The Next Morning
Aria's Pov
Despite the lively sounds of busy New York, it's a quiet morning for the girls and I. The usual chatter of Piper and Stella that starts just seemingly after the crack of dawn is absent, our hotel room nearly silent other than the tv. I wouldn't have even turned it on if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't stand the silence any longer. Even though we've all slept in later than usual, none of us seem to be able to fully wake up. Last night I was hoping that when I did, I would be back in my own bed and this all would be a nightmare.
"What do you two say to some breakfast?" I ask, breaking the silence.
Piper looks away from the tv "I guess."
"You guess?" I question, poking her lightly "Where's the enthusiasm? We all know breakfast foods are your favourite Pipe."
"I want banana pancakes." She states.
"Well...okay, I'm sure we could find somewhere that serves banana pancakes." I tell her "This is New York, after all."
"No Mommy," My six-year-old sighs "I want Daddy's banana pancakes."
"Piper," I huff "Please just...just stop bringing up your Dad for two seconds, okay? I know you want to go home, and I know you want to see your Dad—"
"And my Aunties, and my Uncles." She cuts me off.
"Yes, them too." I continue "But it's not happening right now, and you bringing it up every sentence isn't going to make it happen any sooner. So let's just enjoy this little...vacation, just you and me and Stella. Can you try to do that?" She just looks up at me with her ocean eyes full of emotion, something they've never been able to hide. You can always tell what Piper is really feeling by just looking at her eyes.
"Okay." She agrees sorely.
"Thank you." I kiss the top of her head "I promise that everything will be okay."
After walking out of the sixth restaurant that doesn't have banana pancakes on the menu, I start to realize that maybe I'm going to have to let Piper down on this one. Which is just about the last thing I want to do; I feel like I've been letting her down so much these past couple days.
"It's not looking so good Pipes." I frown, moving to the side of the sidewalk so I can talk to her without being engulfed in a crowd of people.
"Can't we keep looking?" She asks.
"We've already walked so much, we can't take all day just to find breakfast." I tell her "I'm getting hungry, and I know your sister is too." I hoist Stella higher onto my hip, where she's been for the last few blocks once she decided she'd done enough walking. Oh to be a toddler.
"I'm hungry Pipey." Stella's babyish voice agrees.
"But I..." Piper trails off, her eyes growing wide. She starts sobbing, and not in the way that a little kid does when they don't get their way. She cries a genuine cry that I know isn't because of New York's lack of banana pancakes, but because of the current situation of why we're here in the first place. All I can do is hug her tight, partly since I can't find the words to comfort her. It takes a lot for me not to cry along with my 6-year-old, there on the bustling streets of New York City, but somehow I manage to keep the tears from spilling over.
By the time we find ourselves seated in a restaurant, we might as well order off the lunch menu. But as breakfast is still being served, we all unsurprisingly opt for that instead. When our waitress comes, I order for Stella and I, although with Piper always wanting to be independent lately, she asks to order for herself.
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Pretty Little Liars: 16 & Pregnant (Sequel)
Fanfiction[Disclaimer: This is the second book in the series, so if you have not yet read the first, I strongly advise you to do so.] It's been six years since the birth of Aria and Ezra's daughter. Although a teen pregnancy wasn't what they originally planne...
