Lie With Me: Jason and Aria

Chapter Three

"Hi, Aria, honey" my Mom greeted me as I walked through the door the next morning. The smell of freshly brewed Coffee hit me straight away making me feel more awake although I couldn't be any more awake if I tried. Once I crept back into Alison's room I couldn't sleep, Jason was all I could think about.

"Hey Mom" I smiled at her taking a seat at the kitchen table and dropping my overnight bag on the floor. Mom placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, black, two sugars, just how I liked it.

"How was the sleepover?" Mom asked as she was cleaning the kitchen counters.

"Um...it was weird" I said honestly placing my hands around the mug trying to warm them.

"Oh?" Mom was gesturing for me to continue, but I didn't know how to explain it all because I felt confused about the whole night.

"I don't know, Ali said a few things that didn't make sense, well I'm sure they made sense to her. She just sometimes acts like she is wiser and experienced than all of us...well I suppose she is really." I explained thinking my thoughts out loud.

"Oh, honey, there is always an Alison in every high school. There was a girl just like Alison that I was friends with. She too said things that would make her seem more mature than the rest of me and my friends. At times she was intimidating, but eventually I realized even though I hadn't experienced everything that she had I still gained wisdom from the things I had experienced. Aria, you are wise too don't forget that." My Mom explained, she kissed me lovingly on my cheek and continued on with her cleaning. I guess she was right, but I didn't feel wise or intelligent when I couldn't understand what Alison meant by those comments she made last night.

Later that evening I was brushing my hair that I had just blow dried and straightened. I looked at myself in the mirror in my bedroom, I was dressed in an off the shoulder cream sweater dress and suede thigh high boots. I really didn't want to go to Noel Kahn's house party which sounded crazy considering that he was a popular rich kid. The truth was that I had been to so many of his house parties that they all seemed the same, It was like watching a boring movie on repeat over and over again.

Ali was a good friend of Noel's so she and us girls would always get invited to his parties. Alison and the rest of the girls always act like they had just won VIP tickets to a concert whenever they get invited to Noel's party. I personally didn't see anything VIP about watching people stagger around drunk and puking their guts up. I was beginning to feel tired from the lack of sleep. All I wanted was to go back in time to when I was asleep in Jason's arms. Never had I craved to feel someone's body warmth against my skin more.

We all turned up to the party pretty late, Alison says that it's better to keep people excitedly anticipating your arrival. I am sure everyone would anticipate Ali's arrival, but no one would anticipate my own so it seemed pointless for me to show up late too, but here I was.

"Damn, I might get myself into some trouble tonight" Noel greeted us with a wink; I could see he was drinking us all in with his blue eyes and loving every second of it.

"You are always getting yourself into trouble" Alison replied rolling her eyes.

"Whenever you are around Ali, it's hard not to" Noel winked again taking a sip from the red cup that he was holding.

"Quit being a perv, Noel" Ali giggled and pushed him to one side so that we could all walk into the house.

As usual half of Rosewood had turned up to Noel's party, the living room alone was full of people. The music was so loud that I could feel it vibrate underneath my feet. All I could see was a sea of people holding red cups and dancing quite provocatively to the music. I stood still taking in my surroundings until Emily grabbed my arm and made me dance with her and the others. I danced for what felt like forever before we began to split up. Alison got pulled away by a guy who was hitting on her, Spencer had gone to the bathroom and Emily and Hanna had gone to get some drinks. I was alone and suddenly the booming music and all the people became too much for me, I couldn't think and I felt extremely claustrophobic.

I pushed through the crowd until I was outside in the back yard. As soon as the night air hit me I felt like I could breathe again. There were a few people outside mainly just talking or smoking. The night felt so tranquil, it was as if I was in a completely different world being outside. I took a seat by the pool and looked up into the sky.

"Now it really has been twice in one day" I heard a voice speak next to me and I whirled around to see Jason, I could start to feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Hey" I smiled at him shyly, he looked beautiful as ever.

"How are you Sleeping Beauty?" he asked giving me a boyish grin. I put my heads in my hands and laughed embarrassed.

"Yeah...Um...So sorry about that" I replied feeling like such an idiot.

"Well no girl has ever been so bored in my company that they fell asleep so that was something new" Jason pointed out running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh no you weren't boring me I just felt tired..." I started to protest, but Jason started laughing.

"Aria I'm kidding, relax" he laughed putting an arm around me.

"If you're not walking into guys then you're falling asleep on them" he joked, I laughed feeling a little better.

"I sure know how to attract em by making a total fool out of myself in the process" I laughed.

"It's good to be different that's what I like about you" Jason said softly, all traces of laughter vanishing from his voice. That's what I like about you? Did he just say he liked me?

"Yeah having pink streaks in my hair is definitely different" I replied.

"I like your pink hair...You know out of all Ali's friends you have always been the one that has stood out. You don't try to fit in and you don't listen to everything Ali says. You have your own thoughts and opinions, that independence makes you shine" Jason spoke softly.

My heart started pounding in my chest and I had to fight to catch my breath, what he said was so genuine that it made me feel emotional. I had to look away to gain composure again, I couldn't let Jason see how I was literally hanging onto his every word.

Jason leaned forward and lifted my chin which made me turn my head to face him, as I looked at this beautiful boy before me I felt the small bit of composure I had left leave my body. His eyes were on me now, those eyes looked like they could see my soul and I'm pretty sure I looked as vulnerable as I felt in his presence.

Jason slowly stretched out his hands and gently cupped my face with them, his thumbs gently caressing my cheeks, I could feel his breath on my skin which made me tingle all over. I couldn't control myself anymore and I closed my eyes embracing his touch. Suddenly I felt him lean forward and then I felt him kiss me, his lips were so warm and soft as they brushed against mine. I had only ever been kissed in a teenage hormonal way, but Jason's kisses were so sweet and gentle, but yet passionate all at the same time that I thought my heart was going to explode. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine, he searched my face intensely for a reaction to what had just happened and I couldn't help but smile at him. He smiled back at me, it was the kind of smile that reached his pretty eyes. He kissed my forehead and in that moment I realized that he had awoken something within me.