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.
I walked back to the table and I looked at him with worry in my eyes.
"Look, Ezra. I love you so much and I don't want you to see this and leave me." I said, beginning to tear up.
"Aria, I can assure you that whatever you want me to see won't ever make me even consider leaving you. I love you." He said, looking straight into my eyes and making me feel that everything would be okay. I unzipped the pouch and poured its contents onto the coffee table and I opened the folder, letting the pictures slip out and onto the table beside the positive pregnancy tests. I then took a step back and allowed him to take it all in.
He didn't know what it all meant or what I was trying to tell him at first, but as he looked closely at the tests he began to figure things out.
I held my breath as he looked at the tests one by one. I wanted to cry. But, by the look on his face, I could tell that he was still trying to comprehend what I was trying to tell him.
"Hold on," He began, a small smile spreading across his face,"does this mean what I think it means?"
"It does. I'm...pregnant..." I whispered, sitting down on the opposite couch and gently handing Ezra one of the photos. He took the picture from my hand and examined it closely, before smiling an even larger smile. "And this is a copy of my ultrasound. That's our baby, Ezra."
"Are you serious?!" He exclaimed, standing up. I looked up at him, still confused as to what his take on the situation was.
"Why would I joke about something like this? This is real." I said while still trying to hold back tears. This time, however, it wasn't my crying that cut me off.
"Aria, this is the happiest moment of my life! I can't believe it-I'm gonna be a dad!" He said, laughing and smiling. These were the words I had so hoped I would hear him say.
"You're happy? Like, really happy?" I asked.
"Of course I'm happy! I'm ecstatic! I love you so, so, SO much, babe. So much." He exclaimed happily. His happiness was genuine, and that made mine genuine as well.
I was going to say something, but it was interrupted by Ezra picking me up off the couch and spinning me around. Then he gently put me down, put his hands on my hips, and pulled me into a passionate kiss. We had kissed before, but never like that. It was incredible. We hugged for a long time after.
Suddenly, I heard Ezra sobbing into my hair. I quickly pulled away a bit.
"Ezra, what's wrong?" I said, worriedly.
"I'm - just - so - happy!" He said in between sobs and laughs.
Then, he knelt down onto the floor and kissed my still-flat stomach. He was still laughing and crying when he whispered something that I could just barely hear to our unborn child.
"I cannot WAIT to meet you." He whispered as he continued to cry at my feet. Witnessing this tender moment, I couldn't help but cry, too.
Then, he slowly stood up and scooped me up. He carried me to the bed and gently dropped me onto the mattress. He then crawled into bed with me.
"Aria, I love you so much." He said, moving his arm over my waist so that his hand now rested where my baby bump would soon be.
"I love you too, Ezra." I said whilst placing my much smaller hand on his.
He picked his head up and looked at me with a spark in his eyes; the kind of spark that could light up a room. He gently caressed my cheek and smiled.
"We're going to have a baby." He said, a huge smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah." I replied. "Yeah, we are."
Although I hadn't planned on staying over, I wasn't planning on going home at this point. A small part of me had expected Ezra to be slightly offset or maybe even angry when I told him. I don't know why I thought that. I know he didn't want me to go home, either. I'd stayed over before, and I knew for a fact that he and I both slept better when we were together. And going home all giddy and teary eyed would only raise suspicions.
"Please say you'll stay." He whispered as he took my hand.
"We're not going anywhere." I answered, bringing our linked hands over to my stomach. He chuckled and kissed my forehead before turning off the lamp on the bedside table. We didn't even change our clothes.
I snuggled up close to him, and soon, we were both asleep.
Ezra's Point of View:
After Aria fell asleep, I laid awake for several hours. I thought about how much our lives were going to change. I thought about how much I would love our baby when he or she got here. And most importantly, I thought about how much I loved my girlfriend, who had fallen asleep in my arms peacefully.
I was honestly completely ecstatic. After Maggie and Malcolm, I never thought I wanted any children. Maggie lied to me, and I thought I had a son. But, I knew for a fact that this child was ours; Aria's and mine.
I was, however, also incredibly nervous. I didn't know the first thing about being a parent, especially one to an infant. But, I knew that Aria and I could do it. Judging by the way she loves me and I love her, I knew that we would be absolutely fantastic parents to our future son or daughter.
As I held her in my arms, I noticed how tightly she was holding onto me. Was she really that nervous about me potentially leaving her after she told me? I felt immensely guilty; especially now that I had realized how scared she must've been. I love her so much, and I never want her to be afraid to tell me anything, ever. And I knew that I was going to love our child just as much as I love her.
Seeing as she was gripping my left arm in her sleep, I carefully moved my right hand over her waist as not to wake her and rested it on her lower abdomen. I could've sworn I felt something, but I believe now that that was just my excitement speaking.
That's when I knew. I knew I wanted to be able to have her next to me every day of my life. I wanted to wake up next to her every morning. I wanted to start a family with her. I never wanted to let her go. I wanted to marry her, my beautiful girlfriend who was now carrying my child.
I gently kissed her neck and rested my head lightly on her shoulder as she slept, and whispered a heartfelt "I love you" before falling asleep with her in my arms.
Tomorrow's gonna be a big day.
