Team Sparia

Chapter 7 - "Thanks for the coffee."

Aria's POV
"Aria?" A voice asks and I tear my focus away from Spencer.
"Ezra?" I ask caught a little off guard by his presence. I'm sure he was supposed to be out of town? I look back at Spencer, her mouth was closed now, and her jaw was clenched whatever she had been planning to tell me, was now forgotten. I stood up to greet Ezra and to my surprise he wrapped his arms around me in an embrace which made me feel awkward. "I- I thought you were out of town?" I ask breaking the awkward hugging.
"I was, I had a family emergency but now I'm back." He glances over my shoulder at Spencer. "Hey Spencer." He says.
"Hey Mr Fitz." Spencer replies sounding a little agitated. I see Ezra's brow fold into a frown at Spencer's tone.
"You can call me Ezra now, I'm not your English teacher anymore." Ezra says a kind smile on his face.
"Sorry, must have slipped my mind." Spencer sounded a little annoyed and I wanted to ask what was up with her but with Ezra here I knew she would never tell me.
"I should probably get back to..." I trail off signalling towards my best friend who was sitting at our table.
"Oh, yeah, maybe we could grab something to eat tonight? I have something I need to discuss with you." Ezra raises his eyebrows and his piercing blue eyes held my gaze fiercely but all I could think about was how my feelings for him were completely different now. If this was a getting back together dinner I really didn't want to join him on it.
"Um, I don't know." I reply a little awkwardly.
"Please it's important." He says and his tone implies that it really is something important.
"Okay but text me the deats?" I ask wanting to return to the safety of Spencer.
"Great." He says one last time before walking away into the kitchen. I turn my attention back to Spencer who was tapping her fingers on the table, I'd noticed she did that when she felt nervous or agitated. "Are you okay?" I ask and Spencer's head snaps up as if just realising where she was.
"I'm fine, Aria." She most certainly did not sound fine.
"Really because it sounds like you're mad at me?" I press for more information but all she gives me is a firm shake of the head. "What were you going to tell me?" I ask steering the subject away from Ezra and Spencer's unusual behaviour.
"Nothing. It's not important." She replies shortly.
"Okay, what the hell? Have I entered an alternate universe or something? Why are you acting like this?" I ask unable to contain my anger at Spencer's tone. Spencer shoves her coffee cup across the table and stands up abruptly.
"I said its nothing. Thanks for the coffee." And with that she walked out the shop and I hear her car as she pulls away. Did I do something? I didn't have time to dwell on it because my phone beeped and woke me from my daze. It was from Ezra.
I know this cute vegan restaurant, I'll pick you up at 8? x - E
I sigh before I text him back with a quick agreement. I wasn't sure I could do anything right now because my thoughts were full of one person and she happened to be my best friend. Spencer Hastings. I pull my phone from my pocket and start to text someone who would take my mind off of Spencer even if it was just temporary.
I'm coming over, be there in 5 xx - Ar

I pull up outside the familiar house I had spent so many hours in. I was starting to consider all three of my friends houses as somewhere I could go for refuge if I ever needed it. I walk up the pathway that I must have done for at least the millionth time and knock on the door. I wait patiently for her to answer, I hadn't had a text back but I just assumed that she had got it. I hear the door lock click and open and I smile at Hanna who was standing on the other side of the door. "Emily just left." Hanna says opening the door wide enough for me to come in.
"I thought you were going shopping?" I ask curious.
"We were but she bailed as soon as I got home. Said she had a date with Paige." Hanna says rolling her eyes and making her way upstairs. "What about you?" She asks catching me off guard.
"What do you mean?" I ask a little too defensively.
"Aria, I'm your best friend. I know when something's bothering you." Hanna leaps onto her bed before turning on her side to look at me directly.
"It's Spencer." I say unable to avoid the fact that what she had done had hurt me a little.
"Did she tell you?" Hanna says sounding very surprised.
"What?" I ask and when Hanna bites her lip I frown. "Did she tell me what?" I press.
"She was going to tell you about..." Hanna struggled to come up with a cover and I could see that.
"It doesn't matter." I say dismissing Hanna's weird words. "She was just really rude to me and I have no idea why?" I hadn't meant for it to sound like a question, I had meant for it to sound like a statement but I failed miserably.
"Tell me what happened."
"We were having coffee and I asked Spencer if she had something to tell me and it looked like she was going to when Ezra showed up." I say recounting the events in the Brew.
"What happened after Ezra?" Hanna presses.
"He asked me out and I said yes because he said it was about something important that was when Spencer started acting really weird." I say remembering the scene. Lately, I had been feeling something very strange for my best friend Spencer Hastings, it was almost gravitational, I felt drawn to her. I heard Hanna mutter something under breath but I didn't ask her what she said because if she had wanted me to hear she would have said it out loud. "I need your help with clothes?" I ask breaking the small silence.
"You don't need my help Aria, you dress amazing."
"Thanks but this is a dinner with the ex. I can't even begin to think about what I should wear."
"What do you want to wear." Hanna says sounding a little bored.
"Something that says I'm totally over you and I don't want to get back together." Hanna looks up at me suddenly interested.
"So you don't want to get back together with Ezra?" She seemed almost giddy enough to make me slightly suspicious but not enough to ask about it.
"No. That ship sailed a long time ago." Is all I say when in my mind a certain person popped up and I felt my heart race with joy at the image of her. Hanna pushes herself off the bed and motions her hands towards her closet. Maybe I had made a mistake to try and take fashion advice from Hanna but it was too late now, she was already sorting through her shoes.

I hear Ezra pull up outside of my house and I tense with anticipation. My dad was out which was probably a good thing and Mike was staying at a friends so when Ezra knocked on the door I answered it. He wore a simple suit with no tie trying to seem slightly casual. "Shall we?" Ezra asks bending his arm at his waist waiting for me to take it. I hesitate at first unsure that if I did take it he would get the total wrong idea. I shrug and loop my arm through his as he leads me towards his car. When we finally got to the restaurant I had noticed a few things about Ezra, he was acting really nervous. He pulls a chair out for me and I sit in it. He sits across from me and gives me a reassuring smile. "So what looks good?" Ezra asks over the top of his menu.
"Can we skip the formalities and just get straight to it?" I ask and Ezra closes his menu setting it down in front of him.
"Okay..." He trails off looking around the restaurant. "I know." He says and I freeze. His blue eyes were locked with mine now no longer darting around the room. I take a sharp breath in. He knows?
"W-what do you know?" I ask my voice shaking slightly. Ezra raises his eyebrows and leans across the table.
"That you're in love with Spencer Hastings." He whispers.