A/N: So the Ben chapter was a bit longer than expected, but here's the last part of it and then back to the real story lol It's like a manga! You read a main story and somewhere in the middle, there's a short break thrown in. This is my fluffy Ben filler. Hope it's not a nuisance. If it is, you can skip it and carry on to the next chapter. I would understand. :) But it's still good to get the other character's point of view. We know what Rey was doing, but Ben just showed up out of the blue. I wanted to show what he was doing and what he was thinking this whole time of them being apart. And it will probably be critical later on, too, to know what Mr. Broody Ben was up to! Anyway! Enjoy the part 2 of Ben's POV! R&R!

BROKEN

Chapter 14: Bothered (Ben)

Part 2

When he got back to his car, he set the bags aside, thinking of his most recent purchase and feeling anxiety welling up inside of him. He could have just made a horrible mistake. Or he could have just done the best thing ever. His phone dinged. He looked down at it and smiled when he saw who it was from. He opened the message and read it, a warm smile on his lips. "I had another nightmare last night. The same one. I'm working through it. Made a little victory. A few more to go. I'll be ready for you when you come back. I love you, Ben." That message alone was enough to tell him that he'd made the right choice. She was ok. She was making good progress. His hope returned. Her thoughts towards him hadn't changed. She was still fighting to overcome her fears. She wouldn't give in. She wouldn't give up. She was not the type to shrink back. He turned the car on and started driving again.

X~x~x~x~x~X

He'd pulled into his apartment around 1:50pm, having already done some grocery shopping, personal shopping, and grabbing lunch. He had to adult after all. He grabbed his things and walked up the stairs, humming a song that was stuck in his head. He wasn't much of a hummer, but occasionally when it struck him, he would hum the melody to get it out of his head. And the song he was humming was the same one that he imagined them dancing to in his head last night. He set his things on the counter, going back down the stairs for trip number two. The exercise would do him some good anyway, he realized as his thoughts drifted silently back to his beloved Rey. He nervously grabbed the bag in his front seat that was for her and delicately carried it up the stairs with the rest of the groceries. When he was at the top, he closed his apartment door and set to work at putting his groceries away.

The last bag standing was the one for Rey. He looked at it, realizing that it bothered him that he'd bought it so confidently, only to completely fret about it now. What if he'd bought the wrong thing? What if it ticked her off? What if...

He shook his head and decided that whatever happened after he presented it to her, was whatever it would be. He couldn't spend all his time worrying about an outcome he couldn't predict. He looked at the clock, realizing he'd been doing that a lot lately since he was apart from Rey. When he was with her, time didn't matter. Now that they were apart, he counted the time until he would see her again. 2:14pm. Time wasn't moving fast enough for him. He still had so long until he could see her again. A whole other 24 hours at the very least! He sighed as he looked back down at the bag that was staring him in the face. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and sighed exasperatedly. He needed a nap. As soon as he made it to his room, however, he realized he was far too awake to sleep. Another run then!

He donned his workout clothed, another black tank and black workout pants. He shoved his earphones in and pressed play on some more music. He ran to his heart's content. It helped him silence his thoughts. The blaring music drowned out his thoughts of negativity and all he could focus on was his breathing and his running. It was the perfect idea of white noise. Some people found it satisfying to vacuum, some showering... he preferred running with loud music. It calmed him. It was his white noise. He'd tried to do that when Rey had gotten him, too. But she interrupted and...

He shook his head in frustration. Don't think about it... He ran faster, picking up the pace to match his throbbing heart beat. His mind wandered back to Rey. He'd gotten a text back from her, sure, but how was she doing now? His negative thoughts had ceased, he realized. She was doing ok, but how much progress had she really made? He decided not to question it. If she was having difficulties, he would help her through it. They would tackle it together. He didn't care how many times he had to remind her of his love for her and all that it entailed. He would do it over and over again. He would keep making promises to her. He would keep telling her that he had no intention of abandoning her. He was like a grey wolf. When he pledged himself to one person, it was forever. Or in this case, when she said she was done with him. He didn't see that happening anytime soon though. If it did, then fine. He wouldn't be able to go with anyone else. She'd done something to him. It was an internal change. He was better with her. He was far better than he was a day ago... a week ago... a month ago... two months ago.

