Song: All My Heart by Sleeping With Sirens

-----------

I filled the last cupcake liner and put the tray into the oven. I set the timer and let go of a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Relax," Benji said and came up behind me. "It's going to be fine." His arms slid around my waist and he secured me against his chest.

"I know," I murmured.

He lowered his lips to the side of my neck, leaving a small kiss. "Then why are your hands shaking?"

"What?"

Benji reached around me and took my hands gently into his. With sure fingers, he wrapped them around my own softly. My hands were shaking, but I didn't notice until Benji's warm touch stilled them. "There's nothing to worry about," he assured.

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm okay. I just get nervous when meeting new people."

"That's understandable," he tightened his grip on my hands. "But I'll be there to make sure you're okay."

I couldn't stop my smile.

Being stuck in the house for as long as I have, my social skills are slim to none. It's not that I don't like meeting new people, I guess I'm scared about what they'll think about me, I don't know. But before everything happened with Zoe, I wasn't like this. I liked hanging out with my friends, meeting new people, and just trying new things. Now I'm just scared. Well, not so much now, but before, I thought there was something wrong with me when in reality, there was something wrong with my mom.

Benji kept his hands around mine as we swayed side to side. It made the smile on my face broaden and I relaxed completely in his arms. "I love you," he whispered.

I tilted my head back to look at him, the smile still placed on my lips. "I love you."

He smiled down at me, cupped the bottom of my chin, and his lips descended on mine. He kissed me sweetly and then pulled back to leave an inch between us. "You taste like vanilla," he said.

I let out a small laugh. "I may have eaten one...maybe two spoonful's of frosting before you got here. Also, you know, I have to taste it."

"That's what you have me for," he joked. "But I tasted it on you and I think it's pretty damn good."

"Glad I have the Benji seal of approval."

He laughed and kissed me again before letting me go.

I walked to the bakery fridge to get the frosting and Benji grabbed one of the piping bags I already constructed. He held it open for me while I spooned the frosting inside. "So, what did your parents say when you told them it was me?" I asked, just out of curiosity.

"Um..." Benji trailed.

I stopped and looked up at him. "Please tell me they know."

"They know I have a girlfriend," he said.

"But..."

"But they don't know it's you. As in they don't know it's Amy's daughter."

I wanted to freak out, but I realized I told him not to. "I thought you would've told them when you made the dinner plans."

Benji shrugged a shoulder. "Would you believe I like the element of surprise?"

A smile fought its way onto my lips. "Actually, I think I would. Definitely sounds like a Benji thing to do."

"But you love it." He grinned.

"One of the many things I love about you." I lifted my hand and poked his nose. "Are there any topics I should avoid tonight?"

I started filling the bag again. "Uh, yeah. Sammy is still difficult to talk about, especially this time of the year."

I nodded. "I know; I wouldn't bring up Sammy."

We finished filling the bag and I twisted it in time for the oven timer to go off. Benji got the cupcakes out and we slipped them onto the cooling rack. "Anything else?" I asked.

"My mom likes to garden, so of course she likes to talk about it. Unless you want to get sucked into a two-hour conversation about tomatoes, avoid it." I laughed and he went on. "With my dad, avoid the news. He's very...passionate about it. Which also leads to two-hour conversations about something you could read on the internet."

"That leaves me to ask them about you when you were little."

He wiggled his finger in my direction. "I was getting to that next."

"You're ruining my fun!" I giggled and snaked my arms around his waist. "I'm sure your mom would love to break out the baby books."

"She would volunteer."

"I'm definitely asking."

"Lucy—"

"Shhh. It's going to happen."

Benji laughed and leaned down to leave a small kiss on my lips.

* * *

We arrived at his parent's and we stood on the walkway leading to their house. I was nervous, but not as nervous as I was this morning. Benji stood next to me with the bakery box filled with vanilla cupcakes and I had my hands clasped together in front of me.

Benji moved forward first and I followed him up the brick stairs. "You've already met Bear. All he'll do is probably sniff you and walk off. Or just pet him like I told you."

I let out an easy laugh. "I remember."

We stopped in front of the door and Benji glanced at me before opening it. He stepped inside first and I heard a bark, followed by a dog barreling towards him. He quickly handed me the box of cupcakes before Bear attacked him. "I think he's bigger than you," I murmured.

