Alphabet Weekends by the-glory-days

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4918784/1/

Summary: Bored with their dismal love lives, best friends Edward and Bella come
up with the idea of exploring the world of sex using the alphabet for the next
twenty-six weekends. What happens when things go from two friends having fun
to something serious? AH OOC

Preface

"We should have never done this! I knew this would fuck everything up," Bella
chastised, as Edward just stared blankly at her from across the bed.

They had set up the rules, she had implemented them—she had been the one to
really enforce them strictly, but damn it all to hell, the rules were meant to be
broken.

"What do you want me to say Bella? I have no fucking clue what you want me to
say, so please…please don't act like I'm the bad guy! You were just a much a part
of this, as I was. You agreed from the very beginning. I'm not the only one at
fault here."

Bella wailed as she grabbed at the roots of her hair, muttering, "I knew it, I knew
this would happen."
"There's only one letter left, Bella. Let's just finish what we started. After that,
will see what happens," Edward whispered, walking up to her, bumping his
shoulder with hers, trying to calm her down, but it didn't work; she was
unbelievably tense.

He pulled the hat from the drawer, shook it twice, and handed it to Bella. They
both knew what the letter was, but this was how the game was played since they
first started four months ago.

"It's my turn," he muttered, taking a deep breath as he pulled up the rolled up

loose leaf paper. Quickly pocketing the paper after reading it, he walked out of
their apartment to prepare for Saturday, leaving Bella to fester alone with her
thoughts.

Chapter One: The game and ALL its rules

"Man, I need to find me a woman like Liz Lemon," Edward moaned in between a
handful of popcorn eyeing Tina Fey on the screen as if she was the cure for
cancer. "A little nuts, intelligent, and crazy hot. I would give it to her so hard and
she would have to keep the glasses on. Definitely with her glasses on."

"Yeah, she's hot. She looks like one of those closet freaks, like a 'lady in the
streets, freak in the sheets'," Bella commented back, trying to be stealthy as she
stole another sip of Edward's beer. It wasn't his first of the night, nor was it her
first stolen sip of the night.

"My kind of girl! And stop drinking my beer, Swan. You said you didn't want any,
so piss off," he scolded, pulling the beer far from her and keeping it out of her
reach.

"Whatever, Cullen," Bella scoffed rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms and
pouted, sticking out her bottom lip. She made sure to keep her eyes on Edward.
She looked so much like the stubborn little girl she was growing up. Yes, it was
immature, but the face was lethal. Edward could never resist the face.

"Aww, come on, Bells. Not the face! Anything, but the face! I can't handle the
fucking face," he winced, trying to avert her eyes. He even went as far as closing
his eyes, but she whimpered, "Eddddd-ward!", and that was it. He handed the
beer right over, much to Bella's delight. She smiled smugly, tilting the neck of the
bottle toward him in a strange sort of 'Thank you' and 'I'll always win' toast and
took a long chug of the frothy beverage, moaning in satisfaction mostly to piss
Edward off.

"I can't believe I've been falling for that look for the last twenty years." He shook
his head in disbelief. He should already be immune to it and yet every time, like
clockwork, Bella's bottom lip pushed forward and Edward conceded. It was
fucking unfair if you asked him.

"Yeah, you're pretty much an idiot for it," Bella chided, laughing loudly, which
only served to add salt to Edward's wounds.

"Oh really?" Edward voice rose suggestively at the end of the word really and by
the look on his face, the sly smirk and raised eyebrow, Bella knew what was
coming and immediately jumped off the couch.
"Look Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," Bella pleaded retreating from the
living room as she watched Edward begin to make his way to her. He looked like
a lion on the prowl, crazy mane and all.

"I don't think so, Swan. I think you need to pay for that one," he growled as he
lunged at her, swiftly and gracefully leaping over the sofa to trap her against the
floor.

"Prepare to feel my wrath, Bella," he bellowed latching his fingers at her side. He
hesitated, letting Bella feel at peace for a moment. Anticipation is the best
weapon for such an attack and Edward knew it. He slowly let his finger tips ghost
across her ribs over her shirt. He emitted a hearty laugh and tickled her
relentlessly. It was amusing to watch as Bella laughed in hysterics, pleading for
him to stop while tears streamed down her face as Edward's fingers skillfully hit
each ticklish spot, not stopping. Nothing had changed for them since they were
kids. They would always be the same two crazy best friends who lived for one
another.

They met when they were four at a play date set up by both their mothers one
day after they met at the local supermarket when each of them was just four.
Bella's mother, Renee, was unbelievably scatterbrained. To this day, Bella had no
idea how Renee actually went about living. Renee had been too busy trying to
stop Bella's whining about a box of cookies she wouldn't get her that she hadn't
realized where she was steering her shopping cart when she suddenly collided
with the end of Edward's mother, Esme. Bella's mother never failed to remind her
that Edward had been the epitome of the perfect child. He was quiet, staring up
at his mother earnestly as she explained to him what happened. He had just
smiled, apparently, as Bella only continued to cry hysterically.

But that had not been the reason that they had set up the play date. That came
when Edward had managed to stop Bella's crying by passing her a piece of
strawberry candy. Bella had shyly accepted it, sniffling as she thanked him, and
in the "sweetest, most adorable voice", Renee's words not Bella's, he told her
'pretty girls shouldn't cry'.

The rest is as they say… history.

From then on in, the two have been an unstoppable force. They did everything
together. Even as they got older they never let the stigma of having a best friend
of the opposite sex affect them, even after one of their classmates, Tyler Crowley
in high school had called Edward a pussy because Bella was only his friend and
not more. To this day, Tyler still has a small scar just above his left eyebrow from
when Edward smacked him with a textbook.

They had shared many things together, including their first kiss at the age of
eleven during a game of spin the bottle and losing their virginity, because Edward
didn't want to suck when he actually "finally got around to fucking a girl" and
Bella just wanted to get it over with already. Regardless of all this, all these
things that almost always destroyed the very being of a relationship between best
friends, Edward and Bella remained unfazed by it and continued on the way they
always were. They were the kind of friends you always heard about that could
finish each other's sentences and always seemed to be in harmony, always
knowing what the other is thinking.

It was only natural they moved in together after college. They knew each other's
habits, whether it was Bella always finishing the milk, or Edward's nasty habit of
leaving his underwear on the bathroom floor. They knew each other through and
through. No subject was taboo, including sex.
"Edward, stop. STOP! My stomach is starting to hurt. STOP!" she bellyached
desperately trying to pry Edward's fingers away. Edward stopped and picked
himself up off the floor, helping Bella up after. The two walked back to their spots
on the couch, picking up from where they left off, watching Tina Fey and drinking
beer.

"When did we become such losers?" Bella asked as she grabbed an Oreo cookie
and twisted it perfectly so all the cream stayed to one side.

"Speak for yourself there, Bella." Edward scoffed through a mouthful of cookie.

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm not the only one home on a Saturday night watching
reruns of 30 Rock in my pajamas, which in fact have been on since last night,"
Bella argued throwing the cream less side of her Oreo at Edward, who
nonchalantly just picked it off his thigh and ate it.

"God, I don't even remember the last time I got laid," Bella continued catching
Edward's attention wholly now.

"Tell me about it," he interjects, "Well, I remember, but I can't remember the last
time I got laid properly. Tanya was abysmal. She was so stiff, never wanted to
try anything, and God forbid if my dick ever came near her mouth. Do you know
she bit it? She bit my fucking dick, man. That was the worst thing ever," Edward
reminisced his face scrunching as he remembered the pain.

"I remember," Bella started to laugh. "You came flying out of your bedroom,
crying and screaming like a little girl." Bella stood up and started running around
the living room, her hands held over herself.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK? SHE BIT ME! SHE FUCKING CHOMPED
ON IT! ICE! I NEED SOME FUCKING ICE! BELLA! HELP ME!" Bella masterfully
reenacted, voice screeching just as Edward's had that night. She crashed down
on the couch laughing hysterically afterward.

"That's not funny, Bells. You don't have a penis, so you wouldn't know. Plus, it's
not like your sex life is any better than mine. How many times did I hear you fake
it with Jacob?" Edward countered imitating her just like she had done to him.

"Oh, Jacob! Ah. OOH. Yeah. I'm coming," he mimicked, his voice dead and
monotone. Bella groaned and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Ugh, he was terrible. Talk about 'minute man'. The only upside was that his
fingers were so thick and long, and those…those were magical," Bella recounted
chuckling. "Magical fingers. It sounds like a bad name for a sex toy."

"I need to get laid," Edward suddenly spoke huffing as he crossed his arms.

"Ditto," Bella answered quickly. She couldn't have agreed more, but Edward had
taken it the wrong way.

"Excuse me? You need to get laid too!"

"I know that. That's what I meant," she chided throwing a pillow at him that
missed him by a mile. He picked it up without even having to get up out of his
seat. Bella mentally cursed him and his long limbs. He held up the pillow, aiming
it right at Bella.

"Do you really want to start this?" he challenged smirking forebodingly. She
shook her head no and Edward dropped the pillow back onto the couch.
"I need some excitement, something interesting in my life," Bella murmured
turning to the television, the humongous monster of a flat screen that Edward
insisted they needed. She kept her eyes focused on the television screen as Tracy
Morgan's character threw a tantrum, but every so often she peeked over at
Edward who looked deep in thought, contemplating something difficult.

"You doing math in your head, Cullen?" she asked sarcastically, chuckling at the
old joke. It was something she always said to him.

"Very funny, Bella. Never gets old. I'm trying to think of ways to make our lives
exciting." He turned to her, gazing at her seriously, which always managed to
make Bella nervous. That stare never meant anything good.

"Bella, how opposed to sex are you?" he asked earnestly, turning the television
off as he focused entirely on her. Bella sighed.

"Obviously, I'm not opposed to it. What kind of a stupid question is that?" Bella
rolled her eyes and made to reach for the remote, but Edward swatted her hand
away. He took a deep breath and began speaking again, this time his voice
wavered slightly.

"Let me rephrase that. This is going to sound ridiculous, but how opposed to sex
with me are you?" He gulped loudly as he waited for Bella's response awaiting
that laughter that he knew would ensue, but instead she just sat there with a
blank expression across her face. Edward took it as a bad sign and this time he
was the one to try to turn the television back on and have the remote removed
from his hand.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked her voice meek and breathy. She was
confused, to say the least.

"I propose something sort of like 'friends-with-benefits'. Whenever we really want

some, we go to the other person. It doesn't mean anything. Just two people who
need some sort of release," Edward answered shrugging his shoulders
apathetically as Bella thought about his suggestion, coming up with something of
her own.

"What if instead of that, because you're a horn dog and I'd like to be able to
walk," she began, getting interrupted by Edward's laughter and snarky remark of,
"You want it just as bad."

"Zip it, Don Juan. What if we made this more interesting?" her voice peaked at
the end stirring Edward.

"What do you suggest, Swan? Are we gonna get kinky?" he inquired waggling his
eyebrows only to be met by Bella's deadpanned expression.

"I suggest twenty six weekends." Edward stared at Bella confused urging her to
continue explaining.

"Okay, twenty six sex filled weekends," she informed much to Edward's delight.
His eyes widened and a smile spread across his face.

"Why twenty six?" he wondered, aloud.

"Ah, my dear horny best friend, there are twenty six letters in the alphabet. Each
weekend will be dedicated to another letter, in which the person, we'll switch off
weekends, will decide that weekend's activity."
"Okay, I'll like the sound of this, but instead of going right along with the
alphabet, why don't we write out all the letters on paper and then one us of will
pick out the letter. That way, we never know until the day of, like we can make it
a legit surprise."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, every Sunday starting tomorrow, one of us will pick out a letter.
Then the person will have the whole week to decide what it is they want to do
with the letter. On Friday night, we will inform the other party which letter was
selected and then on Saturday, we will perform said act, a position, or the
location to have sex, so be it. And then on Sunday, we recover and begin the
process of picking out the letter all over again," he explained animatedly causing
Bella to smile.

"Alright, Cullen. You've got yourself a deal. Starting tomorrow we will be playing
the alphabet game."

"The alphabet game? That sounds lame, Bella," Edward chastised.

"Oh and what would you suggest, Mr. I-Know-Everything?" she retorted taking a
stand.

"Calm down, Karate kid. How about 'The Bella and Edward are totally getting laid
this weekend, so don't bother them' game?"

"How about…no! How about we just call it, our Alphabet Weekends"?

"I like that. Deal, but since I'm bored can I just pick out the letter now?" Edward
bounced in his seat; he was antsy to get the game started.

"Why do you get to pick it out? I came up with the idea," Bella disputed, huffing
immaturely.

"Oh grow up, Bells. Besides, the picking of the letter was my idea," he argued.

"Do you want this to happen, Edward?"

"Fine, you get to pick first, but that means I get the last letter!"

"And I'm the one that needs to grow up?"

"Whatever. Let's do this. You write out the letters and I'll go get something to
pick them out of," he offered, getting up to go to his bedroom.

"Oh right, give me the manual labor."

"Shut it and start writing!" he bellowed from inside his bedroom closet.

Fifteen minutes later, twenty six equally sized pieces of loose leaf paper sat
nestled at the bottom of one of Edward's ski caps.

"Are you ready?" he asked biting his lip. He was nervous and that only served to
make Bella panic even more.

"Not really, but let's just get this over with."

Bella's hand dipped into the hat, her fingers played with the papers before pulling
one out. She opened it quickly, away from Edward's eyes.
"Okay, now what?" she asked, storing the paper into her pocket in her sweat
pants.

"I don't know. Any more rules to this game?"

Bella racked her brain for anything else before deciding that one more rule
needed to be implemented, the same rule that had been instilled when they lost
their virginity to each other. It had been Edward's idea and Bella had agreed
completely.

"No kissing."

"Deal!" he nodded his head sitting back down on the couch. Bella joined him
quickly and they went back to doing what they were doing, watching Tina Fey
and drinking beer.

"Then she paused, and I could hear the churning sound of her tongue as it licked
her teeth and lips, and I could feel the hot breath on my neck. Then the skin of
my throat began to tingle as one's flesh does when the hand that is to tickle it
approaches nearer, nearer. I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the
super sensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just
touching and pausing there. I closed my eyes in languorous ecstasy and waited,
waited with beating heart."

~Chapter Three, Jonathan Harker's Journal, Dracula, Bram Stoker

Chapter Two: V is for Vampires

Bella snuck into her first R-rated movie when she was eleven, dragged along the
entire way by Edward. This had been another of his crazy hair brained schemes
that he spontaneously thought up since his first—the great Crayola scandal in the
first grade, which involved matches, several boxes of their classmates Crayola
crayons, and the school's plastic jungle gym. So much for being the quiet little
boy he made everyone believe he was. On more than one occasion, her parents,
thanks to Edward's schemes, had reamed Bella, but that's not to say that Bella
hadn't gotten Edward into some trouble with the nonsense that she's
masterminded. Nevertheless, Edward's ideas were usually far more elaborate, far
more devious, and if she was being honest with herself, his ideas were always
genius…at the time at least.

It was a cold November afternoon in Port Angeles in 1994, and Edward had
successfully tricked Bella into thinking that they were going to the movies to
watch The Lion King, which after five months was still showing in the tiny theater
in Port Angeles. They had paid for tickets to see the popular Disney flick, leading
Bella to believe that that was what they were going to see until Edward had
started to drag her toward Door 4, the red flashing ticker above reading,
Interview with a Vampire slated to start in fifteen minutes. Bella had protested
the entire twenty feet to the theatre door, complaining and murmuring under her
breath about how they were going to get caught, how they didn't look a day over
twelve, how that there was no way in hell that the security guards were going to
let them just walk in, but Bella had been wrong.
Luck had been on their side that day or perhaps Edward was had just been that
slick. None of the security guards had been anywhere near Door 4, and they
slipped into the already dark theater, swiftly and quietly, much to Edward's
surprise. He had figured into his scheme the likelihood of Bella falling and causing
a scene, which would lead to them being caught. He had dragged her by her hand
to the two seats he spotted in the back. He had even gone so far as thinking
ahead and had packed snacks and some of those fifty-cent cap top juices, even
remembering that the only flavor Bella liked was strawberry. He even managed to
score two bags of the Potato Stix chips that Bella so loved. She only liked the
ones with the potato lounging on a beach chair on the bag.

She had paid absolutely no attention to the previews, too damn afraid of the
security guard who had just walked in but once he left the small room, Bella
seemingly relaxed as the movie's opening began.

To say that Bella had been fully engrossed in the movie once it started would be
an understatement. Not once did she dart her eyes away from the silver screen.
She watched mesmerized as Louis de Pointe du Lac, played by the devilishly
handsome Brad Pitt, gallivanted across the scene pre-transformation and after.
And when Kirsten Dunst gets to kiss him, she nearly fell out of her seat. Why
couldn't that be me? She thought.

That day sparked her obsession with vampires, bloodsuckers, vrykolakas,

nasfaratu, strigoi, cold-ones, whatever you want to call them. So, when out of the
hat on the ominous little white slip of paper the letter V stood boldly, it was an
immediate response for her, though she tried to think of other things, she really
did try, but it was pointless.

Bella spent most of Sunday thinking of different things with the letter V. She
looked up different positions like the Viennese Oyster, and the Victory position.
She thought of Victorian-esque role playing and naked volleyball, though that
didn't sound very fun in the cold March weather, but the word vampire kept
resurfacing, and she knew that Edward would figure it out Friday night when he
asked what the letter was. It would be an instantaneous reaction for him just as
it was for her. She would present the letter, he would do that weird squinting
thing he did when he was thinking, and then once he figured it out he would
smile that fucking crooked smile that made panties drop, and he would groan in
annoyance, just for the hell of it.

Edward knew of Bella's obsession with vampires; it was his fault after all. After
watching the movie, she had dragged him to the bookstore to buy the actual
book. He had had no idea that the movie was even based on a book. All he was
concerned with was the fact that there was nudity. He had overheard some
teachers talking about it during recess and he knew immediately that he had to
go see it, because hello, boobs! Vampires boobs! Who knew he would be creating
a new obsession for Bella. And that's exactly what it was, but to be frank, it was
way better than her crush on Joey McIntyre of New Kids On The Block.

It started with Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire and it escalated into
anything and everything vampire related, be it Bram Stoker's Dracula to Buffy the
Vampire Slayer. From that day on, it became a quest for her to get as much
vampire paraphernalia as possible. For Christmas that year Edward used the
money his grandparent's sent him for his birthday on a limited first edition of
Dracula for Bella, which to this day, Bella would still smile whenever she opened
and read the inscription from her then eleven-year old best friend.

To the coolest best friend in the world, Bells,

I want you to do me a favor. Never stop being my best friend. You're the coolest
kid I know.

Oceans of love and millions of kisses-(haha see I read the book, I said I would-
your best friend,

Edward A. Cullen, Esq. (SHUT UP!)

So, Bella knew that the moment she told Edward that she pulled the letter V from
the hat, he would instantly know what the task would be, and though it bothered
her that the element of surprise would be lost for the first letter, she was excited,
and that was another thing that was bothering her. The fact that this crazy
scheme wasn't bothering her was bothering her. It made no sense, but she knew
she should stop this before it even gets started.

When she went to bed on Saturday night, she had actually been nervous and
excited, all at once. Nervous at the prospect of having sex with Edward again
after almost ten years. They're first time had been just to get it over with and it
had definitely not been good for her, and Edward had come quickly, but that was
expected. She had heard from some girls in her class that boys always came
quickly their first time. (They weren't kidding; she could tell you how long it took
on half of one hand!)

She sat in her bed Sunday morning still thinking about the game, and oddly
enough she saw nothing wrong with it, and yet she spent two hours arguing with
herself because she was supposed to find something wrong with the game. She
was supposed to be the level-headed one in their relationship—the voice of
reason, but here she was going along with another of Edward's scheme's that
always got them into trouble, and that was the only reason why on Wednesday
night she contemplated all day at work about calling off the whole thing before it
even started.

Bella worked at a publishing house in the heart of Seattle, which has had great
success publishing some of the very well know bestsellers that appeared on the
New York Times list. She loved her job, no bull shitting. Books had always been
her passion, and being able to say she had a part in a bestseller's success was
just the icing on the cake because the best part of her job was being paid to read.

Monday and Tuesday passed by relatively quickly for Bella. She had hardly even
seen Edward those days; he was busy working on a proposal for work.

She hadn't even thought about the game, but when Wednesday came about and
she still hadn't really decided what the task would be, she started panicking in
the middle of her office. She was so fidgety that her secretary had asked her
what was wrong, and that was something because that girl was in her own world.
Question after question, what if after what if passed through Bella's thoughts.

What if Edward didn't want to dress up as a vampire?

What if she didn't level up with the girls he had been with, the girls who were
actually adequate?

Did Edward still want to do this?

Why the hell did I agree to this?

Damn, Edward that stupid fuck!

By Thursday night, Bella was tempted to call the whole thing off. Hell! She had
even gone as far as raiding Edward's bedroom to find the hat, and for forty
minutes she contemplated just lighting the sucker on fire, but she stopped
herself. The prospect of getting laid, and getting laid properly after months of
involuntary abstinence, sounded good, really good, really damn good.

On Friday night, she hit up the local costume shop and bought everything she
needed for herself and Edward. She bought a Victorian costume for herself to
keep with the theme of the letter V and bought Edward all the necessary pops
along with his costume. Everything was reasonably priced. However, when it
came to the fangs, she definitely splurged because she didn't want to use those
fake plastic ones that wouldn't allow Edward to speak. She wanted synthetic
enamel ones that he could glue on to his teeth for the time and then take off with
warm water, and when she found them she bought them, not worried about the
price.

Driving home from the store, Bella nearly ran a red light because she couldn't
keep her mind off of Edward's potential reaction. And still, five days after
establishing this nonsense, she still wasn't apt to quit, and it was still shocking
her. Why wasn't she stopping this? Things like this never ended well. Why would
she subject herself to it?

None of it mattered though because as she soon as she walked into the swanky
loft apartment she and Edward shared in the heart of Seattle, she was greeted
with an eager and waiting Edward in the kitchen. He had ordered their meal from
the Chinese restaurant a few blocks away.

"Hey, Bells. How was your day? Come! Sit! Eat! What's in the bags? What letter
did you pick out?" he rushed in the end as he practically ripped Bella's coat from
her shoulders and tossed it in the general vicinity of the coat rack. It didn't reach.

"Geeze, Edward, relax. I'll tell you. My day was good. I finally finished reading
that transcript I told you about last week. I just about cried a river when I
finished. I can't wait for the general public to get their hands on it. What's in the
bags pertains to our task tomorrow," she replied, purposely taking a bite out an
eggroll. She was playing with Edward, and he knew it. She was going to make
him wait for the answer to his last question. She just loved to torment him.

"Bells! You didn't answer my question!" he whined like a little boy as he stuffed a
mouthful of Singapore Mei Fun into his mouth.

"I know!" she chuckled, smirking in a very Edward-like manner. Edward huffed
and continued eating. He tried to peek in to the black bag by Bella's feet, but she
promptly kicked him the shin.

"Aw, come on Isabella! I just want to know what we will be doing for out
"horizontal mambo"," he griped irritating Bella in more than one way.

"First! Don't call me Isabella, you know I hate that. Why must you disregard that
fact? And really? Horizontal mambo?"

Edward chortled. He knew, of course he knew how much it grated Bella when
anyone called her Isabella. He had done it on purpose; it was the only way she
was going to tell him the plan for tomorrow night.

"What would you prefer I say? Hanky Panky? The bone dance, eh? Bumping
Uglies? Baloney bop? Bit of the old cunning linguistics? Hmm?" he suggested
seriously, and Bella nearly fell out of her chair from laughing.
"Oh, man! How many of those you got?"

"Um…let's see? Doing the nasty. Banging headboards. Hiding the weasel. Bit of
the old humpty dumpty?" he rambled, racking his head for more.

"Enough," Bella stopped him, shaking her head in disbelief. "You are aware that
you're twenty-five, right?"

"Stop stalling, Bells. Tell me. I'm dying over here. I've wanted to know all week!
What the hell is the letter?" he pleased, practically on his knees before Bella.

"V!" she answered, and Edward smirked. Damn him, she thought. She knew that
would be his response.

"Is it safe to say that in that bag, there are a pair of fangs?" he asked, eyebrows
raised and eyes wide expectantly. Bella tightened her lips, suppressing a smile
and looked away. Edward groaned just she knew he would.

"So you want to role play? I can be a very convincing vampire, Bella."

"Good. And for the love of God, please don't put on a stupid accent!"

"No promises!"

=x=

When Bella stepped out of her bedroom, draped in a classically styled Victorian
dress she found at the costume shop, corset included, she was met with more
than she could have expected.

The living room was lit up by tons of vanilla candles. It was intoxicating,
everything about it, not just the smell, but also the ambience of it.

"Bella," she heard Edward call from the kitchen. He had said it in a deep raspy
voice, so much richer than his voice sounded. She walked up to him slowly,
almost frightened. She knew it was just Edward, but at the moment Edward was
a blood thirsty vampire who lusted after her.

"You look radiant my beauty. Please sit and dine with me?" He bowed his head
down as she walked by him and sat across from him. On the table, he had made
a feast of a meal. There was a large bird, possibly a turkey that he roasted,
potatoes, greens, and two large glasses of fine red wine.

"Eat my love," he drawled in that sexy raspy voice. Bella had never heard him
sound like that. She kind of really loved it.

"You'll need the energy," he said, suggestively as he sipped slowly at his wine.

"Are you not going to eat?" she asked, taking a piece of a potato into her mouth;
it was delicious.

"I will have my meal later. Don't worry, love," he remarked, smirking as he
stared straight at her.

Edward looked incredible. Bella was not ashamed to admit that her best friend
was a good looking man. He always was. He had a strong jaw line, great hair,
and a smile that dazzled anyone, but at this moment, he was the personification
of sex, and of her wildest fantasies. He looked like he stepped straight out of one
of those secret vampire erotica books she had hidden in her closet, away from
Edward.
He wore the costume she bought him, well. The collard white shirt lay across his
broad chest perfectly. He had left the top three buttons unbuttoned, allowing her
little brief glimpses of the smooth, strong chest that lay beneath. The black
trousers fit him snuggly, and the fangs. Oh god the fangs, she thought. She
couldn't wait to feel those on her body.

"How is the meal, love? Is it to your liking?"

"It's marvelous," she answered, earnestly, taking another bite out of her meal.

"I'm glad to hear that," he answered, not taking his eyes off of her. It was
incredibly sensual. Bella could feel herself getting heated by it. Her body felt like
it was on fire, and he hadn't even touched her yet.

He continued to stare at her, and it stilted her movements. She was hypnotized
by the gaze, so much so that she almost didn't notice when Edward lunged out of
his chair and over the table. He crouched down before her, still on the table,
reaching his hand out to touch her face.

"Why did you come?" he asked as if he were in pain as he stroked her face, his
eyes fluttering from the softness.

"You invited me," she answered, defensively. Edward hopped off the table and
stood behind her chair.

"Why?" he whispered, crouched down by her ear, causing all the hairs on the
back of her neck to stand up.

"You invited me," she repeated again, through her gritted teeth. Edward growled
frustrated and kicked the chair out from under her. He caught her before she
touched the floor. He held her with her back to his chest allowing him a view of
the very tops of her breasts. Bella was startled to say the least. She had no idea
of the strength that Edward had.

"Mhmm, beautiful," he whispered mostly to himself. "You smell absolutely

delicious, my love. So delectable. May I have a taste?" he asked, taking a long,
languid lick up the side of her neck, latching his mouth to her ear lobe. One of the
fangs pierced lightly at the soft flesh and she winced. He just merely hummed,
the vibrations resounded louder than anything Bella had ever heard. She took a
sharp intake of air as she felt Edward blow cool air against the wet trail his
tongue had left.

"You taste amazing…here," he teased, nipping lightly at her neck. The fangs
scrapped and pulled at her skin deliciously. Bella couldn't get enough of them.

"I can't wait to taste you everywhere," Edward growled, firmly biting her
collarbone. She moaned in ecstasy and pain. He was going so slowly, slower than
she had ever gone, and it was amazing. So fucking amazing. Her body felt like it
was on fire, and all he had done was lick and bite along her neck.

"My beautiful mortal girl. What is it that you want from me? A monster? Why do
you come here and torment me every night?" Bella smiled glad that she had her
back to Edward so he couldn't see. She loved how he was so in character. It was
only making her hotter. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs,
soon it would start to fall down her thighs and she couldn't wait.

"You, I want you," she whispered harshly, through labored breaths. Edward
groaned in appreciation, pushing his hips into Bella's back. She could feel how
much Edward wanted her at that moment.
"Foolish girl. You know you shouldn't want that." He bit down harder at her
collarbone, his fingers playing and untying the strings on the back of the corseted
dress she was wearing.

"I know," Bella whispered, submissively, her breathing even more erratic.

Edward moved his kisses to the other side of her neck as he successfully unlaced
each tie in her corset. He gently pushed the top of her dress down to reveal the
tops of unclothed milky white breasts. He gasped as how luminous they looked in
the eerie glow of the candles. Bella felt the shudder that passed through him and
smirked, still glad that Edward couldn't see it.

"Exquisite," he murmured into her neck as he pushed the dress down to her
waist, leaving it to sit there, for the time being. All Bella could do was moan as he
massaged her breasts, never straying his mouth from her neck.

"So supple, so soft," he groaned, gently groping her breasts, his hips moving
against her involuntarily. The friction felt amazing. He couldn't help just rubbing
against Bella.

He stopped the kisses on her neck, and pushed her away from him, and Bella
suddenly felt cold. She loved what he was doing, and though she would wake up
with her neck looking like a leopard, she liked it. She really fucking liked it.

"We must stop, my love. I could hurt you," Edward painfully acted out, as he took
deep breaths in and out.

"No," Bella shouted out, her breasts bouncing as she ran up to him. "I do not
care. I need you."

Edward groaned, and violently picked her up and walked toward his bedroom.
Edward had decorated the room just like he had the living room. He threw her
down onto the bed, once fully inside.

"Why must you tempt me so? Do you have an idea at all of what you do to me?"
he asked, manically, grabbing her hand and placing it in his lap. He was hard,
rock hard, and Bella took a firm grasp of him, loving the animalistic growl that he
emitted. She rubbed him up and down, just on the outside of his trousers. It had
been almost ten years since the last time they did this, and God bless time, she
thought. If she'd of had to lose her virginity to what she was feeling now, it would
have hurt so much more than it already had.

"Stop," Edward half moaned and half scolded, pulling both her arms above her
head as he fully straddled her waist. He was sitting atop her just close enough for
them to feel the heat that radiated from one another, but far enough so she
didn't feel the brunt of his frame.

"Don't do that again!" he chided, his eyes blazing as he stared down at her. Bella
felt hypnotized. There was something so dangerous about the way he was staring
down at her. It was such a dominating look. He looked as if she were his prey,
and he was about to attack.

"But Ed-" she began, but he cut her off by roughly yanking down the rest of her
dress to find that she had been nude under her gown the entire time.

"Must you tempt so," he groaned, his face leveled with her stomach. He gave a
long, graceful lick around her belly button, causing her body to shiver. He kissed
up her stomach to just below the underside of her breasts, and placed a kiss
below each before taking her left nipple in his mouth.
Bella called out his name in ecstasy, arching her back to get closer to his mouth.
He sucked, licked, and bit gently at her nipple. With one hand massaging her hip,
he took a firm grasp of her other nipple with his free hand, tweaking it until it
matched perfectly with the pearl his tongue sinfully teased.

"You taste just as scrumptious here, but I wonder how you taste...here," he slyly
said, maneuvering his hand so it cupped her sex. The heat felt marvelous on his
cold hands, and even without parting her, he could sense how wet she was. Bella
pushed her hips up into his hand, begging with her voice and movements for
more. He smirked down at her as she writhed against his hand that still just
rested above her.

"Please touch me," she pleaded, her voice desperate, her body writhing just as
desperately. Edward let his finger slip between her wet folds, and both he and
Bella moaned. She was so wet, and she ached. She moved her hips into Edward's
finger and he chuckled. He halted her movements.

"Allow me," he teased as he rubbed his finger up and down her sex, teasing her
in the best way. She moaned, taking deep breaths. He stopped his finger just
above the hard bundle of nerves that she desperately wanted touched. He looked
up at her from between her legs, and instead of touching her, he gave a swift
lick, causing Bella's entire body to shudder.

"Oh, God," she let out, grabbing onto the bed sheets around her as Edward began
to feast on her. He nipped at her clit with the fangs and it just caused her body to
spasm even harder. He knew what he was doing and just when she thought she
couldn't take it anymore, he slipped two fingers into her, causing her to arch her
back off the bed.

His tongue worked slowly and meticulously, stroking every inch of her as his
fingers pushed into her slowly, curling up expertly to reach what he was looking
for. The moment his fingers curled, Bella's body lifted off the bed.

"Edward," she called out, breathlessly as she began to push her hips into his face,
pulling on his hair tightly. She could feel the tingling in her stomach first. The
sparks of pleasure were starting to shoot up her legs to her arms and suddenly
her orgasm ripped through her body. She cried out his name as her body shook
violently on the bed. Edward didn't stop his mouth as he drank from her. He
eventually stopped, prying his mouth away from her. He removed his shirt,
exposing his chest to her. He looked down at her. She was stunning. Her body
was layered in sweat, flushed red, and absolutely beautiful. He couldn't wait to
have her. Bella let her hands touch his broad chest, as she reveled in how smooth
the planes of pectorals were. She scrapped a nail across one of his nipples and he
moaned, quickly taking a hold of her hand.

"My love, this is about you, not me," he said, starting to unbutton his pants. He
slowly slid them down to reveal he too had opted to go without any underwear.
He hissed when the cold air hit his erection once it sprang free. Bella couldn't
take her eyes off of him. In any other situation, Edward would have said some
witty, sarcastic crack, but right now he remained quiet as Bella just gazed at him.
She had seen her fair share of naked men, but none of them compared to
Edward. His body was beautiful, every single part of it.

She made an attempt at grasping his cock, but Edward swatted her hand away.

"My love, what did I say? This is about you."

Edward grabbed at the condom he left on his nightstand before starting this
whole charade, quickly slipping it on, before lining himself up with Bella. He
looked down at her, and at that moment they were no longer in character. It was
a silent question being asked between the two: Are we really doing this?

Bella nodded and Edward slipped into her, the two groaning at the feeling. She
was so tight and he was so much bigger than any man she had ever been with. It
was delicious sort of feeling for the two as Edward started a slow rhythm. In and
out, he went and Bella matched him tit for tat. When he thrust in, Bella thrust up.

"Bella," he groaned as his movements sped up. Bella just cried out his name in
return, pulling at his hair as she slipped her hands down to his shoulders and
used them as leverage.

"Edward," she called out as she felt herself spiraling out of control the harder he
thrust in. It's like he could read her mind. She didn't have to tell him faster or
slower, harder or softer. He knew what she wanted, and he delivered.

"So close," she gasped as the familiar tingling started to travel up her body
starting in her toes. Edward's thrusting became frenzied as he gripped onto
Bella's hips and thrust harder and deeper each time. They both moaned
excessively, as pleasure bombard them. Their bodies crashed into each other with
each thrust. The headboard slammed nosily against the wall, but neither of them
could care.

"EDWARD!" she screamed as her body convulsed as her orgasm ripped through
her. Edward followed suit soon after, panting out her name as he came, Bella
constricting him from within. He dropped his head onto her shoulder as he slowly
let himself come down from the post-coital high.

"That was incredible," he stated, breaking character, but Bella didn't care. She
had gotten what she needed from him, as awful as that sounded.

"Thank you," she responded, causing Edward to laugh.

"You're welcome, I guess," he chuckled.

"Shut up. I was thanking you for staying in character so well. And yes, you did an
amazing job with the other parts of tonight as well."

Edward chuckled and rolled off Bella removing the condom and disposing of it in
the trash bin beside his bed.

"So, do I get to pick my letter now?"

"It's not Sunday, yet!"

"It's two in the morning!"

"Stop being a baby. You can wait until tomorrow morning," Bella scolded and
Edward pouted. He looked adorable.

"Bells come on. I really want to know."

"Just shut your trap, and go to sleep."

"Party pooper," Edward scoffed, he and Bella chuckling.

Bella stood from the bed, Edward flipped down the corner of the comforter and
he, and Bella slipped under, still nude.

"Goodnight, Edward."
"Goodnight, my beautiful mortal girl," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe with
the fangs, not able to contain his laughter.

"Take those things off before you swallow one and shut it."

"Goodnight, Bella!"

"Yeah, yeah," she responded, dozing off quickly.

Chapter Three: One Down, Twenty-Five to Go

It had only been about an hour since Bella had fallen asleep but suddenly she
awoke with a start, waking Edward up in the process.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked frantically as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to

ward off the sleepy haze clouding them. He had fallen asleep twenty minutes
after Bella. He had had too much on his mind.

"The candles! We didn't blow out the candles. The house is probably on fire!" she
screamed and jumped out of bed, banging her knee against one of Edward's night
tables.

"Oww," she groaned, grabbing at her knee as she fell back down onto the bed.
Edward chuckled as he sat up and flicked one of his lamps on.

"Dumbass!" he chided. "I blew out all the candles right after you conked out. Did
you honestly think I would let the apartment burn down with us in it? I'd of ran
out of here, a long time ago," Edward laughed as Bella scoffed in shock.

"Thanks, Edward. I feel so loved and safe." Edward turned toward Bella to face
her as she still rubbed at her knee, trying desperately to distribute the pain.

"I will always keep you safe, Swan. You should know that." He was as serious as
he could get, which was quite frightening at times if Bella was being honest. Bella
smiled at her best friend.

"I know, Cullen. I think James's face knows that too." Bella chuckled and Edward
joined it.

It had been the first time he had hit someone, really hit someone. Yeah, he and
his older brother, Emmett would fight, but that was mostly reenactments of what
they saw Hulk Hogan do every Monday night on television.

Edward and Bella had been fourteen and James was Bella's first boyfriend. He
was a junior, and a complete douche bag if you would have asked Edward then or
now. He was an ass to everyone, except for Bella, at first. After a few months
together, he started to try to push Bella around in their relationship, not in the
sense of abuse, but trying to move their relationship into more explicit actions. It
was the last thing Bella had wanted. She was only a freshman, and didn't want to
tarnish her reputation, the little of it she had, nor did she want to end up
pregnant.

It was at the annual Cullen family Halloween party when James had taken things
too far. Edward had watched him lead Bella up to one of the bedrooms in the
massive estate. He followed diligently behind them, hiding amongst the scattered
people and shadows, going unnoticed by the two. Bella was naive to say the
least. She followed James eagerly, thinking all he wanted to do was kiss. Edward
watched as she held James's hand, laughing playfully with him as he pulled her
into the first bedroom he found, Edward's.

It was Bella's cries of distress that put Edward over the edge. He had barged into
the room to find James forcing himself on her. It was instinctual to just pull
James off of her and pummel him into the ground. Edward was a laid back
person; nothing truly bothered or angered him, but never, never, mess with his
family or friends. James could account for that. Edward wanted to kill James,
every ounce of his body as he punched and kicked him yelled at him to finish
James, but he didn't. He had never seen or heard from James after that night,
but if he were ever to encounter him somewhere, he might just finish what he
started.

Edward was pulled out of the memory by Bella's cry of pain.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned. "Do you need a bandage or something? Ice?"

"No, I'm fine. I just dinged up my knee pretty good, but what else is new?"

"You would think that with age your coordination would improve even the
slightest bit, but no. You've gotten worse with age," Edward teased, laughing
heartily as Bella hit him. He stopped Bella's assault by grabbing her wrist. He let
his finger trace along the vivid red scar that graced her arm.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I will always be sorry for this," he murmured, gently rubbing
the mark. Bella sat up and gently brushed the hair that had fallen into Edward's
eyes away, carding her finger in the locks.

"I've told you to stop apologizing for that. We were young and stupid. We're
supposed to have experiences like that. It's all a part of growing up," she
comforted.

"Still," Edward persisted. "You've could've been killed! I don't know what I would
do without you." Bella smiled wistfully as she hugged Edward. She didn't know
what she would do without him, either.

They were eighteen when she got the scar. To this day, Edward still apologized
profusely for it. It was his fault in a sense.

The two had ditched school for the first time. It wasn't really that big of an
occasion though. It's not like they cut school during the middle of the term or
what not. They waited until all of their advanced placement tests had finished,
and there was only three weeks until graduation, but it was ditching none the
less. The two had managed to sneak all the way out to the Quileute Reservation,
right to where all the Quileute kids jumped off the mountain side. It was a way to
test your manhood. The higher up the mountain you jumped off from, the better.

Bella had seen the kids jumping countless times, but never had she had the urge
to join in on the activity, neither had Edward, but that day was all about the
adventure, carpe diem, que sera sera and all that jazz.

Edward had been the one to suggest it, and had also been the first to jump,
looking positively graceful the entire descent. Bella watched from the top as he
hit the water, his head popping out of the water; he was all smiles. He had
shouted up at her to jump, taunted and prodded. She complained how the water
would be too cold, that they would get caught when they got home because their
clothes would be wet, but eventually she plucked up the courage and jumped.
Edward watched horrified as she fell. The closer she got to the water the more
alarmed he became. She hadn't jumped out far enough to avoid the rocks, and
Edward knew she would hit her head against them the moment she stepped off
the ledge.

It was a sound he would never forget, the sound of Bella hitting the rocks, and
her whimpering as he swam to reach her, screaming out her name. He would
never forget that day. All the sounds and images are engraved in his memory.
Her tears, her sobs, the blood running down her arm as he carried her to his car;
everything was vivid in his mind. Her eyes closing, her heavy breathing, her
passing out in the back seat. These things haunted Edward whenever he caught a
glimpse of the scar.

When he arrived at the hospital, carrying an unconscious Bella in his arms, it had
been his father, Carlisle, to take her to get checked in the emergency room. He
informed Edward that Bella had been lucky that the only thing that happened was
that she had broken her arm. Because Bella had anticipated the contact as she
fell, she had covered her head with her arms.

Edward remembered her steady breathing as she lay in the hospital bed, the
beeping of the monitors, her groggy voice as she woke up dazed. He
remembered the lecture both he and Bella had gotten not only from their
parents, but from their principal. It had been his fault, and he would always
remember that.

"Aww, Edward, don't get all sullen on me. It's the girls' job to get emotional after
sex," Bella laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but halfway through her sentence
she yawned loudly.

"Very funny, Sleeping Beauty. Go back to your snoring!" he teased, lightly

pushing her down onto the bed.

"I don't snore," Bella protested, covering her naked self with the bed sheets.
Edward quickly made a grab at them.

"Don't hog all the bed sheets, Bella. It's my bed," Edward whined as he yanked at
the sheets. Bella lost the grip she had and rolled over toward him, knocking her
chin against his chest.

"Fuck Edward!" she yelled, repeatedly smacking his arms. He pried her hands
away easily, pushing her aside.

"I don't snore," she argued, still.

"You sound just like that old truck of yours!"

"Aww man. My truck! My baby! I miss that thing," Bella reminisced, yawning
again.

"That piece of crap. I can't believe it lasted as long as it did," Edward yawned
through his sentence. Yawning was contagious.

"Hey, that car was a classic!"

"Just because a car is old, does not make it a classic. A Thunderbird. A Mustang.
Those are classics—your truck…not so much."

"Whatever, Edward. Goodnight!"

"Night Bells. Sweet dreams."

=x=

Edward was the first to wake up, but that was common. Even during the work
week he was always the first to wake up. His body wouldn't let him sleep past a
certain time. It was frustrating sometimes because he'd only get three hours of
sleep.

It was ten, which was later than Edward was ever up, but last night had tired him
out. It had been odd to say the least. Staying in character had been difficult. He
had wanted to rip the damn fangs out of his mouth the moment he glued them
on, but seeing Bella's face light up as he addressed her properly, made him
change his mind.

The entire week after she picked out the letter, Edward had debated running into
her room and calling the whole thing off. It was stupid. One of them could get
hurt, but Edward didn't want to end it. He was excited at the prospect of
exploring this… whatever it was with Bella.

He had no shame in saying his best friend was beautiful. She was stunning,
really. She had the softest hair he had ever had the chance to run his fingers
through, and those deep brown eyes he always got lost in. She had a tight little
body, and legs that were longer than a girl her height should have. His mother
had always teased Bella about it, saying she was all legs. She was intelligent and
she was funny. She was his best friend through and through. She was an
important part of his being. She was there when his grandfather died, and when
he received his wait-listed letter to the school of his dreams. Bella was always
there for him.

Edward went about cooking breakfast, trying to distract himself from the
situation, but there was an unnerving itch to run into his room and pick out the
letter of his choice. He wanted to be able to actually have an opportunity to wow
Bella and that was hard when the letter was chosen at random. He stopped
himself though. It would be unfair, plus there was no way to go about grabbing
the letter without waking Bella up in the process.

Bella walked into the kitchen twenty minutes later as Edward was flipping the last
pancake.

"Are those chocolate chip?" she asked groggily.

"Yep, your favorite," he replied dropping some onto a plate and handing them to
her. He took some for himself and poured two glasses of orange juice for the two
of them.

"Do you ever sleep, Edward?" Bella asked through a mouthful of pancakes.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to speak with food in your mouth?" Bella
scoffed, swallowing her food and giving Edward the finger all at the same time.

"You're such a lady, Swan!"

"God, you're an ass, Edward, and to think I brought the hat out with me so that
you can pick the letter out already, so you're not whining all day about it, but I
think I'm going to make you wait now."

"No, Bella! I'm sorry. Come on! Let me pick! Please!" Edward begged, actually
down on his knees. He spotted the hat under Bella's thigh. That's when he
noticed what she was wearing. All she was wearing was the white button down
shirt that had been a part of his costume. It fell to just above her knees as she
sat. He smirked a little; he couldn't help it. There was just something incredibly
sexy about a woman wearing a man's clothing.

"You look sexy there Swan," he goaded, massaging her left leg.

"I know what you're doing, there Cullen. It won't work," she tried to keep her
voice steady, but it was proving to be difficult. His hand traveled higher and she
shivered as he brushed his fingertips on the back of her knee. She jumped
slightly and Edward quickly took the opportunity to grab the hat.

"A-ha! I win, Bells!" he cheered, victoriously, holding the hat high above his
head. Bella popped out of her chair and started to jump and try to reach the hat.
Edward just watched amused as the shirt she wore revealed almost everything.

"Come on Edward! Give me back the hat. I'll let you pick out your letter," Bella
negotiated, smiling cunningly. She knew she would win. Edward conceded,
dropping the hat into Bella's hand.

"How did you know where to find the hat?" Edward asked as he reached into it.
He thought he had hid the hat quite well, but she had still managed to find it. He
felt around for the biggest piece, but Bella had been smart and had folded all the
pieces the exact same way.

"I have my ways!" Edward raised an eyebrow quizzically as he pulled out the
letter. He unfolded the paper, placing a hand behind the paper, so Bella wouldn't
be able to read it. He studied the messy scrawl.

What am I supposed to do with this? He wondered.

"Good letter?" Bella asked, raising her head to peek at the paper. Edward noticing
quickly folded the paper back up, nodding.

"One down, twenty five more to go, Swanny."

"Bring it on, Cullen!"

"To explain responsibility to advertising men is like trying to convince an eight-

year-old that sexual intercourse is more fun than a chocolate ice cream cone."

-Howard Luck Gossage (1917–1969)

Chapter Four: I is for Ice Cream

Edward Cullen likes ice cream. No, scratch that. Edward Cullen loves ice cream,
always had, and he always would, but as a kid who didn't love ice cream? You
craved it whenever your mother so much as mentioned snack time. You would try
to sneak a bowl of it whenever you could.

That was something Bella and Edward had done a lot as children. Whenever they
could sneak down into the kitchen, they would take the gallon of ice cream out
and sneak it up to Edward's room and just pig out; throwing in whatever crazy
confection topping they could think of. Gummy worms. Oreos. Even French fries!
(Oddly enough both of them really liked the French fry thing!) And regardless of
all the times they would get caught and have their mother's scold them about
spoiling their dinner and 'serving them right for eating so much junk before bed'
when they woke up with stomach aches the next day, they continued to do it.
Even now as adults, there were times that Edward would grab the ice cream in
the freezer and head over to Bella's room to eat it in bed with her or vice versa.

Chocolate was his favorite flavor by far. Strawberry a close second, but the
richness of chocolate ice cream was something out of this world, and there are so
many different variations amongst the chocolate spectrum. Edward's favorite was
Swiss dark chocolate ice cream. It had a thick, rich taste. He first got a taste of
the delicious ice cream at a birthday party.

It was Eric Yorkie's eleventh birthday and the entire sixth grade glass was packed
into his kitchen as his mother set up a table with snacks and at the very end of it,
Edward and Bella had spotted the ice cream. Edward could remember the smile
that spread across Bella's face as she looked at him and made her way to the
dessert, Edward right behind her.

It was at this party that Edward and Bella shared their first and only kiss during a
game of spin the bottle. Though he doesn't remember what Bella was wearing, or
if he completely sucked at it or not, he did remember that Bella's mouth had
tasted like Swiss dark chocolate ice cream. No other kiss he had ever had, had
tasted anywhere as sweet as his first.

=x=

Edward had been baffled by the letter, I. He had drawn a blank when he had read
the letter off the slip of paper. He had lied to Bella when she had asked Monday
afternoon if he had an idea as to what they would be doing on Saturday.

"Don't worry, Bells. I've got something up my sleeves," he had told her
confidently, though internally he was racking his brain for any idea, any damn
idea.

Bella had just smiled at him as she walked out the door to work. He had sat down
at the kitchen table and tried to think up something.

He was drawing a blank, which was odd because as someone who worked in
advertising, it was his job to think up quick ideas.

On the car ride to his office, Edward tried to think of something, anything, but
nothing came, not even a small musing. He nearly ran through a red light
because his mind was elsewhere.

All day at work on Monday, he had tried to think of something. He had tried
searching the internet for something on his work desktop, but the firewall
wouldn't allow him access. Fucking, cock blocking firewall, Edward thought as he
smacked the computer screen, garnering a strange look from his secretary who
had stepped into his office.

Tuesday wasn't any better, nor was Wednesday. It was frustrating to sit there
drawing a blank about what to do but sit in a meeting and come up with a new
campaign for some new sugar coated children's cereal, right on the spot.

It wasn't until Thursday night, when he went grocery shopping with Bella that the
idea came to him, thanks to Bella. They had been paying for their groceries when
Bella shoved him out of the line and told him to haul ass.

"Edward, we forgot the ice cream!" she yelled, pleading with the cashier to wait
for a moment, simultaneously.
"I'm on it," he responded, running thorough the supermarket, and as he pulled
the frozen door open and yanked the last two gallons of chocolate ice cream, it
hit him.

I is for ice cream.

He smiled the entire run back to the cashier and Bella eyed him bewilderedly.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked, curiously as she placed the groceries
into the trunk of Edward's car.

"Nothing. Just excited for the weekend. I wonder if you'll figure out what I have
planned."

"Probably not. You're more creative than I am."

"True, so very, very true. I like how you acknowledge that I'm smarter, Bella," he
teased as the two got into the car.

"Oh a comedian," Bella sarcastically answered back.

"You l-o-v-e me, Bella," he joked, spelling out the word love as his car practically
glided above the asphalt.

"Yeah, spelled H-A-T-E!"

"Now, who's the comedian?" Bella rolled her eyes, smiling as she looked away
from Edward. Edward turned to look at her, and then he stole a glance toward
the back of the car. He couldn't wait for Saturday.

When Friday came, Bella had left before Edward, leaving a plate of scrambled
eggs and bacon on a plate for him. Edward appreciated the gesture, nearly
inhaling the meal before heading to work.

He didn't have much to do luckily, so he spent most of his day, mapping out his
Saturday. He thought of different ways to use the ice cream, before deciding
what to do, smirking at himself at the images of Bella's possible reactions running
through her head.

When he arrived home, later that night, Bella was cooking dinner in her sweats,
the smell of steak pervading Edward's senses.

"That smells delicious," he said, taking a big whiff of the air.

"Hey! How was your day?" she asked as she peeled some potatoes.

"Long! Yours?" He sat down at the table, loosening his tie and relaxing into the
soft cushion.

"Same."

Edward got up from the chair and helped Bella prepare the rest of dinner.

"The steak smells good."

"Thanks. I used those spices your mom suggested."

"Oh, then I can't wait to have some."

"Speaking of having some, what letter did you get?" Bella asked keeping her
focus on the potatoes she was peeling. Edward chuckled.
"Oh, how the tables have turned!" Bella sucked air through her teeth as she
glared at Edward.

"Will you just tell me the letter?"

"If you admit that you're just as excited for it as I am?"

"Yes, now tell me the damn letter!"

"I."

"I? You got the letter I? I'm glad I didn't get that!"

"Thanks," Edward answered as Bella chuckled. "All I need from you is to be in my

room at six tomorrow, naked and wearing this. He opened his briefcase and
pulled out a bag holding a black blindfold and handed to Bella. She stared wide
eyed at the black cloth.

"I have no idea how a blindfold relates to the letter I."

"That's for me to know. Now, how much longer until dinner. I'm famished." Bella
gulped loudly. She was already nervous for tomorrow.

"Fifteen more minutes."

=x=

Edward was gone all day on Saturday, hanging out in his office, catching up on
some work he left undone on Friday. But his mind was completely focused on
what would be waiting for him at home. He left his office at five, getting home at
exactly six.

When he walked through the door, he called out Bella's name, wondering where
she was and was met by exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I'm in your room," she shouted. Edward smiled to himself as he walked into the
kitchen and retrieved what he needed: a gallon of chocolate ice cream, a cup of
ice water, and a spoon. He walked to his room, opening the door slowly to reveal
a sight to behold.

"Mhmm, now that's a sight to see," Edward moaned, as he walked into his
bedroom to find Bella just as he had asked, naked on his bed, facing up to the
ceiling, eyes covered by the black blindfold. He had to fight the natural instinct to
just pounce on her and get straight to the point. He walked slowly toward his
bed, placing the ice cream and everything else he needed on the nightstand.
When she heard him approach she tried to move her head toward where she
heard his breathing coming from.

"Why am I blindfolded, Edward?" she asked, her voice wavering. She was
nervous. Edward smiled musingly. He knew she wasn't scared of what he had
planned, she was just afraid of not being in control. Bella had always been one to
want to know everything, to solve everything she didn't know.

"Because it will enhance all your other senses, two of which I really want you to
really feel," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver.

"So, are you going to tell me what I means now?" she asked impatiently, tapping
her hand against the bedspread. Edward chuckled as he removed his shirt and
pants, leaving him only in boxer briefs. He wanted to keep the upper hand in this
situation, even if it meant just having one extra piece of clothing on than she did.
"Shh, just relax, and trust me." It was all he said. Bella's head turned as she
heard something beside her open.

"What's that?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"I told you to be quiet," he quietly scolded her, nipping at her ear lobe.

"You got a thing for my ear, Cullen?"

"Can it already, Swan. I behaved and acted like your perfect little vampire. Give
me the same courtesy!" Bella grunted and shut her mouth, Edward thanking her
by kissing her cheek. She blushed, and Edward let his finger skim across her
cheek. No matter how long they've known each other, no matter how crude she
could be at times, Bella Swan never ceased to blush, and Edward loved it.

Edward kissed up and down Bella's neck, sucking and biting gently as he went
along. He bit and sucked harder whenever she whimpered.

His lips traveled across the planes of collarbone, his teeth lightly skimmed the
protruding bones much to Bella's delight. She squirmed below him, moaning, and
breathing heavy. God, I'm good, Edward thought; he hadn't even done anything
spectacular yet.

He stopped his actions and pulled himself away from Bella, and just stared down
at his best friend. Her body was incredible. She had perfect breasts, not too
small, not too big, and perfectly round. She had a small waist that fit perfectly
into his hands and skin incredibly soft and supple. Staring down at her, he could
see the sweat beginning to push its way through her skin, and all the scars from
falling down when she was younger. He chuckled lightly to himself, remembering
the nasty fall she had taken off the bike when they were seven, which was the
reason for the scar on her right shin. He leaned down and kissed it, and grabbed
at the ice cream carton on the table.

"Have you figured out what I means yet?" he asked, dipping a spoon into the
carton, holding the chocolate confection above her collarbone. She shook her
head no, and Edward smiled grandly.

"Well, I'm cheating a little here because I means two different things for today's
activity. It means isolation, as in, I'm isolating your ability to see. And it also
means," Edward began his voice taking on a playful tone as he dropped the ice
cream scoop into the hollow between her neck and collarbone. She shivered
immediately, gasping as the cold substance slithered down the back of her neck
down to her back.

"Ice cream!" he whispered loudly into her neck as he started to lick the dessert.
He groaned, sucking hard whenever he reached the end of the chocolate and the
start of Bella's skin.

Bella moaned, latching her hand into Edward's hair as he lapped at her neck.
Edward let go and grabbed more of the ice cream and dropping it onto Bella's
stomach, causing her to gasp how cold it felt against her hot skin. She arched her
back, groaning as Edward began to sample the ice cream, moaning in
appreciation of the sweet treat.

Edward guffawed as Bella trembled; his lips were traveling southward and he
could feel the anticipation coursing through her. Edward took the spoon he had
been using and licked it clean, sucking on it loudly, right by Bella's ear. Again, her
breathing stuttered. Edward could just imagine the look on her face if the blind
fold was off.
He dragged the warm silver spoon down her body, dragging the smooth again
across her chest before taking the spoon away and dipping it in to a cup of ice
water. He smirked to himself before moving the cold spoon across her nipples,
again Bella reacted by shivering, but before she could really experience the cold
metal, Edward took one of her nipples into her mouth, letting her experience the
contrast between hot and cold. Bella's chest started rising and falling faster as
her breathing sped up. She reached her hand out to Edward's head, struggling to
feel her way to the back of his neck. When she found the soft locks, she carded
her fingers through, holding him in his spot as he played with her hardened
nipple before he repeated the same thing with the other one.

"Edward," she panted and Edward tsked.

"Shh, Bella. Just feel."

Bella stilled her body, but her breathing was irregular, and Edward couldn't have
enjoyed that more. He made a small appreciative sound as he dipped the spoon
back into the ice cream that was starting to melt. He lifted the spoon to Bella's
mouth, running the dripping underside of it across her lips. Her tongue made
quick work of collecting the delicacy. Edward dipped the spoon into her mouth,
and Bella licked it clean, Edward moaning as he felt Bella's mouth tighten around
the metal. Slowly, he took the spoon away.

"Good?" he asked, fingering the edge of Bella's blindfold. She tilted her head
against his hand, trying to get him to remove the blindfold.

"Answer me, Bella."

"Yes," she answered, breathlessly. Edward could smell the chocolate on her
breath and smiled, moving away from her, slowly.

"What do you feel now?" he asked, standing up and away from Bella at the foot
of her bed.

"You're too far way," she answered, reaching for where he was before. "Come
back."

Edward grinned. It was amusing watching Bella's face react to Edward's

breathing, trying to figure out where he was.

"Hold still, Bella. Don't move," he commanded, moving back toward her, but
remaining off the bed. He stood by her side. Again, he dipped the spoon into the
melting ice cream, collecting a large scoop of it. He held the spoon at the base of
her collarbone, and gradually he let little drops of the cold confection dabble
down her chest and around her Bella button and back up again. Bella's body
quivered with each drop. Her senses were all on alert, so Edward knew this felt
colder than it normally would.

He straddled Bella's hips, not placing any weight on her, but it had been difficult.
The moment his dick had come in contact with her warm sex, he had nearly
grinded into her. She was searing him through his underwear. He couldn't wait to
truly be skin to skin.

He licked his way up and back down her body, letting his tongue splay fully
across every inch of her torso, as he palmed her breasts, kneading them gently in
his hands.

"You taste amazing, Isabella," he groaned into Bella's neck as he lapped along
there. Bella moaned brazenly.
Edward's fingers traveled down Bella's side as he continued to suck on her neck,
no doubt leaving marks just as dark as last time. He fingers skimmed around her
belly button as Edward's kisses moved to her breasts. Bella was lost in another
world. She had never felt more alive at this moment. All her nerve ending were
on alert and whenever Edward would touch a new place, she would convulse,
nearly jumping right off the bed.

"What do you want, Bella?" Edward asked, seductively, his warm breath right
above her, right where she wanted him. She struggled for breath as he fingers
parted her lips, and he slowly, so agonizingly slow, rubbed the tiny bundle of
tight nerves. A cry of relief ripped through Bella's body. Her body had been
waiting for that moment, and Edward, who had tortured her since she placed the
blind fold on, continued to do just that, torture her.

"Is this what you want, sweetheart?" he teased, his forefinger slowly massaging
her clit as he blew hot air right above it. She shook violently, desperately trying
to push herself harder against his finger.

"Yes," she answered, in breathless anticipation. "Yes, God yes! Please, Edward I
need you."

Edward let the words sink in as he continued his slow motions, listening to her
voice as it shook and tiny cries of desperation poured from the lips she kept
biting to control the sounds she emitted.

Edward put her out of her misery as he took a long lick of her, the wetness
spreading down to his chin. She tasted absolutely delicious.

"This is my favorite kind of ice cream," he jested as he took yet another slow,
languid lick. Bella's breathing faltered, as she desperately latched her fingers to
his hair again, this time using it as leverage to move her hips against his mouth
as he devoured her.

Edward moaned into her, letting the vibrations hover above her, causing her
more pleasure. He held her clit between his teeth, gently, ever so gently nipping
at the nerves, Bella moaning uninhibitedly.

"Edward," she called out, her voice hoarse. "I need you," she pleaded, her hips
rising against him faster. Edward could feel the impending orgasm about to rip,
and slowly he let two fingers slide into her, reveling in how tight and soft she felt
around his fingers. Bella wailed as he rubbed and curled his fingers along the
rough surface inside her, the pleasure traveling through Bella's body. She gripped
Edward's hair as tightly as possible as she climaxed, her body violently shaking
under him. He was suffocating in her and he loved it.

When she finally let go of his hair, he slid the fingers out of her, sucking loudly on
them, so she could hear.

"Mhmm, they should make Bella-flavored ice cream, so I could have it every
day." Bella swallowed loudly, trying to get some sort of moisture into her dry
mouth. Edward noticing, held her head up and let her drink some of the ice water
by her head. He licked up any and all drops that slipped past her lips.

Bella grabbed his arm, slowly and blindly feeling down his chest as he sat down
beside her. Edward knew what she was trying to do and stopped her.

"Lie back down, Bella," he instructed, pushing her down, removing his boxer
briefs off in the process. He grabbed for a condom he brought with him and rolled
it on, suppressing a moan. It was the first time he had acknowledged himself,
and damn, he was as hard as rock. It was almost painful to the touch.

"Your choice, Bella? Blindfold on? Blindfold off?" he asked, holding the corner of
the two-dollar party prop.

"On!" she answered, confidently. If she had taken it off, she would've seen the
pleased expression on Edward's face as he pushed himself against her, grinding
slowly against her. Both moaned lushly. Carefully he spread her legs, wrapping
her left leg around his waist and resting her right leg on his shoulder.

Edward pushed in slowly, reveling in the warmth and tightness he had craved all
week.

"Bella," he half moaned in pleasure and pain as Bella reciprocated the call.

He pushed in slow, deliberate strokes as he tried to get Bella to scream his name
again. As she pleaded for him to go "harder", Edward grabbed the leg on his
shoulder and using it as leverage, he plunged himself into her as deep as he
could, as hard as he could without hurting her. He slid out slowly, pushing
upward to graze against her walls as she adeptly tightened around him. He
groaned as he pulled almost all the way out before thrusting into harder than
before, causing Bella's hips to rise.

"Edward," she howled, clawing at his forearms, her dull fingernails forming angry,
red, crescent-moon marks.

He responded by quickening his pace as his lips closed around the back of Bella's
knee as he pushed in and out, slow and hard, then fast and hard. The changing
motions were driving Bella's crazy. Her head trashed from side to side as her
body experienced pleasures she never knew.

"Edward," she sobbed, as her orgasm ripped through her, Edward not stopping
his thrusts as she tightened around him. She shook wildly, and he held her down
as best he could with his chest. Still holding her leg above him, he thrust in at a
frenzied pace as he felt the pin pricks of a climax approaching. He gnashed his
teeth as Bella's body knowledgably continued to hold him a death grip. Bella
pushed against him, matching his pace as he came, sputtering nonsense against
Bella's neck as he came down from the orgasmic high.

As he and Bella regained their breathing, he pulled himself out of her, both of
them groaning at the loss of connection as he plopped down beside her,
discarding the condom in the trash bin. He watched her chest rise and fall just as
unevenly as his.

"Can I take the blindfold off now," Bella asked.

"Oh jeeze, yeah Bella go ahead." Edward pulled it off for her and watched as she
squinted, her eyes adjusting to the light. She rubbed at her eyes, opening her
fingers slowly letting little slivers of light enter.

"That was intense," she commented as she turned to look at Edward. She pushed
aside the hair that stuck to his forehead.

"Yeah, it's all about enhancing and isolating the senses. Imagine if I would have
blocked your ability to hear as well?"

Bella let out a tired sound, yawning as her eyes fluttered.

"Tired?" Edward teased, waggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah. Eat it up. You tired me out, you sex god, you!"

"Denial is not just a river in Egypt, Bells."

"Edward Cullen sometimes your witty comebacks are so unbelievably intelligent."

"I know you find my brain sexy, Bella. Don't lie."

"Ugh, shut up, and turn the light off. Goodnight, Eddie."

"Ugh, don't call me that."

"You called me Isabella!"

"That was in the throes of passion. Isabella is a sexy name to say."

"Goodnight, Edward," Bella scoffed turning over in the bed, getting under covers,
Edward joining her.

"Goodnight, Bella. Sweet dreams."

Chapter Five: Two down, Twenty-Four to go

Edward watched as Bella slept, the bed sheet rising and falling over her chest.
She looked serene. It was an odd thing to see. Usually Bella was restless, kicking
the sheets around in her sleep, murmuring nonsense. It was nice to see her look
so peaceful. Though, to be honest, watching the frantic sleeping Bella was
extremely fascinating. It looked like she was battling the bed in her sleep,
punching at it and sometime writhing against it.

As he rose from the bed moments later, he cringed as his body protested against
the movement. He had no stability when he stood because of it, and quickly he
fell back down on the bed, bouncing on it several times. Once he stopped
bouncing, he turned his head sharply to see if Bella had woken up, but she was
out cold.

With a sigh of relief, Edward headed towards the bathroom, grabbing his boxer
briefs from the floor on the way there. He relieved himself, groaning at the sense
of emptiness. He had had too many sodas back in the office the day before. He
brushed his teeth using Bella's toothbrush knowing full well that once she woke
up and realized it, he would be getting a tongue lashing from the tiny brunette. It
wouldn't be the first time this argument was had, and it probably would not be
the last. Edward had used Bella's toothbrush on many occasions, even though his
was right there next to hers, but she had one of those swanky expensive electric
ones that made you feel like someone kicked your mouth in once you were done.
And though he could afford one, more than Bella could, he just liked the reaction
he got whenever he did it.

When he stepped out of the bathroom and headed back to his room, he found
Bella starting to wake up.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he greeted brightly, sitting down by her stomach on

the bed. Bella groaned in what Edward assumed to be a salutation. He just
laughed in response as Bella groaned again.

"Why are you always so chipper in the morning?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes
to adjust to the sunlight streaming in through her window.
"Well," Edward began to explain, "It's usually all natural, but today it's because I
got some." He winked at her, as Bella scowled. "You know," Edward began once
more. "You should be just as chipper as I am. I believe you were the other
participant last night." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well it wasn't all that good," she chided, struggling to keep a smile from
forming on her face that would give her pretense away. Edward gasped over
dramatically, his hand fanning out across his heart.

"How dare you, wench? You loved it!"

"So now you're a pirate. May I remind you that the next letter is mine!"

"I know. I wonder how you'll top last night. That was pure genius," Edward
gloated, smugly.

"As was mine," Bella argued. Edward gave her a deadpanned expression.

"Mine was better!"

