Ok... I know I said there was going to be heartbreak this chapter... but I wanted to give you guys one more happy chapter... so here it is.

(Ben's POV)

I grinned happily at Erica over my mug of coffee, petting Pax who was resting in my lap. "Good morning!" I greeted her. She grinned back at me and sat down next to me, drinking her own mug of coffee. "Nice house, isn't it?" I asked. She looked around the kitchen, with the blue stove, the blue paper lanterns on the ceiling, the adorable yellow chairs, and the state of the art coffee machine.

"Yeah. It is." She replied, smiling back at me. I grinned into my coffee mug and looked away bashfully. "Why are you grinning into your coffee mug?" Erica asked.

"It's just... I was the nerdy kid who did math for fun, and genuinely enjoyed holding conversations with adults about politics... and now, I'm sitting here with the girl I've liked forever, in a house that we own together. It's just... surreal I guess." I mumbled. Erica smiles at me. "You're too pure for this world Ben. And you're underrating yourself. You weren't only a mega nerd. You were also the star captain of your baseball team, and probably the best looking guy on your grade to boot."

I smiled at her. "Okay, okay maybe I am a super good looking mega nerd."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Ben!" Erica laughed.

"Hey, to change the topic, what did your room look like?" I asked. "Mine was done in shades of blue and grey, with tons of fuzzy blankets. What was yours like?" She responded with another question.

"Mine was green and blue, but I didn't get any plush blankets. Where are my plush blankets?!" I asked. She laughed, and said, "It's cute how worked up you get over fuzzy blankets." I stood up, carefully placing Pax on his dog bed near the kitchen table, and shouted "WHY IS THE WORLD WITHHOLDING MY FUZZY BLANKETS? BRING ON THE FUZZY BLANKETS!"

She laughed again and kissed my forehead. I grinned happily down on her and moved to the sink, washing my coffee mug. "So," I said. "So." She responded. As soon as I was done with the dishes, I flung myself onto the couch. "C'mere, you can be my blanket now," I informed Erica. "If you insist." She teased and folded into my arms. Her body fit the nook of mine perfectly as if I was made just for her.

"Nicknames," I said suddenly, after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Hm?" She asked sleepily. "Let's make nicknames for each other. It just seems, I dunno, very intimate." I brought her hand to my lips and pressed a light kiss to it.

"Alright then. Your nickname is now... B." She informed me. "Well, I'm not going to nickname you E, seeing as I'm B, but, now you shall be called... Lovey."

"Lovey? How interesting." She laughed. I shrugged. "I dunno. I think it's cute." She buried her face into my shoulder and continued laughing. "Oh, Ben. This is why we work. Because you're so adorably dorky." I hummed happily and pressed my lips to her thumb lightly.

Pax, who had up until now been resting his tiny head on his adorably overly large paws, yapped in his cute puppy way, and bounded over, not wanting to miss out on the fun. He jumped up onto the couch and snuggled his way in between us. Somehow, we still fit perfectly. Like a family.

(Erica's POV)

"Lovey, it's time to wake up," Ben whispered softly into my ear. "Quiet down B. Sleep is best." But the familiar smell of sandalwood about him woke me up, and I opened my eyes slowly, and tucked a few stray locks of Ben's thick sandy brown hair behind his ear. "I'll never get tired of that." He murmured softly. Pax was surprisingly calm and remained snuggled into my arms.

I sat up, and Ben asked: "Wanna watch a movie?" I nodded and replied "If you make popcorn than I'll give you a fuzzy blanket. He draped his arms over my shoulders and murmured in my ear "Deal. Anything for you lovey," He grinned teasingly "And anything for fuzzy blankets." 

I carried Pax with me to my room as I heard the pop-pop-pop of the popcorn, well, popping, and carried the giant fuzzy blanket to the couch. A few minutes later we were flipping through movies on Disney+, and Ben begged us to watch Little Mermaid. "I didn't peg you as the type of guy who would watch Little Mermaid, B." I teased him. He blushed and came back with "What can you say, I'm a sucker for Prince's with thick dark hair!" His tone was sarcastic, and I laughed. 

Ngl, when I was little, I was in love with Prince Eric. 

I swear, as we watched the movie, I could hear Pax barking along to 'Under the Sea,' and by the time Ariel was visiting with Ursula, Pax had eaten half of the popcorn. Whenever he ate a piece, he would scrunch his nose up, and make funny little crunching noises.

When 'Kiss the Girl' started playing, I could feel Ben's eyes on mine, so I twisted my face around to his, and slowly leaned in. We shared a short, but sweet kiss, and as I pulled away, Ben dropped a small kiss on my nose. "I could get used to that." He smirked. "Don't go all sappy on me B!" I shouted in mock terror. He laughed and pulled me back into his side, and we resumed watching the movie.

For now, all was well.

Is anyone else squealing over the nickname Lovey? I just love that nickname and I have no idea why. Did you enjoy this chapter? I did. I wanted to give you one chapter of pure fluff before all the angst. I'm sorry. I hope I don't break your hearts. It's a helluva long ride, but who knows what will happen in the end...