It's Always Been You by gillyuk84
Rating: K
Summary: Bella is in love with her best friend Edward. Will she be able to clue him in on this or will she be left broken hearted by Edwards's apparent mystery girl.
Disclaimer - I (unfortunately) don't own anything to do with twilight it belongs to the brilliant Stephanie Meyer
So happy to be involved with this project it's amazing what we can do when we come together! Big thank you to V the amazing Beta! She did an incredible job fixing my mistakes! xoxo
BPOV
I should hate him. I really should. But I can't. I'm helplessly in love with my best friend and he doesn't have a clue. Edward Cullen - just the name sends shivers down my spine. Plus, I can't describe the way his emerald eyes make me feel when he looks at me. They just seem to stare straight in to me; I sometimes feel like he knows the secret that I have been keeping, that he can see into my soul and know I love him. But he doesn't.
He doesn't know how I feel because I've been too chicken to tell him. We have been friends for ten years. On the first day of college, I was 18 and a nervous wreck. I'd never lived away from my small home town of Forks, and there I was, slap banged in the middle of New York City and officially lost. I was staring at my street map trying to get my bearings when someone slammed right into me. Only once the obligatory apologizes had been said did I take note of the person that bumped into me. He was beautiful - that was the only way to describe him on first sight. "My name is Edward, Edward Cullen," he said in a voice that made my knees turn to jelly.
That was it, then. I was a goner. We became fast friends, and it turned out we were attending the same university. When we graduated, we decided to stay in the city we had grown to love. We moved in to an apartment on West 10th street in the village and have never looked back.
So to the reason why I should hate him - he has no idea I'm in love with him, so he comes to me for love life advice. Fan- flipping-tastic. He is always going on about how much he likes a girl he knows; He said he has known her for quite a while, but I've never met her. It breaks my heart every time he talks to me about her.
I've tried to tell him how I felt, but whenever I do I clam up, start to sweat and my heart pounds so hard I feel like it's going to burst out of my chest. I know why I have that reaction; I'm terrified of losing him. I know he would never feel the same. How could he? I mean, I'm plain Isabella Swan - always the ugly duckling. That's me.
As much as I want to hate him, though, I can't. All he has to do is give me pouty lips and his puppy dog eye look, and I'll just about do anything for him. So I have gone on with my life loving him in silent, hearing him go on about this mystery girl he is so in love with. Well, he hasn't said the words, but I know when my best friend is in love.
Somewhere between remembering how we met and kicking myself about being a chicken, Edward had arrived home. I brought myself back from my inner ramblings to focus on the man in front of me. He was stood staring at me like I was mental. "Hi. Sorry, hear you come in."
"It's okay. You seemed pretty far away there. Anything I can do?" he said as he took off his coat and sat down on the opposite chair.
"No. It was nothing, really. I was just thinking about what to have for dinner. Take out or go out? What do you fancy?"
"Actually, Bells, I am going to finally ask that girl I like out. You know, the one I keep telling you about. Decided, it's high time I took your advice, and became a man and take the bull by the horns." I could literally feel my chest contract when he said that sentence.
"Really? That's great. You sound like you really like her" I got up and went to the kitchen so he couldn't see the tears that had started to form in my eyes.
"I think I'm going to go out and get some dinner, then. You can have the apartment for the night." I rushed to get my bag and coat, and made my quick escape. I didn't want to be around to hear any more.
What I didn't hear when I left, though, was Edward calling after me.
EPOV
I'd never seen Bella move so fast. She was shutting the door as I called out for her.
See, there's this secret I had been keeping from her; I was desperately in love with her. I had been for the last 10 years , ever since I bumped in to her on a busy, New York side street. We became friends quickly. We liked the same music, had the same sense of humor. She is, in a word, incredible. Plus, she is incredibly beautiful. That's the only way to describe her.
I've been trying to drop hints lately. I have told her about a "girl" that I liked in means to get hints on how she would want to be asked out. Every time I ask, though, she would become quiet and just give me simple answers. Then she would go to her room and wouldn't come out for the rest of the night. She had been busy with work lately, so I just put it down as tiredness.
On my walk home that evening, I decided I couldn't waste anymore time. I'd ask her out tonight. I'd tell her everything tonight. I couldn't let her get away. It would kill me to see her with someone else.
So when I got home, I noticed Bella sat on the sofa with a far away look in her eyes. I took advantage of this and took her all in - her long, brown, wavy hair, her deep, brown eyes and the way she bites her bottom lip when she is thinking.
As she was asking about dinner, all I could think was, this is my chance. "Actually, Bells, I was going to finally ask that girl I like out. You know, the one I keep telling you about. Decided, it's high time I took your advice, and became a man and take the bull by the horns"
I noticed her eyes darting around the room as I finished the sentence. She turned to go in the kitchen and started rambling about going out for dinner. I couldn't let her walk out of the door, but as that thought ran through my mind, she was already shutting the door.
After my failed attempt at calling after her, I grabbed my jacket and keys, and went running after her.
BPOV
I'd just walked out of my apartment building when the tears finally started to fall. He would never be mine. I had to face that fact. I could see how happy he was when he said he was going to finally ask this girl out. I was now a girl on a mission to go and find the biggest piece of cake and stick my face in it.
I had just reached the corner of our block when I could hear my name being called out. It was being called out by a very familiar voice. I turned around and could see Edward hurtling down the street towards me. Before I could say anything, he had my face in his hands and his lips on mine.
I was in shock; I wanted to respond. I really did, but my body wasn't listening. My heart was pounding its way out of my chest.
EPOV
When she turned around, I saw her tear-streaked face. I had no other thought than to kiss away her sadness. When I caught up with her, I took her face in my hands and lowered my face to hers. She wasn't responding. My heart broke in that one second. She didn't feel anything for me.
I was about to let go when I felt it - she moved her lips and started kissing me back. I took full advantage of this and moved my hands from her face to around her waist. I picked her up and spun her round.
BPOV
My head soon caught up with the rest of my body and I started to kiss him back. It was everything I had dreamt of, and more. Then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, he moved his hands from his face to my waist and picked me up. Twirling me around, I felt him smile against my lips.
This went on for another 5 minutes before he put me down, moved his lips from my mouth and rested his forehead against mine. The two of us took a minute to catch our breath.
"Edward," I started, but I didn't get to finish.
"Bella, just let me talk. The girl I was going to ask out, the one I'd been telling you about, is you. It's you. It's always been you, Bells. I love you so much; I can hardly think straight sometimes."
I stood there looking at him, trying to take in what he was telling me. He loves me. He really loves me.
EPOV
There, I had said it and she was standing there with that far away look in her eyes again.
"I love you, too, Edward. It's always been you."
I took that as my opportunity to kiss her again, and show her how much I loved her.