"Was not," Bella began to contend, rising her from her resting position on the
bed, only to scream in pain as the bed sheet ripped violently from her neck and
chest. Edward looked startled as Bella cried out rubbing at the spot. Edward
noticing quickly grimaced and began to get off the bed. The bed sheet had stuck
to Bella's skin were the ice cream had been.

"Oh my God," she continued complaining, massaging her neck. "That hurt like a
bitch! I'm gonna kill you, Edward Cullen," Bella shouted as she leapt out of bed,
chasing after Edward. He yelped as he dodged furniture trying to get away from
the tiny, yet ferocious woman.

"I'm sorry, Bella" Edward apologized, his voice rising in a pleading manner. "But
it's not my fault you didn't shower afterwards," he grunted as he avoiding hitting
his hip against the kitchen counter.

"You're the one who ate ice cream off my tits!"

"I ate it off your neck. Geeze, so vulgar," he teased, running around the table,
swiftly running past Bella.

Bella having found herself in this position many times before hand, this time their
roles were reversed, smiled wickedly at Edward as he stood behind the couch
looking across the room to where she stood on the other side of the couch, still
stark naked.

"I'm sorry, Bells," he grimaced, noticing how red the area around her neck, but
instead of keeping his mouth shut, he spoke again, only making things worse for
himself. "But you should see your neck. You look like a cheetah!"

Bella growled and jumped onto the couch, clearing the top of it to jump right onto
Edward. Not expecting the attack, Edward lost momentum and fell backward onto
the hardwood floor.

"Ugh, my back," he hissed, arching it slightly only to be weighed down by a

naked Bella on top of him. "You know it's not your day yet. I know how much you
want my body, but this is ridiculous."

Bella playfully slapped his arm. "Very funny, Cullen. Ha! Ha! I'm dying. You're
going to pay for that wise crack and for my pain and the damn bites on my neck.
I understood last week, you know with the vampire thing, but this neck fetish of
yours has to stop. People are going to start to ask questions at work if I show up
with a turtle neck on again, especially your brother. That's the last thing I need is
that oaf to follow me around trying to pull down the top of my shirt to see my
neck."

Edward halted his movements. "He did that? What an ass!"

"No, but he will, so please no more hickies."

"Okay," he agreed, adding something under his breath.

"What was that, Edward?" Bella asked menacingly as her fist hovered above his
dick.

"I said okay, no more hickies…in places people can see them." Belle huffed and
smacked him lightly across his face; a popping sound resonated in the room.

"Damn Bella," he whimpered, rubbing his cheek. "You have heavy hands."

"Yeah, well, maybe you'll learn a lesson from this. No more biting and no more
sticky sex," she declared, hoping up off of Edward, lending him a hand.

"Sorry to inform you, Bells, but sex is sticky no matter if there's food involved!"
Bella rolled her eyes as she started to walk away, and Edward laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked, curiously.

"I never realized you had a beauty mark on your ass," he answered through
chuckles. Bella appropriately flipped him the bird and walked away.

"I'm taking a shower; when I get out there better be breakfast on the table!"

"Argh Captain," Edward saluted.

Edward set off to start breakfast when he abruptly stopped upon hearing Bella
scream.

"EDWARD! How many times have I told you not to use my toothbrush? That's so
gross!"

Edward chuckled as he ignored her, continuing to scramble eggs for the French
toast he was going to make.

Fifteen minutes later, Bella joined him in the kitchen.

"Mhmm," Bella murmured. "French toast! I do love me some cinnamon. You spoil
me, Edward."

"I figured you might be hungry after last night."

"You'd swear you're the best I've ever had!" she argued through a mouthful of
toast.

"Such a lady, Swan. And I know I'm the best."

"Oh really, how so?" she questioned him, dropping her fork on her plate folding
her hands before her, waiting for his answer. Edward smirked and leaned in
close, staring straight into her eyes.

"In all the times I've ever heard you, which quite frankly has been too many, you
have never, once, screamed out you like did these past two times. Not once have
you come so hard that you sobbed as you came down from it. Not once have you
ever made a dent on the wall, which I will fix, I promise."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Touché, Cullen! And you will fix the wall,"

"Did you just admit that I've been the best you've had?" Edward inquired,
surprised by the admission.

"Is that not what I just said?"

"No," Edward countered. "You said touché. I want to hear it! Say it!" Bella shook
her head in defiance.

"Say it or no more weekends," he threatened, and Bella merely scoffed.

"That doesn't bother me at all, Edward. I can live without them," she claimed,
knowing damn well that she couldn't. It was by far the best sex she had ever
had; she just didn't want to admit to Edward. His ego wouldn't fit in the room if
she did.

"You're lying! Your eye just twitched. Whenever you lie, your left eye twitches,"
he responded, smugly pulling Bella's plate away from her.

"Hey! Give that back," she whined, making a grab at the ceramic dish. They had
been a housewarming gift from her mother.

"Not until you say it!" Bella huffed like a petulant child and pouted.

"Fine. Edward Cullen has given me the best sex of my life. Happy? Give me back
my food." She replied monotone and extended her hand expecting Edward to
comply, but he shook his head.

"Not until you actually mean it, and say it well, not half-assed like you just did."
Again, Bella huffed and sighed. She put on a seductive smile and leaned across
the table staring straight into his eyes.

"Baby, you know how good you are. No one can make me come like you do. No
one can make me scream you like can. No one can make my toes curl and body
convulse like you can. You're the best, chief." She winked and slid back to sit
against the back of the kitchen chair. Edward looked startled for a moment before
handing her plate over.

"Th-that's more like it," he answered, clearing his voice half way through. She
had left him stunned.

"Did I dazzle you, Edward?" she teased as she resumed eating her breakfast.

"Yeah," he answered honestly. "That was sexy as hell!" Bella shook her head and
laughed as she finished her food and cleared her side of the table, putting her
plate and utensils into the dishwasher.

"Did you shower?" she asked him, and he shook his head.

"Go shower, and we can go out to the hardware store and buy some plaster for
the wall and some paint."

"Sure, give me fifteen minutes."

"Wait, Edward before you get into the shower, go get the hat, so I can pick out
my letter."
"Anxious?" Edward asked playfully, waggling his eyebrows, which was actually
amusing to watch. He had these perfectly sculpted eyebrows; they were thick and
masculine, but kept so neat.

"Just get the damn hat!"

"Admit it!"

"What is it with you this morning? It's like overnight you turned into a hormonal
sixteen year old douche bag."

"Damn, Bells, that's harsh. At least I didn't wake up like a crabby, bitchy, old
spinster."

"That was a good one!" Bella laughed, Edward joining her.

"Give me a second to get the hat." Bella nodded. She was anxious, damn right
she was. She had to top Edward and to get him off his pedestal, but she had
absolutely no idea how she was going to do it, but she was going to try.

"Voila!" Edward chimed stepping out of his room, shaking the hat in his hands.

"Shake it more than once, Eddie and you're just playing with yourself!"

"Funny, Isabella!" The two growled at each other before snickering.

"Ready?" Edward asked, keeping the hat just out of Bella's reach. Bella simply
scowled and rolled her eyes. To be frank, she was not ready, but oh well, it had
to be done.

She slipped her hand into the wool ski cap and pulled out the first paper she
touched. Opening it quickly, she grinned broadly as she read the letter. She could
do a lot with this letter, and since Edward had chosen to tweak the rules with his
game, she would with hers.

"Good letter?" Edward asked, much like Bella had asked the last time, even going
as far as raising his head to peek at the paper. He had noticed the smile on her
face upon reading it and grew curious.

"Great letter!" she answered, smugly, and Edward nodded.

"Go take a shower, stinky!" Bella giggled, shoving Edward away, who just
laughed as he sauntered away.

"Hey," Bella called out to him again.

"What now?"

"Two down, twenty four more to go, Eddie."

"Bring it on, Isabella!"

"If we are good to people then we are reciprocated in the same manner but if we
are bad to them then we will most obviously be paid in the same coin."

~Atharva Veda
Chapter Six: R is for Reciprocation

Bella didn't grow up with a lot. Her parents made just the bare minimum to
survive. Her father, Charlie Swan, was the police chief back in the small Podunk
town of Forks that she and Edward grew up in. Though he was the chief of police,
it didn't necessarily mean he was raking in the cash, and her mother was a stay
at home mom for the time she was actually there. Even after she divorced Charlie
and left to Arizona, she remained a housewife, quickly scooping up a minor
league baseball player and traveling the country with him.

Edward on the other hand had come from a blessed background; one could say
he was fed with a silver spoon. His father, Carlisle Cullen, was a successful
surgeon and when he and his family moved to Forks when Edward was three, he
took a job at the local hospital, which had led to an insurgence of women coming
into the emergency room with non-existent injuries just to get a minute to talk
with the doctor. Esme Cullen, though not the breadwinner of the family was still
successful in the field of interior designing. All anyone needed as a reference of
her skill was to take one look at her house and they were floored. She was a
talent.

Nevertheless, regardless of their different upbringings, Edward, and the rest of

the Cullens never treated Bella any differently. It didn't matter that she wasn't
blood family.

Edward had always been fortunate to get the newest things, be it video games,
music, clothes; everyone knew that if it was expensive and everyone wanted it,
Edward was going to have it first. Bella on the other hand tended to get things
much later, and sometimes it was the generic brand, but Edward never said
anything about it. Many times Edward would be the one to buy the real deal for
Bella; well, his mother would after Edward asked her (begged her) to lend him
some money.

When his mother would ask him why, he always had a reason. There was always
a reason, be it her birthday, Christmas, or her being "the best best-friend anyone
in the whole wide world could have", Edward always wanted to give her
something, knowing full and well that Bella couldn't give him anything in return,
but he didn't care. That was what he would tell Bella when they were younger.

"I don't need you to give me anything, Bella. I just like making my best friend
happy."

It was sweet, but it always made Bella feel bad, especially when they got older.
For graduation, Edward had bought her a necklace, an actual platinum necklace
with her name encrusted in tiny diamonds. While all she had gotten him was a
leather-bound scrapbook with tons of pictures and little mementos of their
friendship, including a very specific wrapper to a piece of strawberry candy and
the ticket stub to Interview with a Vampire, and on the inside, in very familiar
phrasing were the words:

To the coolest best friend in the world, Edward,

I want you to do me a favor. Never stop being my best friend. You're the coolest
kid I know.

Don't forget me when you're the big man on campus.

Oceans of love and millions of kisses - your best friend,

Isabella Marie Swan

The smile on Edward's face had brought a smile to her face, and even though she
still felt terrible that he had spent so much money on her gift, hearing him say
that it was the best gift he had ever gotten and that he could never forget her,
brightened her mood.

Even now with their little sexcapades alphabet game, he still managed to make it
all about her. Yeah he was coming each time, but he was focusing all his
attention on her, telling her it was all about her, not to worry about him.

Bella wasn't having that.

Sunday night, after Edward had patched up all the little nicks and the gaping
gash the bedpost had left against his bedroom wall, and yes, it wasn't even her
room, but it was her apartment and she liked it looking nice, she had spent time
looking through the dictionary for words starting with the letter r, trying to
formulate ideas for what she could do for her activity. She knew already that she
was going to add a few different activities with the letter, since Edward had done
it with his weekend because anything Edward could, she could do better. It was
just a matter of figuring what she wanted to do.

It was as she was skimming the dictionary that the word, reciprocate, stood out
to her.

Re*cip"ro*cate\, v. t. To give and return mutually; to make return for; to give in

return; to interchange; to alternate; as, to reciprocate favors.

It made so much sense to pay back Edward for the last two weekends, to pay
him back in such a way that he would never forget it. She had to. He had
honestly been the best sex she had ever had; there was no denying it. She had
never come so hard before, never experienced an orgasm so intense that it
started all the way down at the tips of her toes.

How she was going to go about it reciprocating was the million-dollar question.

=x=

Monday morning at work had passed by as smoothly as it usually did until

Emmett had waltzed into her office.

Emmett, Edward's older brother by two years, worked with Bella, well, worked in
the same building as Bella. The building held many different companies, including
one very famous financial office.

Emmett worked a floor above her. He was a psychologist who worked with
famous athletes. Many times Bella would find herself on the elevator with some
famous baseball player she had seen on a billboard on her way to visit him.

He usually stopped by just to talk, since they had known each other for years,
and Emmett had many breaks in his schedule, and the only other person in his
office was a woman by the name of Jane, his bitch of a secretary, so he always
trekked downstairs to chat up with Bella.

The conversation had begun as it always had since they were kids.

"Belly! How are you today?" She rolled her eyes, the same exact way she always
did when Emmett would use the ridiculous nickname.

"I'm fine, Em. And please, when in the last twenty years have I ever like the
named Belly?"
"You love it, Belly. Don't lie. You love my visits, too," he answered just as smugly
as Edward would and sat down in the chair in front of Bella's desk.

"What brings you down today, Emmett? No basketball players afraid that their
wives are going to catch them boinking their kid's nanny?"

Emmett laughed loudly, his boisterous voice filling the whole room.

"You're such a lady, Isabella Swan!"

"Ugh!" Bella groaned, slamming her hands on her desk.

"What is it with you and your brother always calling me Isabella? When did I ever
give you two the impression that I prefer that title?"

"We just love to see you get mad. It's fun!" he joyfully answered, raising an
eyebrow.

"Another turtleneck, Ms. Swan?" he inquired, getting up from his chair, and
stalked towards her.

"Get away from me, Emmett Cullen. I will kick you in your nads and then you and
Rose won't be able to have a little mini-Emmett."

"Are you trying to hide something?" he asked, cornering her, totally ignoring her
threat. He was so much bigger than Bella; there was no chance in hell she could
get away from him.

"A hickie, perhaps?" he teased, rolling down the top of her shirt.

"Hickies!" he shouted, seeing the multiple purplish marks littering her neck and
the tiny sliver of her collarbone that he could see without having to remove her
shirt completely.

"Bella Swan, who are you getting down with?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Does Edward know who the guy is?" he asked, sitting back down in the chair.

"Yes, he knows him…very well," she answered, coyly trying not to give it away
that his brother had been the one to maul her neck, and oh god how she had
loved it.

"Really? Edward hasn't mentioned you dating anyone."

"You talk to Edward about my dating?"

"Well, no, but whenever I mention you, he lets me know what's up with you. Plus
I am married to your former college roommate, so of course I know things, like
how many times you've faked it with Jacob Black!"

"Get out Emmett," Bella commanded, pointing towards the door. Emmett merely
laughed at the blushing woman, and exited murmuring something about Bella
being such a little minx.

When Bella had recounted the story to Edward later at dinner, he laughed
hysterically, nearly choking on a piece of chicken. He shook his head, muttering
"classic" to himself.
The rest of the week wasn't as eventful as Monday. By Thursday, Bella had
formulated a plan of what she would do, and she couldn't wait. She was excited
because nothing made her happier than a happy Edward, and he would be happy,
oh, so very happy.

On Friday, it was the same old song and dance routine of the last two weeks,
Edward making dinner and begging to know what the letter was. He had been
leaving little hints in their conversation about it, trying to divulge any slight clue
as to what the letter would be, asking such random nonsense.

"Does the letter appear in the word, floccinaucinihilipilification?"

"Is that a real word?" she had asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, it means something like the estimation of something useless. Carlisle

taught it to me in the sixth grade."

"I don't even know how to spell that, so I wouldn't know if the letter appears in
that word!"

She put him out of his misery during dessert, mainly because he wouldn't hand
over the piece of strawberry cheesecake he had in his hand.

"If I tell you the letter, will you give me the cake?"

"Of course, Bella. That's how negotiating works!" he jested, taunting her by
waving the plate in front of her face.

"Why do you always have to take away my food?" she pouted as he just laughed
at her.

"Yeah, it always works!" he deadpanned, taking a long lick of the strawberry icing
on her cheesecake.

"HEY! My cake! You've desecrated my cake!" she cried out, leaping for her chair
as she walked towards Edward.

"Letter! Tell me the letter, and I'll gladly feed you the cake."

"I'm capable of feeding myself. Thank you very much. Now, give me my cake!"
she shouted as she chased him around the kitchen table.

"You know," Edward began. "This is starting to feel very familiar," he laughed as
he dodged Bella's advance.

"Edward Cullen, give me my cake and I'll tell you the letter," she propositioned
sitting back in her chair, knowing full and well that she just might have beaten
him.

"NO! That's not how it works. You see Ms. Swan. If I give you the cake, you're
just gonna shove it down your throat and not tell me what you letter you picked
out. Which only serves to make one of us happy, but if you tell me the letter and
then I give you the cake, we're both satisfied," he argued, sitting down in his
chair, coveting the cake as far away from Bella as possible.

"Fine, the letter is R!" she pouted as she crossed her arms in defeat. Edward
chuckled and immediately passed the cake over.

"Cheater," she murmured taking a big bite of her cake.

"I prefer the term genius!"

=x=

Bella spent most of Saturday morning trying to finish a transcript of some story
she just couldn't get through. It was bland and boring. It had absolutely no
substance, the characters were incredibly dull, and the plot was as unoriginal as
was possible.

And to top it all off, she could hear Edward pacing in front of her bedroom door all
day. One time when she got up to got use the restroom she found him staring
blankly out of the window. He had showered, but had chosen to put pajamas on
when he had gotten out. He looked pained and when she asked him what was
wrong, he gave her a pissed off look. She just laughed and sauntered back to her
bedroom, hearing Edward mutter "cock tease" under his breath.

At five, Bella decided to put Edward out of his misery and called him over to her
bedroom. It was like he was sitting by the door when she called out to him,
because he was in her room, door closed in a nanosecond.

"Finally," he sighed out in relief.

"Not so fast," she said, as Edward let his eyes travel up and down Bella's lean
body. She was wearing a short, blue robe and of course, his imagination was
conjuring up god knows what she was wearing or not wearing under it. Bella
laughed at the dazed expression he wore.

"What are we doing?" he asked, waiting for Bella's instructions.

"You'll see. Now strip!" she commanded, but Edward stood stoic, not budging.
Bella stared angrily at him, as he stood stiff.

"I said strip Edward!" she forcefully scolded him, and still he remained still.

"That doesn't start will the letter R, Bella," he replied smugly, only making Bella
angrier than she already was.

"Okay wiseass. Remove every article of clothing on your body!" Edward conceded
and got undressed. Bella smirked as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor.

He was already rock hard.

"Excited, Mr. Cullen," she teased as she walked over to him. "Remain standing
still," she barked an order at him as she got closer. "Don't move a fraction of an
inch."

When she got close enough to touch him, she let her fingertips dance up and
down his strong forearms, and he shivered. The further Bella's fingers journeyed
up his arm, the more pronounced his goose bumps became.

Bella moaned in approval as she brought her hands down his back. His body was
a work of art; every part was toned and sculpted to perfection. Her hand rested
on his lower back, right up his tight muscular gluts. She formed a fist and slowly
kneaded the spot, earning a guttural moan from Edward.

"Bella," he breathed out.

"Shh, Edward. Remain silent. Lie down, face first on the bed," she ordered, and
Edward complied immediately.
"What does this have to do with the letter R?" he asked, confused.

"Silly Edward not figuring it out," Bella flirtatiously whispered into his ear as she
straddled his waist, removing the robe in the process. He groaned again as he felt
Bella's naked body on top of his.

"R is for reciprocation and a few other things!"

"I still don't get it," he moaned into one of Bella's pillows as she started to
massage him.

"Well, you see, Edward, you've been so very good to me for so long, and these
last two weekends have been spent with your appreciating me, I thought that this
time would be all about you," Bella answered, working her hands firmly into his
shoulder, working a knot there.

"Mmmm, Bella that feels so good."

"You're so tense, Edward. Is work causing all this stress?" she asked, grabbing
some oil of her bed side table and rubbing it into middle of Edward's back,
working out another knot.

"Oh, fuck," he moaned as her nimble fingers skillfully rubbed at the tension. "You
have no idea how good that feels."

"Real good, I bet," she whispered into his ear again, this time nipping at it like he
always did to her.

"Shit, Bella," he whined as he rubbed his hips against the bedspread. Bella
chuckled lightly as her body moved to rest on Edward's thighs as she started to
massage his lower back, using her knuckles this time. Much to her delight,
Edward's back arched as he let out a mewling sound of pleasure.

"Are you sure you chose the right career?" he asked.

"Shh, Edward," she answered calmly as she gripped his ass cheeks into her hand,
tightening her hands around the strong muscles before starting to rub his thighs
and then calves before getting of him.

"How do you feel?" she asked, standing beside him.

"Like goo!" he chuckled.

"Roll over," she instructed, and he did so quickly. He was still hard as a rock.

"What now?" he asked in a relaxed daze, eyes struggling to open.

"Get into a spread eagle," she directed and he did. Each hand reached to the very
corner of the bed post and each foot did as well. It was perfect for what she had
planned next.

"R is also for restraint and rope."

Edward's eyes widened at the words, and he gasped as he felt a rope around his
right hand being tied tightly against the bedpost.

"You're serious?" he asked.

"You ask stupid questions, Edward. Now be silent and don't move."
She tied the rest of his limbs to the bed and stood up on the bed between his
legs. He stared straight up at her, breathing heavily. This was unbelievably out of
character for her, and damn, if it wasn't sexy as hell.

She sunk down onto her knees, between the space left there from his open legs.

"Your dick is absolutely beautiful," she commented, as she stared at it closely.

Edward struggled to tilt his head up so he could see her, but the restraints were
not allowing him the momentum. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly
letting the hot air tease the sensitive area. He groaned pathetically and twitched.

"Can I taste you Edward?"

"Oh god," he groaned as Bella took him into her hands, a small amount of the
massage oil still present there. Her hand was slick as she moved it up and down,
tightly, running her thumb along the slit in the engorged head.

"Please!" he pleaded, pulling at his restraints as she teased him by breathing on

him again.

"Is that a yes, Mr. Cullen? Will you let me taste you?"

"Yes, fuck yes. Please Bella!" he begged, pulling roughly at the restraints. Bella
loved it, all of it. She had never heard Edward sound so lost, so out of control as
he did right there.

Bella took a hold of the base of him and licked straight up the vein on the
underside, slowly. When she reached the top she took a pointed lick of his slit,
greedily tasting the drop of precum that had formed.

"Mmmmmm," she growled indulgently. "Delicious."

Edward titled his head backward and let out another guttural moan that Bella
loved to hear.

"Bella let me see you. Please let me see you!" he pleaded, and Bella let go of
him. She graciously met his request placing two pillows under his head so it was
elevated enough to see her work.

"Thank you," he breathed out, and Bella chuckled.

She went back to where she was, grabbing him gently in her hand. She looked up
through her eyelashes at him, as he looked down impatiently.

"Please," he whimpered, pushing his hips up. Bella smirked deviously and licked
her lips, making them wet and shiny. She looked up again to find Edward starting
right at her lips. Still looking at him she placed the engorged head into her
mouth, sucking on it tightly, keeping her eyes on Edward as he groaned loudly
pulling at the ropes.

"Fuck! Fuck! Bella, so warm, so wet, oh God, more."

Bella took more of him into her mouth, lapping her tongue on the underside
every time her head bobbed up. With every down stroke of her mouth, she took
more of him in, and Edward moaned loudly with each up-down movement. Each
time her head rose from his hips, she tightened her hold on his cock and grazed
her teeth against him ever so lightly.

She kept her eyes on Edward the entire time and watched as his face contorted in
pleasure with each stroke. She watched as he struggled against the restraints.
She watched as he struggled to keep his eyes open, and when she took him all
in, and swallowed around, she watched as he lost the ability to breathe. It was a
magnificent sight.

She brought her hands down to his sack, rubbing it gently as she continued to
take him in. His head began to thrash about the pillow as she rubbed and sucked.
It was too much for him. Too good. Too fucking good.

"Bella, holy fuck!" he let out through heavy breaths. "I can't hold out much more.
I ne-need to be in you, oh fuck, let me be in you when I come," he pleaded as
Bella never stopped sucking, the sounds like the most beautiful symphony to
Edward's ears.

Bella halted her movement, letting Edward fall out of her mouth with a pop, a line
of saliva keeping them connected until it broke.

She moved to sit on his hips, letting her sex rub against his. Both of them
groaned at the feeling.

"You're so wet," Edward murmured as he pushed his hip against Bella. He

continued to pull at the ropes, not caring that they were starting to cause burns
against his skin.

"I want you, Edward, so badly, and do you know what else?" He shook his head,
and she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"I'm going to ride you, so hard, and you won't be able to touch me."

Edward grunted tilting his back against the pillow at the news. His hands clenched
and unclenched with the itch to just grab Bella and take her. Bella chuckled
against his neck as she started to pepper kisses against the top of his shoulders
and collarbone before taking a firm bite of his skin at the bottom of his neck.
Edward groaned in ecstasy as Bella sucked and nibbled at the spot hard.

She tore herself away, admiring the dark mark starting to appear.

"Have fun explaining to your coworkers on Monday," she teased as she reached
for the condom on her bedside table, making a show of ripping it open with her
teeth as she pulled it out of the wrapper. Grabbing the latex in her hand she slide
down Edward's torso and stopped, resting on the tops of his thighs. She took the
condom and rolled it down his dick, Edward hissing the whole way down.

Bella smirked deviously as she lifted herself up and lined Edward against her
entrance teasing herself, using him as a tool. She spread the moisture up and
down her sex, teasing her clit with the head of Edward's dick. Both moaned at the
sensations before Bella started to tease her entrance.

"Bella!" he begged, shoving his hips up as he entered her for a brief second
before she pulled him out.

"I control this!" she declared, taking him in her hand tightly and sinking down on
him, until she sat rested on his hips. She screamed as he filled her entirely. He
lay below her mouth open wide, no sound pouring out, but the expression on his
face was of pure pleasure.

They both let out deep breaths as Bella slid back up and back down quickly. She
set a fast and hard rhythm, fucking herself hard on Edward as she tightened
around him with each fall.

"Edward," she called out through ragged breaths and Edward answered back.
It wasn't long before the two could feel the impeding explosion of ultimate
pleasure. It was Bella who came first, screaming out Edward's name as every
electrical pulse in her switched on and she convulsed on top of Edward, shaking
with no means of stopping. Edward followed suit, no more than ten seconds later
as Bella gripped him like death.

"BELLA!" he moaned out as he rotated his hips up into Bella as he used her to
milk his cock.

Bella collapsed on top of Edward, breathing heavy against his chest that worked
hard to stabilize his breathing.

"Fuck, Bella. You win. That was better than mine any day," he spoke breathlessly.

"I told you," she teased as her breathing and heart rate started to stabilize.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Could you untie me? The ropes are killing me!"

Bella gasped and immediately cut the ropes off, massaging the red sores on his
ankles before doing the same with his wrists.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," she apologized as she rubbed one of his wrists.

"Don't apologize. It was well worth it." He kissed the top of her head, bringing
her close to him, so he could touch her.

"That was torture, you know that right?" he asked, and Bella stared confused.

"Not being able to grab your hair as you sucked my dick, fucking shit man; that
was torture."

Bella snorted and she laughed hysterically.

"Sorry," she said not meaning it at all.

"No problem. Where did you learn to suck a dick like that?"

"Shut up, Edward, and go to bed!"

"Yes ma'am, but that doesn't start with the letter r," he teased.

"Wiseass! Rest up, Edward."

"Back at ya, Bella. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Chapter Seven: Three down, Twenty-Three to go

Bella rolled out of bed around seven the next morning, picking up Edward's shirt
off the floor and putting it on along with some clean underwear. She didn't sleep
very well that night, but that as of late, wasn't odd. Lately, her dreams have been
keeping her up at night. That night she got about three hours of sleep, tops,
between all the tossing and turning. She had too much on her mind, but she
couldn't even begin to tell you what was bothering her.

Yes, she could.

It was that damn dream—the same dream she had been having for about a little
under a month now. It was her dancing in a royal blue gown, and it was odd
because Bella can't dance, but there in her dream she was gliding across a
beautiful cherry wood floor, her feet barely touching the ground as a mysterious
stranger held her and waltzed along with her.

There in lied the reason she couldn't handle the dream because there in her arms
was a tall, built man dressed to the nines in a tuxedo, but he didn't have a face.
She couldn't tell who he was. There was one time, the second time the dream
appeared that she caught a glimpse of a strong jaw, but many men had strong
jaws.

The man never spoke, he didn't even breathe, he just held her tightly and danced
her around, and it always ended the same way. The faceless man would bend
down and kiss her—a kiss so intense that Bella would wake up and still feel it.

It made no sense to her. She didn't even own a blue dress, let alone a gown, and
she didn't understand how it was even possible to kiss a man with no face, but
apparently it was because she could feel the warm hands grasping her face, the
soft velvet lips manipulating hers, and the smooth tongue that pervaded her
mouth.

It was a kiss you felt in your toes; the one you bragged about to your friends. It
was a perfect kiss, there was no other way to describe it.

Perfect.

And it was driving Bella nuts. Who was the mystery man? Why did she keep
having the dream? Why didn't he have a face?

The dream had been bothering her for weeks now, and it kept popping up with
fervor, and as hard as she tried to think of other things as she went to bed, the
dream still appeared, and it was starting to play in her daydreams at work.

Even now as she sat sluggishly on the couch, eating cereal, and watching some
infomercial about hair plugs, the dream played across her eyes like a movie.

She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of Edward's heavy footsteps.

"Morning," he groggily said, rubbing his eyes. Bella was still impressed by his
ability to walk around the apartment with limited sight. If she tried to do that she
would ram her knee against a table.

"Hey," Bella answered, taking another bite of the sugary concoction.

"What are you eating?" Edward asked as he took a seat next to Bella.

"Cereal."

"That's almost one hundred percent sugar, Bells. Why would you eat that?"

"I couldn't resist the little cartoon rabbit jumping around the screen. It's your
fault. It is your campaign. So I eat this sugar because of you!"
"Smart ass," Edward murmured, swiping the remote away from the table and
starting to flip through the channels. It was early Sunday morning; there was
absolutely nothing on TV.

"Pick a channel already," Bella groaned, finishing the last of her breakfast.

"Crabby much?"

"Sorry. I just didn't sleep very well last night."

Immediately, Edward's body tensed. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned. He

despised whenever Bella wouldn't sleep. It reminded him of the time after the
incident with James. For weeks, she would call him at four in the morning, crying.
She would describe vile nightmares to him as he tried to reassure her that it
wasn't real. After a week of early morning phone calls, Edward stared sneaking
into Bella's room at night, which was not an easy feat, even for someone as
athletic as Edward. It involved climbing a tree with bark so torn that it always
chaffed in the worst way, and a slight Spiderman-esque jump from the branch to
the window sill, but for Bella he would climb the Himalayas if need be. He would
hold her as she slept, and by morning, he would leave. It didn't matter to him
that he lost sleep; his best friend meant the world to him. He lived for her
happiness.

"Nothing like that Edward," Bella reassured him, noting the tone in his voice.

"Okay. So, what's wrong? You're never up before me," he jested, bumping his
bare shoulder against hers. She was wearing his t-shirt. He had wondered why he
couldn't find it on the floor.

"I keep having these weird dreams—" Bella began to say but Edward interrupted
her.

"You said it wasn't about that!"

"It's not! It's just this weird, I guess good dream. I just don't understand it. I
can't figure out what it means, and I keep having it. It's driving me nuts. I'm so,
so tempted to ask that quack of your brother to analyze it."

Edward chuckled heartily. "I don't think that would be wise. One, because he
deals with athletes, and two because he would hold it over your head as
blackmail for years!"

"That's why I'm only entertaining the idea, not executing it."

"Good!"

"How are you?" Bella asked, ruefully.

"I'm great. Real good," he answered earnestly, waggling his eyebrows. "Some
sexy girl had her way with me yesterday. It was mind-blowing. You could even
say it was…orgasmic!"

"You're welcome," she teased, playfully, her mood suddenly lifted.

"Yeah, yeah, thank you! You just wait. I will top this, oh I will top this!" he
declared.

"How, since you know, you already declared me the winner?" she questioned
smugly, tilting her head to the side and licking her lips confidently.
"We'll just see about that. We'll have to watch the replay to see!"

"Whatever, there is no way you could top that. Ever!"

"Is that a challenge, Ms. Swan? Is that a formal challenge, my lady?" Edward
smiled and Bella reciprocated, trying hard not to laugh.

The formal challenge, Bella chanted in her head, trying not to laugh.

The formal challenge or the TFC, as Edward had so aptly dubbed it freshman year
in high school, was something that he and Emmett had conjured up during a
game of basketball in their backyard. Bella had watched them play several times
before hand, always cheering for Edward, but as she watched this time, she
noticed that they were playing harder than they ever had. They were slamming
into each other, body checking the other person, not calling fouls on the other.
When Edward won, he roared, literally roared in happiness, as Emmett just
sneered. It was then that the two explained the formal challenge.

Emmett had challenged Edward to a game of hoops the night before, claiming
that he could "school" him in the game regardless of the fact that Edward was far
more agile on the court, had better range from another line on the court, and had
better dexterity with the ball.

The next week after the game consisted of Emmett doing whatever Edward asked
of him, including cutting his dark curls, which did not go very well with his
girlfriend of the time. One time when Bella had won the challenge, Edward walked
around with an electric blue Mohawk for months; his parents were not amused.

Bella laughed as the scene replayed in her head before she spoke.

"Yes, it's a formal challenge."

Edward's eyes lit up as he practically sprinted to the room to retrieve the hat,
shaking it like a maniac as he walked back into the living room, nearly tossing the
thing to Bella but thinking better of it. The last thing he wanted was to waste
time picking the pieces of the floor.

Bella just laughed at him as he sat down on the couch, hopping about like a kid.

"You're always so eager!"

"Any man would be eager if they were getting lucky like I was. Now take the hat
so I can pick my letter and make my claim!"

Bella took the hat, shook it once more for posterity, and held it out toward
Edward. He slowly stuck his hand into the wool cap, taking his time to pick out a
piece. Tentatively, he pulled the paper out and turned around to read it. From the
window, Bella could see his reflection and the devious smile that appeared on his
face as he folded the paper back up and turned around to face him.

"What?" Bella asked, noting the devious smirk on his face, the light in his eyes.

"Oh, Bella. You should not have called for the formal challenge."

Bella's eyes widened in fear, as all the possible scenarios ran through her head.

"What's the claim, Edward?" she asked, keeping her voice cold.

"I am going to make you come, Bella, like you've never come before. You will
quiver, you will shake, and you won't stop, and nor will I. I will make you feel it
everywhere, from your toes to your fingertips to the roots of your hair. And if…no
when I win…you will forfeit your letter for the next week," he said, his voice raspy
and low.

Bella gasped, an array of emotions running through her. One was definitely
excitement. The other one was skepticism, and the last was fear because ninety
percent of the time, Edward won the challenge.

"You're on, Edward! But when you lose, you will forfeit your letter!"

"Deal!" he answered, confidently.

"Deal!" Bella answered, extending her hand for a shake, Edward complied like a
good sport, still wearing that irritating shit-eating grin.

"I'm going to go shower!" Bella announced, standing up, fear clearly evident in
her strides. Edward noticing just chuckled.

"Bella?"

"Edward?"

"Do your Kegel exercises this week!" he instructed, grinning widely. Bella raised
her eyebrow, smiling along with him.

"Have you been reading my Cosmo?" she asked, teasingly.

"No!" he answered too quickly.

"Sure, Edward. It's okay if you look for tips in my magazine. It's okay. I won't tell
anyone!"

"Very funny, Bella. I knew what Kegel exercises were, long before I should have.
Remember my dad is a doctor!"

"He's a practitioner not a gynecologist!"

"Same shit, different toilet!"

"Eww!" she remarked, starting to walk away.

"Hey," Edward called out.

"What now?" she asked, impatiently.

"Three down, twenty-three more to go, my lady."

"Bring it on, good sir!"

"Memory is like an orgasm. It's a lot better if you don't have to fake it."

~Seymore Cray

Chapter Eight: O is for Orgasm

The first time Edward Cullen ever climaxed was when he was twelve. It had been
awkward, quick, and possibly the most exhilarating feeling he had experienced.
He had been sitting at home on Saturday night, in his bedroom watching a movie
with a naked woman parading around the screen and suddenly it felt like all the
blood in his body was starting to travel south.

Edward can remember sitting on his bed, staring down at the tenting of his
flannel pajama bottoms, and wondering what the hell that was all about. He can
vividly tell you that the feeling of pulling the pants down and the elastic rim of
them brushing against him had made him moan involuntarily.

That was when he remembered something his older brother had talked to him
about.

He quickly discarded the pants and his boxers. He got up to make sure the door
was locked firmly, and when he was sure of it, he turned up the volume on his
television and lay back on his bed. He took a slow, tentative hold of his engorged
member, gasping as the warm hand created new sensations. Even slower than
before, he moved his hand up and down, tightening his hold as he got to the top.
He stilled his motions, noticing the pearly colored liquid he was emitting. He took
a swipe of the clear moisture and rubbed it on the head of his young dick,
gasping loudly at the unbelievable feeling that small motion gave him.

Again, he stroked down, this time when he came up, he let his thumb play along
the slit of his head, groaning at how good it felt. Tentatively he stroked down
again, moaning lightly as his hand came back up. He stopped his hand when
something Emmett told him popped into his head. Swiftly, he got up and grabbed
lotion from his dresser and a tissue.

Rubbing some of the lotion onto his hand, he let his hand slide down himself once
more, noting how much smoother the motion was, how much better it felt. His
hand sped up and minutes later he was coming into his hand collecting
everything his young body produced. As he came down from cloud nine, he
wondered if girls did the same thing.

When he was sixteen, he lost his virginity to Bella, but when he was seventeen,
he finally had sex with someone, his girlfriend at the time Jessica Stanley, a girl
from his school. She was pretty, not overtly beautiful but still easy on the eyes.

That was the first time he heard and felt a girl come. He had been fingering her in
the back of his car. She had been so warm, so wet, and ready for him, and the
moment his fingers slid into her, he knew that this was what everyone always
talked about. It wasn't that his time was Bella was bad, but it was just an
experimental thing. They had both been absolutely clueless, but now he knew
from reading and his older brother what to do, and for Edward, there was nothing
like bringing a girl to her climax. He watched in awe as Jessica's whole body
shook and her core tightened around his fingers as she came, his name, his
fucking name pouring from her lips. It was single-handily the most incredible
sight. From that moment on, Edward craved that expression, the look of pure
ecstasy splayed across a woman's face when she came.

Watching Bella climax was unbelievable. He had never had the opportunity to see
it. Their first time had ended too quickly for Bella to even embrace the fact that
they were having sex, but these last couple of times had been extraordinary. Her
eyes rolled back into her head, her mouth dropped opened, her head tilted back
exposing her neck, her chest protruded forward, and her body shook like a leaf in
the wind. It was by far the sexiest thing he had ever seen.
So when the letter O appeared out of the hat it was only a matter of seconds
before his mind set forward on the word orgasm. It was an instantaneous
thought, but he didn't just want to make her come, no, he wanted her to feel like
her body was on fire, like she had no control of herself, like everything she had
ever felt before didn't even compare.

He had learned about the female orgasm from a human sexuality course in
college. If the female G- Spot was stimulated correctly and directly, a woman
would come, but not just come, but squirt almost like man, and her body, her
body would shake as if she were having seizures. He remembered sitting in class
as the professor explained how a woman could shake for up to a minute without
stopping, without being touched after the orgasm ripped through her body.

That's what Edward wanted to see happen on Saturday. He wanted to watch Bella
convulse, wanted to hear Bella scream, really scream, as every fiber of her being
was shaken, as every electrical impulse was turned on at the same time.

And for Bella to call the formal challenge, it was like someone somewhere was
answering his prayers. Call him greedy but he wanted as many of the letters as
possible. He loved to pleasure. Don't get it wrong, he loved to be pleasured, to be
lavished upon by a woman, but there was another type of pleasure he gained
from watching a woman lose control of all her senses, all because of him.

After the challenge had been called, he disappeared for the rest of the day, the
image of Bella sauntering away with a look of awe on her face still engrained in
his head. He ended up just shopping for some groceries and stopping at the local
farmer's market for a little bottle of grapeseed oil. It would come in handy for his
plans on Saturday.

When he arrived home later that night, Bella had prepared dinner. It was just
some chicken and vegetables, but after not eating all day, Edward practically
devoured it, Bella commenting on how he should chew his food.

Monday passed by uneventfully. He had worn a turtleneck to work to hide Bella's

little bite mark on his neck, which had already faded to a light red by Monday
morning. No one even approached him about it, but that wasn't rare. Unless it
was required of him, Edward mostly stayed to himself at work, occasionally
chatting with some of his colleagues if he ran into them on his way somewhere.

The only person he talked to was his cousin Alice, who was his assistant. Yes, it
was a bit nepotistic of him to hire his cousin as his assistant, but there was no
one that he knew that was more qualified or more organized than Alice, but soon
he would be losing her, and he would have to find someone to replace her after
she married her high school sweetheart Jasper Hale in September.

Tuesday and Wednesday passed as quickly as Tuesday and Wednesday always

do, which meant that they dragged on for eternity, which was not helped by the
three hour long meeting Edward had on Wednesday night. Apparently parents
thought a male rabbit chasing after a woman rabbit in a bathing suit was too
risqué to air on Nickelodeon. Edward shook his head throughout the entire
meeting. Did they not remember that Ren and Stimpy used to air on the damn
channel when he was growing up?

Thursday proved to be a fun day for Edward, not so much at work, but at home.
When he walked into the apartment, Bella had been doing yoga in the living
room, and he watched, fascinated, as she bent forward completely, legs stretched
out, head touching the floor, and her hands cupping her ankles.
"What's that one called?" he asked, surprising her, but not breaking her
momentum.

Through heavy breaths she answered, "Prasāritapādottānāsana."

"Prasārita-what?"

"It just means intense spread leg stretch."

She stood up after thirty seconds and did a back bridge, something he had seen
her do many times, but something was different this time. Maybe he was a
pervert, but he watched as the muscle in her pelvis rose and fell along with her
chest as she took even breaths.

"Doing your Kegels, I see!" he teased, and she merely told him to fuck off.

On Friday night, they sat around the television, eating popcorn and watched the
first season of The Office.

"What?" Edward asked when Bella wouldn't stop sighing.

"Nothing. Jim is just so adorable. I just want to cuddle with him."

"You're joking, right? He's a total nerd!" Edward scoffed, throwing popcorn at
Bella.

"I've always had a thing for nerds. There's something incredibly endearing about
them, especially the way they interact with women. Plus I love how he is with
Pam."

"Pam is smoking!" Edward commented, taking another mouthful of the snack.

"Oh, so it's okay to like the nerdy girl but not the nerdy guy?"

"That's not what I meant, Bells. It's just that someone like you can do so much
better than someone like Jim."

"Jim's great though, and him and Pam are fantastic together. They're absolutely
adorable. I like how they started out as friends," she said, not realizing the
implication of her comments, but Edward didn't comment on it. Instead, he
changed the subject.

"The letter tomorrow is O."

"O?" Bella questioned as she turned to face him.

"Yep. Make sure you do some Kegels beforehand. I know you have, but please. I
don't want to hurt you tomorrow," he spoke sincerely. He didn't want to hurt her,
not at all, but she needed to do her part to make tomorrow spectacular. Plus, he
wanted to win.

"Hurt me? Are you planning to shove me against a brick wall or something?" she
asked, worriedly.

"No, nothing like that, but please just do as I say."

"Ay Ay Capitan!" she saluted, giggling as she stood up to go to the bathroom.

"While you're up, go make some more popcorn," he said, tossing the bowl to her.

She gave him the finger and walked away.

=x=

Edward avoided Bella all day on Saturday. He had to get into the right mind
frame for what he had planned, and he needed to be stern, but still make sure
Bella was okay and that she was ready for everything.

He stayed in his room, nursing the bottle of grapeseed oil in his hand, tossing it
from one to the other, over and over. He unscrewed the cap several times and
took a whiff of it, loving the subtle aroma.

After doing absolutely nothing since he woke up, he actually decided to work on a
project for work. He was only twenty-five but by next year, there were rumors
that he would be made a partner. He would be the youngest executive the
company has ever had if the rumors were true, but it was well deserved.

Edward had started at the Austen and Meyers Advertising Agency as an intern in
his sophomore year in college, and steadily he climbed the corporate ladder to
what he was now. The company owed Edward a great deal for the cereal
campaign he had single handedly landed for them.

Work was incredibly stressful so these weekends have been proving to be just
exactly what he needed to de-stress.

By sunset, Edward had been sitting on his bed doing nothing for about three
hours. It was all strategy though. Bella had laughed at him about his eagerness,
but from his spot he could see the shadow of Bella's feet pacing around in the
living room.

He was making her wait on purpose; the anticipation would just make her more
excited for what he had planned.

He decided to put her out of her misery, catching her by surprise when he opened
the door. She yelped and fell down onto the couch.

"Fuck, Edward. You scared the shit out of me," she exclaimed, standing up, and
clutching her chest.

"Sorry," he apologized, walking up towards her. His voice was deeper than usual,
and he practically marched towards her as if her were hunting her. His
movements made her sit back down on the couch. She stared up at him wide-
eyed as he smirked down at her, fire blazing in his eyes.

"Stand up, Isabella," he ordered, sternly, and she complied immediately. "Follow
me."

He extended his hand, and she placed her small hand in his. Quickly, he gripped
her hand, and walked her to the kitchen table, standing her beside it.

"Don't move," he instructed as he took the fruit bowl off the table. Once that was
done, he walked to his bedroom and retrieved two pillows, and lay them down on
the kitchen table vertically.

"Take off your clothes," he told Bella, staring straight at her as she took off her
tank top and pajama shorts, removing her underwear slowly, all while Edward
stared at her hungrily.

"Mhmmm…ravishing," he murmured, moving to stand behind her. He grabbed

Bella's right wrist, and removed the hair tie she always wore off, and used it to
tie her hair up.
"As much as I love your hair down, I need it up for now," he informed her as he
started to litter kisses along the nape of her neck. She leaned her head on his
bare chest as he left wet open-mouth kisses. His hands rubbed up and down her
sides roughly. It was not a gentle touch, but Bella was groaning in appreciation.
She had been waiting all day.

"I love the body wash you use," he mumbled into her neck as his hand started to
manipulate her nipples. They harden in his hands, letting Bella feel more. He
rubbed his hips against her backside, and she felt how hard he was. He was still
wearing sweats, but she could still feel him.

"Sit on the edge of the table!"

Bella complied immediately, sitting on the edge of the table, legs closed. Edward
followed her movements, as he grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her,
pulling her legs open. He groaned as he caught site of her, glistening for him. He
looked up at her, smirking confidently as let one finger travel down her, dipping
in to tease her clit and then back out. She moaned and arched her back, and
Edward pulled his hand away.

"Lay down, Bella," he said, emphasizing by lightly pushing her down with his
hand on her chest.

When she was fully splayed on the pillows on the table, he sat back down and
pulled her closer to him by her hips. Her sex was mere inches from his mouth and
she could feel it. She grasped at the pillows tightly as he let out hot air against
her.

Pulling her close enough for his lips to be against her, he took a long slow lick
right up her sex, spreading the moisture with his tongue. He reveled in Bella's
gasp and started to flick his tongue against her clit, rubbing the tiny nub of
nerves with the flat side of his tongue to alternate between the tip of his tongue.

Bella was starting to lose it, and he could tell. As his tongue worked her, his
hands rubbed up and down her thighs, moving from her inner to outer with every
few strokes of his tongue. It wasn't long before Bella's hips started to rise off the
table. Edward grinned against her as her hands made their way to his hair. She
gripped the locks tightly as she started to violently shove her hips against his
mouth. Moments later she was seeing stars behind her eyes as the first orgasm
of the night passed through her.

Edward removed himself completely away from her as she came down from the
high. Her body was glistening with a thin sheen of sweat that he was tempted to
lick but opted not to.

He walked around the table and when he reached the other end he pulled Bella
up by her shoulders so her head was right at the edge of the table and feet just
hung over the other end. She gasped as he pulled her. She was still struggling to
even out her breathing.

Edward watched as her chest rose up and down as she took deep breaths in. He
waited until she was slightly calmer before speaking.

"Relax, Bella. Just breathe in and out," he spoke softly, the sound of a cap
twisting off catching Bella's attention.

"What's that?" she asked, watching him with her peripherals. She was afraid to
move her head incase he would force it back forward.
"Grapeseed oil. Just sit there and relax," he assured her, rubbing some of the oil
onto his hands, warming it up. Gently he rubbed Bella's arms, moving his hands
up and down them, spreading the oil.

"That feels nice," Bella moaned out as his hands traveled to her breasts.
Deliberately, he avoided he nipples as he moved around the table to rub down
her torso and then her thighs. Bella let out little wisps of air and moans as he
rubbed at her thigh, working out all the tension.

Edward grabbed some more oil and moved around again to sit down, this time by
her feet. He grabbed her right foot and began rubbing the sole of her foot,
pressing his thumb against the pressure points there. Bella's moan became
progressively louder as his fingers expertly rubbed the heel of her foot and
instep. He repeated the process with the other foot before standing back up.

He went to wash his hands before coming back to Bella. She had her eyes closed,
and she was breathing heavy.

It was erotic at its best. You couldn't write what he was looking at justly. It was
simply beautiful.

"Bella, I need you to relax now." Bella simply nodded as she opened her eyes to
take a peek at Edward.

"You okay?" he asked, smiling playfully.

"Dandy," she answered breathlessly, Edward snickered.

"Okay, just sit back and relax. Please, by all means, tell me if I'm hurting you.
Okay?"

"Okay," Bella answered trepidation clearly evident in her voice.

Taking more of the oil, he stood by the middle of the table, and rubbed the oil on
to her pelvic bone and placed his left hand on it firmly. He took his middle and
ring finger and slowly slid them into Bella, separating them once inside to curl
around the rough surface of her G-Spot. He gave a test push against her, and
Bella's entire body jumped off the table.

"Holy fuck," she gasped out and Edward chuckled. He couldn't wait to see her
really feel the effects.

"You okay?" he teased, rubbing her again. This time he watched as her eyes
rolled back in her head. She nodded, biting her lips as he started to push in hard
and fast. Bella's moans were raucous and going straight to Edward's dick.

"Edward, OH GOD, YES!" she screamed out as his fingers pushed in hard. His
hand over her pelvis kept her as still as possible on the table. His fingers looked
like they were attacking her with how hard and fast he was driving them into her.
An outsider would think he was trying to kill her, but Bella would beg, scream to
differ.

This was like nothing she's ever felt before. Her body was on fire, blazing, and
Edward could feel it. He could feel how hot her body was by the way the sweat
was starting to pool under his hand. He could feel her body starting to react,
starting to prepare itself for climax. She was starting to tighten around him, and
her whimpers and pleas for more were starting to get louder. As he kept pushing
his fingers, she started to scream loudly, just moans and groans, no words, but
he knew that his name would pour from her lips.
"Bella," he whispered, and she responded by raising her hips against his fingers,
wailing as her body started to really react. It was starting to happen and Edward
could see it, and he grinned as he felt her hold his fingers tightly inside.

He drove his fingers in harder now, faster, and Bella was almost crying in
pleasure as she began to grip the table for leverage.

"Edward!" she screamed out as he felt her immanent climax growing closer. With
a few more strokes of his fingers he pulled out watching Bella squirt as her body
shook like she was having a seizure. She called out his name, over and over, as
her body kept shaking. Every part of her was reacting to the impulses. Her arms
shook, her legs shook, even her fingers twitched. He watched as her toes curled
and uncurled, and he watched the slow fall back down from the release.

"HOLY FUCK!" she let out through her erratic breathing.

"Say it!" he exclaimed pulling up a chair to sit by her face.

"Say it," he repeated.

"You win," she whispered.

"Excuse me? I didn't hear you," Edward teased, as he brushed some hair sticking
to Bella's forehead away.

"You win," she practically yelled.

"That's right. I win. You know what that means. That means, two more weeks
until you get to pick out a letter. Oh and it also means, you're not allowed to
wear clothing in the house."

"What?" Bella asked rising as quickly from the table as her exhausted body with
let her.

"You heard me!"

"That wasn't part of the deal," she argued, pointing a finger in his face. He
playfully grabbed it and kissed it.

"You know the rules of the TFC, I can add to it as much as I like, and I'm adding
that you have to walk around the house naked for the next week. After next
Saturday, you are free to be clothed once more."

Bella growled at him as she stood up off the table. She was about to walk away
before she realized that she was the only one to come.

"What about you?" she asked, her eyes traveling down to the obvious bulge in
Edward's pants.

"Don't worry about me. We'll deal with that next Saturday. Why don't you go
shower?" he suggested and she nodded, wobbling all the way to the bathroom.

"Need some help, Swan?" he teased from his seat in the kitchen, already starting
to rub himself over his sweats.

She turned around and gave him the finger as she closed the bathroom door.
Chapter Nine: Four down, Twenty-Two to go

Edward felt empty when he woke up the following morning. It wasn't the first
time in the last month that he had felt like this, but today, it was worse than ever
before.

This was the first weekend he had woken up alone in over a month. It was an odd
sensation. He was used to waking up alone, it wasn't a bizarre notion, but in the
last month or so he had grown accustomed to the warm body next to him on
Sunday mornings. He liked it, more than he should.

He turned over in bed that morning and the empty, extra cold sheets below his
bare torso felt unnatural and frigid. Other times, he loved to roll over and find
that the other side of the bed was cool, especially in the hot, humid summer
months, but now, now it felt barren and lonely.

He needed someone there; he yearned for their warmth.

He stayed on the cool side of the bed trying to warm it up with his own body
heat, but it didn't seem to work. Eventually, he mustered up the energy to pull
himself out of bed and head to the bathroom.

He used his own toothbrush this time.

Again, he found Bella on the couch, watching infomercials blankly, wrapped up in

a wool blanket his mother had bought for them to throw over the couch.

"Good morning," he greeted his voice low in case Bella had a headache. Her
brows were furrowed, and her eyes slanted in the way people did to put pressure
on where the headache was affecting.

Bella replied meekly. "Morning."

"You okay there, Bells? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Edward. I just didn't get enough sleep. I keep having that weird
dream."

Edward's body tensed. Even though Bella had explained beforehand that the
dream was something entirely different from what he was assuming he couldn't
help the sudden sense of concern that swept through him. His heart was beating
faster and he could feel the adrenaline in his body working, causing a bead of
sweat to form right on the edge of his eyebrow.

"What do you mean by weird, Bella?" Edward asked his voice terse. He was
anxious. The last thing he wanted was for Bella to start having those nightmares
again.

"Relax, Edward," Bella reassured him, punching him lightly in the arm. "I told you
already, it's a good dream—I think. I don't know. I keep waking up because I
can't figure out what it means."

Edward's body relaxed upon hearing Bella's explanation. He just couldn't help his
reaction. He had always had a sense, a need you could say, to protect the ones
he loved, but with Bella, it was in a whole different realm. There was an urgency
to keep her safe at all times, to be there to catch her when she fell, to be there to
hold her when she cried or when she got upset and tried to punch the wall. It was
inexplicable, but he couldn't help.
He just always needed to know that she was safe.

"So, what's so confusing about your dream that you can't seem to sleep?" he
asked, curiously. He really wanted to know, and the blush that was slowly
starting to spread on her face, was adding to his interest.

Bella shook her head in refusal. There was no way she was going to tell Edward
about the faceless man. She had a funny suspicion that he would laugh at her.

"Come on, Bella. Tell me. It must be a really good dream if it's got you all
flustered," he teased her, goading her in to telling him. There had to be some
reason, a logical explanation as to why she was blushing. "It's a sex dream, isn't
it? You're having some kinky sex with someone. Who? Huh? Who? Maybe you're
freaked about because it's a sex dream with a girl?" he continued to suggest,
trying hard to provoke her into providing him an answer.

"It's not a sex dream!" she all but shouted at Edward, the blanket she had
wrapped around her slipping from her shoulder. Edward immediately took notice
of the bare shoulder, causing a shift in their conversation.

"Are you naked under that blanket?" he asked, trying to peek.

"Yes," Bella answered, nodding her head in the process, grabbing the flap of
blanket that fell from her body. It was cold in the apartment, and even though it
was already the middle of April, it was still chilly in the spacious loft.

"The blanket wasn't a part of my win, Isabella. Hand it over!" he insisted, starting
to yank it away from her. She held on to it for dear life using all the strength she
could muster at eight in the morning. Edward was making it look easy as he
yanked it completely away from her with one hand.

He gazed down at her shivering on the couch, as she tried to cover herself up,
though it looked more as if she was trying to keep warm.

"Are you cold?" he asked, sincerely already starting to drape the blanket over
again.

"Well, it's only April, you dick. You couldn't do this no-clothes thing sometime in
June or July, when it's warm," she griped as she wrapped the blanket around her
tighter, watching as he walked toward the far side of the living room.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he headed towards the wall,
realizing what he was doing.

"I'm turning up the heat. You will be walking around here naked for the rest of
the week, except for when you leave for work and just after you arrive home
from work. Understood?" His voice was stern, his demeanor severe. He was
trying to intimidate Bella, and for a few brief seconds, it had worked. He had
noticed the way her eyes had widened, and her breathing had picked up.

"Got it, Bella?" he asked again, showboating to reaffirm that he had been
victorious last night. It was all really because she had avoided answering his
question about her dream earlier. They never kept secrets from each other, and
though he knew she would eventually tell him, the fact that she wouldn't tell him
right away dismayed him. It felt almost like a betrayal.

"Yes, I got it, Edward, but for right now, I'm keeping the blanket, until it's warm
enough," she argued, pouting much like a child who's mother wouldn't buy her
the chocolate bar she wanted.
"Good. Now go make some breakfast. I'm hungry," he ordered her, but his tone
was playful. Hearing that, Bella threw one of the couch pillows, actually hitting
Edward on his shoulder. Edward gasped in surprise while Bella cheered in
triumph.

"Holy shit, I can't believe that actually hit me," he sounded shocked as he picked
up the pillow and made to throw it at Bella, but instead he just lobbed it back on
to the couch on the way to the kitchen.

"Me neither. That's Edward seven million, Bella, one! Woohoo! I'm finally on the
board!" she cheered, Edward laughing at the juvenile display.

"It's actually, eight million and four to your one. Get the stats right!"

"Whatever, Mr. Perfect," Bella murmured her voice patronizing. She stood up
from her seat and settled into one of the kitchen chairs. Her eyes widened the
moment they landed on the table. Almost in the blink of an eye, images from the
night before started flooding her mind. There was the picture of her lying on the
table. The image of Edward's face between her legs. The image of the kitchen
light that she kept looking up into as Edward brought her to new heights. The
image of Edward standing beside her as he fingered her into oblivion.

"You okay, there?" Edward asked, smirking at Bella. He had noticed the dazed
look on her face the moment her eyes had landed on the kitchen table. She had
been thinking about last night, and that was exactly what he had wanted. He
wanted the first thought she had, the one thought she would ever have about the
kitchen table to be about what had happened. Call him wily if you would like, but
knowing that he was the reason for the glazed looks on many women's faces
brought a smile to his face. He was a man, dammit. He loved knowing that he
was great in the sack; well in this case, on table.

"I'm fine," Bella answered, her voice wavered. She was letting her fingernails
follow the grain pattern on the wood table, stopping to circle a knot by her elbow
a few times.

"Are you sure? You looked kind of astounded."

"I'm fine, really! Um...did you clean the table last night after, you know..." Bella
let her voice trail, blushing at the mere thought of what took place.

"I knew that was what you were thinking about," Edward chuckled, getting
progressively louder as the blush on Bella's face intensified. "Don't worry about it.
I Clorox-ed, Lysol-ed, threw an A-bomb on the table last night after you
squirted," he stated matter-of-factly like it was no big deal, but Bella grew red,
redder than Edward had ever seen before.

"Could you not say that, please?" she pleaded, her voice almost inaudible.

"Say what? Squirt? Squirty, squirt, squirt, squirt?"

"Ugh, please! It just sounds so disgusting," she proclaimed, hiding her face in her
hands. Edward, always one for mischief, decided to tease Bella some more. With
her head in her hands, she couldn't see Edward crouching down beside her, until
it was too late.

"I bet it didn't feel disgusting. I bet it felt good, real good. One might say, it was
orgasmic, earth shattering, pleasure like no other," he whispered into her ear.
Bella shuddered as the heat from his mouth caused the hairs on her neck to
stand, but that didn't stop Edward's verbal assault on Bella's shame.
"I bet, you wouldn't mind a repeat performance, right now," he told her, swiftly
pulling her out of the chair and onto the table.

"Edward!" Bella yelled as her bare back lay against the cold table. She tried
desperately to grab the fallen blanket, but she couldn't reach, especially with
Edward beginning to straddle her.

"Bella," he practically growled, grinding his hips into hers. "You have an amazing
figure, Bells. I will never understand why you choose to hide it behind frumpy
clothes."

"You sound like Alice," she mustered out as she struggled against Edward's
grasp. He was easily holding down both her arms with one of his hands. The
other was caressing the underside of one of her breasts.

"Alice tends to know things, even when she shouldn't," he remarked, keeping his
touch light. There was something incredibly sensual about holding someone
captive under you. He could see the pleasure it had brought Bella when she had
tied him up. From this position, you could feel the other person's pulse racing
under your hand holding their wrists. You could feel their arousal clearly. From
this position, you could get just about anything you wanted. It was a position of
complete dominance, and he loved it.

The power was intoxicating.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Bella asked half-hearted, and Edward could tell.
As much as she was putting up a fight, she was still enjoying the situation she
was in.

"Nothing," Edward suddenly said, hopping off of Bella and the table, leaving Bella
bewildered. She followed Edward's lead and got off the table and sat back down
in her chair, sans blanket, still perplexed by what just happened.

"You see," Edward began. "No blanket!" he remarked from his spot by the stove.
He cracked an egg into the sizzling skillet. Bella pouted at the revelation.

"Do your coworkers know how much of a douche bag you are?" she chided,
crossing her arms over her bare breasts, the smile on Edward's face faltered.

"No, at work everyone thinks I'm the perfect gentlemen!" he answered, while
tending to the eggs.

"Narcissistic much?" Bella condemned, as she crossed her legs, now concealing
everything Edward wanted to see.

"Whatever. Go grab some plates and some juice," he ordered her as he flipped
the eggs one last time before placing one on the two plates Bella just put out. He
sat down in his chair and joined Bella as she started to eat.

"You know what the best thing about eggs cooked sunny-side up?" Edward asked,
his voice almost giving away what he was about to say.

"Enlighten me, Edward."

"They squirt when you rip at the yolk!" he answered, demonstrating his point and
taking a bite of his breakfast.

"Asshole," Bella muttered as she poured herself a glass of cranberry juice.

"You'll pay for the remark on Saturday, Ms. Swan. Speaking of which, get your
beauty marked ass up and go get the hat!"

"Asshole!" she barked at him as she got up to get the hat. Edward watched
pleased as her naked hips swayed as she walked to his bedroom. He was so
tempted to follow her and start the next weekend right then and there, but Bella
was out of the room before he could even finish the thought.

"Hurry up and pick the damn letter!" she huffed impatiently as she held the hat
out to him.

"You're a sore loser, Isabella," he countered, pulling one of those magical knots
of paper out of the hat. Just as quickly as he read the letter, he tossed the paper
into the garbage, ripping it to shreds beforehand. It fell like ominous confetti into
the trash.

"I'm gonna love this week, and this weekend…HOLY SHIT! This weekend is going
to be awesome!"

"Lovely," Bella replied, trying to sound disinterested, but she was probably more
excited for the weekend than Edward was. Saturday's were quickly beginning to
become her favorite day of the week.

"Ah, stop being so bitchy. We've got four down, twenty-two more to go, Squirt."

"Fuck you, Edward!"

"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past,
controls the future."

~Book One, Chapter III, 1984, George Orwell, 1903-1950

Chapter Ten: C is for Control

Edward loved to be in control of everything. His job, his everyday life, his sex life;
if there was a way that he could take the reins of the situation he was going to
take it. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He loved to be in control of
everything. It was imbedded in his nature from a young age.

When Edward was five, he was made the leader of his playgroup by the other
kids in his circle of friends. It's not like he appointed himself as the leader, but his
friends, well the acquaintances of his formative years, elected him as their ring
leader so to speak.

When he was in kindergarten, his teacher had broken up the class into three
evenly paired off groups. Each group had three boy and three girls.

Edward had been heartbroken when Bella hadn't been chosen for his group, and
then he watched as the group she had been put into practically set her aside
every day. That was his best friend he watched sit in the corner alone, curled up
on the reading rug with a copy of Clifford on her small lap. Even then, he knew
that it would be his job to keep her happy.

He took control of the situation.

After his group named him the leader, he told Bella to sit with them. Even at five
years old, Bella was as stubborn as a mule. She protested profusely about how
they would get in trouble for breaking the rules and how her group would get
mad at her for getting them in trouble.

He had told her not to worry about it.

When Bella joined their group during playtime, the teacher had immediately
brought it up. She walked across the classroom, toward the table they were
stationed at and asked Bella why she was sharing a chair with Edward, when her
group was on the other side of the room. But before Bella could answer, Edward
answered for her. At five, he was already a charmer.

"Well, Mrs. Cope, her group keeps ignoring her. That's not how a group is
supposed to work. So, we invited her to join our group. Is that okay?" he asked,
timidly and as sweetly as he could, which worked like magic. He was a beautiful
little boy, with the glorious bronze mop of hair, rosy cheeks, and big green,
mesmerizing eyes.

"You're quite right, Edward," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. Mrs. Cope had
watched as Bella's group ostracized her. She had also watched as Edward and his
group watched her, especially Edward. He had kept an eye on Bella throughout
the week her group had set her aside. Mrs. Cope had seen the somber look on his
face as Bella wiped her tiny face of her tears. She had known that it would only
be a matter of time before he invited her to join his group.

That was the first time Edward had taken the reigns of the situation, but it wasn't
the last.

That day had given him a taste of the power of control. From then on it, Edward
had always tried to take a role of power. In elementary school, it was the leader
of his class groups. In middle school, it had been eighth grade president, and in
high school, it was almost everything: baseball team captain, student body
president, National Honor Society President, hell, he was even the president of
the Science and Technology club and he hardly attended the meetings.

One could even say he controlled the friendship he had with Bella, but not in a
bad way…maybe. He had been the one to calm Bella down at the supermarket
the day they met. He was the one who persuaded Bella into his group, he had
been the one to get Bella to come to Eric Yorkie's eleventh birthday party, and
yes, it had been his idea to lose their virginity to each other, and even now, it
had been his idea to start this crazy alphabet game, and it was slowly torturing
him.

He was growing accustomed to getting his rocks off on the weekend. He was
afraid that when it was all said and done that he wouldn't be able to live without
that assurance of sex, as barbaric and deviant as it sounded. He was a man,
dammit, and he liked to get laid, as frequently as possible.

His first mistake about the whole game had been to initiate it, but the second
biggest mistake was having Bella walk around naked all week.

It was pure, unadulterated, cruel and unusual torture.

Bella's body was incredible, and it always had been. Even when she was going
through the awkward stages of puberty, she still had amazing body. She always
had legs that went on forever, and then her breasts grew in. The summer before
their freshman year, he suggested they hang out by his pool. They were there
almost every day.
He was a hormonal teenager; sue him for wanting to see boobs every chance he
could get.

But now, Bella was a stunning woman, with curves, breasts that fit perfectly in
his hands, and a plump ass, which he had no idea when it had arrived. He had
been stunned by that fact after the first night. He couldn't believe he had never
noticed it.

=x=

Monday had been awful, and not just because of work, though work had almost
sucked him dry of any enthusiasm about going home to a naked Bella, but
walking in through the doors Monday night, only managed to solidify his shitty
mood, because there was Bella, only wearing an apron as she cooked.

Torture. Pure fucking torture.

There was her ass on display, the little bow of the tied apron sitting right above it
as if it were a present for him to untie.

"I think an apron constitutes as clothing, Bella," he teased as he entered the

kitchen, quickly swiping a piece of chicken that was already cooked.

"Don't touch the food, Edward. You haven't even washed your hands," she
scolded him; smacking his hand with the wooden spoon she had in her hand.

"Sorry, Mom," he whined, stealing another piece of chicken, when Bella turned
her focus back onto the rice on the stove.

