September 2nd, 2013

Aria sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her hands in his, "I- I'm so sorry..." she said softly. He looked into her warm hazel eyes as his breathing slowed. She knew this was it. She could see his eyelids getting heavier and how hard it was for him to stay awake. Aria collapsed onto his chest, crying, hoping she would get to hear his voice one last time, "Please, Ezra. I love you."

He took one final breath and pressed his lips to her ear, using any strength he had left to speak...

"I hate you," he whispered.

The steady beeping turned solid as she wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

June 10th, 2013

"Ezra, stop!" Aria giggled as his fingers danced along her stomach. She tugged on his arms which were wrapped around her waist, her back pushing against his chest as she struggled to get out of his grasp. "Ezra!" She let out a playful yelp and managed to turn towards him, still locked in his embrace.

Ezra continued to laugh when he saw the frown on Aria's face, "What?" he asked, giving her an innocent smile.

"I'm serious."

"Fine you win," he grinned. "Like always." He set her free and walked to the kitchen.

Aria fell back onto the couch and let out a sigh. "Everything alright?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing, it's stupid."

He handed her a cup of coffee before sitting down himself, lifting her legs and placing them over his lap, "Aria..."

"I just missed you." She smiled into her mug as she took a sip, glancing up at him shyly.

He ran his hand up and down her leg, "I was only gone for a few days."

"A few days too many." She put her mug down on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I don't like it when you're gone."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not gonna be gone anymore."

"No more trips?"

"No more trips," he said, smiling.

"Wait..." she smiled back and brought him closer to her, "Does this mean you got the editing job?"

"This means we're going out for dinner tonight."

Aria's face lit up as she crashed her lips against his. Ezra flew back in surprise before he returned the kiss, running his tongue along her lower lip. She allowed his tongue to slip into her mouth and pushed on his chest, causing Ezra to lie down with her on top of him. The two continued to move their bodies in perfect rhythm, lost in the passion of their kiss. Ezra ran his fingers through Aria's long wavy hair as her hands rested on either side of his head.

The sound of Aria's phone ringing in the kitchen made her sit up. "Let it go..." Ezra said, pulling her face back down to his. Aria gave him one more kiss before getting up, causing Ezra to groan as she lifted herself off of him.

Aria picked up her phone, "Hello?" she answered. "Oh, hey mom."

Ezra walked over and stood behind her, moving her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck. A cold shiver ran down Aria's spine as his lips brushed against her neck, "Yes mom, I'm with him right now." Aria could feel Ezra smile against her skin. "No I won't be home tonight, we're going out for dinner." Ezra's warm breath swept over her ear, "Okay, mom, I love you but I really have to go. Bye." Aria quickly ended the call and Ezra took the phone out of her hand, placing it on the counter.

"Ezra, you really need to stop doing that," she said, looking over her shoulder.

"Doing what?" he whispered into her ear, resting his hands on Aria's hips.

"That, especially when I'm talking to my mother."

"It's not my fault I can't control myself when I'm with you," Ezra smiled.

"It's entirely your fault."

"Well then I guess this is my fault too..." Ezra swept her off of the ground and carried her over to the bed.

"Ezra! Put me down!"

"As you wish, my love." He threw her gently on the bed and climbed on top of her, immediately pressing his lips to hers. She helped Ezra remove his shirt and toss it to the side. Her fingers were tangled in his hair as he made his way to her neck.

"Ezra..."

"Mmm?" Ezra mumbled.

Aria placed a hand on his chest, "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the gift bag on his dresser.

He lifted his head to see where she was looking, "It's nothing." He turned back to her, leaning in for another kiss, but she pulled back again.

She got off the bed and walked to the dresser, "Doesn't look like nothing."

Ezra reluctantly stood up, "It's a present. For you."

Aria raised an eyebrow and picked up the card next to the bag, "For me?"

His eyes shifted to the floor, "I was gonna give it to you at dinner."

"To the love of my life," Aria read, "There isn't anywhere I'd rather celebrate than here with you. No matter what happens after this summer, these past few years have been the best of my life. I love you more than anything, Your Ezra."

Ezra turned bright red as Aria reached for his hand, "It sounds better when you don't read it aloud," he said.

She smiled, "Baby, nothing is going to happen next year. It's only college."

He let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I guess."

"Nothing will change. It'll just be a new city, that's all."

"New city, new friends... New boys."

Aria touched his face, forcing him to look at her. "Okay, stop. Don't do that."

"What? It's true."

"I love you, Ezra. I'll love you forever. You are coming with me next year and we are going to start our lives together. No more parents getting in the way, no more small town drama, just you and me."

Ezra bit his tongue, wanting desperately to say how wrong she was, but he kept quiet and smiled.

"Now can I open the actual present or are you really going to make me wait?" she asked, pleading with her eyes.

He sighed, "Aria, you know I can't say no when you look at me like that."

A smug expression crossed her face. "I know," she said, ripping open the bag.

Inside there was a small box with a golden bow wrapped around it. She untied the bow and lifted the top to reveal a stunning skull necklace with matching earrings. Her jaw dropped as she took in the beautiful sight. Her index finger slid over the silver chain and skull accent before moving on to the earrings.

"You like them?" Ezra asked.

Aria snapped out of her daze, "Like them? Ezra, these are perfect!"

He picked up the necklace, "Here, turn around." Aria spun around eagerly, letting out a small gasp as the cold metal touched her chest. He clasped it shut and she reached down to play with the jewelry resting around her neck.

She turned to look in the mirror, "It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you."

Ezra gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Anything for you."

Aria was still working on the seemingly finished chocolate lava cake that was sitting in the middle of the table.

"You know, I don't think there's anything left on there for you to eat," he said, laughing.

Aria swiped her finger along the bottom of the plate, picking up any remnants of the dessert and putting it in her mouth. "You're just a pessimist," she said, wiping her hand on her napkin and taking the last sip of champagne from her glass.

A huge smile spread across his face as he looked at the beautiful girl sitting across from him. So mature yet so young and playful at the same time. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd been to know such an amazing woman, and at the same time he couldn't help but think how unlucky she'd been to have met him. He knew that it could never end well, but it was the times like this that he forgot about the world and all of their misfortune.

A waiter placed the paid bill on the table and Ezra quickly slipped his credit card back into his wallet. "Ready?" he asked as he finished signing the slip of paper, "Or perhaps you'd like to lick the plate?"

Aria glared at him as she stood up, rolling her eyes when he extended his arm to her. He chuckled to himself, "I'm sorry. Shall we?"

She put her arm through his and the two walked out of the restaurant.

The cold wind felt extremely harsh against Aria's bare shoulders. Ezra noticed her shiver and offered her his jacket, placing it around her body as she willingly accepted it. Ezra called for a taxi and brought his arm around Aria's waist, pulling her closer to him. It didn't take long for the driver to arrive and Ezra opened the door, allowing Aria to step inside before him.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Rosewood," Ezra said, closing the door as he got in.

The taxi started up and Aria leaned against Ezra's chest, her head resting on his shoulder. "Thank you for tonight," she said, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers.

"It's my pleasure," Ezra replied.

He brought her hand up to his lips and laid a small kiss on the backside of her palm. Aria closed her eyes and let herself doze off in his arms. He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled. He moved his mouth to the side of her face and whispered, "I love you, Aria. Forever."