"You think?"

I snorted.

"Is that Benjamin?" I heard a female voice ask.

Benji slowly rose back up and Bear took off.

"Benjamin?" I whispered, struggling not to laugh. "I knew Benji was short for Benjamin, but hearing you called Benjamin is actually funny."

"I tried Ben once because my dad goes by Ben," he said and took the box from my hands again. "Do I look like a Ben to you? Or a Benjamin?"

I shook my head. "You look like a Benji."

He laughed. "Only my mom and my grandma call me Benjamin. I hate it. I feel like I'm in trouble."

I was about to reply when a woman comes walking down the hall, an apron tied around her waist. She smiled, her golden curls bouncing as she walked towards us. I pushed a nervous smile as she stepped closer. "It's so good to finally meet you," she said and immediately pulled me into a tight hug. I looked at Benji over his mom's shoulder and he was grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes and hugged her back. "It's nice to meet you, too."

She dropped her arms and took a step back to look at me. "I'm Lindsey."

"Lucy," I replied with a smile. "I brought cupcakes from my family's bakery."

Benji moved around his mom to hand her the box. "Oh! That was so nice of you!" She glanced at the Enchanted Sweets label and her smile grew. "Is your mom Amy King by any chance?"

I nodded. "I didn't know you knew her."

"I've met her a few times when she's catered at the hotel. Wonderful lady. Come on. Dinner's almost ready." She turned on her heels and walked back the way she came.

I released a long breath and Benji appeared in front of me. "I guess I forgot to warn you that this family is big on hugs."

"I don't have a problem with hugs," I told him. "It's actually nice."

He grabbed my hand and twined our fingers together. "Good. You should be expecting a lot of them when you're around my family."

My heart swelled at the thought of meeting more of Benji's family and my lips tilted up again. "I can't wait."

Benji led me through the hall and into the dining room. The last time I was here, I didn't get to see much of the house. So far everything I've seen is beautiful and it felt like a home.

In the dining room, Benji's dad was there next to his mom. He rose from his chair, a look of surprise on his face when he saw it was me. "Lucy?" But he smiled and came up to hug me. "If I would've known it was you, I would've made Benji bring you a long time ago."

I laughed and hugged him back. "Benji said he likes the element of surprise."

Mr. Meyer squeezed me gently before releasing me. "Well it looks like you guys need to fill us in," he joked.

We sat around the table, Benji beside me, his mom across, and his dad sat across from him. "It really is a funny story," Benji said as food started being passed around. "I had no idea who Lucy was when we met."

His mom raised her eyebrows. "I already like the start to this story."

Benji chuckled and looked at me. "We met at one of my shows back in November. She literally bumped into me."

I felt my cheeks warm. "It was an accident," I clarified. "You were standing behind me. It could've happened to anyone."

"Yeah, but it happened to me."

I heard his mom sigh and she said, "Fate."

I looked at her, feeling my cheeks heat even further. "That's exactly what Benji said."

"We didn't tell her the rest of the story," Benji said. "Like how I stalked you—"

"You better be kidding," Mr. Meyer said.

Benji looked at his dad, a playful grin on his lips. "Of course, Dad, I'm not that weird. I just remembered seeing her in the bakery once. I had to check and it was definitely worth it."

I reached for Benji's hand under the table and squeezed his palm. "He's been a great friend to me," I told them. "I'm glad he found me."

"Definitely fate," his mom said. "I don't understand how people don't believe in it."

"That's what I said too," Benji piped in. "And I still believe it."

"Does that mean I get grandkids?"

The bite I had taken got lodged in my throat and I choked. Benji quickly leaned toward me, handing me his glass of water instead of reaching for mine. "Are you okay?" He asked and rubbed circles on my back.

I nodded and drank a little bit of the water. My throat itched and I felt like coughing mid-drink.

Benji's hand remained on my back as he resided in his previous position. "Really, Mom?"

"Sorry, I was just kidding. Well...sort of."

I handed Benji my water and kept his after I basically drank half of it. "It's fine," I told him. "I mean, I guess I want kids eventually—"

"We've only been dating a little over a month," Benji interjected. "I don't think we're ready to talk about kids."