When he'd met her, his whole life changed. And to think it all started with an O2 sensor. He let out a breathy chuckle as he paused at Luke's house again. He looked down at his phone. He'd been running for about 20 minutes. Luke came out of the garage and smirked at him, nodding quietly. Ben ran up to him, ripping an earphone out of his ear to briefly chat with the man. "How is she?" he asked, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

Luke shrugged. "She came out. I set the stuff on her bed after changing her sheets. She's been up there ever since. I don't know how you pegged her so spot on... but you were right," he said as he shook his head at his grinning nephew.

Ben shrugged. "I love her." Luke looked up at him, eyes wide and full of understanding after a moment. Ben grinned at him, winked and popped his earphone back in, tossing a wave behind him as he started to pick up the pace again. He didn't look back as he ran back to his house. He'd given all the explanation he needed to give to Luke as to why he pegged her that way. When you love someone as much as Ben loved Rey, you knew what they would do in a given circumstance. She was only human. She needed food eventually, right? He made it back to his apartment and bound up the steps, not stopping his motions until he made it inside his apartment. He shut off the music and leaned against the door, catching his breath. He was satisfied with this run. His mind was clear, his mood had picked up. He was doing better.

But how was Rey?

He decided that he would text her when he got out of the shower. For now... he needed to cleanse. He walked into his room and shed his clothing, hopping into the shower to let the hot water stream down on his body, relaxing his tensed up muscles and dragging a sigh of relief out of him. He felt his legs aching from the miles he'd put on them over the past day or so and he realized he needed to run more. Maybe he could go on a run with Rey sometime. He smiled at that. He could see it now. Them running in the park, side by side, her hair swinging as she ran, a grin on her beautiful face. He shuddered and tore himself before his thoughts grew inappropriate. He finished bathing and cut the water off before stepping out and grabbing his towel. He dried off silently, only barely catching his phone buzzing. His brow quirked for a moment, walking over to it to see it was a message from Rey. And an attachment?

He opened the message and sputtered as his cheeks grew hotter than he ever thought they could. He stared at his picture that Rey sent to him for what seemed like forever. She wore his shirt well. She looked dang sexy in it, too! And it was a tasteful picture, he noticed. Nothing wildly inappropriate. Just something to be sweet and beautiful at the same time. His rose sat on her chest, an apple in her mouth, his shirt on her body, just barely hanging off of her shoulder as she smiled up at him with those eyes that could melt the north and south poles. His thoughts drifted to how he'd gotten so fortunate as to have such a beautiful woman to call his own. He smiled warmly at her. He saved it and set it as his wallpaper and contact photo before reading the message she sent with it. "Thank you for my gifts, Ben." Something so simple and sweet. He smiled as he all but dashed into his room to get some clothes on so he could send a picture to her as well. He typed back to her. I knew you would wear it better. Thank you for eating something, love. He sent the message and went back into the bathroom where there was sufficient lighting. He left his towel hanging around his neck as he stared into the camera and smirked a little, pouring his love into the photo, as if trying to relay it to her the best he could. He'd always hated how he looked in pictures, but he decided that he wouldn't be so self-conscious and just sent it to her without a second thought.

He saw the phone go from delivered to read and he hesitated for a moment. He would tease her a little. Don't miss me too much. He sent it, earning him a kissy emoji a moment later. He chuckled at her, closing out the message to see her staring up at him on his phone. He walked over to his bed and smiled as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

X~x~x~x~x~X

Ben awoke with a start as he looked around for a moment. He looked at his phone and saw that it was 11:58pm. He sighed and groaned at his body refusing to sleep. He supposed it wasn't too bad. He'd gotten a few hours in at least. He slept for... what... 7 hours? He still felt so exhausted though. He needed more sleep, but his mind wasn't letting him give himself to it completely. He rolled over and tried to get more comfortable, thinking that was the issue.

It wasn't.