"How was your day?" she asked, seemingly comfortable with the whole being
naked thing, but Edward had reason to believe it was because she had the apron
on.

"Horrendous. Yours?"

"Better than yours, I guess," she chuckled, as she reached for some glasses in
the cabinets. Edward watched as the muscles in her legs stretched. He had to
suppress the growl slowly making its way out of his mouth.

"What's with the apron?" he asked, cringing at the unnerving itch to reach out
remove it.

"I didn't want to singe a nipple off," she remarked, shrugging her shoulders as
she turned the stove off. Edward nodded with the reasoning.

"Aw, you did that for me, right?"

"For you? How was that for you? I didn't want to get burned if the oil popped,"
she argued, grabbing a ladle and dumping a scoop of rice and some chicken on a
plate for Edward and one for herself. She walked toward the table and placed the
plates down. Edward grabbed the cups and utensils.

"No, you know I don't like my breasts burnt. That's why you did it," he snorted as
he took a bite of his food.

"I can't believe you're twenty-five, Edward. Really? Honestly? That was the most
immature thing you've ever said."

"Yeah, well, your mom!"

"I take that back."

Tuesday and Wednesday went just about the same as Monday, but Thursday,
fucking Thursday just about killed Edward.

He walked into the apartment after a long day of work to find Bella doing her
yoga in the living room.

There was one thing to watch Bella do that intense spread leg stretch thing when
she was wearing sweats, but watching her doing when she was naked was almost
like live porn. With the way she was bent forward, she was on display for him,
wide open, and fuck if she wasn't wet.

He had to forgo pleasantries that night because he would have taken her right
there in the middle of the living room. And that would be against the rules.

The rules were clear. Saturdays would be the day that they would do the deed,
not Thursday, but damn if the whole naked-Bella thing wasn't kicking him in the
ass, hard. Everyday all he wanted to do was attack her. In the mornings, he
wanted to bend her over the kitchen counter, take her on the floor, and against
the fridge. At night, he wanted to take her on the couch, on the dining room
table, against the right wall, the far wall, all of the walls.

It was torture, and he had done it to himself; he was an idiot.

He had never been happier for a Friday to come around in his life. He was tired of
having to run into his room like a prepubescent teenage boy to rub one out.

And Saturday, Saturday was almost like Christmas for him. He thought his dick
was going to fall off. He had never been so out of control of his hormones like
this. It was so bizarre and so unwelcomed.

He woke up earlier than Bella on Saturday, which was common, but lately had
become a rarity. He made breakfast and nearly choked on a piece of toast when
Bella strolled out of the bathroom. She smelled divine. And it was like a fucking
Pavlovian response; his mouth watered and his dick twitched.

"Morning," he grunted, his voice harsh. He hadn't meant to sound that way, but
he had to restrain himself. What he really wanted to say was "I can't wait to be
inside you", but that was a bit crass for nine in the morning, even for him.

"Morning," she answered, nearly chugging down a cup of scalding coffee.

"I'm guessing you didn't get much sleep last night," he brought up as he placed a
plate in front of Bella.

"No, actually I slept great. I didn't have that dream last night, though the same
person was in this one."

"Really? So what's with the coffee binge?"

"I feel like I might need it today," she whispered, blushing. Edward smiled. He
loved when she blushed. He always had. There was something so sweet and
innocent about it that it almost fell foreign for someone like Bella to have reason
to blush, especially after everything that has gone down between them in the last
couple of weeks.

"Smart decision," he replied. What he had wanted to say was something witty
along the line of perverted, but he opted to rein his emotions. He had to stay in
control for tonight to work out the way he had been planning it in his head since
Sunday night.

"So what are we doing?" she asked, unfazed by the severity of the question. "You
didn't tell me the letter yesterday, so…"

"I got the letter C," he answered, his voice stiff.

"C? And what does C mean?"

"Complete Cullen Control!" he answered, shoving himself away from the table,
startling Bella. It was ten in the morning, and he was going to start now because
he couldn't take it anymore.

"Get up, Bella," he demanded, pulling his shirt off. His cock was now straining
against his sweats. Bella's eyes widened, questioning his actions.

"Yes, we're doing this now. You have no idea, how hard it's been for me all
week," he growled as he stalked towards her as she backed herself against the
wall. "Watching you parade around here naked, like some sort of Greek statue. It
was fucking agony."

"Edward," her voice trembled as she called his name. He was right in front of her,
and he could feel her temperature rising. He could almost feel the blood flowing
erratically as her heart pumped furiously.

"Ugh, Bella," he groaned, as his mouth attacked her neck, nipping at it hard. He
didn't give a shit if she yelled at him tomorrow about the marks, right now he
was going to do whatever he damn well pleased, and by the moans and Bella's
fingers carding through his hair, he believed that she didn't care either.

"Bella," he murmured against her collarbone. His hands gripped her hips violently
as he thrust his against hers. He was so damn hard, all week, and finally, he was
finally getting what he needed.

"Ugh," was all Bella could manage to muster out between the moans and gasps
she kept emitting. Edward was reveling in the sounds. They were like music, an
orchestral score in his ears, like Mozart's greatest sonata.

"Damn! Fuck, Bella. You know I hate not being in control," he proclaimed against
her chest as his tongue circled her nipple before taking it into his mouth, both of
them moaning in tandem. His rough hands brutally traveled up and down her
torso as he moved his kisses down her stomach to just above her sex. He could
smell her arousal and it was intoxicating.

He sat on his knees, his face just a mere inch from her, and he stared up at her
as she gazed down at him.

"Please," she begged as his finger parted her lips. He moaned involuntarily when
she did. Fuck, he thought, she is so fucking wet.

He blew cool air against the wetness he spread, causing Bella to shiver.

"God Bella, I love your pussy," he growled against her, swiping a lick of her. "I
love how you smell, and how you taste," he moaned as he took another long lick
of her, before standing up, much to her dismay.

"But you know what, today is about me, and what I love more than how you
taste," he whispered into her ear, nipping at it. It really was a fetish of his. "I love
the way you move when I'm inside of you."
Bella gasped at his admission, her eyes fluttering close as two of Edward's fingers
spread her wetness before sliding in easily. He pumped his fingers in the same
fashion as when he had her on the table. He watched as Bella's eyes rolled into
the back of her head and her mouth hung open. Her breathing was staggered and
her hands tried to find refuge wherever she could find it. They were in his hair, on
his biceps, on his back, before settling on his thighs.

Edward could feel her about to come and he pulled his fingers away from her.

"Fuck that," he growled against her ear. "You don't get to come before me today.
Get on your knees, Bella," he commanded of her, his voice strong as his hand
pushed on her shoulder, until her knees met the cold, tiled floor. He yanked his
sweats and boxer briefs down in one swift movement; Bella watched the fabric
fall to the floor, attentively. Edward watched as Bella eyed his dick, hard and stiff
in front of her, her eyes wide and eager.

Bella took a firm hold of him and Edward's head fell back on his shoulders; her
hands were so warm, so soft. He groaned as she blew hot hair against the
swollen head, licking at the drop of pre-cum that formed.

"Your mouth, Bella. I need your mouth," he instructed, running his hands through
her wet hair, trying to get her lips around him.

"Fuck," he grunted as her lips wrapped around the head of his dick. She sucked
hard, licking at the slit as she pulled away, and then took him in. She bobbed her
head, setting a slow and steady rhythm of sucking and licking. Edward moaned
appreciatively at the warm suction of her mouth as she set the pace. He realized
soon enough that he was losing his control, so he grabbed the back of her head
and began to thrust into Bella's throat, loving the little gagging sounds she made
when he pushed in to far.

Today was about him, he reminded her as both his hands held her head firmly
and found a rhythm he liked. He could feel the tightening starting to arise as
Bella's mouth tightened around him as she swallowed him down.

"Fuck, Bells. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to get your fucking
mouth on me. Ugh, you didn't let me touch you last time. Fuck, fuck, just like
that," he mumbled, tightening the grip on her hair and pushing his hips against
her mouth harder. Bella moaned around him, the vibrations feeling amazing. One
of her hands snaked down to his sack and Bella began to palm him and stroke
him as she continued to suck and swallow around his cock.

"Bella, Bella. Shit," he chanted, feeling the tightening in his balls as his pending
orgasm grew nearer. Bella could feel it, and Edward exploded down her throat as
she raked her teeth along the protruding vein on the underside.

"Shit! Fuck! Damn, Bella," he yelled as he rode out his orgasm, gyrating his hips
as he emptied himself down Bella's throat. She released him with a pop and
Edward slumped against the wall as Bella stood up. She grinned at him before
coming close to him. She placed her throat beside his ear and gulped. Edward let
out an exacerbated gasp as he heard her swallow his cum. He growled and picked
Bella up, throwing her easily over his shoulder.

"Edward!" she exclaimed, still breathless, as he carried her all the way to the
couch, bending her over the arm of it. It left her open just right near him.

"Edward," she called his name again, as the sudden rush of cool air brushed
against her wetness.
"Bella, as much as I loved that little stunt back there, I think you need to pay for
undermining my position. I'm in control of what goes on today," he informed her,
just as his hand made contact with her ass. She cried out as he smacked her
cheeks once, twice, three times, and then rubbing at the muscle as it turned red.

"I love seeing you like this, spread for me, wet for me, yearning for my cock," he
growled into her ear, bending over her to do so. It allowed her to feel him hard
against her again. Edward had a short recovery time; he was still young. When
he was a teenager, he could be ready and raring to go in a minute. A cool breeze
against his dick would get him hard.

"I can't wait to be inside of you Bella. You make the most beautiful sounds," he
continued to whisper into her ear, nipping at the lobe. Bella moaned, and Edward
reciprocated.

"I love how you move when I'm inside you Bella, I really do."

"Then what the fuck are you waiting for?" Bella barked out, impatiently as Edward
kissed along her shoulder. He chuckled lightly against it.

"Is that what you want? You want me to take you, right here, on the couch your
father bought for us. That's kinky, Isabella. I don't think Chief Swan would
approve of our adulterous acts," he teased her as his cock teased her entrance.

"Edward, please," she begged, turning her head to stare at him.

"I love the command I have over you," he grunted as he thrust into her,
completely immersing himself in her warmth, not taking it slow. He was in control
right now, and he wanted something dirty, something raw, something positively
filthy.

"Edward, condom!" Bella screeched, pulling away from him, but Edward brought
her back down onto him.

"I'm clean, you're clean. We haven't been with anyone else for awhile, and I
know you've been on the pill since you were sixteen. I watch you take it
religiously every morning before you leave for work. I want to feel you," he
groaned, gripping her hips hard, shoving his dick deeper into her as she moaned.

Bella cried out in ecstasy as Edward set a rhythm of hard and quick thrusts, and
slow and steady ones. She could feel everything and she loved it. Her walls
clenched around him like a glove, making Edward moan. She was so hot, so silky
smooth.

He fucking loved fucking her, and he let her know.

"I love fucking you, Bella, let me know that you love it," he ordered, grabbing her
hair and pulling her up by it. Her back was arched above the couch and away
from him as he kept pushing into her, forcefully.

"I…I…love it," she breathed out.

"Tell me you love it when I fuck you, Bella," he demanded, yanking her hair and
slamming into her harder than before.

"Oh god," she gasped. "I...I lo...love it…when ...you, oh fuck, when you fuck, oh
Jesus, fuck me."
Edward chuckled as he released Bella's hair, but she remained arched, standing
up against Edward. His hand found her clit, rubbing it hard in tandem with his
thrusts.

Edward came first, just like he said he would, and rode out his orgasm, rocking
into Bella's body. He brought Bella for the high as he pinched her clit between his
fingers. She cried out and tightened around him, milking him for what he was
worth.

Edward fell against Bella as she fell forward over the arm of the couch.

"Edward, get off of me," Bella whined under his heavy weight.

"Give me a second," he murmured into her shoulder as he pulled out of Bella,

watching himself drip down her inner thighs. It was hands down the sexiest thing
he had ever seen. It may have also been the filthiest.

When he pulled away, Bella sat down on the couch, catching her breath and
Edward sat beside her.

"It's eleven," he remarked.

"Yeah, your point," Bella argued, her breathing starting to slowly get back down
to normal.

"It means thirteen more hours of this," he said, grabbing her and placing Bella on
his lap.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, startled.

"No!"

At ten, Edward took Bella against the couch, at eleven he took her on the couch.
At noon they ate, at then one they napped, at three he took her against the
refrigerator, at five they had dinner, at six they napped again, and at eight
Edward took Bella on the kitchen table.

By eleven, they were both sound asleep on Edward's bed, exhausted by their
escapades, but Edward had taken the lead, making sure Bella fell asleep before
him.

Chapter Eleven: Five down, Twenty-One to go

Edward awoke with a start on Sunday morning and it wasn't because of a dream
or a nightmare. It was because he had felt Bella shift over to the other side of the
bed, and that was the last thing he wanted. He turned over to pull her back, but
then pulled his arm back.

She looked incredibly peaceful, her naked body curled in the fetal position. He
couldn't see her face from his position, but he could just imagine the calm that it
would show.

He lay awake after that. Edward was one of those people that once he was
awake, that was it, he was awake until he went back to sleep later that night.
He watched Bella sleep, mesmerized by the curvature of her spine. He had been
tempted to run a finger down the bony column. From where he lay, he could see
the chicken pox scars she acquired when they were six.

Their mothers had warned them both not to scratch. What did they expect? Hell,
they couldn't even keep Edward away from Bella when she caught them, which
led to him getting them.

If you sat down and thought about it, it was actually quite adorable. Just picture
a six year old Edward Cullen throwing a temper tantrum so he can visit his sick
best friend, and then in turn getting sick, which only managed to make him
happier because one, he didn't have to go to school, and two, he got to spend the
time getting better with Bella.

Edward chuckled quietly as his fingers subconsciously started running a pattern

between the little circular scars, remembering how he had helped her scratch the
places she couldn't reach as she did the same for him.

He stopped his motion when Bella stirred in her sleep. She let out a tiny wisp of a
moan before rolling over toward Edward. He smiled widely as she nestled herself
against him, her warm body feeling supple and succulent against his. His arm
found purchase around Bella's back and his free hand quickly found itself woven
in her hair. It was matted and tangled from yesterday, and yet it still felt soft
between his calloused fingers. It even still held the faint smell of strawberries.

Again, he found himself smiling as he took a whiff of the sweet, fruity smell.

She had always used the strawberry infused shampoo. He never quite understood
why women used products that made them smell like candy; he never really liked
it, but he loved the smell on Bella. It was comforting and intoxicating, all in one.

He chuckled softly as a little line of drool started to slip down his chest from
Bella's mouth. In most occurrences, if it was anybody else, it would disgust him,
but after all the times he had held Bella as she woke up screaming in terror, this
was refreshing and welcomed. It meant she was in a deep sleep, and that made
him forget about the warm saliva that was inching closer to his belly button with
every breath he took.

His arm was beginning to cramp under Bella's weight and yet he couldn't find the
will or desire to move from the uncomfortable position. He was content where he
was. At that moment, he was happy with Bella in his arms, but a quick glance at
the alarm clock by his bed reminded him that he had to start his day. He needed
to work on a new campaign for a new brand of toothpaste for kids.

He looked to Bella and then took another look at his alarm clock, groaning. He
knew he had to get up, but the prospect of lying in bed all day with Bella,
sounded so much better.

Slowly, he slid his arm out from under her and got up from the bed. He smiled as
he watched Bella cuddle up to his pillow, wrapping her arms around it. He cringed
seeing some bruises on her arms from yesterday. He had been rough with her,
and not once did she tell him to stop, not once had she cried out in pain, and yet
he still couldn't help feeling bad about the purple hand prints on her hips and the
familiar red marks on her neck.

As he stepped further away from his bed, he stretched, groaning as a warm heat
spread throughout his body. Everything hurt, but in the best possible way.
Edward was experiencing, as Emmett often called it, "the good kind of sore". It
was the kind of sore that let you know that you had had amazing sex the night
before. In Edward's case, amazing sex four times the day before.

Every crick of his bones, every muscle that felt overworked and strained as he
walked to the bathroom only made Edward smile even more. Walking by the
living room, he stopped to admire the disheveled state he and Bella had left it.
The couch was moved a couple of feet from where it belonged, the pillows were
strewn about the floor, and there was the grape he had thrown at Bella during
dinner that he had stepped on later on his way to bed.

His mind started flashing with images of him and Bella. Before his closed eyes, he
saw Bella over the arm of the couch as he plowed into her, grabbing her wet hair
and pulling her body up to his.

From where he stood he could see the kitchen and more images started to
appear. There was Bella up against the cold, metal refrigerator, and down on her
knees servicing him with her mouth. Then there was Bella on the table, her body
writhing as he tasted every inch of her.

He was as hard as a diamond by the time his feet finally led him to the bathroom.

As he brushed his teeth, he couldn't get rid of the images in his head, and it was
only making his erection throb that much more. Even as he stepped into the
scalding water of the shower, he couldn't get her out of his mind. The water
simply reminded him of her wet hair as he took her on the couch. The heat of the
water reminded him of her touch, soft, soothing, and warm.

All of that only aided in making his dick twitch. Edward stood panting in the
shower as he resisted touching himself, but as they say, resistance is futile, and
slowly but surely, his hand crept down his chest, grazed his happy trail and
traveled down to his hardened dick. He let images of himself and Bella play
behind his closed eyes, as he teased himself first. He rubbed down his shaft
slowly, tightening his fist as he went down, tightening even more as he moved
his hand back up, his thumb playing with the slit in the head. He bit as his bottom
lip as he tried to rein a guttural moan he wanted to let out and the memory of
Bella's tongue flicking and licking the pearly pre-come came to mind. He
shuddered as his hand tightened around himself once more, this time only half
his fist cupping his dick. He let is blunt fingernails graze the vein, mimicking the
motion of Bella's teeth. Again, he had to suppress a moan, Bella's name almost
falling from his lips.

He was breathing heavily now as the water beat against his shoulders, and
slithered down his back. He placed his left hand as firmly and securely on the
shower wall as he picked up the speed of the hand wrapped around his cock. He
stroked himself quickly and roughly, reveling in the way his calloused fingers felt
almost as good as Bella's mouth…almost.

Edward's breathing became more unsteady as he neared his climax. It was as if

each breath was a gasp. It sounded like someone who was coming out from
being under water for some time, almost like double breaths.

It was only moments later that he came, Bella's name escaping his mouth in a
whisper as she banged on the bathroom door.

"Edward, stop jerking off and open the door. I gotta pee," she whined, kicking the
door loudly.
Edward watched the door, stunned. He watched it shake as his dick started to
soften in his hand. He took his eyes off the door to watch the ribbons of come
spiral down the drain, before turning back to the shaking door.

"Come on!" Bella groaned, still shaking the locked doorknob. "Open the door!"

He stood still, still staring at the door. He was nervous.

Why had she said it?

Had she heard him?

Or did she just say it for kicks?

"Edward, come on! I have to fucking to take a leak!" she yelled through the door.

As steadily as he could, he opened the door, trying to reassure himself that Bella
hadn't heard him; that she was only joking.

He opened it slowly to let some of the steam out, and Bella grimaced as it poured
out of the enclosed area, engulfing her as she stepped inside the moist room.

"Took you long enough," she commented as she stepped inside.

"Sorry," he apologized meekly, stepping back behind the curtain. He stood out
from under the water; he was being incredibly paranoid at the moment. He had
to know if Bella had heard him.

"Whatever," she brushed aside his apology as she alleviated her bladder. She had
been ready to burst as she stood outside the bathroom.

Edward stepped out of the shower, as soon he heard Bella flush the toilet.

"Nice try, Swan," he jested, though his tone wasn't as playful as usual; it went
unnoticed by Bella.

"Who me?" she replied innocently as she headed over to the sink to wash her
hands. "I just wanted to get you out of the shower. You always use up all of the
hot water."

"That's not true," he argued, wrapping a towel around his waist as he sat on the
lidded toilet watching Bella go through her morning routine of skin products.

"It's so true," she warbled through her hands as she splashed her face with
water. "What the hell do you do in here for so long anyway? Were you actually
jerking off?"

Edward gave her a deadpan expression, trying to keep his resolve. Internally, he
was rejoicing that she hadn't heard him.

"Just thinking," he answered. "Just work-related things. I've been rather

stressed, lately. I got a lot on my mind," he lied, easier than he had thought.

"Really? I didn't know you were worried about things at work. You should have
told me," she told him sincerely.

"I just did," he joked, getting up from his seat.

"Smart ass."
"Yes, and it's nice and firm too," he quipped lightheartedly, grabbing a handful of
it.

Bella merely shook her head as she watched Edward leave the bathroom. From
over his shoulder, he instructed her not to take forever in the bathroom. She told
him off.

"Seriously, don't take long in there. I want to head down to the coffee shop for
some breakfast."

"Okay, Dad. I'll be out in a jiffy," she answered, sarcastically, grabbing the door
to shut it.

"Before you do what you do, I'm sorry."

Bella stared at him, curiously, gesturing with her hands for him to explain, but he
kept on walking toward his room.

From his bedroom, Edward heard the bathroom door close and no less than five
seconds later the bathroom door opened again.

"What have I told you about my fucking toothbrush?"

Edward laughed heartily as he heard her shriek. His boxers had been halfway up
his legs when she called out. And just as his laughter was dying down, he heard
the bathroom door fling open and a wet and naked Bella flounced into his room.

"You asshole!" she reprimanded. "You used up all the hot water. I'm going to cut
off a very important appendage one day. Don't tempt me," she threatened, and
Edward, in a normal male fashion, covered himself, moving one leg over the
other.

"Then what would you do on the weekends?" he challenged, still cupping himself.
Just the thought of anything sharp near his dick, sent chills down his spine. Hell,
a simple flick hurt like a bitch, and the worst part of it was that it was always a
delayed response. Flick…two seconds…pain!

"I have…things that can assist me," she blushed as she answered, turning around
quickly to walk back to the bathroom, but Edward had other plans as he jumped
up from the bed and followed her, admiring the little birthmark on her right ass
cheek.

"Wait a minute," he called out, grabbing her by the elbow and turning her
around.

"What?" she groaned, clearly embarrassed by her confession.

"You have…toys?" he asked, his tone semi-curious, semi-aroused. Bella nodded

her head shyly and tried to shake her arm out of his grasp.

"How often do you use these gadgets?" he asked his voice huskier than before.
He was picturing Bella and whatever collection of toys she may have purchased
and hidden in her bedroom.

"Frequently," she answered.

"How frequently?"

"Edward," she pleaded for him to stop, but he couldn't. He had so many
questions now.
"Have you ever used a toy when I was around? Was I ever in the house when you
pleasured yourself?" he asked, leaning down to whisper in her ear. He felt and
saw her shudder. A voice inside his head was telling him to pull away; he was
crossing a line, breaking the rules, but by the time the thought even began to
register in his head all the blood had already rushed to his dick, which stood
proudly at attention in his boxer briefs.

"Yes," she gasped as his lips closed around her ear lobe.

"Mmmmm," he moaned, trying his damndest not to push his hips into hers.

"That's incredibly sexy, Bella. I can't believe you've touched yourself, brought
yourself to your peak, while I was just outside your door. You're so quiet Bella, I
can't believe I never heard you," he spoke softly as he pulled himself away from
her. He watched as her body swayed a bit as he stepped away. Her eyes fluttered
open, as her body flushed red. She cleared her throat, not knowing what to say.
Edward chuckled at her embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go shower now," she said, unsure, and Edward reveled in the
fact that he had taken Bella out of her comfort zone.

"Before you go," he started, running over to his night table and pulling the hat
out. He handed it to her. She shook it quickly and held it out toward him. He
watched as her hands shook a bit as she held out the wool cap.

He made quick work of grabbing a slip of paper, turning around to read it,
sticking his tongue out at Bella over his shoulder. He heard her murmur
'immature' under her breath but ignored it. He unfolded the tight paper and
stared blankly at the piece of paper, befuddled by the letter. Not a single idea
sprang to mind.

"Edward," Bella called, and he turned around, his face still showing his perplexity.

"Oh, that's a seriously confused face you're wearing there. What letter did you
get?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Five down, twenty-one more to go-" he began to
say, but Bella cut him off.

"Are you going to say that every time? Count down the alphabet, every time?"

"Yes, and you will indulge me as we do it, so please let me finish. Five down,
twenty-one more to go, Double-A."

"Double-A? That's new. What's it supposed to mean?" she asked confused.

"It's the kind of battery that always seems to be missing from the remote
controls, and now I know why," he winked at her and she blushed furiously,
causing Edward to laugh as she walked away as red as a tomato or possibly one
of her toys.

"Some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real
faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet, you don't
even know it's there."

~Erma Bombeck
Chapter Twelve: Q is for Quiet

Where Edward Cullen was not afraid to voice his opinions, argue back, and be
loud in general, his best friend was the complete and utter opposite. Even if her
opinion was valid, her argument true, she was always timid and quiet, and kept
to herself.

Bella Swan was the suffer in silence kind of person, always had been, and Edward
would easily bet that she would always be.

When they were younger, there were so many times that he had gone to visit her
at home and found her sitting under a tree in her backyard, just sitting there with
her arms wrapped around her knees, her face blank. And whenever he would sit
down beside her, she would lay her head on his shoulder, but still remain silent,
never so much as uttering a hello to him.

He never pried, though he wanted to. He always wanted to know what Bella was
thinking. Never had he ever wanted to know what someone was thinking as much
as Bella. She always looked absorbed and pensive, like she was trying to solve a
riddle in her head. It always frustrated him to no end because she would never
tell him what was wrong, until much later.

Eventually Bella would tell him what was wrong, if it was a personal problem or
something as mundane as the fact that she didn't have a date to a school dance.

There were times when he would visit the Swan house and would ask if Bella was
home and her father would call out to Bella because he didn't know if she was
home. When Bella would answer back and head down to the living room to ask
him what he needed, he would always make a remark about how he would never
know if she were dead in her room, because she was so quiet. She just locked
herself in her room all day, either reading or writing.

Edward knew this. Countless times he had barged in her room to wake her up
because Charlie thought she was sleeping, to find her splayed across her bed with
a book in hand, thoroughly engrossed in the literature.

He loved that about her, sometimes. He liked how she wouldn't fill their
conversations with mindless chatter. He had known so many girls who would talk
about the most frivolous things just to keep a conversation going, but Bella never
did that. She knew when silence was a good thing.

But there were times where Edward loathed Bella's reticence.

It had been right after the night at Edward's house, the Halloween party, where
James had assaulted Bella. The next few days she was quieter than ever,
practically mute. She walked around like the living dead almost. Her eyes were
sallow and her face pale; she looked as if she hadn't slept in days.

She walked around with her arms tightly around her frame, only a sweater on in
the cold November air. It was as if she wanted to feel the biting cold against her.

Edward watched as she walked around school mindlessly, as if someone were

controlling her movements, and when he tried to talk to her in class, she just
stared at him and would just shrug her shoulder or nod.

It was torture to watch her.

It was when he had come over on a Friday, almost a week since the party, that
Chief Swan had stopped him on his way out, asking him if he knew what was
wrong with Bella.

Edward shook his head no, because he honestly had no idea what was going on
with her. When he had sat upstairs with her, she had remained stoic. She didn't
say a single thing to him. Bella remained unfazed by his presence.

Edward had never felt so lost in his life.

Apparently, there was nothing he could do. He told a joke, and teased her like
always, and she still remained withdrawn.

It was later that night, at four in the morning that she called him. He had gotten
a private line in his room months earlier for his birthday, and he had never been
happier for the gift until that moment.

She was crying, sobbing into the receiver. He could almost hear how hard her
body was shaking by the way her voice wavered as she talked. She finally broke
down and told him what was going on. For an hour, she described the emptiness
she had been feeling, the horrific nightmares she had been having every night.

For a week, Edward received the phone call. It was the only time in those two
weeks that they talked. At school, she remained taciturn.

After a week of early morning phone calls, Edward started sneaking into Bella's
room at night. To this day, he still doesn't know how he managed to climb the
tree by her window. The first branch was at least ten feet off the ground; it was
no easy feat. Though Edward was an athlete, the trek up to her room was nearly
impossible, but for her he tried and succeeded.

It was something he would never forget, one because of the scar on his inner
thigh from the jagged bark, but most importantly because of how fragile Bella
looked when he had first popped in through the window.

She had been curled up into a tiny form of herself, shaking violently with tears
streaming down her face with no signs of stopping. It was a gut wrenching sight.
He had never seen his best friend look like this. It was heart breaking.

For weeks, he snuck in through her window and lay with her as she slept, and
before Chief Swan could find him, he snuck out just as the sun rose. He lost
hours of sleep, days if you tallied it up, but it didn't matter to him then or now.
He would do it all again, in a heartbeat if he had to, though this time he would
only have to walk across a hall.

Even as they grew older, there were times that Bella would disappear, and he
would find her just sitting somewhere, staring off into the distance, as silent as
silent can be. All you could hear was the steady breaths she took. Though now,
most of those times had to do with Bella contemplating something about work or
something to do with her family. And though when he asked what was wrong,
and she didn't answer, he knew she would eventually tell him.

So, when he found her Sunday after breakfast, sitting on the bench by the
window sill in her room, he said nothing. He merely watched her as she stared
out at the Seattle metropolis, her eyes darting as they followed the paths of the
moving cars.

=x=
Breakfast on Sunday had been pleasant for Edward. He and Bella had walked
down the block to a little coffee shop that had the best French toast sticks and
scrambled eggs in a ten mile radius. They used just the right amount of cinnamon
and powdered sugar for his and Bella's liking.

They sat at the café and laughed about the young couple across the shop that
were practically eating each other's faces off.

"It's ten in the morning. You would think they would have some kind of decency.
Some decorum," Bella scoffed as she ate some of her eggs.

"They're young and in love, Bella. You remember what it's like, the burning desire
to always want to ravage your partner every chance you got."

"Yeah, but not in public," she argued.

"Especially in public," he teased, as his hand found itself suddenly on her thigh.
She brushed it off quickly, holding up her fork in a threatening manner and he
merely chuckled.

When they arrived home, he locked himself in his bedroom to work on his new
project, and for almost two hours, he stared blankly at the specifications sheet he
had received. They wanted a kid friendly commercial that appealed to children as
well to adults. That wasn't the hard part, it was the fact that he was trying to sell
toothpaste that was the hard part. There was really no way to sell it without
boring people with the basic facts about toothpaste, all the fluoride, and plaque
bull shit.

It was when he was finally making some headway with the campaign, something
resembling a plaque monster and a sliver of toothpaste with a cape, when he
realized that he hadn't heard from Bella since their return home.

When he finally emerged from the confines of his room, he found Bella's door
closed shut, which was odd because Bella kept the door open, even as she slept.
Inside the room, he found her perched along the window.

She was serene, still, and silent.

That was when, that moment right there, when he knew what his letter would
entail.

He said nothing to Bella and walked out of her room, and back to his to finish his
project.

=x=

The presentation of the project went off without a hitch on Monday afternoon.
The toothpaste company loved the idea of the superhero toothpaste fighting the
plaque as it explained why it was bad.

It was brilliant because it entertained and informed, or at least that was what the
toothpaste company CEO had said as Edward finished.

Edward celebrated the million-dollar contract by leaving work early and cooking a
grand dinner for himself and Bella, champagne included.

Still on his victory buzz, Tuesday passed quickly even though he mostly sat in his
office doodling on a note pad and emailing funny YouTube videos to Emmett and
Bella.
On Wednesday, Emmett came to visit Edward at work and that had proven to be
entertaining and very unnerving all at the same time.

Emmett came to take Edward out to lunch as congratulations for his newest client
acquisition.

The two had headed over to a local sports bar for some burgers and a beer,
something manly as Emmett said careening around a cab, as he drove them over
there.

It was during the wait for their food that Emmett brought up something that
made Edward's stomach drop.

"Who's Bella dating?" Emmett asked, and Edward felt his face go white. He didn't
know that she was dating someone; she hadn't mentioned anything. It wasn't
until Emmett elaborated that he relaxed.

"The other day she came in wearing a turtleneck, and when I teased her about it,
I saw a horde of hickies. When I asked her about it, she said that you knew the
guy very well."

Edward nodded as took a slow sip of his beer, struggling to not just chug the
whole thing down as his body relaxed only slightly. He was tempted to tell
Emmett what was going on, but there were many reasons why he couldn't.

For starters, the intense rearing he would probably receive about the
ramifications of his actions. Then there was the fact that Emmett would probably
beat him to a pulp and then tell Rosalie about it, which led to the final and most
important reason why he couldn't tell him…Bella. They had never once discussed
if they would tell people what was going on.

It was all kept very hush-hush.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. She's perfect for him," Edward answered, his voice low
as he said it.

"That's good to hear. Bella deserves someone good. Though I never understood
why you two never dated," Emmett commented, chuckling as the waitress
brought over their lunches.

"I don't know," Edward replied, wondering the same thing for the first time ever.

Thursday dragged on, but that wasn't anything surprising.

After the success of his previous presentation, he had been given a raise, and
there were rumors flying about being promoted. It had all been said before, but
after the successful contracting of the toothpaste company, the rumors were
running rampant, and they were coming from the mouths of the head honchos
themselves.

Edward didn't even realize that Friday had even happened until he woke up and it
was Saturday morning.

He had woken up to the sound of pots and pans being banged around in the
kitchen.

When he walked out to find out what all the racket was about, he found Bella.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked, her tone apologetic as she took in Edward's
staggered footing and the way he kept brushing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Maybe," he groggily responded, looking up at her in an endearing, sleepy eyed
manner. Bella shyly smiled and Edward smiled back up at her as he walked into
the kitchen to see what she was doing.

"Are you making breakfast?" he asked pulling the orange juice from the
refrigerator and taking a big swig of it.

"Yes, and don't drink out of the carton," she scolded him, pulling the juice away
from him. "I don't know where your mouth has been."

Edward, who had still been slightly asleep, suddenly felt very awake after hearing
that. His eyebrows rose into his hairline and he stalked over Bella, towering right
behind her.

"My mouth has been exactly where it should be," he moaned into her ear, his
hand snaking down to cup her sex. "Right on those plump, wet lips of your
pussy."

Bella gasped, her eyes shutting tight as she struggled to keep from moaning out
in pleasure. Her lips trembled as he kept rubbing her, his tongue moving to his
favorite spot on her neck.

"Where has your mouth been, Bella?" he asked, seductively as he moved his lips
to her neck, sucking gently on the skin, not trying to leave a mark this time.
Emmett would get suspicious.

Bella didn't answer; she couldn't. She was too busy laying her body against
Edward's and moaning as his lips found that spot she loved so much, right below
her ear. She cried in pleasure as his hips began to push into her backside.

"You don't have to answer me. I know where it's been, where it will be very
soon," he murmured against her skin.

He rubbed his hardened cock against her, creating a nice rhythm of strokes that
Bella matched.

"You want this, don't you? You want to taste me just as much as I want to taste
you. You want my cock inside you just as much as I want to be buried inside
you," he growled into her ear as he turned her around.

Her back was to the counter top and he stood right before her, no more than an
inch away. The two were breathing heavily as they stared at each other. No one
said anything. It was just an intense look passing between them, and for the first
time since this whole charade had started, Edward had the worst urge to kiss
Bella. An overpowering pull was gripping him. He was so tempted to just bend
down and do it, and she wasn't making it any better by licking her lips.

He wanted to feel those plumps lips against his so badly, but he stopped himself
by stepping further away from Bella.

"So, what's for breakfast?" he asked, his voice not showing any evidence of
unease.

Bella on the other hand just stared baffled at him. She blinked rapidly as she
stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Seriously? We're not going to do anything right now?" she asked, petulantly. The
frustration was evident not only in her body posture but in her voice.
"Yes, I want to eat and then, maybe, we'll do something," he said casually as
Bella still stared at him shocked. Her eyes kept traveling to the tent in his sweats
and back up to his face.

"So what's for breakfast?" he asked again, sitting down and staring up
expectantly at Bella.

"Waffles," she answered as she cleared her throat and got back to cooking.
Edward now knew that she had been looking for the waffle iron as he saw it being
plugged in.

Edward watched amused, as Bella still looked shaken up by what happened. Her
body was still flushed and the hair around her face was sticking to it. He watched
as she poured the batter into the iron and closed the lid, holding it down. It
wasn't necessary to hold it down, but Edward had a hunch that she didn't want to
turn around.

"Do you need help?" he inquired getting up to find some plates. Bella shook her
head no and pointed to the plates and utensils she had taken out before Edward's
entrance.

"Okay."

He watched with a smile on his face and as she walked toward the other side of
the kitchen, Bella kept her back to him.

"You okay, Bella?" he teased, knowing full well that it would only serve to
frustrate her more.

"Peachy." Edward laughed.

"Do not laugh at me Edward 'fucking' Cullen," she lashed out at him, finally
turning around to look at him. He was wearing a shit eating grin, and he could
see how it was grating Bella.

"Well, Isabella Marie Swan, I'll do whatever I damn well please, especially since
this is my weekend."

Bella scowled at him as she dropped, quite violently, a couple of waffles onto his
plate and her own.

"You're infuriating."

Edward merely scoffed as he took a bite of his waffle, humming his appreciation
of them.

"Good waffles."

Bella simply glared at him, fire in her eyes. Edward couldn't get enough of it.

"Are you gonna be pissy all morning?" he asked, staring intently at her.

She gave him the finger.

"I take that back, you're acting rather bitchy instead of pissy."

"Fuck you, Edward. You can't just go about doing what you did and then expect
me to be okay with it. You left me high and dry," she argued, practically stabbing
her food with her fork.
"I doubt you're dry, Bella. I bet you're dripping wet," he moaned as he leaned
across the table to stare right at her.

"Ugh, you can't keep doing that," she groaned.

"Doing what?" Edward asked, playing dumb.

"Don't play stupid with me. You know exactly what you're doing. So get it over
with already."

"I don't know what you are talking about it. All I'm doing is eating breakfast and
enjoying the company of my very beautiful roommate and best friend."

Edward's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He had just called Bella
beautiful. It wasn't the first time, but it was definitely the first time in a long time
that it was said while not in the middle of fucking her.

"What letter did you get?" Bella asked timidly, her face flushed pink.

"Q."

"Is that why we haven't done anything yet? Because you simply couldn't think of
anything? Stumped?" she chided, smirking now.

"Wrong. I'm very far from stumped. And just for that we're starting now!" he
barked at her, standing up quickly from his chair. He was lying of course. He had
wanted to start before and he couldn't control it any longer. Her comment only
served as an excuse.

Bella stood up to stand in front of him.

"What are we-" she started to say, but Edward cut her off by placing his finger
against her lips.

"Shut up, Bella," he said rudely, which Bella did not appreciate.

"Do not talk to me-" Again, Edward cut her off.

"Shut the fuck up, Bella. With the exception of last week, which in turn, sort of
turned into all about you, and the week you pulled out R, you've been the queen
of this whole game, well today, I'm the motherfucking queen."

Bella tilted her head at the comment, holding back a snicker as her eyebrows
rose.

"Queen?" she asked.

"Motherfucking King! Whatever! And didn't I tell you to keep quiet," he

emphasized the last word, hard. It packed a punch that he knew Bella would get.
Her eyes widened realizing what was happening, and Edward smirked deviously
at the realization splaying across Bella's face.

"Oh god," she mouthed, and he chuckled.

"That's right, Isabella. You can't make a single sound today and if you do without
my permission, there will be consequences," he told her sternly as he walked
around, smacking her clothed ass.

She squealed, and he did it again, this time she bit her lip to keep the sound from
escaping.
"You learn quickly," he commented, pulling her by her hand toward her bedroom.

Once inside, he sat down at the chair near her dresser and kept her standing at
the foot of her bed.

"Strip," he ordered and she stared at him, defiantly, giving him a look that he
recognized. He had given her the same look when she had asked him to get
naked when she had pulled the letter R.

"Do you really want to test me, Bella?" he threatened, cracking his knuckles
obscenely.

She shook her head no and removed the flimsy articles of clothing, pleasing
Edward.

"God, I wish you walk around naked all day. Your body is a work of art," he
commented, standing up to run his hands up and down her arms. His fingers
traveled up her spine as if he were playing an instrument.

"Do you want me, Bella?" he asked her, whispering right into her ear, his hand
slipping lower down her torso to where he knew she desperately wanted him.

She let out a ragged breath and his hand slipped between the folds of her sex, his
forefinger rubbing at her clit, slowly but right on it. It sent electricity though her
body.

"Is that a yes, Ms. Swan?" he asked, his hand dipping lower to her entrance.
Impulsively her legs spread wider apart as two fingers slipped easily into her.

"So wet," he murmured. "I knew you were dripping wet for me. I knew you
wanted it, you little minx."

He pumped his fingers into her, slowly, pushing in and out, slower each time until
his fingers were no longer inside her. He lifted the fingers to his mouth and
sucked on only one, moaning as her familiar taste met his tongue, making wicked
sucking noises with it right by Bella's ear.

He brought his hand back around to where Bella could see it, and let her suck on
the other finger. She quickly sucked on it as if it were his dick between her lips,
nibbling at his finger tip before he pulled it away.

"You're a filthy girl, Bella Swan," he growled, grabbing her and throwing her onto
the bed. He watched as her body bounced slightly and her breasts copied the
motion.

He crawled toward, discarding his pants on the journey up the bed toward her.
He stopped right above, kissing her navel, before lifting his face to look at her.

"Where are your toys, Bella Swan?"

Her eyes widened and mouth opened to say something, but he sent her a look
that stopped her.

"Where are your toys?" he asked again, standing up from the bed. He walked
toward the closet.

"Are they in here?" he pointed to the closet. She shook her head and pointed to
under her.

"Under your bed? How convenient," he teased pulling out a box.

"Whoa, you have an arsenal here," he said, placing the box onto the bed beside
Bella's head. "Who knew my best friend was so kinky? Handcuffs. A whip. Are
these nipple clamps? What the fuck? You have your own little sex shop," he
continued to tease her, loving how her whole body was flushing red.

"And what do we have here?" he asked pulling out a vibrator. "The Rabbit.
Someone has a very expensive power tool here. What do you call it? Do you call
it Edward?"

Bella looked mortified but Edward loved it.

"Doesn't matter. We won't be using these…this time. I just wanted to know where
they were for next time, even though I'm a little sad that next week it's your
letter. What a bummer? I was having so much fun," he said, hiding the box back
under her bed, and straddling her waist, sliding up slowly until his hard dick stood
proudly before her mouth.

"You're doing so well, Bella. Not a single sound yet. I'm impressed," he groaned
as he felt Bella's tongue slipped out of her mouth to tease the head of his cock.

"Oh fuck. Look at you, trying to please me. I love it."

He let his dick slip between her lips as he started to ride her face, feeling himself
slide down her throat every time. His knees hurt from being bent on the bed, but
he loved this position. He could see himself sliding in as he fucked her mouth.

"Fuck Bella, just like that," he moaned as she tightened her grip, her hands
massaging his balls.

He moved his hips faster, panting hard as her teeth did that wonderful grazing
shit along the vein.

"Shit! Damn Bella. I love when you do that," he growled as he gyrated his hips.
He could feel himself about to come and pulled himself away from her.

"Fuck, I can't take it anymore," he growled as he moved down her pulling her
legs to wrap around his waist and pushed himself deep into her. Bella's mouth
opened but no sound came out.

Edward thrust into her hard. Over and over again, he pushed himself deeper, and
Bella pushed up against him, gripping the bed sheets as she pulled a pillow
toward her. She bit at it, trying to keep her noises silent, as Edward kept shoving
himself quickly and hard into her.

She bit the pillow hard, Edward could tell by how red her face was. He leveled his
face with hers as he continued, lifting her right leg onto his shoulder. Her eyes
widened as he went even deeper.

Edward, sensing she was about to come and knew she desperately wanted to
scream, put her out of her misery.

"Let me hear you, Bella."

"Edward!" she cried out immediately as his eyes stayed focused on hers as her
hips tried frantically to meet his pace.

"Fuck, Edward! So good. God, harder," she pleaded, gripping his forearms as he
met her requests.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" he chanted as Bella began to tighten around him. He watched
as her toes curled and then subsequently her body shook, his name coming from
her mouth like a war cry.

He fucked her through her orgasm as he came, harder than ever before. He rode
out her orgasm, using her tightening muscles to milk himself. Bella tightened
even more around him.

"Fuck, Bells," he breathed out through deep breaths, pulling himself out of her
with a groan. He held himself up above hers.

He leaned on one hand and brushed away the hair sticking to her forehead aside
and kissed it; Bella smiled.

"My sentiments exactly," she murmured.

Edward stared down at Bella and felt that unnerving itch to kiss her again, this
time so much stronger than before. He leaned down, staring at her lips as Bella
stared at him. It was her gasp that stopped him, less than a centimeter away. He
kissed the corner of her mouth and moved himself over to lie down next to her.

He had come so close to breaking the rules right there, so close to crossing the
line. If Bella hadn't gasped, he would have surely kissed her. He was starting to
lose it, starting to break the rules.

He couldn't help it.

Edward was having trouble seeing the line, and he didn't know why.

Chapter Thirteen: Six down, Twenty to go

Sleepless and restless were the best words to describe Bella's sleep the night
before. She couldn't settle her mind. Eventually she just decided to stay awake,
and after a few hours, she watched the sun peaking through the curtains of
Edward's window before turning back to look at him as she had been. She
watched as he slept soundly beside her, his chest rising and falling evenly with
each breath he took.

When he slept, he looked so much as he did when they were kids with his unruly
bronze locks splayed haphazardly across his pillow, his lips jutted out in a pout
that would occasionally turn up into a smile, then fall again.

Bella couldn't help but admire him. Edward really was beautiful in every sense of
the word, with his tall, lean, fit figure, his perfectly disheveled hair, and a face
that women adored and men envied. He was what Bella often referred to as "out
of this world" beautiful. Edward possessed the kind of beauty where you knew
that you weren't even worthy to be staring at the person; almost god-like in
appearance. The kind of beautiful you read of in books but never thought existed.
There was almost an aura of greatness that Edward embodied, and there always
had been, even when they were children.

It had been the first day of middle school—the sixth grade—when Bella had first
truly noticed it. The moment the two of them had been dropped off by Edward's
mother, there was something in Edward's walk that was different from what Bella
remembered, or perhaps she had never noticed. It was as they walked across the
asphalt parking lot, the stares of the girls, some of them upper classmen, that
she realized it. Even the boys stared at Edward's confident strides. There was a
magnetism that radiated from the young boy that still existed to this day.

You would think that having such a command over people would've made Edward
arrogant, just a downright prick, but no. He has remained as humble, kind, and
sincere as the day he had told Bella that "pretty girls shouldn't cry".

Even before really knowing Bella, Edward has been there for her.

He had always been there for her. It was difficult for Bella to even think of one
occurrence when Edward hadn't been there for her. She struggled the week
before to find one time, one event, one devastatingly embarrassing moment
where Edward hadn't been there to laugh about it, to comfort her, to reassure
her. She sat by her windows for hours, and couldn't find one memory that didn't
somehow have Edward in it, even if it was just a brief mentioning of him from
one of her college buddies. And after almost two hours of sitting in the silence,
the one time she did think up of, still resulted in Edward coming to her after he
found out.

It had taken place the day before Edward's thirteenth birthday. He hadn't come
to school because that Friday was the only day his father would be able to
celebrate his birthday with him. Carlisle had been given rounds to do at the
hospital on Saturday and Sunday, and if he couldn't be there to celebrate with his
children, he always found some sort of compromise.

It wasn't the first time that Edward had been absent from school, but Bella had
never had to deal with this kind of utter humiliation without him before. During
lunch that day, in front of the entire seventh and eighth grade classes, Bella
tripped and face planted in the middle of the cafeteria, the pizza she had bought
creating a target on her shirt for ridicule the rest of the day.

So, the next morning when her father came in and told her to wake up and get
ready for Edward's birthday party, she pretended to be sick. She asked Charlie,
begged him really, to call Esme and tell her that she was ill and that she couldn't
come. And even though Charlie hadn't believed a single word of her excuse, he
called the Cullen house, never bothering to ask why Bella didn't want to go. That
was one of the things she loved about her father, he didn't hover.

If he would've asked, he would've learned that she didn't want to show her face,
regardless of her childhood promise to Edward, in front of all her classmates who
would be there.

Two hours later, Bella heard the familiar sounds of a playing card, an ace of
spades to be exact, flapping with the wind in the spokes of a dirt bike. She would
never forget the sounds of Edward yelling her name as he tried to control his
breathing all whilst he jumped off his bike and ran up the front steps of her
porch. From her window where she watched him, she could see the sweat pouring
down his face, dirt on his arms, and a crushed cake box in his hand as he rang
the doorbell recklessly.

Seconds later, she heard his rushed greeting to her father, who tried to berate
him for the obnoxious manner of ringing the bell, only to be ignored and given a
half-assed apology as Edward pounded up the stairs as quickly as possible. He
came crashing through her door, sprawling himself on her bed, all as she watched
from her spot by the window, a few moments later. Up close, she could see what
the long bike trek and June weather had done to him. He was slightly sunburned
and sweating as if he had just run a marathon.
"Edward what are you doing here?" she asked, exasperated as he rubbed his
forehead with her comforter. She grimaced, but opted not to mention it. He had
just trekked over two miles on his bike to her house.

"Yo…you…did…didn't," he started, breathlessly before taking in a large gulp of air.

"I heard what happened. Is that why you didn't come?" he asked, still trying to
catch his breath.

"No, I'm sick."

"Bullshit!" he yelled, and Charlie shouted from downstairs for Edward to watch his
language.

"Sorry, Chief Swan," he bellowed back before speaking softer this time, but his
tone of voice spiteful. "That's BS! I know you're not sick. You would've called me
yourself. Instead, you had your dad call my mom. That's a chump move, Bells."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, turning away from him. She was ashamed by her
actions.

"Bella, I can't believe you were going to miss my birthday. We said we would
always be there for each other's birthday, regardless of how old were were—
thirteen, thirty, one hundred and two."

Bella chuckled lightly as he recited the promise they made when they were
seven, but still it was tight. She felt terrible for breaking the pinky swear.

"I'm sorry, but you should head back. I can't believe you just left your own
birthday party like that. There must be fifty people at your house right now."

"No. I told them all to go home, and then I came here."

"What? You stopped your party because of me? Edward, you shouldn't have done
that! People aren't going to like that very much." Edward scoffed.

"Do you think I care?" His tone evoking exactly how little he really cared about
what everyone else thought, and for a brief moment she had smiled at her best
friend's valiant stand.

"What about Lauren?" Bella asked, already feeling the wrath Lauren would
unleash on Bella, Monday at school.

"What about her?" he asked, sitting up on the bed, patting a spot next to him.
Bella moved the sweat covered comforter and sat down.

"She's your girlfriend. She already hates me, and now you've given her more
reason."

"Who cares? I told her when I asked her to be my girlfriend that you were my
best friend, and you and my family came first."

"Dude, no wonder she hates me," Bella shook her head in dismay, but she
couldn't help the little smile that started to creep. Those few words had
brightened her day.

"She's crazy, anyway. I should've dumped her after the first date. I mean what
kind of girl doesn't eat pizza. I mean, really. You scarf down like three slices by
yourself. She wouldn't even touch the damn thing."
"Edward! She's not crazy. She's just really girly, whereas I'm not. She cares
about how she looks. You should know. She is your girlfriend."

"Yeah, I still wonder why I asked her. I hate girly-girls. That's why you're my best
friend. You're practically a dude," he laughed as Bella punched his arm.

"I take that back. You punch like a girl, so you must be a least some part girl."

"Hey, I'm all girl," she protested, crossing her arms over her chest. Edward's eyes
drifted down to the cut in her tank top, noticing for the first time that Bella had
breasts, albeit they were small and still growing, but damn, his best friend had
boobs, and the little detour of his eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey! Stop staring at my chest," she whispered harshly, not wanting to alarm
Charlie, but still wanting to get her point across.

"Sorry, just trying to see if you really were a girl. Check!" he chuckled as made a
check mark in the air and pulled the crushed cake box in-between them.

"Ass!" she cried out through her laughter as he opened the box. Inside was a
birthday cake that had felt the entire bike ride over. Half the cake was stuck to
the top of the box and the letters that were supposed to read HAPPY BIRTHDAY
EDWARD, actually looked more like HEY DAY ED.

The two laughed as they started to eat the cake, using plastic spoons Edward had
carried in his pocket.

"Hey Day, Ed!" Bella cheerfully said, laughing lightly.

"Thanks, Bells," he thanked her sincerely, smiling with a mouthful of cake causing
Bella to laugh and spit out some frosting from her mouth.

"Anytime, Edward."

"Ditto, Bella!"

Even then, he had managed to make his birthday about her. Bella thought about
it, most of Sunday, and came to the conclusion that in her lifetime, the twenty
five years she had been around so far, she had a close knit group of friends, a set
of pretty good acquaintances, and then there was Edward in his own league.

And as she thought about it, Edward was so much more than just her roommate,
so much more than her weekend lover and best friend.

He was her soul mate.

No one knew more about her than he did. No one knew what made her laugh or
what made her cry. No one knew exactly how to push her buttons and break her
resolve. No one knew how much she loved Nutella, but hated peanut butter. No
one knew how to make her feel alive quite like he did.

He knew her like he knew the back of his hand.

He was her soul mate, and on Sunday when the revelation had hit her during
breakfast in the diner, it scared the shit out of her, so when Edward nearly kissed
her last night, she gasped. It was too much to handle.

Not entirely because it was against the rules, but because she had wanted it, so
fucking badly. That the kiss he left on the corner of her mouth was still searing
even after he fell asleep.
She had wanted it, and it scared her because it was such an intimate thing. When
they were sixteen they had both decided that they would not kiss throughout the
entire process of their losing their virginities. Edward had made the point that it
was too personal, and she had agreed whole-heartedly. Kissing was for couples.
However, if Bella had been quicker on her feet at the time, she would have said
that sex was for couples as well.

And when they finally got about "doing the deed", as Edward had so sneakily
written on her calendar—DOING THE DEED WITH E!—not once did she have the
urge to kiss him, but last night, last night it was like something was tugging at
her to kiss him. She had wanted it like a junkie wanted his next hit.

And it fucking scared her, and she gasped, regretfully, because the moment his
lips had touch the corner of her mouth, she wanted to cry because to be so close
to getting what she truly desired and then to be denied was cruel.

It had hurt more than she had ever thought it would.

Even as she walked out of his room in the morning and into the bathroom to
shower, she could still feel the kiss, and still feel the urge to cry.

She knew this game was going to change everything. She had had her doubts,
but had pushed them aside since in the mornings, Edward has still managed to
still act the same, but she had a feeling that today would be different.

As she showered, scrubbing herself clean, she couldn't help but be reminded of
the night before. Her whole body hurt, even her throat from having to restrain
herself from screaming out.

She kept conjuring up the image of Edward above her, his eyes darting from her
eyes to her lips, and she almost brought herself to believe that he too had
wanted it just as badly as she did. She was brought out of her thoughts by a
persistent knocking.

"Hey, Bells, can I come in?" he pleaded; obviously he had to use the restroom, so
she complied quickly.

"Thanks," he murmured, still half asleep.

She tried not to pay attention to him, but when she heard him stop, she stepped
away from the water, waiting for the sound of the toilet flushing, but it never
came. Instead, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist.

She screamed. It wasn't very loud. It was more between a shriek and a gasp.

"Sorry," murmured his familiar voice. Of course it was Edward. Who else would it
have been? She thought.

"It's okay. It just surprised me, is all. What are you doing, though?"

She turned around to find, Edward staring down at her. Only the right half of his
body was getting wet.

"Can I join you?" he asked, innocently, a cherub like smile on his face.

"It's a little late to ask, don't you think? You're already under the shower head,"
she pointed out smugly, silently thanking Edward. He was acting as if the almost-
kiss hadn't happened, and though it upset her to see him totally dismiss it, it felt
so much better to just act as if it never happened. This, what they had, this easy
banter, this playfulness, this contentment was normal for them, and it felt good
to be behaving as they always did.

"Au contraire, I'm only half under the water. Can the other half join?" he asked,
that infamous smug smirk splayed across his face.

"Whatever! Feel free to have your entire body under the water."

"Good, 'cause my left side was getting cold," he laughed as he pushed Bella back
a bit and got his entire body wet.

Bella chuckled as a look of sheer pleasure formed on his face as the hot water
cascaded down his chest. She watched mesmerized as rivulets of water dripped,
some slowly, some quickly, down his abs, leading directly down to his flaccid dick.

Stunning, she thought, but quickly stopped staring before Edward could catch
her.

"Come here," he ordered, pulling her to him, and turning her around so her back
was to his front.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he kept her away from the water.

"Pass me the shampoo."

Bella complied and passed him the bottle of her favorite shampoo. She heard the
cap top pop open and heard him squeeze the bottle. The bottle made a squirt
sound since it was almost empty. Edward chuckled, and it took Bella a moment to
realize why.

"Ah, crap," she groaned as Edward kept laughing. "Grow up, Cullen!"

Through hard laughter, he answered. "I can't help it. It's the irony of this
moment, of the sound. It's such a memorable sound. I get the most amazing
images in my head," he groaned behind her, and she closed her eyes and let a
deep breath out. She could only imagine that the images she was seeing were
the same he was.

"Only something as an empty shampoo bottle would make you think of that," she
replied, her voice hoarse. "You're so odd."

"But you love me," he jested, starting to massage her scalp with the shampoo.
He was gentle and forceful all at the same time. His fingers were like magic. They
rubbed her scalp in just the right way. He even tugged at the roots lightly,
causing her to moan.

"You like that?" he asked, his voice husky in her ear.

"Mhmmm," was the only response she could muster as his hands suddenly left
her scalp. He pushed lightly under the spray of water, and rubbed the shampoo
out, repeating his early motions.

"Feels great," she moaned as she felt the shampoo suds run down her back.

"Good. I know many things that can make you feel amazing," he groaned, his
voice pure sex. Bella recognized the tone of voice. She was so tempted to reach
down toward his dick, knowing full and well that he was already hard.

"Really?" she asked, smirking, her tone matching his, as she opened her eyes to
look at him. Immediately, she regretted it.
"Ahh, it stings," she shrieked as the shampoo ran down into her eyes. Edward let
out a staggered laugh as he tilted Bella's head to flush out her eyes out.

"Leave it to you cock block me by getting shampoo in your eyes," he teased as he

held her eyes open to make sure all the shampoo was gone.

"Shut up, it really hurts. What were you thinking anyway? It's Sunday. No hanky
panky!" she laughed as Edward pouted.

"Technically, Sunday is the weekend, and you called it called 'Alphabet

Weekends', why do we only get to have fun on Saturdays?" he asked.

"Because I like to walk and if I have to struggle to get up in the morning, I'll be
late, and you know how much I hate being late," was Bella's frank answer as she
stepped out of the shower, Edward laughing as he shampooed.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked as she towel dried, watching Edward tilt
his head back into the water. She followed a trail of suds down his torso before
breaking herself out of the shampoo-induced trance. One look at his hard dick
and it would be over for her and her resolve.

"You," Edward answered, complete, and utter smugness in his tone.

"Very funny, Mr. Cullen, but that ain't gonna happen."

"You're a book editor and you used ain't in a sentence? Tsk, tsk, Bells," he teased
as he stepped out of the water, looking like he stepped straight out of a Cool
Water advertisement.

"Shove it up your ass," she reprimanded as she started to brush her teeth.

"You first!" he pointed to her as he winked at her through the wet mirror, she had
just wiped off. Bella rolled her eyes, and rinsed off her toothbrush, watching
Edward like a hawk making sure he used his own.

"Geeze, Mom! Don't you trust me?" Edward asked staring at Bella.

"As far as I can throw you, and that's not very far!"

"That's terrible, Bella. I thought you trusted me," he mocked hurt tossing his
brush back into the cup on the linoleum sink. Again, Bella found herself rolling
her eyes.

"Come on, Casanova. Time for breakfast. What do you want?" she asked walking
toward her room to get dressed.

"I already answered that," he asked, starting to stalk his way toward her.

"Be serious, Edward Anthony Cullen!" she scolded him and he laughed.

"Well, if you're being that serious, pulling the full name card and what not, then I
want eggs and bacon, oh and that strawberry peach salad thing you make."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Edward," she called out to him. He turned around and gave her an
attentive stare.

"I've already picked out my letter."

"What? That's cheating! How do I know that you didn't choose a ton of them and
then decided on the one you really liked?" He inquired, his arms crossed over his
chest.

"Because you know me, and you trust me, so in grand Edward Cullen fashion, six
down, twenty more to go," she made a grand gesture with her hands, smiling at
him as she did it, but Edward stood staring with a sour expression on his face.

"Bring it on, Benedict Arnold!" he answered, smirking haughtily at her.

"I'm not a traitor," she whined in protest, almost tempted to stomp her foot down
and Edward merely laughed as he closed his door.

"Seventy million books in America's libraries, but the one you want to read is
always out."

Tom Masson

Chapter Fourteen: L is for Librarian

Bella loved to read. It was perhaps the one thing she loved to do most. There was
nothing like lying on her bed on a particularly gloomy day, which were extremely
common in Seattle, and wrapping herself up in a warm blanket and reading and
good book.

As a young girl, she read the same nonsensical fairy tales that all little girls read.
All the tales of the Brothers Grimm and she watched any Disney movie remake.
Her favorite of all the tales was that of Cinderella. There was something incredibly
romantic about the poor, plebian girl getting the prince, the man far out of her
league. What girl didn't like to read about happily ever after? Of course, when she
was older she read the true ending with the wicked stepmother and stepsisters
getting their eyes gauged out by crows, and it lost a bit of its allure.

When she was in elementary school, it was the Babysitters Club. She read each
one of the Ann M. Martin Scholastic classics, and begged her mother to let her
join the fan club that was advertised in the back of each of the books. She
wanted her own babysitter's kit to start her own club, but her mother constantly
reminded her that she was too young, at eight years old to babysit anyone's kids
since she was still a kid herself.

No matter how hard Bella presented evidence from the books of girls her age
babysitting, her mother still refused, but that still had not stopped Bella from
collecting the books, or borrowing them from the Forks Public Library.

When she was eleven, thanks to Edward and his delinquent ways, she discovered
the fantastical world of vampires, and the hundreds of novels the local library
held. Every day she browsed the stacks, letting her fingers brush along the spines
of the plastic covered novels, spending hours sitting in a corner, and reading as
much of the books before the librarian told her she was "too young to be reading
such illicit material".

It didn't stop her, and that Christmas, Edward came through for her and bought
her an anthology of vampire novels. She had never been so happy. For weeks,
she kept her nose buried in the book, occasionally bookmarking a page to hang
out with her friends, though their conversations would always remind her of
something she had just read. She would spend the rest of the time counting
down the minutes until she could get home and start to get lost in the world of
bloodsuckers.

During high school, she tried to read as much as she could, but school interfered,
between clubs, honors classes, and her job at the Newton Sporting Goods store,
she couldn't read as much as she wanted. Though whenever she spent time with
Edward, he would let her stay in his room for an hour, just so she could read in
peace, but after an hour he would barge into the room, fling the book out of her
hand, and drag her out to hang with him and their friends.

College blessed Bella with one of the largest libraries she had ever seen. Rows
upon rows and stacks upon stacks of books were at her disposal. It was like her
own personal haven, and she had been fortunate enough to receive a job at the
library, which was barely much work. Yes, she had to restack books that people
placed in wrong locations but most of the time she just sat at the help kiosk
reading for class or reading for herself. She was grateful for the opportunity to
read during the week because on the weekends her roommate Rosalie and many
of the girls on her floor would go out to the local bars or the occasional frat party,
though she never really was very comfortable at these places. She still enjoyed
herself though because she had her friends with her.

When she would head down to UCLA to visit Edward, he always gave her an hour
to read and then he would drag her out into the hot California sun and show her
the sights. Many times when she would meet his friends, she would hear the
same thing.

"You're the Bella. I was starting to think Edward made you up or read about you
in one of those books he always gets in the mail."

Bella would always laugh, and inform them that she was very much real and that
the books that Edward would get in the post were from her. Whenever she would
read a book, an especially good one that she knew Edward would like, she would
ship him over a copy with a little inscription written on the inside of the book
jacket.

Edward still had all the books on four shelves in his bedroom.

She also happened to know that Edward has an extensive, not very well hidden,
porn collection of which a few, ten or so films, were of the same theme…the sexy
librarian. She also happened to know from a drunken excursion one night the
summer after their high school graduation that Edward had had on many
occasions dreamt of bending the librarian over her desk and just taking her there.

So, when Edward slept on like a baby, she pulled the letter L out and almost
immediately the idea of pulling on a pencil skirt, black framed glasses, and a
button down shirt made her hot, but with everything she had been thinking
about, it got pushed far into the back of her mind.

But there was no stopping the fantasy from playing on repeat in her head on
Monday. As she sat in her office, reading another dismally boring story about
unrequited love that isn't actually unrequited, she couldn't help to get images of
Edward and her in his bedroom, surrounded by books. She could almost feel
Edward in front of her returning a late book, his eyes staring straight down the
row of unbuttoned buttons of her blouse. She could almost feel his breath on her
neck, and his hands pulling her hair down from the tight bun it would be up in.
On Tuesday, she was so unbelievably swamped with work that she stayed at the
office until eleven, and when she got home, she gave an half-assed 'hey' to
Edward and crawled into bed, exhausted.

It was on Wednesday, that Bella got the mother of all fantasies while she was
reading the manuscript for a book of short stories.

Instead of her behind the desk, it was Edward sporting a tight, white button down
shirt, a thin black tie, tight slacks, and a beautiful pair of thick framed glasses,
not black ones but emerald green ones that were absolutely stunning on his pale
skin. He looked mouth-watering. Delicious even.

And as the fantasy played out behind her closed eyes, her hands shifted down to
her breasts, and if it wasn't for the her cell phone going off, she was more than
positive that her hand would have traveled far lower as the images of Edward
backing her up against the bookshelves was starting to appear like rapid fire.

When she got home on Friday, she was unbelievably antsy for the weekend. It
was her first weekend in weeks, and she couldn't wait. Just the sheer anticipation
for Saturday was making her wet. Just picturing the white button down stretching
across Edward's chest was enough to make her soak her panties, and her
behavior didn't go unnoticed.

"What's your deal, Bella?" Edward asked, watching Bella bounce in her seat
Friday night at dinner.

"Nothing," was her response, and it was too quick.

"Really? Because it looks to me like a lot of something is on your mind. What's

got you all anxious?"

Bella smiled, trying to contain it as best she could, but her face gave her away.
Her cheeks were almost as red as her bra, she imagined.

"You're blushing!" Edward noted, clucking his tongue in amusement. "What are
you thinking about?" he asked, whispering this time as he stared at her. "Be
honest, Bells!"

Bella bit her lip and remained silent. The fantasy was running rampant in her
mind and Edward was staring at her like he wanted to throw her on the table and
take her right there. It was all too much for her to handle and she quickly jumped
out of her chair and ran to her room, locking the door behind her.

She unlatched her window and let the cold air relieve the heat coursing through
her. She could hear Edward chuckling in the living room, and she opted to just
stay in her room until she heard him leave, but it didn't help because when she
went to shower, he joined her.

"So, what were you thinking?" he whispered into her ear as she washed shampoo
out of her hair. She screamed, logically. She hadn't heard him come in.

"What the fuck, Edward? Don't do that shit! You know how much I hate it when
you sneak around like that. It's fucking creepy!" she yelled at him, smacking him
in the arm with a bar of soap.

"You're avoiding my question! What were you thinking about during dinner?" he
asked again, staring straight down at her. She watched hypnotized as the water
cascaded down the sides of his face, a few drops falling perfectly on his plump
bottom lip.
"I told you! Nothing!" she argued, poking him on his hard, muscular chest.

"You were blushing. You were thinking about something…sexy!" he groaned,

moving forward and pushing Bella back toward the shower wall.

"Edward," her voice was unsteady and he was so close. She could practically feel
the heat surging from him.

"Bella," he replied his voice hoarse. "Tell me the answer and I'll leave you alone."
His hand was now in her hair, massaging her scalp like he had done on Sunday,
and she was becoming putty in his hands.

"I was thinking," she began to say, her voice breathy, Edward tugging on the
roots of her hair with just the right amount of pressure.

