! please review!

Black caps filled the sky as the roars and cheers from just-graduated seniors erupted from the crowd. Ezra couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he caught sight of Aria, who was grinning from ear to ear as she hugged the dark-haired girl next to her. He had flown into New York from California that day to see her graduate. It'd been four long years since he saw her in person and he felt breathless in her presence. She seemed really happy, something which in turn made Ezra happy. Maybe not as happy as he'd been with her, but he doubted getting the chance to ever feel that way again. Eventually the noise died down and the sea of black gowns began to disperse, Ezra's eyes following Aria who was walking towards her family. She gave Zack and Ella a warm hug before embracing Mike. Ezra looked for Byron but didn't see him anywhere. Of course.

Ezra heavily debated saying something, perhaps that would make going to his ex-girlfriend's graduation slightly less creepy if he talked to her. Ezra took a moment to wave off a fly that had begun to settle with flying around his head and as soon as he was able to redirect his attention back to the crowd, Aria and her family were nowhere to be seen. He took this as a sign of fate; a sign that he wasn't supposed to reconnect with Aria on this day, or any day for that matter. The story did end when he finished his book after all. He hung his head and glanced down at the small book wrapped in golden paper in his hands. He would at least do what he went there to do in the first place. He picked his head up just in time to see the young brunette who had hugged Aria earlier.

"Excuse me?" he said, immediately regretting the words as they left his mouth. What better way to look like a stalker than stopping some poor girl he didn't even know. She might have just been some random stranger who Aria had hugged in the midst of all the excitement. How could he even be sure this would work?

"Yes?" she answered politely, offering a smile to the stranger.

"Um, sorry... This is going to sound strange but do you know Aria Montgomery?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah of course! I'm her roommate, Sophia."

Ezra laughed nervously. "Oh, great!"

"Do you want me to get her—"

"No, no... Could you just, uh... Could you give this to her when you see her?" He held the wrapped gift out to her and she took it offering another smile.

"Sure."

He sighed in relief and smiled back. "Thank you."

Ezra turned away from the girl, unable to handle the perkiness of the fresh graduate at the moment, and made his way towards his hotel with his hands in his pockets. He wouldn't get to see her but at least she'd finally know the real reason why he left. At least she'd know how much he still loved her. His flight didn't leave until the next morning and he was trying to think of anything he could do to pass the time. As if the world could read his mind he passed by a small bar and stopped in front of it, looking inside and biting his bottom lip before finally giving in and entering. He could really use a drink.

Aria couldn't help the huge smile that had been spread across her face for the entire day. She was officially done with college. She did it. She graduated. She entered her dorm room for one of the last times in her life, a nostalgic feeling hitting her as she looked over the small space. She collapsed onto her bed; tired from all of the attention the day had brought her. She loved her family, but spending long amounts of time with them could be overwhelming for her. She had already changed out of her plain robes and now wore something a little more like herself. She was wearing the same dress she had once worn to Noel Kahn's party back in high school along with a geometric-patterned necklace and a variety of chunky bangles on her arms. Her roommate, Sophia, along with her other friends were gone for the evening with their respective families leaving Aria alone. As she laid there in silence her thoughts drifted to Ezra, something she was bound to think about at least once a day. It had been four years since she saw him but she still refused to let him go. Her head began to ache and she sat up and grabbed her jacket. She needed a drink. Just as she was about to leave a glimmer of gold on her desk caught her eye. She walked over to it and read the sloppy writing on the sticky-note attached to the front: Aria, this was delivered for you. She removed the gold wrapping paper quickly, anxious to see what was underneath it. As soon as she opened it she regretted it. Mistakes by Ezra Fitz. She stood frozen for a moment, staring blankly at the object in front of her. Unable to believe her eyes, she hastily walked out of the room with the book clutched tightly in her hand. She definitely needed that drink now.

