Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell won't be getting married in the near future -- at least according to mutual friends Emily Ferguson and Haley Ferguson.

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"I think Ben and Lauren will for sure get married eventually -- I just don't think it will be anytime soon," Haley told Us Weekly.

In Tuesday night's episode of Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? -- which featured the Ferguson twins -- Ben abruptly called off the wedding, leaving Lauren upset, blindsided, confused and hurt. The couple had already told The Bachelor host Chris Harrison they wanted to wed in a TV special.

"I think Ben and Lauren will get married when they're ready," Emily told the magazine.

While Lauren had been shopping for bridesmaid dresses, Ben was complaining to his friends about feeling overwhelmed with plans and unprepared to take that next big step in his life.

"I was not expecting Ben to call off the wedding. That was the last thing I expected... I feel like Ben and I are miles apart but we still need to pretend that we're on the same page," Lauren said in the episode.

Lauren initially struggled not to take Ben's outlook on marriage as a personal attack.

"I feel like I got really excited and finally let my head go to a place where I was planning a wedding in my head and envisioning what that day would look like. I also can't help but question if he just doesn't want to marry me at all at any time," she told a marriage counselor on Happily Ever After?.

However, Lauren came to realize on the show that Ben deserves all the time he needs and she would never want to force him into such a serious commitment. Lauren said all that matters at the end of the day is the fact they'll be husband and wife for the rest of their lives.

"I think right now they need some time to just get to know each other outside of the cameras and outside of the spotlight, just kind of do their own thing. So I think it will take some time," Emily explained.

Ben and Lauren got engaged during the finale of The Bachelor's 20th season, which aired on TV in March. Since the couple has only been dating for about a year now, Ben thought it was vital not to rush things.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.