Song: Burnout by Best Kept Secret (I couldn't finish this story without one of their songs being added lol honestly one of the coolest bands I've seen live and met. Seeing them live is what actually inspired this story lol. Check them out!!!!!!!)

----------------

When I walked in to see Zoe, she was sitting the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She immediately shot up when she saw me though and wrapped me up in her arms. I didn't hesitate to hug her back just as tightly. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back," she teased and let me go.

I laughed and held up a hand with a small paper bag. "A cupcake."

"Oh, thank God!" She took the bag from my hand. "I think I had a dream about this damn thing last night."

With her free hand, she wrapped her fingers around my wrist and pulled me towards the couch. We sat together and she dove into the cupcake first off. "Am I allowed to bring you things like this?" I asked quietly, stealing a glance at the doctor behind the glass.

"Yeah," she mumbled around a mouthful. "Mom brings me lunch when she visits. They used to check things, but not anymore."

I nodded and leaned back against the couch. "Are you nervous about the evaluation?"

"Sort of," she replied and licked icing from her finger. "There's not really anything to be afraid of. I'm doing well, I don't fight my doctors, and I do what I'm supposed to. It'll be fine. What I'm nervous about is how much longer I have here."

That part made me deflate a little. "How much longer do you think you have?"

"A month or two maybe. As much as I want to come home, I don't want to rush this. I don't want to leave if I'm not ready."

"That makes sense," I told her. "For what it's worth, I can't wait for you to come home."

Zoe smiled and took the last bite of her cupcake. I handed her a napkin and she wiped her fingers clean. "I can't wait either. It's going to be better." She shifted in her seat, folding her legs under while she turned to me. Her fingers wrapped around my wrists and she grinned at me. "Now tell me about your boyfriend. I need good gossip. The only gossip I get around here is celebrity and that shit's boring."

I had to laugh. "You used to live for it."

She wrinkled her nose. "Not so much anymore. So tell me about him."

"His name is Benji," I started. "Do you remember Mr. Meyer from Four-Seasons?"

"Uh, yeah. I helped Mom with one of his parties. What does he have to do with anything?" She asked slowly.

"It's his son."

Her eyes widened. "Benji Meyer? He's your boyfriend? Isn't he in a band?"

"Yeah, Reset Space." I looked at her curiously. "How did you know that?"

"We went to high school together," she replied. "I didn't know him, but I went to a lot of his parties. I doubt he knew me either. I just remember hearing his name a lot."

That's a relief. It would be awkward to find out if your current boyfriend was your sisters ex. "Oh, interesting."

"Do you have a picture?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, one second." I pulled my phone from my pocket and unlocked it. There weren't many pictures of Benji, but I found the one that was my favorite. It was a picture he took when he stole my phone one day. The way the sun was shining, it made his eyes a bright green and even brighter because of his broad smile. "Here."

Zoe took the phone from my hand and examined the picture. Her eyes widened a bit and then she nodded. "He grew up really nice. Last time I saw him he didn't look that good."

I laughed and took the phone. "I'll tell him you said so."

Her lips curved up. "Also tell him that our family will come after him if he hurts you. Except Jason probably. He's just...I don't know."

I snorted. "I know. Dad's already given him a lecture. Benji's nothing but great to me."

"Did he grin the whole time?" She asked.

Another laugh fell from my lips. "How'd you know?"

"That's dad for ya." She laughed too. "Did Benji come with you?"

"Yeah, he's at the hotel."

She raised a brow and leaned over on her thighs. "They let you come alone with Benji? I guess things have really changed around the house."

It's true. A lot has changed in the past month and I was grateful for all of it. For Benji, for my mom letting go, and getting my sister back. "They like Benji though. Dad said he trusts him and Mom's working on it."

"And you love him?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "Who knew that would actually happen?"

Zoe laughed lightly and reached for my hand. "Well I can't wait to officially meet him. If you like him then I know I will too. It's nice to see you happy for once."

My eyes stung as I smiled sadly. "I want you to be happy too."

She used her other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I will be, Lucy. I'm happy now. There's no telling if you'll be happy forever. But you will have moments."

Zoe wasn't wrong.

We spent the rest of our visit just talking about anything and everything. She asked me more questions about Benji and I easily answered. I kept the part out about his brother to keep the mood light. I told her about the song too. It was nice to see Zoe smile. I'd always loved her smile because she's one of those people that looked...delicate and graceful when they smiled.