Ezra lost count of the number of beers and whiskeys he'd had. He had been at the bar for a good couple of hours, successfully drinking himself into oblivion as he tried to stop Aria from prying her way back into his alcohol-soaked brain. He heard a stifled cry from the back of the bar and turned to see a young woman sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. It took his eyes a few moments to readjust before he realized that the young woman he'd been awkwardly staring at was Aria. He leaned forward to make sure he wasn't fooling himself—nearly falling off of his stool as he did so. He could clearly see that it was Aria, and quickly noticed the familiar book she was reading. He decided that this must have also been a sign; a sign that he and Aria were supposed to reconnect. He begun to get off his stool but sat back down as soon as he realized how intoxicated he was. He'd rather talk to her sober, and when she was finished.

Aria reluctantly set the book down and downed the rest of the whiskey from her glass. She usually didn't care for the taste of it like Ezra did but she needed something strong to get her through the evening. She'd be lying if she said the drink didn't help her feel closer to Ezra, too. She was so wrapped up in his story that she hadn't even noticed she'd spent the last two hours reading; she only had a couple pages left. She looked into the mirror on the wall to her right and frowned; her eyes were red and her face puffy. It was clear she'd been crying, and not the "I'm so happy to be graduating" kind of crying. The past few hours had been a roller coaster for Aria, with Ezra reminding her of every happy and heartbreaking moment of their time together. She could say she was surprised at the amount of detail; the color of her dress or shirt on any given day or the small changes in her expressions that she always thought had gone unnoticed. It both amazed her and made her heart ache as she read line after line of their memories; every important moment captured beautifully in his words.

She took the opportunity to glance around her environment. There were only a few other customers in the bar. There were three men sitting in a booth and chatting and another man alone at the bar, shoulders hunched and a number of tumblers and bottles in front of him. She let out a sigh, feeling a bit sorry for the guy before returning to her previous place in Ezra's book.

Mistakes by Ezra Fitz cont.

My last night with her was perfect, well, as perfect as it could have been given the circumstances. I'd never seen anything so beautiful. She looked up at me and I thought I was going to faint. I wish I could freeze time and stay with her in that moment forever; her head on my chest, my fingers combing through her hair, one of her legs entwined with mine. She made a joke about goodbye sex being the best and it took everything in me not to break down. I asked her why I wouldn't come back and she told me because the memories of her would fade, because I wouldn't want to. I tried to tell her how wrong she was; I couldn't forget her even if I tried, but she made me promise. If I wasn't going to forget her, then I would write a book about her. About us.

The very last time I saw her was on my way to the airport. We hadn't spoken since that night and I had to bite down on my tongue just to stop myself from yelling to her from the taxi window. She was walking down the street by herself—the memory of her running through the rain into my car flashing through my mind—with a cup of coffee in one hand while the other held a phone up to her ear. She looked upset, what about I'll probably never know. Her brow was furrowed and her nose was scrunched in the way it always is when she hears or sees something she doesn't like. Her lips formed a scowl and I couldn't help but notice how cute she looked. It was something that had gotten me in trouble many times before; she'd be angry and I'd be smiling, only because I couldn't believe how someone so utterly pissed off could look so adorable at the same time. I wanted to jump out of the car and hold her in my arms again. Just one more time. Maybe if I'd gotten the chance to kiss her once more it would've convinced her that I should've stayed.

I've come to the conclusion that the best things in life are always unexpected. She came into my life like a bulldozer, destroying everything in its path until she was the only thing left. She became everything. I see her in the passenger seat of my car or in the faces of strangers I pass on the street. She's the rain, clinging to my skin unable to be shaken off. She's in the air beside me at night, reminding me that another body belongs in that empty space. She's the perfect ending to a mediocre movie, taking something bad and turning it to gold before your very eyes. If meeting and falling in love with her was a mistake, then I can only hope that the rest of my life is lucky enough to be so misfortunate. I could write something poetic and romantic about how I feel about her, but the truth is, I love her. I will always love her, and even if I never see her again, when I'm lying on my deathbed I will love her just the same.

Aria let her eyes roam over the pages once more, still feeling like she was in a dream, afraid that she would wake up at any moment to find she'd imagined the whole thing. She almost missed the familiar marking inside of the back cover but her eyes caught it just in time. She turned to it, a smile spreading across her entire face as she brushed her fingertips lightly over the written message.