"What were you thinking?" he whispered into her ear, biting on the lobe.

"Of you," she answered, in a daze. From the corner of her eye, she could see the
smug smile on his face, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Of me doing what to you? Because I know that's what you were fantasying
about."

"You and me… what I have planned for Saturday."

"And what do you have planned for Saturday?" he tried to goad her by kissing
down her neck, but Bella was finally on to his little seduction game.

"You'll find out... Saturday," she moaned out as he bit down at the flesh on the
bottom of her neck. She pushed him away as best she could and stepped out of
the shower. She turned around to see a shocked expression on his face. Her eyes
traveled down his body, passed his chest and down to his dick, which was
standing at attention.

"You might want to handle that," she teased him, as she walked out of the
bathroom. As she closed the door, she took a deep breath in and relaxed against
the frame.

It had been damn near impossible to resist Edward.

=x=

Saturday morning dragged on for what felt like forever for Bella, and she was
betting it was just as agonizingly painful for Edward because she kept hearing
him sigh anytime he looked up at the cable box to check the time.

At five, she dropped a bag off in Edward's room. In the bag, there was a set of
instructions on how to set up his room and what to wear along with a pair of
green framed glasses, a black tie, and fur lined paddle. She had placed it in the
bag with trepidation, but damn if she wasn't excited at the prospect of Edward
using it on her.

She walked into the room, wearing a ridiculously low cut v-neck shirt, a denim
mini-skirt that looked more like underwear, a pair of stiletto heels and she had a
book in her hand.

She took a moment to admire Edward when she walked into his bedroom. He had
followed her instructions to a T. He was wearing the button down shirt, his chest
practically busting through it. The tie lay flat on it; his slacks were tight in the
best way possible, letting Bella see just how excited he was. And she just about
nearly came the moment she saw him with the glasses. It was just as she had
imagined. He looked so fucking sexy sitting down at a table he brought into the
room.

He had a laptop on the table, the sounds of two people going at it, playing in the
background, and just under his chair, she could see the paddle.

If she wasn't already dripping down her thighs from just staring at Edward, she
was now.

She walked slowly around the room, running her fingers along the bookshelves.
To tease Edward, she bent down to the lowest shelf, doubling herself over so her
legs were stiff and he could see that she was wearing absolutely nothing under
the skirt.

She heard him groan and mumble the word 'fuck' as she stood back up. She kept
in character and pulled out a book, The Kama Sutra, and asked Edward if it was
any good.

"Is this one good? I need an informative book; something that will help me blow
the mind of this guy I'm seeing."

She watched as Edward adjusted himself and stood up to stand near her. If she
thought the pants looked good as he sat, they looked un-fucking-believable as he
walked toward her. The muscles in his thighs were bulging, and when he stepped
near her, she took a step back to admire his ass, his firm, firm ass, just asking to
be grabbed.

"This one is good," he groaned, his voice huskier than she had ever heard it
before. "But I'd recommend this one," he answered, pulling out a copy of The
Book of Sex.

"Really? Why?" she asked, her eyes searing Edward's. Again, she watched him
gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. He was flustered and she could tell.
He kept grabbing at the collar of his shirt, pulling at it every so often.

"It's informative, and not as complicated. You don't have to be as flexible."

"But I'm very flexible," she whispered, and had to stop herself from chuckling as
Edward muttered 'minx' under his breath.

"Well, you can always take both books out, but you have to return the one you
have in your hand first, so why don't you come over to the desk, and I'll check
these back in and then you can check the others out," he suggested, smirking,
and Bella felt a flash of hear run down her spine. She knew what was coming.
She nodded her head and followed him.

Edward paused the video he was watching and took a seat, taking the books from
Bella, grabbing the copy of The Scarlett Letter from her, and pretending to run
something over the barcode. There was a beeping sound that rang in the room
and suddenly the book was being thrown to the wall. Bella gasped and took a
step back.

"Whatcha do that for?" she yelled, placing her hands on hips and pushing her
chest out.

"That book is extremely late. We do not appreciate late books. It messes with
business, and people who return their books late get punished," his voice was
fire, pure sex poured out with each syllable.
"Punished?" Bella asked, playing dumb.

"Yes," he confirmed, stalking toward her, yanking at his tie, and ripping the shirt
open, not giving a damn about the fact that the shirt had cost him a pretty
penny.

Bella played scared as he backed her against the bookshelves, one of the shelves
hitting the very bottom of her spine.

"How?" she inquired timidly, trying to keep her breathing even. She fucking
wanted Edward in her; fuck, she wanted him in her the moment she pulled the
letter out of the damn hat.

"Turn around!" he barked. Bella took one last look at his bare chest, and the
bulge in his pants and turned around. She braced herself by holding onto the
edge of one of the shelves, as Edward pushed her skirt down, groaning and
swearing loudly as he was met with Bella's bare backside. She stepped out of the
skirt and heard the thunk of the denim hitting the wall after he flung it.

"Fuck," he moaned as he grabbed her ass in his hands and massaged slowly,
Bella crying out in pleasure. He squeezed her cheeks tightly before letting go.
This time when he grabbed them he slapped his hands down hard, a loud
smacking sounded in the room, before he gripped her cheeks once against
tightly.

"Ugh," she groaned, as he placed a kiss on her right cheek, then her left, and
stood up. She heard the shuffling of his feet as he removed his shoes and headed
toward the table. Moments later, he was behind her. He rubbed the paddle along
her cheeks, Bella moaning in anticipation and at the softness of the fur.

"You're book was late," he groaned into her ear, rubbing the paddle back and
forth.

"Yes," Bella replied, half a moan, half a cry. She was getting desperate. She
wanted him, so badly right then. She was aching for him.

"Do you know what your fine is?" he asked, playfully teasing her by lightly
smacking her with the paddle.

"Ten cents?" she answered submissively.

"Sort of," he answered, again teasing her by lightly patting her with the paddle.
"It's ten licks of the paddle."

Bella took a deep breath in as she heard the paddle cut through the wind and hit
her squarely across both cheeks. She cried out as the heat spread from both
sides. She gripped the bookshelf tighter.

"One," Edward shouted his voice as haughty as possible.

He brought the paddle down once more, a loud thwack sound like music to Bella's
ear. This time she was the one who counted out. She was fucking loving this.

"Oh, you're enjoying this?" he whispered huskily into her ear, biting down on his
favorite spot before pulling back and striking her three times in quick succession,
each hit harder than the one before.

"Ahhh!" she yelped out. The last one had hurt, but damn if she didn't love every
minute of the pain that was spreading between her cheeks. It was only serving to
intensify the ache between her legs.
"Tsk Tsk," Edward teased. "And here I thought you were enjoying it."

Again, he dropped the paddle down, striking her this time only twice, grabbing
her right cheek and then her left to spread the red discoloration of her skin.

"How many more?" he asked, biting down on her shoulder, sucking hard on the
skin. Bella leaned her head against him as he bit down hard, his left hand
massaging her left cheek in tandem.

"Three!" she cried out as he struck her twice more.

"How many now?" he practically growled.

"One!" she yelped as the paddle struck her one last time. She heard the paddle
hit the floor as Edward turned her around quickly. The sudden moment made
Bella knock over half the books on the shelf, as Edward shoved himself against
Bella, growling and swearing into her neck as he ripped down her shirt by pulling
on the cut of it. He buried his face into her breast, nipping at the sides before
taking each nipple into each mouth, sucking on them until they harden.

"Fuck, I want you," he growled as stood up and started to bite along her
collarbone.

"Then take me," Bella moaned, as his hand skirted down to her clit, rubbing at it
violently.

"Shit, Edward. I need you in me, now! Fuck!" she cried out as his fingers played
her skillfully, before slipping into her.

"Damn. You're so goddamn wet for me. Fuck, Bella. So… damn… wet. I can't wait
to be in you," he groaned as he pumped his fingers in and out of her.

"What are you waiting for?" she cried out, as he moved his fingers faster. Her
hands found the button on his slacks, and she pulled at it unsuccessfully.

Edward, sensing her desperation, unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off, his
boxer briefs joining the pile.

Bella's hand was on him before he could even slip one leg out of the puddle at his
feet.

"Fuck, Bella. Give me a min…oh shit…so good," he moaned, as he tried to remove

the clothing around his ankles without falling into Bella.

Once the clothes were gone, he grabbed her waist and crashed her against him,
rubbing himself on her, as she rubbed against him.

"In me!" she screeched maddeningly.

"Ugh," he groaned back, as he picked her up and placed her legs around his
waist, the backs of her heels digging into his lower back as he completely
sheathed himself in her, the two of them moaning in bliss at the sensation.

He picked up the pace. Never slowing down as Bella gripped his shoulders to
support herself, before letting go and gripping the bookshelf behind her and he
pulled himself away to slam into her. Her torso hung in the air and he thrust into
her, brutally.

"I…can't," she frantically whimpered out, her hands flailing, causing more books
to fall off the shelves.
"Bella, fuck. Fucking come for me. Let me feel you come for me," he practically
ordered her, as he picked up his pace, thrusting even harder than before. Bella
was seeing stars behind her eyes as Edward thrust, her grip on the shelf was
slipping.

"I'm gonna fall, Edward," she called out. He picked up and threw her against the
wall adjacent to the shelf, shoving himself deep into her.

"Come for me, Bella," he demanded again, pushing Bella up and down, her back
grinding against the wall.

"I'm so close," she whined, her hands in his hair, pulling at it roughly, Edward
moaning in approval. Edward removed one hand from Bella's hips and slid it
down her stomach to her clit, rubbing at the nerves quickly. Bella could feel he
wasn't going to last much longer, but neither was she.

"Edward, I'm….I'm…oh FUCK!" she yelled as the pleasure shot through her body,
starting in her toes and reaching all the way to the roots of her hair.

"BELLA!" Edward called out as he came; Bella's tightening around him, bringing
him to the edge.

Edward sank down to the floor carrying Bella down with him.

"Ow," she yelped as he put her down.

"What?" he asked concerned.

"You dropped me on a book!" she griped as she rubbed at her thigh.

"You knocked them over, so it's technically your fault," he argued half-heartily,
laying flat on the ground, and Bella merely laughed as she chucked a book at
him, hitting him square on his chest.

Chapter Fifteen: Breaking Rules, Nineteen to Go

From the corner of his eye, Edward could just make out the tiny slivers of dull
light streaming in through the slits of his window blinds. It was morning, but he
had no idea what time it was, nor did he care to turn over to check.

He laid still watching Bella sleep, staring intently at the small purplish bruise that
was starting to darken on her lower back. Every time she would breathe in, her
back would tighten and the mark would lighten in color, and as she exhaled, the
mark would return to its original, grisly color.

He frowned as he watched, imagining how it would feel for Bella when she finally
woke up. He felt terrible about it; it had been his fault. He had pushed her,
practically shoved her against the bookshelves. He had known that it hurt her, he
saw it in her eyes; it was the reason why he had moved them over to the wall.
However, that didn't prove to be any better, because even in the dim light of his
bedroom, he could make out the scratched up, red skin on her shoulders, caused
by the friction of being shoved up and down the wall.

He was angry with himself for causing her pain. It seemed to be a common
occurrence in their relationship. For some unbeknownst reason, he couldn't figure
out why that was, and moreover he couldn't figure out why Bella never made him
apologize, though he always did. She never made him beg for her forgiveness,
like she had others.
When they were fourteen, Emmett had thought it would be funny to throw Bella
into the deep end of their swimming pool. Emmett waited until Edward had left
the backyard. He would've never done it if Edward had been there. After pushing
Bella in, Emmett ran around the pool laughing and cheering in victory, not
noticing that Bella was struggling in the water. If it had not been for Edward's
father walking out to check on them, who knows what could've happened. After
that day, Carlisle had Chief Swan send Bella off for swimming lessons, and
Emmett was grounded for the entire summer and forced to assist his mother at
work. In the meantime, for three weeks after the incident, Bella made Emmett's
life a living hell; of course, Edward assisted in the torment until Emmett broke
down and begged, on his knees, for her forgiveness.

But not once, had she ever made him do something remotely relative to that, and
to be honest, Edward felt that she should.

He sighed as his hand sought Bella out and began to softly rub her shoulder. He
slithered closer, so he could use both hands to rub at the taut, raw skin. He
pressed his fingertips lightly in the red skin, moving his other hand down to the
bruise on her lower back. The moment his fingertips pressed into the bruise, Bella
stirred, emitting a wounded sound.

"Edward?" she called out, groggily, leaning her shoulder into the movements of
Edward's hand

"Morning Bella," he whispered, not wanting to startle her by speaking too loudly.

"What are you doing?" she groaned as she asked, taking a deep breath after.
Almost immediately, she hissed in pain.

"I'm trying to give you a massage. I feel really bad about shoving you against the
bookshelves last night. Your back looks terrible. There's a large gash on your
lower back and your shoulders are all scratched up."

"Edward! You don't have to do that," she protested, shoving his prying hands
away. "I didn't stop you last night, did I? I wanted it to be as 'rough and raw' as
possible. Isn't that what I wrote down on the index card? You did exactly what I
asked. I should actually be thanking you," she chuckled.

"You're welcome, I guess," Edward joined in on Bella's amusement until she

attempted to turn around to face him. She groaned and cried out as she
completely about-faced on the bed. She was greeted with Edward's pained
expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair away from
her face.

"Sort of," she answered through clenched teeth. "Is it really that bad?"

Edward nodded, his lips pressed tightly shut.

"I'm afraid to get up."

Edward immediately grimaced dropping his head forward.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he apologized, as sincerely as possible.

"Edward, enough already. You didn't do anything wrong," Bella argued,

nonchalantly brushing aside his apology.
Edward smiled, tightly, as she smiled back. He wanted to tell her to make him
beg, make him work for her forgiveness, but he knew it wouldn't work. She would
always forgive, hell, she didn't even think of it as an offense.

He opened his mouth to tell her just that, but he quickly shut it and lay frozen as
he watched Bella struggle to sit up. He wanted to help her, but he knew that was
the last thing she wanted, so he watched as her face contorted, as she grimaced
and bit her lip to stop a yelp from being let out. When she was fully up, she
surprised him by standing up completely and walking over to the mirror by
Edward's closet.

"You see not so…HOLY SHIT! That is a nasty looking bruise," she remarked,
looking over her shoulder at the dark purple mark. She pivoted a bit more so she
could reach her hand to the bruise. She flinched when her fingertips grazed the
marked skin.

Edward leapt off the bed to stand in front of her. From where he stood, he could
see the bruise reflected back at him.

"I am so sorry," he apologized again. Bella merely shook her head and rolled her.

"What did I tell you about that?"

"No, Bella, let me apologize. Please!"

"Okay, you're forgiven!" she accepted, still shaking her head. "You know…if you
want to make it up to me, you can help me to the shower."

"Of course," he agreed, nodding his head fervently.

Bella made to move toward the door, but Edward quickly swept her off her feet,
picking her up, avoiding holding her by her back and shoulders.

"Put me down, right now, Edward!" she yelled, smacking his shoulder, but
Edward simply laughed and walked out of his bedroom and toward the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, he kept holding her, as he headed toward the shower and
turned the knobs.

"Good?" he asked, as he extended her hand out under the running shower head.

"Yeah, feels perfect."

He nodded and gently placed her, feet first, into the bathtub and under the warm
water. He started to walk away when she cried out.

"Are you okay?" he asked exasperatedly as he hauled tail back into the
bathroom.

"Yeah, sorry to worry you. The water just burns the cuts on my shoulders," she
shrugged her shoulders as she answered. "No big deal."

Edward sucked his teeth as he held back the urge to shake her and tell her that it
is a big deal. He opted to join her in the shower, instead.

"Pass me the shampoo."

"Is this going to be a daily occurrence now?" Bella asked, passing a bottle of
shampoo over to him.
"Yep! I'm just doing my part to save the Earth, Bella. I have to help save the
rainforest and the whales. Hell, while I am it, let's save the spiders! People are
always stepping on them," he answered, chuckling lightly as he looked at Bella's
dubious glare.

"You're so full of it!" she groaned as she turned around to grab the soap.

"I'm saving water here. By showering together, we use up less," he argued,

seriously.

"Yeah, okay. I believe you, Edward. I'm sure that's the only reason," Bella
teased.

"Well…" he stretched out the word. "There is always the possibility that I make
get a little entertainment in the process."

"Not gonna happen!" Bella shot him down, turning her back to him as she started
to lather some soap in her hands.

"No?" Edward inquired. He was positive that though her back was to him, she
could hear the pout in his voice.

"No!" she called over her shoulder.

Edward huffed and stepped closer to Bella, enveloping her in his arms, his hands
firmly placed at her hips. He began to nuzzle his nose along the nape of her neck
dropping the shampoo bottle onto the bathtub floor.

"Are you sure about that?" he whispered, taking a long, languid lick of her neck,
collecting the water there.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Edward?" she moaned, as his lips sucked along her
neck and his hands started to caress the sides of her breasts.

"Perhaps. Is it working?"

"Perhaps," she replied, leaning her head against his chest, as his hands began to
knead her breasts. She was starting to breathe heavier, almost panting as his
right hand started to move down her stomach as his left continued to play with
one of her nipples.

"I think it's working," he teased. "What do you say?" he asked, two of his fingers
slipping pass the lips of her sex, feeling just how wet she was, how excited she
was.

She moaned as his fingers found her clit. He pinched the bundle of nerves
between his thumb and index finger. She trembled against him.

"Edward," she called out as he started to rub her clit, faster.

"Yes, Bella?" he whispered, sucking her earlobe into his mouth, nibbling on his
favorite spot.

"Don't stop!"

He chuckled. "Wasn't planning on it, love."

She started to thrust her hips against his hand as he sped up his motions. He
slipped two fingers inside her, using his thumb to rub her clit. Edward couldn't get
over how unbelievably warm and slick she felt, even in all the pain she was from
last night, she was still enjoying this, and he was too.

He began to push his erection against her, avoiding the bruise as best he could,
as she thrust against his hand.

"Edward!" she cried out again, her moans becoming desperate whimpers as his
fingers curled inside her and his thumb massaged the bundle of nerves expertly.
She was about to reach her peak; he could feel it. She was starting to tighten
around his fingers, her hips were moving frantically, and her hand had found
purchase on his hip, gripping the muscle there firmly.

She yelled out his name as she came, clenching tight around Edward's fingers as
he continued to curl his fingers in and rub as he help her ride out her orgasm.

"Oh god," she breathed out as she tried to steady her breathing and her heart.
He could feel it pounding in her back.

He held her against him as she came down from the high, her breathing still
ragged.

"Jesus, Edward. I swear your fingers are magical." He chuckled as he grabbed the
shampoo bottle off the bathtub floor and uncapped, but Bella pulled it away from
him.

"That can wait," she said as turned around. She eyed him seductively, smirking in
a fashion and caliber of one of his, before wrapping her small hand around his
erection.

"Bella," he gasped, as her hand gripped firmly around the base of his dick.
Edward could feel himself pulsing in the palm of her soft hand. She looked at him
the entire time as she brought her hand up, twisting it as she went before
reaching the head and dragging her thumbnail slowly down the slit, and then
moving the pad of her thumb across it. She slid her hand back down and dragged
back up, increasing how tight her grip was with every down stroke.

Edward groaned with each upstroke, not bothering to control how loud he was
moaning, as the water pelted his back. As he neared his climax, he laid his head
against the wall, breathing deeply through his nose and clenching his mouth shut,
so he didn't end up saying something embarrassing.

With a few more strokes, Edward was coming into Bella's hand, his hand tightly
gripping the cold water knob, as her name fell from his lips.

"Fuck, Bells," he gasped as he watched his come spiral down the drain. He
couldn't even remember the last time he had a hand job, especially one as good
as the one he had just received.

"I can't even remember the last time I got a hand job, probably sometime in high
school in the back of Emmett's jeep," he recounted and Bella just laughed.

"Grab the shampoo, will ya? I can't bend down."

Edward bent down to grab the bottle and again uncapped it and let some of the
strawberry concoction to fall into his hand. He rubbed his hands to together and
began to rub it into Bella's hair. She moaned as his fingers massaged her scalp.
He helped direct her under the shower and rinsed the shampoo out.

"Hey, Bella?"
"Yes?" she grabbed the conditioner, a small smile on her face which made Edward
smile. He was the reason for the wistful smile on her face, and he loved that.

"Seven down, nineteen to go."

"What?" she asked, confounded by his response.

"I already picked out my letter," he explained and lied. He hadn't chosen his
letter yet, but she didn't have to know that.

"And you had the audacity to call me a traitor when I did it?" she frowned,
placing her hands on her hips. It was supposed to be intimidating, Edward was
sure of that, but he couldn't help but be amused by the mini-tantrum.

"Hey, you get what you give!" he reasoned, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair
as Bella stepped out of the tub.

"Yeah, well Brutus, get this," she said as she flushed the toilet and Edward yelped
as the water suddenly became very cold.

"You'll pay for that," he threatened half-assed, a smile as wide as possible on his
face.

"I'm sure I will, but I can handle anything you throw at me," she countered,
confidently.

"Oh really? Is that a challenge?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's just a factual statement."

"We'll see, but let me tell you something, I never lose. I mean, look at today, I
won again!"

Bella growled and walked out of the bathroom, Edward laughing as the water
became warm once more.

"I'm not supposed to love you, I'm not supposed to care, I'm not supposed to live
my life wishing you were there. I'm not supposed to wonder where you are or
what you do...I'm sorry I can't help myself, I'm in love with you."

~Anonymous

Chapter Sixteen: S is for Sorry

When Edward was eighteen, he nearly got Bella killed, and to this day, the
memory haunted him. He could still hear the deafening, screams of agony, the
smell of her blood, the way her eyes kept fluttering as she tried to stop them
from closing.

It was supposed to be a fun day. There they were cutting class for the first time
in their entire scholastic careers. They had planned it out for weeks. They would
drive toward the school, act like they were going in and at the last moment, when
the last student entered, they would book it out of there.
It had gone flawlessly. Everyone had seen them hanging out by Edward's car;
they had thought it smarter to just have one car with them instead of two,
especially with Bella's clunky red truck.

They had greeted everyone as usual, and as Eric Yorkie entered the building,
Bella and Edward hopped back into his Volvo and drove right out of Forks and
into the Quileute Reservation.

Edward had driven to the cliff dozens of times with his brother, so the drive there
wasn't all too difficult for him. He could drive there blindfolded, but he was more
than sure that Bella wouldn't appreciate the stunt all that much.

Bella spent the whole car ride fidgeting in her seat; nervous that they were going
to get caught, but Edward kept assuring her that there was no way anyone would
be by the waterside at nine in the morning. It hadn't calmed her down, but he
knew that she was just as excited about ditching school as he was.

They were good students, who never cut class, excelled in their academics, and
participated in school activities. Ditching school was something none of the
teachers would ever expect of them. When they realized that the two were gone,
they would just assume that they were absent.

When Edward had stopped the car a minute walk from the waterside, Bella had
stopped fidgeting, but she sat stoically in her seat, her eyes open widely as she
stared at the cliff side.

She pointed to it, and Edward nodded. He knew what she was asking without her
having to say a word. He could remember the sound of Bella's loud breathing in
the quiet car as she turned to tell him that there was no way she would jump
from that high up.

Of course, in the grand fashion of the first fourteen years of their friendship, he
persuaded her to jump, and it has been his biggest regret to date.

Watching her fall was painful. Whenever he so much as caught a glimpse of the
scar on her wrist, he could close his eyes and see her thin frame colliding with the
mountain side, and he could her yelling, as she called out for help.

He would never forget watching her father and the hospital residents wheeling
Bella away. The sounds of the wheels sliding across the linoleum floors of the
hospital are forever engrained in the soundtrack of his life as are the beeping of
the heart monitors and Charlie Swan's threats to his life. Though looking at it
now, the threats were pretty funny.

Waiting for her to wake up had been torture. Anytime her eyes so much as
fluttered, a surge of hope would rush through him, only to be diminished by
nothing happening.

And when she woke up, all she had said to him was, 'I guess I've got another
story to tell my children'. Not, 'Edward, you stupid, piece of shit, you almost got
me killed' or 'Edward, I hate you, never speak to me again', not even a 'you're
gonna pay for this'.

Nothing.

She didn't even make him apologize. When Emmett had nearly killed her in the
pool years before, she had tortured him for weeks, making him buy her tampons
at the pharmacy and wearing makeup around the town, but for him…nothing.
He never understood it. Even when he tried to apologize, she would brush him
off; she still did.

It was why he had lied to her in the shower Sunday morning. He wanted the
letter S. He wanted to give her the apology she deserved from him, an apology
for everything he had ever done to hurt her, physically and emotionally.

He had to show her, how sorry he truly was for everything.

So after his shower, he hurried off to his room and after eight failed attempts he
eventually unfolded the correct paper with the letter S written on it. The letter A
had been his initial choice, but in the back of his mind he was hoping he could
draw that later for another occasion, so he opted for the letter S, instead.

He hid the slip of paper in his sock drawer and began formulating plans for how
to go about the letter, and how to go about getting Bella to finally let him
apologize.

=x=

On Monday morning, Edward found Bella lying across the couch in her pajamas,
eating a granola bar. He wondered what she was doing, just sitting there, not
dressed for work.

"Why aren't you getting ready to leave?" he asked her, as he adjusted his tie. He
had tied it too tight and now it was starting to suffocate him.

"I'm taking the day off. I'm injured," she jested, though Edward didn't find any
real humor in what she had said.

"Sorry," he grunted as he finally loosened his tie.

"Enough with the damn apologies already. Go to work, land another client, make
millions, and get sued by parents of kids with dozens of cavities."

This time, Edward laughed heartily as he bent down and kissed Bella's forehead
as he headed out the door.

He froze right outside the door, leaning against the wall beside it.

He had subconsciously kissed Bella goodbye, albeit on the forehead, but he had
done it without realizing it. He had watched his father say goodbye to his mother
in that fashion for years. It was incredibly affectionate, and he didn't even realize
that he had done it.

It felt so natural to wish her a good day of rest and kiss her like that. It was such
an intimate thing to do. A kiss on the forehead could mean so much, and the fact
that he couldn't believe that it happened without any predisposition for it, was
baffling him. How had it been possible to not of even realized that he had
swooped down and done it?

On the drive to work it was all he could think about, all he could feel. He found it
amusing how his lips felt different, almost as if they tingled, vibrated under his
curious fingers, and for a brief moment he laughed out how outlandish the idea
was, the fact that his lips felt different after kissing her, but he couldn't help it.
He did feel different.

And as he sat in his office, he still couldn't figure out why it felt so odd. It had felt
so right when he had done it, so natural like it was something he always did, but
of course, there was also the sense that there was something very wrong about
it, something almost forbidden, like he wasn't supposed to do it.

It was all he could think about all day, that and Bella on the couch probably
watching those soap operas she said she didn't like but he knew she really
enjoyed. He wondered if she was okay, and if her back felt any better. He
wondered what she was doing, and to be frank, it was quite distracting.

During his meeting with the executive vice president of the agency, he had not
once but twice drifted off in his own thoughts about Bella and what she was doing
at home. Was she actually watching soap operas? Was she catching up on some
reading? Was she cleaning? Was she thinking about him?

That thought gave him mental whiplash.

Why did he even care if Bella was thinking about him?

Tuesday didn't prove to be any better for Edward either. Bella had left for work
before him that morning, and for some reason the thought that he hadn't gotten
the chance to say 'have a good day' bugged him.

As he collected his belongings in his bedroom, he spotted the scrapbook Bella had
given to him almost eight years prior at their high school graduation. He chuckled
grabbing the leather bound book off his bookshelf. His fingers rubbed the worn
material as a smile spread across his face. It had been years since he had sat
down to look through it, but he remembered Bella's face when she had given it to
him.

Bella had looked so nervous especially after he had handed her the present he
had bought her. After she opened the jewelry case and saw the necklace he had
saved up for, she handed him over the book with as much trepidation as possible.

She had quickly told him that the present was nowhere near as good as his, but
he didn't care how much money she spent on him. When he had opened the
book, he had been blown away. She had spent time putting together entire book
of memories, everything from the good to the bad, and on the last page she had
written, 'All good things must come to an end. Thank fuck we're great and we're
gonna last forever!'

He spent a good part of his morning looking through the scrapbook. He hadn't
even realized how much time he had spent looking at it until Alice knocked on his
door.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Alice asked as he continued to skim through the
scrapbook in his office, not bothering to look up at her as she entered his office.

"Just looking at some pictures," was his response as his fingers traced over a
funny picture of him and Bella on a roller coaster at Disneyland when they were
eight.

"Why?" she questioned as he watched her from the corner of his eye, walk
toward him, holding his lunch.

"Don't know. I just felt like it," he answered, off handedly, not really wanting to
answer.

"Is that the scrapbook Bella gave you at your high school graduation?"
Alice, though she went to a different school, had spent lots of time at the Cullen
house because her parents traveled a lot during the summer months on business.
She had even attended his and Bella's graduation and Emmett's two years prior.

"Yeah. I never realized how much time she put into it. I mean, you see this right
here?" he pointed to a strawberry candy wrapper. Alice nodded, egging him on to
continue.

"I gave Bella a piece of this candy at the supermarket the day that we met."

Alice stared at her cousin with a knowing expression on her face, though Edward
saw it differently.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked her as he closed the scrapbook.

"You love her."

"Excuse me?"

"You love Bella," Alice repeated, a smile that Edward would call smug, forming on
her face.

"Of course I love Bella. She's my best friend," he retorted angrily, not believing
that Alice would have to question him about that.

"I know that, but that's not what I meant. You love her; you're in love with her."

Edward scoffed and held back his laugh, so as not to anger Alice. She was small,
but she could kick quite hard.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he started to rummage around in the
container holding his lunch.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're in love with Bella, and you
know what I think? I think that you've always been in love with her. I mean it
would explain why you haven't settled down yet. Jasper and I were talking-"
Edward cut her off.

"You and Jasper talk about me?" he asked, incredulously. He was getting upset,
but over what, he didn't know. Alice rolled her eyes at Edward and continued to
speak.

"Of course we do. We're engaged, we talk about almost everything, and he
mentioned something to me, and I have a funny feeling he may be right."

"What?" Edward asked in a huff, sounding more like a petulant five year old than
an adult.

"You only date blondes. Sure, you probably find them attractive, but Jasper
brought up the fact that maybe the real reason you only date blondes is because
a brunette makes you think of Bella, and the problem is, that the girl isn't Bella.
You're in love with her, admit it!"

"You're out of your mind, Alice," Edward protested as he shook his head and
pointed toward the door, hoping she would get the hint and leave.

"Whatever, Edward, keep believing that, but it's as clear as day."

"We live in Seattle, Alice. There are no clear days," he replied smugly as Alice
rolled her eyes and closed his door.
Edward stayed home on Wednesday. If he was being honest with himself, it was
because he didn't want to deal with another session of Alice berating him. She
was completely out of her mind, or so he kept telling himself.

He wasn't in love with Bella. Yes, he loved her, but he also loved Emmett and
Alice, albeit the fact that he wasn't fucking either of them, it was relatively the
same kind of love.

He spent most of the morning sitting by the window in the living room; a pass
time of his. He liked to watch how everything changed with the days. In the
winter, there was frost on the window and icicles hanging from trees. In the
spring, the leaves were starting to grow back, the air was warmer. In the
summer, the trees were green, the streets crowded with people. And in the fall
the leaves would fall, and the whole cycle would start all over again.

He loved to watch how everything changed.

And as he sat there and watched as the streets were beginning to become more
crowded with people as Memorial Day neared, another season coming, he
wondered how much had really changed.

Looking around the apartment it still looked the same, but the moment he
stepped into his bedroom, it felt different, almost…empty and he couldn't quite
explain the cold that crept into his bones.

Something had changed and he didn't know what.

At around three he received a phone call from a stressed and flustered Bella.
Whenever either one of them was bogged down at work, they would call the
other to relax, but today whatever Edward did seemed to be futile. Bella's voice
continued to be extremely high and whiny, for lack of a better word.

When he hung up the phone, it was simple what he had to do.

He began by finally getting his lazy ass into gear and taking a shower. Once he
was out, he got dressed quickly and headed out to the supermarket, stopping at
the Godiva on his way back.

He was going to make linguini in white clam sauce for Bella; it was one of her
favorite dishes. It was light yet filling, and for dessert they would have
strawberries dipped in white, milk, and dark chocolate. He even stocked up on
some more candles to set a calm mood for when she entered.

As he set everything up, he decided to raid his own treasure trove of toys, pulling
out a velvet blue blindfold, a green feather, and some oils.

Tonight would be slow, and he'd be damned if he cared that it was only
Wednesday. It just meant that Saturday would be Bella's day.

He called her at around six to see when she was leaving the office, and he had
been lucky to catch fifteen minutes away. After hanging up the phone, he
dropped the fresh linguini into the pot of boiling water and placed the pot with
the clams on simmer. He went around the living room, hiding his toys underneath
the couch (having cleaned under it early), and he lit all the candles, a sweet lilac
aroma quickly filling the air.

He dimmed the lights in the room, so that it matched the dim glow of the candles
and he waited for Bella. When she stumbled into the apartment, her hair, which
had been pinned up earlier, looked like it had lost a battle with a hairbrush. Half
of it was down, while the other half was still under the pins.

"Hey," she greeted, as she closed the door, still not noticing the ambiance.

"Hey, Bells. I know today sucked," he answered, walking towards her.

"Sucked real-" but before she could finish her thought, she glanced around the
room, her face illuminated by the candles glow. For a moment, Edward was
mesmerized by the way the light played on her porcelain skin.

"What's all this?" she asked, her voice suddenly breathy and she walked into the
kitchen.

"Like I said, you had a shitty day, you deserve a good night."

"You didn't have to do this," she remarked as her eyes took in the candles and
the dinner table.

"I did," was Edward's only response as he grabbed her hand and sat her down at
the table. She smiled across at him, and he felt a sudden skip of his heart that he
couldn't explain. He dismissed it as he removed the tops off the pots on the
stove.

"So what's for dinner?" Bella asked eagerly as she tossed her shoes off into to a
corner.

"Linguini in white clam sauce."

Bella squealed and again that familiar pang hit Edward's chest. He wondered if it
was the cheese fries he had for lunch.

"Oh, man. I'm so hungry. Hurry up, it smells so good."

Edward chuckled and dropped some onto a plate for each of them and sat down,
handing Bella hers. She instantly twirled some onto a fork and ate it.

"Mhmm…so good," she groaned as she forked some more.

Edward stared at her as she ate contentedly. She looked so much more relax
than what he could imagine she looked like this afternoon.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked through a mouthful of pasta. He
grimaced before shaking his head and laughing.

"What?" she almost whined in response.

"I can't take you seriously with your hair looking like that," he pointed out and
she frowned. Edward smiled shyly and stood up and walked towards her. Bella
just watched him, almost mesmerized by the movement.

He stood behind her and started slipping the bobby pins out of her hair, one by
one, until ten small pins lay next to Bella's cup.

"Thank you," she rasped as Edward slipped her hair. He began to massage it,
imagining how tender it must feel from being up all day.

"That feels good," she moaned as she tilted her head back, her eyes fluttering
close.
"Come with me," he whispered, pulling her up off the chair. She grabbed his hand
and followed him onto the couch.

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he bent down in front of her, slipping his
hand under the couch.

"Shh," was all he said, as his hands grabbed at her left foot. He began pressing
his thumbs into the soles of her foot before moving down to the heel. Bella
watched, gaping, as she reveled the feeling. He did the same with the right foot
before standing up on his knees until he was face to face with her.

"Strip for me."

"What?" she asked, her eyes wide. "It's Wednesday, Edward."

"Just do it," he replied, quietly, staring into her eyes. She nodded and began
disrobing until she sat fully naked on the couch.

The room was lit just enough for Edward to see every bruise and ever scar he
had ever inflicted on her.

"Bella," he called out, reaching out to touch her leg, He bent down and kissed a
tiny pink scar on her right knee. "When we were six, I dared you to race me
down the Ranking Hill and you fell and skinned your knee so badly you almost
couldn't walk." He bent down and kissed the scar again.

"I'm so sorry."

"Edward," Bella gasped.

"Shh, Bella. Be silent."

He grabbed her left leg this time, moving his lips down her calve until he reached
her ankle.

"When were thirteen, you fell off the trampoline and twisted your ankle, after I
dared you to flip like I did…I'm so sorry."

Bella watched as Edward lavished each scar and bruise. Tears were welling in her
eyes, as he reached her shoulders.

"Five days ago, I nearly tore all the skin of your back…I'm so sorry," he
apologized kissing her shoulders.

His kisses and apologies found each and every scar, and by the time Edward
reached her wrists, tears had started to fall down her cheeks.

He gently grabbed her wrist and placed a soft and long kiss onto the cliff diving
scar.

"When were eighteen, I dared you to jump off a cliff, and I almost lost you that
day," Edward began, his own voice wavering. "I'm so, so, sorry. I will always be
sorry, for the rest of my life I will be sorry. I almost lost you Bella; I don't know
what I would've done. It would've killed me." He placed another kiss on the scar,
lingering there for a moment before letting go.

"I am so sorry."

"Oh Edward," Bella gasped as she lunged out at him. He caught her easily. He
could feel the tears against his neck as she placed a kiss there.
"You're forgiven," she whispered. It was what he had wanted to hear, not
'Edward, you didn't have to apologize' or 'Edward, that was silly'. He heard the
words he had longed to hear.

"That was beautiful," she remarked as she made to grab her sweater, but he
snatched it away from her.

"I'm not done!"

Bella dropped back against the couch, about to say something but Edward
stopped her by placing a finger to her lips.

"I drew the letter S, and it stands for several things. For instance, there was the
'I'm sorry's' and now there is the silence, the senses, the seduction."

He pulled the blindfold up and held it up in front of Bella.

"Slip that on," he ordered softly as he pulled the feather out once she was
securely blindfolded.

"Listen to me and only me, Bella," he spoke into her ear, holding the tip of the
feather a fraction of an inch away from her lips.

She nodded her head, and he brushed the feather against her lips and Bella
giggled.

"Shh, Bella," he instructed, grabbing for a white chocolate dipped strawberry. He

let the strawberry hang above a candle to let some of the chocolate melt before
brushing it against her lips. Instinctively, she licked the sweet before Edward
rubbed the rough texture of the strawberry against her lips.

"Open your mouth, Bella," he ordered and she complied. Slowly, he slid the juicy
fruit into her mouth and she bit down on it, some of it spilling down her chin.
Edward leaned forward and licked it off; she shuddered. He couldn't help but
smirk. She was already starting to get into it. Her legs were pressed together
tightly, and every few seconds, he would see them shift tighter. He almost
groaned, thinking about how wet she would be for him.

He let her finish the strawberry before repeating the process of the feather and
strawberry with the milk and dark chocolate ones.

Now, Bella was furiously rubbing her legs together.

"Bella," he called, "lay down the couch."

Slowly she did as she was told, with help from Edward. Checking that the
blindfold was still in place, Edward dragged the feather down from the hollow of
Bella's neck to her bellybutton, circling it before dragging the feather up the way
it came down.

He stopped the movements of the feather and placed a kiss on the hollow of her
neck, before dragging his kisses down the path the feather had traveled. Bella
squirmed, arching her back into his mouth.

He pulled away and dragged the feather down the sides of her breasts, circling
them before passing the tip teasingly over each nipple.

Again, he repeated the motions with his mouth, Bella moaning and writhing under
him.
Edward, once again, stepped back, and grabbed the feather, brushing just above
her hip, and dragging it down her sex. Bella shuddered and gasped, Edward's
name spilling from her lips involuntarily.

"Edward," she called out again as he repeated the motion with his lips, sliding his
tongue down her sex, flicking her clit. Bella nearly jumped off the couch.

"I need you, Edward," she proclaimed, yanking the blindfold off.

"Bella," was all he said as he picked her up and moved them to her room. He
placed her on the bed gently before staring at her. He was trying to take things
slower, even though he desperately wanted to be buried inside of her.

He littered kisses down her neck, the temptation to kiss her overwhelming him to
point where he nearly had to push himself off of her.

He stared into Bella's eyes, murmuring something under his breath, before
slipping into her. Slowly, he moved in and out of her, reveling in how warm and
soft she felt around him. Bella wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing up into
him with each of his down strokes.

It wasn't long before Edward felt that familiar tingling creeping up his legs and he
sped up his motions, his hand slipping down to rub her clit. He wanted her to
come with him. His thumb circled her clit a few times and he watched as her eyes
widened, her mouth falling open in a short gasp of air. Just as Edward felt his
orgasm wash through him, Bella's body arched up into his as she came with a
wordless cry.

As he slipped out of her, he lay beside her and just watched as she smiled briefly
at him before falling asleep.

He watched her chest rising and falling. He was captivated by her, and a sudden
thought came to mind at that moment.

Maybe Alice was right.

Chapter Seventeen: Reestablishing the Rules, Eighteen to Go

Dazed.

That was the best way to describe Bella on Thursday morning as she watched
Edward sleeping beside her. His lips were curled up somewhere between a smile
and a pout as they always were, and his arm was firmly holding her close to him.
His arm felt heavy, yet comforting around her, and she couldn't help but run her
fingers up and down the smooth skin.

The urge to just lean forward and kiss him took her by surprise as her eyes kept
their stranglehold on his rosy pink lips. After yesterday, she didn't know what to
think about her best friend. She was awed by Edward's display the previous
night. It would have been absolutely heart breaking to watch, but to have been a
part of it, to have been the person he was asking forgiveness of, brought her to
tears, still. It was something that she would never forget, especially when as of
late, all she could think about was Edward.

Lately, her mind kept flashing images of her kissing Edward at any given
moment. During the usual production overview meeting on Monday, she was
discussing the newest novel she was editing, a basic mystery novel, when she
accidently called the main male protagonist Edward. Luckily for her, no one knew
otherwise, but the Freudian slip had taken her by surprise. It was inexplicable,
but to be frank, she didn't need an explanation. She knew it was because of their
little game; it was starting to take over their lives.

She continued to look at Edward's peaceful face, her knuckles brushing lightly
across his cheekbones, before finally deciding to pull herself away. She had to get
to work soon, and couldn't afford to spend any more time lazing about at home.

Slowly, she made her way into the bathroom to shower. It was as she was
reliving the pressure on her bladder that she groaned aloud.

"Fuck," she griped loudly, flushing the toilet.

"What?" Edward asked exasperated as he barged into the bathroom, startling

Bella.

"Damn, Edward. Can't a person pee without you running into the bathroom?" she
jested, stepping into the bathtub, hissing as her bare feet came in contact with
the cool marble floor.

"You screamed!" he argued, groggily, his voice hoarse with sleep. He rubbed at
his eyes, as he tried to wake up.

"Sorry. I just got my period."

Edward frowned, letting out an irritated sigh. "That's it? You yelled because you
got your fucking period. I thought you fell and got hurt. Christ, you gave me a
fucking heart attack. What the hell's the big deal about getting your period?" he
protested, climbing into the shower with Bella.

"Eww, Edward. Get out," Bella whined, shoving at his chest, momentarily having
to bite her lip from releasing a moan. She loved how he felt under her hands.

"Why?"

"I just told you, I have my period, and you just climb into the shower with me.
That's gross."

Edward scoffed, huffing. "I don't care. Besides, I remember you telling me when
we were younger that in the shower, your flow sort of stops. So shut up and pass
me the soap. I have to get to work."

"Oh because I don't," she argued, passing him the soap, making him smile. He
loved when she was all riled up.

"Oh you so have your period, Ms. Crabby Pants," he chuckled as he rinsed off the
soap.

Bella growled and shoved him aside so she could wash her hair.

"So, what exactly was the big deal about Aunt Flow this month?" he asked,
passing her the conditioner when she asked for it.

"Saturday is supposed to be my day, since you decided to break the rules and
use yesterday as your day, but now we can't because of my fucking period. I've
been lucky the last two months. I've gotten it during the beginning of the week
so I didn't have it on a Saturday" she belly ached, stepping out of the shower.
"So, we can postpone your rendezvous until Sunday, right? Your flow only lasts
three days, so I still don't get what all the fuss is about," he replied, joining Bella
by the sink to brush his teeth.

"You don't get it, do you? We established the rules at the beginning of the game
for a reason, Edward. We agreed Saturday's only, and what do you do, you
blatantly disregard the rules, like you always do. You're such an anarchist."

Edward laughed, nearly choking on the mouthwash he was gargling. "You didn't
exactly complain, Bella. Don't make me out to be the bad guy, here. You were
just as much a participant as I was."

Bella rolled her eyes, noting the tone of voice Edward was using.

"Relax," she told him. "Yesterday was beautiful Edward. Really, I'm not angry
because of what you did. It was by far the nicest thing anyone has ever done for
me. It's just that, you chose the wrong day. Saturday's Edward, the rule is
Saturday's."

Edward stared down at her, a look she didn't recognize on his face. He almost
looked disappointed; she could even say he looked grieved.

"Okay, Bella. I can respect that, but I can't lie. It's getting very hard to control
myself around you. I can't help it, sometimes," he answered, honestly, his eyes
impossibly green. Bella blushed, and turned away. She didn't say anything to
him, but she couldn't help but think that he wasn't the only one who couldn't
control themself.

They met up by the coffee maker once they were both dressed. Bella smiled as
she walk toward Edward, her coffee mug prepared just the way she liked it.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she blew on the hot beverage.

"Not a problem," he answered distantly, and Bella couldn't help but to feel as if it
were her fault.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing her coffee mug down on the counter top and
crossing her arms.

"Nothing," was his response. He didn't look at her, and it that was something that
Bella despised.

"Look at me," she demanded, grabbing his face between her hands, so he would
face her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he repeated, staring at her.

"Why are you lying to me?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Bella, really, nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about something Alice said to
me."

"What did the little devil tell you know?" Bella jested, releasing her hold on his
face, and sitting down. She gestured for Edward to join her.

"Nothing much, really," he began, sitting down across from her. "She just
mentioned something about me not settling down, yet. You know how she is. She
wants the whole damn world to get married."
"She's nuts," Bella scoffed, teasingly, though she too had heard those same
words from Alice in the last couple of years.

"No shit, but I can't help to wonder."

The room fell silent, which was something unbelievably odd for the two of them.
Yes, it wasn't rare for them to be quiet around each other, but this was the first
time that the silence has been deafening…awkward. Neither of them knew what
to say.

"I should get going," Edward spoke up breaking the silence, as he stood up, but
Bella stopped him.

"Wait!" she called out and he halted his steps. She ran over to his bedroom and
retrieved the game hat. She raced back to him, but just as she rounded around
the sofa; her heel caught the edge of the rug under the end table.

Edward ran over to catch her, and he nearly missed, just getting a hold of arm in
the last minute. He pulled her up close to him, and Bella couldn't help but gasp.

The position wasn't out of the ordinary. They had stood face to face countless
times, but there was something different about the way he was holding her and
the way he was looking down at her.

"Thanks," she whispered, her hands still firmly placed on his forearms. He nodded
before letting go. He bent down and picked up the hat and held it toward her.

"Leave it to you to almost kill yourself in anticipation," he joked, breaking the

tension in the air. Bella was thankful for it. Something was off that morning, and
it was driving her nuts.

"Very funny. You know I'm walking impaired."

Edward chuckled lightly and shook the hat once more before opening it up wide
for her to pick out her letter.

Bella slipped her hand into the hat, and felt around the bag before pulling her
hand out, empty handed. Edward stared at her confused as Bella glared at him.

"Cheater!" she accused him, pulling the hat away from him.

"What are you t-ta-talking about?" he stuttered out, his eyes wandering away
from her.

"You cheated! I folded every piece in that hat to be exactly the same, and now I
feel in there, and some of the pieces feel different. You cheated! You looked for
the letter S didn't you," she scolded, pointing at him the entire time.

"Sorry," Edward apologized not really meaning it, and Bella knew it.

"Liar. You're not sorry. You looked for the letter. You lied to me. You told me you
chose your letter and then you went looking for the one you wanted," she
deciphered, pointing out her evidence.

"You're right," Edward conceded, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "I don't
apologize though. I'm not sorry one bit because I finally got you to accept my
apology after all these years. You have no idea how long I've waited for that. I
know it's cheesy, but the day after you woke up in the hospital you didn't
even…you never even told me off about it. I felt so guilty, and yesterday, I finally
got the chance to relieve some of that, so I'm sorry I broke another rule I guess,
but I'm not sorry for doing it," he answered, sternly, never taking his eyes off of
Bella.

The images and sounds of last night started to flash in Bella's head, and tears
began to well in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Bella," Edward spoke up, coming forward to wipe the tears away.

"I'm sorry. I never realized how guilty you've felt all this time about that day. I
feel terrible now," she gasped out through her sobs.

"Bella, don't," Edward tried to reassure her, bending down to level his face with
hers. He held her face in his hand, so he could really look at her. Bella's breath
stuttered as he stared at her.

"Never. I never want you to feel guilty about that. Do you hear me? It was, and it
will always be my fault."

Bella sniffled as Edward leaned forward to kiss her forehead, and much like the
other morning, her heart skipped a beat.

"Now, choose your letter, and take a fucking Midol. You're so fucking emotional!"
he teased, hugging her before bending down to pick up the hat again.

"Asshole!" Bella chuckled through her sniffling, finally selecting her letter, Edward
trying to peak as per usual.

"You okay?" he asked her, putting the hat down on the couch and walking him
and Bella toward the door to head to work.

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me this morning."

"It's fine, Bella. Everyone's allowed an off day."

"Well, Noam, eight down, eighteen to go."

"Did you just call me Noam? Like Noam Chomsky the anarchist?" Edward asked,
as he locked the door behind Bella.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Did I stump you? Can't think of an anarchist of your own to
call me?" Bella teased, smiling broadly at Edward, thankful that the tension that
was present earlier, was now gone.

"No, let's see. I could call you Che, but he was more a radical than an anarchist,
so I'll go with Franco."

"Franco was a dictator!"

"Yeah, and he believed in the order of rules. I think it's very fitting for you!"
Edward called out to her as he headed to his car. As he opened his door, he
called out to Bella.

"Bring it Franco!"

"Fuck you, Chomsky!" she yelled back, getting into her own car. She smiled to
herself at the commonalty of their banter, but something was still off. Something
had changed, and she didn't know what.
"In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law. That would lead to
anarchy."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chapter Eighteen: D is for Defy

Power was something Bella could never truly handle. She was definitely a follower
and not a leader. She was never one to dominate a conversation nor was she
ever one to defy the rules. She mostly let Edward handle that aspect of their
friendship. She often teased him about it by calling him 'your highness' and 'your
majesty' just to annoy him, but she hadn't done it in years.

That was a problem with their friendship at times- Edward's need to control and
Bella's inability to say no to him. It had led to them sneaking into Interview with
a Vampire when they were eleven and to her cliff diving. Emmett never let that
little fact slide. He tended to let Bella know that she lacked a backbone and the
'cojones' to tell Edward off.

Perhaps it was true, she thought about it on many occasions, but there was
something behind her lack of defiance against her best friend and all his
ridiculous schemes and adventures. She liked to see him happy. There was
nothing more beautiful to her then Edward beaming that pearly white smile in her
direction, even if it meant compromising herself in some manner, and she knew
he was the exact same way.

If Bella was being honest, Edward's smile was breathtaking. Even when he was
five and he lost his front tooth while biting into an apple during snack time, his
smile was still precious—gap and all. He wore it proudly in the class picture, and
her mother had found it adorable. Bella had found it cool because she had yet to
lose a tooth, and Edward would drink water and spit it out through the gap. She
could laugh at it now, the absurdity of it, but at five years old, it was a neat trick.

When Edward smiled, his entire face lit up, the corner of his eyes crinkled, and
the tiniest of dimples appeared in his cheeks. Much like his father and Emmett,
Edward had the Cullen family dimples, though his were far less noticeable than
his brothers' were.

She loved that smile almost as much as she loved him. It was why she could
never say no to him. It was physically impossible to. All he had to do was tell her
his crazy scheme, be it burning crayons or losing their virginities, she would
argue that it was a dumb idea, and Edward would simply smile and say that it
would make him happy and that was all it took for Bella to agree. Edward often
accused Bella of manipulating him by giving him the so-called "face", but he did
the exact same simply by smiling.

It was just about damn near impossible to deny him anything when he was
complacent, but when he smiled, it was as impossible as walking on water.

But to be fair, Bella knew she had her moments of command. It was recently that
she had tied Edward to her bed. The thought made her blush still. She couldn't
understand that. At the time, she had been unbelievably confident in what she
was doing but afterwards when she thought about it, her entire body would flush
red. It was inexplicable, the sudden boost of confidence she got whenever she
was about to have sex. She was like a different person completely, and quite
frankly, Bella loved that but again there was a downside to the revelation.

She was only that adventurous with Edward.

Yes, she had tried things in her past relationships, but never had she dared to do
the things she had done with Edward. There was a sense of ease around him. She
could be herself and come up with the craziest ideas, and he wouldn't argue
about it.

He played along wholeheartedly.

The thought plagued her as Bella sat in her office. She had lived out some of the
many fantasies that pervaded her dreams, but Edward had yet to let her get into
his head and she was sure something kinky was lurking in there.

She continued to wonder what Edwards's fantasies were. Did he want to be a

teacher and she, his failing naughty student? Did he want her in the back of his
car? Or on the hood of his car like some Whitesnake video? She wanted to know.
Though all her times on Edward's weekends had been mind blowing, they had
been tame compared to her crazy role-playing schemes. Even last night had been
serene. Last night had been so different from anything.

She was blindsided by images of last night on her way to work and even as she
sat in her office. She had thought about it briefly that morning when she was
getting ready, but at that moment things were clear and vivid in her mind, and
the tears welled up in her eyes faster than she could blink them away.

Every single scar, from the most obscure burn mark on her arm from cooking him
chicken one night to the jagged mark on her wrist was worshipped and
apologized for, and each apology was so gut wrenchingly sincere. She saw it in
his glazed over eyes. Last night was a sort of cleansing for Edward, though she
had never blamed him for anything that had occurred. Last night had felt like
never before, she was so tempted to call it love; they had made love last night. It
had been slow, sensual, and incredibly emotional.

"Why are you blubbering?" Emmett asked as he barged into the office
unannounced as he usually did. The intrusion had broken her thoughts.

He sat down in the chair in front of her, nonchalantly leaning forward to stare at
her.

"Just thinking about something sad. And good afternoon to you too," she greeted
him, her tone giving off how riled up she was.

"Oh, bitchy today I see. Are you on the rag?" he asked laughing as he dodged a
stapler she threw at him.

"Why are you down here? Today is Thursday, doesn't that baseball player, the
closet gay, come in today? The one with a crush on you?"

"Yeah, but he has an away game. I came down to inform you that your presence
is warranted at my house Saturday for dinner."

"Who's gonna be there?"

"You, my dumbass of a brother, Alice, her fiancé, and probably my folks. Though
I don't know if I want them coming because that means they have to stay over."

"They're your parents Emmett. You're supposed to enjoy their company," Bella
pointed out as she shifted her focus back onto the manuscript she was reading.
She had been rereading the same page since the daydreams started plaguing
her.

"Yeah, and I love them all, but my mother thinks it's fine to wake Rose and I up
at six in the morning the next day. I love her, but I want to sleep."

"Jackass," Bella muttered under her breath, but it didn't go unnoticed. She was
still trying to focus on her work.

"Hey, hey, I resent that. I'm being civil here and you're being an über bitch. What
the hell crawled up your ass? Did you break it off with your new guy or
something?" he suggested, tossing a Post-it pad onto the papers she was staring
at. She knocked the sticky notes over and looked up, her eyes furious.

"Emmett," she began, preparing to unleash all her pent up frustrations on him,
but at the last moment she took a deep breath in, and apologized instead. "I'm
sorry, Em. I just have a lot of work to do, and I keep getting distracted. Tell
Rose, that Edward and I will be there, and that I'll call her tomorrow afternoon to
see if she wants me to bring anything. What time should we be there?"

"No problem, Belly. You can get there around six, but I'm sure Rose will tell you
more about it," he chuckled, noting the way Bella's lips were pursed. She was
annoyed, but trying to keep it contained.

"If that's all Emmett, please, I have to get back to work, and stop calling me
Belly!" she griped, standing up and pointing at him. Emmett laughed loudly and
walked out, tossing a wave over his shoulder as he shut her office door.

"Are all Cullen men, infuriating?" she spoke aloud not expecting anyone to answer
her.

"I'm offended!"

"Emmett, get out!" she all but scolded him, tossing a pen at him as he laughed
closing her door once more.

I swear all Cullen men are permanently five years old, she thought to herself
trying to focus on her work once more, but she couldn't get past the passage
where the lovers discussed their relationship, and the reasons they had to keep it
secret. She couldn't help but be reminded of Romeo and Juliet, hell she couldn't
even help being reminded of her secret, lurid, affair, and that only served to
distract her more as she pictured herself writhing under Edward on the couch,
and his bound arms straining against the restraints as she tasted him for the first
time.

She shook her head of all the distractions and again tried to zero in on her work,
but again the words triggered flashes of Edward's skin, his body arching, his face
contorting in pleasure, sweat falling down his face. Her mind was betraying her
with every word she read, to the point where she shoved the manuscript aside in
annoyance, and spun her chair around to face the window.

From her spot she could just make out the very top of the building where Edward
worked. The office building had a rusted copper top with stone gargoyles on the
corners that she could just make out, though the cloud cover blocked most of the
frightening sculpture.

As she sat there, staring out at downtown Seattle, she wondered what Edward
was doing. Was he in a meeting? Maybe he was adjusting his tie, which looked
too tight this morning. Perhaps he was looking out his window toward her
building.

She shook the crazy notion away and turned back around to find Emmett
standing in front of her, holding flowers.

"Did you buy me flowers?" she asked as she stood up to take them from Emmett,
but he placed them down on her desk, smelling the dainty yellow flowers.

"What are these?" he asked. Bella stared at him quizzically.

"You didn't buy them?" she asked, playing with the stem of one of the flowers in
the vase.

"Nope, but there's a card," he gestured to the card amidst the flowers, pulling it
out of the tiny envelope it resided in.

"Hand it over, Emmett," she ordered, and much to her surprise he complied.

She read the note over three times, finding it more difficult each time to stop
from smiling to widely in front of Emmett.

Emmett stared at her, waiting for her to read the note out loud, but she quickly
pocketed it, and shooed him away. He begrudgingly walked away, steeling one of
the flowers and placing it behind his ear, making Bella giggle.

She sat down in her chair, turning it back around to face out her window, and
pulled the card out. It read:

These reminded me of you.

Hope you have a better day than yesterday.

~Edward

She held the card against her chest tightly, as she smiled, her eyes focused on
the scary gargoyle, blocks away.

=x=

Where Thursday had proven to be a good day, Friday had not. It dragged on, and
though the sight of the yellow freesias on her desk brought a smile to her face,
and a sweet aroma to her office, her boss's demands for Bella to finish editing the
three manuscripts she was currently reading by the end of the following week
was looming heavy in the back of her mind.

She was so happy for Friday to end. She hadn't driven home so fast in a long
time, and when she arrived home, Edward had already started dinner. It would
still be some time before it would be ready, so Bella opted to call Rosalie.

She tossed her shoes off as she threw herself onto her bed and dialed Rosalie and
Emmett's number.

"Hey Bella," Rosalie answered the phone, a loud racket in the background.
"Hey Rose, what the hell is going on?" she asked, laughing as she heard Emmett
swearing in the back.

"Oh you know. Emmett is trying to be Mr. Fix-It and is attempting to put together
the new dining room table. He was too cheap to let the people at the furniture
store do it when they delivered it."

"They wanted to charge me a hundred dollars. Get the fuck out of here," Bella
heard Emmett shout, and she heard Rosalie yell at him to shut it, and something
about no sex unless he got the table up and ready for the dinner party.

"Abstaining sex, Rose? That's unlike you," Bella teased, hearing Rosalie chuckle.

"It's the only way to get Emmett to do shit around here sometimes. I love him,
but honestly, he's behaves like a child."

"I think that's a Cullen men thing, because Edward is the exact same way," Bella
laughed and Rosalie joined in.

"So, what's with the phone call? It's been a while, loser. I'm hurt. You don't call
me anymore, and I hear from my husband that you're seeing someone.
Apparently, you came in looking like a cheetah," she taunted, her voice in that
tone that Bella knew all too well. It was the tone that meant Bella had some
explaining to do.

"I'm sorry, Rose. Work has been really stressful lately. I'm calling to see if you
want to bring anything tomorrow," she began, almost opting to address the last
part of Rosalie's questions. "And I'm not seeing anyone. It was a…one time
thing," she lied.

"I understand Bella. Don't worry, I was just kidding. Work's been kicking my ass,
too. I love my students, I do, but sometimes I want to wring their necks."

"I can just imagine. Why did you choose to teach first graders?"

"I love kids, Bella, especially young children because their like sponges. You can
teach them so much. You know that," Rosalie replied, scoffing as Emmett cursed
loudly in the back.

"Fuck, Emmett, if you scratch the floor, you'll pay to lay down new wood."

Bella laughed as they quarreled, while she waited for Rosalie to remember that
she was still on the phone. It was another minute before Rosalie noticed.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm going to go kick my husband's ass right now, but just bring
some of those tasty pastries you brought last time, and be here a little before six.
I'll see you then, and we will definitely be discussing this apparent one-night
stand you aptly have decided not tell me about it," Rosalie rushed as she heard
Emmett calling her for help.

"No problem, Rosalie. I'll see you tomorrow. Tell Emmett I said that I hope he
lives to see tomorrow," she teased as Rosalie laughed and said her goodbye.

When she hung up the phone, she headed out of her room to find Edward by the
door, paying the Chinese food delivery man.

"I thought you were cooking," she inquired as she walked into the kitchen.

"I was, but I decided I was in the mood for Chinese food instead, I hope you
don't mind."
"No, it's fine. I just got off the phone with Rosalie. She wants us to be there by
six and to bring some of those French pastries you bought the last time."

"I figured," he answered, despondently as he passed over the Mei Fun.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, wondering why Edward looked upset.

"Nothing, Bella. Everything's good."

"Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not."

"You are. Whenever your voice goes down that low, you're lying. What's wrong?
Please tell me," she pleaded, her eyes staring straight into his, which kept
meandering away from hers.

"Nothing, really. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. I promise, Bella. You
know I wouldn't keep anything from you," he reasoned, smiling at her, and of
course, she brushed her insecurities aside, and shrugged her shoulders and
nodded her head.

They ate in silence, which wasn't rare, but again, Bella couldn't help but feel
awkward as she sat sipping her egg drop soup.

=x=

"Can I ask you something personal?" Bella asked on Saturday morning as she
and Edward sat eating Fruit Loops out of the box. They were watching old
Scooby-Doo reruns.

"Bella, you know you can ask me anything," he turned and smiled at her, and
Bella felt her heart skip an enigmatic beat. She wondered what it was all about,
but she pushed the notion aside.

"What's your deepest darkest fantasy, Edward Cullen?" she asked, keeping her
voice low and husky.

She watched as his eyes widened and he shifted in his seat. He gulped audibly
and she found herself mesmerized by the movement of his Adam's apple as he
did.

"Are you serious?" he asked hesitantly, testing the waters.

"Yeah, I want to know. These past two months, I've explored my fantasies, but
you haven't. What do you like, Edward? Do you want me to be a naughty nurse?
Maybe I can be a naughty school girl? Or a filthy ballerina?"

Again, Bella watched as Edward swallowed.

"I just like-" he began but Bella interrupted.

"Be honest, Edward. I want to know."

"Honestly, my biggest fantasy is being dominated like you did with the letter R.
You have no idea how hard I was; how hard I get whenever I think about that
day. I loved being at the mercy of a sexy woman, letting her have her way with
me. I know that doesn't sound very macho and what not, and Emmett would
probably laugh, but I can't help but be turned on by a woman who knows what
she wants."
"Really? I never would've…never would've guessed that." Edward shrugged his
shoulders and smiled shyly as he tossed a red Fruit Loop up and caught it in his
mouth.

"Why did you want to know?" he asked, passing over the box of cereal.

"I was thinking, in my office Thursday, about how you've never done something
as outrageous as my librarian or vampire fantasies."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind for my next letter. Though I have another fantasy,
but we'll discuss that at another time," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows as
Shaggy asked Scooby if he wanted another Scooby Snack.

=x=

"Did you get the right pastries?" Edward asked as Bella stepped back into his car
as they headed over to dinner.

"Yep, but why are they so expensive?"

"'Cause they're the best in town, Bells. You pay for quality!"

"Does that apply to hookers as well?" she teased as Edward laughed alongside
her.

After breakfast that morning, they seemed to be much more relaxed around each
other, but there was still electricity between them, and air of tension Bella
couldn't quite grasp, but in the grand fashion of the last couple of days, she
brushed it aside.

They arrived at Emmett's in no time, and before she knew it, a model-esque
blond was assaulting her at the door.

"Bella!" Rosalie greeted her, and bringing her inside quickly as Edward followed.

"Rosalie!" Bella greeted her back, just as enthusiastically.

"Mhmm…that's sexy," Emmett catcalled from the living room, and Edward joined
in.

"Children. The Cullen men are children," Rosalie addressed the room.

"I couldn't agree with your more, dear," Esme said as she stood from her seat.

"Bella, sweetie," she called as she gave her a hug.

"Esme, it's been too long."

"It has dear. It has."

"Hello, Dr. Cullen," Bella said as hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back.

"Bella. How many times must I tell you to call me Carlisle?" he chided, playfully.

"Oh, so Bella get's the grand welcome, and I get nothing. I brought the dessert,"
Edward huffed like a little boy, causing everyone to laugh.

"Come here, Edward. I missed you. You don't ever call," Esme gently smacked
Edward's arm as she pulled away from their embrace.

"I missed you, too, Mom."

"Alright already, enough with the love. Can we eat? I'm starving, and the pot
roast smells so fucking good," Emmett interrupted everyone. Rosalie rolled her
eyes as she led everyone toward the dining room.

"Where's Alice and Jasper?" Bella asked.

"Edward didn't tell you?" Rosalie asked, turning to Edward, who stared at her,
confused. "Didn't she tell you she was going to Los Angeles this weekend? She's
going to get her wedding gown fitted and tailored."

"Oh," both Bella and Edward answered as they followed Rosalie.

"Oh, is this the new table, dear?" Esme asked as she sat down beside Carlisle.

"Yeah, Emmett spent most of last night and today putting it together. I hope it
doesn't fall down on us," Rosalie joked as Emmett pouted. Bella laughed at how
alike Edward and Emmett truly were.

"Where are you sitting?" Edward asked Bella as he walked in behind her. Bella
pointed to the side of the table opposite of Esme and Carlisle. Edward nodded and
followed her, sitting down beside her. Rosalie and Emmett sat at the opposite
ends of the massive table.

"Looks good, Rosalie," Edward said as he poured wine for everyone.

"Yeah, Rose smells good, too," Bell added.

"Thanks, guys. Everyone, dig in," she instructed as everyone started to pass the
dinner dishes around.

"The pot roast is fantastic," Carlisle piped in as he took another bite of it. Rosalie
smiled graciously as everyone continued to dig into the feast. Esme asked Rosalie
about her students, and that turned out to be the main focus of the dinner
conversation.

Bella laughed as Rosalie described an incident with two of her student involving
hair and glue. Edward chuckled bringing up the story about how he persuaded to
burn some Crayola crayons' on the recess jungle gym with her one day, which
sent everyone into hysterics.

"Who's ready for dessert?" Emmett asked as he helped Rosalie clear off the table.

"Did you bring those delicious French pastries, son?" Carlisle asked Edward, who
nodded as he let Emmett take his plate away.

"Come here," he told Bella who leaned toward him. He whipped something off her
face and sucked it off his finger.

"Gravy," he answered her questioning expression. Bella smiled, the spot on her
face feeling unbelievably hot. It sent a current straight to her loins.

As she turned back to the table to find everyone staring at them, but none of
them said a word. Rosalie and Emmett had already brought in the dessert.

"These are fantastic," Rosalie said as she popped another of the Chou pastries
into her mouth.

"Mhmm," was Emmett said as he stuffed another one into his mouth.
"Don't eat so fast, honey," Esme told him as she spent time eating the one in her
hand.

