"Hey can we go somewhere?" Aria asks, placing a hand on his chest.
"Yeah, of course" Ezra replies and leads her out of the hotel.
They walk down the street, the cold breeze nipping at Aria's shoulders.
"Hey you cold?" He asks her and she nods.
He hands her his jacket and she slips it on, giving him a small smile.
"So I heard Charlotte's getting released" Ezra says, slowly trying not to upset Aria.
Her smile turns into a frown.
"Yeah" Aria says
"How do you feel about that?"
"It's just not fair. I still see her in my dreams. I see her throwing me into a box or pushing me into a wall. I see myself getting locked in the dollhouse and tortured. I know Ali hasn't really had a real family but Charlotte doesn't deserve to be released." She takes a breath between her sentences and let's tears run down her cheeks.
"And Ezra I'm scared. I'm scared out of my mind. What if it was all an act? She gets out and comes after us again. She can walk the streets free and no body can complain. But me, I feel unsafe. Knowing she's out in the open, I won't even want to leave the house. I won't want to walk the streets, in fear of running into her. I don't want to see her, I don't want to hear from her and I don't want to hear her name ever again"
"Aria, I'll protect you" Ezra said, slipping his hand into hers.
"Ezra" Aria says, letting herself slip into old habits.
"I really need to go"
Ezra calls the cab and soon enough Aria is sitting in the back of the car watching as Ezra's figure gets smaller with distance.