The doctor came out of the office fifteen minutes after my time was supposed to be up and told me it was time to go. Zoe hugged me and I hugged her back. I didn't want to let go and I clutched onto her like I wouldn't get another chance. "I'll see you soon, Lucy," she whispered.

"I don't want to leave yet," I replied in a soft voice.

She squeezed me and pressed a kiss to my hair. "I'll see you soon. Come whenever you want."

"I will." I held on for awhile longer and finally stepped back. "I love you."

A smile graced her lips. "I love you, too, Lucy."

* * *

When I got back to the hotel, I heard Benji singing on the other side of the door. It made me freeze with my hand in the air ready to unlock the door.

He was singing the song he wrote for me. The song I couldn't get out of my head.

Acoustics accompanied Benji's voice, a soft strum you could barley hear over his strong voice. I dropped my hand to my side and listened to him sing. I'm pretty sure I'd never get tired of his voice. It causes me to pause, like I'm in a trance no matter what. I just hear his voice and basically become a statue.

When his voice faded, I waited a few seconds to unlock the door. I stepped inside and let it shut behind me, then strode through the room. Benji saw me and sat his guitar down. "You look very happy," he noted and reached for my hand.

"I am very happy." My lips perked into a smile.

"It looks good on you." He smiled and brought me closer before his hands fell away and rested on the dips of my waist.

I settled my hands on the tops of his shoulders. "It looks good on you too."

"Then we must be made for each other." His smile turned into a grin. "How's your sister?"

"She's good. Her evaluation is coming up next week."

"And she'll do just fine," he assured me.

I let my knees bend and I straddled his lap. "I know. She said it could be a month or two, but that's better than anything more."

Benji nodded in agreement.

With one hand on his shoulder, I moved the other to caress his face. I lowered my lips to attach to his and his grip on my waist tightened a bit. My body arched against his and one of his hands moved to my lower back. When I felt the urge to take in a breath, I pulled apart from Benji, leaving a few inches between our lips. "I'm in the mood to break another rule."

He moved his head back another inch and his eyes widened a bit. "I'm in."

"You don't even know what it is yet." I laughed.

Benji shrugged a shoulder. "I'm still there. What is it, miss rule breaker?"

I nibbled on my bottom lip nervously for a second and then said, "I wanna get a tattoo."

The expressions on his face changed until he settled on one. Slightly perplexed and surprised at the same time. "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"Where?"

"A place my mom won't find it."

That caused Benji to smirk. "Are you asking for help?"

"If you're willing." I mimicked his expression.

"Stand up," he instructed.

I maneuvered myself off of Benji's lap and stood up straight. Benji rose from the edge of the bed and his fingers went to the hem of my shirt. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

He started by slowly rolling my shirt up, letting it settle just above my ribs. I grabbed the edge to keep my shirt in place. My stomach was all Benji could see, but it was still enough to make my cheeks warm. Benji's seen me completely bare and this is making me blush.

At first, his fingers brushed over my ribs. "What's your pain tolerance?"

"Pretty high," I admitted. "I usually end up laughing."

"You're very weird." He laughed and glanced up at me. "Just like that time when I snuck you into the hotel and you started laughing after almost getting caught. Anyone else would've probably shit their pants."

"I've always been that way. I'd fall and scrape my knee and you'd think someone just tickled me."

Benji's fingers drifted down my stomach. "What about your side?" I felt the tips of his fingers on the side of my ribs.

"That could work," I replied. "But not the waist. I'm very ticklish there and I don't think the person would appreciate a kick in the face."

"Here?" he asked, pressing down, but his touch didn't cause me any pain at all.

My breath caught in my throat and I forgot how to speak.

"Lucy?"

I blinked twice and looked up at him. "Uh, yeah. Side would be fine. I don't want anything big anyway."

"Then I think you'll be okay," he said and pulled my shirt back down. I was kind of disappointed because I liked the way his fingers felt against my skin. "And you're sure you want to do this?"

I nodded. "I'm really sure I want to do this. Who's going to see it anyway?"

He gave me a funny look.

"Except you." I laughed. "I actually like that. It'll be like a secret. We'll have a secret again." Why was I excited over that? I honestly couldn't tell you.

Benji smiled again. "Do you know what you're going to get?"

"Your name of course." I playfully hit his chest.