Again, the conversation centered on one person, this time Carlisle. Bella quickly
tuned it out as she rubbed her legs together. She was so pissed at her menstrual
cycle at the moment. She was yearning for a release after Edward touching her.
All he had done was wipe gravy off her face, but it was the way in which he had
sucked it off his finger that had triggered her response. He had stared right at her
as his tongue darted to lick the substance.

Inadvertently, her hand found itself on Edward's left knee, startling him. He
turned to her and she smiled innocently at him, as her fingers started to dance up
his thigh, like a spider. She had to stifle a laugh as Edward tensed under her
hand. He sat straight and rigid against his chair, lips pressed tightly.

No one noticed, as they kept their attention on dessert and Carlisle.

"What are you doing?" he asked through clenched teeth as her fingers ghosted up
and down the teeth on the zipper of his trousers.

"Nothing," she answered innocently, biting her bottom lip. She pressed the palm
of her hand onto the arousal in his pants, and he jumped a little in his seat but no
one noticed.

"Are you nuts?" he asked, through deep breaths as she started to rub him with
intention.

She shook her head as she pressed her hand against him harder. She had to
suppress a giggle as Edward gripped the side of his chair as his hips started to
push up against her hand.

Bella averted her eyes from him, keeping her hands moving, thankful for the long
table cloth that covered her little performance. She chimed something into the
conversation as to not gain suspicion from their silence. Edward struggled to keep
a straight face as Bella stopped her ministrations and unbuttoned his pants.

"Bella," Edward hissed as she pulled the zipper down, purposely pressing down on
it so he would feel the vibration from it. He gulped loudly, and Bella licked her lips
as she watched his Adam's apple bob in the tantalizing way it always did.

She smiled as she slipped her hand into his boxer briefs, and gripped him,
springing him free of the cotton constraint. She never took her eyes off Carlisle
as he continued to describe a complicated case he had just diagnosed. Rosalie
and Esme looked engrossed, and Emmett looked more engrossed in the dessert
than the topic but he kept paying attention.

Bella's hand moved down Edward's hardened shaft slowly, before bringing it up
slowly, letting her blunt finger nail circumnavigate along the underside of his
swollen head. Edward jumped in his seat, quickly turning a groan into a slight
cough, catching Emmett's attention.

"Yeah," he answered, his voice husky and grainy. "Went down the
wrong…ugh...pipe," he pointed to the half-eaten dessert on his plate. Emmett
scoffed as he turned his focus back to his own dessert and Carlisle.

"Ugh, Bella," he moaned lowly, his mouth clench tightly as her hand sped up,
only slowing down when she would teased the slit in his head.
"Bella," he hissed, out of breath as his hips rose to meet her down strokes. She
turned her head only slightly, looking at him though her peripherals. He mouthed
the words, 'so close' as she sped her hand up. She watched shortly as Edward's
knuckles went white as his grip on his chair tightened before turning back to the
table. Esme was commanding the conversation now. Bella grabbed a few of the
pastries on to her plate with her left hand and popped one into her mouth.

Everyone laughed at something Esme said and Bella joined in, though she had no
idea what was going on. She was focused on the pulsing organ in her hand. She
stole a glance at Edward, noting his fluttering lashes and his eyes were starting to
roll back into his head.

He was close.

She could feel it. He was starting to twitch in her hands, and his hips were rising
with fervor.

"Bella," he gasped. "I can't…hold back…anymore," he whispered as he came into

her hand, shuddering in his seat, unbeknownst to everyone.

She kept her hand on him, collecting the ribbons of come that flowed from him,
until he stopped. She moved her hand away slowly, giving him the opportunity to
tuck himself away and button his pants up.

Bella grabbed one of the pastries on plate, placed it into her right hand, and ate it
slowly. Edward watched the entire time.

"These pastries are delicious. I can't get enough of them," she moaned and
everyone at the table agreed, taking the focus away from Esme.

Edward watched mesmerized as Bella licked her hand cleaned. She knew what
she was doing. His eyebrow was quirked up as she closed her eyes in ecstasy as
she licked her hand clean of Edward.

"So, Bella who is this guy, Emmett tells me you're seeing?" Rosalie asked,
garnering everyone's attention to Bella.

"Well, he's…he's…"

"Anytime, anywhere,

You're my playground love."

~"Playground Love" by Air

Chapter Nineteen: P is for Playground

"He's what?" Rosalie asked as Bella faltered in her answer. Her body flushed red
as all eyes turned to her. She suddenly felt like she was sitting in an oven and
could feel the sheen of sweat that was starting to coat her forehead.

"Come on Bella. It's not fair that both Edward and Emmett know. I'm your best
friend, that's just plain wrong," Rosalie tried to provoke her, smiling as Esme
nodded in agreement. There was something in Rosalie's smile that Bella found
peculiar. It was almost as if she knew something incriminating about Bella.

"I don't feel very comfortable talking about this at the dinner table," Bella
offered, chucking nervously.

"Bella, no one is going to judge you about a one night stand," Rosalie furthered
the conversation along when Bella halted. Upon hearing Rosalie, Bella's eyes
widened as her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Rosalie had had the
audacity to say such a thing at dinner especially with Carlisle and Esme no less
than four feet away from her. Though to be frank, the statement was nowhere
near as risqué as what had just occurred under the table cloth, less than a minute
before.

"Rosalie!" Edward defended Bella who remained silently stunned, glaring at

Rosalie. Emmett laughed raucously while Esme and Carlisle chuckled along with
him. The amusement of the situation only anger Bella further.

"This is mortifying," she murmured.

"Oh, sweetie. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Esme tried to comfort her, but
Bella's bashful nature took precedence and she gasped at the woman she
considered to be like a mother.

"This is fucking mortifying," she repeated, getting up from the table. Edward
made to join her, but she eyed him to sit down.

"Rosalie, may I speak with you alone in the kitchen? Now!" she requested,
speaking through gritted teeth, as she walked away from the table. Her fists were
clenched by her sides as she heard the click-clack from Rosalie's heels behind
her. The sound, at that particular moment, was the most irritating thing Bella had
ever heard.

She wanted to kill Rosalie, and there was almost nothing she could say that
would stop it from happening.

Almost.

"It's Edward," Rosalie declared as she walked in to the kitchen. His name set
Bella into a silent frenzy as Rosalie said it.

"What?" she asked as if she had no idea what Rosalie was talking about, but her
voice peaked a little too high. Her nerves had answered Rosalie's suspicion.

"The guy…the one night stand, it was Edward."

"No," Bella lied. Yes, it was Edward, but it wasn't a one night stand. More like a
twenty-six night stand give or take a few.

"Yes it is," Rosalie hissed. "Don't lie to me Isabella Swan. You've been in love
with the man since you were children. You may not have realized it, you still may
not see it, but everyone else around you does. It's ridiculous how blind the two of
you are."

"Rosalie, keep your voice down," Bella pleaded, and Rosalie knew right then and
there that she was one hundred percent correct.

"It really is Edward," she whispered and Bella nodded, sighing in defeat as she
sat down in one of the chairs. Rosalie sat down across from her and stared at her
friend, her eyes clearly expressing what she wanted to know.
"When?"

"Eight weeks ago," Bella answer. "It's nothing serious though, Rose. It's a friends
with benefits thing. We have sex every weekend, and we alternate what we do.
One weekend he chooses then next weekend I choose."

Rosalie stared wide-eyed not believing what was she was hearing.

"Are you stupid?" she criticized. "You just gave your best friend a hand job at my
fucking dinner table and you have the nerve to tell me it's nothing serious? Bella,
you're not the type of person to do that."

"You saw that?" Bella asked in shock. Her face instantly flushed red and she
groaned in anguish. The night was becoming more and more embarrassing as it
passed.

"Of course I saw that," Rosalie fired back. "You're just lucky that Emmett enjoys
his food a little too much and Esme and Carlisle were wrapped up in each other."

"Oh god," Bella groaned, dropping her face into her hands.

"Bella, I've perfected that little dinner table maneuver with Emmett. The two of
you were a little sloppy. You've gotta keep one hand on the table cloth at all
times; it sways," she demonstrated moving her hands side to side.

"Rose, please," Bella hissed, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. "Keep your
voice down. I don't need anyone else knowing about it."

"So you're fucking your best friend?" Rosalie asked brazenly and too loudly for
Bella's taste.

"Rosalie!" she all but yelled as she tossed a dishtowel at her. It missed.

"Sorry. It's just…what possessed you two to…actually? Well, I should say to finally
do it?"

"We've done it before, Rose," Bella replied, clamping a hand over mouth.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Rosalie retorted, her voice disbelieving.
Bella remained silent, her eyes and mouth shut tight.

"Care to elaborate on that one, Miss Swan?" Rosalie voiced her amusement.

"When we were sixteen-" Bella began to answer, but Rosalie cut her off.

"Edward!" she excitedly shouted out. Bella's head quickly turned toward the living
room to make sure no one had heard.

"Fuck Rose. What part of keep your voice down do you not understand?"

"I'm sorry. But you lost your virginity to Edward? You told me it was some guy
from your high school."

"Edward and I went to high school together," Bella answered and Rosalie threw
the fallen dishtowel at her face. She didn't miss.

"I can't believe this, all this time. Why have you two never dated exactly?"

"Because we're best friends, and don't see each other that way."
"Yeah, bff's for life, right," Rosalie aggravatingly said, scoffing at the boring
answer. "But Bella, best friends don't have sex with each other. This is going to
change your entire relationship with him. Things will never be the same. I can't
believe the two of you are willing to risk over twenty years of friendship. I think
I've known you long enough to see how important you are to each other. Hell, I
saw it the day you first introduced Edward to me. I had never seen you so happy
around a guy like that before. I thought you were going to introduce him to me
as your boyfriend."

"Nothing's going to change Rose. Edward and I will always be best friends,
through thick and thin. This isn't going to change anything between the two of us.
Once we complete the twenty six tasks, we will go back to how we were.

"No you won't, you'll-" Rosalie started to say before her mind took her in a whole
new direction. "Wait, twenty six tasks?"

Bella grimaced as she tried to cover her face with her hand, muttering a quiet
'damn' under her breath. She had never had so much trouble keeping her mouth
shut before.

"We're using the alphabet to do all this, but that's all I can tell you. I wasn't even
supposed to mention anything about the whole situation. Don't tell Emmett any
of this. Please," Bella pleaded and Rosalie nodded, standing up.

"You know I would never but be careful Bella. This could end terribly. How was it
though? The first time, the first letter I guess? Did you fumble? Did you laugh
hysterically throughout the whole thing?"

"No, it felt oddly normal, like we'd been doing that forever. I don't really know
how to explain it, it just felt natural and Edward showed no signs of nerves, so we
kind of just dove right into it, and never looked back."

"Natural," Rosalie whispered. "Be careful," Rosalie advised as the two walked
back in to the dining room. Bella stayed two steps back before rejoining
everyone.

Rosalie had brought up her biggest fear. The last thing she wanted from this
game was to lose the relationship she had with Edward. She needed him in her
life. He had always been there. Just the thought of the game going wrong scared
her and brought a sick feeling to her stomach.

"You okay?" Edward whispered as Bella took her seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled, winking to show that she was okay. Edward nodded
but kept his eyes on her for a moment before shifting them back to his parents.
He was stiff in his chair and Bella noted the way his hands lay clasped tightly
together on the table. His knuckles were white from the pressure.

"Bella dear, no need to be ashamed," Esme tried once more to comfort her.

"Thanks Esme, but I'm a little embarrassed about my rash behavior especially
since Rosalie brought it up in such a manner. It's not proper dinner table
conversation."

Rosalie snorted and rolled her eyes. Bella was tempted to kick her under the
table, but her legs weren't long enough to reach. Edward watched the display
with mild concern, as Emmett continued to eat the desserts at an alarming rate.
"Emmett enough already," Rosalie told him, pulling the dessert plate away from
his grabbing hands.

"Babe," he whined through a full mouth.

"That's disgusting, Emmett," Carlisle reproached. "I know your mother and I
raised you better than that."

"Sorry," he timidly answered, and Bella snorted. It was always amusing to watch
Emmett and Edward get reprimanded by their parents. Regardless of their ages,
the two Cullen siblings still held a great deal of respect and fear of their parent's
disapproval.

"Seriously Em. How many of those have you eaten?" Edward asked. Emmett
shrugged. "I don't know, eleven? Twelve?

"Great, now all night, I'm going to have to hear, 'Rosie, baby, my stomach
hurts'," she mimicked causing everyone to laugh.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Edward whistled, standing up from his chair.
Everyone followed suit and stood up. Bella followed Rosalie to get her purse while
Edward waited by the door.

"It was a pleasure," Edward addressed everyone. His parents were staying over
at Emmett's and Bella could see the look of disappointment on Emmett's face.
She had to stifle a laugh as he pouted when he closed the door.

Edward walked silently to his car, opening the door for Bella. He was scowling
and Bella wondered what his deal was, but she said nothing until he started to
drive away.

"What's wrong?" she turned to ask, but Edward remained focused on the road
ahead. "What the fuck, Edward? Talk to me."

"What were you thinking?" he yelled, turning to her at a red light. "And in front of
my family? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Bella froze in her seat. At that moment she stopped breathing, too afraid of what
her response would be.

"Say something, Bella! I'd like some fucking answers!" he reprimanded.

"I...I tho-thought…yo…you said that you en...enjoyed, you said control," Bella
stuttered nervously. The look Edward was giving her was fiery. She had never
seen such an intense disgust in Edward before. It was downright frightening.

"Bella, I do, I did, but what made you do such at thing with my parents across
from us? Do you understand how utterly humiliating that would have been if they
or anyone else had realized what you were doing?"

Bella grimaced. "Well..." she started, elongating the word and chuckling
nervously.

"Well what?" Edward asked, his voice calmer but still rigid.

"Rosalie saw," Bella admitted, gritting her teeth. It looked like she was preparing
herself for something terrible. She expected him to shout, to pull the car over,
and berate her, but instead he started to laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" Bella wondered out loud, her voice meek. She was still
afraid of his reaction. For all she knew he was going hysterical.

"Your face. Bella, did you honestly think I cared? Bella, yes, doing that in front of
my parents was a bit extreme, but I would think you would know that I
thoroughly enjoyed it," he glanced to her and smiled and Bella went slack jawed.

"Are you serious? That was not funny," she hissed, glaring at and smacking his
right arm, causing him to laugh.

"It kind of was Bells. I could never be mad at you. You should know that by now."

"You should be though. What if your parents had seen what was going on?" she
pointed out.

"So, Rose saw?" he said instead, ignoring her question. Bella nodded slowly.

"She apparently thinks we need to work on our technique. Something about

holding onto the tablecloth next time we decided to that again."

"Again?" Edward smirked, quirking his eyebrow in that cheeky manner that he
enjoyed so much.

"Not with you," Bella fired back smugly and for a brief moment, she regretted the
statement. The way the light in Edward's eyes faded made her feel guilty and she
didn't know why.

"The guy you marry is going to be the luckiest man alive," Edward declared
quietly as he pulled his car into his parking spot, right beside Bella's.

"Ditto," she countered as she stepped out of the car, shutting the door slowly.

The two walked silently into their apartment, not saying anything but 'goodnight'
as they headed their separate ways.

=x=

"Morning Sunshine," Edward greeted Bella as she dragged her feet across the
living room to sit down next to him.

"Ugh," was her reply, as she swiped Edward's orange juice of the coffee table and
took a big gulp from it. Edward chuckled as a small amount dribbled down the
sides of her lips. He had to physically restrain himself from lunging forward and
licking the citrus of her chin.

"Nice," he chuckled instead, offering her his half-eaten bagel.

"Cinnamon raisin?"

"Of course," he answered brightly and Bella smiled as she took the breakfast
greedily from him. She bit into the bagel loudly, not caring for manners.

"Classy."

"I'm a classy kind of woman," she retorted, swallowing the mouthful of bread in
her mouth before speaking.

"So what's the plan for today?"

"Don't know. I was just planning on hanging out at home and doing nothing.
Why, do you have an idea of what to do?"
"Obviously I don't if I'm asking," he replied snidely.

"Hey, what's your deal lately? You've been all over the place. One minute you
look happy the next you look upset, then a minute later you look like you want to
punch someone. What's going on?"

Edward smiled timidly as he sighed. He knew he had been acting strange all
week, but he had thought that he had concealed it well. He should have known
that Bella would have noticed, of course she would. He always knew when she
was going through a funk.

"It's nothing really. I just have this new campaign I'm trying to figure out.
Adidas. And if I can land it, I think I will finally get that promotion. You know, the
big one," he lied. In all honesty, work was stressing him out, but a phone call
that he had received Friday night had only furthered that anxiety. He had been so
focused on the conversation that he had burned dinner.

"You sure? It's not because of what I told Rosalie on the phone is it? I don't know
if you heard me," she whispered.

"You had your door closed Bells. What did you tell her? Is that why she thought
you had a one night stand?"

Bella nodded her head, and Edward rolled his eyes.

"You think I would be mad about that?" he asked as confidently as he could, but
there was tightness in his chest at the thought of only being considered a one
night stand for Bella. He wasn't, they had been with each other more than once,
but the thought of only having her once and never again saddened him. It was
the first time since the beginning of the game that he thought about the last
letter.

"Doing math in your head there, Cullen?"

Edward chuckled at the old saying, smiling brightly at Bella, and he stopped to
look at her.

Bella was beautiful, she had always been. When they were six, Edward had told
her that he liked her eyes because they reminded him of chocolate ice cream,
and she had giggled. Even then, she had blushed. It had been just a light pink
sprinkling on her little chubby cheeks, but Edward had thought it was pretty.

He thought she was pretty.

As they got older, she became prettier as the years went on, until they were
eighteen. That was the year he realized that his best friend was beautiful.

It was the night of prom, and Bella had opted to go with Emmett because she
really wasn't interested in any of the guys in school, and she had had many
suitors. Mike Newton had been relentless in his pursuit of Bella until she had told
him to leave her alone because she already had a date. Edward had been
standing next to her when she told him off and had had to stifle a laugh as Mike
pleaded and begged her, and she told him no repeatedly.

When Mike had finally gotten the clue, he asked her angrily who she was going
with and she told him Emmett, which had shocked Edward. He had asked if
Emmett knew that he was going to their prom and she had answered no.

"Emmett? My brother?" he had asked, and she nodded her head. Mike had
already walked away in defeat, head hanging down.
"Does Emmett know that he's going to prom?"

"No," she had answered. "But I'll know he'll say yes. Remember last year when
he came back down from UW for summer vacation? He was bored out of his
mind, so I'm providing entertainment."

Watching Bella walk down the stairs of his house had been almost mystical. She
looked radiant, well that was what he thought now, but then he had thought she
looked beautiful. She had opted for a dark green dress that Esme had had lying
around and after a few fittings and a hemming, the dress fit Bella perfectly. He
was enamored by the way the gown hugged her body and the way green looked
against her ivory skin. Even Emmett had been awed by the sight Bella made.

It was what his father had often said about his mother. Bella was a vision of
loveliness that night. It was an image that was permanently engrained in his
memory.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Bella interrupted his thoughts.

"Nothing important." It was another lie and oddly enough, it had been difficult to
say.

"If you say so," she shrugged, standing up.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he stood up to follow her into his bedroom.

"To get the hat. I used my letter yesterday. This Saturday will be for you."

"What was your letter?" he asked as Bella held the hat out for him. He was
reaching into it when she answered.

"D."

"D," he repeated. "What does it stand for? Dinner dick play?"

"Wow!" Bella laughed. "Did you just think that up?"

"Yeah!" he laughed along with her. "So what does it stand for?" he asked
quizzically, pocketing the picked letter.

"I guess dessert," she answered, shrugging her shoulders indifferently.

"Yeah, speaking of that," he began. "The thing with the pastry and the licking was
pretty hot, not gonna lie."

"Yeah, it was disgusting, Edward. I don't plan on ever doing that again. French
pastries and your jizz are not very tasty." She grimaced over her shoulder at him
before grabbing the hat.

"It's not like I told you to do it," he defended himself and Bella punched him the
arm.

"I know that," she retorted, "but it's something I read about in a magazine and
always wanted to try, though 'dinner dick play' wasn't what they called it."

The two laughed as they head back into the living room. As they sat down, Bella
shook the hat a few times Edward pulled the letter out, reading the letter P a few
times, trying to work out in his head what he could possibly do.

"Good letter?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so," he murmured. "You'll have to wait and see, kid."

"Kid?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah, it's a clue, Bella. Try and figure it out, kid."

"Okay, pops."

"Oooo," Edward growled. "I think I'd like it if you called me daddy."

"Well then, daddy," she purred, and Edward's jaw dropped. He suddenly felt faint
as the blood rushed toward his groin. "Nine down, Seventeen to go."

"Bring it on, little girl."

=x=

Mondays suck Edward thought to himself, as he spun around his chair. He had
done absolutely nothing since coming into the office, and he was stumped at how
to go about the possible acquisition of the new Adidas cross trainers.

"Edward," Alice called him through the intercom breaking his train of thought or
more like his chair spinning.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Mr. Meyers would like to see you?"

"When?" he asked.

"Now," she answered quickly.

Before Edward could ask what she meant, Mr. Meyers barged into his office.

"Cullen," Mr. Meyers addressed him as he took a seat in front of Edward's desk.

"Sir, how are you this morning?" he greeted him politely and with respect.

"I'm great. We just received the first installment payment from the toothpaste
company. You did well, Edward. I was very pleased with your presentation," he
complimented and Edward nodded his head in appreciation.

"Thank you, Sir. Not trying to be rude, but is there a reason for your visit today?"

"Yes, remember I had my assistant call you Friday about the deadline being next
Monday?"

Edward nodded, remembering the panic that had caused him to burn dinner and
to be in a sour mood.

"Good. Well, I have bad news. The deadline is Thursday," he informed him and
Edward let out an exacerbated hiccup of a sound.

"Thursday," he repeated.

"That's what I said Cullen. You will arrive here Thursday and you will present the
campaign to Mr. Austen and myself, and then that afternoon you will fly with
Austen to New York to present it to Rob Langstaff. He's flying out from Germany
to see it," he told him, sternly.

"When will I be returning?" he asked as he started to rack his head for ideas.
"Sunday morning, I think. My assistant will give Alice the itinerary later. Make me
proud, Edward; you have yet to fail me."

"I'll try my best, Sir," he countered, confidently.

"That's what I like to hear. I'll see you Thursday morning," Mr. Meyers said,
walking out of the office, not even bothering to hear what Edward says in return.

Once the door to his office shut, Edward fell down into his chair and dropped his
head into his hands. He groaned in frustration as he pulled at the roots of his
hair.

"Think, Cullen, think," he spoke out loud as he tried to relax. He thought he had a
week to come up with something, and now he had all of three days, or two and
half to be exact.

He spent the next six hours in his office scribbling down ideas, his panic rising
with each tick of the clock. Nothing was cohesive and nothing was outstanding.
He ended up taking the specifications of the campaign home with him, and locked
himself in his room.

Bella came in at around eight to bring him some dinner, and it was the only time
the two talked that night. She stayed to eat dinner alongside him but she left
shortly after to let him work. He was thankful for the little intermission. She had
managed to calm his nerves even after he complained about being in New York
on his assigned Saturday. Bella had merely thrown a potato at him and told him
not to worry.

On Tuesday morning, Edward woke up later than usual with still plenty of time to
get to the office, but not early enough to see Bella before she left. He had wanted
to see her before he left, to thank her for calming him down the night before.

When he walked out of his bedroom, he spotted breakfast at the table and sat
down to eat some of it before he left, and was surprised not only with the meal,
but a little post it note. The second he read the note he started to laugh
hysterically. The note read:

I heard that when Edward Cullen falls in water, Edward Cullen doesn't get wet.
Water gets Edward Cullen.

I hope you have a good day!

~Bella

He couldn't stop laughing as he reread the post it. He shook his head as he
placed the note into the breast pocket of his button down shirt.

He ended up calling Bella later that day to thank her for the note and for the
breakfast as well as thanking her for sparking an idea for his campaign.

It took all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday to complete the proposal and the
presentation, but he was proud of it. Thanks to Bella, he would be borrowing
some of the popular Chuck Norris jokes in his campaign with an Adidas spin.

He thanked her again when he got home later on Wednesday.

"Thank you," he shouted as he walked into their apartment. He hugged her

tightly as she giggled along with his laughter.
"Seriously, Bells. You have no idea. You really came through for me. Thank you,"
he thanked her again as he put her down.

"Not a problem. Oh, and I got the suitcase down from the hallway closet for you,"
she said as he kicked off his shoes.

"Thanks, Bella. What would I do without you?"

"Who knows?" she jested and he kicked his shoe in her direction.

"Watch it," she scolded, trying to keep a straight face, but failing. "How was your
day?"

"Good. I ended up finishing everything up by like two, so I pretty much just

reviewed everything a couple of times, before leaving," he answered as he
spotted Bella pulling a piece of candy from her purse.

"What you got there?" he inquired, coming up behind her.

"A strawberry delight; they're my favorite candy," she answered, and Edward
smiled. It was the candy he had given her in the supermarket almost twenty-one
years before.

"You got anymore?"

"No. I always carry one to work and have it whenever I'm stressed, but today
was relatively boring, so I didn't need it." She turned and smiled at him and he
returned it.

"I've got an idea," he announced. "Meet me back in the living room in fifteen
minutes. Put on some jeans and sneakers."

"Why?"

"Just do it, Bella. Trust me."

"You know your ideas aren't always all that great for my well being," she shouted
already by her bedroom door. Edward scoffed and gave her the finger.

It was ten minutes before the two emerged from their respective bedrooms
donned in casual clothing.

"What are we doing?" she asked bewildered by the look of excitement on

Edward's face.

"You'll see," he grinned as he pulled her by her hand out of the apartment.

"You're not going to tell me where we're going are you?" she asked him as they
stepped into the elevator of their building.

"Nope," he teased as they descended. He chuckled as Bella pouted before

smiling.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing," she answered, and Edward stared at her perplexed by the sudden
change of emotions.

"What?" he asked again.

"It's just, besides the other night at Rose's, it's been a long time since we've
gone out together, even to wherever the hell we're going now."

"Ah," was his only response as he held the door open for her and then waited for
her to notice that he was starting to walk toward the left.

"Thanks for the warning," she reprimanded him as she jogged to catch up to him.

"It's not too far from here," he told her as they were nearing the park.

"Are we going to the park?" she asked and Edward nodded as they walked down
the pathway hidden by the trees that led to the playground.

"It's locked," Bella let him know as they neared the gate.

"So? There's a hole in the fence," he pointed out on the other side as he opted to
climb over the fence instead.

"What are you doing?" she shouted as he started to climb the monkey bars.

"I'm having some fun, care to join me?"

Bella stood outside the fence and watched Edward slide down the plastic slide. His
feet reached the foam tiles before his backside was even halfway down the slide.

"You look ridiculous. You're a twenty five year old man, playing in a jungle gym,"
Bella chuckled as she started to walk towards the hole he had pointed to her
before.

"Yay Bella's coming to play," he shouted as she slipped through the metal
opening.

"Climb up to the top," he instructed as he waited for her on the flat top of the
jungle gym, next to a little bridge.

"Still king of the playground, I see," she called up to him as she started to climb
the miniature rock wall to get to him.

"Of course, now come be my queen."

"You're ridiculous. You sound like a five year old. Those days are over."

"Never! When you let your inner child die, they win," he replied seriously.

"Who's they?" she asked, finally reaching the top. He helped her up through the
small opening of the metal rails.

"I don't know, but they win. No one knows who they are, but you can't let them
win."

"Have you lost your mind? Is work really getting to you that bad?"

"No," he answered honestly as he sat down on the flat part of the jungle gym,
right before the tiny bridge.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she down beside him.

"Can I kiss you?" he finally asked her. It was something he had wanted to do for
the last couple of weeks. The itch to do so had been driving him nuts.
"Edward, I don't think that's smart. It's against our rules. It'll change the whole
game."

He let out a defeated sigh and turned his head away from her.

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

"I don't know, Bella. I just, I got some really bizarre news at work today and I
don't know. I think this game is starting to fuck with my head," he answered. It
was half-truths.

"Me too," she concurred and Edward turned to look at her.

"So do we end the game here, and that's that? Or do we continue playing?" he
hesitated as he spoke the question. He didn't want the game to end. He loved the
connection he was able to have with Bella. He didn't know what it was, but there
was something in it that he just needed.

"We continue," she replied, kissing his cheek, making him smile.

"Okay. We continue right now," he retorted, and pressed a kiss to the hollow of
her neck and she shivered.

"We're outside Edward, in a children's park. After hours. If a cop happens to be

patrolling we can get a fine or worse, arrested."

"Live a little, Bella," he whispered as he kissed just below her ear, before taking
her earlobe into his mouth. She trembled beside him, and he reveled in the feel
of her body temperature rising.

"Bella," he moaned as he laid her down and straddled her, keeping his weight on
his knees instead of her.

"Edward," she groaned back as his hands gripped at her sides, rocking his hips
against hers.

Bella reached for the zipper to his jeans, but he shooed her hand away.

"No, Bella. Just in case someone walks by," he moaned out as her hips started to
rise to meet his. Her moans were becoming louder and his hips were starting to
move faster.

"Edward," she moaned against as his teeth found purchase on her collarbone, as
his hips continued to push down against her. He groaned as her hands wound
themselves in his hair and she pulled at it roughly.

She called out his name again, and he told her to say it again. He loved how his
name sounded when she screamed it. There wasn't a sound more melodious,
more beautiful.

He place one hand firmly by her head and one cupped her through her jeans. Her
back arched into his hand, and she sighed out in relief.

"Oh god, Bella," he frustratingly said as he buried his face into neck. He changed
their position. His stiff knees now circled one of her legs, allowing him to rub
against her with his knee and groaned when Bella's knee came in contact with his
erection.

"I can't!" she cried out, as she moved her hips faster against his knee.
"Don't hold back, Bella. Let go," he whispered into her ear, as he matched her
movements.

She unraveled below him, shaking, as the orgasm racked her body. He followed
moments later, feeling the cum up at the top of his jeans, but at the moment he
could care less about the mess. He moaned into her neck, whispering, 'I love you'
into her neck, too low for Bella to hear what he said, but loud enough for her to
know he had said something.

"What did you say?" she managed to say after a few failed attempts.

"I said… wow," he lied, smiling breathlessly up at her.

"Yeah, I totally agree. I haven't done something like that since college."

The two lay silent for a while, just staring up at the night sky, breathing loudly,
until Edward spoke.

"I'm going to miss you," he said, sullenly and Bella scoffed at him.

"It's only for the weekend, Edward."

"Yeah, I know."

Chapter Twenty: Ten Down, Only Sixteen to Go

Four hours.

That's how long it took for Bella to fall asleep that night.

She and Edward had left the park twenty minutes after their little teenager-esque
rendezvous. They had laid there silently on the jungle gym, catching their breath
and just starting up at the night sky before leaving. Edward had commented on
the moisture in the air and Bella was the one who opted to leave before it began
to rain. If it were up to her, she probably would have stayed there all night but
she was glad she didn't.

The walk home was something that Bella would never forget. She couldn't
remember a time where she had laughed so hard. She laughed hysterically at
Edward the entire walk home as he tried to adjust the mess in his pants. He
complained the whole time about how the top of his boxers were sticking to the
trail of hair that led down to his dick, as he so vehemently put it in his frustration.
It was sight to see as people walked by and stared as his hand kept traveling
down to the top of his jeans. He practically flew into the apartment and shoved
his pants off.

The best part of the whole scene was watching him trip face first into the seat of
the couch as he got his leg stuck in the leg of his jeans. Bella took the time to
remind him that perhaps it would have been better if he had taken off his shoes
first after she finally stopped laughing at him. Watching him trip was a rarity, but
when it happened, it was always something of a scene. It was never a small fall,
but a loud drop.

After he finally got himself up, properly giving her the finger, he ran into the
bathroom to shower and no later than five minutes in, he called Bella to join him,
but she had told him she was busy. She heard him shout 'suit yourself' before he
closed the bathroom door again.

She had lied.

For the fifteen minutes Edward was in the shower, she couldn't stop hearing his
voice and thinking back to what had happened at the playground. Had she heard
him right? She'd thought that he had said 'I love you', but when she asked him,
all he replied with was 'wow'.

Those three little words had made her heart flutter, but to have only imagined
them was like a blow to the stomach. It stung, terribly, but the worst part of it
was not knowing why it had hurt so much for him to have not said it.

Even as she showered that night, all she could think about were those three little
words, 'I love you'. She swore she heard them spoken right into the hollow of her
neck.

'I love you', he had said, she was almost sure of it.

Her heart had heard them; it had started to beat so much faster than she had
ever felt it before. It had pounded in her chest so fiercely that she couldn't
fathom how her imagination had played such a cruel trick on her.

But it had.

Her heart ached in the worst possible way. She hadn't felt like this even after
breaking up with her first boyfriend, even though they had only dated for four
months, she wondered why her friends all thought that it was customary for a girl
to mourn for days after that. That night she ended up calling Edward and he had
made her feel better and the next day she had been fine, but three little words
that she had imagined coming from Edward, from her best friend, caused her
more pain than she could have ever imagined.

And she couldn't grasp why.

For four hours, she laid there on her bed, looking up at the flat white ceiling
wondering about what had happened, replaying everything. Whenever she tried
to sleep, she would close her eyes and see everything that happened. She would
feel everything, and worst of all she could still hear everything.

In her head, she could hear the chains of the swings rattling with the breeze, and
the small bridge beside them swaying. She could still feel the heat of Edward's
body on top of hers as he moved in harmony with her. She could feel the muscles
of his back pulse through his shirt as she grabbed onto him as he brought her to
her peak. She could see his face as he came, the way it contorted almost as if he
were in pain as he found his moment of rapture. She could still feel his breath
against her neck as he tried to come back down from the ecstasy. She could feel
his lips moving on her neck as he said 'I love you' or so she had thought.

They had broken the rules again, and more importantly, they had almost broken
the most important one of all. A few questions plagued her thoughts that night.
Even in her sleep, all she dreamt of was that moment.

Why had it hurt so badly when she asked him to repeat himself and all he had
said was 'wow'? Why had it pierced her heart so furiously when he told he would
miss her?

Why the fuck had she said no?

That was the one thought that really bothered her. She had wanted to kiss him.
She had wanted to kiss him with everything in her being. She had had to
physically stop herself from leaning forward and stealing the kiss.

Her friendship was on the line and that was why she had stopped herself.

She was not willing to risk twenty years of what they had created. What Rosalie
had said had stuck with her for days. It literally consumed all of her thoughts
afterwards. Edward was her rock, he was her everything, and if she were ever to
lose that it would kill her, especially if she were the one responsible for it.

Bella's relationships never worked out. It was just her luck, she assumed. She
had never had a long relationship. The longest one she had ever had had only
lasted a little bit over a year and a half, and she was always the one who ended
it.

Call it a self-esteem issue, call it a not 'feeling it' issue, but she never felt
comfortable with the person she was with. Yes, they were usually compatible
physically, and sometimes the sex with good. Other times the sex was downright
abysmal, but something was always missing and she could never pin point
it…until now.

For years, she had tried to stop thinking about it, but it was futile. There was a
yearning in heart and soul.

Bella Swan had been in love with her best friend since she was sixteen years old.

=x=

Bella woke up the next morning to the sounds of coffee brewing in the kitchen.
She'd had a terrible night's sleep after she had finally dozed off.

"Morning, Bella," Edward cheerfully greeted her, and Bella smiled sadly at him.

"Morning," she replied quietly as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Her mood
was somber and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he poured her a cup of coffee and sat down
next to her.

"I didn't sleep very well last night," she murmured and Edward threw an arm
around her shoulder.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Bella nodded and Edward brought her closer to him.
She took pleasure in the smell of his aftershave assaulting her senses.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, all the concern in the world evident in
his tone.

"You have a long day today and I didn't want to mess that up. You need your
rest. You have to fly out to New York tonight."

"Who cares Bells? You know you can always come to me. You should know that
by now."

Bella sniffled as the nightmare played in her head.

"What was it about?" he inquired and Bella shook her head in a way of saying she
didn't want to talk about it. Edward held her tighter, laying his forehead sideways
onto hers. From the corner of her eyes, she could blurrily make out Edward
beside her.

"Please?" he pleaded and Bella conceded. She knew the nightmare was ridiculous,
but it had scared her terribly.

"I…I just had a dream about your plane crashing somewhere in like Kansas or
some other Podunk place," she stuttered out and Edward ended up failing to stifle
a laugh.

"It's not funny, Edward," she argued. "It scared the shit out of me. I don't know
what I'd do if that were to happen."

"Nothing's going to happen," he assured as he kissed her forehead and stood up.
It was the first time that morning that she realized that he was already dressed,
and that only managed to sour her mood even more.

She didn't want him away for so long. Three days was a long time. After living
with and seeing him every day, three days felt like an eternity, which made Bella
laugh. They had spent weeks apart when they were in college, and it hadn't fazed
her.

"Please call me when you get there," Bella pleaded as Edward hauled his luggage
around the living room furniture to place it beside the front door.

"I'll call when it's morning here."

"No!" she shouted. "Call me when you get there –the minute you step into the
terminal at LaGuardia."

"Bells, you'll probably be asleep by then," he argued, but she wasn't having it.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

"Please?" she asked again as she looked up at him.

"God, with the eyes, why?" he groaned and she smiled wistfully at him. "I can't
compete with that. I'll call, okay? Just don't pick up; let it go to voicemail. It'll be
late here, alright?"

"Thank you," Bella grinned.

"Why are you so adamant about me calling anyway?" he asked, curious to hear
her answer.

"I just want to make sure you get there safely."

"It was just a nightmare, Bella. Nothing's going to happen," he reassured her as
he lugged his presentation board from his room over to the door.

"Now, I'm going to make breakfast, and you're going to get your lazy ass back to
your room to get ready for work, unless you plan on showing up in a Darkwing
Duck tee shirt and a pair of my old basketball shorts," he teased as she looked
down at herself.

"Yeah, you're right. Can you please make something greasy? I'm in the mood for
bacon," she told him as she started to walk away. Before she reached her door,
he shouted out that he would 'do anything for you'. She smiled, feeling the heat
rising in her face as she walked into her bedroom.

He never ceased to make her heart skip a beat.

Twenty minutes later, Bella waltzed back into the kitchen, ready for work, and
found eggs, bacon, and even some fruit on the table.

"Looks good," she informed him as she took a seat across from him. He smiled
grandly at her as she took a handful of bacon onto her plate.

"You look better now," he told her and she scoffed.

"Thanks. Are you trying to tell me I looked like a mess before?"

"No," he backtracked. "I meant you look like you feel better."

"Not really," she murmured, taking a piece of bacon into her hand and biting at
the tough meat roughly.

"Bella, everything will be fine, okay? I'll leave you a message when I get there.
So please stop worrying, okay?" he tried to comfort, but nothing was really
working.

"If you say so," she whispered, suddenly losing her appetite. She was no longer
in the mood to do anything.

The two ate silently for a few minutes before Edward declared that he was stuffed
and that he should be leaving, reminding Bella that this would be the last time
she saw him in three days. The thought caused a painful pang in her chest.

He cleared the table and made to wash the dishes, but Bella stopped him.

"I'll clean those when I get home," she told him, pushing his hand away from the
sink. He smiled at her and nodded in agreement, and started heading for the
door.

They walked together toward the garage, finding their cars where they always
were, side by side, her Audi, and his Mercedes.

"You remember the Volvo?" she asked as they stood in the space between their
respective vehicles.

"That car was my first love," he joked, getting a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "I
had some good times in that car," he winked, and Bella chuckled.

"I'm sure you did."

"I'm not the only one, if I'm mistaken. I believe a certain someone here borrowed
my car to have some fun in it with a boyfriend of hers," he snidely remarked.

"Nothing happened! All we did was make out," Bella screeched, and Edward
laughed as he looked down at his phone. The alarm on it was going off.

"I have to go," he said quietly and Bella nodded. "Don't miss me too much," he
playfully jested, as he pulled Bella in for a hug. Her hands quickly found purchase
around his waist.

"That's going to be hard," she murmured into his chest, and he chuckled, placing
a longing kiss on her forehead.

"You think that's hard. You should try missing you," he said as he pulled away.

Bella felt her heart skip again, after what he had just said. She watched as
Edward got into his car, waving goodbye to her as he backed out of the spot.
He rolled down the window as he turned the car to exit.

"I'm gonna miss you, Swan," he said, smiling.

"Gonna miss you too, Cullen," she replied as he took off.

After a few moments, Bella finally got into her car and set off to work. As she
drove off, she wondered why it was that the radio always knew to play the
saddest songs when she felt crying.

We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for
masturbation.

~Lily Tomlin

Chapter Twenty One: M is for Me Time

The drive to work that morning was the most depressing that Bella could ever
remember having. The radio disc jockey kept playing sad song after sad song
during the entire commercial free block of music. She couldn't stand to hear
about someone else's broken heart anymore when it felt like hers was in a
thousand pieces. Though, Bella thought to herself, how could it be breaking if
nothing was going on between her and Edward?

By the time Bella parked in the employee's garage, there was a painful lump in
her throat and the need to cry was palpable. Damn radio. Damn you, Lionel
Richie, she thought as she tried to swallow the grief away, but it was useless.

On the elevator ride up to her office, she was fortunate to be alone. She let the
emotions flow freely, and the few tears she allowed to fall were just enough to
alleviate the sorrow for the time being.

Bella arrived on her company floor with two minutes to spare before her
department meeting. She had absolutely no desire to attend it that day. It was
the last thing she wanted. All she wanted to do was wallow in her misery. Every
fiber of her being was telling her to just lock herself up in her office, and tell
everyone to 'fuck off', but she sucked it up and headed down to the conference
room with everyone else.

The meeting dragged on that morning. Usually Bella was an active participant in
the discussion, shooting ideas, informing her colleagues about the manuscripts
she was currently reading. Today, however, she remained silent, garnering
worrying stares and a few glares from her colleagues that depended on her to be
an active voice at their meetings.

Once the meeting ended, she apologized to everyone and headed slowly to her
office. She could feel the stares of her coworkers on her back as she dragged her
feet across the carpeted hallway.
That in turn proved to be a bad thing too because once she went for the
doorknob on her office, the static shocked her and she swore out loud, further
surprising her coworkers, who had never heard her react in such a manner
before.

They left her alone for the rest of the day; the receptionist didn't even bother to
inform her of her phone calls. She simply passed them straight to her voicemail.
Bella could hear the double beeping of her desk phone each time, but her mind
was adrift, her thoughts focused on only one thing.

She spent most of her day staring out of her office window, her eyes focusing on
the copper top of the building blocks away. The creepy gargoyles that sat on the
ledges didn't even faze her this time, even with the embankment of clouds
shrouding them.

Bella knew that she was supposed to be going over the story she had been
reading and editing for the last couple of days. She knew the basic premise of the
novel, but that was as far as it went, which was rare for her.

She had a meeting with the author on Friday and she wanted to be overly
prepared; that was her prowess. Whenever she met an author, she knew their
book like the back of her hand. She would not only discuss the plot of the story
with them, and her ideas on how to improve it, but she would also discuss the
motifs of the novels, what she thought readers would enjoy about the storyline,
and what they wouldn't.

Nevertheless, her mind was only keying in on one thought; she was going to be
alone without Edward all weekend. That thought was pushing everything else
aside.

It would be the first time her and Edward were apart for a long period since they
started the game, and she knew that missing him was inevitable, but to have this
sort of attachment to him was the very reason she had feared the game from the
very beginning.

She didn't eat lunch that day. She decided to just stay in her office, and stare out
across the busy Seattle streets. At one point she caught a flash of rust colored
hair on the streets below, and her heart began to pound furiously, only to be
disappointed. From her office floor she could just make out the tops of people's
heads, not their faces, but there was no mistaking that this stranger wasn't
Edward. The hair lacked that certain something that could only be identified as
his hair. She had known it wasn't him, but that thought didn't stop her from
wishing it were him. The mere thought that he was so close, sent a surge of
happiness through her that was completely unexpected.

It wasn't until around one when her day brightened for a while. She was sitting in
her chair, pen in hand and ready to finally focus on her work, when she received
a text message from Edward. When she saw his name on the screen, the biggest
smile flew onto her face.

I already miss you. How pathetic? The message read, and Bella chuckled and
smiled at the same time. It felt wrong to think in the way that she was, but the
fact that she wasn't the only one who felt that way made her happy. She decided
to play around with him.

You always were pathetic, she wrote back, laughing for only the second time that
day.

Very funny. Are you telling me that you don't miss me?
Bella smiled tight lipped down at the screen of her Blackberry.

You're not even gone yet, she replied, a sharp pang pounding in her chest. He
wasn't even at the airport and already she wanted to break down and cry. She
already missed him terribly.

I know; that's the worst part, he wrote back, and Bella let out a startled breath.
It sounded somewhere between a sob and a gasp.

She didn't know what to write back so she decided to call him instead. He picked
up quickly.

"Hey," he spoke brightly, and Bella's mood only worsened. She wondered why he
was so chipper.

"Hey, I just want to know when your flight left again?" she lied. She had wanted
to hear his voice.

"I leave at eight. I get to New York at five in the morning there, and my meeting
is at eleven."

"That sucks," Bella replied. "You don't get much time to rest."

"I'll sleep on the plane. It's not that big of a deal," he answered nonchalantly, and
Bella chuckled. She could faintly hear the sound of Edward flinging rubber bands
against the wall.

"Doing something productive?" she teased, and this time it was Edward who
laughed.

"Can you hear it?" he asked, flinging another rubber band.

"Yeah, though I doubt anyone around you can."

"What have you been up to?" he asked, and Bella wondered what he looked like
sitting in his office. She wondered if he was sitting in his large, leather office
chair, with his legs crossed on the table. Perhaps he was just sitting there
stoically. Maybe, she hoped, he was staring out of his office window looking out
towards hers.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We had a meeting and that was it. I've just been
sitting in my chair staring out of the window," she told him, and listened to him
adjust his position in his chair.

"Why?" he asked, concerned laced the tone of the question.

"Haven't felt like doing anything. I should've just stayed home."

"So go home if you're not doing anything. Fake sick," he suggested. For a
moment, Bella considered the idea, but then the realization that she would be
going home to an empty house was enough to stop her from going.

"Don't feel like going home," she murmured. She could hear Edward shuffling in
his office, and she could only assume that he was standing up.

"You know what? Go home, Bella. I'll meet you there in thirty minutes. I have a
few of hours before I have to be at the airport. We'll have a late lunch," he
excitedly offered and Bella couldn't help the sound of elation that she let out.
"Okay," she agreed quickly, almost falling out of her chair with the speed at
which she was starting to move. "I'll see you soon."

"See you," Edward said and hung up.

Bella had to contain herself before she busted through her door and sprinted out
the building. That wouldn't fair very well with the excuse that she was about to
use.

With as much trepidation as she could, she slowly made her way toward the
receptionist, stopping at the round marble structure.

"Hey, Lena," she said, keeping her voice timid and weak.

"Hey sweetie," Lena replied. Lena was much older than Bella, and she regarded
her with much respect.

"Can you let everyone know I went home early? I'm not feeling very well," she
lied, playing the role perfectly as she sniffled and rubbed her stomach.

"Of course, dear. I noticed something was a little off this morning," Lena
explained. "Go home and get some rest."

"Thanks, Lena. I'll see you tomorrow."

Bella walked incredibly slow as she made her way toward the elevators. She
continued to let on that she was ill as some of her colleagues stepped out of the
elevator. She bid them all a meek farewell as she stepped inside. The moment
the metal doors slid closed Bella nearly poked the garage button out of its slot.
The entire ride felt like an eternity. She spent the ride tapping her foot erratically,
and biting her nails; something she thought she stopped doing back in high
school.

She was nervous as the elevator finally reached the garage. Her stomach was all
in knots as she headed over to her car. It felt like birds were flapping around in
her stomach.

Her hand shook as she slipped the key into the ignition. She was desperate to get
home. It was quite ridiculous, she thought, to be as nervous as she was. It was
only Edward, she tried to tell herself, but that proved to be impossible. By the
time she actually got home, she felt like she was going to throw up.

She was greeted by the smell of pizza and the sounds of Edward singing along to
some old Pearl Jam song.

"Bella!" he shouted as she walked in and took off her shoes, kicking them
towards where he was standing.

"You're chipper," she commented sitting down at the kitchen table, her nerves
still frazzled.

"Not really. I'm just kind of amped for my presentation. I have a good feeling I'm
going to land it."

"Of course you are," she commended, and Edward smiled brightly at her. That
smile sent her heart a flutter.

"So, work sucked?" he asked as he took a bite of his slice. Bella nodded as she
grabbed herself a slice of the small pizza pie on the table.
"Yeah, I couldn't do anything. My mind was elsewhere," her voice trailed off, and
Edward sat up straighter in his seat.

"You're not still thinking about that nightmare, are you?" he teased, and Bella
scoffed at him as she threw a piece of cheese toward him. Luckily, it missed.

"So, what was it?"

"I was just thinking about how boring this weekend is going to be without you,"
she answered, her voice once again trailing as she mumbled the last part.

Edward smiled and he leaned in closer to Bella.

"What was that last part?" he asked.

"I'm gonna miss you, okay. Is that a sin?" Bella huffed in frustration as she
pushed aside her half eaten pizza. She was in no mood to eat.

"No, I'm gonna miss you too. It's going to be weird waking up and not finding
you in the kitchen."

Bella nodded her head as her eyes drifted over to clock on the microwave. She
was figuring that they had two hours before Edward had to leave, so he could
beat the rush hour traffic to the airport.

Edward followed her gaze to where he was staring and let out a sigh.

"I don't want to go," he murmured.

"Yes, you do," Bella argued. "You said before that you were excited to give your
presentation."

"That doesn't mean that I want to go. I wish the presentation could be given
here, instead of New York."

"Me too," Bella said, before she could stop herself.

"Bella," Edward lowly countered. It almost sounded like a growl.

"Edward," she answered back.

He stared at her for a few seconds before shifting his eyes to the clock on the
microwave and then back to her.

"You trust me?" he asked and suddenly Bella felt even more nervous than she did
on the drive home.

"Sometimes," she joked and Edward chuckled.

"Change into something comfortable. I'll meet you here in a few minutes," he
instructed as he raced to his bedroom. Bella, watching the sudden movement,
mimicked Edward and sprinted off to her room and changed into some sweats
and a semi-decent tee shirt.

"Bells!" she heard Edward shout a few minutes later. "You done yet?"

"Yeah, give me a sec," she answered, slipping on a pair of sneakers.

"What are we doing?" she asked as she walked out of her bedroom, tying her hair
up in the process.
Edward was about to answer when he took notice of Bella's shirt, and smiled,
making Bella wondered what the expression was all about.

"My Mariner's shirt. I wondered where it went," he said as he grabbed at a loose

thread at the hem of it. "This shirt always has loose ends. Even when I was in
high school I was constantly cutting them."

Bella watched as Edward skillfully snapped the loose fabric off before grabbing
her hand.

"Come on. I want to show you something," he said as he pulled her out of the
apartment, locking the door with his free hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Bella protested. "You don't exactly have all the time in
the world right now."

"Trust me," he assured her. "We're not going anywhere far."

Bella gulped loudly causing Edward to chuckle. Edward headed toward the
staircase, surprising Bella, and instead of going down like she assumed he would,
he headed up, his hand still firmly grasping hers. Once they climbed the few
flights they had to, Edward slipped a key out of his pocket.

"Where did you get that?" Bella asked, as Edward unlocked the Master padlock of
the door that led to the roof of their building.

"I asked Benny for it, ages ago," he replied nonchalantly. "He never asked for it
back."

Benny was the maintenance guy and he was by far one of the sweetest men Bella
had ever met. He worked hard and diligently, and he never complained.

Edward helped Bella up the metal ladder that led to the outside, following her all
the way up until she finally exited the latched exit.

"Wow," was the first thing Bella said as Edward reached her. She turned around
several times as she looked out at the city she called home. From their rooftop,
she could just make out where her office was, and in the distance she could see
the all too familiar copper roof of Edward's office building.

"I know," Edward responded. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Bella replied, her eyes taking in the sight. She never knew how beautiful
everything truly was, even with the overcast sky and the light mist falling.

"I come up here once in a while to think," he told her. "It's been a while since I've
actually been up here, but I thought today would be a good day to finally revisit."

"You've been keeping this place a secret from me," she frowned playfully as she
smacked his arm lightly.

"Yeah, sort of," he whispered. "I've been waiting a while to bring someone up
here. It's a special place to me."

Bella smiled shyly as she walked toward Edward, nudging his side with her
shoulder.

"That's sweet," she let him know and he smiled back at her as he threw an arm
around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Bella reveled in the warmth of
his chest as her own arm snaked around his waist.
"I'm gonna miss you," he announced after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"How sad is that? It's not like I'm going away for a month. I'm just going away
for three days."

"Ditto," Bella replied as she looked up at Edward to find him looking down at her.
Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him.

"You mean so much to me, Bella. You have no idea."

There was such sincerity in his voice that Bella felt the pinpricks of tears forming
in her eyes.

"I know, Edward. You're so important to me, too" she retorted. "You're probably
the most important person to me. You're my best friend."

For a moment his arm that held her, fell limp for a moment, but then she felt his
grip tighten even more than before.

"I love you, Bells," he whispered, and for a brief second Bella's heart began to
race uncontrollably, but the more rational side of her brain let her know that he
meant it as a friend would. He had after all, called her Bells.

"I love you, Eddie," she snorted as she said it, waiting for the rebuking she
expected, but it never came.

"I can't believe I'm going to miss you this much," he murmured, shaking his
head. Small droplets of water from the ends of his hair fell on to her forehead as
she blushed and he wiped them away.

"We should head back down. I have to get changed." Bella noted the way he said
it without any real want.

"Okay."

The two headed back down the metal ladder and down the stairs back to their
apartment. They remained silent as they walked in.

Bella watched as Edward walked into his bedroom and she remained in the same
spot as he walked out, dressed in a suit with his briefcase in hand.

"I have to go. Mr. Austen is sending his driver to pick me up in ten minutes,"
Edward informed an already down-trodden Bella.

"Okay," she said, quietly as she tried to rein her emotions. The need to cry was
slowly making itself noticeable.

"Don't cry, Bella. Please," Edward pleaded as he dropped his briefcase down by
the door and in one large step, Bella found him standing in front of her, his hands
cupping her face.

"I…I… can't help it," Bella stuttered. "Who's the pathetic one now?"

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "We both are," he answered, and Bella
nodded in agreement.

Edward's phone vibrated and the tears pooled in her eyes even more.

"I gotta go," he said, quietly.

Bella couldn't speak. She was afraid she would start sobbing if she did.
"I'll see you Sunday," he said, and she nodded, trying to suppress the painful
lump in her throat.

"Be safe, Edward."

"You too, Bella."

Bella watched as Edward walked toward the front door and opened it. It felt like
slow motion to her as his hand grabbed the cold knob.

"Wait!" she shouted as she ran up to him and hugged him.

"Call me, okay," she pleaded against his chest and Edward told her he would.

As he stepped away, he bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. She bit her
lip as she suppressed the urge to lift her face and meet his lips with hers. There
was something incredibly romantic about the gesture.

She stared at him as he smiled down at her, and something inside her pushed her
forward. Giving into her desire, she kissed the corner of his mouth just as he was
starting to walk away.

Edward froze and Bella firmly placed her kiss against the corner of his mouth
again, before pulling away.

"Have a good flight."

"Bye, Bella," he dazedly bid farewell, reaching into his pocket for his vibrating
cell.

"Bye, Edward."

This time she watched him walk out the door and toward the elevator. He had to
go down to his car to retrieve his suitcase before heading to the front door to
meet his ride. Once he stepped into the elevator doors, Bella shut her door, and
leaning against it, she slipped down onto the floor and let the tears flow freely.

She had no idea it would hurt this bad to let him go, and that was why she would
never want to endanger their friendship. She couldn't live without seeing him
every day. She knew that one day, he'd find someone perfect for him, and he
would have to leave. The thought killed her, but even if that happened, their
friendship would still be intact, and she would still be somewhat close to him.

After an hour of wallowing against the door, she finally picked herself up off the
floor and headed into the bathroom. She opted to soak in the tub instead of
showering. She brought her phone and a book, and for two hours she soaked in
the vanilla scented bath salts until she looked and felt like a raisin.

It felt like time passed slowly that night until Edward called her to tell her he was
already seated on the plane. He let her know that there was a delay for departure
due to a thunderstorm that was almost done passing through Seattle. They talked
for a few more minutes before he had to hang up because his boss wanted to
discuss some business.

It took Bella hours that night to fall asleep. Her original intention had been to
stay up and wait for Edward's call when he arrived in New York, but by that time,
she was too tired to actually stay up. She could faintly remember hearing the
phone ring, but in her half-asleep state, she ignored it.
That morning when she woke up, she called in sick to work because she had no
desire to sit in her office in a repeat performance of the day before. Lena believed
her immediately after yesterday, so it was no problem.

Bella went through her daily routine before actually sitting down in front of the
television with some cereal and listening to the message. She listened to the
message on speaker and literally felt herself melting into her seat. She replayed
the message repeatedly, each time feeling her heart fill and burst. His voice was
smooth and quiet.

Hey, Bells. I'm safe here in New York. It's almost six thirty here, so you're
probably asleep.

The sun is starting to rise; it's absolutely beautiful. I wish you were here to watch
it with me.

See you in a couple of days. Sweet dreams, love.

It wasn't the first time she had heard Edward call her love. The first time had
been during their first letter, while he was in character, but he had said it
recently. She didn't know if it was a subconscious thing, but it didn't matter. She
loved the way it sounded coming from him.

For the rest of the day, she lounged about in the living room watching daytime
television and soap operas she rarely got to watch. By three, she was restless
and wondering if Edward would call her. It wasn't until five that she finally gave
in and called him to ask how things went. He told her that the presentation had
gone well and that that night he was having dinner with a few of the Adidas big
wigs.

In the background, Bella could make out the sounds of business going down at
the dinner table, but she could also clearly make out the sounds of a woman
trying to get Edward off the phone.

"Uh-oh, I think someone has an admirer," Bella teased trying to keep her voice
steady. She was fuming, jealously pouring out of every pore in her body. She was
three thousand miles away, wondering who this woman was, and wondering how
she could kill her through the phone.

Edward groaned into the phone, and that instantly relaxed Bella. She could hear
him excusing himself from the table to take the call outside.

"Bella, this woman is driving me nuts. She's the CEO's wife, she looks like Barbie
would if she were haggard and old, and she keeps trying to flirt with me, with her
husband sitting right across from me. I need to get the hell out of here, but I
can't. I really want to land this campaign. It's really important."

"Just indulge her for a while, try to compliment her on how youthful she looks,"
Bella offered and Edward chuckled.

"Yeah, I was going to do that, but it's just odd to have her blatantly trying to cop
a feel from across the table while her husband and my potential client is sitting
right there. It's weird," he complained and Bella giggled.

"You'll survive. I promise."

"I hope," he said as he laughed. "Look I have to head back inside, but I'm going
to call you later okay."
"No problem. Talk to you later, Edward. Beware of the cougar," she laughed
obnoxiously into the phone, hanging up after hearing Edward telling her to 'fuck
off'.

She waited until nine when Edward finally called her.

"Hey," she greeted him, and she heard him moan in relief as the bed creaked
below him. She could just imagine him, falling onto the new sheets of the ritzy
Pennsylvania Hotel.

"I'm so glad that's over with. Tomorrow I get to sleep."

"Did you want to sleep now? We can talk tomorrow," Bella suggested, though she
really wanted to talk to him.

"No, I'm okay. I want to talk to you," he answered, and Bella smiled into the
receiver of her phone, shaking her head, remembering that he couldn't see her.

"How was your day?" he asked and he rustled around, making Bella wonder what
the hell he was doing.

"Nothing. I stayed home," she distractedly answered. She was sidetracked by the
sounds in the background. "What are you doing?"

"I'm undressing," he replied and for a split second, a flash of heat seared through
Bella. She pictured what article of clothing he was taking off. Without another
thought, she clicked the speaker button on the phone and clutching it, flew off
her bed and ran down the hall into his room. Without flipping the light on, she
rustled around in the dark for a few seconds, tripping over some of Edward's
clothes, before squinting around the room and seeing the hat resting on his
bedside table. Bella practically lunged for the hat and pulled it to her, grabbing
hold of the first piece of paper her fingers touched, and rushing back out into the
semi-lighted hallway.

"M," she muttered as she read her handwriting.

"What?" Edward asked, and she heard him stop his movements.

"M, I drew the letter M from the hat," she whispered and she heard Edward's
breathing change.

"Bella?" he questioned.

"Yes, Edward?" she retorted, trying to make her voice sound huskier, more
seductive. It had worked.

"Do you want to do this? Do you really want to do this? Over the phone?" he
asked, though Bella could already tell Edward was aroused.

"What did you take off before, Edward?" she retorted, letting him know she was
ready. Bella grinned as she heard Edward growled.

"Before I answer that Bella, we're going to do this right," he began, and Bella felt
a jolt of excitement run through her veins.

"Go to your room, get your little treasure chest of toys, and get onto your bed.
Don't do anything else," he demanded of her, and Bella moved quickly to her
room as she heard the arousal pouring from his lips.
Bella got to her room, and bent down quickly and retrieved her "treasure chest"
as Edward called it. She placed it on the bed beside her and waited for whatever
was next.

"Now what?" she asked, her voice breathy, her chest already pumping up and
down rapidly. They hadn't even begun and Bella was already losing it.

"What are you wearing my Bella? What sexy article of clothing should I have you
remove?" he drawled, and Bella couldn't help the purring sound she let out.

"God, that was sexy," Edward groaned.

"I'm wearing a plain white tank top, no bra, and some white cotton boy shorts,"
she answered honestly, and Edward moaned. She didn't necessarily find that
sexy, but apparently Edward did.

"You have no idea how sexy I think boy shorts are," he began, "especially you in
a pair of little white cotton ones. There's so innocent, so contradictory of what's
about to happen."

"Oh god," Bella shuddered as his voice poured through her phone like liquid sex.

"Take that tank off, Bella," he instructed, and Bella placed the phone done beside
her and placed it on speaker, before slipping the cotton tank top off. She could
feel how hot her body was, how aroused she was. Her nipples were standing at
attention.

"Mhmm…Bella," Edward moaned into the phone. "I love your breasts. They're the
perfect size, and they taste so good. Play with your titties baby, let me hear how
much you love having your nipples sucked."

Bella gulped as she placed a hand on each of her breasts, slowly massaging
them. She moaned in pleasure at the sensation.

"That's right, Bella. Slow and gentle. Suck the pad of your thumb. Let me hear
you do it," he demanded and Bella complied. She obscenely sucked on her thumb
letting Edward hear the loud slurping sound.

"Now Bella, tweak those nipples for me, slowly. Pinch them. Imagine it's my
mouth. Can you feel my tongue circling them, baby?" he whispered, making a
sound that sounded like he was actually the one touching her.

"Ugh, Edward, your mouth…so good," Bella groaned as she pinched her nipples,
rolling then between her thumb and forefinger.

"Bella," he called her name again and Bella moaned again. She could only
imagine what he was doing

"Edward, what are you wearing?" she half asked, half moaned. Her back was
arched off the bed as she continued to rub herself as Edward asked.

"A button down, my tie, and my boxers, baby," he smugly replied and Bella could
just imagine the unbelievably sexy smirk he had on his face.

"Edward," she purred. "That sounds sexy. Take your shirt off, but keep the tie
on," she told him as she heard him remove the garment.

"Kinky," he replied and Bella chuckled as her hands continued to play with her
breasts.
"Edward, if you were here, I'd be kissing all along your chest up and down," she
moaned and Edward answered back with a moan of his own.

"That feels good, Bella. I can feel your wet lips against my chest. Ugh, baby, that
feels amazing."

"I need you, Edward," Bella whined and Edward growled.

"Oh fuck, Bells. You don't know how badly I wish you were here right now. I need
to feel you."

Bella moaned as her hands wandered down to her stomach. She let them lay
there and waited for Edward's next instructions.

"Bella, I want to you take your nails and very slowly scratch along your
collarbone. Can you do that, love?"

"Yes," she whispered and raked her nails along her collarbone. It felt oddly
similar to when he would nibble along there.

"Can you feel me, Bella? Can you feel my teeth grazing your skin? Fuck, I wish I
was there to taste it. You taste so fucking incredible," he groaned and Bella
mimicked the sound.

"Edward, I need you," she buzzed and Edward let out an animalistic sound that
she had never heard.

"Bella, run your nails down your stomach. Let me hear it."

Bella dragged her fingernails straight down from the center of her chest down to
her belly button, all the while listening to Edward's heavy breathing and
approving groans. She skimmed the top of her underwear snapping them against
her skin to grab Edward's attention.

"Bella, you naughty girl. Did I say you could touch yourself, yet?" he chided and
Bella suppressed the moan making its way up her throat.

"No," she timidly replied, playing the good girl and Edward once again let out that
new sound from earlier. It caused such a stirring in her loins. She was dripping
and she knew it, she could only imagine how good it would feel when she actually
touched herself. There was fire running rampant in her blood.

"Now, Bella, I want you to do something for me."

"Anything," she breathed out and Edward replied with a 'good'.

"I want you to go into that little toy chest of your and pull out that little electric
friend of yours."

Bella scrambled to her side and pulled the pink vibrator out of the box and turned
it on, letting Edward hear the buzzing sound.

"Fuck," he grunted. Bella wished she could see Edward lying on his bed, his
boxers tented at the crotch, and a silk tie around his neck.

"Bella, I want you to lick it for me. Suck that fake cock for me. Imagine it's
me…between those plump…ungh…pink…wet…lips," he rasped, and Bella could
here the sound of his hand rustling the front of his boxers.
Grabbing the vibrator with one hand, Bella nosily sucked at the head of the
plastic object, imagining it was Edward she was sucking. If she closed her eyes
tight enough, she could almost feel the warmth of his dick on her tongue, the
salty tanginess that was all him.

"Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck." Bella heard Edward chant on the phone as she continued
to suck the vibrator further, the buzzing causing an odd sensation on her tongue.
She decided to tease him by taking too much of it and letting out a small choking
sound.

"Fuck it, Bella," he reproached. "Put the toy down and turn it off. I want you take
off those little panties. I bet they're soaked. They're probably see through by
now."

Bella slowly removed the underwear, imagining it was Edward's strong, firm
hands that were pulling the fabric down her legs.

"Edward, take your boxers off. Let me see that big cock of yours," she ordered of
him, and for a moment, she had to stop and think about what she had just said.
Never had she uttered such words with so much conviction. It didn't go
unnoticed.

"Damn, Bella, you vixen. I like this side of you. I can just imagine how your face
would flush if I were standing there in front of you. When I get back, you better
talk like that to me."

Bella chuckled hungrily wanting to get the show on the road. She turned the
vibrator back on, and Edward was the one who chuckled this time.

"Anxious, love?"

"You have no idea."

"Well, then I can't keep you waiting," he began. "Take the Rabbit out of the box,
Bella. It's time for the show to start."

"That was corny, Edward."

"You're killing the mood, Bella," he chided and Bella silenced.

"Now, take the Rabbit and turn it on for me Bella. Let me hear it."

Bella turned the other vibrator off and pulled the heavy duty Rabbit out of the
box, turning it on for Edward.

"Baby, rub that up and down those wet, pussy lips for me. God, I wish I was
there. You're probably soaking the sheets. Ugh, I want to lick you clean."

Bella groaned as she rubbed the toy up and down her slit, her eyes rolling back
into her head at Edward's words.

"Edward," she moaned as the vibrations were sending her body into a frenzy.

"Slip it in baby, slowly," he groaned, his voice huskier than she had ever heard it.

She complied, slowly pushing the toy into her entrance, moaning as she finally
had the feeling of being filled.

"Oh, Edward, you feel so good," she moaned, and Edward moaned right along
with her. She could only imagine that he was fisting his dick in his hands.
"So wet, Bells…you're always so wet and so tight for me. So perfect," he groaned.

