Catch Me When I Land

Chapter Three

Click.

Ezra woke abruptly to the sound of his apartment door slowing shut. He smelled coffee, so he followed the aroma to his kitchen. Beside the half open pot there was a note.

Sorry, I had to leave early. Thank you for everything.
- Aria.

Ezra frowned, he was hoping he could make them pancakes with chocolate chips, and watch old movies with her all day. It's how they traditionally spend Saturday's. But traditions change, and Ezra had to start to come to realization. Maybe Aria didn't want him anymore. Maybe se was finding comfort in an old flame, because she didn't want to scare off a new one.

He poured himself a cup and sat down in the blanketed couch, and began watching Saturday morning cartoons, seeing that there wasn't anything else worth previewing.

Aria tried her hardest to sneak into the house, it was 7:30 AM on a Saturday after all. But pushing her luck, Byron was sitting at the dinner table reading the news paper. It had Sara Harvey written all over it, which immediately led Aria back to the pit in her stomach thinking about the entire situation.

"Hey dad," she muffled as she attempted to walk fast and forward to her bedroom.

"Sweetie, come here for a second." Internally groaning, she went to sit down across the table from her father.

"I need to ask something, due to all the wonky sleeping patterns, and fleeing to one of three houses at midnight, are you not feeling safe here?" Byron looked straight into Aria's eyes.

She chewed her nails. Was she supposed to say yes? Yes, I don't feel safe here, even with a police car seated outside my house 24/7. Even with my family, who I should feel the most protected around, hovering around me. The problem is that it's true, with all of us wanting to figure it out on our own, leaving the cops out of it, brings in a new level of danger I'm not sure I can handle at this point.

"You can be honest, it's just you and I." Byron was pushing for answer.

"No, no I don't. I feel dangered almost everywhere."

"Almost? Where do you feel safe? I will take you there every chance I can. Just you and me." He reached for her hand, but Aria refused.

"I don't think you would want to join." Aria's coldness warped around the room.

"Can you please just tell me where? Unless it's who I think it's with.." Byron started.

"Yes. Yes, it's with him. I don't know why I feel the way I do when I'm around him, but I do. And I really think that you don't want to go into detail about my feelings, but I know you trust him with me. And so do I. So please, just let me." Aria finished.

Byron nodded. He gave Aria his best smile, and went back upstairs.

It was quite dead in the Brew that night, only a hipster couple sat in front of the shop and a middle aged man working on his laptop in the den. Ezra swirled his coffee stick around in his plastic to-go cup. It was getting late, and in about an hour he would close the place up. He considered keeping it open for a little while later tonight, maybe Aria would drop by, but then he thought to himself she's probably busy.

Ezra's cell phone chimed, and once he read whom the message was from he smiled.

Could you keep the Brew open a little while longer? I'll be there in 20.
-Aria.