The terrified look on his face could not be mistaken.

"I'm kidding!" I snaked my arms around his torso. "I actually want your face tattooed on my back."

He actually got the joke that time. "I can't say which would be worse."

"True," I said. "I want small stars. Maybe three of them together."

"Sounds good to me," He reached and brushed his fingers over my jaw. "Still want to live on a star?"

"Not so much anymore," I replied. "I think it would be pretty awesome, but I think staying here is definitely better."

Benji braced a hand on the back of my neck, a smile still playing on his lips. "Good, because then I'd have to follow you."

I laughed and leaned further into him. "Pants are optional in space."

He started laughing too, remembering one of our first conversations. "Pants are optional anywhere if you're brave enough."

"Let's not test that theory."

Benji's lips found mine again and I stood on my toes. It's like an automatic response when kissing Benji because he's so tall and I felt like I never felt enough of him. My mouth parted under his, another automatic response to Benji's touch. As he pulled away, he lightly bit my lower lip.

Before we left, Benji used my computer to find out more about more about tattoo parlors around here. He knew what he was looking for and when he found the place, he called before we left. I let Benji drive because he knew where he was going. Maybe I was nervous, I don't know. It was like a small weight in the pit of my stomach.

When we arrived at the place, we sat in the car for a minute. "You're sure, right?"

"Yes." I laughed. "Let's go."

Inside, the place was well lit and bright with different neon lights as well. There was only one other person here getting a tattoo by a guy who was covered in them. A woman walked up to us with a smile. She was gorgeous with two different colors in her hair and dark red lipstick. She didn't have as many tattoos, but she was stunning either way. "Hi, welcome. What can I do for you guys?"

I looked to Benji, feeling more nervous.

"Tattoo," he answered, sensing my unease, "for this one."

The woman looked at me, her smile still on her lips. "First time?"

I nodded, still unable to speak.

She held her hand out to me. "I'm Shannon"

Some of my nervousness faded away and I shook her hand. "Lucy."

"It's good to meet you, Lucy. Follow me."

Shannon started walking and before we followed, I snatched Benji's hand and held on tight. He lightly laughed and came along. We sat in a small office and that's where she asked me for identification, personal information, and talked about prices. After all that, we walked back out into the studio. Her chair was near the back of the shop and I sat down slowly. Benji took up the chair beside me and she was on the other side. "What kind of tattoo, miss Lucy?"

I went on to explain what tattoo I wanted and even tried to draw it, but she was better at it than I was. She got the idea though. Shannon instructed me to take my shirt off and turn on my side facing Benji. It was going to be right below the strap of my bra. Benji watched me and I jumped a little when I felt something cool on my skin. She was just cleaning the area.

I focused on Benji's green eyes and let Shannon do her work. She said something about creating a stencil and all that.

When the needle actually touched my skin, my breath caught, I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my hand around Benji's. I felt his warmth move closer to me and then his lips touched my hand. It hurt like a bitch. I expected pain, but not this much.

The realization that it was actually happening outweighed the hit of pain.

After a few minutes, I kind of got used to it, but no way did I feel like laughing.

It was over before I could register that I actually did it. I have a tattoo on my side right now and that's all I could focus on. She gently took care of it and covered it with padded gauze. After that, she instructed me to sit up and handed me my shirt. "Feel okay?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, just a little sore."

"It will be. I'll give you a kit and instructions on how to take care of it until it heals. It shouldn't take long because they're small."

I gave her a smile. "Thank you."

Shannon spent a while longer explaining everything to me and I knew if I forgot, Benji could tell me. He has several tattoos, so I don't think he's a stranger when it comes to taking care of them.

Once that was over, I stood and Benji had to help me put my shirt back on. I winced a little, but recovered. "I'm fine," I told him before he could ask.

In the car, I started to giggle.

Benji looked over at me curiously and back to the road. "You okay over there?"

"I just got a tattoo," I blurted. "My mom will have heart attack if she finds out. Holy. Shit." I pressed my hands to my cheeks. "I'm so dead."

"It's a little too late to have second thoughts," Benji said.

"I'm not having second thoughts," I said strongly. "Just scared of her reaction."

"It's our secret, remember?"

It brought a smile to my lips. "Our secret."

* * *

"I'm not ready to leave yet," I whispered to Benji. "This has been the best couple of days. I honestly don't remember being so...happy and content."