"Edward…oh Edward," she chanted as she pushed the toy in and out, the little
ears on top rubbing her clit in a steady rhythm with her motions.

"Slow, baby, take it slow."

"I can't Edward, I need it," she whined as she picked up the pace.

"Damn, Bella, you want to be fucked hard don't you? Answer me Bella," he
grunted and Bella could hear the motions of his hands speeding up.

"Yes, yes, oh fuck yes," Bella wailed as she raised her hips to match the rhythm
of the toy. "Oh shit, Edward. I'm so close."

"Not yet, Bella. A little more. I need to feel you for a little more. You always feel
so good," he bellowed.

"Ah…ah…" Bella screeched as she felt her impending releases. She could tell
Edward was close by the way Edward's breath started to skip occasionally.

"Edward, come with me," Bella called to him and Edward groaned.

"Fuck, Bells. I'm gonna come. Shit…shit...shit, Bella," he wailed as he came. Bella
heard the rattling of his bed frame, and the rustling of his sheets.

"Edward," was all Bella cried as she came, little bursts of light exploding behind
her closed eyes.

"Fucking hell," Edward said as Bella came down from her climax.

"Mhmm…" Bella mumbled. At the moment, she was incapable of speaking.

"That was amazing, Bella," Edward commented and Bella agreed. Him being
there would have made it all the better.

"Still wish you were here," Bella retorted and Edward sighed in return.

"I wish you were here. The view from my window is beautiful. New York at night
is glorious."

"I bet."

"One day, you and I will come here on vacation, and explore all the ins and outs
of the city. There's so much to do here."

"Yeah, maybe," she answered off handily. She never saw it happening.

"No, not maybe, Bella. Definitely. I promise you," he told her firmly.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that," Bella giggled.

"Good. I'm gonna go sleep now. I'm fucking exhausted. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Of course. Goodnight Edward."

"Night, love. Oh and thank you."

"Thank you?" Bella questioned quizzically.

"Yeah, for the strawberry delights in my briefcase. I had a few on the plane."
"No problem. Night Edward."

"Good night, Bella."

Bella hung up the phone reluctantly and stared up at her ceiling. It felt odd to
have had such a powerful release without Edward being present, though he had
facilitated it. She still had one more day without him there, and the thought put a
damper on her orgasmic bliss.

Slowly, she made her way over to the bathroom to shower, all the while thinking
about what she would do Saturday, if she was doing anything at all.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Eleven Down, Only Fifteen More to Go

It was ten when Edward finally woke on Saturday morning. The sun was peeking
in through the tiny sliver between the semi-shut curtains. He hadn't had the heart
last night to shut them completely; he had been entranced by the flashing lights
of Madison Square Garden across the street. From his hotel room he could still
make out the sounds of the busy New York City traffic on the street fifteen floors
below.

He felt well rested, relaxed, and as he stretched, he couldn't help the sense of
elation that washed over him as the heat spread throughout his stiff limbs. As he
lay flat on the bed, staring up at the gold filigree lining of the intricate ceiling
pattern, he couldn't help but think about his phone call the night before.

Last night had been amazing. He had hated that he wasn't able to see Bella
touching herself, writhing on her bed, as he took command of her body over the
phone. He loved that he could hear her though.

She sounded stunning as she called out his name. Her voice was raspy and gruff;
the way it always sounded when she was aroused. It was so unbelievably sexy.
Edward loved the way a woman's voice would become rough during sex. There
was nothing sexier or alluring. Any man could attest to the fact, hell any man
would be willing to listen to a lecture about menopause if the lecturer was
speaking in a smooth and sensual voice. Angelina's lips were not the only reason
men fantasized about her.

Bella's voice always lowered an octave or two, and Edward's name never sounded
sweeter than in those moments. It never failed to make him feel like a hormonal
teenage boy. It was science, really. All the blood would rush down to his dick
whenever the first breathy syllable of his name would fall from her lips. Last night
had provided him with those sounds, the sounds he wished he could hear every
minute of the day, sounds he wished he could have been able to witness.

Even the sounds of the vibrator buzzing deep inside her, though faint over the
phone, damn near made him come. He could just make out the sounds of it
slipping between her wet folds, and it drove him mad that it wasn't him between
her thighs. It had been so long since he had gotten to feel her that way, and
there was a fire in his loins, and a yearning to feel her legs around his waist, to
thrust deep into her warmth.

The images of what she must have looked like the night before were what sent
him over the edge. Just thinking about what her naked body must have looked
like writhing on her bed was enough to stir him, even now between his half-
awake, half-asleep state; he could feel the familiar tingling of the blood flowing
south.

With his hand placed tightly around himself, last night, he kept his eyes shut as
he imagined Bella laying on her soft, down comforter.

He envisioned the way the sweat fell down her chest and the way it would pool in
her collarbone to slide down her back when she arched into her bed. With his
eyes tightly shut, he saw her body flushed red, her hair matted to her forehead,
her toes curling, and her eyes rolling into the back of her head. He imagined the
way her mouth dropped open whenever she could no longer make a sound; it
was just a stuttered breath.

There was nothing more beautiful to Edward than watching Bella lose control, to
watch her throw caution to the wind and be taken away by the all consuming
ecstasy that he could provide her.

But the most amazing thing of all was feeling her close to him.

Just having her near was incredible. Just being able to hold her, and feel her
smooth skin against his, her warm body against his, was the most amazing
feeling, or so he had thought.

Her lips on the corner of his mouth… the searing heat he had felt… the almost
kiss… that was the most incredible feeling.

He had been so confounded at that moment that he didn't even react. Thinking
about it now, he wished he would have just turned his head to the side, the
second time she kissed him, that way her lips would have met his.

For the last three weeks, the urge to kiss Bella had been growing. There was an
invisible pull, a force that he couldn't fight, and quite frankly, he no longer
wanted to fight it.

The game was changing, hell Edward whole-heartedly believed the game had
already changed. It had taken on a new facade. Their rules were slowly being
obliterated one by one and slowly but surely, Edward hoped that all of them
would be gone.

Each time brought him closer to what he didn't want to admit. They were always
trying to outdo the other, bring the other to the brink of bliss and back again.
There was magnetism there, an inexplicable connection, a profound and mutual
expression of emotions that he couldn't quite place what they were. He knew
what he wanted them to be, it to be, but Edward brushed it aside and concluded
it was out of the question.

Twenty minutes after his disheartening revelation, Edward finally worked his way
out of his bed to pull the curtains open. He spent a few minutes staring out at
Madison Square Garden, and the television ticker announcing a concert that
night, and Knicks tickets for the upcoming season. He admired the haste in which
the pedestrians walked along the sidewalk, and the way cars swerved and
maneuvered their way around them. He could even spot who were the natives
and who were the tourists by the way they moved about.

This was one of those moments that Edward wished he could be sharing with
Bella. She would have loved to see the hustle and bustle of the grandiose city.
As the soundtrack of the city played on, Edward sat in a chair and continued
staring out of the window. For a few brief moments, he was in a state of
remorseful stillness, until his cell phone started vibrating.

"Edward!" Emmett shouted into the phone, and Edward was taken aback from the
loud noise, and held the phone away from his ear.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Edward chastised as Emmett chuckled loudly over
the phone.

"Of course it was. Everything I do has a purpose," Emmett reasoned. This time
Edward made a loud, disapproving sound into the phone.

"I'm sure. Care to enlighten me?"

"Oh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Emmett commented
before Edward grunted to let him know that he was in no mood, and that he
should hurry up.

"Emmett. Say what you have to, and let me be."

"Fine, fine. Care to explain what it is that Rose tells me about you and Bella?"

At the moment, Edward felt like the world had just spun off its axis. He was so
blindsided by the comment, that he nearly missed the bed when he went to sit
down.

"What do you mean?" he asked apprehensively. He didn't want to give anything

away if Emmett in fact didn't know.

"Don't play coy with me little brother. You know damn well what I'm talking
about. Since when have you two started fucking?"

Edward shouldn't have been shocked by that statement but he was.

"What exactly has she told you?"

Edward almost swore himself stupid as he heard the gasp from the other line. He
knew right then and there, that he had just given himself away.

"So it's true? You two are really…" Emmett let the sentence hang until Edward
confirmed it with a simple 'yes'.

"Wow. I can't believe you guys finally got your heads out of your asses and
realized how much you two are practically married."

"What are you talking about Em?" Edward asked, even though he already figured
what Emmett was trying to say.

"Oh for fucks sake," Emmett groaned.

"I really don't know what you meant by that."

"Who started this Edward?" Emmett asked, and by the tone of voice, Edward
knew that his brother knew that he was the one to initiate the game.

"It was mutual," Edward answered and Emmett swore at him.

"Fuck that. Be honest with me, Edward. Who initiated the game? Whose idea was
it?"
Edward couldn't help but laugh as he hung his head down. He felt like a little boy
all over again, being reprimanded by his parents, only this time it was Emmett
doing the scolding.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing," Edward brushed him aside, stifling his laughter.

"So it was you, wasn't it?" Emmett asked and Edward again found himself having
to laugh as he rolled his eyes to the cell phone in his hand.

"Why would you ask a question to an answer you already know?"

"Because I want to hear you say it," Emmett voiced. His tone of voice was
becoming stern, much like it was right after he got done with a session with one
of his patients.

"There's nothing really to say Emmett. Yes, I initiated the idea, but Bella was the
one who thought up the rules," he admitted and heard a little victory cheer from
Emmett.

"So you two are really having sex, every weekend using the alphabet?"

"Yes," Edward replied, mumbling. "And sometimes the weekdays."

"Wow, so how many letters have you done?"

"Eleven. Why?"

"This has been going on for three months now?" Emmett yelped into the phone in
surprise. Edward knew that three months hadn't passed yet, but he didn't feel
like correcting Emmett because that would lead to further discussion about his
and Bella's weekday rendezvous.

"Yes, now is that all you wanted to know?" Edward, clearly annoyed, questioned.

"No," Emmett quickly fired back. "I have one more thing to ask."

"Shoot."

"Remember back when, like ten years ago when you asked me about losing your
virginity?" he began and cut him off.

"If you're wondering if Bella and I kiss, we don't," Edward stated and Emmett
gasped.

"You don't kiss when you have sex? What is wrong with you?"

"You told me when I was sixteen that I shouldn't kiss someone I don't plan on
forming a relationship with," Edward incredulously protested and Emmett scoffed.

"You're an idiot. I said if you were willing to risk your friendship with Bella then
go ahead and kiss her, if you weren't then don't."

"So you're telling me now that I should kiss her?"

"Yes!"

It was a simple statement, one word that made Edward's heart fluttered and a
searing heat to travel up his spine.
"Why say yes now? Why not ten years ago?"

"Because ten years ago, I don't think you knew then what you know now,"
Emmett answered cryptically.

"And what would that be?" Edward replied nastily. He was getting frustrated by
Emmett's ability to always be right.

"When you asked Bella to play this so-called game. Did you ask her because you
knew she was going to say yes or because you wanted her to say yes?"

And there it was, Edward thought. The question that ten years prior had been so
easy to answer, and now he didn't know how to answer.

"So?" Emmett goaded as Edward remained silent.

"I don't know."

"Yes you do Edward. You always have. You love her. You're in love with Bella."

"I love Bella. I'm in love with Bella," he repeated, testing out how it sounded.

"I know," Emmett said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and again
Edward repeated the words into the phone.

"I love Bella. I'm in love with Bella."

"It's about damn time you realized it. I gotta go, Edward. I'll talk to you when
you get back," Emmett bid goodbye, but Edward was in a daze, and didn't even
noticed when Emmett hung up the phone.

"I'm in love with Bella," he spoke to the empty hotel room. "I'm in love with
Bella," he repeated, starting to chant it out like a song.

Pulling himself out of his stupor, Edward quickly texted Bella, writing,

Good morning, beautiful.

11 Down, Only 15 More to Go.

Even as he wrote it, he felt a pain in his chest. There were only fifteen more
letters to go and then what?

As he waited for her to reply back, a message that wouldn't come up for another
two hours, Edward wondered.

When in the hell did he fall in love with Isabella Swan?

When did he fall in love with his best friend?

And why hadn't he realized it sooner?

Every house where love abides

And friendship is a guest,

Is surely home, and home sweet home

For there the heart can rest.

~Henry Van Dyke

Chapter Twenty-Three: H is for Home

After his phone call with Emmett, Edward decided to just stay in his hotel room
and watch television. He found himself in an odd mood, all thanks to his brothers
prying ways, but Edward didn't really know if he could truly be angry with him.
Though Emmett had practically pulled the words out of his mouth, Edward had on
some level, already known that he was been in love with Bella.

The night in the park was evident of it. He had felt it then, hell, he had even said
it, but it hadn't registered. How that was possible, he had no clue, but it had
happened. He had known he said it, but had totally disregarded it as a fluke, or
as something he just happened to have said as he came. It wasn't rare from
someone to say 'I love you' when having sex; it happened all the time, but
Edward could honestly say he meant it.

In retrospect, he knew at that moment he was in love with Bella. It had sucker-
punched him there on the jungle gym. He had been staring into her eyes,
watching her body quake below his, as they moved together. The moonlight was
casting shadows of the tress across her cheeks, and those three little words had
slipped through his lips with ease, but now, now, they felt far more real.

"I love Bella Swan," he told the hotel room once more, as he lay on the bed with
his head propped on his crossed arms.

The words sounded different as if there was something there that gave them
substance, definition.

He didn't know what it was, but all day his mind raced with thoughts of Bella as
he tried to watch some movies and forget about his conversation with Emmett.
Even when his boss called him to invite him to dinner, insisting that he come,
Edward politely declined using the excuse that he was ill.

The only thing that he had managed to do all day was to have someone at the
concierge's desk pick up a necklace he ordered online from Tiffany's. It was a
simple necklace, not too expensive, but it was incredibly symbolic, at least he
thought so.

It was white gold, and on it hung one of the famous Tiffany keys, specifically the
heart key pendant with round diamonds incrusted into the heart. As corny as
Edward found it to be as he looked at the necklace online, it was beautiful as it
lay in the famous blue jewelry box; he couldn't help but smile. He was picturing
how lovely it would look against the alabaster skin of Bella's neck, and how
radiant the diamonds in the heart would shine against her chest.

He was giving Bella a necklace that he knew she would complain about, saying
that he didn't have to buy her anything, but he knew that she would love it.

Unfortunately, she would have no idea behind the symbolism of the heart key, or
how hard it would be for him to give the necklace, well more so the pendant that
hung from it.

Edward eventually dozed off into a restless sleep as he tossed and turned
thinking about the early morning flight back home. For the first time in years, he
was actually nervous about going home, but what was really making him nervous
was that he wasn't going home to his best friend Bella; he was going back to his
best friend Bella who he was in love with it.

That night he dreamt of sweeping her off her feet, declaring his love to her, and
having it reciprocated tenfold. He dreamt of the way she would smile, admit that
she felt the same, and then they would kiss and make love.

Of course, he knew it was all his imagination running wild as he woke up a couple
of hours later to procure that he had everything safely packed away in his
suitcase before he made his way down to the front desk to check out.

When he was done with the overly flirtatious hotel worker, he met Mr. Austen by
the door as they waited for a taxi to drive them over to the airport. Edward was
anxious, but he pushed his fears aside as Mr. Austen greeted him good morning
and gave him the accolades he rightfully deserved.

"Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning, Mr. Austen," he replied, straining hard with himself to calm his
nerves and suppress the yawn that was threatening to come out.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked and Edward nodded, almost giving himself
away because he forgot that he had lied to him the night before.

"Yes, Sir. I think it may have been something I had for earlier yesterday."

"It happens to the best of us," Mr. Austen chuckled and Edward joined along as
they made their way over to the taxi the doorman had hailed over.

As the cab driver shut the trunk, Mr. Austen passed Edward a large stack of
papers. It was as thick as a textbook Edward used in college.

"What is this, Mr. Austen?" he questioned, balancing the papers in his right hand.

"That, my dear boy, is the contract for the Adidas campaign. Mr. Dassler was
incredibly impressed by your presentation and by the manner in which you hold
yourself. He also mentioned that he believes you're destined for some great
things in the advertising world. I couldn't agree with him more."

"Thank you, Sir," Edward thanked him, smiling slightly as he noted the ten figure
number on the contract cover.

"It's my pleasure, Edward. You have been a great asset to my company. Mr.
Meyers and I were discussing this the other day. We believe that in the future
there is the possibility of making you a partner."

Edward gasped at his admission. Partner? he thought. That would be incredible.

He wondered how long it would take before the sign outside the office doors read
Meyers, Austen and Cullen. The image brought a smile to his face, but when he
noted Mr. Austen looking at him, he let it fade.

"It's alright to smile, Edward. It's a great honor to be made partner. Myself and
Meyers have never even considered the idea until we hired you years ago," he
began and Edward sat there stunned. "It's true," he affirmed.

"But why me, Sir?"

"Edward, it should be obvious. You're one of our most dedicated employees.

Don't think that we haven't noticed you coming into work on Saturdays. You have
tenacity that I haven't seen in years. You have a knack for this, Edward. I've
never seen anyone present a campaign quite like you have."

"Thank you, Sir," Edward spoke, still stunned by what he was hearing. He had
known that his superior had thought well of him, but to actually be considered,
someday, as their partner, was astonishing, and incredibly flattering.

"No, problem. You remind me of Meyers when he was young. I was never quite
the charmer he was. My wife, Jane, seems to thinks that your success rate has
something do with your quote-un-quote brilliant smile and fantastic face."

Edward chuckled as Mr. Austen went on to tell him about his wife's not subtle
crush on the young employee since they met several years back at one of the
company's many holiday parties. He even let him know about how disappointed
Mrs. Dassler had been when he had let her know that Edward would not be
attending dinner the night before because he was sick. He had had to almost
physically hold the woman down because she wanted to visit him and make him
feel better.

"You may laugh Edward, but looks and charms can get a man, especially
advertising men a long way. Don't think your impressive resume was the only
reason we hired you."

Edward's eyes widened at Mr. Austen's admission, but he eased up as he noticed

how Mr. Austen's shoulders shook as he tried to suppress a laugh.

"You're messing with me, right?" he asked and Mr. Austen nodded his head,
allowing the stifled laughed to pervade the taxicab.

"Of course, Edward, but let it be known. That some clients are incredibly shallow
that way."

"I can only imagine, Sir."

Mr. Austen nodded in agreement before remaining silent for the last fifteen
minutes of the ride over to J.F.K. Airport.

That was when Edward's nerves started to become frazzled once more. He was
now one more step closer to getting home, to getting back to Bella. He couldn't
wait to be back in her arms, to feel her pressed against him, to feel her naked
body writhing against him as he pushed into her slowly.

He had to stop in his spot as the image flashed in front of him. In the flash, he
caught sight of her glistening, flushed skin, and her dark hair fanned out against
the bed.

"Edward!" Mr. Austen called him, breaking his quick daydream.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Are you okay? You just stopped walking and started staring off into space."

"I'm fine. Just wondering if I remembered everything," he quickly lied. It seemed

like a legitimate excuse.

Mr. Austen didn't question him further and the two headed over to the ticket
window to pick up their boarding passes and to check their bags in. Once that
was all complete, the two headed to their assigned gate for boarding.
"I hate waiting," Mr. Austen randomly said as Edward took a seat across from him
at the first class lounge bar.

"I couldn't agree more," Edward concurred for an entirely different reason as the
butterflies in his stomached flapped their wings in unison. His nerves were far
from frazzled, they were fried.

Half an hour later, one of the airplane attendants announced that the first class
cabin of their airplane was boarding. Trying to keep in Mr. Austen's good graces
and make a further impression, he quickly pulled out money and placed it on the
table, picking up the tab.

Mr. Austen thanked him and headed over to the gate. Edward followed suit and
picked up his briefcase and made his way to the boarding gate, his nerves
making him feel nauseas.

An hour later, the plane was departing the city. Before takeoff, Edward texted
Emmett to let him know he was on his way home, and he left a message for Bella
to let her know that he would be home sometime after noon.

He sat by the window and stared at the cloud embankment before dozing off to
sleep. By the time he woke up, there was only two hours left in the flight.

"Ah, good morning again, Edward," Mr. Austen chuckled as Edward woke up.

"Sorry I fell asleep. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"It's quite alright. You were ill, yesterday. It's only natural to still feel a bit under
the weather."

Edward nodded and paged for one of the flight attendant. Quickly, a heavily made
up, big haired, woman stepped next to Mr. Austen and leaned forward to talk to
Edward.

"Good morning. How may I help you?" she smiled grandly, and Edward had to
stop himself from gagging as her cheap perfume wafted in his direction and her
bright red lipstick was painted across not only her lips but her two front teeth as
well.

"I'll just have something cold...umm…like a Coca Cola. Thank you," he answered
and smiled at the woman trying to keep his distance from her. From the corner of
his eye, he could see Mr. Austen failing to keep from laughing.

"My pleasure," she responded, still smiling brightly.

As she walked away, Mr. Austen allowed himself to laugh freely and Edward just
stared at his boss.

"You see, charmer."

Edward rolled his eyes as the flight attendant, Rebecca, came back, obscenely
leaning over Mr. Austen to hand Edward his beverage. She smiled widely again
and Edward backed up against his seat as far as he could, pushing the back of his
head into the cushion of his seat.

"Is there anything else you need sir?" she flirtatiously asked, and this time Mr.
Austen blatantly laughed out loud, embarrassing Rebecca.

"No, thank you," Edward answered, dismissing her.

Clearly flustered, she walked away, her face stained red.

"That was uncomfortable," Edward mumbled, and Mr. Austen chuckled.

"That was hysterical. She couldn't have been any less obvious."

Edward shook his head as he grabbed his cup and took a sip of the fizzy
carbonated drink, reveling in the way it cured his dry mouth.

By the time, he finished his drink and the attendants came to clear the garbage,
the captain was informing everyone that they were approaching Seattle, and
would be landing in twenty minutes.

As Edward readjusted his seat into the upright position and placed the tray back
in its spot in front of him, the knot in his stomach started to tighten, making him
nauseous.

"You look tense," Mr. Austen commented and Edward shook his head to dismiss
the notion.

"I'm fine. Landing just makes me a bit nervous."

"No shame in that," Mr. Austen said. "For me, it's the take off that makes my
stomach turn."

Edward nodded and gripped the arms of his chair as the plane descended closer
to the runway. He could now see Seattle through the clouds. Mere minutes later,
the wheels were released and the plane was touching down on the blacktop of the
airport runway.

It was another fifteen minutes before the plane stationed itself by a gate and the
passengers were allowed to get off. When Edward and Mr. Austen arrived at
baggage claim, they bid farewell to each other when Mr. Austen's bag was the
first to come off the plane. Edward waited a few minutes before his suitcase
traveled its way around the conveyor belt. The closer the bag got to him, the
more hot he felt. His ears were ringing, and there was a light sweat starting to
form on his forehead.

He walked slowly through the baggage claim area until he entered into the
arrival's gate, spotting his brother easily in the crowd of people waiting.

"Em!" he called out and Emmett waved him over.

"Welcome back," Emmett greeted him with a hug.

"Thank, Em."

"So, did you bring me anything back from the Big Apple?" he asked as he led
Edward to his jeep.

"No."

Emmett frowned as he opened the trunk of his jeep to put Edward's suitcase
there.

"Well, that's just rude. You go away and come back without gifts for anybody. I
always bring you back something."
"A Toblerone bar from Duty Free does not count as something, Emmett," Edward
argued as he stepped into the car. "Besides, I did bring back a gift, just not for
you."

"A gift? As in one? As in for Bella?" Emmett pried and Edward glared at him.

"Oh come one, Edward. Let's stop this now. You're in love with Bella, and you
brought her something back from New York. Right?"

"Yes," Edward defeated admitted.

"The question is what did you bring her?"

Edward grimaced as he pulled out the jewelry box from his briefcase.

"Tiffany's?" Emmett asked. "Tell me you didn't buy her a ring?"

"No. I'm not that stupid. It's a necklace. It a key with a heart on top," he
revealed the necklace, carefully untying the blue bow on top. Emmett started to
laugh.

"Oh my god, you cornball. Is that supposed to be like the key to your heart?" he
questioned and Edward glared at him, which served as enough of an answer for
him.

"Oh man, it is. God, you've really got it bad, but I mean that shouldn't surprise
me. I think you've always had a thing for Bella. I mean, what kind of teenage boy
spends a superfluous amount of money on a necklace for a girl that's just their
friend?"

"Shut up, Em and just get me home," Edward grunted.

"Oh of course you want to get home. Bella's probably waiting for you in some
sexy lingerie," Emmett teased and reminiscent of their younger days, Edward
punched Emmett in the arm.

"Hey, watch it! I'm driving here. You do want to get home? No?"

"Do me a favor and keep your mouth shut and drive."

"Whatever, Edward. You're such a sour puss. So how was New York? Did you land
the client or whatever it is that you do?" Emmett asked seemingly interested.

"It was nice, and yes I booked the client, and I think I'm going to be made
partner soon."

"Really?" Emmett asked, showing how happy he was for his brother. Edward
nodded and Emmett patted Edward's shoulder.

"That's awesome, man. No one deserves it more than you."

Edward smiled as his brother took the familiar left turn onto his street. It felt so
good to be back in the familiar neighborhood, but it also served to cause his
nerves to go haywire again.

"Whoa, Edward you okay?" Emmett asked as he found a parking spot a few paces
down from the front door.

"Yeah, just nervous."

"Why the hell are you nervous?"

"I don't know," he admitted as he stepped out of the car. His body felt like it was
on fire as he removed his luggage from Edward's car and started walking toward
his apartment, Emmett following behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Edward turned to Emmett.

"To say hi to Bella. Don't think just because you two are boinking that you can
hog her."

Edward rolled his eyes as he opened the front door and headed toward the
elevator. The two Cullen men hopped in and rode it to Edward's floor. During the
ride up, Edward's leg shook, bouncing impatiently as the metal box ticked away
slowly as they grew closer to their destination.

"Damn, Edward, relax."

"I'm trying," Edward gulped as they stepped out of the elevator and walked to his
door. With his hand shaking, he slipped the key into the door and opened the
door. As soon as they were inside, Emmett bellowed out to Bella.

"I've brought him back in once piece, Bella."

Bella rushed out of Edward's bedroom in a rush, almost tripping as she leapt into
Edward's arms, chanting how much she missed him.

"I missed you too, beautiful," Edward replied and Emmett smirked as he watched
Bella in her revealing pajamas, a pair of short shorts and a tank top, grip
Edward's neck for dear life.

"How come I don't get a greeting like that? Is it because we're not having kinky
sex?" Emmett asked and Bella gasped as she loosened her grip on Edward. She
turned around to stare at Emmett.

"What did you just say?" she asked him, turning to Edward after. "What did he
just say?"

"Rosalie has a big mouth," Edward answered for Emmett who in return nodded
his head.

"Fuck," Bella swore. "So you know?"

"Yep, I know all about your little adventures," Emmett chuckled and Bella flushed
red. Most times Edward would be admiring how pretty she looked in the simple
bed wear and the pink that tinted her skin, but right now he was furious with
Emmett and Rosalie.

"Go home, Emmett," Edward scolded and Emmett whined that it wasn't fair.

"Oh come on, really?"

"Emmett," Edward repeated and he conceded.

"Fine, fine, I'll go, but this won't be the last time you see me. I'll be back," he
jested and Bella shook her head as she chuckled.

"Tell that blond bimbo that's she not getting anything for Christmas," Bella
shouted as Emmett walked out.

"I'll tell her all of that, word for word!"

"Good," both Edward and Bella said. They laughed as Edward locked the door
behind Emmett.

"I missed you," Edward declared and Bella nodded.

"I missed you, too."

"What were you doing in my room?" he asked her as he took of his shoes and
started walking to his bedroom. He watched as Bella followed him and started to
blush.

"I slept in your room yesterday. I like the way your bed smells," she answered,
and Edward smiled.

"Did you sleep well?

"Sort of. I had that dream I keep having, but it's not like it's a bad dream. On the
contrary, it's quite nice. I just wish I could see the person's face."

"What you mean?" Edward asked as he sat down on his bed. He removed his tie
and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it out of his slacks.

"Well, I keep having this dream where I'm dancing with a man, and we kiss, but I
never see his face. It's so odd," she whispered, and Edward felt his heart skip.
Something inside him wished the face that she was seeing was his.

"It probably means nothing."

"I know, but it's so unnerving. I keep having it," she protested and Edward
watched as her brow wrinkled. He reached over and pushed the furrowed skin
down.

"You'll get wrinkles like that," he teased and Bella scoffed at him.

"You sound like Alice."

"She is my cousin," he argued and Bella nodded.

"So how was New York? Did you get the contract?" she asked, genuinely excited,
unlike Emmett.

"Yeah I got the account, and New York was great, though it would've been better
with you there," he murmured the last part, but Bella heard him and ended up
blushing.

"I love when you blush. It's beautiful," he whispered as his knuckles brushed
against her cheeks.

"God, I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he began, pulling away. He reached for the briefcase at his
feet and pulled it up into his lap.

"I got you something."

"Edward," she chastised. "You shouldn't have gotten me anything. It's totally
unnecessary."

"Be quiet, Bella, and just accept it," he argued thrusting the blue box in her
direction.
He watched as Bella's eyes raked over the blue box and the black calligraphy on
it that read Tiffany & Co.

"Edward, this is too much," she remarked as she slowly removed the bow from
the top and opened the box slowly. She gasped as the brilliant diamonds
sparkled.

"Edward, it's beautiful," she appraisingly murmured. "But it must have cost you
and arm and a leg."

"No, just a finger," he joked, and Bella huffed weakly as she outline the key with
her finger, mesmerized by its beauty.

"Help me put it on?"

"Of course," he said as he crawled to sit on his knees on the bed, behind her.

Delicately, he removed the necklace from the box. He draped the necklace across
Bella's chest and brought the ends around her neck as she held her hair aside for
him. Clasping the necklace in the back, he pulled the hair out of her hand and
held it himself.

He watched as she gripped the end of the key with her hand, and smiled. It
looked just as he expected it would.

"It looks perfect on you."

Bella blushed at his words and turned her head away from him. Edward was
basking in the warmth radiating from her shoulder, and gently he placed a kiss on
the right one.

"Edward," Bella groaned, and Edward mimicked it.

"I miss how you feel," he began. "I miss the way you move when you're under
me," continued, kissing the spot below her ear, making her shiver. "I miss the
way you feel wrapped around me," he moaned into her ear as he bit her earlobe.

"Oh," Bella gasped as Edward bit at the crook of her neck.

"Not yet," he teased and pulled away. Bella chuckled as she watched Edward get
off the bed. He grabbed his cell phone and snapped a quick photo of Bella, so he
could keep the image of her wearing the necklace forever.

Next, he headed over to the bedside table and pulled out the hat from its usual
spot. Shaking it once, he handed it to Bella, who didn't say anything. She
watched transfixed as he pulled a piece of paper out of the hat. Once it was
opened and read, Edward grabbed the hat and tossed it across the room.

"Edward," Bella scolded and Edward growled in return.

"Be quiet Bella. I haven't been with you in so long," he said into her neck as he
pulled closer to him.

"What letter did you get?"

"H," he groaned as he pulled her hips against his. The two moaned in unison as
Edward placed Bella gently down against the bedspread.

"What does it stand for?"

"I don't know, I'll figure it out later," he replied as he pulled Bella's tank top over
her head, revealing her breasts to him.

"God, I missed this…you," he moaned as his mouth latched onto one of her
breasts, as his hand massaged the other. Edward groaned as Bella's back arched
against his mouth and her hands started pulling at his hair.

Edward switched his motions as Bella's hands found purchase on his shirt before
tugging at the buttons unsuccessfully.

"Let me," Edward sat up and brushed Bella's hands aside. Edward unbuttoned a
few of the buttons before getting frustrated and just ripping the shirt the rest of
the way. A few of the buttons flew astray, but most stayed intact as he tossed his
shirt to where the hat lay with all the paper scattered around it.

Bella hands found their way onto his chest and rubbed his pecs slowly, raking her
nails along his nipples.

"Bella," he moaned, as she sat up and placed a kiss above his left nipple before
taking it into her mouth. "Bella," Edward repeated as his hands carded through
her hair as she moved her mouth across his chest and to the other nipple.

"Fuck," he groaned as Bella ran her nails against his back, pressing down tighter,
every time she brought them down.

Edward growled as he pushed Bella back down against the bed.

"Missed you so much," he murmured against her stomach as he dipped his

tongue into her belly button. Bella squirmed and he chuckled.

"Me too," she hissed as Edward bit at her hip bone. "Ah, Edward."

"Mmmm. Bella I can smell you. It's been so long. Do you know how much it killed
me that I couldn't see you play with yourself? It must've been beautiful. Will you
let me watch you one day?" he teased as his hands rubbed up and down her slit
over her shorts.

Bella raised her hips against the touch, gyrating against the palm of his hand as
he cupped her.

"Mhmmm…so wet," Edward said as he pulled her under shorts down along with
her underwear.

"Only for you," she moaned, and those three little words set a fire within Edward
he didn't know existed. Quickly, he pulled at the button on his slacks and yanked
down them down.

"Say it again," he demanded as he lined himself up with her entrance. "Say it

again, dammit!"

Bella moaned as he rubbed himself along her slit down to her entrance. Slowly he
teased her until she said it.

"Only for you, Edward. Only for you!" she gasped out the last word as he slipped
inside of her, groaning as she instinctively tightened around him. His eyes rolled
back into his head as he let her searing heat affect him. It had been so long since
he felt like this, and hearing those three little words had only aided to set him
ablaze.
"Bella," he chanted as he grabbed her legs and wrapping her ankles around his
neck as he thrust deeper into here, keeping the movement slow and steady. He
pulled out and then slowly made his way back in, letting Bella's heat wrap around
him tightly and just perfectly. It had never felt like this, even on the night when
they had taken it slow. He had never been this entranced by her, never this deep
in her.

As he felt Bella starting to tighten, he increased the pace, much to both of their
delight.

"Edward," Bella chanted as Edward thrust into her. "So good…oh fuck."

Edward covered up the urge to chuckle as best he could by kissing along Bella's
ankle.

"Bella," was all he could say as Bella came, tightening around him, holding him in
a vice grip as she trembled below him. Her nails dug into his arms and he could
only assume they would leave marks, but he didn't care, as he thrust faster,
moaning loudly, not caring that it was only one in the afternoon. The bed frame
thumped against the wall loudly and he knew that he might have to retouch the
wall later.

As Bella looked up at him, touching the edge of the key around her neck, Edward
lost all control.

"Shit," Edward groaned as he pulled himself out of Bella and lay down beside her.
"That was great," he breathed into his pillow.

"I agree," Bella chuckled as Edward pulled in close to him.

"That necklace really does look incredible on you."

"Thank you," she answered, turning around to smile brightly at him.

"You're very welcome beautiful," he replied, not giving a damn anymore if Bella
reprimanded him for breaking some unwritten rule.

"So what did H stand for?" she asked, brushing aside his small confession.

"Home,I guess", he replied.

"Well that's lame," Bella chuckled. "That's a pretty big cop out if you ask me."

"Be quiet," Edward joined along in her glee as he playfully smacked her thigh.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Bella. You have no idea."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Fuck all the rules! Fourteen to go.

Bella nuzzled herself closer to Edward as he draped his arm around her
shoulders. They were both sweaty, but Bella could care less as she rested her
cheek against Edward's chest. It felt slick against her warm face. She could hear
the erratic beating of his heart as he tried to even out his breathing. She was
doing the exact same thing.
Bella wished she could take a picture of that exact moment, so it would be
forever captured for her to see whenever she wanted. She wanted to remember
the disheveled state of Edward's sheets, and the clothing strewn on the floor. She
wanted to always remember the way the hat had floated across the room, and
the little papers inside raining down on the floor. Hell, she even wanted to have
the time on his alarm clock documented.

She was so content and so blissful, it was ridiculous. Never did she think that she
could feel that way.

The moment Emmett's booming voice resounded in the apartment, her heart
started to pound furiously at the mere mention of Edward, and as she ran out of
his room, seeing Edward standing there by the door had nearly made her squeal.
She had felt unbelievably giddy; it was as if she hadn't seen him in months
instead of just three days.

Though she had managed to contain the girlish scream, her body was something
she hadn't been able to control, and she lunged out at him. Never had she felt
more at peace or more comfortable then at the moment her body collided against
Edward's.

It had felt so right, so perfect. Even with his suit and tie on, she could still feel all
of him under her hands, and his arm cradled around her waist, the searing heat it
presented felt so good. And to top it all off, to hear that he had missed her just as
much as she had missed him, well, that had sent her heart soaring.

The moment had felt so right, so beautiful, until Emmett dropped the bomb about
knowing her and Edward's game.

"So, you're not going to tell me how much this necklace cost are you?" Bella
asked as her dainty finger tips, delicately traced the shape of it, over and over.
She could feel Edward staring down at her as she played with it.

"Nope," he teased, poking her in her side.

"Why not? It's not like I care. Well, I do, but not because of why most girls care.
You know you shouldn't have spent so much on me. This is Tiffany's for crying
out loud. It's expensive. Just tell me please," she begged and Edward chuckled,
shaking his head.

"Never."

"I can just look it up on the internet," she argued like a petulant child and Edward
just chuckled some more. And she would, she told herself. She had to know how
much Edward had spent on it. It was absolutely beautiful. She had no idea what it
meant, though if she really wanted to analyze the significance of it, she would
think that Edward was handing her the key to his heart, but as her best friend,
she just couldn't see that happening.

"Go right ahead. I don't care. Just know that I would spend so much more on
you, if only you wouldn't be so stubborn about it," he retorted and Bella playfully
smacked him in the arm.

"I'm not stubborn."

"Like a mule."

"Fuck you, Edward."

"You already have, my sweet. You already have."

"Ugh," she groaned as she tried to pull herself away, but Edward held her tightly
against him, her face now hidden against his chest.

"So, when did Emmett tell you that he knew about the game?" she asked
Edward, tilting her face away from his naked chest to look at him. She watched
as a tiny wave of sadness passed his expression before he displayed that little
sly, crooked smile she loved so much.

"Yesterday," he answered as he brushed a piece of stray hair matted to her

forehead. He was staring down at her and Bella couldn't help but blush. There
was such an intensity when he stared at her; there always was, but now it felt
different, it felt more distinct.

"Really? What did he say?"

Edward chuckled and brushed his knuckles against her cheeks, smiling widely as
Bella began to blush.

"I love when you do that," he murmured and that only aided in making her even
more flustered.

"Stop that," she whined, smacking his hand aside. "Now answer my question.
What did he say?" Edward huffed and the hot hair blew into Bella's face, causing
her to squirm against him.

"He just let me know the Rosalie had told him about us. That was pretty much it."

"Oh, I would've expected something much more…explosive from Emmett," she

replied almost disappointed and Edward chortled loudly, as he played with the
ends of Bella's hair. She felt self conscious at that moment. All she could think
was that her hair probably looked terrible, that it was probably all tangled up, and
she tensed up against Edward.

"You look beautiful," Edward knowingly commented, making Bella blush again.
Once more, the back of Edward's hands found purchase on the pink coloring on
the apples of her cheeks. Under his breath, Bella heard him whisper 'love'.

"You know," Bella began, her own hand found its way to Edward's cheek. "I don't
think I've ever seen you blush."

Edward smiled as he placed his hand on top of Bella's.

"I'm sure you have," he countered as he traced the pattern of his name onto the
back of her hand.

"No," she argued, "I haven't. What makes Edward Cullen blush? What would
cause you to be embarrassed?"

"Not very much," he chuckled as Bella sat up on the bed.

"Come on, tell me," she begged, her voice pleading. "It's not fair. You probably
look adorable blushing," she pouted and Edward reached out and pulled on her
bottom lip, bringing her closer to him.

"Who cares?" he questioned as he flipped them over. He was now resting on his
knees above her, and she could feel him, hot and erect against her thigh. He
grinned down at her as he eyed her body.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Bella asked as she tried to move away from
Edward, but couldn't as he pulled her arms from her sides and held them over
her head, clasping them together with one of his own. With his right hand free,
he placed it firmly on her face, and Bella bit her lip trying not to blush, but she
couldn't help it. This man, her best friend of all people, caused that kind of
reaction to occur.

"I really do love yo-when you do that," Edward spoke, catching himself on a word
that Bella didn't make out.

"I hate that I blush all the time. It lets everyone know how they affect me."

"That's exactly why I love it," he whispered, bending down to whisper something
else into her ear. "I love that I have an effect on you. I'm sure you can feel what
you do to me," he teased as he rubbed himself against her and bit his favorite
spot, her earlobe.

"Edward," she moaned as he released her arms, and she quickly placed her hands
in his hair. His hair no longer had the soft texture that it held when he first
arrived. It was now matted and sweated out, but it felt great to know that she
had been behind that new feel.

"Bella," he called back as he began to bite along the nape of her neck. They were
just tiny little nips that wouldn't leave a mark but were enough to sting a bit.
Bella however enjoyed it as she began to raise her hips against Edward's. In the
back of her head, a little voice was chanting that it was Sunday, that they were
breaking the rules, but all Bella could think was, who the fuck cares, we've
broken the rules too many times to care anymore.

"You're not gonna try and stop me?" Edward teased as he began to lick along the
underside of one of her breasts.

Bella shook her head avidly, before pulling herself up by gripping his neck. She
used the unexpected momentum, and managed to flip them over, so now she lay
on top.

"Fuck the rules," she growled as she gyrated her hips into his, moaning as she
came in contact with his hardened cock.

"All the rules?" Edward asked optimistically as he sat up and wrapped his arms
around Bella's waist.

Bella gulped as she stared into the eyes of her best friend, at the mirrored
feelings of hope and yearning. Slowly, Bella took a deep breath as her eyes
fluttered close. She could hear the shallow breaths that both she and Edward
were taking.

Edward wanted to kiss her, she could see it in his expression, and damn it if she
didn't want to kiss him right the fuck back. It was the fear of what may happen,
of what might change that was keeping her from leaning forward and just kissing
him. She could feel Edward beneath her, his hips aligned with hers, his arms
wrapped protectively around her waist, and his eyes burning into her face.

As she opened her eyes, she saw exactly what she knew she would. Edward was
staring directly at her as he waited for her answer. His eyes were slightly shut,
narrowed in on her, and his lips were pursed. He moved in his eyebrows in a way
to say, "So?" and Bella suddenly felt nauseous.

The butterflies in her stomach were flying about; her heart was racing a mile a
minute as if she had just run a marathon. In her head the word no was being
sung like a war cry, but it went unnoticed.
"All the rules," she answered quietly, and Edward's eyes widened at the words.

"Are you sure?" he asked as Bella lined herself up with Edward, thinking to
herself, "This feels so right".

Slowly lowering herself onto Edward, she nodded her head as they both moaned
at the sensation.

"Edward," she moaned as he helped her up to slowly bring her back down onto
him.

"Bella," he answered back as they set up a slow rhythm. Bella's back was arched
as they slowly moved in tandem, up and down, and Edward directed her by
placing his hand on the small of her back. His other hand was splayed across her
chest. Bella's hands lay flat against the bed to keep her balance and create the
movements.

"Bella," he called out to her once more. She was lost in the slow movements that
it took her a few moments before she realized that Edward was calling her name.

"Yes," she moaned out as Edward pulled her in close.

"Can I kiss you? No…fuck it. I'm gonna kiss you," he proclaimed as he began to
move his hips up a bit quicker, and Bella began to mimic it in her riding position.

"Yes," she groaned as she latched her hand into the hair at the nape of his neck
and used it to bring her face closer to his.

With their lips barely touching, Edward whispered Bella's name and Bella replied
back with his own.

"Too far," he murmured and she nodded before his lips pressed softly against
hers.

If Bella thought being cradled in Edward's arm was magical, then his kiss was like
a hallelujah chorus and spring water in the desert, hell it was better than any
orgasm the two had ever shared.

It was a slow kiss, their lips barely moving against the other's as they reveled in
the feel of the softness. As they pulled away, Bella continued to move and down
Edward slowly, and he continued to push up at the same speed.

They just stared at each other, keeping their foreheads pressed together as they
sped up their motions, their breathing erratic but still matching.

"Close," Bella whispered, her lips just a breath away from Edward's. He nodded in
concurrence as he sped up his movements to match Bella's frantic motions. His
hand snaked to her front, sliding down easily on her sweat slick chest down to
her clit. He rubbed at the bundle of nerves furiously, matching their movements.

Bella's moans became more desperate as she neared her peak, and as she felt
the familiar electric current running up from toes, she latched her mouth against
Edward's tightly, kissing him with everything she had as she came, little lights
shooting across her closed eyelids and tiny angels singing.

Edward responded back just as passionately as he slipped his tongue into her
mouth, tasting her for the first time in almost fifteen years.
It had been too long, since they had kissed, but it still felt the same, Bella
thought as she came down from the orgasmic bliss. She felt that same feeling of
elation she had when she was eleven when she got her first kiss.

Funny, Bella thought. Edward had been her first kiss.

Chapter Twenty-Five: We Need To Talk…

As Edward slept, Bella watched as his muscular chest rose and fell with each
breath he took. She watched as his eyelashes fluttered as his dream played on
through his mind. He looked so peaceful and so serene. His lips were jutted out
as they always did when he was deeply asleep; he always looked like he was
waiting to be kissed. His hair was fanned out against his pillow, the coppery rust
shade contrasting beautifully against the royal blue pillow cover.

Little streaks of the afternoon light slipped in through the blinds and painted
gentle patterns on Edward's shoulder and Bella bent down to gently kiss along
one of those patterns.

Bella let her hands traverse along the soft locks of hair closest to her hands. His
hair was sweated out, but it stilled smelled sweet with just a hint of the musty
odor that was all Edward. It was a smell that Bella had grown so accustomed to
since they were kids.

He looked absolutely beautiful. It was truly awe worthy and Bella couldn't believe
how she had missed it for so long. It wasn't like she didn't know her best friend
was attractive. Hell he had women fawning over him all the time. It was hard not
to notice the glares she received whenever the two of them went out somewhere.
It was plain to see that Edward was attractive, but she had never really taken the
time to truly look at the man who had been her best friend for over twenty years.

He had been a cute boy when they were kids. He had that unruly hair he still
couldn't tame, and the cutest smile of any little boy Bella had known, even to this
day. Even when he had braces his smile was still brilliant. All the girls in her class
would always ask about Edward, giggling incessantly as they twirled their hair
whenever they talked to him. Bella simply rolled her eyes at their antics and
joked about it later with Edward at her house while they watched cartoons.

In high school it had been unbelievably evident that Edward was attractive. He
had hit his growth spurt their sophomore year and all of a sudden he towered
over Bella. He had grown more muscular over the summer before their junior
year and had lost all the baby fat that Bella carried until college. His face had lost
the cute roundness it once had, and became more angular, more masculine, and
more handsome.

He had turned into a man and even then, Bella had been blind to the whole thing.
She had just seen Edward, her best friend, the boy she stole ice cream from the
freezer with. He was the boy who had ridden his bike all the way to her house to
celebrate his birthday with her because of a silly promise they made when they
were younger. He was the boy who made her smile when she got her heart
broken for the first time and the boy who had managed to make her day that
much better with a little inside joke.

But now Edward was the man that Bella had fallen in love with. There were no ifs,
ands, or buts about it. She was head over heels, truly, madly, deeply in love with
the man beside her, the man who had been there with her for the last twenty
years, and to make matters worse, the beautiful man sleeping soundly beside her
had absolutely no idea of the turmoil she was experiencing. He had no idea of the
way her heart filled and burst ever time he so much as smiled in her direction. He
had no idea of the way her body would flush whenever he brushed a hand against
her cheek or bit at her ear lobe.

He had no idea of just how badly she had fallen for him and the worst part was
that she had the sense to know that her feelings were unrequited. Edward
obviously still only saw her as the girl who had salvaged all her cereal box proofs
to get him the Speed Racer shirt he had wanted when they were seven. He still
saw her as the eleven-year-old girl who'd had no idea how to kiss him at Eric's
birthday party. He still saw her as the fourteen year old girl he had had to rescue
because she was too naïve to know of the intentions of an upper classmen. He
still saw her as just his best friend.

And it crushed her.

She felt tears welling in her eyes and a familiar lump in her throat forming as she
thought about it. Her fingers shook as she brushed at Edward's hair, a few silent
tears spilling down her cheeks slowly.

Bella sighed as she thought, her breath stuttering as the tears became more
prominent. Her eyes traveled down the angular line of his jaw, her hand following
her eyes, until her fingers found his lips. They had been so supple and so soft
when he kissed her. The kiss had been beautiful and everything she could have
hoped for, but it had changed everything, and that was the last thing she needed.
They couldn't kiss again; it would hurt too much to have it mean nothing for him.

She was still just his best friend. Why would he settle for her when he could have
the best?

The tears stopped but her breathing was still off and Bella decided to get up and
get some water. She grabbed her clothing from the floor and put it on. The
movement of the bed and her actions caused Edward to stir in his sleep.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he sat up slowly in the bed. He rubbed at his
eyes harshly trying to adjust to the light. He had only been asleep for a little
more than an hour.

"To get a drink of water," Bella replied through a deep shuttering gasp as she
tried to rein her emotions.

"Have you been crying?" Edward asked his voice laced with concern. Quickly he
got out of the bed, not caring that he was naked and walked to Bella. He palmed
her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. The sincerity Bella saw only
made her sob even more.

"Bella what's wrong?" he asked as he pulled Bella in tight against him.

"We need to talk Edward."

Edward pushed himself away from Bella and just stared at her.

"Nothing good ever comes from those words Bells."

"I know," she answered, smiling wistfully at the nickname and watched as
Edward stumbled back to sit on the bed. He patted the seat beside him and called
her over.
"What do we need to talk about?" he asked, trepidation and fear resounding in
his voice. Bella felt her heart break in her chest. Here it is, she thought. I'm
about to kill twenty years of friendship. I'm gonna lose the most important person
in my life.

"Us. We need to talk about us."

"Sometimes, kismet happens."

~Bella Swan, Chapter 5, Cheater, New Moon, Stephenie Meyers

Chapter Twenty-Six: K is for Kismet

Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Edward
couldn't even begin to count how many times those words had flown out of his
mouth when he was growing up or how many times Bella had said them. For any
little insult that he and Bella threw at each other, be it about that Bella's pajamas
were funny looking or that Edward was starting to grow a mustache, the words
were quickly shouted, screamed, taunted, or any variation possible and then they
would laugh.

Insults were always so easily thrown about when Edward and Bella were children.
It wasn't odd for one of them to call the other a loser or when they were kids
they would sprout out long, convoluted insults about being supersonic
disconnected idiots and what not, but as kids it never really meant much. They
were just petty little insults; even when the insults were a little bit too personal
they were still juvenile diatribes.

Emmett had always been the one when they were younger who would take the
insults too far. In elementary school, it had been stupid little things like Edward
still wetting the bed when he was ten even though it was false. When it came to
insulting Bella, Emmett always targeted her lack of interaction with kids, going so
far as calling her a social pariah though at seven the word choice went a little
more like, "Bella has cooties that's why she doesn't talk to anyone."

When they got older, Emmett started targeting the two of them and the close
relationship they had. He would make lewd comments, usually garnering odd
looks from all of their friends because everyone knew that Edward and Bella were
just friends. They would all scoff and brush it aside knowing that anything he was
saying about the two 'bumping uglies' was falser than the breasts on a porn star.

Though there had always been one person that thought Edward and Bella would
end up together: Angela Weber. Countless times, she had made little comments
about how the two were made for each other. That fate had brought them
together, that it was written in the stars. She would make remarks about how
they would finish each other's sentences and knew exactly what the other wanted
to do by just looking at them. When the two would argue that all best friends
could do that, Angela would shake her head and roll her eyes, saying they were
just fighting it.

When Angela had heard the story of how they met because of Bella's mother at
the supermarket, she had laughed out loud and shouted, "You see, that's fate".
Edward could never forget the look on Angela's face as she said it. "That's kismet,
you guys. Stuff like that doesn't happen without reason. You two are meant to be
with each other."

Those words always resonated with Edward, but he had never really given it
much thought until now, as he watched Bella tearing from across the room.

"We need to talk."

Edward kept repeating the four words in his head as he stumbled back onto the
bed. Four words had never sounded more daunting and ominous in his entire life.
In his head he heard them like a haunting symphonic tune, violins blaring and
organ pounding, as he watched Bella slowly and timidly came to sit beside him.

"We need to talk about us."

His mind raced as he sat down on the soft mattress. He couldn't even begin to
conjure up all the possibilities of the conversation, the directions it could go, what
would be said. He could think of two, and only two and neither one was good.
Neither one of them involved a remotely decent conclusion. The end was all
Edward could imagine. This is the end, he kept thinking. I've lost her forever.

The tension in the room was thick, palpable really; it was suffocating and he
could tell it wasn't just him that it was affecting. It hung heavy in the air and
affected Edward in a way he couldn't describe. It almost felt like a dark cloud was
looming over the two of them.

He had never felt this nervous. He couldn't even remember a time where he had
felt this kind of anxiety. Not even when he was on his way home had it been as
bad as it was right then, but he knew it wasn't just him. He could see the nerves
reeking havoc in Bella as well.

All his nerves were shot, the synapses firing away agitatedly. Every part of his
body had sparked to life; every part trembled in its own way. His hands shook in
his lap and his left knee bounced uncontrollably. There was a lump in his throat
and he knew that at any moment he could lean over and throw up with ease. All
the pain, all the nerves would be released but not calmed.

He looked down at himself and wasn't even fazed by the fact that he was still
naked, while Bella was dressed in the tiny camisole and boy shorts she had been
wearing when he walked in earlier. Realization kicked in that he had only been
home a few hours and already the shit had hit the fan.

Even now, looking like a nervous wreck, Bella looked stunning. Her hair was
tangled, the sure sign that his fingers had been carded in the soft wavy locks, her
face was flushed, and her posture was atrocious. She was hunched over herself,
her shoulders sagging forward in a despondent manner, but regardless of it all
she still looked absolutely beautiful to him.

For five minutes, the two stared at each other and anywhere else in the room
when they caught the other one looking. The moment one realized they were
discovered, their eyes would dart to an insignificant piece of furniture, or in
Edward's case the Mariner's shirt discarded on his dresser. He wondered if Bella
had worn it while he was away, and for a brief moment a wistful smile played on
his face at the thought of the large, navy blue shirt covering her.

The few times that Edward had been able to stare at Bella, to actually look at her
without her noticing, he could see the trepidation in her eyes; he knew the look
all too well. She too was nervous.
The natural instinct was to comfort her, to ask what was wrong, to wrap his arms
around her and make her feel better, make her laugh, make her forget what it
was they had to talk about, but he knew he couldn't. He was the reason for the
distress and worry splayed across her face. He was the reason for her pain.

And it killed him.

"What about us?" Edward asked, finally mustering up the courage, swallowing his
nerves as best he could. The sudden outpouring of sound in the absolute silent
room startled Bella.

Again, the natural instinct to comfort her kicked in but again, he couldn't. This
too had been his fault.

"Bella, please say something," Edward pleaded as she remained stoic, soundless
tears streamed down her cheeks. For a moment, he watched entranced as a tear
drop hung on her chin before slipping down onto her thigh.

"I don't know what to say…where to start," she whispered and the knot in
Edward's chest pulsed and expanded.

"Take your time," Edward stuttered out now feeling uncomfortable in his own
skin. It almost felt like his body itched in discomfort. He leaned over the side of
his bed and picked up his underwear from the floor and slipped them on.

"We…" Bella began, stopping as Edward looked at her fretfully. A sob ripped
through her and this time Edward threw caution to the wind and grabbed her
hand. He rubbed the pad of his thumb along the top, feeling the ridges of
knuckles and the softness of her skin that he adored so much.

"We what Bells? We what?" he frantically begged, tightening the hold on Bella's
hand, silently rejoicing when she gripped it back just as hard.

"It just hurts too much," she confessed and Edward looked at her in shock. He
didn't know what was going on with her and it was frightening him. He always
had a handle on her emotions, but now he was confused, especially since it had
something to do with him.

"What hurts, Bella? What? You're not telling me anything!" he groaned as he sunk
to his knees. He now sat in front of Bella as she still remained seated at the foot
of the bed. Both of her hands were now in his, and they were resting against her
knees. Edward swallowed deeply as he felt the jostling of her knees under his
hands. They were shaking worse than his had been.

"This," she replied, moving their arms in a motion that pointed to both of them,
but never once unlocking their hands. "We can't do this anymore, Edward, this
stupid game. We should have never started it."

"Okay," he whispered, still holding onto Bella, but now he sunk his body down
onto the backs of his feet. "But tell me why? Give me a legitimate reason as to
why we have to stop?" The knot in his chest felt larger and suddenly it ruptured,
painfully. Edward felt like his world was spinning off its axis. He couldn't stop. He
needed her, all of her. He needed to be able to wake up and see her face and feel
her body against his.

"Because it hurts," Bella screeched as she pulled herself away from Edward and
stood up and walked to the corner of the room. "It fucking hurts Edward. I can't
do this anymore."
Edward rushed off the floor and leapt across the bed to get to Bella. Gripping her
by the shoulders he turned her around to face him. Bella's arms were wrapped
around herself and Edward hands swiftly clasped her biceps gently as if he were
afraid that she would break. The movement caused Bella's arms to hang limply
by her side.

"Bella? Why?" he tired to goad an answer of out of her by gently cooing,

whispering that everything would be alright, but Bella ignored him.

"Everything will not be alright," she yelled as she tore herself out of Edward's
arm. "You don't get it, Edward! Of course you don't. I knew you wouldn't."

"Get what, Bella?" Edward frustratingly huffed as he pulled at the roots of his
hair. "I don't know what you're trying to say. Why do we have to stop this?"

"Because it's too much," she conceded, slumping back down onto the bed.

"What is too much, Bella? You're not letting me in. Let me in."

Edward sank back down onto the floor in front of Bella, again grabbing her
smaller hands in his.

"I can't do this anymore…I can't wake up knowing…" she sobbed mid-sentence
and stopped. Edward comforted her by gently rubbing her hand.

"You can't wake up knowing what, Bella? Let me in love. Just let me in. Tell me
what's wrong."

Bella stared at him, her eyes red from crying, and again her head fell forward as
another series of sobs raked her lithe body. The whole ordeal was painful for
Edward to watch because he couldn't do anything about it. This was his entire
fault, and there was nothing he could do to stop the tears from falling or the pain
from escalating.

"Don't call me that," she defiantly whispered, and Edward tilted his head,
confused.

"Call you what Bella?" he asked and she scoffed.

"Of course you don't even realize you're doing it," she whimpered. "Don't call me
love, and not mean it."

"But I do mean it," he countered and Bella again scoffed.

"I can't keep this doing…I can't wake up knowing that when this whole charade is
over, we're gonna go back to being just friends. That's all we'll ever be, just
friends. Isn't it?" she mumbled but Edward still managed to hear her.

"Just friends," he repeated the words out loud and immediately Edward felt a
sharper pain in his chest. It was almost unbearable. The two words ripped
through his heart like gun shots.

"Yeah Edward," Bella answered timidly and the room grew silent, neither saying a
word until Edward crawled across the floor and collected the fallen pieces of paper
and collected them all back into the hat. Swiftly he stood up and walked toward
Bella holding the hat out towards her, and watched as her eyes widened in fear.

"Pick a letter, Bella," Edward whispered and Bella shook her head no.
"Pick a letter, Bella," he repeated and again Bella shook her head. This time she
began to cry and Edward knelt down to her.

"Pick a letter, love."

"Don't call me that, Edward," Bella hiccupped through her tears.

"Please pick a letter, Bells," Edward insisted moving the hat towards her but she
shook him off, pushing his hand away.

"I can't Edward. Were you not listening to anything I just said? I can't keep
playing this stupid game."

Edward hung his head down and looked up at Bella through his lashes for a brief
moment before returning his gaze to the wool hat in his hand. He looked back up
at Bella with a hint of a smile and pulled out a letter.

"I guess it'll be my turn," he announced and Bella's jaw dropped.

"Edward! I can't-" she begun to say but was cut off by Edward's lips. He swooped
up, placed his hands against her cheeks and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. His
intentions were to actually kiss her but Bella roughly shoved him away.

"Why would you hurt me like this?" Bella asked and Edward shook his head.

"Do you honestly think that I don't feel the same way Bella? Do you really think
I'm so cold-hearted? This is no longer a game to me; it hasn't been for a while
now. Haven't you noticed? I've tried to break everyone single one of your rules as
quickly I could. Bella Swan, I love you," Edward confessed staring up at her,
watching as a light flashed before her wide eyes.

"What?" she asked breathlessly.

"I love you, Bells."

"Really?"

"Do you actually honestly have to ask that?"

Edward watched as the tiniest hint of a smile started to tug at the sides of Bella's
lip. Her eyes began to clear up and breathing began to even out into a steadier
rhythm.

"So, no what?" she asked and Edward smiled brightly at her, though there was a
hint of pain behind it. Though he confessed to her, she hadn't said it back. Yes,
he reasoned that Bella had confessed to wanting more than their just friend's
relationship, but she hadn't told him that she loved him back. He could assume
that she did, but he wanted to hear it as selfish as it sounded.

"I don't know, but we'll continue playing the game until we reach the end, and
then we'll see where we go from there."

"I think you just want just want to keep having 'kinky' sex," Bella teased, quoting
Emmett's comments earlier. Edward chuckled as he sat down next to Bella and
placed an arm around her. He was happy that she was feeling better, but Edward
couldn't help the bitterness he felt at not hearing 'I love you' back. He didn't want
to pry or sound needy by asking her to say it, so he remained quiet and acted like
things were fine because if he thought about it, they kind of were.
"Can you blame me? I'm used to having mind-blowing sex all the time now. It's
your fault, you know," he joked and Bella giggled. Edward silently rejoiced; it was
nice for things to be as they had been, sort of.

"But to be serious, Edward? Where does this leave us? What are we?"

"We're two friends who have been far too stupid to see what was right in front of
us for the last twenty years?" he stated though it sounded much like a question
instead of an affirmation.

"But what now?"

"I don't know," Edward answered. "Let's just see where this all takes us. Besides,
I have this lovely little piece of paper here that promises to be a lot of fun," he
badgered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. The mood in the room was lighter
now, but there was still a hint of tension that Edward was slowly trying to
deteriorate.

"So we're really going to go through with this?" Bella turned to face him
completely, and Edward nodded. "Are we gonna abide by the rules?"

"What rules?" Edward replied, smugly. "You said 'fuck the rules', and if I
remember correctly you said 'all the rules'."

"I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass," Bella chuckled, her eyes no
longer red, and Edward smiled hearing her laugh, though he was still upset with
himself.

"Do you want to go back to how things were at the beginning of the game?"

"No!" Bella responded quickly. "No, never."

"Good, because that no kissing rule was killing me. You have no idea," Edward
groaned as he leaned forward pulling Bella in for a sweet kiss.

"Me too," she mumbled against his lips as her fingers slipped into his hair.

"What letter did you get?" she asked breaking their kiss.

"K," he replied, staring into her eyes. "Though to be fair, K is really your letter
since it's your turn."

"Well, I think I'll take K. I already know what I want to do," she giggled and
Edward's heart skipped a beat. Bella was happy, or so it appeared that way, and
for now he would do whatever it would take to keep that going. He didn't want to
see her pain anymore, ever, if he could help it.

"What then?" he asked as he felt Bella straddled him and push him down by his
shoulder. He lay flat on the bed looking up at her and smiled. This was everything
he could ever ask for, this was his fate, his kismet, and it was fucking beautiful.

Bella didn't say anything, but she moved the hair on Edward's forehead aside,
and she bent forward and kissed his forehead. She then moved her lips down to
his left cheek and along his jaw before finally kissing him.

"This," she spoke against his lips. "This is all I want to do." Edward grinned as
pulled her closer, latching his arms around her waist and holding her close to him
as they kissed.
It was all they did that day. They kissed like a pair of teenagers back in high
school, too afraid to take things to the next level. When Edward thought about it,
it was pretty fitting to their current situation.

He knew that he should be concerned with where their relationship was headed.
What were they? Were they in a relationship, the dating kind? Or were they still
just friends with the added benefits? He didn't know.

He knew he should be worried about how Bella was feeling, hell he should be
concerned with how he was feeling, but at that moment he didn't care as Bella's
lips moved against his in a gentle motion.

This moment was perfection, everything he could have asked for and more.

Sometimes, kismet happens, Edward thought as his hands snaked along Bella's
spine, too afraid to stop kissing her for fear that it would stop for good.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Odd Endings and New Beginnings

Bella woke up on Monday morning to the distant sounds of the alarm clock on her
cell phone going off. The familiar sound was beeping incessantly from across the
apartment in her room. Though all she could really hear was a faint beeping
sound from where she was in Edward's room, it was still enough to wake her up.
Edward however was not affected by it at all; he was still in a deep sleep.

Bella shifted her head to look over Edward's shoulder to look at the clock on the
nightstand. It was difficult to move without waking Edward up. His arm was
heavy on her shoulders; it felt like dead weight. As she read the red, blinking six-
o-five on the clock's LED screen, she finally felt the small prickling at her lips.

There was a dull ache pounding away at them. With every breath she took, little
tingles pulsated, and whenever she would so much as brush her fingertips across
her mouth or pursued them, the ache would grow worse. Her lips felt swollen in
the best possible way; she could only imagine how they looked.

She had spent all of yesterday afternoon in Edward's arms, kissing him like a
young girl who had just been kissed for the first time. That was exactly how it
had felt. It had felt like being kissed for the first time all over again. With every
kiss, and every breath taken in, Bella had felt so alive, and so loved. She couldn't
even remember the last time she had been kissed in such a way, let alone
remember the last time she had wasted a day making out in bed. It felt incredible
juvenile but she didn't care. Every moment felt more glorious than the one
before.

Even as the night had approached, Edward had continued to lavish her with
kisses, moving away from her mouth for a bit, and kissing along her neck before
trailing his wet lips back up onto hers. Every kiss had felt like a new beginning.
Every kiss had felt different and yet the same; each one felt as magnificent as the
one before. No kiss was insignificant. The chaste pecks were just as beautiful and
lovely as the long, drawn out ones. The gentle movements were just as
spectacular as the fast and rough kisses. Edward's lips had molded against her in
ways she never knew they could.
Last night had been amazing, and her dreams had been filled with a replaying of
every kissed shared. Waking up had been the last thing that she had wanted to
do, but the alarm clock had rang and disturbed everything.

As she pulled herself away from Edward, her face was slightly stuck to his chest,
slick with a thin layer of sweat from her having been laying there most of the
night. Bella couldn't help the smile making its way across her face as she sat up
on the bed. It hurt to smile, but it was virtually impossible to stop; it was a wide,
bright smile filled with so much joy that she could only imagine how it would look
to others. She was sure it would be blinding and incredibly revealing. One look at
her and people would be able to discern the events of the previous night.

She pivoted her torso to look down at Edward, whose body was still curled in the
position it was while Bella was in his embrace. His eyes were shut lightly, his
eyelashes fanned out adorably over the tops of his cheeks. His lips were in that
constant pout he always wore when he was in a deep slumber; always looking
like he was waiting for a kiss. Locks of his rust colored hair were spread across
the pillow and his forehead, and Bella subconsciously swept away the hair hiding
his right eye. The movement caused him to stir in his sleep and move in closer to
where she had been sprawled. His head now rest on her thigh and his arm
wrapped around her knee.

At that moment, lip jutted out, and an adorable frustrated expression on his face,
he looked so much like the boy she had grown up with; her best friend.

She remembered watching him sleep the morning following their first time back
when they were sixteen. His hair was shorter than it was now but still full, and
some strands were still streaked blue. His eyes were shut delicately and his lips
were in that all too familiar pout. In his sleep, he was wearing a tiny smile and he
was gripping something under his pillow. When Bella had finally taken the time to
look at what it was, she had found that it was her bra. At first she had found it
odd, but later on, she realized that Edward had been trying to find some kind of
object to remember his first time with, and her bra had been what he had
chosen.

She wondered now if he still had that bra stashed away somewhere. She
chuckled lightly to herself at the thought. The shaking of her torso caused Edward
to shift again, now his eyelashes lay flat against Bella's thigh and tickled her with
every twitch of his eye. She sat there taking the sweet torture for a brief moment
before she had to shift away from Edward.