With a groan and a sigh, he wrenched himself from bed and swung his feet to the ground. He looked around for something to do. His house was immaculate. There was nothing on late at night except dirty shows and talk shows and whatnot. He could go listen to the classical music again... He turned the thought in his head for a few moments. Would that settle him back into a sleep? He stood from his bed and yawned loudly, hair a mess as he walked to the bathroom.

He emerged a moment later and walked to the living room, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and turning his TV on to the classical station. He listened as some violins started to play and he sighed in contentment. Vivaldi. Great. Perfect. He could relax to this, he thought. Then his thoughts were back on Rey again. He couldn't help but laugh as he saw her image in his head. This woman had him so far wound around her that it was bordering insanity. He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, amazed that they'd come so far in two or three months. It seemed like forever. It was odd how their bond was so strong. How it grew stronger so fast. He wondered what it would be like in a year? Two? Five? Ten? He sobered at that thought. Would they still be together in that amount of time?

He chewed on his cheek for a moment. He looked down at his phone. 12:15am. Time was passing so slowly. It was so agonizing. He couldn't make it another day. He was a wreck. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't function. He couldn't do much of anything without thinking about her. When was this going to wear off?

Never.

He found himself smirking at that. And he hoped it never would. If he wasn't so anxious to know how she would feel when he came back, he would welcome that thought to the fullest extent. But as it stood, he was so worried as to how she would receive him when he came back to her. After tossing the thought around a little longer, he sighed and ran his hand over his face again. He needed to go for a run...

He walked into his room and grabbed his workout clothes. He slipped them on effortlessly and walked to the front door again, now more awake than he wanted to be as he toed his boots on and left his house, locking his door. He did the usual, popping one earphone in and turning on his music as loud as he could. He jogged at a comfortable pace down the street, thoughts drifting again to Rey. Was she sleeping now? He smiled at the thought of her curled into herself, hair falling over her face as she breathed his name in her sleep. He picked up his pace a little faster. She was like a drug to him, he realized. He wanted so badly to be with her. All the time. Did she feel the same? Was it as maddening for her to be away from him as it was for him? He felt like he was being torn apart. He wanted to burst into her room and kiss her senseless and sleep next to her. He wanted to hear her call his name. To hear her say she loved him. Her touch. Her smell. All of it engulfed him.

He picked up his pace again. The very thought of her gave him energy. Energy that he needed to burn if he were to be able to sleep decently. It hadn't worked so far though. Last night it did, but would it work tonight? The more he thought about going to her, the more awake he felt. And before he knew it, he was in front of Luke's house again. He panted, catching his breath as he looked upstairs at her window. Her light was on. She was awake. There wasn't any movement, but he knew she didn't sleep with the light on. He stared up there for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek as he debated calling her or texting her. Or if he should just leave it alone altogether. He turned over his shoulder, looking behind him. He was starting to feel tired. Could he make it back? He was more than sure that he could. He looked back up at her window. But did he want to?

He tore his phone from his pocket, turning off the music, snatching the headphones out and dialing her number. He put it to his ear, walking to the front door of Luke's house. He pulled the secret key from on top of the door frame and unlocked it quietly. He shut it behind him, locking it in the process. Just then, she picked up. He felt his breathing pick up a hair. "Ben," she said warmly.

His lips tugged in a warm smile at that. "Been a while."

He heard her laugh as he ascended the stairs slowly, quietly. "It's been a day." Such a simple reminder. But it hit him hard. He'd made it a day without her before his mind started to completely consume him with thoughts of her and her well being.

"So it has..." It had come out a bit more disconnected than he wanted it to as he slowly climbed the stairs, careful not to wake Luke. The man was such a light sleeper that it was ridiculous.

"Ben?" she whispered. He was close enough to her door that he heard it coming from both sides of the phone.

"Hmm?" he asked softly, trying not to give himself away as he tried to surprise her.

"I love you." It was so warm. So loving. So attentive. He could barely believe it as he smiled and rested his hand on her door knob. He twisted it and opened it, eyes meeting hers across the room as his phone stayed poised at his ear. He saw the shock and giddiness welling up in her as he stood there.

