Everything Changed

Ronnie's PoV

I woke up later that day from Ben kissing me. I smiled and kissed him back before he pulled away.

"You should probably wake up." He whispered.

"I should probably do a lot of things." I laughed. "And you should wake me up like that everyday. But I don't think that either of those things will actually happen."

"I will if I wake up before you." He promised. "But you really should get up if you want to get ready for tonight."

"Tonight?" I asked before remembering him asking me out on a date. "What should I wear? And if you say a dress this whole thing's off." I threatened.

"You could wear what you're wearing right now and it wouldn't make a difference." He said. I sighed and stood up, and headed to my bathroom, grabbing clothes from one of my suitcases on the way.

"I have to go to the store." I told him when I came out of the bathroom after my shower and getting ready.

"Why?"

"Because I need girl products. I'll be back." I told him as I pulled on my Ugg boots.

"I'm coming with you." He told me as I was headed toward the door. "We have today, tonight and tomorrow before I have to catch a flight back home. You aren't leaving my sight before then."

"So we have like 36 hours left together?" I asked.

"I think a little more than that but basically." Ben said.

"I hope you weren't planning on having sex in that time, because..." I trailed off.

"I think I'll be fine. Besides. It'll just be a reason for you to come visit me sooner."

"It's going to be so strange." I complained as we walked to the CVS about a quarter mile away.

"I don't like sleeping alone." He frowned.

"You have dogs." I said.

"Want me to get you a teddy bear?" Ben offered.

"You are my teddy bear though."

"How am I a teddy bear?! I'm no where close to being fat, and I'm pretty much hairless. That would be Danny." He laughed.

"I don't care. I just don't want you to leave."

"I know." His grip tightened on my hand. "We don't have to think abut it until tomorrow night anyway."

"Yeah." I said as the doors of the store opened for us.

"Do tampons give women like sexual pleasure or something?" Ben asked randomly.

"What?"

"Do ta-" I cut him off.

"I know what you said. I just can't believe you asked that."

"It's a valid question. Besides. I don't have a vagina, so I wouldn't know."

I didn't say anything.

"I mean, why would a women want to shove some plastic thing inside them if they don't get any kind of pleasure out of it?"

"Just. Stop talking Ben. What am I going to do with you?" I laughed.

"Answer my question maybe?"

"Women use tampons because it's an easier way to deal with the blood pouring out of us a week each month for not getting pregnant. If a women is putting a tampon in for some kind of sex thing, then she obviously is really desperate and has some really deep routed issues." I explained.

"Aw, c'mon. Periods can't be that bad." He said, causing me to glare at him.

"You know when you get hit in the balls and you feel it all the way into you're stomach?" I asked. He nodded. "Imagine that pain constantly. It's like someone is grabbing all your inner organs and twisting them. Not to mention the head aches. Oh and don't forget the emotional roller coaster. The mood swings. "

"And you can't have sex." He added.

"You can. It's just really strange and weird and different."

"You're just telling me this now?!?!" He asked loudly.

"I'm not having sex with you when I'm on my period Ben."

A lady walked by us and laughed, shooting me an understanding look.

"My husband and I used to have this conversation all the time. Boys just never understand do they?" She told me. I nodded and she walked away.

"Now lets go before you attract any more attention."

After grabbing a bag of M&M's we checked out and walked back home.

"Is there anything else you need to do or can we head out?" Ben asked when we get back.

"We can head out whenever. Doesn't make a difference to me." I said.

"Good. C'mon. Jackson also is letting me drive his car so we don't have to walk." He told me.

"He never lets me drive his car. Why do you get to?!" I exclaimed. Ben just smirked. "This is unfair on so many levels."

"Sorry Love." He said and pecked my lips before grabbing my hand and dragging me out the door and to Jackson's car.

"So where are we going anyway?" I asked when we started driving.

"Up to you. Are you hungry?"

"Not really at the moment." I said.

"Okay." He responded simply and kept driving. "You still wanna get a tattoo?" He asked after a minute.

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

"Why not?" He smiled. No one said anything for a while.

"What am I going to get?" I ask suddenly. Ben chuckled.

"Well, what do you want?" He asked.

"I don't know, that's the thing. Every other tattoo I have was done when I was drunk. Oh my god, does it hurt?!" I panicked.

"I have never seen you freak out this much about anything before." He laughed.

"It's because you put me on the spot." I pouted.

"Hey, I brought it up when we were in Ethan's car. You just forgot." He shrugged and turned into the parking lot of the shop.

"But still." I sighed and got out of the car, racking my brain for something I could get done.

"You could always get a start on a sleeve." He offers.

"I would need an idea for that. I don't even have an id-" I cut myself off and turned to face him. "How creepy would it be if I got one of your song titles tattooed?" I asked.

"What were you thinking of getting?" He looked a little confused.

"An empty road on my shoulder, with Run Free underneath it." I explained. "As like a reminder of how much I still have ahead of me. Even with all the mistakes I made. I still have that chance, because I can live my life however I want to."

"Go for it." He smiled.

"I think I will." I said.

We talked to the guy who would be doing the tattoo and he went out into the back to sketch what he thought would be what I wanted and Ben and I sat in the waiting room messing around with things.

"You know, you would be the person to take me to a tattoo parlor for a date." I said after a minute.

"Well I figured you'd like it. I mean, you're obsessed with my tattoos. You wanted one. And it gives me a chance to hold your hand." He said cheekily.

"I love you." I mumbled.

"I love you too." He said. "Do you want to go to a bar after or do you want to go to dinner?"

"The bar. We'll have to go home first though, I'll have to change. We'll have to drop off Jackson's car. Then I can text Lenny and tell him that we're coming. I haven't seen or spoken to him in ages." I said.

"Lenny?" Ben asked.

"He's the owner of that bar I met you in." I explained. "If I text him before we show up he'll make sure we can get in without waiting in line."

"Well I like that idea." He said.

"Hey Ronnie? You ready?" The tattooing guy, Matt, called to me.

"Let's do this." I said.

"I'll be right there." Ben told me as I stood up and followed Matt.

"Alright." I said. "So how bad is the pain?" I asked Matt.

"It's really not that bad. Almost like a constant bee sting. Besides, your design is pretty simple. So it won't be that bad." He explained.

"Okay." I sighed and sat on the bench and pulled my shirt off so he could get to the spot on my back as he set everything up.

"I bare gifts." Ben said coming back into the room and holding up a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Finally." I sighed grateful as he opened it and passed it to me.

"Your welcome." Ben smirked as he sat down in a chair and started taking pictures and most likely putting them on instagram or sending them to the guys.

In that moment I realized something.

Ben and I weren't the perfect model couple. We were both fuck ups. We drank too much, had sex almost every day, we were just two people who lived in the moment.

We were the people who would go get tattoos for a date and drink whiskey from the bottle as they were getting done.

We were the people who really didn't care about anyone outside our little circle of friends and family. Probably seeming like assholes.

But that's okay, because that's who we are. It's what we do.

This is us.