"And I'm only eighteen," I added sheepishly. Sometimes I wondered if my age bothered Benji, but he never said it did. He never treated me like a kid, even though I felt like one next to him. And it's not the height difference either.

All his mom did was grin.

Mr. Meyer jumped in to change the subject to Benji's music. Again, Benji's element. His eyes would gleam and the smile never leaves his face when he talks about his music. Both of his parents were listening intently with matching smiles.

They looked proud.

They were proud of their son.

It's a way I've always wanted my mom to look at me. But it was nice to see his parents look at him that way. You could see it in their eyes. And when I looked at Benji, you could see it in his too. He thoroughly enjoyed talking to his parents about something he loved doing. Something he's dedicated his life too.

And for some reason, it made me want to cry. Not because I was sad, but because I have this person in my life...Benji...and he's literally made of light that casts light in any darkness that's found me. I don't think there's any possible way to thank him for everything. What started out as a solid friendship led me to so much more.

* * *

After dinner, Benji pulled me away from the table and dragged me up the stairs. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I was going to help your parents clean up—"

"They can do it," he said. "I wanna show you my old room."

We moved down the hall, passing a closed door, and beside it Benji stopped. He opened the door and tugged me inside before shutting it behind me. The first thing I saw was the walls covered in band posters. The bed was made and everything seemed to be in place like he never left. "How often do you stay here?" I asked.

"Not so often," he replied. "Sometimes my dad will have conventions that keeps him away for a couple of days and I come to stay with my mom. She...she doesn't do too well by herself now."

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "But that's very nice of you."

He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's fun though. Sometimes the whole band will come over and we'll basically eat junk food while watching movies. I've watched enough rom-coms to last me a lifetime."

"Sounds like fun to me." I laughed a little. "I bet she misses you when you're on tour."

"Oh, she does. I get a lot of texts and at least a phone call every other night. Even though I'm an adult, she baby's me more than ever." He dramatically rolled his eyes and smiled. "But I love her and I wouldn't be here without her."

"Is this the part I ask where babies come from?"

"It's a stork. They just go around dropping babies on doorsteps." He said it with such a straight face, I didn't know if I should laugh or not.

Of course I ended up laughing. "That's pretty brutal."

"But they come in bubble wrap so they aren't damaged. But in my case, I came with a little less and got a minor bump on the head. Only acquired a little damage. But I think I turned out pretty well if you ask me."

I poked his chest. "Yes, you turned out fine. But in my mom's case, I'm pretty sure I was about to suffocate in bubble wrap."

Benji lifted his arms and grasped my hips. "No more bubble wrap."

"No more bubble wrap," I repeated and settled my hands on his arms.

He lowered his head to kiss me, but I spotted something around his arms and let out a gasp. "No!" I walked around him to get to his dresser and picked up a picture. "Is this the band?"

"I regret bringing you up here now." He reached for the picture, but I spun so he couldn't reach it.

A loud laugh fell out. "Is that Tyler? Oh, my gosh. He's going to hear about this! He has no hair!"

"Laugh it up," Benji urged sarcastically.

"Your hair is so long! And blond...?" I turned to face him again. "You're a blond?!"

Blush crept up Benji's cheeks. "Maybe?"

"This is gold!" I pointed to Mason. "He had an eyebrow piercing? And holy crap, Evan's wearing eyeliner."

Benji grabbed the picture from my hand and set it back on the dresser. "I think that's enough fun for one night."

"That picture just made my night. Who knew Benji was a blond? I'm not saying it looked bad either. It's just...wow. I never would've guessed."

His cheeks were still tinted a light shade of pink. "That was sophomore year in high school. Oh and you can definitely tease Tyler about his shaved head. The reaction you get may just be the best thing ever."

"I'll remember next time I see him," I said.

Benji grasped my face and finally gave me that kiss he was waiting for. "Let's get you home."

When we got to my house, Benji turned the car off and jumped out. I mocked his actions and slid out of the car because jumping would probably land me in the hospital. I didn't have the nimble limbs that Benji had.

He sauntered over to my side just as I shut the door behind me. "Is your mom waiting for you?" He asked while backing me up against his trucks door.

"Probably," I mumbled. "She told me she wouldn't be waiting, but she'll conveniently be sitting on the couch, reading."