Benji's hand stilled on my cheek. I was laying on my good side facing him and he was facing me too. Last I checked, the time was two in the morning. It felt like an eternity ago. "I want you to always feel that way, Lucy."

I shifted closer to him until our bodies were flush together and I slipped one of my legs between his. "And you too, Benji." I touched his jaw. "I want you to feel that way too."

He smiled at me. "Right now I've never been so content. Here with you...like I said, you help me forget. I'm never in pain around you."

"I...I never want to see you in pain, Benji. Last night on the roof...it broke my heart to see you that way. You're so strong...you're stronger than you realize."

"So are you." He moved in closer until his lips barely brushed mine. "I've noticed we're stronger together, Lucy. Maybe that's the reason you ended up at Bombshell's that night. I was supposed to find you and you were supposed to find me. Two broken people together...and we're not so broken anymore. I found you when I needed someone the most. You helped me realize there is a world without pain. We're like...two halves of a heart beating for the first time. And I love you, Lucy. I love you more than I can explain."

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. My heart swelled in my chest and my eyes stung with tears. I pressed my lips against his finally, stealing a small taste before leaning back. "I love you, Benji."

I like Benji's idea of fate.

"Wanna know something funny?" He asked, brushing the hair away from my face.

"Tell me," I urged with a small smile.

"You're going to laugh, but I'll tell you anyway." His hand moved over my cheek. "When I came on stage that night and saw you...I almost forgot the words."

Blush crept up my cheeks, but I didn't laugh. I smiled.

"After the show, I watched you leave. When I saw you at the bar, I was walking up to talk to you when you turned and bumped into me. There was no way in hell I was letting you go without at least knowing your name." His laugh was light. "It wasn't until you left that I remembered where I've seen you before. I've walked by the bakery and I saw a girl with flour on her cheek. It was before tour. It never clicked though until after you left."

"Fate," I whispered. "So that means you came to the bakery the next day hoping you'd find me there?"

"Sort of," he answered. "First, I was hoping that's where I saw you before. Second, I was really hoping it was you. If it wasn't, I don't think I would've had another opportunity."

"I was surprised to see you that morning," I admitted. "Happy, but surprised."

"To be honest, I was kind of surprised too."

We shared a small laugh and then a quick kiss. "We were meant to find each other," I said softly. "Everything you've done for me...what you've made me see...thank you, for all of it."

Benji's lips spread into a small smile and his hand moved across my face again. "I should be thanking you if anything."

Our lips met again and I breathed him in. His hand fell from my face and it fell on my hip. He was careful to avoid the spot where my tattoo was. I kissed his lips several times and pushed on his arm so he'd fall on his back.

I took the opportunity to carefully straddle his hips without hurting myself and breaking the kiss in the process. I broke away from his lips and tipped his chin back to gain the access I needed to his neck. Starting under his chin, I trailed kisses down the center of his throat to the hallow. His breathing grew harsh and I knew I was doing something right.

"I...I want you to meet my parents...finally," he said between each breath.

"Okay," I murmured against his skin and continued my assault.

"Maybe this weekend."

A laugh tumbled out and I leveled my face with his. "Are you sure you want to talk about this right now, Benji?"

He grinned at me.

"That's what I thought." I laughed again. "I'd love to meet them this weekend."

I ducked my head back under his chin, letting my lips flutter over the skin of his neck. Gently at first, I closed my teeth around a patch of skin and Benji groaned in response and then sucked air in through his teeth. One of his hands were on my lower back, the other on the back of my thigh. Our bodies pressed together and another moan escaped Benji's lips.

My lips found his again and I started pulling up on his shirt to get it over his head. My side was still sore, but Benji removed it before I could. I smiled at him and he brought me back down to his lips. "Shouldn't we sleep?" He mumbled against my lips.

"Late check out, remember?"

"Right." He breathed a laugh. "Who needs sleep?"

-----------------------

I had plans on stopping at this chapter, but there's ONE MORE chapter and an epilogue. AND THEN TYLER'S STORY IS COMING SOOOOOON! I'm posting the blurb next weekend after I post the last chapter of this story (If I have time, I have a ten page paper to write lol) Also I've never gotten a tattoo so I had to talk to my aunt who actually has some, so I hope it's accurate.

Hope you guys liked this chapter, let me know what you think and don't forget to vote!! :)