"No," he groaned, his voice meek and heavy with sleep. "Come back," he
mumbled sounding like a young boy.

"I'm not going anywhere," she giggled. "Not yet, at least. It's only six, there's still
time to get ready."

"Ready for what?" he groggily asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes or at
least tried to.

"For work Edward. It's Monday."

"Damn," he groaned as he tried to sit up on the bed, but plopped right back down
on it, causing Bella to laugh.

"Come on, sleepy head. You have to go. You just landed a big campaign, I'm sure
there will be cake and champagne waiting for you in the office."
"I know; I'm just so exhausted. Stupid jet lag and what not," he whined and Bella
hit his shoulder lightly.

"Come on," she said as she shook his shoulders; Edward let himself be rocked. It
almost felt like a she was lulling him back to sleep.

"No," he groaned again, petulantly, grabbing Bella by the arms and using them to
make her lay back down and be pinned to his side. "I like this much better."

"As much as I agree with you, I have to shower and get ready for work," she
argued, giggling the entire time as she tried to wiggle her way out of Edward's
embrace. He simply held her tighter, and she smiled. Being in his arms felt so
incredible and warm, and so unbelievably right. It felt like the interlocking of the
final piece in an unfinished puzzle.

"Can I join you?" he asked sheepishly, running his fingers down her spine. He
lightly made circles with his fingertips at the small of her back, causing her to
writhe against him. The entire time his eyes were still heavily lidded, only a tiny
sliver of green was visible to Bella.

"Of course," she sighed in rapture. "But all we're doing is showering!" she added
and Edward sighed in defeat.

"Party pooper," he teased, chuckling as he leaned down to place a small chaste

kiss on her lips. Bella smiled into the kiss and he smiled right back.

"I love being able to wake up and do that," Edward commented and Bella nodded
against his shoulder.

"Me too," she responded, placing a kiss of her own on Edward's mouth. "Now,
come on. The sooner we shower, the sooner you can make me breakfast."

Edward scoffed loudly as Bella pulled away and stood up.

"Why do I have to be the one to cook?" Edward griped as he stretched and Bella
watched mesmerized by the way the tight muscles stretched in his abdomen as
he arched his back. It was baffling to her that she hadn't truly ever noticed how
handsome Edward really was. Even with the severe case of bed head he was
wearing, hair sticking out in every which direction, he looked adorable.

"What?" Edward asked as he stopped stretching, and Bella shrugged.

"Nothing."

"You were just staring at me. There had to be some reason for it," Edward argued
and Bella shook her head.

"I just never actually noticed how sexy you are," she blushed and Edward
smirked as he made his way to her. Once he reached her, he pulled her in close,
slipping his hand under the thin camisole she had been wearing since he arrived
the day before. Again, his hand found its way to Bella's spine and caused her to
wriggle in his arms as he ran his fingers up and down.

"Well, I've always known that you were beautiful," he whispered lovingly as his
free hand brushed her hair behind her ear. Bella bit at her lip as she looked up at
Edward, and saw just how sincere he was being. There was nothing but adoration
and pure honestly resonating in those beautiful green eyes.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he declared staring straight at her. The statement hit
Bella like a ton of bricks. It was a firm affirmation, an honest confession, and her
heart filled and burst all in one breath as she tippy-toed and connected with
Edward in a searing kiss.

She pulled away, and smiled up at him, but quickly the smile faded away as she
took in the somber expression on Edward's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling away from Edward to see the dejected
manner his posture had suddenly taken.

"Nothing, Bells. I just, I heard some stuff at work the other day. I wonder when it
will really take place."

Bella took in the way he wouldn't look directly at her and the way his shoulder
were hunched forward. He was lying to her.

"You're lying. Why?" she asked, wondering why Edward would choose to lie to her
instead of answering her question. He was never one to hide anything from her;
he always let her know what was going on in his head. Whenever he was upset,
he would tell her why. Whenever he was happy, he would tell her why. It was odd
to have him flat out lie to her that way.

"Bella, it's nothing to worry about. I promise," he answered, smiling wistfully as

he pulled Bella back into his arm by her waist. "Trust me, Bella. It's nothing to
worry about."

"Okay, I believe you," she replied though she didn't. She knew something was
wrong, but she would let Edward tell her on his own time.

"Good," he smiled brightly. "How 'bout that shower now?"

"Yes, shower…only shower," Bella stated, pointing her finger at him and Edward
chuckled biting it gently and winking at her.

"Fine and maybe you should brush your teeth as well," he teased as she covered
her mouth with her hand.

Behind her hand, a muffled, "Because you're one to talk", was uttered.

=x=

"You're an idiot!" Rosalie nearly shouted as she sat at the local diner with Bella
during Bella's lunch hour. Rosalie was still on vacation for another month and a
half before the school year started up once more. Bella had spent the first ten
minutes of their lunch briefing Rosalie on everything that had happened the day
before. No detail was left unshared, and now her best friend was verbally
assaulting her for her idiocy.

"I know that, Rose. You don't have to shout at me. I just, I can't tell him. I know
that's what's wrong. I know I should tell him, but I can't. You just don't
understand. You have Emmett."

"Why can't you tell him you love him, Bella? You obviously do," Rosalie
frustratingly stabbed at her salad as she talked to Bella.

"It's not that simple," Bella protested in a huff. She too was absentmindedly
poking and prodding her salad.

"Of course it is, Bella," Rosalie argued. "You were the one who initiated the whole
'ending the game' conversation. You were the one who said you wanted more,
and when Edward tells you he feels the same, you don't tell him? Bella, that's
fucked up."

"Rose-"

"No, don't Rose me, Bella. Why?"

"I don't know, Rose, I really don't."

"The man gave you a fifteen hundred dollar diamond necklace Bella," Rosalie
addressed and Bella nodded her head in shame, her fingers outlining the heart
key around her chest.

"How could you not tell him? He gave you the key to his heart. How are you so
dim?" Rosalie screeched at Bella, making her feel worse than before.

She had been in a semi-decent mood since last night. There was a bit of residual
anger from Edward lying to her earlier in the morning but it wasn't enough to
deter the smile on her face or the spring in her step as she left for work.

"It's just a necklace, Rosalie."

"It's not just a fucking necklace, Bella. How can you be so stupid and not see it
for what it is? It's the key to his heart. He's in love with you."

"Rosalie, I've never really been in love, how do I know that I love him? All of my
relationships have been failures. I can't afford to start something with Edward
and have it end badly," she admitted and watched as Rosalie just barely held
back the urge to fling her glass of water at her.

"You're a fucking idiot," she began as their waiter came around to clear their
plates. He asked them if they wanted anything else to drink before he brought
out their meals, but neither of the women at the table even acknowledged the
young man. Eventually he took the hint and walked away to retrieve their meals.

"Rosalie, look at it from my perspective-" Bella began to defend herself, but

Rosalie wouldn't have it.

"You told me that you loved him, that you were in love with him. How could you
tell me, but not tell him?"

"I don't know, Rose!" Bella shouted, catching the attention of the entire
restaurant. "I don't know," she lowered her voice this time as she repeated it.

"Bella, you can't string him along like that. You can't expect him to give you the
world and you not give it back to him."

"What are you talking about Rose?" Bella asked bewilderedly as the waiter
returned with their meals. He wore a scared expression as he lowered both plates
gently and practically flew from the table.

"Edward has given you everything you asked for, and you couldn't even say it
back," Rosalie argued, and Bella sat silently as she listened. "He gave you his
heart and what did you do, you took it, placed it in your pocket, and walked
away. You didn't give a piece of yourself to him. You didn't say it back, Bella. How
could you do that to him?"

"Rosalie, it's not like I did it on purpose," Bella fired back. "I don't know what
love is Rosalie. My father and I were never really all that close. My mother left us
and every relationship I've ever had has ended before the concept of love could
ever be brought up. How do I know what I'm feeling is love? What if what I'm
feeling for Edward isn't love? What if I grow bored of what we have and want to
leave? I can't do that Rose. I need to have him there. It's selfish, I know, but I
need him."

"Bella, you told me, you've said it before," Rosalie exasperated pointed out. "How
can it be that now, you don't know?"

"There's a difference between-" Bella began to say, but Rosalie interrupted her.

"Bullshit, Bella, bullshit! What the hell are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not good enough for him, Rose," Bella admitted, her voice warbling as she
tried to control the tears that were beginning to well in her eyes.

"What kind of nonsense are you babbling?"

"Rose, he's a successful, good looking businessman. He's intelligent, he's witty
and funny. He sincere, compassionate, and passionate. He could have any girl
hanging from his arm. If he were to walk in here now, every single woman would
turn their heads to look at him and be thinking the same thing. Is he married? Is
he single? What's his name? And if he were to come in here and sit down by me,
the first thing that every woman would be thinking is, What is her doing with her?
He deserves better than Bella Swan, book editor."

"What a load of shit!" Rosalie exclaimed loudly, once again causing all the heads
in the restaurant to turn in their direction. "You and Edward are soul mates. Two
people have never fit together better than you two. You two have practically been
married to each other for the last twenty years. Anyone would be blind not to see
that. Fuck, a blind person could see it. You love him, Bella. You have to tell him."

"I…I…I-"

"No I's, Bella, and no buts. He's the first thing you think about in the morning and
the last thing you think about at night. You see insignificant little things on the
street and instantly you're reminded of him. Bella that's love. When every
thought is consumed by that person, and all your senses long to feel, see, and
smell that person, it's love Bella. That's what love is," Rosalie preached and Bella
let the tears flow freely now as she let everything really set in.

She knew Rosalie was right, but there was still that doubt deep within that kept
preventing her from admitting it. Her friendship with Edward had already
changed, but if she were to admit it, to say it out loud to Edward, that would be
the end. There would no longer be Edward and Bella, best friends of twenty years
and beyond. They would be Edward and Bella, lovers with the potential of an end.

=x=

After her lunch with Rosalie, the rest of the day seemed to pass by quickly, yet at
the same time parts of it seemed to drag on, especially the last hour. She tapped
her foot furiously under her desk as she thought about getting home. She
couldn't keep her mind focused on the novel in front of her, rereading the same
paragraph three times before realizing that she had read it twice before.

When five o' clock finally hit, Bella sprung out of her chair and ran passed all her
coworkers, waving and wishing them a half-assed good night; she couldn't care
less if they had a good night or not.
It felt like forever before she was parking her car in the condominium's garage
complex, noticing quickly that Edward's car was already there. She couldn't help
the surge of happiness that ran through her, knowing that Edward was already
upstairs.

Bella was unbelievably inpatient at the moment. The elevator couldn't come fast
enough for her nor could it get up to the apartment fast enough.

She ran as fast as her heel covered feet allowed her to, which was just a series of
pattering footsteps. She struggled with her purse as she tried finding her house
keys, cursing her large purse. That's the problem with large purses, she thought
as she searched. You can throw everything in there, but never find it when you
need it.

Finally, she managed to open the door and found Edward walking around the
living room in a pair of jeans and a flannel button down.

"Hey," she greeted him and he greeted her right back with a big smile and walked
across to room to kiss her forehead.

"How was your day?" he asked as he held her in a hug.

"It was okay. Work was fine. I had lunch with Rosalie, which was a bit tough to
get through."

"What? Why? What did Rosalie say?" he asked genuinely wondering why.

"Nothing I didn't already know," she replied and Edward nodded in

understanding.

"That's good to hear. Now go change, I have a surprise for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard me. Go put on some jeans and a t-shirt."

"What are we doing?" she asked as she walked into her bedroom, Edward
following her. Once inside, Edward sat on the bed and stretched out, across it,
one arm resting beneath his head. The pose and the tiny sliver of skin that
showed whenever he took a deep breath tantalized Bella.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Where are we going?" Bella asked as she removed her heels and slipped off her
slacks. Edward watched from the bed as she threw on a pair of faded jeans.

"You'll see," he replied, smugly as he watched Bella unbutton her blouse.

"Seriously though, what are we doing? I'm really tired."

"You'll see," Edward answered again, this time a Zippo lighter flicking open and
close in his right hand.

"Why do you have a lighter?" she asked as she stood in front of him, awaiting his
next move.

"You'll see," he grinned as he grabbed her hand and walked them out of her
bedroom.
"Edward, where the hell are we going?" she asked again as she watched Edward
grab a backpack off the floor by the door.

"Up to the roof, I have a surprise for you."

Bella bit her lip to suppress a girlish squeal. No guy had ever set anything up for
her before. No man had ever surprised her with anything. No man had ever
bought her jewelry either. Edward was in a class all his own.

On the roof, Edward had a blanket spread out and two buckets there, one of
them was filled with water.

"What is all this?" Bella asked, and Edward smiled as he sat down on the blanket,
helping her sit down in the process.

"You'll see," he answered again, pulling a closed rectangle shaped Tupperware

bowl from one of the buckets.

"Stop saying that," she protested and Edward chuckled, passing her the
Tupperware bowl. Bella grabbed for the bowl skeptically and opened it finding odd
colored sticks inside.

"What are these?" she asked and Edward smiled.

"Sparklers," he responded as he pulled one out and lit it. The tiny flames sparked
about for a few brief seconds before dimming. Edward quickly threw the burning
stick into one of the bucket.

"Are you serious?" Bella asked and Edward just chuckled lighting another one and
dipping it into the water.

"We're celebrating," he announced and Bella just stared at him confused.

"What are we celebrating?"

"The end of our game," he answered pulling the hat out of the bag.

"What are you talking about? There are still twelve more letters to go."

"We don't need it anymore," he stated dropping the remaining pieces of paper
into the empty bucket.

"Are you serious?" Bella asked as he pulled another one of the sparklers from the
Tupperware container.

"Yeah," he said as he lit the small wooden firecracker.

"Wait!" Bella stopped him as he was set to drop the lighted party favor into the
bucket.

"Why?"

"Are you sure about this, Edward?"

"Very," he affirmed once again dipping the waning sparkler down but Bella pulled
it out of his hand and dipped it into one of the buckets with water.

"Bella?" he questioned and turned to face her.

"I…I think that we shouldn't be so quick to end the game."

"We don't need it anymore, Bella," he said, quietly and Bella nodded.

"I know we don't need it, but I think we need to end the game properly just to
solidify it."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes a dull green that was tearing Bella's
heart apart.

"Two letters, we can pick them. We can look through all of those and decide.
We'll play the game as it was supposed to be, on a Saturday, but it doesn't have
to be exactly as it was."

"I'm still not following you, Bella," Edward complained.

"I want to show you, I need to show you, what I can't say," Bella answered and
Edward finally understood what Bella was saying. Bella could almost see him
figuring it out.

"I love you, Bella."

"I..I-" she stuttered but Edward stopped her.

"Okay, what letter do you want?" he asked, and though he seemed upset, Bella
knew that Edward would be fine with the arrangement.

"I want the letter U," she answered, taking Edward by surprise.

"Why U?"

"You'll see," she teased, causing Edward to chuckle, and suddenly the tension
that had been building up since the morning slowly began to dissipate. Bella knew
it was only temporary, but she would take what she could get.

"And what letter do you want?" she asked and Edward smiled.

"The rest of them," he began and Bella scoffed while rolling her eyes. "But," he
continued, "I'll take the letter X."

"X? Why would you want X?"

"You'll see," he responded causing Bella to roll her eyes again.

"Okay, so Saturday you'll go, and then next week I will," Bella stated and Edward
shook his head.

"No, you go this Saturday, and I'll go next," he replied and Bella stared at him
incredulously.

"Why?"

"Because if we're going to do this like before, I would have gotten the last letter."

Bella nodded her head and began looking through the letters and found the letter
U but couldn't find the letter X.

"I can't find the letter X," she informed Edward, and he whistled and looked
away.

"How long have you been hording the letter?"

"Since the beginning of the game," he confessed and Bella's mouth dropped
open.

"You're a dirty cheat, Edward Cullen."

Edward shrugged his shoulders and placed all the unfolded pieces of paper back
into the bucket and lit one of the sparklers on fire.

"Do you want to do the honors?" he asked, handing her the sparkler as she
nodded. "Make a toast."

"Ummmm…" Bella struggled for something to say before it finally came to her.

"To the end of what we were and to the beginning of what we will become. To
us," she said as she dropped the burning sparkler into the bucket. The sparks
caught hold of one of the papers and set it ablaze, causing a domino effect with
the rest.

"To us," Edward reappeared as he pulled Bella in for a kiss.

"I will wait to hear those words for as long as it takes," he whispered into her ear
as he held her against his chest.

"I will, I promise. This is all new to me," she stated.

"I know Bella."

Bella turned and smiled up at Edward. Seeing him smile back, Bella pulled him
down for another kiss, and just like the night before, the two lay embraced in
each other's arms, just kissing, hoping and praying silently for the feeling to
never end.

Unforgettable, that's what you are.

Unforgettable, though near or far.

Like a song of love, that clings to me

How the thought of you does things to me

Never before has someone been more…

~ "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole

Chapter Twenty-Eight: U is for Unforgettable

Edward had never been more content in bed than he had been Monday morning.
It was sappy, it was lame, and he was pretty sure Emmett would say it was gay,
but waking up with Bella beside him had been incredible.

At work on Monday, he hadn't been able to contain the smile on his face. Most of
the people around him had suspected that he was happy about the Adidas
campaign he had single-handedly acquired over the weekend (everyone knew
that Mr. Austen really had no part in the campaign; it was all Edward's doing).
None of them had any idea of what was really going on in his head, what the
smile really represented. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been
this happy.

In his head, playing in a constant loop, were the images of him and Bella kissing
all day. He could still feel the warmth of her body pressed against his and the
way her hands tugged at the roots of his hair as they kissed. The dull ache in his
lips was a constant reminder of it to him and that was the only important part of
it. Throughout the twenty minute drive to work Monday morning, he kept one
hand on the steering wheel and another rubbing at the tingling, but very
welcomed, ache in his lips.

Though no one knew what had happened to him the night before, he knew, and
the ever present smiles meaning wasn't lost on him as it was on others.

Some people at work had commented on the possibility of Edward's promotion. It

was a topic often brought up by the people who admired his work and by the
people who envied his successes. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time
before Edward was made partner; there were absolutely no doubts about it.
Regardless of his age, Edward had proven more vital to the company than others
that have been working there for triple the amount of time Edward had been
there. This year alone, Edward had garnered over five million dollars worth of
campaigns for the company, from the most obscure little advertisements in the
local newspaper to the new Adidas campaign that would be featured worldwide.

Some of the more crude, albeit invidious members of his company commented on
the fact that Edward was just showing off about the campaign and showing off
about possibly 'getting lucky' the night before as Riley Smith was overheard
gossiping in the lounge. That was their reason as to why he had 'waltzed into the
building with that shit-eating grin on his face' and 'looking like he had just gotten
the best lay of his life'.

Alice however had been the only one to have any suspicion as to what the real
reason was for Edward's good mood. The moment Edward had walked by her that
morning with that luminescent smile and a bounce to his step, Alice had followed
him right into his office taking strides to catch him before he closed the door.

"Although I know that you're happy about the campaign, what's with the
swagger?" Alice asked as she sat down across from a still beaming Edward.

"What ever do you mean, Alice?" he retorted coyly, deliberately trying to evade
the question. The smile still very alive on his face, and his feet on top of his desk;
something he never does.

"I know this has to do with Bella. You should know that your dear brother has a
hard time keeping his mouth shut especially when Jasper gets some whiskey into
his system."

Edward's eyes widened and his feet immediately fell off the desk with a thud.
Suddenly his whole demeanor changed. He went from relaxed to plagued in the
blink of an eye.

"What do you know?" he asked apprehensively.

Alice smiled brightly at her cousin. Her hands were clasped together and held
tightly against her chest. She looked unbelievably happy.

"So, it's true. You and Bella are together?"

"That's what he told you?" Edward asked, trying to figure out if his disloyal
brother had spilled any more secrets.

"Yes, why? Is there more to the story that I should know?" she asked suspiciously
and Edward mentally berated himself for even hinting at the possibility. Alice
always caught on to things.

"No, I just thought he might have revealed something about how he found out."

"How long has this been going on?" she inquired, her eyes wide and demanding.
Edwards' eyes shifted as he thought about when the game started. He had to
stop himself from thinking about it too much as images of him and Bella on the
couch, in the shower, against the fridge, on her bed, on his bed, in the
playground, all started playing in his head.

"Almost four months now," he replied and Alice huffed out loud.

"Four months! How did this slip under my radar?" she wondered, perplexed by it
all.

"We were pretty secretive about it. The only reason Emmett knows is because
Bella accidentally told Rose."

"Don't try to comfort me, Edward. I never let these things get by me. I should've
known the day you brought in the scrap book. Damn, I'm losing my touch," she
whined and Edward chuckled.

"You're not losing your touch, Small fry. You're just stressed with all the wedding
planning. How goes it anyway?"

"Don't call me Small fry and the planning is going well. I can't believe it's coming
up so soon. Only two and half more months."

"Yeah…only two and a half more," Edward teased and Alice rolled her eyes at
him.

"Shut up! Now, have you told Bella that you love her?" she asked and a somber
mood passed over Edward, quickly clouding the brightness in his eyes; it didn't
go unnoticed.

"Yeah," he whispered and Alice smiled timidly.

"You know I've been waiting to hear you admit that you love Bella for years, I
just never thought you'd sound this morose when you did."

"I'm not morose, Alice. It's just that…I told Bella that I love her, but she…she
hasn't said it back," he replied and Alice nodded her head in understanding.

"Yet."

"Excuse me?" Edward asked.

"She hasn't said it yet, Edward," his cousin elaborated. "You know Bella, you
know her better than anybody. It's going to take her time."

"I know, it's just that she was the one who initiated the whole conversation about
our relationship and taking it to more-"

"Bella was the one to bring up the subject?" Alice interjected before Edward could
finish explaining.
"Yeah, she's the one who wanted to take our friendship to the next level."

"I'm confused. How did you two even get to that point to even talk about it?"

"Fuck!" Edward hissed under his breath.

"What? What's with the swearing?"

"Do I have any meetings this morning?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"Nothing, but you have to go see Mr. Meyers in the conference room later on.
They're going to surprise you with cake and probably a nice watch. You know how
they operate."

Edward sighed, reclining back in his chair, tapping on the arm rest and
contemplating how much he should tell Alice. He shook his head, frustrated with
everything, and decided to go all out.

"Okay, Bella and I have been…fooling around for the last four months," he began
and Alice sat quietly as she listened to Edward tell the story. He left only the
explicit details out, and not once did Alice stop to question him. He told her about
the beginning of the game, how it was his idea to play. He let her know about all
the letters they had used and of course, he told her about coming home, the
necklace, and the conversation.

"That's the whole story, Alice."

"Wow, how did I not see any of this?" She shook her head bewildered. "It was
right under my nose the entire time. And what were you thinking Edward? This
could have turned out terribly. You could have ruined your entire friendship."

"I know, Alice, but I had faith in it. I knew that if things started to get weird, I
would have ended it."

"Would you? Would you have really stopped it all?" she asked looking straight at
Edward before continuing. "From what you told me, the first time felt
comfortable, even though you hid behind costumes and fake teeth. You two were
able to get passed all the strangeness before you even began. Most people
would've spent half the time laughing and giggling like little kids. Sounds to me
like it was never really a game to either of you."

Edward sat silently as he processed what Alice had said. They had started with
rules and lived by them, but quickly they had disregarded them. They didn't even
make it through the whole alphabet.

"I'm going to take that silence as a yes." She looked at her watch and sighed.
"You should probably start heading up to the conference room for the celebration.
They want you there a little after ten."

"Thanks Alice, I'll be up there soon. I just need to check something."

"No problem, oh and I wouldn't be opposed to you telling Jasper about that
Tiffany necklace. Maybe he'll take it as a hint," she said chuckling as she walked
out of his office.

Edward collected his fluctuating emotions as he sat staring out of his office
window. He knew that it would take Bella time before she would be able to tell
him 'I love you' and though it hurt, he knew he would have to wait.
It was as he walked toward the elevator that he knew that he would wait as long
as it took to hear the words because even if she didn't say them, he would still be
able to wake up with her by his side, and that was enough for the moment.

=x=

Tuesday morning started just about the same way that Monday did, but this time
it was Edward who woke up first.

He was able to watch Bella sleeping in his arms though it was hard to really see
her since her head was tucked in snug against his chest. It was her warmth that
sent his heart fluttering. Just knowing that she was there before he even opened
his eyes was enough to bring the brilliant smile back to his face.

He brushed her hair aside as he watched as the morning light filtered into the
room against her cheek and stirred her awake.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted her groggy yawn and chuckled as she still
managed to blush.

"Morning," she murmured against his chest.

"How do you feel?"

"Sore. The roof isn't exactly the best place to lie down on," she chuckled bashfully
and Edward brushed a hand against her cheek.

"I know, but at least we didn't fall asleep up there; it would've rained on us."

"True," she groaned as she pulled away from Edward.

"What's wrong?"

"My lips hurt. They hurt yesterday and today it's even worse," she whined and
Edward chortled.

"I know what you mean," he concurred rubbing his hand against his lips.

"I don't really want to get out of bed," she announced as she stretched. Edward
watched as the skin on her stomach tightened as she arched her back.

"Neither do I, but I think I have an RFQ waiting on my desk, or at least that's

what Alice emailed me yesterday afternoon after I left the office."

"What the heck is an RFQ?" Bella asked as she turned over to lean on her hand.
Edward mimicked the action, the two of them laying down facing each other.

"Request for qualifications. In other words, they want us to send over some
brochures and what not before they send over possible information packages for
a new campaign."

Bella chuckled and stretched her free hand to Edward's lips.

"You're lips look swollen," she commented, rubbing her thumb along the
separation of the two.

"Oh cause you're one to talk," he chided, pulling her bottom lip between his
thumb and index finger, eliciting a painful cry from Bella.

"Ow!" she shouted as she smacked his shoulder.

"It looks like a bee stung your bottom lip."

"Well if someone would stop biting it all the time," she murmured and Edward
chuckled as he leaned forward to take her bottom lip between his teeth.

As he clenched her bottom lip, Bella groaning and he hissed, "Never."

"I don't want you to stop," she whispered as she pushed her lips tightly against
his in a sweet kiss.

"Never," he repeated.

Eventually the two pulled away from each other and rose from the bed to get
ready for work.

"Join me in the shower?" Bella asked and Edward scoffed.

"Did you ask me to join you in the shower? Like I need an invitation," he smugly
replied and Bella threw a pillow at him.

"Come on, Smelly. Let's get you clean," she jested and Edward followed her
toward the bathroom.

"Before we go in, I forgot to tell you something."

"Is it about that weird news at work you've been hearing about?" she asked.

"No, however I did find out that the rumors I've been hearing about Mr. Meyers
having an affair with his secretary are actually true. I didn't want to believe them,
but apparently, they were caught in the act on Friday afternoon when the janitor
arrived to empty the waste baskets."

Bella stared at Edward wide eyed.

"Mr. Meyers? But isn't he like sixty?"

"Hey, age is only a number," Edward argued and Bella scoffed.

"His secretary is thirty. I met her at the Christmas party last year. Oh, eww," she
groaned in disgust. "That's gross and his wife is so nice. What was her name?
Ste—Sti, Stacy! She's such a sweet woman, albeit a little too religious, but nice
nonetheless."

Edward stood in front of Bella laughing before he grabbed her shoulders to get
her attention.

"Do you want to hear what I have to tell you or not?" he asked sternly.

"Depends," Bella negotiated. "Am I going to like what you tell me?"

"Depends," Edward retorted and Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Umm…ahhh…" Edward stalled and Bella egged him on.

"Come on, what?"

"Alice knows all about us," he quickly answered. "And so does Jasper."

"How?" Bella shouted.

"Well, you see Jasper, instead of feeding Emmett food, gave him whiskey, and
you know Emmett and alcohol…the two go together like peanut butter and
ketchup."

"So he told her about all the umm…activities?"

"No, just that we were together," he answered, but Bella sensed there was more.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Well, Alice asked me about what Emmett told them and I ended up telling her
about the game," he grimaced and with good reason. Bella's face immediately
grew red and her brows furrowed in anger.

"Do you know how embarrassing this is, Edward? I don't even really know
Jasper."

"I only told Alice, besides you told Rosalie," he contoured and Bella huffed in
frustration.

"Yeah and looked what happened there. Alice is going to tell Jasper."

"I'm sorry," he apologized and Bella shook her head in disdain.

"I can't believe you, Edward."

"I'm really sorry," he countered and Bella again shook her head and stalked
away.

"Come on, Bells. Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it matters," she argued. "Do you know how that makes me look to my
future cousin-in-law?"

Edward's jaw dropped for a brief second before a dazzling smile appeared across
his face.

"Future cousin-in-law?" he asked with a smug smile. This time, Bella's jaw
dropped. Her eyes widened before she closed her mouth and swallowed loudly.

"What?" she asked in a daze.

"You said future cousin-in-law. Jasper is my future cousin-in-law, not yours," he

replied, the smile still wide on his face. Those three words had sent his heart
racing. To know that Bella thought of Jasper in that manner meant that she had
thought about the possibility of marrying him in the future.

"How about that shower?" Bella tried to evade the conversation and Edward
chuckled as he shook his head.

"Yeah, sounds good. Let's go, Mrs. Cullen," he jested and Bella blushed furiously.
He couldn't help but smile at how lovely 'Isabella Cullen' sounded in his head.

"Shut up," she chastised as she stomped off toward the bathroom.

Edward quickly caught up to her before she reached the shower door and pulled
her against him by the waist. Her back lay against his chest and he rocked them
side to side for a moment before leaning down to whisper in Bella's ear.

"I love that you have thought about marrying me because I've thought about the
same thing," he confessed and felt Bella shudder against him.
"I love you, Isabella Swan."

"Edward," Bella whispered sadly and Edward turned her around.

"As long as it takes, Bella."

=x=

The rest of the week passed uneventfully and before Edward knew it, it was six
o'clock in the morning on Saturday, and he was being awoken by Bella tickling his
feet.

"What the hell, Bella?" he half groaned, half laughed as he pulled his feet away
from Bella's fingers.

"Wake up, Sunshine. We have a long day ahead of us."

"You're already dressed. When did that happen? I didn't feel you leave the bed,"
he said groggily as he struggled to sit up, eventually succeeding.

"I too can be stealthy at times. It's rare, but it happens. Now get off that cute
butt of yours and get ready. I have a lot of things planned for my day," she
ordered, yanking the bed sheet still covering Edward's torso off.

"Alright. Would you at least tell me what we're doing? Or at least where we're
going?" Edward asked as he slipped on a pair of jeans.

"You'll see," Bella playfully answered and Edward leered at her.

Fifteen minutes later, Edward was dressed and standing by Bella in the kitchen as
they sipped their coffee.

"Are you gonna at least give me a little clue as to what we're doing?"

"I shouldn't," Bella winced as the very hot coffee singed her tongue and Edward
flinched for a moment. "But I'll give you one clue about where we're going."

Edward calmed down seeing that Bella was all right and watched as she pulled a
fork out of the kitchen drawers.

"A fork?" he questioned and Bella nodded.

"Think a little, Edward."

"We're going to go eat," he assumed and Bella shook her head and pulled out
another fork from the drawer.

"What the hell, Bella? Two forks? We're going to two forks?" Edward questioned
and Bella's eyed widened as she tried to egg him on and Edward finally
understood what she was trying to hint at.

"We're going to Forks. I…it's early," he defended himself and Bella broke out in a
full out laugh, embarrassing Edward.

"Took you long enough, Cullen," she jabbed at his waning ego and Edward stuck
his tongue out at her.

"Well, I'm sorry. It's the ungodly hour of six-twenty on a Saturday morning. My
apologies, milady, for not solving the brain buster," he scoffed and Bella simply
smiled at him.
"So, why are we going to Forks?"

"You'll see," she answered as she headed toward the front door. She grabbed her
car keys off the side table and looked over her shoulder. For a moment, Edward
was mesmerized by the way her eyes called to him.

"You coming?"

"If you're going, I'm already there," he declared as he walked through the open
door. He could hear the little giggle she let out as she locked the door.

"I heard that," he whispered into her ear and she jumped away from him.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?"

"Not to do it," he petulantly replied.

"Crabby," Bella murmured teasingly as they stepped into the elevator.

"Am not."

"Sure, sure Edward."

=x=

Three and half-hours later Edward found himself being shaken awake by Bella. He
took a moment to notice his surrounding and saw that Bella had parked her car in
front of the supermarket in Forks.

"What are we doing here?" he asked in between yawning.

"You'll see, Sleepyhead," was all she said as she stepped out of the car and
headed toward Edward's side of the car. He pulled himself out of his stupor and
got out of the car. He followed Bella into the supermarket and listened to the
beep-beep of her car as she locked it with her key remote from afar.

"What are you planning on buying?" Edward asked as he watched Bella head over
to the cookie aisle. He had to halt his steps quickly as she stopped halfway into
the aisle and turned around to face him.

"Bella-" he called her name softly, concern starting to rise as he watched tears
start to well in Bella's eyes.

"Almost twenty-two years ago, my scatterbrained mother decided to not pay

attention to where she was pushing her shopping cart, but pay attention to my
crying instead and she ended up crashing into another cart," Bella began as
Edward watched tears stream down her face.

"Thank fuck for that because it brought me you. We were four and even then you
knew how to make smile," she continued through her tears pausing to take a
deep breath. Edward just stood silently and watched her pull something out of
her pocket.

"I was crying and you turned to me," she said and held out her hand. In the palm
of it was a strawberry delight. "You turned to me and gave me a strawberry
delight and said-"

"Pretty girls shouldn't cry," Edward interjected as he pulled Bella to him and
hugged her tightly, not caring that her tears were seeping into his t-shirt.
Moments later, Bella pulled herself away and Edward wiped some of the tears
that had streaked down her face away.

"Every moment we have ever shared is permanently etched into my memory. The
thought of you alone does things to me, Edward. I can never forget this moment
right here, the moment in which I met you. Edward Cullen, you are unforgettable
to me. No one has ever meant more to me or ever made feel this way. It's you
Edward, only you that I've ever felt this way about," she declared, tears once
against streaming down her face. Edward didn't refrain from wiping them away.

"Bella, it's the same for me. I feel exactly the same; it has always been you."

Bella lunged at him and he gripped her tightly as she threw her arms around his
neck. Every part of his body felt alive. His heart felt full.

Without even saying 'I love you', Bella had made him the happiest man alive.

"What now, Bella?"

"Now," she sniffled as she pulled away. "I'm kind of in the mood for some banana
nut pancakes."

"Forks Diner!" Edward gleefully shouted and even through the drying tears and
sniffles, Bella still managed to smile. Edward smiled right back at her and
grabbed her hand as they walked back out of the supermarket and to Bella's car.
This time, Edward drove.

They were at the diner in five minutes.

"Do you always have to drive like a maniac?" Bella chided, not at all serious.
Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"You know how I like to drive."

Walking into the diner was like being hit hard by déjà vu. It almost felt like being
slapped in the face with countless memories.

"Edward! Bella!" An elderly man greeted them as they stepped further into the
familiar diner.

"Hey, Mr. Jones. How are you?" Edward greeted the diner owner as both he and
Bella each sat on one of the bar stools.

"Good, my boy. How have you two been? I haven't seen you in here in years. You
both still best friends?" he asked, smiling at them.

"We're good, Mr. Jones," Bella answered, grabbing Edward's hand and presenting
it to him. Mr. Jones smiled widely as he saw their joined hands.

"I always knew you two had something special," he smiled and winked.

"Really?" Edward asked and watched as Mr. Jones nodded.

"Oh boy, it was clear as day that you two cared about each other. I don't think
you two knew how much you two really cared though. I knew it because of the
way you looked at her," Mr. Jones pointed to Edward.

"Me?"
"Yeah you," he replied. "You looked at Bella like she was the only girl in the room,
regardless if you're arm was around a pretty little Betty, you never looked at that
girl like you did at Bella. Or, I should say like you still look at her."

Edward smiled at Mr. Jones as he caught himself staring at Bella as she stared at
Mr. Jones.

"What about me?" Bella asked Mr. Jones.

"You too, Bella. It was in the way you clung to every word Edward said. It didn't
matter if he was talking about getting some cheese fries to eat; you listened like
he was singing your praises."

Edward chuckled as he looked around the unchanged and cozy diner. He still felt
very much at home in the diner as he did years back. Mr. Jones still had his tab
board up in the corner and Edward got up to read it, spotting a paper with a
familiar name and date on it.

"Oh my god. I still owe you five dollars for two sodas and basket of fries," Edward
announced as he pulled the receipt off the wall.

"Don't worry about that now, Edward. Why don't you and Bella go sit down and
I'll send Julie over to take your order."

"Sure thing, Mr. Jones, but just bring two orange juices and a large double order
of banana nut pancakes and home fries," Bella answered and headed over to a
booth by the front window and Edward followed suit with the receipt in his hand.

"Look at this thing," he said, passing it over to Bella, who took the faded, yellow
receipt and read it over quickly.

"Oh my god," she whispered as she looked up at Edward and he nodded.

"This is the day you asked me to lose our virginity," Bella said and nodded again.

"I know. I can't believe it's been up there this entire time."

"I can't believe you never paid the man," Bella teased and Edward scoffed.

"If memory serves, you ate the last French fry."

"Semantics!" Bella argued as Edward looked down at her hand as she kept
running her fingers over the date at the top of the receipt.

"Do you remember that day?" he asked her.

"How could I forget it? I thought you were out of your mind," she laughed and
Edward joined in her joy.

"Yeah, we were so awkward. I mean, who just stands there and asks to take
clothes off," he detailed and Bella laughed again.

"I think about that day a lot," Bella admitted quietly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've heard such horror stories about other girl's first time, but mine was
beautiful. As awkward as it was, it was beautiful. You made me feel so
comfortable, so safe, and even though it hurt, you still managed to make it
amazing. I cherish the memory of that day," she stuttered out as tears once
again began to well in her eyes.

"Do you ever think about how much time was lost because of that day?" Edward
asked and Bella meekly replies 'yes'.

"Stupid Emmett and his stupid no kissing rule," Bella protested and Edward
chuckled in agreement. "I love kissing you."

"I love kissing you."

"I love being kissed by you. I feel so beautiful and so loved when you kiss me,"
she said and started crying again. "Even my first kiss was better than most. Even
though the entire class saw it, I felt like it was just you and me in that room."

Edward reached over the table and wiped Bella's tears away with a napkin and
then leaned over the table and gave her a sweet kiss.

"I love you," he whispered and another tear fell down Bella's cheek as she
grimaced.

"As long as it takes," Edward comforted her. "As long as it takes."

=x=

They left the diner, full to the brim and happy. Edward paid for breakfast and his
tab and the two of them wished Mr. Jones a good day.

"Where to now?" Edward asked as they got back into the car, Bella again taking
the wheel.

"The Quileute Reservation cliffs."

Edward's entire body froze as she turned on to the familiar stretch of highway.

"Why?" He asked. His hands were clenched on his thighs in the form of fists. He
was digging his nails tightly into his palm, his knuckles whiter than usual.

"Trust me, Edward," Bella turned to him and Edward didn't turn to look at her.

"I can't go back there, Bella," he muttered. "Every time I think about that day, I
think about losing you. I was such an idiot."

"Hey," Bella said, relaxing the fist on Edward's left hand and slipping her hand
into his. "I'm still here and even though the day ended sourly, I still remember
the thrill of ditching school and running like a bunch of fools to your car. I
remember driving to the cliffs, the radio blasting Nirvana loudly. I remember how
happy you looked and the smile you couldn't take off your face even though I was
a nervous wreck and thought we would be caught. Those are the things I
remember about that day."

Edward remained silent as Bella held his hand and drove on. The drive over to
the cliffs was the longest ride of Edward's life. It was only a twenty-five minute
ride, but right then and there it felt so much longer. The moment the cliffs came
into view, the image of Bella falling hit him like a ton of bricks and his grip on
Bella's hand tightened.

"Bella, can we please leave?" he pleaded and Bella replied that they wouldn't.

"Please Bella?"
"No," she repeated. "We need to be here," she said as she parked the car a few
feet from the side of the upward climb of the cliffs. Edward watched in a daze as
she stepped out of the car and walked over to his side to pull him out. It was as if
he was hypnotized as he stepped out and took her hand. He let her lead him all
the way up to the cliff from which they had both jumped from eight years prior.

"Edward, that day can never be erased from our memories," Bella began as
Edward took her hand. He kissed the scar on her wrist lovingly.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered and Bella brushed it aside. "Always and forever
sorry."

"I've forgiven you for that day countless times. It was not your fault so please,
please stop apologizing," she spoke. "The moment is unforgettable,
unfortunately, and though we can't erase it, I want to make a new memory at the
cliff."

"What are you saying?"

"Jump with me," she said and Edward took a step back.

"What?" he asked and Bella grabbed his hand.

"Jump with me," she repeated. "We can't erase that day, but we can create a new
unforgettable moment. Jump with me."

Edward looked into Bella's eyes and saw the yearning in them and he conceded.
Bella smiled at him and stepped to the edge of the cliff, gripping Edward's hand
tightly.

"On the count of three. One," she began.

"Two," Edward continued.

"Three," they both yelled and they jumped off the ledge.

As they fell, Edward heard Bella shout something, the wind carrying it all around
them.

"I love you, Edward Cullen."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: All I Wanted; The Only Exception

Bella's head popped out of the water faster than she saw coming, the buoyancy
of the water pushing her upward. She threw her head back, feeling the thick, wet
locks smack the top of her back as they fell back down and listened to the sounds
of the water that escaped them, plinking against the water.

She gasped for air as her lungs tried to readjust to the sensation of air filling
them. She brushed water and her hair away from her eyes desperately as she
tried to adjust her vision to see where she had landed. She was thankful that she
had pinched her nose before crashing into the water. Her sinuses would be killing
her now if she hadn't. All the water would have rushed up her nostrils upon
impact; she had learned from the last time.
For a few brief moments, Bella forgot where she and who was with her as she
tried to get herself reacquainted with the area above the water. As she continued
to try to breathe normally and failing miserably, a pair of arms wrapped around
her waist and turned her around.

She was met with the intense awed gaze of Edward, whose hair was slicked back
because of the water, and much like her own clothing, his t-shirt clung to his
body.

His hands released her waist under the water and the two remained floating there
in silence before his hands found their way to her face. He cupped her cheeks
before speaking.

"Say it again," he gasped through deep breaths as he let his eyes travel between
her eyes and her lips. Bella smiled at him and bit at the corner of her lip as she
watched their chests rising and falling in unison causing tiny ripples in the water
to form in front of them.

"Please Bella? Please say it again? I want to believe that I wasn't hearing things,"
he pleaded as he brushed away the water drops that fell from the roots of her
hair and onto her cheeks.

"You weren't hearing things," Bella mumbled and Edward's eyes widened at the
confession. Using the fluidity of the water, he moved his body even closer to
Bella's, intertwining their legs together.

"So?" he asked desperately and Bella smiled.

"I love you, Edward Cullen," she affirmed, sincerely and Edward lunged at her,
pulling her face towards his and kissing her passionately. His lips molded against
hers in perfect synchronization. It was slow and loving and yet completely
unabashed as they floated in the center of the water. When his lips moved down
to suck on her bottom lip, hers moved up to take his top lip. His hands sank into
her wet hair and hers in to his.

"Again," he whispered and she complied immediately.

"I love you."

His lips met hers again. Their teeth clinked for a instant before they slowed down
to savor the motions.

"Again!" he mumbled against her mouth and Bella giggled as she acquiesced once
more.

"I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU!" she shouted and Edward beamed at her.
She was too far gone; her heart filled and burst each time she said it. She shifted
her eyes to really look at him and was received with the purest, sincere emotion.

"I love you so much," he whispered as he pulled her back toward him. He ran his
fingers up her spine over her wet clothes and gripped her neck softly before
pulling them down.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked as her chin grazed the top of the water.

"Do you trust me?" Edward replied seriously.

"With my life."
"Then trust me right now," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her. His lips met
hers tightly and he pulled them down slowly into the water. Bella was sure that if
their legs weren't entwined, she would have already been floating back to the
surface. However, they remained there, wrapped around each other and
submerged under the water. They were just pressing their lips against each
other.

It was a surreal kiss.

All Bella could feel was Edward. All she could see when she opened her eyes was
Edward. It didn't matter that the water stung her eyes. All she could hear was the
emptiness of the water. The kiss didn't last very long before Edward pulled them
both back up to the surface.

Edward just held Bella and looked at her and Bella, though the staring was odd,
couldn't help but be enthralled and enchanted by it.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"Get what?"

"What I just showed you?" he replied and she shook her head no.

"When I'm with you, it's like the world disappears. All I see is you, Bella. All I
smell, all I hear, feel, is you. Being around you makes me feel….it's…it's a
peaceful tranquility that I can't quite understand. It just feels so damn right to
me," he described and Bella smiled at him.

"What?" he asked confused at her expression.

Bella pulled Edward closer to her and kissed him. As they kissed, Bella wrapped
her legs around Edward's waist and he half-swam and half-walked them towards
the edge of the land around the river.

"Edward," Bella moaned as Edward's lip trailed kisses down the nape of her neck.
He placed her down gently on the ground and held himself on his elbows above
her. There were tiny pebbles in the ground, but Bella didn't care; she didn't feel
them digging into her back, all she felt was Edward.

"I love you, Bella," he told her as he looked down at her.

"I love you, too," she replied before he placed his lips back on hers and kissed
her tenderly, moving their lips in a slow dance. Bella was trying to savor it,
kissing him back with exactly the same amount of passion.

Edward began to litter kisses along Bella's neck and blew cool air on the trails of
water that continued to trail down it. He reveled in the way her body shivered
under his and the way he could feel goose bumps forming on her arms. He held
her necklace between his fingers before placing back down on her chest, kissing
the diamond encrusted heart.

Bella sighed contently as his hands began to pull up her wet t-shirt, struggling
slightly to help him peel it off her skin. The two struggled to pull the wet cotton
over her head, and it snagged slightly around her face before Edward threw it
onto the ground beside them. Edward laid her back down gently and again, Bella
didn't care about the pebbles that now dug into her bare back.

"Maybe it wasn't so smart to jump into the water fully clothed?" Edward laughed
as he frustratingly tugged at his own shirt, fighting with the material before, it
too, joined Bella's on the ground.
Bella giggled in agreement before letting her hands roam the cool skin of
Edward's chest. She created tiny paths of warmth with the friction of her hands.
Edward groaned before stopping her and pulling her wrists above her head. He
held her wrists with both of his hands before separating them to interlock his
fingers with hers.

They lay there staring at each other for a few brief silent seconds before a sudden
wave of water slid under Bella and made her jump causing Edward to flip off of
her and start laughing.

"Don't laugh," Bella pouted as she smacked him square in the chest. "It was
really cold."

"I'm sorry, but that's what you get for laying on the ground by where the tides of
the river break."

"You put me down there," she argued and turned over to lean on an elbow to
face Edward, and he mimicked her actions.

"You didn't say anything," he contested as he brushed sand and those tiny
pebbles that lay between it, off of his back as he sat up.

"I was lost in the moment," she timidly replied and watched as Edward smiled
and reached his hand to touch the heat searing her cheeks.

"Me too."

"I'm always lost in the moment with you," Bella continued, feeling ridiculous at
how sappy their conversation had shifted.

"Bella Swan," Edward chuckled. "Who knew you were so sentimentalist?"

"Shut up!" she yelped as Edward pulled her on top of him, his hands firmly placed
on her hips.

"I'm only teasing," he defended.

Edward said nothing else as he pulled Bella down by her neck and connected his
mouth with hers. Bella let herself be lost in the feeling of his lips; she knew that
she would never get tired of them or him.

"Edward," she groaned as she pulled away.

"You have no idea how much I want you right now," he groaned. He lavished her
chest with kisses, pulling the cups of her bra up to kiss the underside of each
breast before he grew annoyed of the red lace and pulled it over her head, not
bothering to unhook it beforehand.

His hands massaged her breasts as he kissed down her stomach, alternating
between pecks and nibbles making Bella squirm under him. She panted heavily
as his thumbs simultaneously rounded each of her nipples and watched as they
hardened under his fingers.

"Edward," she moaned while he kissed along her belly button, still not moving his
hands from her breasts.

"Bella," he echoed as his hands finally moved away from her breasts and
caressed down her waist until he gripped her hips tightly and pulled his hips down
against hers. Both of them moaned at the sensation before Edward groaned.
"What?" Bella asked and Edward stood up quickly, pulling Bella up afterward.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he picked Bella up, the pebbles indented into
her skin fell back down to the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
His wet jeans made it near impossible to actually walk with any semblance of
grace.

"I didn't want to do this with pebbles digging into your back," he explained as he
placed her on the hood of her car. There was still a tiny hint of heat from the
motor present.

Bella smiled in thanks up at him as she leaned down to kiss him before he pulled
away and started to unbuckle his jeans. His urgency made Bella laugh.

"Don't laugh at me," he grunted as he struggled to pull the tight, wet denim off
his legs. Bella smiled at the situation. Rosalie had once told her that the best sex
was the kind when you could laugh before, through, and after it because it meant
the ultimate level of security between a couple.

"There's no rush Edward," she purred and Edward stopped his motions to raise an
eyebrow up at her. A sly smirk spread across his face.

"Did you just purr?" he asked as he yanked at the jeans collected at his right leg.
He tugged hard on the material, nearly falling as he succeeded.

"Maybe you should've taken off your shoes," Bella teased and slipped hers off as
she too proceeded to struggle with the removal of her own pants.

"Shush you!" he jested and successfully managed to remove his pants and shoes.
He stood in only his boxer briefs and socks. Bella sat on the hood of her car in
only her underwear. She smile at Edward and coaxed him over with her finger.

"Feeling frisky are we?" Edward smugly inquired as he stood in front of Bella.

"Maybe? But I'm not the only one, seeing as you practically ripped your pants
off," she retorted playfully and Edward moaned when her hands found their way
to the deep V of his hips. She ran the tip of her index fingers along the muscular
cuts.

"Wet jeans and inner thighs aren't pleasant. Chafing is not fun," he declared and
Bella yelped as laughter ripped through her.

"Stop laughing," he jokingly pouted and pulled her close to him.

"I can't help it," she defended. "You always manage to make me laugh."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he whispered and bent down to kiss her, pulling
her hips against his.

"I don't think we should do this on the car," Bella reprimanded as he began to
pull his boxers off.

"Why not?" he grumbled against her collarbone as he peppered it with kisses.

"Someone might see us," she moaned her argument and Edward scoffed at her ill
attempt at stopping him.

"You wanted to do it on the ground!"

"You put me on the ground."

"Yeah, but you still wanted to do this on the ground."

"I know, but I don't feel right doing this here," she glowered and Edward hung his
head forward.

"Okay," he meekly replied pulling his wet underwear back up and pulling away
from Bella. He was doing his best to make it known that he was upset, over
exaggeratingly pouting and kicking the dirt with his socks. It wasn't the smartest
thing; it just made the dirt stick to the wet material even more.

"I can't handle that, Edward," Bella groaned as she followed him around the area
to pick up their pants and Edward had gone out to pick up Bella's shirt and bra.

"Well, you're gonna have to," he whined playfully and winked at her, letting her
know that it was all an act.

"That's just mean!" she huffed as she met up with him at the trunk of her car to
dump their wet clothes back there.

"Wait!" she called out and pulled out some plastic bags out from the trunk to
place the wet clothes in.

"Smart," Edward commented while he pulled off his underwear and socks and
threw them into the bag along with his and Bella's clothing.

"Edward!" Bella cried when she watched him walk around to the driver's seat and
turn the car on.

"What?" he called out to her, innocently, as if he wasn't nude in the front of the
car.

"You're not driving my car, to my dad's house, in the nude. What if he's on duty
and stops our car? How the hell would we explain that?"

"Well," he began to explain all whiling stepping out of the car. He had no qualms
about being nude out where they were. "We would first have to explain what led
to it, you know, years of repressed feelings, our game, your ploy to have sex out
here and then chickening out-" he began to elaborate, but Bella interrupted him.

"Be quiet and put some clothes on," she exclaimed as she threw a pair of
underwear, some sweats and a t-shirt for Edward.

"You packed clothes for me?" he asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Of course, I did. I wouldn't only pack for myself. I'm not that mean."

"How long have you've been planning this?" he posed the question, getting
dressed in the process. Bella even handed him over a pair of socks and a pair of
dry sneakers.

"Since the letter S," she replied honestly and Edward pulled her into a hug. He
kissed the top of her head and she sighed in content. She loved being held by
Edward; there was no greater feeling than his strong arms around her. She felt
loved and protected.

"Thank you," he whispered and Bella tore herself away from the warmth to look
up at him.

"For what?" she asked and Edward brushed the pieces of hair that had managed
to stick to her forehead away.
"For creating a new memory here. It won't replace the old one, but it will now
always be the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this place."

"You're welcome," she meekly squeaked as she ducked her head down.

"How did I get so lucky?" Edward quietly pondered out loud, and Bella again
stared at him puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

"You," he retorted. "I'm talking about you. I'm the luckiest bastard alive, if you
ask me. I have you in my life; any man would kill to be in my position right now."

"Edward-"

"Don't!" he interrupted Bella. "You know that's the truth. You're amazing, Bella
Swan, and you always have been. I fell in love with you when we were four years
old and was too stupid to realize it until now. I'm so lucky that I still have the
opportunity to have you this way in my life."

"Edward," Bella called him as she lunged back into his awaiting arms. She held
him tightly and he did the same to her. Bella smiled brightly against Edward's
chest. His words had touched her. No one had ever proclaimed themselves to her
in such a manner.

No man had ever told her that he was in love with her and that she was perfect.
No man had managed to make her feel beautiful. No man had ever managed to
make her laugh when she was crying or make her smile when she was mad.

Except for Edward.

He was the only exception.

Edward made her smile. He made her laugh. He made her feel beautiful.

He made her feel like she meant something.

"I was so afraid that this game… that night when you came home from New
York…" Bella began, her thoughts broken. "I was afraid we were going to fuck
everything up."

"But we didn't, so there's nothing to be afraid of anymore," he reassured her

though there was a distant look in his eyes. He was hiding something from her
and he had been for the last couple of weeks. Whatever he was hiding was
something big, and for some reason he didn't want to tell her.

"Now, where to?" Edward asked as he walked Bella toward the passenger side of
the car.

"Hey!" she griped. "Who said you were driving?"

"I did. So where to?"

"My dad's house."

"To the Chief's we go then," he saluted as he stepped into the car beside Bella.

=x=

The drive to Bella's old home wasn't very long and before she knew it, Edward
was parking on the empty drive way, which meant Charlie was out on duty.
"Guess your dad's working," Edward commented as he and Bella stepped up the
familiar porch steps and used the extra key in the mailbox to open the door.

"Whoa," Edward gasped as Bella closed the door.

"What?"

"It's been a while since we've been here."

"I know; that's kind of why I wanted to come. My dad always comes to visit us,
we never come to see him.

"Us?" Edward scoffed. "I'm pretty sure the Chief comes to see you, not me."

"You know my dad thinks of you like a son."

"I'm pretty sure his whole outlook on me would change if he knew that I had you
begging for me to take you on the couch he gave us," Edward smirked as he
backed Bella up against the wall beside the staircase.

"Crap, Edward," Bella griped. "What's with you?"

"I'm all worked up because of you," he chuckled as he stepped back.

"What the hell did I do?" Bella scolded as she started walking up the stairs toward
her bedroom.

"What did you do?" Edward argued. "Nothing. That's the problem. It's what you
didn't do," he jested, making both of them laugh.

"Tough love, hon," Bella claimed as she opened her bedroom door. Edward
followed her into the familiar bedroom.

"God, your dad hasn't removed a single thing from in here, has he?" Edward
commented as his hands ran along the familiar items in Bella's room. His fingers
swayed the little dangling jewels on her desk lamp, and padded along the
keyboard on the ancient Compaq Desktop still sitting on her wooden desk.

"I know. I haven't even really removed anything from here either. I like it like
this though."

"Why?" Edward quipped as he reached Bella's wall of photos, smiling as his eyes
passed over them.

"It holds good memories," she answered as she stood beside him, looking at a
picture of them when they were fourteen, playing in the rain. They were covered
from head to toe in mud in Edward's backyard. They looked so at peace and so
happy in the picture. They were wearing bright, wide smiles as the rain fell
around them.

"Do you remember how sick we got after this?" he chuckled as he pointed at the
picture Bella had just been staring at.

"Oh my God," she scoffed. "It was all your fault. You just had to persuade me to
go out there."

"Of course, I did. I had ulterior motives," he smirked, catching Bella's attention.

"What?" she asked curiously and Edward pointed to the soaked white tank top
she was wearing in the picture.
"I wanted to see your bra," he honestly answered and Bella smacked his arm
lightly.

"Perv," she accused and Edward pulled her close to him.

"Your pervert. Besides, I was fourteen, every guy I knew at that age would have
done the same," he smiled as he tapped the tip of her nose. "But that wasn't the
only reason why."

"Oh really?" Bella replied disbelieving.

"Don't you remember why you were over at my house?" he asked as he turned to
hold her close to his chest. He watched as she shook her head before continuing.

"You had just found out that the guy at the ice cream shop, Ted, Tod, Tom, or
whatever his name was, didn't like you."

"Wow," Bella gasped. "I completely forgot about that. I was so devastated, and I
rode my bike all the way to your house from the ice cream parlor."

"Yeah, and you were crying, and I could barely understand what you were saying
through the sobbing and the snot running down your face," he chuckled and Bella
glared at him while laughing with him anyway.

"I must have looked fantastic," she joked and Edward began to sway them.

"You looked so sad. I hated seeing you that way; I still do. So, when I saw the
rain start to come down, I asked you to come outside. You look so happy out
there," he pointed to the picture again.

"Well, you succeeded. I forgot about that disaster until today."

"That was the point."

The two remained silent until Bella decided to sit on the bed. She spread out on it
like she would have when she was a teenager.

"Damn," Edward commented as he squeezed in beside her. "It's still the same
stiff as a board mattress."

"I love this mattress. I wish I could take it back to the apartment, but it's too
small for my bed."

"What time is it?" Edward asked and Bella reached over to the nightstand that
still held the same alarm clock she had back in high school.

"It's either one, two, or three, depending on if my dad ever changed the clock for
daily savings time in the last four years."

"It's two then," Edward corrected. "In the car, when we left for the cliffs it was
almost one."

"We were there that long?"

Edward nodded his head as he pulled Bella on top of him and centered himself on
the small, twin bed.

"Edward," Bella chastised as she tried to move off him, but failing miserably. All
she had managed to do was rub herself against the growing arousal in Edward's
pants.
"Bella," he moaned as she continued to fight him to hop off, but regardless of the
pleasure he was experiencing, his grip on her hips never waned.

"My dad could come home at any minute," she protested as Edward began to rub
her back under her shirt.

"It's two, Bella. We both know that the chief works until six on Saturdays. Always
has."

Bella chuckled as she remembered how Edward knew exactly that her father was
on duty until six on Saturdays.

The two of them had been hanging out in her bedroom, giving Emmett and his
new girlfriend time alone on the couch downstairs. Bella had let them use the
living room because they couldn't find anywhere to go without a car since
Emmett had messed up his brakes. Bella had forgotten to warn them that her
father came home at six before it was too late. At six fifteen on the dot, the Chief
walked into his house, to find Emmett being serviced by his girlfriend while sitting
on Charlie's favorite recliner.

"Remember Emmett's girly scream when Charlie found them?" Edward

interrupted her thoughts and she nodded.

"That was terrible."

"Well, we know when he's coming home, so until then," Edward growled and
yanked at Bella's shirt for her to remove it; she complied readily.

"Not going to lie, Bella, but I love when you don't wear a bra," he groaned as his
hands reached out to massage her breasts. Bella threw her head back in bliss as
she placed her hands over Edward's and gyrated her hips down against his,
eliciting more sounds of pleasure from both of them.

"This can be another memory to add to the list. We never so much as kissed in
your room before," Edward moaned as Bella stood up on the bed above him. She
towered over him and Bella couldn't help but smirk as she watched the lust that
clouded his eyes in awe. She shimmied out of her sweats and tossed them onto
the computer chair in the corner before removing her underwear in the same
process. Even with all her clothing gone, she remained standing.

"Bella," Edward grunted as he sat up on the bed and crawled to stand on his
knees under Bella. He had to keep his head bent a bit. If he so much as tilted his
head upward, his mouth would find haven on that swollen bundle of nerves that
he could see between the slick folds of her vagina.

"You know, Bella?" Edward asked and the teasing tone wasn't lost. "The shades
are open, so I'm pretty damn sure that you're flashing the kids playing stick ball
outside."

"Oh my God," Bella gasped as she tried to fall back down onto the bed, but
Edward grabbed her and placed her on him.

"Yes," he moaned and immediately placed the nipple of Bella's right breast into
his mouth. He sucked and nipped at. He circled the tip of his tongue on the
sensitive flesh and ran his tongue on the sensitive areola before repeating the
process with her other nipple.

Bella moaned and pulled at his hair and all the while, she ground her hips into
his.
"Edward, stop teasing me," she moaned as Edward snaked a hand down to her
clit. He rubbed at it slowly, moving the nerves clockwise with his forefinger. He
massaged her clit for only a brief second before he flipped them over on the small
bed. He nearly fell off in the process.

"Damn this tiny bed," he complained as he pulled his pants and boxer briefs down
together. He let them fall off the foot of the bed. Bella chuckled as Edward
grabbed a hold of her hips and teased her entrance with the head of erection.

"It feels like it's been forever," he groaned and slowly pushed up. He swallowed
his moan as the searing warmth and silky smoothness enveloped him. It really
felt like an eternity since he had been able to feel Bella this way.

Bella panted loudly as he slowly kept pushing into her. It was an agonizingly slow
pace. He was thrusting himself in, inch-by-fucking inch, but as much as she hated
how slow he was taking it, she couldn't help but be thrilled and satisfied as the
sensations felt so much more heightened.

"Edward," Bella moaned as he slid out and slipped back in. He bent down and
brought his mouth to her earlobe, nipping at his and her favorite spot, eliciting
the moan of ecstasy Edward dreamed about.

Edward kept the pace slow, thrusting in and out of Bella with measured,
deliberate movements. Each thrust in was harder than the previous, but still
slow.

It was pure erotic torture to Bella.

She couldn't handle the way her muscles held him and molded around him. She
couldn't deal with the way each slow movement caused him to rub right against
her clit. Everything was such a haze to her. All her senses felt like they were
working in overtime. Her body felt like it was on fire. Sweat escaped from every
pore of her body as she tried to find any semblance of a deep breath as Edward
slowly thrust.

It had never felt this intense.

"Bella," Edward grunted. "Are you okay?"

"Fuck Edward," she sobbed. The overwhelming sensations of what felt like tiny
electrical shocks ran up and down her body, starting in her stomach and
branching out towards her limbs and to her fingertips and so forth.

"I can't," she breathed out incoherently. She tried to meet each of his thrust
downward with one of her own upward, but the sensations were paralyzing. She
could do nothing, but toss her head from side to side, as her moans shifted to
sobs and pleas. Her body felt like it was about to rupture with the pleasure
coursing through it. It was too much for her to handle.

"Bella," Edward growled. He grabbed a hold of the metal frame of the twin bed
and began to push into her faster. Bella screamed out at the new pace. Her body
was raked with confusion at the sensations. The bed rocked against the wall and
it felt like her body was swaying with it.

"Stop, I can't," Bella cried out as the fire within here began to crest. She could
feel her impending climax trying to break free of her body.

Edward was breathing heavily above as he drove into her with force. It was
becoming increasingly more difficult to hold off his own orgasm. She felt so good
and her body was reacting in ways he couldn't describe. She was tightening
around him in the most glorious way, holding him inside her with a vice grip.

"Edward!" Bella cried out in a scream as she came her body shaking, almost
convulsing under Edward. Her torso rose from the bed as the pleasure traveled
up and down her body. Her toes curled against Edward's back as she fell back
down on the bed.

Edward watched with such pride as he continued to push into her before he
followed suit and joined an exhausted Bella on the bed. He had to squeeze in
beside her.

"You alright?" he breathlessly asked and Bella made a squeaking sound.

"Is that a yes?" he chuckled and Bella nodded against his chest.

"How about we go shower?" he suggested and Bella nodded again.

"Can you even speak?" he smugly asked and Bella punched him softly in the
stomach.

"Barely," she whispered and Edward growled as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Come on. Let's go get clean before your dad gets home."

"Give me a minute," Bella groaned as she sat up. "I don't know if I can walk."

"My ego is thanking you right now," Edward guffawed and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Because that needs to be inflated," she mocked and Edward scoffed as he stood
up and picked Bella up in his arms.

"Put me down," Bella complained by Edward shook his head and walked out of
her bedroom and into the only bathroom in the small house.

"When's the last time we've been here?" Edward asked as Bella tried to adjust
the temperature of the shower to a desirable one.

"Sometime in January. Why?"

"I think you're dad might be seeing someone," he commented offhandedly.

"He hasn't said anything," Bella said as she joined Edward by the bathroom sink.
He pointed out all the makeup and the feminine perfume sitting on the counter;
none of it was hers.

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" Bella asked as Edward stepped into the shower,
holding his hand out for her.

"Maybe he's cross dressing," Edward teased as he lathered the soap in his hand
and brought it across his chest.

"Very funny. I wonder why though."

"Maybe it's something new and he hasn't had the time to tell you. Ask him when
he comes home," Edward brushed the topic aside and began to rub shampoo in
Bella's hair.

"That's nice," she sighed and Edward leaned down to kiss her.
Their shower lasted longer than they expected. Most of it was spent kissing
languidly and just standing under the warm water.

They still had an hour until Charlie arrived and decided to just sit in the living
room and watch some television. Before that, Bella remade the bed in her room
and even placed their wet clothes in the laundry room to wash and dry later on.

At six fifteen on the dot, Charlie walked through the door.

"Bella?" he called as he spotted just the top of her head on the couch.

"Dad!" she exclaimed as she leapt out of her seat in Edward's arms and hugged
her dad.

"What are you doing here, Bells?"

"Wanted to see you," she answered as Edward stood up to greet Charlie.

"Hey Chief."

"Edward. How are you?"

"Good, good. How have you been?" he replied knowingly and Charlie turned to
Bella to explain his teasing tone.

"I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" he asked concerned as all three of them walked into the kitchen so
Charlie could grab a beer and sit at the table.

"Are you pregnant, Bella?"

"No, Dad. Promise!" she replied, crossing her heart like she and Charlie used to
when she was young girl.

"Are you seeing someone?" Bella asked and Charlie nearly spit the mouthful of
beer he had just chugged.

"What do you mean?" he replied coyly and Edward had to stifle his laugh at
Charlie's flustered expression.

"Well, I was in the bathroom and there were all this makeup…" she answered,
letting her reasoning hang in the air. The conversation was making her
uncomfortable. Her and Charlie had never had too close of a relationship, but
they had had their moments.

"Yes," Charlie answered seriously, nodding his head in the process.

"Who?" Edward asked happily and watched as Charlie blushed. The emotion took
him by surprise; he had always figured that Bella got that nervousness from her
mother.

"Dad, who is it?" Bella inquired excitedly. "Just tell me."

"Sue Clearwater," he replied quietly.

"Dad, that's great. I'm so happy for you and Sue is such a sweetheart," Bella said
as she got up and bent down to hug him.

"Really? You're not upset?"

"Dad, why would I be upset? You deserve to be happy, and if Sue makes you
happy then that's fantastic."

"I'm glad to hear that, Bells. I've been meaning to tell you. I just didn't know how
you would react knowing your old man was seeing someone after all this time."

"Dad," Bella huffed as she sat back down in her chair. "I can't believe that you
thought I would be upset. If this would've happened when I was ten, I'd probably
be running up to my room to slam the door a couple of times."

"Of course," Charlie chuckled. "And then you would have called Edward to make it
better."

"Very true," Edward replied. "I'm happy for you, Chief. I hear Sue makes an
awesome fish dinner."

"That she does. Maybe you guys can come up one day to have some. You won't
know what hit you after one bite."