Benji lightly caressed the side of my face. "She's just looking out for you."

"I know, but I'm with you. She shouldn't worry. Unless you have a plan to corrupt me that I don't know about."

He tilted his head a tick and used his free hand to settle on my side, right above my ribs. "Need I remind you about the tattoo? The late nights? The parties? I can go on."

"Are you saying I've already been corrupted, Benji?" I teased

A smirk quirked the corner of his mouth. "In your own way, yes. I believe you've properly been corrupted."

I laughed by accident, but then I couldn't stop. On my toes, I tugged on Benji's sleep so he'd meet my demands. His lips found mine in an instant. I slipped a hand into the back of his hair, letting my fingers curl into a fist around dark strands. Benji's hand on my side fell to my hip and he pulled me forward until our bodies connected.

Benji was the first to pull away, but our hold didn't break. His lips were only mere inches from mine when he spoke. "My parent's really liked you. They definitely want me to bring you back for dinner sometime."

"I enjoyed tonight a lot. Your parent's are...basically how you described them. They're great."

He kissed me again and sighed.

"Was your mom like that with every girl you brought home?" I jokingly asked. Mainly referring to the part about her asking about grandkids.

Benji tipped his head back so his stare met mine. His thumb idly brushed over my cheek and my heart sped up. "You're the only girl I've ever brought home."

I was a little stunned. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "And I'm sorry about that. My mom...she's a dreamer."

"Her hearts in the right place." I smiled.

He nodded. "One of the few things I'm sure of anymore."

I moved my hand in and out of the back of his hair calmly and placed my free hand on his chest. "What else are you sure of?"

Benji started leaning in again and his grip tightened on my hip. "My music," he said and kissed me quickly. "My own heart." He kissed me again, but longer this time. And then seconds went by before he whispered, "Which leads to you."

* * *

The next few days went by and my parents left for Jacksonville. It was the day of Zoe evaluation and I was too nervous to do anything. I was home alone, sitting at the kitchen table with my phone. My legs were bouncing uncontrollably because I couldn't sit still. I nibbled on my thumbnail nervously, but when I realized what I was doing I quickly stopped.

My phone buzzed on the table and I quickly grabbed it, but Mia's name popped up on the screen instead of my mom's. "Hey, Mia," I answered.

"Hey, have you heard anything yet?"

I slumped back in the chair and pressed a hand to my forehead. "No, not yet. I'm freaking out."

"I'm sorry I can't be there," she said. "I'm afraid if I leave my mom, she'll clean out the liquor cabinet and it won't be so she can dust the shelves."

"I understand, Mia, it's fine. I'll call you when I hear anything."

"Okay, well call Benji. I'm sure he'll come over."

"He's busy with some band stuff." I sighed. "I'm just overthinking, I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be fine, but I also know how you get, Lucy."

I started chewing on my thumbnail again. "I'm okay. I've talked myself down. I know it's going to be okay and Zoe's going to come home soon."

The doorbell rang, echoing loudly through the house.

"Someone's at the door," I said. "You'll be the first person I call when I get off the phone with my mom, I promise."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you, too" I tapped the red circle to end the call and rose from the table. Walking out of the kitchen, I trekked to the front door and swung it open.

Flowers were held in front of the culprits face, but the legs belonged to the one and only Benji Meyer. A smile curved my lips and Benji lowered the flowers. "What are you doing here?" I asked and leaned against the door frame.

He sniffed the roses and held them out to me. "To bring you flowers of course. Oh, and chocolate. Because let's be real, everyone loves chocolate."

"Let me guess, Mia talked to you?"

Hesitantly, he nodded. "Why didn't you tell me your sisters evaluation was today? I would've dropped everything to be here."

"Exactly. I didn't want you to do that, Benji."

"I know, Lucy, but I want to be there for you. Especially when you're going through this. I had people there for me, now let me be here for you."

I stepped away from the door and let Benji inside. Instead of going back into the kitchen, I brought us into the living room. "I'm going to go put these in water," I told him. "Do you want anything?"

Benji shook his head and I walked into the kitchen to take care of the roses. After I cut the stems and put them in a vase of water, I smelled the velvety tips and smiled.

Back in the living room, I sat down close to Benji. I grasped his hand between my own. "Thank you for this. You seriously didn't have to."

