Love Of My Life

7

Ben

"I don't know about this," Aria says.

She sits across from me, her phone in hand. She scrolls slightly and gives me a look.

"Trust me, it's worth it," I tell her.

I had taken Aria out for ice cream as part of our plans to hang out. Somehow we got onto the topic of Instagram and I found out she has none. I've been trying to convince her to make one for the past half hour and this is the closest we have gotten.

"It's just so much work," she complains. She groans and then rests her head of the back of the chair she sits in. 

I take a spoonful of my ice cream. I got mint, which is a favorite of mine. Aria got chocolate and claimed it would be a "sin" to get any other kind.

"Listen, if you make one then you can post pictures and see pictures and I can send you pictures," I ramble on. I barely go on as it is, but she doesn't need to know that. 

"I don't need to post pictures," she says. "People don't need to know about my life,"

I shrug. "That's true. I post for my fans mainly. Plus Joe likes to send me funny pictures on there,"

Aria takes a spoonful of her ice cream. I must say this place is rather good. We went locally and I've never been but Aria said she had heard great reviews. She wasn't wrong. 

Aria sighs and sticks her spoon back in her ice cream, picking up her phone once more. I see her typing and I'm unsure if she is actually going through with it or if she is texting. My answer is given when she speaks again.

"I impulsively did it," she says. "How the hell do I work it?"

I laugh and stretch out my hand, to which she puts her phone in it. I turn it so that we both can see. 

"So this is your profile. You can add a bio and a picture but you can figure that out on your own if you want," I say, pressing the icons on the app. "Over here you can search. So for example if you wanted to search for the most handsome man in the world," I type in my Instagram name. When it pops up I click it and then hit 'follow'. "That's all you have to do,"

"The most handsome man in the world," she mutters, mocking me. I sense the amusement in her voice. "Well then you better follow the most beautiful woman in the world back," she says.

"I will get right on that," I respond before I can stop the words. Stop Ben, I think. Your girlfriend is the most beautiful l remember that.

I hand Aria her phone back and then dig out my own. I see her follow so I follow her back.

"My first follower! How kind," Aria exclaims. I look up to see her looking at her phone, but a smile is as wide as can be on her face. "I like your dog," she tells me. 

"Are you stalking me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her.

She looks up. "I need to see what kind of a person my first follower is," she says. "So tell me about your pup,"

I sigh. I love my dog. I wish I could see her during this time. Hopefully I'll get to visit home soon. 

"Her name is Frankie," I say.

"Frankie," Aria repeats, quietly.

"I've had her for a couple years now. She's sort of a therapy dog without a license,"

I spend time with her when I'm feeling down. Theres just something about a dog that makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Katriona doesn't understand that about me.

"Ben if this friendship is going to work, I need to meet your dog. I hope you understand," Aria tells me.

I try to repress the smile coming on my face but I can't. "I think we can work that out,"

Aria spends the next couple of minutes deciding on a profile picture. She ultimately decides to go with the one that I picked out. She showed me a couple options, most of them being from photoshoots that she had had, but I tell her to go with the only selfie that she took. I like it because it is the most authentic.

I open the camera on my phone and point it at Aria. She gives me a silly look and I laugh as I take the picture. She looks beautiful in it and my breath hitches in my throat knowing that I have this gem.

I then open my Instagram and prepare to post this.

"You better not do what I think you are doing," Aria threatens.

I hurry up and get the picture ready with the caption 'I convinced Aria to make an Instagram @ariasongmercury'.I post it just as she grabs the phone from my hand.

"Benjamin you did not!' she yells, although I don't think she is actually mad.

I put both of my hands in the air. "I'm trying to get you followers," I announce. 

She looks at the pictures for a couple seconds before her face drops slightly. She hands me my phone and I see Katriona's picture on the screen. I groan internally. Of course she has to be calling at the worst moment. 

"Please excuse me," I say to Aria before answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Ben!" Katriona's voice fills the speaker.

"Hi Kat," I respond.

"I didn't know you were hanging out with Aria today," she tells me. Her voice tone tells me she is annoyed.

"Yeah, bonding stuff," I answer vaguely.

She huffs. "Listen, I was thinking of visiting soon, is that okay? I haven't seen you in forever,"

"Its only been a couple of weeks," I remind her. That used to be forever to me, but now it feels so short. 

"Are you free this weekend?" Kat asks.

"I'm filming," I tell her. I feel bad, I shouldn't avoid her. "But we can go out after, yeah?"

"I'll text you more about it! That sounds great,"

"Okay, listen I need to go,"  

"Okay Ben. I'll see you this weekend. I love you,"

"I love you too," I say fast and quietly, not knowing if those words are true anymore. Aria is making me doubt everything and I don't know how to react. It's all coming on so soon.

"I'm so sorry," I say to Aria after I've hung up.

"It's okay," she says quietly. "Is that your girlfriend?"

The dreaded question. I nod. "Yeah,"

"Oh," she says. She fiddles with her ice cream, taking another scoop. 

Today had gone so well. We talked a lot, not about anything deep, but the conversation kept flowing from one thing to the next. I felt like I could talk to her about anything. Now an awkward silence engulfs us and I don't know how to fix it. 

"We should go," Aria says. She smiles at me but the smile doesn't have the same emotions it did before. It looks almost sad now.

We throw out out now empty ice cream cups and I drive her back to the production center so she can get to her car. 

"I had a nice time," she tells me before she gets out.

"I did too," I say. I mean it.

Aria gives my hand a squeeze before climbing out of the car. When she is a couple paces away I slam my hands on my steering wheel and groan loudly. What is happening to me? Obviously I am developing feelings for Aria and I have no idea how to control them. 

I need help. I need advice. 

Time to talk to the lads.