A/N: When I get writer's block concerning my main fic, I write other stuff to loosen up my gridlocked brain. So...

Stutter

"You just wouldn't believe it, Rose. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been there," Bella whispered conspiratorially to her best friend over their shared plate of nachos. "THE Emmett McCarty, stuttering and fidgeting while asking me out. Asking me out! I don't know which part is more bizarre."

"Bella, you make the boy nervous. Stop selling yourself short. He's wanted you since freshman orientation."

"Wanted me? Hmph. He fell over me because he couldn't see my midget self from six and a half feet in the air. That hardly indicates romantic distress." Bella rolled her eyes at her friend's lunacy.

"You are not a midget. Now, Mary Alice? Mary Alice is a midget. Five feet, my ass. Girl is delusional. I wonder how she and Jasper-"

"Whatever. Point is, he's a giant. And one of our best friends. And hot. And the star center on a nationally ranked college football team. And sweet. Oh, and hot. And really smart."

"And he's hot," Rose added with an indulgent smile. "Don't forget that."

"How could I?" Bella asked sardonically.

"Obviously you told him yes, right?"

"Uh."

"Bella," Rose groaned. "What did you do?"

"I told him I was busy."

"Say that again, please, because I think I just contracted some new disease which causes me to hear only audible stupid."

"Told him I was busy!" Bella said a little too loudly. Looking around and seeing that she had gained unwanted attention, she took a sip of her beer and continued more quietly. "He is my friend, Rose. Just like you, just like Jasper. No need to complicate things."

"Oh. I owe you an apology," Rose said sweetly. Bella knew then that she was in trouble. Rose was never sweet.

Taking the bait, Bella asked, "Why are you sorry?"

"My disease doesn't make me hear stupid. It causes an amplification of bullshit. My mistake."

"Rose."

"Don't 'Rose' me! What are you doing, Bella?"

Sighing heavily, Bella took a much larger swallow of her Corona and made a decision. Might as well trust her best friend, right?

"I'm protecting myself."

"From him?" Rose asked, confused.

"From me."

"I don't understand."

"Ahhhhhh! Fine," Bella growled and leaned forward, elbows on the table. "I've wanted to fuck him since he tripped over me the day we all met."

Rose giggled at her rare use of the vulgarity, then sobered. "And when did you realize you love him?"

Bella gasped, leaned back, blinked uncontrollably, then admitted, "You're always a step ahead of me, Rosie," she said shaking her head. "The last week of junior year, when Edward and I broke up. So, three months ago. To be honest, it's probably why we broke up. Leave it to oblivious me to not realize until the proposal that I was with the wrong man." A sad smile crossed her lips.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I know it wasn't easy." Rose did not do sweet, it's true. But she did empathy and compassion amazingly well.

"When did you know? That I love Emmett, I mean."

"Not long after you started your relationship with Edward. He was great to you, and you were happy, but the spark was missing."

"The spark?"

"When we would all hang out together, you would light up when Emmett arrived. It was always him that you'd sing drunken karaoke with, always him you'd laugh the loudest at. The spark. The fun. It didn't belong to Edward for you; it was always Emmett."

"Huh. You're right. Did everyone notice?" she asked as she signaled for another round. She felt the need to be rather drunk for this conversation.

"Not everyone. Edward did, though."

"WHAT?"

"Calm down, Bella. Inside voice. Yeah, he did. Didn't you notice the couple's dates, all of a sudden? No more group stuff, at least, not nearly as often. Always having plans on game days?"

"He's not a football fan, Rose. He's a soccer player. You know that," she defended. Edward wasn't the love of her life, but he was a great guy.

"Right. Girl, he wasn't a fan of you wearing his frat brother's jersey," she retorted and held up her hands. "Before you say it, I know all of us girls wore his number, but Edward was only worried about you. He had reason to be, Bella."

Bella looked up from her fingers, which had suddenly become really, really interesting. The guilt and realization on her face were broadcasting her feelings to her companion. "I know he did."

"He knew, too."

"Did Emmett see it?" she asked hopefully.

"No. That boy is even more emotionally clueless than you in this situation," she snorted. "He feels it, though. He loves you, too. Why do you need to protect you from you?"

"Because if I do this, and it doesn't work, if I want what he doesn't, I don't think I could handle ever losing him. I lost Edward; we can't even be friends. I can't mess it up with Emmett. I can't."

"I think it can work, Bella," Rose assured her.

"Why have you never said any of his before?"

Taking a very large mouthful of cheesetastic nacho yumminess, Rose rolls her eyes. Swallowing before answering, for which Bella gave thanks, she said, "You would never have listened. At first you were too skittish around men, being a virgin freshman and all – (Bella smirks at just how far removed she is now from that girl) – then you had Peter, then you were so serious about Edward. And Emmett, well, Em had some growing up to do before he was ready to be with my best friend. There was never a good time to fix this."

Smiling, Bella asked, "And now?"

"And now," Rose pronounces, pointing at the woman she is closest to in the world, "if he stutters through another invitation, you damn well say yes!"

A/N: Three more chapters. Should I finish? Or is it just too trite?