"I wanted to. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just waiting is a pain. I get too anxious over nothing."

"It's not nothing, Lucy," he said. "You're worried and that's normal."

I scooted closer to him, throwing my legs across his lap and resting my head on his shoulder. Our gazes locked and I smiled. "It does make it easier with someone here."

Benji placed his hand over my bare knee and returned the smile. "The band understands when I want to be with you."

"I don't want to be one of those girlfriend's that consumes all of your time and your band starts to hate me."

His brows raised. "You're probably doing them a favor. Besides, you'd have to do a lot more to make them hate you. Especially Tyler. He looks at you like a little sister."

"Really?"

He rested his head back against the couch and nodded. "I'll be here when you need me to be, Lucy." With a soft touch, he brushed his fingers over my cheek and cupped my jaw. His thumb fluttered over the edge of my bottom lip.

I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes. "I'm glad you're here."

Benji shifted slightly and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm happy to be here."

We stayed like that for a few moments and I didn't want to move. Being in Benji's arms helped relax me more than I expected. Every few seconds, he'd leave a kiss on another spot on my face. The situation was almost too relaxing, because I found myself dozing off.

That was until my phone came to life with vibrations.

I scrambled to get it out of my pocket and this time it was my mom's picture instead of Mia's. I answered it quickly. "Mom," I breathed.

"It's the spawn," Zoe said.

I laughed nervously. "How'd it go? Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. It actually went really well. They see a lot of improvement, even more than when I was here the first time years ago."

"That's good." I found myself chewing on my nail again. "What does that mean?"

"It means I get to come home." I heard the smile in her voice. The sound of her voice telling me she's coming home made my body deflate with relief. "It won't be for another month, but still, I can come home. I can be with you guys again and really get my shit together, Lucy. I'm taking this month to plan. Everything's going to be so much better, I promise."

Tears started streaming down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"Are you crying?" She asked. "Lucy—"

I had to laugh. "I'm happy crying. You're coming home."

"I'm coming home."

Benji was next to me, holding onto my free hand I didn't notice he had. My fingers started to throb from my tight grip, but he didn't say anything. "I'll come visit you soon," I told her. "I promise."

"Please and make sure to bring cupcakes. I need cupcakes."

"I'll bring cupcakes."

I heard Mom's voice in the background, calling Zoe's name. "I gotta go, I just wanted to be the one to tell you the news. I love you, Luce. Can't wait to see you."

"I love you, too and I can't wait to see you."

We exchanged bye's and hung up. I was so happy I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to scream, another part of me wanted to cry, and another part of me wanted to pass out.

Benji turned my head to face him and he cupped my jaw while his thumbs worked to remove the tears from my cheeks. "She's coming home?"

"One month," I said. "And I'm counting the days already."

The smile on his face widened. "See? Nothing to worry about. I'm glad she's coming home. So glad."

"Me too." My smile was small. "I don't think everything's fully kicked in yet. These past two months just don't even feel real. And I know I keep saying it, but...shit...I'm happy. I've never been so happy in my life."

Benji's laugh was light and he held onto me. "You're so beautiful when you're happy."

I closed the space between us and pressed my lips to his. He responded quicker than I expected and kissed me back with the same intensity.

When the kiss fell apart, I kissed the tip of his nose and leaned back. "What about you, Benji?" I questioned.

"What about me, Lucy?"

"Are you happy?"

He slowly smiled. "I'm very happy. Words can't express it."

"I always want you to be happy. When you're here or alone, I want you to be happy."

Benji started laughing again and he brought me in for another kiss. "I'm very content with where I am now."

"Good." I dragged my fingers over his jaw. "I am too."

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

I can't believe this is the last chapter. I say that every time I finish a story, but UGH. This has been my absolute favorite story to write. And I'm sorry it took so long to get this up, I've just been busy with my other stories and I don't force myself to write when I have no inspiration. But I really liked how this chapter turned out and I hope you guys did too!!

ALSO Tyler's story will be posted when I post the epilogue! I'm not sure when that is, but it'll happen. I'm going to be really busy for the next few days and I have an exam next week AND THEN FINALLY SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So bear with me!

Please vote and comment! Let me know your thoughts on the ending! :)