Ezra's POV
"Hey babe"
I turned around and saw Lexi. I ran to her and hugged her.
"I'm getting ready to leave for my shift"
She was the only reason I'm not still a drunk. She was the one who was there when Aria wasn't.
"I'll see you later" I say, planting a kiss on her lips.
She gave me a big smile before leaving. I looked over at a bottle of whisky, sitting on the kitchen table from last night and a flashback hit me.
I had just got off the plane in Philly. I was going back to Rosewood. I called a cab and I was dropped off at the brew. I ran up to my apartment and drowned myself in alcohol. I drunk and drunk until I could barely walk.
I hired a private investor who tracked her down. She was still in Rosewood, staying in apartment 3B. That's the only reason I came back. But for some reason tonight, I was feeling extra lonely when I stepped into the apartment. All our memories rushed back like a flood. I needed her. I needed to see her. I wobbled down the stairs and down the street. The old apartment was not very far but it felt like miles tonight. I felt dizzy but I continued to walk until I got to the apartment. I knocked on the door a few times and she answered.
"Heyyyyyy, Ariaaaaaaaa" I called, holding onto the wall for balance.
"Ezra, what are you doing here?" She asks, shocked.
"I...I.. want tooooo see my kidssssss"
I was so drunk and I knew it. That's when she slammed the door in my face and I was left to find my way home.
I shoved the bottle into the cabinet, trying to erase that memory. I was finally happy. I was happy after so long. I saw a packet of papers from my editor. But it reminded me so much like the divorce papers I had received a few days after I went to see Aria. They told me to sign and I drunkenly did. They told me to be in court for parental rights. I had put on my best suit and actually shaved for the first time in awhile, but it hadn't ended good.
I was getting ready to leave for the court house when I saw a picture of Aria and I on the TV stand. Aria. My Aria. Who wasn't mine anymore. I popped the top of the whisky bottle. It wouldn't hurt to have a little sip, would it? That turned into more than a little sip. I had drank the whole bottle and still managed to get down to the courthouse. It was all mostly a blur but when I was sober, everything came back to me in flashes. I had gone to the courthouse drunk and it hadn't been hard for the judge to make their decision. Why would they grant any custody to an alcoholic?
I sighed and threw the papers across the room until they were out of my sight. That's when I was sent to rehab. I met Lexi there. She also had a alcohol problem at the time. We bonded quickly. Lexi wasn't Aria. No one could replace Aria but she made me happy and that's all I needed right now.