"Yeah, whenever, Dad. Just give me a call beforehand."

"We have something to tell you as well" Edward announced suddenly, and Bella
looked up at him in bewilderment as he stood up.

"We do?" she asked, shocked.

"Of course we do," he affirmed. "Chief Swan, Charlie," Edward began and stopped
as Charlie furrowed his brow. "Bella and I, we-" he continued but Charlie stopped
him midsentence.

"Hold on, are you here to tell me that you and Bella are dating now?" Charlie
bluntly asked causing Bella to step back in her seat.

"Yes?" Edward timidly answered and Charlie laughed.

"Really?" he goaded and Edward and Bella both nodded silently.

"It's about damn time," Charlie chuckled as he held his hand out to Edward.

"What?" Both Bella and Edward asked even as he shook Charlie's hand; it was the
weakest hand shake Edward had ever given.

"You two have been in love with each other since you were kids. I've been
waiting for this day for years. The day you told me that you were moving in with
Edward, I thought you were going to tell me then that your were dating. This
doesn't really shock me at all."

"Really? And you're not worried about this?" Bella asked.

"There is no one in this world Bella that I have faith in more than you, but
Edward comes a pretty damn close second. You and Edward are meant to be,
Bells. I saw that when you were kids, and let's get serious, I'm pretty blind when
it comes to matters of the heart, but that…that love you two showed each other
growing up was hard to miss, even for me."

"Dad," Bella whispered happily.

"I'm happy that you two have finally decided to see what everyone has seen for
the last twenty years," he concluded and Bella again jumped out of her chair to
hug him.
"Thank you, Dad. That really means a lot to me."

"Don't thank me," he scoffed playfully. "There are no two people better suited for
each other than you two."

"I couldn't have said it better, Chief," Edward commented as he grabbed Bella's
hand when she sat back down beside him.

"Yeah, I trust you, Edward, and I always have, but if you hurt her, I will hunt you
down and I know people," Charlie jested and Edward laughed tightly.

"I wouldn't put it passed you, Chief."

"Now are you two staying for dinner or going back home to Seattle?"

"We'll stay," Bella answered for her and Edward and he nodded in agreement.
Bella sat there with the biggest smile on her face as she held Edward's hand.

"What's with the smile?" Edward teased nudging her with his shoulder.

"Just happy," she said.

"Me too," he replied.

For the time being, life couldn't get any better; she had everything she wanted.

=x=

Dinner with Charlie had gone much like Bella remembered it going when she was
younger, which meant Charlie ordered a pie from the pizzeria and they all shared
it in the living room while watching the start of the Mariner's game, but by the
fifth inning Bella started to doze off and Edward suggested that they head on
home.

"It was nice seeing your dad," Edward tried to comment as they drove out of
Forks, but Bella had a different idea. Ten minutes into the trek home, she fell
asleep with her head against the window.

Eventually he reached the apartment complex and the parking structure and
parked Bella's car beside his.

"Wake up, Bella," he shook her lightly to wake her up. "We're home."

"Are we really?" she asked groggily as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Yeah, now come on, let's get you into bed," he chuckled. He hopped out of the
car and walked around to help Bella out.

"Wait!" Bella shouted as they neared the elevator. "I need to get the clothes in
the back."

"You can get them tomorrow," Edward groaned as he pulled her by the arm into
the awaiting elevator.

"Let's get some sleep."

"Yeah, sleep sounds good," she chucked lightly. Bella stood nestled in the crook
of Edward's arm as the elevator ascended; she was already starting to fall back to
sleep.
Edward jostled her to get her to wake up, long enough to walk into their
apartment.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked playfully as he leaned against the
doorjamb of his bedroom door, watching Bella walk toward her bedroom.

"I'm going to bed," she called out.

"Our bed is in here," he announced proudly and Bella smiled widely as she walked
back toward him. He pulled her in close to him and reveled in how she felt in his
arms.

"I like the sound of that," Bella mumbled against his chest.

"Good. Now let's get some sleep; it's been a long day,"

Edward walked them over to his bed and two sat down on opposite sides,
removing their shoes, and nothing else. They were both too tired to change for
the night.

"Goodnight Edward," Bella grumbled as she slipped under the covers.

"Goodnight Bella," he replied as she fell right back to sleep, Edward following suit
soon after.

Chapter Thirty: The Last Letter

Edward woke up early on Sunday morning, groaning as his muscles protested

against even the slightest movement. It didn't matter what he moved, everything
hurt. Even just tilting his head to look down at Bella was painful, but it was an
ache he didn't mind.

Yesterday had been such a stepping stone in his relationship with Bella, if that
was what they had. They hadn't discussed it, but Edward was more than certain
that was what they were regardless of the lack of labels. He had a hunch that the
actual words 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend' didn't need to be discussed between
them; it was pretty self-explanatory and clear.

He turned ever so slowly and rested his head in the palm of this hand to look at
Bella, trying his damndest not to shift his body too aggressively. Bella was sound
asleep, nestled against his chest. Her hair was fanned against the bed, resting
against her face, and parts of his chest. Her breathing was steady and her hand
was gripping Edward's hip, her pinky hiding just under the rolled up waistband of
his sweat pants.

She looked so at peace in her sleep.

For a few minutes, he just watched her sleep, letting his cluttered mind rest. His
sleep had been restless with him spending most of it tossing and turning before
he finally settled down into a deep slumber.

His mind was consumed with the rumors at work, and not just the one he had
mentioned to Bella. The one he was worried about would take his career to the
next level, and it was everything he had hoped for since he began working at the
company.
But so many things had changed, things were so different now.

There was another person in the mix now, someone else he had to consider, and
it was all he'd been able to think about for the last few days, but he tried to push
it to the back of his mind though he knew Bella could tell something was wrong.
She always could recognize his emotions.

Edward brushed a section of hair away from Bella's face, sliding it behind her ear,
all while making sure not to wake her up. He rested his hand on her lower back
and slowly ran his fingertips up and down her spine. She made a tiny mewling
sound in her sleep and Edward smiled to himself and shook his head.

He still couldn't believe that it had taken this long, over twenty years, to see what
had been in front of him.

Yesterday had been so intense. Though there had been a few laughs throughout
their day, it had been so different from their normal day-to-day life.

It was obvious that a day like that was needed in their relationship as emotional
as it had been. He understood that Bella had needed to say all she was feeling
and that that had been the only way she knew how to do it, though when she had
suggested jumping, his heart had instantly shot up into his throat. The images
from years prior bombarded him as he looked over the edge of the cliff, but he
jumped nonetheless. He was so glad he did, though now his body was arguing
with that thought.

Deep in his thoughts, Edward hadn't noticed Bella's sleepy eyes open. Her hand
had managed to travel up his side and to the center of his face without him
realizing it. She was trying to push the tension from his brows away.

"Doing math in your head there, Cullen?" she teased groggily as he looked down
to see that she was still waking up. Her eyes were only little slits, but he could
still see a sliver of those lovely, dark eyes.

"Always, Swan, always."

"My body hurts," she groaned and Edward chuckled.

"Mine does too. Maybe jumping off a cliff wasn't the smartest thing to do," he
chastised and Bella weakly jabbed him in his bicep.

"Hey, I tell you I'm hurt and you try to punch me. That's just mean."

"Man up," Bella provoked and Edward rolled her on top of him. Both of them
moaning in pain before Edward dropped Bella back onto the bed.

"Ugh, brute," she reprimanded as Edward apologized.

"Sorry… not one of my best ideas."

"I don't feel like moving at all."

"Me neither, let's just go park ourselves in front of the couch and watch TV all
day," Edward suggested and Bella sighed.

"That entails moving. That's the last thing I want to do."

Edward chuckled, as he stood up, moving as slowly as he could before he craned

his neck to look down at Bella still in yesterday's clothes. The smile that formed
couldn't be stopped even if he tried.
"Come on, Bells. I'll even pay for the food and get my lazy ass up to get it at the
door," Edward persuaded as he stood over the side of the bed, waggling his
eyebrows as if he were making a wager.

"Fine, but you also have to get the drinks in the fridge every time," she argued
and Edward nodded as Bella reached a hand out to him. With ease he pulled her
up against him, reveling in the feeling of her arms wrapping around him. It never
got old.

"You feel warm," she yawned against his chest and Edward set his hand at the
wispy strands of hair at the nape of her neck. He rubbed them softly before
letting her go.

"Come on, Sleepy. Let's go brush our teeth."

"That's just because you want to make out with me," she taunted as she barely
walked toward the bathroom.

"That and your breath isn't exactly all that fresh at the moment," Edward retorted
laughing and Bella gasped in mock hurt.

"You're one to talk."

"I'm not. That's why I said let's go brush 'our' teeth."

"Yeah, yeah," Bella groaned while the two made their way to the bathroom. "And
don't even think about it," Bella warned as she quickly swiped her toothbrush out
of the holder. Edward chuckled, shaking his head.

"I don't use it when you can see me. I do it when you're not around to witness
the crime. That's how I get away with."

"Ew, I'm gonna buy a new toothbrush after work tomorrow, and by the way, you
never get away with it. Trust me."

Edward smiled and watched Bella through the mirror in front of the sink as the
two of them brushed their teeth. Even with the froth of toothpaste covering her
mouth, Edward couldn't help but be captivated by Bella, and again, he wondered
why he never really noticed how beautiful she truly was until the game.

"Math again, Cullen?" Bella asked after gargling some mouthwash. She had that
coy little smile on her face that Edward adored.

"Nope. I was thinking of other things," he responded, pulling Bella toward him
before pushing her against the wall. He kissed her quickly, letting his lips brush
against hers tightly. "Much nicer things than math. Unless you count subtracting
our clothes as math."

Bella burst out laughing and pushed Edward away as he laughed along with her.

"That was bad, Edward. So bad."

"I know, at least I didn't say the whole damn joke," he defended and Bella
nodded in agreement.

"True. To the couch?"

"To the couch," he repeated leading the way, pulling Bella down beside him. The
two groaned as their bodies crashed against each other.
"Damn it, that hurt," Edward groaned and repositioned himself so not as much of
Bella's weight rested on his leg.

"Your fault."

"It was," he conceded and reached over to the table to grab the remote.

"So what do you want to watch?" he asked and Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"That doesn't help me, Swan."

"Just go through the channels and we'll find something to watch," Bella suggested
snuggling closer to Edward. Gently, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

The rest of the day was spent lounging on the couch, watching the Monty Python
marathon on IFC, and barely moving. They laughed until they cried and enjoyed
Mexican food from the little taco place two blocks over. Bella even played nice
and got up occasionally to get things from the kitchen.

All in all, it was a calm and carefree Sunday like many of their weekends before
the game. It felt normal and for those brief hours, Edward forgot about what was
to possibly meet him at work on Monday. All he thought of was the woman in his
arms, his best friend, and his possible forever.

The two fell asleep leaning against each other to the sounds of Brave Sir Robin.

=x=

Edward was the first to wake up the next morning. The sound of his alarm clock
buzzing woke him up and he quickly jumped out off the couch and walked to his
room to turn it off. The sudden movement had caused Bella to fall against the
seat cushions of the couch and wake up.

He headed toward the kitchen nodding his head at her as a greeting when he
passed.

"Good morning," Bella half-spoke and half-yawned as she stood up and joined
him in the kitchen.

"Morning," he mumbled in return, rather disinterested.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he groaned and pulled the orange juice carton out of the fridge taking
a big gulp of it. "I'm just tired and it's early and Monday. God, I hate Mondays."

Bella chuckled as she watched Edward stretch and rub the sleep out of his eyes.
He yawned loudly and plopped down into a chair, mumbling about nonsense at
work and Monday.

"Stop being such a crabby mess Edward and tell me what you want to eat."

"Stop being so mean to me," he pouted and Bella pursued her lips in an attempt
to suppress the smile that yearned to stretch. He looked adorable and ridiculous
all at the same time.

"I'm not being mean, but I'm sure no one at work is going to like you very much
if you go in there with this crabapple attitude," she retorted as she pulled cereal
and some bowls out of the cupboards.
"They adore me," he smugly replied and stood up to help Bella.

"I know they adore you," she retorted dolefully.

"Hey, what's that all about?" he asked as he walked up behind her and pulled her
against his chest.

"Nothing, it's just…what are we?" she stuttered and Edward spun her around.

"We are whatever you want us to be, Bella."

"So, if I were to introduce you to people," she began slowly, looking up at him
timidly. "I could introduce you as my boyfriend?"

"Of course, but I'm going to introduce you to people as my soul mate," he smiled
down at her when she looked up and watched as that lovely shade of pink tinged
her cheeks.

"I love when you blush," he murmured and Bella blushed even more.

"You know I hate it," she whimpered and Edward chuckled.

"Well, I seem to love all the things you hate about yourself."

"Smooth, Edward Cullen, you are smooth. Soul mate, I love every thing you hate
about yourself, it's like you read the 'How to Make Your Woman Happy'
handbook," she teased and Edward tickled her in the ribs causing her to giggle.

"I write my own lines, Squirt," he winked and Bella's jaw dropped as the heat
quickly rushed back to her face.

"Did I ever tell you that I love our kitchen table?" he whispered, his voice holding
a teasing yet seductive tone.

"I think you may have," Bella replied, swallowing and clearing her throat.

"Good," he answered and pulled away to sit down and eat cereal.

Bella remained standing against the counter slack jawed.

"I hate when you do that," she complained and grumbled all the way to her seat.

"I know," he chuckled as Bella glared at him.

"You have anything new to deal with at work?" Bella asked.

"I have no idea yet, but I'm sure there's a nice big folder waiting on my desk for
a new campaign," he said somewhat sourly.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked for the second time that morning and Edward
shrugged his shoulders.

"Seriously Edward, what's wrong?" Bella's tone showed concerned and Edward
grimaced at the worried expression on her face.

"Nothing's wrong, Bella. I promise."

"I don't believe you."

"It's work related. Don't worry about it," he brushed her concerns away with a
wave of his hand.
"I want to know," she persisted.

"Really, Bells. It's nothing. If it were, I'd tell you," he stated firmly as he stood up
and placed his bowl in the sink. When he turned back around, he saw the upset
look on Bella's face and went to sit down beside her.

"I swear, Bella. It's really nothing."

"Then why are you being so distant about it," she retorted and Edward huffed as
he put an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I've come off that way. I just don't know what's going on, so I don't
want to stress you out as well."

"I'm here for you to talk to, Edward. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do. I just don't want to make a big deal out of something that might
turn out to be a nonissue."

"Fine," Bella conceded, "But if it becomes an issue," she stressed, "please tell
me."

"You know you'll be the first one."

=x=

Edward sat in his office most of Monday contemplating when he would hear any
news or when Mr. Austen or Mr. Meyers would come down or call him up. His
stomach was in knots all day and even when Alice offered to tell everyone that he
was sick so he could go home early, Edward refused. He told her that he needed
to stay.

Alice walked into his office periodically to make sure he was okay. She too had
heard the rumors flying about Edward's possible promotion and in all likelihood,
she knew that it was going to happen. Yes, Edward was her cousin, but she had
never known someone to work as hard as him. Even though he was younger than
most of the executives in the company, Edward exceeded their skills by a mile.

Edward knew what Alice was up to every time she walked into his office. Every
time, he'd claim he was just stressed out about a new campaign he had to finish
up by the following week, but he knew better than to assume Alice's naivety.

He spent all of Monday a nervous wreck and even talking to Bella throughout the
day had done nothing for his nerves. It had just managed to make things worse.
Her voice was a reminder of what he would be losing.

When it came time to go home, Edward nearly flew out of the office, springing
toward the elevator to avoid everyone. Inside the elevator, he tried to will the
contraption to descend faster than it was going. He was desperate to get away
from the office.

The moment he stepped into the apartment, a sense of relief washed over him.
He made quick work of getting rid of the stuffy tie he was wearing and threw on a
t-shirt and some sweats and began making some chicken and potatoes for dinner
as he waited for Bella to arrive.

He didn't have to wait too long.

"Hey, so how was the rest of your day?" Bella asked as she dropped her purse on
the kitchen table and began to remove her shoes.
"Boring actually. Aside from Alice, no one bothered me."

"That's good I guess," she chuckled and picked up her shoes. "I'm gonna go
change into some pajamas. I'll be back to help you finish peeling the potatoes."

Edward nodded and watched as Bella headed toward her bedroom, and suddenly
an idea popped into his head. Bella was out shortly and joined Edward by the
garbage bin to help peel the potatoes to boil.

"How was your day?" Edward asked.

"Good actually. I really like this new story I'm looking over. It's got great
potential to be a bestseller."

"What's it about?"

"A dying couple and their last day together, though they don't know it's their last
day together."

"Sounds interesting."

"It's so sweet and charming," Bella praised and Edward smiled along with her
before heading over to wash the potatoes.

"Can you put these in the pot? I have to get something," he asked as he dried his
hands off with the dishtowel beside the sink.

"Sure. What do you need to get?"

"You'll see. Just make sure to turn the chicken over in the oven in about a
minute."

Bella nodded and watched Edward walk hurriedly to his bedroom. She heard the
rustling of clothes before she heard Edward pacing around his bedroom.

"You okay in there?" she shouted.

"Yeah, just turn the chicken over."

Edward stepped out of his bedroom quietly and walked toward the kitchen,
watching Bella pulling the oven door open and using the dishtowel to pull the tray
closer to her. He hid something behind the corner wall where the kitchen met the
living room, waiting for her to shut the over door.

"Bella?" Edward asked his tone of voice very serious. Bella turned around to meet
his eyes that were just as somber as his voice.

"What? Edward, what is it?" she asked concerned. She dropped the dishtowel
onto the counter and watched as Edward took a deep breath in. For a moment,
she was mesmerized by the motion to notice what was going on.

Edward was on one knee.

He was kneeling in front of her and Bella couldn't help the sudden sensation of
heat that collected in her chest at the sight and the sudden gasps of breaths that
emanated from her mouth.

The pounding in Edward's chest was just as bad Bella's. It felt like his heart was
going to rip itself right out of his chest.

"Bella Swan, I adore you, and I can't picture living without you. Will you-"
"Wait!" Bella interrupted, feeling out of breath and panicky. "What are you
doing?"

"Let me finish, so you can find out," he contended and Bella nodded numbly. Her
entire body felt like it was on fire. She looked down at Edward while he stared up
at her.

"Like I was saying, I can't live without you. I love waking up beside you and
watching you stretch as you let the morning take over. I love watching you brush
back your hair and I love fighting with you over damn toothbrushes. Will you," he
paused and reached for the object hidden behind the wall and Bella breathed in
relief and began to laugh.

"Is that a drawer from your dresser?"

"So, Bella Swan, will you move into my room? I made space for you," he
proposed lifting the drawer up to Bella as she continued to laugh in relief.

"Yes, I will," Bella replied and Edward smiled widely at her and stood up. He
dropped the drawer back onto the floor and pulled Bella close to him to kiss her.

"What did you think I was going to ask?" he teased as he kissed the tip of her
nose before just tapping his lips against hers.

"I have no idea, honestly. I just saw you one knee and I started freaking out."

"The idea of marrying me freaks you out?"

"We've only just started this relationship," she defended and Edward pulled away
smiling.

"Have we? I think we started twenty some odd years ago."

"True," Bella replied with a small smile on her face.

"Very true," Edward retorted and sat down at the table.

"You always have to be right?"

"You just realized this after all this time?"

"Snarky bastard," Bella teased as she stirred the potatoes in the pot.

"Your snarky bastard."

"How did I ever get so lucky?" Bella snorted and Edward scoffed.

"I speak sarcasm."

"Get the chicken out of the over, Smartass."

"With pleasure, love," he replied and smiled as he watched that familiar pink
tinge cover Bella's cheeks.

They ate dinner by the television and enjoyed watching old reruns of some shows
before Edward headed toward Bella's room.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm gonna help you pack."

It took an hour to grab all of Bella's things and bring them over to Edward's room
and another two hours to try to figure out where to put everything in his
bedroom. All the while, Edward smiled watching Bella's clothes start to take up
space in his closet and her shoes starting to sit alongside his.

By eleven, the two were completely spent and sprawled across Edward's bed.

"God, that took forever."

"Who the hell knew you had so much crap," Edward teased.

"Yeah, because your collection of baseball cards isn't crap," she retorted and
Edward gasped.

"Blasphemy! Those are worth money."

"Of course they are," Bella teased and got up to grab a change of clothes for the
shower. When she placed her hair tie on the nightstand, she found a piece of
paper sticking out from underneath the nightstand lamp. When she pulled it out
and unfolded it, the letter X stood proudly.

"So this is where you hid it," she addressed Edward who smiled innocently at her.

"You found it. Give it here," he grabbed at it and Bella handed it over. He stood
up, headed toward the closet, pulled out the wool cap, and placed the letter in it.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked perplexed.

"Might as well end the game correctly," he suggested and Bella shook her head.

"What's the point? We know what the letter is."

"If we had continued playing, we would have known what it was anyway. Besides,
I thought you would enjoy following the rules one last time."

"Sure, why not, but we would have had to have done this yesterday."

"So, we'll make a tiny change and I'll pick the letter Friday night."

"You're out of your mind," Bella chuckled.

"Am not, Franco. I thought you would like this."

"I think I prefer your brand of anarchy, Chomsky."

=x=

The week seemed to have passed Edward by quickly even though his nerves
would beg to differ. Every day since Monday, he sat anxiously awaiting any news
from Mr. Meyers or Mr. Austen, but was disappointed and relived when he heard
nothing.

Whenever it was time to go home, he would sprint down to the elevator and run
to his car and peal out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. He didn't want to
give them the opportunity to stop him on his way home.

However, everything changed on Friday.

It was around three when Alice buzzed him via the intercom.
"Edward," she called, her voice grave, making Edward's heart thump furiously in
his chest.

"Yes, Alice?" he answered with trepidation and a slight warble to his voice.

"Mr. Austen would like to see you up in his office. I'm sorry, Edward."

"Alice, it's fine. It might not even be about that," he tried to convince not only
Alice but also himself.

"You might be right," she told him as he walked by her.

"We both know I'm wrong," he quietly murmured and Alice nodded solemnly.

The elevator ride up was slow and torturous. The chiming of the numbers as he
rose floor by floor only served to make him feel even more nauseous.

Edward made his presence known to Mr. Austen's secretary and walked with a
delay in his step into Mr. Austen's office.

"Edward," both Mr. Austen and Mr. Meyers addressed Edward, and he wished
them both a good afternoon.

"Sit, Edward," Mr. Meyers suggested and slowly he did.

"I'm sure you've heard around the water cooler why we've called you up here,"
Mr. Austen spoke and Edward nodded. For a moment, he felt like he was back in
high school, sitting in the principal's office.

"That's good, Edward. Mr. Meyers and I think that you would make a fine
executive officer of this company. We're opening up our second branch on the
east coast, and we would love for you to be there for the initial first months as
the director."

"Sir-" Edward began but Mr. Meyers interrupted him.

"I know it's a huge change Edward, especially because we would need to leave
for New York next month, but there are very few people we believe have the
capabilities to do this and you were the first person on the list."

"Sir, I appreciate the offer. I do. It's everything I've wanted since I started here,
but my entire life is here in Washington. My family and my friends are here. I
don't know if I can just uproot myself and move out east," Edward explained as
he looked at the two men he considered his role models in the field and his
bosses.

"I have a feeling this may have to do more with someone than a group of
somebody's," Mr. Austen said and Edward hung his head in shame.

"There's no need to be embarrassed by that Edward," Mr. Austen comforted.

"Who's the lucky lady that had stolen your heart?"

"Do you remember the Christmas party?" he asked and both men nodded.

"That lovely brunette that accompanied you?" Mr. Meyers asked and Edward
nodded his head.

"But I thought…you kept introducing her as your best friend," Mr. Austen
addressed confused.
"She is my best friend, but we've begun to explore the realms of our friendship
further."

"She was a lovely woman Edward, and not to undermine what you two have, but
this is the opportunity of a lifetime for you. This could really get your name out
there in the advertising world, and in New York City," Mr. Meyers began. "New
York City is the Mecca of all things advertising, Edward. If you got your name out
there in New York, it could mean big things for your career."

"I know Mr. Meyers, but she means everything to me. I know it's bizarre to just
outright express that she's that much of a fixture of my life, but I was in New
York for three days, and all I wanted to do, was jump on the first plane back to
Seattle," Edward replied and Mr. Austen smiled kindly at him.

"You are quite smitten with her, aren't you?" he asked.

"I love her," he answered and the two men turned to each other.

"Think about it Edward," Mr. Meyers seriously addressed him. "Talk to her about
this. Perhaps she will make the move with you. Besides, it will only be for about
six to nine months. Do you really think we would let you leave our firm here in
Seattle?" He tried to make it sound light hearted but all Edward could think about
was Bella. He knew she wouldn't go with him.

"Just think about it Edward," Mr. Austen repeated and Edward nodded as he
shook both of their hands and walked back down to his office.

When Alice's head pulled away from the computer to look at him, he watched as
she figured out what the serious look on his face was all about.

"I'm going home early, Alice," he quietly told her as he passed and Alice followed
him into his office. She hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Edward. It's funny how instead of celebrating this, we're taking it as if
someone's just died."

"That's close to how I feel," he mumbled and Alice patted his arm in a comforting
manner.

"Go home."

"I'll see you on Monday," he waved as he headed out.

=x=

He waited for two and half hours for Bella.

As soon as she walked in, she knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" she asked and Edward stood up.

"We need to talk."

"Nothing good ever comes from those words," she whispered and followed
Edward into their bedroom.

"I'm getting a promotion," he began and Bella ran into him, hugging him tightly.

"Edward, that's incredible. That's fantastic," she cheered before she realized she
was the only one. "Why am I the only one celebrating?"
"I would have to move to New York City."

"Oh," Bella struggled for breath as she sat down on the foot of the bed. "New
York City," she repeated quietly while Edward stood next to her.

"They want me to leave next month."

"That's….that's great Edward," Bella quietly said, trying to control her emotions.
Edward could tell by her shaking hands and the slight waver of her voice that she
was on the verge of tears.

"I'm not taking it," Edward declared and Bella stood up quickly.

"Don't be stupid!" she scolded. "This is everything you've worked for. You have to
do it."

"I can't, Bella. I can't go to New York without you."

"This is your career-"

"I can't leave you, Bella. I love you. I need to be with you all the time. I need to
wake up and see your face every day," he argued and Bella shook her head as
tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"You will not stay here because of me. Do you hear me? You have to do this. I
love you too, but you have to do this."

"Bella-" he tried to speak but Bella interrupted.

"No, Edward. I knew this game was going to mess everything up. Look at us.
You're jeopardizing your career for something that might not even last longer
than the next month."

"I don't care."

"You should care!" she shouted.

"The game brought us together, Bella. It did what we least expected it to, but it
gave me you."

"This game was the dumbest thing we've ever done. I should've never agreed to
it."

"How can you say that, Bella? Do you regret it?" he bellowed.

"We should have never done this! I knew this would fuck everything up," Bella
chastised, as Edward just stared blankly at her from across the bed.

They had set up the rules, shehad implemented them—she had been the one to
really enforce them strictly,but damn it all to hell, the rules were meant to be
broken.

"What do you want me to say Bella? I have no fucking clue what you want me to
say, so please…please don't act like I'mthe bad guy! You were just a much a part
of this, as I was. You agreed from the very beginning. I'm not the only one at
fault here."

Bella wailed as she grabbed at the roots of her hair, muttering, "I knew it, I knew
this would happen."
"There's only one letter left, Bella. Let's just finish what we started. After that,
we'll see what happens," Edward whispered, walking up to her, bumping his
shoulder with hers, trying to calm her down, but it didn't work; she was
unbelievably tense.

He pulled the hat from the drawer, shook it twice, and handed it to Bella. They
both knew what the letter was, but this was how the game was played since they
first started four months ago.

"It's my turn," he muttered, taking a deep breath as he pulled up the rolled up

loose-leaf paper. Quickly pocketing the paper after reading it, he walked out of
their apartment to prepare for Saturday, leaving Bella to fester alone with her
thoughts.

"What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are
joined... to strengthen each other... to be at one with each other in silent
unspeakable memories."

~ George Eliot

Chapter Thirty-One: X is for the End

Edward staggered around his neighborhood for what seemed like an endless
amount of time before he finally decided to trek back home. He found it ridiculous
that he was nervous to go back, but after the fight with Bella, he was genuinely
apprehensive about confronting her.

As he shuffled his feet down the streets of Seattle, he kept replaying the
argument in his head. The scrapping sound his sneakers made against the
pavement created a devastating soundtrack; he didn't even bother to pick up his
feet, opting to just drag them across the moist pavement in the ultimate defeat.

The two of them had completely blown the entire situation out of proportion. He
hadn't even been able to explain the whole arrangement, but to be honest, he
hadn't wanted to in the first place. He knew that once Bella heard the clauses,
she would tell him to go, and that was the last thing he wanted to hear, the
absolute last.

It was wretched, he knew it, hell, he was sure that Bella would see it that way, as
well. He knew he might later on regret the decision, but losing Bella just wasn't
an option. Even the mere notion of losing her was terrifying.

It wasn't just the fear of losing Bella as his partner. It was the idea of losing her
as a friend that scared him most. As odd as it sounded, even to him, her
friendship meant the world to him. Yes, they were a couple, but underneath that
title, they were still Edward and Bella, best friends of twenty plus years, and that
was the part of their relationship that he was most scared to lose.

For Edward, Bella was the one person he could confide his deepest and darkest
aspirations, secrets, and even desires. There was no one in the world that he
trusted or confided in more than her.

It had always been that way, and that was how he intended it to stay.
He knew he shouldn't be worried, that Bella loved him just as much as he loved
her, but to have heard Bella question everything that had brought them together
had been such a blow to his spirit. He wanted to believe that what she had said
has been all bravado and for his sake, but he couldn't escape that feeling of
nothingness in his chest when she said that it had all been a mistake. It had felt
like she personally pulled his heart right from his chest and he watched the entire
time, mesmerized by the anger in her eyes as she stepped on it.

Never had he had such a strong attachment to anyone, but it really didn't
surprise him; they were always close. She was there when he needed her and
vice versa, but those words had cut him deeply.

Slowly, he made his way around the corner and back to the front door of his
apartment complex. It had been almost two hours since he fled. The elevator ride
up to his floor completely went unnoticed. Before he knew it, he was standing in
front of his door with his keys in hand.

Edward stared at the brass apartment number that the florescent light in the
hallway spotlighted. His key was in place, but he had yet to turn it, choosing to
stare at the golden-esque number instead.

When he had found the condo shortly after graduation, he had immediately
known that he was going to want to have a roommate; Bella had been his first
and only choice. Though their parents were a lot more apprehensive about the
living situation, they trusted them, never having really given them a reason to
believe that their friendship was anything more than just that.

The original number nailed to the door had been made of steel and the black
paint that coated it was chipping so that you could see the original silver base. It
had been Bella's idea to change it to the gaudy gold one because it reminded her
of something royal and their apartment was to be their castle. Edward had
chuckled at the silliness of the whole thing, but had agreed to it nonetheless.

To be honest, if she had asked for the world, he would have found some way to
give it to her.

He stared at the nailed number for what seemed like forever before he turned the
key and opened the door.

It was silent when he stepped inside; it was slightly eerie just how bare the
apartment felt without any semblance of noise. All he heard was the air and it
was strange. Immediately, Edward felt that something was wrong. He felt like
something was out of place.

It was when he walked toward his bedroom that he noticed it. From the corner of
his eye, he caught the glow of the small bedside lamp in Bella's bedroom. As he
walked toward it, he noticed Bella curled up on top of the bed. She was asleep
and from where he stood, he could see one of Bella's hand wrapped tightly
around the key hanging from her neck.

It was obvious that she had been crying; her cheeks were stained black from her
makeup, and she hadn't even bother to change out of her work clothes.

Edward stepped out of his shoes as quietly as possible, tiptoed toward Bella's
bed, and lay down beside her. He pulled her against his chest and tucked his
knees behind hers until he was comfortable and they looked like two spoons
nestled against each other.

The movement, however, had managed to jostle Bella awake.

"Edward?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me, Bells. What are you doing in here?"

"I didn't think that when you came back you'd want me in your room," she again
kept her voice low.

"How could you think that, Bella? It's our room." He declared it firmly and slightly
loosened his arms around Bella while she turned around to face him. She finagled
her way around without leaving the comforting embrace. Edward wiped away the
hardened tears at the corners of her eyes and even attempted to wipe away the
dark streaks on her cheeks.

"I hope you know I didn't mean what I said," Bella mumbled. Her voice was
hoarse from crying.

"So, why did you say it?" Edward sounded crushed and that was exactly how he
felt.

"At that moment, it was the only way I figured that would get you to go. You
have to take the job; there is no other answer than yes. Edward, this is your
dream coming true. I don't want you to look back in twenty years and regret
never going. I don't want you to blame me when you're telling your wife that
your lives could have been completely different…better even," Bella explained and
Edward smiled to himself.

"Well, in twenty some odd years, when we're watching our oldest kid graduate
from high school, I'll make sure not to bring it up," he quipped and watched as
Bella stared at him.

"Edward-" she began but Edward cut her off.

"I know what you're trying to do, but it's not gonna happen," he countered. "I
love you, and in twenty years I hope to be nestled in my bed alongside my
beautiful wife named Bella whose hair is graying and doesn't mind that I no
longer look like the man she fell in love with."

"That's what you see happening?" she asked and Edward nodded.

"I do. Besides, I never got to tell you everything about the position in New York."

"Which would be?"

"It's only a temporary move, six to nine months, tops. They just want me as the
principal as they set up their east coast office, after that, they want me back here
in Seattle. It's just that I don't want to go," he explained and Bella shook her
head.

"That's ridiculous, Edward. You need to go. This is everything you've worked for
and all those hours you put in when you were an intern so you could make a
good impression. Don't be stupid and throw it all away now."

"I know," Edward murmured, dropping his chin against his chest.

"I just hate the idea of being apart from you. It's ridiculous I know, but now that
we're together, I have to leave you behind. For lack of eloquence, that royally
sucks. I even told Meyers and Austen that. I told them I couldn't take the position
because I couldn't stand to be away from you."
"You said that to them? Were you drunk at the time?" Bella asked with a hint of
amusement. She sat up in the bed now and Edward mimicked the action.

"No. I just...I felt compelled to. I don't know, dammit."

"You actually confessed all of that to them? Your bosses?" Bella asked with a hint
of laughter in her voice.

"Yeah," Edward elongated the response, clearly showing his embarrassment. He

shook his head and continued, "Looking at it now, I can't believe I did that."

"Where are your balls, Edward Cullen?"

"Probably around your neck on a pretty silver chain," he teased and Bella shook
her head at him as she fingered the key that hung around it.

"I can't believe you would actually tell that to Mr. Meyers," she stated. "Mr.
Austen, maybe, because you've always been really close to him, but Meyers? Not
so much."

"I really don't know what came over me. At the time, I literally had to drag
myself up to their offices when they paged Alice, and when I came down she had
to console me."

"That's kind of pathetic, Edward," Bella teased and Edward scowled though it was
nice to see Bella look happy, even if it was at his expense.

"You find it pathetic that I would rather stay in Seattle then to leave you behind?"
he asked seriously and Bella just stared at him with a tight, shy smile on her
face.

"No. I love the fact that you feel that way because I feel the same, but it sounds
like you were practically begging them not to make you go. That, that's pretty
pathetic," she argued and Edward chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, that really is."

"I'm sure they'll forget all about it once you tell them that you're actually taking
the position," Bella contended and Edward slowly nodded his head.

"Are you okay with me going?" he asked and Bella moved to sit right on her
knees in front of Edward, who once again mimicked her actions.

"Edward," she began quietly, staring right into his eyes, and in the ultimate
reversal of roles, she grabbed Edward's face between her hands and spoke.

"I'm not going to sit here and say that it won't hurt or that I won't be a sobbing
mess when you leave, but it's only for what, six to nine months? That's …that's
not so bad."

"Yeah, but I couldn't even handle three days and neither could you," Edward
argued and Bella rubbed at the tension that formed in the middle of his brows.

"We'll have to learn to deal with it. You've always been there for me, Edward, and
have always, always, pushed me to do what I wanted, now's my time to do the
same for you. You. Have. To. Go. This could be the biggest opportunity in your
entire career. Don't you understand that? The biggest."

"You sound like Meyers," Edward chuckled and Bella joined in for a brief second.
"We'll deal with it," she repeated and Edward nodded.

"You'll visit? Right? Or you could come with me and find a job out there? There's
tons of publishing houses in New York. I'm sure any of them would scoop you up
in a second."

"You know I can't leave. I'm all Charlie has," she stated and Edward shook his
head.

"No, he has Sue, who I'm pretty sure is better company than you, at least when
it comes to the chief's bedroom," he joked and Bella made a gagging sound.

"Never mention my dad, Sue, and a bed ever again, got it? And you know that
that was not what I meant."

"Noted and yeah I know what you meant. That doesn't change the fact that I
want you come," he pouted and Bella poked the center of his lips gently for him
to stop it.

"I want to come, but I can't. We'll get through this. It's just a little speed bump,"
she comforted and Edward drew her toward him and hugged her.

"This is going to suck," he barely whispered and Bella nodded.

"We'll get through it," Bella stuttered and Edward could sense the tension in
Bella's body as she fought off the tears.

The two remained quiet for a few moments, embraced in each other's arms until
Bella pulled herself away.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked timidly.

"Six weeks."

"Well, we have six weeks until then. Let's make the best of the time we have until
then."

"Absolutely," Edward whispered and brought Bella even closer to him, though
that was almost impossible.

"Do you really want me to go?" he asked after a brief stint of silence.

"No…yes…I don't know," Bella stuttered. "I want you to go because this is
everything you've worked for, and you deserve all this success."

"What else do you want?"

"Nothing. I have everything I could ever want, and on top of that, I have you. I
don't need anything else."

"You know I'd give you the world, Bella Swan," he dotingly answered.

"I don't believe that's possible," she chuckled. Edward reveled in the way her
body shook against his own laughing form.

"Well, I'd at least try," he countered.

"Now, that I believe."

=x=
Bella woke up as stiff as could be the next morning. When she attempted to
move, she realized that she was in a vice grip thanks to Edward's arms. She tried
to move away from him, but he pulled her tighter against his chest.

"Good morning," he greeted her and Bella chuckled.

"Morning," she groggily replied. "Could you let go a little? You're squeezing me
and it hurts."

"Sorry, Bells," he apologized and let her go and watched as she stood up to
stretch. He was mesmerized by the way her button down blouse stretched tautly
against her stomach when she stretched her arms back.

"What?" she asked coyly when she noticed Edward staring.

"That shirt looks good on you."

"Thanks." She blushed and turned back around to unbutton her blouse. She
rubbed at the indentations that buttons has left on her stomach and chest.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked as he sat up on her bed.

"The buttons were pressed against me all night, so now it itches," she groaned as
she scratched. "Sleeping in my clothes was not the best thing."

Edward laughed as he watched Bella remove her bra and rub underneath her
breasts, and again when she removed her slacks, she rubbed at the marks it left
at her waist.

"I wish I would have known you were going to strip, I would've played some
music," Edward joked and Bella gave him the finger.

"Very funny."

"I thought so," Edward chuckled.

"I'm going to shower," Bella announced and Edward smiled at Bella as he walked
toward her. When she within in arms length, he pulled her close against him,
reveling in the feel of her chest against him.

"Am I allowed to join?" he inquired, smirking and running his hand down the
columns of her spine. She shook under him.

"Mhmm," Bella thought out loud. "I don't know."

Edward said nothing, but pouted childishly down at Bella. He was trying to make
Bella forget about the conversation they had the night before. He wanted to see
her smile, and to be frank, he didn't want to think about it either.

"Alright, but just a shower. No funny business."

"Today's Saturday, remember? Today is all about the 'funny business," Edward
groaned while he rubbed himself against Bella.

"How does that have to do with the letter X?"

"Don't know, but I'm sure I could figure it out."

"What do you have planned for today?" Bella asked as they continued to just
stand in her room.
"Honestly?" he replied and Bella nodded and moved away from Edward.

"When I chose X at the beginning of the game, I was going to use it as the last
letter because I thought neither of us would be able to figure out anything to do
with it."

"Wait, so you actually have no idea what to do with it?" Bella asked through as
series of chuckles. Edward simply glared at her.

"There aren't exactly many words that start with the letter X, Bells, at least words
with any significance to the specifications of the game. But I decided to be
different and instead of choosing a word with the letter X, I chose to examine the
letter instead," he explained and Bella just stared up at him confused.

"What I mean is, the letter X is two lines, interlocked. I'm using that as the basis
for today."

"And that would be?" Bella goaded.

"You'll see. Now how about that shower?" he kept his voice low and waggled his
eyebrows at her, and Bella simply scoffed and shook her head.

"Come on, playboy. Let's see if we can clean that dirty mind of yours."

"You can try," he replied as he followed her toward the bathroom, silently
rejoicing the air of ease that surrounded them. There was no underlying tension
from last night present, and he hoped to keep it that way until his departure to
New York.

=x=

An hour later, Edward and Bella were dressed and eating breakfast at the café
they frequented around the corner.

It was the first meal they ate when they moved in. It had been four in the
afternoon, and after almost six hours of hauling things upstairs and unpacking,
they walked around to find a place to eat, and stumbled on the café immediately.
Ever since then, it had become a favorite spot of theirs.

"You're not going to tell me what you have planned are you?" Bella asked as she
stole a piece of Edward's omelet.

"No, but I promise it's not all the grand. It's rather simple actually," he responded
off-handily and Bella wondered what was wrong with him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course."

"You just seem kind of… off. Does this have to do with the move?" she persisted
and Edward shook his head. He mentally scolded himself for making Bella think
about the promotion again.

"No, just wondering if today will compare to last week. You pretty much blew
everything we've done right out of the water. Excuse the pun."

"I'm sure whatever you have planned is amazing." She reached her hand out and
rubbed his hand reassuringly. Edward smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her
lightly before returning to his breakfast. He watched her cheeks flush a rosy pink
and again had to smile; it was his absolute favorite shade of the color.
"You almost done?" he asked and Bella nodded as she finished the rest of her
home fries.

"So, what is it that you have planned?"

"It's not all that spectacular, but come on," he grabbed her hand and helped her
out of the booth. He placed more than enough money on the table and led them
out. It was another typical gray Seattle day, but it wasn't raining and the lack of
moisture in the air meant that rain was not likely either.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked and Edward smiled brightly at her as he
started walking down the sidewalk. He turned back toward their apartment
building, but continued walking as he followed the familiar path toward the
playground.

"The park?" Bella asked skeptically as she eyed the empty jungle gym.

"Yeah, come on," he pulled her along until they reached the swings and Bella sat
down in one and Edward sat down on the one right beside her.

"Why the park?"

"Well for starters, it's too early for the kids to be here, so it'll be empty for a
while. Secondly and most importantly because this was the first place I told you 'I
love you'," he answered.

"You know I thought I was hearing things that night. I thought about it for so
long. I was so sure my mind was playing tricks on me," Bella told him as she
relieved the moment he whispered 'I love you' against her neck.

Edward shook his head.

"You weren't. At that moment, everything just fell into place for me; it all clicked.
I don't know how to explain it."

Bella got off her seat and crossed the short distance to Edward and straddled his
lap on the swing, so that she was face-to-face with him. She leaned forward and
kissed him deeply. Edward let go of the metal chains and his hands found
purchase along her face.

"I love you so much," she breathed out as the kiss ended.

"I'm so madly in love with you, Bella.

"The other reason I brought you here," he said as slowly began to sway them on
the swing, "is because this all began when we were kids."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked as she placed her hands over Edward's on the
swing's chains.

"You and I have been best friends since we were kids. What better place to
express that part of our relationship then a playground?"

"Is that what you mean by interlocked?"

Edward nodded. "Everything reminds me of a moment in our lives. The

playground, the mall, eggs sunny side up," he began and Bella lightly punched his
arm at the last one.
"I'm serious though, Bella. There's not one thing that doesn't remind me of you.
Name it and I can say something that has happened that involved us," he
challenged her and Bella smiled.

She looked around the playground and saw a battered book bag sitting on top of
the overflowing garbage can.

"Okay, here's a tough one. 'Book bag'." She smiled smugly but faltered when
Edward smiled back just as haughtily.

"Bella, that's not hard at all."

"How is that not hard? And I don't mean something as simple as we used to carry
book bags to school," she retorted and Edward chuckled.

"I know, but whenever I see a book bag, I think of that navy blue Jansport with
all the patches on that I would get you every Christmas. More importantly
whenever I think of that book bag, I think about how you managed to stuff not
only a pair of pajamas but a change of clothes into it the night we lost our
virginity."

Bella gasped.

"You remember that?" Edward nodded.

"I also remember how devastated you were when the right strap broke and my
mom couldn't fix it for you. She tried to sew it, patch it, and even tape, but
nothing worked," he replied and Bella lightly kissed him.

"How do you remember all these things?"

"They're important."

"Okay, how about 'phone' then?"

"Easy," Edward chortled. "Do you remember the phone bills we had when we
were away at college?"

"Oh my god. I thought my dad was going to kill me," Bella laughed.

Bella sat up on Edward's thighs straighter and got into the character of her
father. "Bella, really how much is there to tell Edward every day? Honestly, three
hundred dollars? Couldn't you just talk online like other people do?"

"Yeah, my parents reamed me pretty hard for that, too."

Bella began looking around the playground again. "Alright, how about 'table'?"

Edward chuckled quickly before clearing his throat. His voice took on a deep tone
as he answered.

"Table," he groaned as he repeated the word. "Do you really need me to get into
that explanation?"

Bella blushed and got off Edward and sat back down on the swing she had
originally been sitting on.

"Come push me."

Edward stood up and began to pull her back as far as he could reach.
"Hold on so you don't fall," he chuckled before he let go.

"That happened once," Bella shouted as she pumped her legs. "And I was eight
and it was your fault!"

The two laughed like schoolchildren and played around on the swings and then
the jungle gym until the park became inundated by kids. It was around twelve
when they left, and grabbed lunch at a small Italian restaurant.

After that, the two simply walked around Seattle, hands entwined, and just
talked. Occasionally, the two would stop to look at shop windows, or Edward
would stop Bella point to something that related to their twenty years of
friendship.

"Where are we going now?" Bella asked as the sun was starting to set. Edward
kept silent and led Bella back to their apartment.

"When we get upstairs Bella, I need you to go to your room, change into what I
placed in your closet, and meet me on the roof in an hour. No sooner and no
later," he told her as Edward led her into the apartment, but stepped away from
the door.

"You're not coming in?"

"No, just follow the instructions on the paper I left on your bed."

"When did you find time to leave instructions on my bed?" she asked and Edward
shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. You have one hour," he replied and leaned down to kiss
her. "I'll see you in a few, beautiful."

Edward watched as Bella looked almost scared at she closed the front door. Once
he heard her lock the door, he walked towards the stairs and climbed up to the
roof. As soon as he reached the top, he unlocked the latch door and saw that
everything was as he left it the other day.

There were lights hanging from the cable lines and Edward had set up a small
iHome in the corner of the roof with his iPod set up.

Unfortunately, he didn't think everything out because he had to change into a

tuxedo in the cramped hidden corner back downstairs. The last thing he wanted
was for someone to decide to walk up there today and find him disrobing in the
hallway. That was one explanation he was sure would be interesting.

Once he was done, he climbed back up the ladder. He had a bit of slip on the first
step as his nerves started to kick in; he blamed it on the smooth sole of his
wingtip shoes. He paced around the roof for a few minutes, wringing his hands
together, and occasionally adjusting the bowtie he was sure was crooked, since
he didn't have a mirror to check.

This whole thing wasn't very well planned, at least for his part of it, but he knew
any minute Bella would be walking through the door and the last thing on his
mind would be his crooked bowtie.

The radio was set up, and the remote to turn it on was in his pocket. He had
lights hung along the cable lines and plugged into a small generator he had
managed to get at the hardware store.

It wasn't planned all that thoroughly, but enough for the sole purpose.
Bella was allowing his dreams to come true by letting him going to New York.
Tonight, he would make one of hers come true.

He wanted to give the faceless man in her dreams, a face.

His.

For another fifteen minutes, he walked around the roof, lost in his thoughts. He
was dying to see Bella; he couldn't think of anything else. He hoped that climbing
up the ladder wouldn't be too difficult in her shoes. He had been thinking about
her possibly slipping and getting hurt when he heard his name being called.

"Edward?" Bella called out from the door and Edward turned around quicker than
he thought possible.

Edward gasped as he looked at Bella. "You look radiant," he adoringly

complimented her. His eyes took in every part of her, traveling up her body until
green eyes connected with brown ones.

"Thank you," Bella whispered timidly as she looked down at the gorgeous royal
blue gown she had found in the closet.

Her heart had been pounding uncontrollably as she waited for the hour to pass.
When she found the dress in the closet, she had been on the verge of tears. Of
course, Edward would remember something as small as a dream she hadn't
mentioned in weeks. She pinned her hair back causally and threw on a bit of
makeup before she made her way upstairs. She had faltered a bit on the ladder
as he nerves played with her coordination more than usual.

"So beautiful," he whispered. Bella ducked her head down and blushed.

"Don't," he requested in a hushed whisper.

With that, Bella lifted her head to look at Edward and was blown away by the look
of awe on his face. Bella took a moment to look at the tuxedo Edward was
wearing and the lights that were hanging. The tux sat perfectly on his fit frame,
the lapels of the jacket were perfectly pressed against his chest, and even the
bow tie was as straight as could be.

"When did you do all of this?" She kept her voice low, too afraid to ruin the
mystique and aura of the setting. The lights twinkled dimly against the darkening
night sky, and the only sound besides them was the faint sounds of Seattle life
happening all around them.

Edward remained silent, walked forward, and stopped just short of Bella.

"Isabella Swan," he began, stretching his hand out and bending slightly forward.
"Love of my life. May I have this dance?"

Bella nodded and placed her hand in Edward's and let him lead her toward the
center of the roof. She watched him slip his free hand into his pocket and
suddenly the famous violin flourishes of "At Last" by Etta James poured from a
radio in the corner.

Edward slipped the small remote back into his pocket and drew Bella close to
him. As he rested one hand on her waist and the other raised her other arm,
Bella felt that tug of déjà vu and confirmation.

She had been contemplating downstairs as to what the blue gown meant and
what the words, "Tonight I give you the world," on the paper meant, and that
was exactly what he was doing. Here on the roof, high above the residents of
Seattle, it was just them, swaying and ignoring everything else around them.

For that night, no one else existed but Edward and Bella.

The two danced around slowly on the roof as Etta's voice resounded. Edward
sang along with the words, quietly. He was off key but Bella didn't care as
Edward looked down at her. He leaned down occasionally to kiss her, and each
time Bella was swept up in the sensation of absolute perfection that she couldn't
begin to explain, even if she tried.

The sky was completely dark twenty minutes later. The lights on the roof shone
brightly on them and Bella never felt more in love than at that moment. She
moved forward and placed her cheek against Edward's chest right above his
heart, and let him sway them side to side, as the song kept playing on repeat.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward," she answered back and as the song came to another
stop, Edward turned the radio off, but the two remained swaying in each other's
arms until they could no longer stand.

=x=

Six weeks had passed faster than Bella had ever thought possible.

She replayed everything that had occurred in that time as she and Edward drove
toward the airport.

It was a typical gray, drizzling Seattle day, but Bella wouldn't have wanted it any
other way. It would have stung worse if the day had been bright with sunshine.

The night before had been spent making sure Edward had packed everything else
that he hadn't already shipped off to the apartment the company had secured for
him in New York. Bella snuck a few of his button downs into her dresser drawers
so she could wear them when he was away.

They had agreed that Bella would visit him in two weeks and stay for a week, and
then two weeks after that Edward would visit her. That was the schedule. Every
two weeks one of them would fly out to see the other.

The drive to the airport in Bella's car was spent in relative silence. Bella took in
every detail of Edward driving her car. She studied the way his hands gripped the
steering wheel and the way his jaw tightened when someone tried to cut him off
on the highway.

By the time, they reached the airport the rain was starting to get slightly worse,
but Bella knew that even that wouldn't stop the airplane from taking off. There
was no real danger in the thin drops that fell. If they had been thicker and if the
wind had started to pick up, then she knew that there would be delays and she
would have a few extra minutes, or even hours, with Edward.

She retrieved an umbrella from the trunk, and the two shared it as they walked
through the parking complex. Edward pulled his two suitcases behind him, not
caring if they got wet, as they walked from the parking lot over to the departures
area.

Bella watched glumly as Edward checked in and retrieved his boarding pass. The
entire time she felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach felt like it was
perched right at the bottom of her throat.
"I should probably go in now. The security line is pretty long," Edward quietly
mentioned when he walked back toward Bella. She nodded sadly, as she took in
the growing line. They had stayed home as long as possible before they made
their way to the airport. Only now did they realize that that meant their goodbye
would come so quickly.

"Yeah," was all she could muster out.

Edward stepped in front of Bella and hugged her tightly.

"Come with me," he whispered and Bella sniffled.

"You know I can't. We talked about this a hundred times already. My job and
everyone I know is here."

"Everyone but me!" he argued, gripping the front of his shirt tightly over his
heart.

"Edward-" she breathed.

"I know, Bella. I know," he mumbled as he held her again. "Fuck, I'm going to
miss you; I already do."

"Me too," she whispered, her voice a mere warbled whisper. She was trying so
hard not to cry.

"I'll see you in two weeks."

"Two weeks," she repeated as she felt the tightness in her throat getting worse.

"I love you," Edward said as he kissed her. The two of them poured themselves
into the kiss before they pulled away from each other.

"Call me when you land."

"Of course," he declared as he stepped toward the security area.

"I love you," she shouted and Edward turned around and smiled that
heartbreaking smile of his.

As Bella watched him walk through the security station, it felt like her heart was
breaking, inch by agonizing inch. It almost felt like the fleshy muscle was being
ripped apart deliberately so that she could feel every single fraction of it as it
cracked. She watched Edward until he waved at her sadly from the small viewing
area on the other side, and then watched as he walked further into the airport
and away from her.

She watched until she could no longer see the unruly bronze hair, and after a few
moments of just staring blankly at the spot where he had been, she turned
around and headed toward the parking lot.

Her chest hurt, her throat was tight from holding back her tears, and her eyes
stung. She could still feel Edward's arms around her from when he embraced her,
and she wrapped her arms around herself. She could still feel him around her,
and she held onto herself tighter, not wanting to lose that feeling.

As she stepped outside, she finally let the tears slip freely down her face,
relieving the tension in her throat. She didn't bother opening the umbrella
wrapped around her wrist. People stared as she walked by, and she figured that
they were probably wondering why she wasn't using the umbrella.
Her feet dragged against the wet asphalt and the water soaked right through the
canvas of Bella's sneakers, but she didn't care as she continued to sulk all the
way to her car.

By the time she reached her car, she couldn't tell where the tears started and
where the rain began. Slowly, she slipped into the car and turned it on. She
turned the heat on just to warm the chill she was experiencing from the rain,
though it was warm outside.

In the solitude of her car, Bella broke down and sobbed as she laid her head
against the steering wheel. She watched as the tears rolled down the front of the
interlocking rings of the Audi insignia and down to her thighs before she moved
away.

She reached for her purse and pulled out a slip of paper she had place there the
night before.

"1,209,600 seconds," she read and then continued. "20,160 minutes, 336 hours,
14 days."

"Two weeks," she chanted, "two weeks."

Epilogue

Two weeks…

Fidgety is the best word to describe Bella as she waited for her flight out of Sea-
Tac to take off.

Her leg kept bouncing up and down in quick, erratic motions and she kept tapping
the tips of her fingers together. The nervous behavior even managed to garner
the attention of the passenger beside her, who wasn't able to stop staring at
Bella. He winced every time her fingers touched because the bangles on her arm
chimed loudly as they hit into each other.

"Are you afraid to fly?" the man beside her asked impatiently.

"Oh, no," Bella answered and halted her movements. "Just anxious to get to New
York."

"Seeing a loved one?" The gentleman asked and Bella couldn't help but talk to
him, though normally she would choose to ignore him. Edward was much more
apt at this, always managing to strike up conversations with people anywhere he
went.

"Yeah, my boyfriend," she answered honestly, dipping her head in the process
and turning it away. It was mostly to hide the enormous smile on her face.

"If you don't mine me asking, how long have you two been together?" The elderly
man smiled gently at Bella.

"That's a long story."

"Well, it's a long flight, dear," the man replied.

"We've met when we were kids and it wasn't until very recently that we realized
what was there. It kind of crept out of nowhere, but to be honest, I think it was
always there."
"Love works in crazy ways-"

"Bella," she introduced herself and shook the man's hand.

"Sal," he answered back. "Well, I wish you two all the best."

Bella thanked him and then stopped talking. For a moment, she wanted to kick
herself for monopolizing the conversation as she did.

For the rest of the flight, she continued to fidget in her seat, occasionally striking
up a conversation with Sal about random things, like the fact that they charge
ridiculous prices on airline food.

She tried to read a manuscript she brought with her, but her mind kept racing.
She was completely unfocused on the text, constantly rereading the same two
sentences. Even the in-flight movie didn't catch her attention; she was too antsy
and ready to sprint out of the airplane. She tried to nap for a bit, but it was futile;
her nerves were too frazzled. By hour five, she was practically shaking in her
seat.

When Bella was finally starting to doze off the Captain announced that they were
about to arrive at JFK.

As the plane descended, the knots in Bella's stomach began to tighten. One
reason being that this was the part of the flight she hated most, and two because
she was minutes away from seeing Edward.

The anticipation was killing her.

It felt like forever and a day before she was able to walk out of the airplane. She
walked with Sal toward baggage claim, and that's when the nerves became even
worse. It was ridiculous to be that nervous, but that really wasn't what was going
on. She was just anxious and desperate to see Edward, to hold him, hell, even to
smell him.

"You okay there?" Sal asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Yeah. Just anxious."

"I can only imagine," Sal chuckled as he pulled his suitcase off the baggage claim
belt, and waved goodbye to Bella.

"All the luck to you, Bella."

"Thank you, Sal."

Sal smiled and she watched him walk through the sliding doors toward the
reception area, and in that brief, second she caught a glimpse of Edward's hair.
For the next few minutes, Bella stood with her arms crossed and her foot tapping
impatiently against the linoleum floor as she waited for her suitcase.

When it finally circled the belt and reached her, Bella just about snatched it off
the belt, and in the process nearly dislocated her shoulder with the sheer force of
urgency.

She took a deep breath and walked toward the sliding doors. As the doors
opened, she had to bite her lip. These reception areas of airports always
embarrassed her for some reason.
"Bella!" she heard Edward call her from the left, and when she turned she found
him waiting for her.

Bella broke off in a run, not caring how ridiculous she looked or how stupid it was
to leave her suitcase lying in the middle of the room. She lunged toward him, and
he caught her with ease as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Edward," she breathed against his neck and he carded his hands in her hair.

"Fuck, I missed you, Bells. So damn much."

"Edward." Bella kept repeating his name. She held onto Edward tightly, just
letting herself feel him, to reassure her that this was happening.

"Bella," Edward chuckled, pulling her away slightly so he could see her face.

"Welcome to New York City, Bella," Edward greeted and kissed her, and Bella let
herself go on the kiss, putting as much of herself into it as she could and
forgetting about the crowd around them.

"I missed you," she whispered against his lips and Edward smiled at her.

"I missed you too, love."

"Let me get my suitcase and then we can go," she chuckled and Edward watched
her walk to where she dropped the green piece of luggage.

"Are you hungry?" he asked when he joined her. "I know they now charge for
food on airplanes, and I'm sure you'd rather eat something that tastes like actual
food."

"Food would be great, you have no idea how much they were charging for a
simple chocolate chip cookie."

"How much?" he asked genuinely interested in the insignificant detail. He

honestly didn't care what she was saying, just being able to see her as she spoke
was amazing to him.

"Four fucking dollars!" she shouted and held up four fingers. Edward chuckled as
she wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder and used his free hand to take hold
of her suitcase.

"Twenty minutes in New York and you're already swearing up a storm."

"What can I say? I adapt quite quickly. Darwin would be proud."

Edward laughed and led Bella out of the airport and toward his car. As they drove
out of the airport, Bella watched the scenery around her. Bella noted that Edward
drove quite well in the New York traffic. As he turned onto the shoulder for
Manhattan, Bella gasped as she caught her first real glimpses of the city skyline.

"Beautiful, right?"

"God, no wonder so many people who vacation decide to stay," she answered,
awestruck.

Edward turned to Bella and smiled. He couldn't contain how happy he was to
have her there. He reached for her hand and held it as he drove.
Edward took Bella to lunch at Serendipity's and let her experience the delight that
is their famous, frozen hot chocolate. The two spent the entire meal laughing and
stealing kisses.

When the two left the restaurant, Edward pulled Bella close to him and kissed her
once more.

"What was that for?" Bella giggled and followed Edward's gaze. He was glaring at
their waiter, who was staring at Bella from the door.

"I don't think I've ever seen you jealous, Edward," Bella chuckled.

"Shut up," Edward groaned and held her hand. "Let's go home."

It was a short ten-minute drive to Edward's place on Madison Avenue.

"This is the place they got for you?" Bella looked up at the skyscraper.

"And it was all furnished when I arrived," he added.

"I can't wait to see the inside," Bella excitedly replied as Edward parked the car in
front of the building and handed his key to the man in charge of parking the cars.

"He parks it for you?" she asked astonished.

"Apparently," he answered. "The building has a garage, but only the employees
are allowed inside, and if you have to go, they must accompany you."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cullen."

Bella turned to the voice and found a man holding the front door open.

"Hello Jimmy. This is Bella," he introduced her to him and Bella shook the man's
hand.

"The infamous Bella I've been hearing so much about you. It's a pleasure to
finally meet."

"He's talked about me?" she asked and Jimmy let out a hearty laugh.

"All the time."

Bella blushed and turned to see Edward with a similar expression on his face.

"Well, she's very important to me."

If it was possible, Bella blushed even harder. She followed Edward inside as he
pulled her suitcase along until they reached the elevator.

"I'm so glad you're here, Bells," Edward pulled her toward him and hugged her.

Bella tiptoed and kissed him.

When the elevator stopped on Edward's floor, he led Bella toward his apartment.

"Welcome home, Bella," he whispered as he pushed the door open.

"Wow," was all Bella could manage to say as light poured in through the far wall
that was consisted of three large windows that reached from ceiling to floor.

"What a view!" she gawked and moved toward the windows.

"It's even more magical at night. I'm glad I'll get to share it with you." Edward
walked up behind Bella and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I missed you, beautiful," he whispered against her neck as he scattered kisses
down the nape of it.

"It finally feels like home now that you're here."

Bella chuckled. "Always with the perfect lines, Edward Cullen."

"Never lines, Bella. Truths."

"How are you even real?" she remarked.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he chuckled and the vibration of it

against her back set her ablaze.

"You definitely should," she replied and turned around to face him.

"I missed how you feel in my arms," he said in a hushed tone as he stared down
at her.

"I missed being in your arms."

Edward bent down and kissed her. Bella moaned into the kiss when Edward
began tugging at the roots of her hair. He picked her up and carried her toward
his bedroom. Gently, he placed her on the center of the bed and crawled on top
of her.

"I missed how you feel under me," he groaned into her ear and pushed his hips
down against hers. He grabbed her leg and wrapped it around his waist. Bella
chuckled as he again began to kiss her neck.

"I missed being under you," she moaned and Edward moved his kisses to her
lips.

They took it slow.

Each article of clothing was removed with intention, and each new inch of skin
that was revealed was peppered with lingering kisses and soft, purposeful
touches, each goading the other for a response.

Each sound that resonated revealed much more than just cries of pleasure. There
was love that resounded with each sigh and moan. Each caress and each taste of
flesh brought about a new reaction.

Each joining of their hips was met with mutual adoration and mutual pleasure.

And each unraveling of senses was met with raspy declarations of love.

The two lay spent beside each other, wrapped in each other's arm, not caring
about the thin, layer of sweat that embraced them and silence that buzzed in the
air.

"I have something to give you," Edward breached the silence.

"Why are you always getting me things?" She whispered back, and Edward knew
she was about to launch into her speech about gifts and presents, but rising from
the bed, he stopped her.
"This is important," he declared. He slipped on his boxer briefs and his slacks and
tossed Bella his button down. Quickly, she buttoned two of the buttons in the
center, slipped her underwear along with her jeans on, and followed Edward.

He stood waiting for her in front of the windows and Bella stared at the lights that
came through from the city. The sun had set and the night sky was dark enough
to really show the beauty that is New York City at night.

Edward kneeled down beside Bella when she turned to face him.

"Edward?"

"Bella," he replied.

"You know that last time you did this, I got a drawer. Am I getting a curtain this
time?" she jested and Edward shook his head and held out a fist.

"What's in your hand?" Bella asked when she spotted Edward's clenched hand.

He smiled up at her and opened his hand, palm up. Bella smiled as the light of
the room caught the ring in Edward's hand.

It was a simple and pretty gold band with a rather large strawberry adorning it.
Bella let out a deep breath of relief.

"What's that for?" she asked and Edward smiled and grabbed her right hand. He
slipped the ring onto her index finger.

"You used to have one like this when we were kids and you lost it on a trip to the
aquarium. You used to wear it on this exact finger. I saw it on the street the
other day and bought it. It's a little reminder of where we started. It all began
with a strawberry delight."

Bella felt the tiny pinpricks of tears threatening to fall.

"Ed-" she began, but Edward cut her off.

"I'm not done yet. I have one more thing to give you, but follow me."

Bella nodded slowly and followed Edward into the hallway and into the elevator.
She felt ridiculous without any shoes on, but it was better than Edward who had
on neither shoes nor a shirt.

Bella noted where they were going and decided to tease Edward.

"You have a penchant for roofs, Edward?"

"Roofs provide a nice, quiet place to think. Plus, in New York, they provide such a
beautiful place to really look at the city."

Bella had to agree with him as she looked over the ledge and saw the streetlights
and cars whizzing by. When she turned around, Edward was once again kneeling.

"Edward-"

"Every day I thank my mother for being in the aisle the day your mother crashed
her shopping cart into hers," Edward cut her off. "Bella, no one in this world is
more important to me than you. I've loved you since we were kids, and I will love
you until I breathe my last breath, and even when I'm on the other side, I'll still
love you."
"Edward, what are you getting at?"

"Don't go back to Seattle," he spoke, his serious eyes remaining glued to hers.

"What?"

Edward pulled a key out from his pocket, and held it up to Bella.

"Stay here with me in New York. I can't say goodbye to you again."

"Edward, my job-" Bella began, but Edward stood up and grabbed her hands.

"I need you here with me."

"Edward, I, I don't know," Bella stuttered.

Edward waited for her answer.

"Before I can answer, can I ask you something?" Bella's question was timid and
Edward stepped closer, concern apparent in his eyes.

"You can ask me anything. You know that. Is everything alright?"

"Fine. I just…why me?"

"What do you mean 'why me?'"

"You could have anyone, and yet you're settling with me."

"I'm not settling! There's no one in this world that gets me like you do, that loves
me regardless of my flaws, like you do. I could say that you're settling with me, if
we're gonna look at the big picture."

Bella glared at Edward as if he had sprouted an extra head.

"Why can't you see that you're so beautiful, and intelligent, and amazing? What is
it with women? You never think you're good enough. I've got news for you Bella,
one hundred percent of the time, the woman is too good for the man," he
declared and brushed a piece of stray hair away from his eyes.

"I'm probably always going to think this," Bella added and Edward nodded with a
smile on his face.

"I'll change that, you just watch, Bella Swan. I'm going to show you just how
incredible you are."

Bella shook her head and hugged Edward.

"I love you," she murmured against his chest.

"I love you too, even if you're as stubborn as mule. Will you stay?" he pleaded
again and this time Bella nodded.

"Yes," she answered firmly. She knew there would be repercussions for the
sudden move, but for the moment, she didn't care that she was throwing caution
to the wind.

Edward hugged her tighter, leaned down for a kiss, and slid the key into Bella's
back.
Under the lights of New York City, the two held each other and just watched the
city below, wondering where tomorrow would take them.

=FIN=