Mere Chance: An Ezria Fanfiction

V. Now or Never

As I entered Ezra's tiny apartment, I felt a sense of calmness engulf me. I always felt at ease here, both when Ezra was by my side watching one of his old "classic" films or when he was working and out of the house. I like to believe that's because his presence is always here.

I plopped myself down onto his couch and pulled out a photo from the folder I had in my purse. I looked at it closely, tracing my fingers around the edges of the photograph and the outline of the miracle in the picture. It made me so happy to be able to have tangible evidence of my baby. I had to hold my breath to keep myself from letting my hormones take over completely and make me cry.

Then, I took one of the pictures and slipped it into a transparent pocket in my wallet, where I could always see it. I picked up the remaining photos and the folder in which they came and stuffed them into my purse.

"I'm seriously hoping that my future diaper bag will be bigger than my purse." I said, laughing.

I grabbed a book from Ezra's bookshelf and sat on his bed that we sometimes shared and read until I fell asleep.

I was awoken by the sound of keys jingling outside the door and the doorknob turning. I jolted awake and sat upright on the bed as an exhausted and disheveled Ezra Fitz walked through the door after his excruciatingly long staff meeting at Rosewood High and set his briefcase on the floor.

He looked happy to see me there, waiting for him to return home. However, he didn't know the real reason I had come to see him.

"Welcome home, babe. Did you have a nice day?" I said, getting up off the bed to greet him.

"Well, now it's an even better day." He replied, flashing a pearly white smile.

"Is that my shirt?" He asked, smirking.

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind." I replied, smiling.

"Of course I don't mind. It looks better on you, anyway." He said, walking over to me.

He pulled me into a tight embrace, and then he kissed me. I've always loved kissing him. It makes me feel so safe and calm. He has this way about him that just makes you instantly feel like everything is going to be alright. I think this is partially the reason he became a teacher.

Then, he scooped me up bridal-style and laid me on his couch. He sat down and pulled me in closer. He took my hand and looked at me with his beautiful eyes. He had this look on his face that makes you feel completely calm one moment, and nervous the next.

"Aria, what's been going on lately? You seem tense." He said, pushing a few stray hairs out of my face and behind my ear.

"Baby, you know how much I hate to see you upset. Seeing you stressed makes me stress about your stress and then I'M the one stressing."

I laughed. He always knows how to make me laugh or cheer me up. I was completely positive that he was going to make a wonderful father. But, that's only if I told him. It's now or never.

"Actually, I did need to talk to you about something." I said, suddenly growing serious. I unknowingly crossed my arms over my abdomen.

"Aria, I know every single one of your nervous ticks, and that's not one of them." He said, nodding towards my crossed arms. I quickly uncrossed them.

"Sorry," I said, growing even more nervous than before,"but I really do have something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead, babe. You know you can tell me anything, right?" He said. I saw that he was growing worried.

"I know. I just-" I paused. I didn't know how to tell him. I was too nervous. So, I settled on another idea.

"Can you...wait here? Only for a minute. I'll be right back." I said. He nodded and let go of my hand. I kissed him on the head and walked over to my purse. I pulled out the folder and my tampon bag that held the five positive tests that I had taken two days ago. Even though I was still turned away from him, I could almost feel the anxiety and fear emitting from his body at what the news that I so desperately needed to tell him was. The silence that filled the room was so intense, you could literally hear a pin drop.