"I love you, Rey." Before he knew it, she had thrown the blankets off of herself (was she wearing pants?) and made a mad leap into his arms, wrapping her naked legs around his waist and kissing him with all she had. It nearly knocked the breath (and common sense) out of him as he chuckled and walked into her room, closing the door behind him. He held her against him, hands under her naked thighs, not daring to go any higher. He struggled to keep himself in check as she kissed him with such intensity that he swore his knees were about to give out on him. She giggled as she pulled away and hugged him tight, truly glad that he was there.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, her voice both light and happy that he was there despite the question. He could tell she was really happy to see him there.

He gently nuzzled her neck with his cheek. "I wanted to check on you." It wasn't a complete lie. He had wanted to see her. He had wanted to be with her. He had jogged and ran by the house so many times that he knew he could run it in the pitch black in his sleep. It was only a matter of time before he just let himself in. He felt her lips curl into a smile against his neck and then the lightest of kisses at his jawline. He bit back a groan. Maybe it was the increased blood flow from running, but that had done wonders for him.

She slid down him and landed on her feet, much to his gratitude, before she grabbed his hand and started to tug him to the bed. He couldn't help but follow her, kicking off his boots in the process. He sat at his side on the edge of the bed as he smiled lovingly up at her. He didn't dare let his sight drift below the hem of the shirt, even though he had put together long ago that she was stunning in his shirt. The way it hung on her loosely... stopping just below her- "It looks better on you in person." He couldn't stop himself.

The blush he received from that made her realize how bare she was to him. She pulled at the shirt, as if trying to make it longer. He knew she was uncomfortable. She'd gotten so excited to see him that she threw caution to the wind and threw herself at him, forgetting her lack of clothing. He looked away with a soft laugh at her innocence. She had walked away to get decent, his heart swelling in his chest whose bed he was sitting on. Gosh, he had missed her. Before he knew it, she was back in front of him, pulling him into her, his head resting against her stomach, just below her chest. Her arms wound around him affectionately and winding in his hair as his own arms wrapped around her waist, mindful of where he put them, as always. It occurred to him then... "Am I interrupting you?" His voice was soft as he spoke against her stomach. She smelled even better than he remembered.

Her voice rang like a beautiful song in his ears as she laughed. "No. I've had enough time to think." He was sure she had. He felt her hands on his face, pulling his gaze to hers. He stared into her eyes and saw concern for him laced in her dark eyes. "How are you?"

He knew she was asking how he was doing without her. He would be lying if he said he was fine. He was far from fine without her. He knew she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the bloodshot whites of his eyes poking through just a bit. He was exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted. But somehow... he forgot all of that while he was with her. Everything with her was... "Better."

"Are you staying?" Her voice was so full of hope. She was as eager to have him here with her as he was to be here. Her face radiated hope that he'd stay with her tonight. Still... out of love for her, he wanted to tease her.

"Would you like me to?" His lips twitched up as he reached up to her, his hand finding the back of her neck to gently pull her down to him.

"Never leave." Their lips touched and Ben swore he saw stars. Then everything went black as she straddled his lap. She was so close. Too close. He was already restraining himself from her jumping at him half clothed. But now with her so close to him like this... He wasn't sure how he could resist. For fear of embarrassing her, he opted to pull away before things got worse. He cleared his throat awkwardly, afraid to meet her eyes. He could tell she felt his excitement because she quickly got off of his lap with a deep red blush on her cheeks. She apologized quickly and softly as she seated herself next to him.

He tried to laugh, but it came out as a strangled, embarrassed laugh. "Me, too." So embarrassing. He was so excited to see her, to feel her, to smell her... he'd let it show. He needed to school his body better, he realized.

Before he could continue his self-chastisement, he registered her smile as she pulled him down into the bed with her. He laid on his side, her curled up next to him as he held her tight. "Thank you for coming," she whispered to him, kissing his collarbone. He held her tight and squeezed her in response. He had missed this more than he thought he had. Without another word, he felt the exhaustion push him under. His eyes closed and his consciousness ebbed away, content to be with the woman he'd thought about nonstop since he left yesterday afternoon.