Congratulations, Aria. Consider this a graduation present.
I'm sorry. For everything.

Always Yours,
Ezra.

She closed the book and let out a heavy breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She needed fresh air. She walked outside of the bar, book in hand, and crossed the fairly empty street to a bench in the small park. Her cheeks were wet with tears and she tried wiping them away with her hand only to find that they were quickly replaced. Aria rested her elbows on her knees and hung her head, closing her eyes to avoid looking at the small book that had caused her a variety of pain and emotion for the past few hours. She missed him, more than she had ever missed him in the past four years. The knowledge alone that he had left because he thought he wasn't good enough for her made Aria want to scream. In a way, though, she felt proud for making him leave. He had written a book, granted it took him four years to do it but still, and now he was finally on his way to the career he'd always wanted. That's what she tried to tell herself, anyways. No matter how much convincing she did, there was still a gaping hole in her heart where one Ezra Fitz should have been.

"I heard the book's shit."

Aria went cold as the familiar voice rang through her ears. She slowly looked up to see him smiling his signature boyish smile down at her. She blinked multiple times at the figure standing a few feet away from her as his hand went to rub the back of his neck.

"I also heard the writer's pretty bad too. Complete asshole," he added, one side of his mouth curving upward into a smirk.

Aria still couldn't move. She stared blankly at him, trying to decide whether or not this was really happening. Ezra Fitz was standing before her. His face immediately fell, his brow lowering.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked hesitantly, the concern in his voice clearly showing.

She could tell he was nervous. Rubbing his neck was an obvious tell. Suddenly, Aria stood up and started towards Ezra. She stopped right before him and Ezra flinched, sure she was about to slap him. What a fool he'd been to assume that one book would be able to change all the horrible things he'd done. Aria had every reason to slap him. Instead, Ezra felt her petite body colliding with his, her arms wrapping around his frame and gripping on to the back of his shirt for dear life.

She let out a whimper as she held him tightly. "Please... Don't ever leave me again."

It took him a moment to return the embrace, taken back by the forward gesture, but he quickly hugged her close to his chest, not intending to let her go anytime soon. To his disappointment she pulled away, a huge smile on her face as her tears became one's of joy rather than despair. He didn't let her get far from him, still holding her close by the small of her back.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I never meant for things in Rosewood to get so out of hand. I wish I could do it over, do it right this time. I wish I could have done more—"

Aria chuckled and shook her head. "Ezra, shut up," she said quickly, then leaned forward so their lips were only millimeters apart. "Just kiss me," she whispered.

Not a second had passed before his lips descended onto hers. Aria couldn't help but smile into his mouth at the cliché they had become. The perfect reunion kiss, filled with fireworks and sparks and every other picture-perfect scenario you could think of. It was horribly overdone yet she wouldn't trade the feeling for the world. She reluctantly pulled back again, taking the moment to stare into his deep blue eyes. Neither of them knew what this meant for them as a couple. Were they back together? Would they move across the country together? But for some reason, none of that seemed to faze them; each too absorbed in the extreme relief and dazed happiness they felt in that moment.

"What now?" Ezra asked, still smiling with that stupid charming smile that made Aria melt.

She let out a breathy laugh. "Who cares?" she said, shrugging. Aria moved her arms to around his neck and pulled his head towards hers so that their foreheads were resting against one another. "I've missed you."

Ezra responded by wrapping her up in his arms once again. She stood on her toes and buried her face into his neck, breathing in the scent that she'd almost forgotten after all their years apart. The distance felt like nothing to them now. Aria chastely kissed his neck and he pulled her as close as she could possibly be to his body. As tough obstacles go, four years apart was ranked high on the list, but both of them refused to wipe the relieved smiles from their faces as they realized just how easily they'd defeated it.

"I love you, Ezra," she whispered.

She felt his grip around her tighten gently. "I love you, Aria. I am always yours, remember?"

"I remember."