Love Of My Life

25

Aria

It's our last night in Hollywood. For now at least. Our flight home leaves at 6 in the morning tomorrow.

The past couple of days have been amazing. Watching the boys perform, going to the tourist attractions, Brian surprising us, Ben saying 'I love you' to me. I mean it can't be topped.

Sure the I love you's might have come a little earlier than we planned, but I don't think there should be a limit to when we can or cannot say it. It feels right and we're both happy so the rest shouldn't matter. 

Currently Ben and I walk hand-in-hand down the streets of Hollywood. He took me out to dinner and now we are going for a stroll. Luckily no one stops us. Whether or not people recognize us or not I don't know, but there is no attention drawn to us which is nice. I don't mind the attention but it can be overwhelming and now is our moment.

"You know we go on break soon," Ben tells me.

I nod, knowing he probably cannot see me. "Thanksgiving break. Joe and Rami are going to leave us for a little bit," I say. I'll miss them a lot. We've spent almost every day together since filming started, and that was two months ago. Rami and I have spent even longer together.

"Well I was thinking, if you wanted, since we are allowed to go home for a couple days maybe you'd want to come home with me?" he says, stuttering slightly on his words. "Only if you want," he adds quickly. "You can meet my parents and my brother. I know it's a lot so we can take it slow too. Oh and you can meet Frankie! Kat's been taking care of her but I need to get her back..." he trails off.

Of course I want to meet Ben's family. He rarely talks about them. He always skirts around the conversation when I bring it up.

"Frankie?" I ask.

"My dog,"

"Right," I frown. I remember seeing her on Ben's Instagram when we first hung out but to be honest I forgot about her. Ben never talks about her. And I suppose it never dawned on me that Kat would be taking care of her. "You never really talk about her,"

Ben sighs. "I never really talk about myself. I'm sorry,"

I see a bench up ahead and drag Ben to go sit down on it with me. It's obviously public since we are outside in the middle of Hollywood, but it is the most private we can get seeing as it is set back a little, in between two shops.

"You said Kat is taking care of her?" I ask him quietly. Of course I should have known that him and Katriona had this whole life together before me. I just never wanted to think about it.

Ben nods. "We had - well - a home together in London and we bought a dog. Well I adopted her so she's mine, but Kat took care of her as well,"

"Will you get her back?" I ask.

"Hopefully. Kat has been you know, as supportive as she can about my decisions. We've kept in contact a little, solely for the dog,"

I would have liked to have known that he was keeping in contact with Katriona. I get the fact that they had this incredibly long relationship and I believe he even wanted to marry her at one point, but when we started dating I guess I thought they stopped talking. How could you forget about Frankie, Aria?

"Ari?" Ben asks me softly. He moves his hand so he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. I guess I was staring off into space for a second there.

"I just wish you told me," I tell him. "I'm not upset but I like to know,"

"About Frankie?"

"No, that you're in contact with Katriona,"

Ben frowns. "I just didn't think,"

I take his hands in mine, running my thumb up and down the tops of his hands. "Could you just keep me in the loop from now on?" I ask, quietly. I don't know if I am overreacting or not, but I was in two very difficult situations with my exes and I really don't want a repeat.

"Of course, darling," Ben says, pulling his hands out of mine so he can wrap his arms around me. I move so my head rests on his shoulder. "Kat and I might have known each other for a while, but I've never felt the way I do with you with her,"

"I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you," I tell Ben. It's true. "Sometimes I'm nervous we're moving too fast and we'll ruin it but I can't help it. You make me feel - I don't know - at home,"

Ben kisses the side of my head. We haven't been dating long at all, but it's true. It should be illegal to feel this comfortable with someone after that amount of time. Sure we've known each other a little longer than we've been together, but still. It's like it was meant to be for us to be together. It's like some other force thought we would be good together so it made us meet. Makes me wonder.

"So coming home with you during break," I say, changing the topic to something lighter.

I can feel Ben smile practically.

"Yeah I visit my parents periodically so there's a place to stay there, especially since I can't stay in my London home anymore. My brother lives elsewhere but he said he might visit too because I haven't seen him in quite some time,"

"I'd like that," I say. Then I ask the dreaded question. "Have you told them about us?"

Ben pauses and by his silence I'll take it as a no.

"Kind of," he says.

I pull away from him so that I can fully look at his face.

"Kind of?" I ask.

He scratches the back of his neck, awkwardly. "I told them I broke up with Kat to be with someone else and they proceeded to yell at me and tell me I threw my life away,"

That's harsh. "Why would they say that?" I ask.

"Only because they really like Kat, but she wasn't the one for me. I realized that a while ago but honestly I was scared to do anything about it," he tells me. "If it means anything I did tell my grandmother that I was dating you and she's thrilled. Told me she never liked Kat and she's dying to meet you," Ben laughs.

I laugh too. "I look forward to meeting her then," I say. "And your parents and brother of course but I'm not sure if they'll like me,"

"Michael will love you. He's already obsessed with you. He's had a crush on you for the longest time,"

I grin. "Oh how the tables have turned," I say. He smiles back.

"And my parents will love you too. Trust me. They just need to get to know you. You're one of the best things to ever happen to me,"

"I love you," I say, the words still foreign to me. I've never said them in a romantic way, but I know this is right. Even though we haven't been together long it feels like we've been together our whole lives.

"I love you too," Ben says softly, planting a sweet kiss on my lips before we both stand and walk back to our hotel.

...

As I am editing this it's official that the Jonas Bothers are getting back together and honestly my life is complete and 2019 has redeemed itself