𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔, 𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒎. ¹

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦

it had been a long day for ezra fitz and now it would be longer. he was driving olivia back home for the weekend. she could have taken the train but he offered and she didn't really want to take the train so she let him drive her home.

olivia sat in silence, listening to the music on the radio as she ate a weed brownie, she was going to need a little strength for the ride home.

ezra glanced towards his sister. he could instantly tell she had something in her system and it wasn't caffeine. "are you high right now?"

the redhead shook her head, "no but i will be in like thirty minutes." she took a second brownie before she shut the bowl and put it in her bag.

"mum is gonna kill you," his grip tightened on the wheel.

she shrugged this time, "mum can slit her wrists and bleed out for all i care." maybe it hurt to say because it was the truth. she wasn't exactly going home to see her mother. olivia wasn't too happy with ezra driving her there either. the two hadn't really spoken much since she broke down in his arms. she felt so pathetic for that but he was the only one that knew.

ezra sighed deeply and the silence that followed was heavy, not even brittany spierce playing on the radio could drown it out.

they didn't talk for a long time, not until olivia finally started eating a taco, her high already kicked in. that was when she decided to say something. "im still angry at you." she had found out about him and aria a while back. she wasn't angry that he did whatever he had done with her now girlfriend, instead what hurt he was that her brother, her big brother, could be with someone her age and think nothing of it.

"you think i don't think about that?" ezra nearly stopped the car, he was that shocked and annoyed. "every day, every hour, every second, i regret the damn thing."

olivia nodded, "i don't want to be angry." her voice was soft, that of a little girl trying not to upset anyone with her silly feelings. "not at you."

"what do you want from me? i messed up, i made a mistake." ezra's grip was tight on the wheel, and he was struggling to focus on the road. "do you want me to cut all ties with her? do you want me to move away? what do you want from me?"

olivia wasn't sure. she didn't know what she wanted from him but at the same time she did. she wanted him to do something he could never do. "i want you to be my big brother again." she started, "i want you to be someone who would never get with a sixteen year old girl." there was no turning back the clock. "i want you to be the person i thought the world of again." she paused, "but you can't undo what you've done and i can try to forgive you but i can't forget it."

ezra's hands tightened even further around the steering wheel, his knuckles going white. he didn’t know how to respond. there was nothing he could do to undo the damage, no way to turn back time. olivia's words hit him harder than he expected. she was right, of course. the hurt in her voice, the betrayal she felt—it was his fault.

"i'm sorry," he muttered, his voice rough. "i wish i could take it all back."

olivia didn't respond immediately. she took another bite of her taco, chewing slowly, as if she were weighing his apology. she wasn’t sure if it was enough yet, but she appreciated the effort. ezra had always been the person she looked up to, and maybe—just maybe—he could find a way back to being that person again. but that was something they would both have to figure out.

the silence stretched between them again, though this time it wasn’t as suffocating. the radio played softly in the background, a slow, melancholic tune that felt appropriate for the moment.

finally, olivia broke the quiet. "do you still love her?" she asked, the question lingering in the air.

ezra blinked, caught off guard by the simplicity of it. his heart tightened, a mixture of guilt and longing swirling inside him. "i... i don’t know what i feel anymore." his voice was quiet, almost defeated. "i don’t know what love is supposed to look like in this mess."

olivia sighed, setting the taco down in her lap. "it's okay to not know," she said softly. "But you need to figure it out, Ezra. You can't just... let it destroy everything else around you." She shifted in her seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. "You can't fix things with me or with mom by ignoring it or pretending like it didn't happen."

ezra nodded slowly, the weight of her words settling on him. she was right. pretending wouldn’t fix anything. but he wasn't sure how to move forward. he didn't even know where to start.

"you’re right," he said quietly. "i don’t know what i’m doing. i don’t know how to make things right."

"i know," olivia said, her tone softening. "but i’m still here. even if i'm mad at you, i’m still your sister. i just... need you to show me that you’re trying. that you’re not the person i thought you were, but you’re not the person i fear you're becoming either."

ezra let out a long breath, glancing over at her. there was a sadness in her eyes, but there was also something else—a quiet hope, as if she still believed there was a way out of this. for the first time in a long while, ezra felt like maybe, just maybe, he could get back to being the brother she needed. he didn’t know how, but he would try.

"i’ll try," he said, the words more of a promise to himself than to her. "i’ll try, liv."

they were silent again, for the rest of the drive until they reached home. olivia got out first, she didn't even get her bags because she knew someone else would.

the house stood at the end of a long, winding driveway, its white exterior gleaming under the soft glow of the setting sun. tall, stately columns supported the expansive porch, which wrapped around the front of the house in graceful arcs. the massive, symmetrical structure seemed to rise out of the ground itself, commanding attention without even trying. its three stories stretched upward, each floor framed by large windows that gleamed with an almost unspoken promise of luxury and exclusivity.

the front door, made of dark mahogany, was flanked by polished brass sconces that cast soft pools of light onto the perfectly manicured lawn. ivy crept up one side of the house, its green tendrils a delicate contrast against the sharp, clean lines of the white walls. a wrought-iron gate marked the entrance to the property, elegant and intricately designed, standing as a silent sentinel to the grand home beyond.

the lush, expansive yard was dotted with flowerbeds bursting with color and framed by neatly trimmed hedges, and a fountain bubbled serenely in the center of a small, private garden. It was a place that seemed to breathe wealth, the kind that didn’t need to flaunt itself—everything about it was effortless, and in its silence, it spoke volumes.

home sweet home.

when olivia reached the door handle, it opened and on the other side was her mother. the woman seemed like she had seen a ghost, she was pale and confused.

the girl stepped into the house, into her mother's embrace. "you came home." that was all diana could muster out as she took in the scent of olivia's curls. she had been at their house the entire time but for the first time she was at home, in that scent.

the hug didn't last long because olivia broke away. "hey mom." her voice was soft before ezra walked in past her, hugging their mother and greeting her but the woman's gaze remained on olivia.

"where's james?" olivia asked and diana nodded, "in his room, like he always is." diana thought to add that he was waiting for her, like he always did but that would be too cruel, even for her.

olivia gave her one last glance as she walked away and headed up the stairs. when she reached the room next to hers, she found him fast asleep in his crib. he was so small, so very tiny and he looked so comfortable. she didn't want to wake him up, so she didn't, instead she gently picked him up and held his small body in her arms.

she took in the scent of his hair and she was at home for a moment as she placed a kiss on his forehead. "hey jamie." she softly bounced him up and down in her grasp as he cooed against her chest.

she didn't realise that she had been crying until the first test dropped on his head. she whispered an apology and held him closer. "im home."