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Betas: Writting2StayHalfSane (Erica) and Edwardsfavoritebrunette

Summary (made by Ele05gs): Best friends do everything together. Best friends don't keep secrets from each other. Or do they? Bella would do anything for Edward, but if having him in her life meant hiding the feelings she had for him, she would do it. But for how long can you hide your affection, for how long can you hide your love and disguise it as friendship? I guess we're about to find out...

-:- Yet You Stay -:-

Bella opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She rested her hands on her stomach. Oh yeah, the butterflies were still there. A smile appeared on her lips.

Edward. His name flashed through her mind. He was the first thing she thought about every morning, and the last before she went to sleep.

She didn't know any other guy that could be as sweet, understanding and loyal. Of course, Edward acted tough around his friends when they went out, but with her…when he was alone with her, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Bella sighed, and put her purple pillow over her head, feeling frustrated. How was she going to handle this? She couldn't possibly hide it from him. He would know; he always knew when something was up. How was she going to tell him? And most importantly, whyhad she been so stupid to fall for her best friend? But oh, who was she kidding; Bella knew exactly why.

Edward had been there for her whenever she needed him, day or night. Nobody else understood her the way he did. When Bella's ex-boyfriend, who they now called "soulless monster", had cheated on her with one of her classmates, Edward had been there to pick her up again. He had listened to her rants. He had let her cry on his shoulder, and he had held her before she fell asleep in his arms.

Rosalie, Bella's other best friend, had been there for her as well, but it was different. In a way, Bella felt like she could talk better about her problems with Edward. Not that it was that strange, because Edward had been through the same thing with his "heartless bitch". It seemed only logical that they sought comfort with each other.

Bella had never expected that those late night talks would create different feelings inside of her, though. She'd known Edward for seventeen years, for her whole life, and she was deadly afraid that he wouldn't feel the same as she did. What if she lost him because of her silly crush?

Bella was shaken from her daydream by the buzzing of her phone.

"And?"

One word. It came from Rosalie. She was the only one who knew of Bella's feelings. Bella hadn't told Rose, but as a best friend, she just knew and she saw right through Bella's attempt to deny any attraction between her and her best friend.

"And…what?"

Bella hit send and closed her eyes. She acted as if nothing was wrong. Not even a minute later her phone beeped again.

"You're such a chicken! :D"

Bella put her phone away but couldn't shake the feeling that Rosalie was right. Bella didn't have the guts to confess. However, she had told Rose that she was planning on telling Edward the next time she saw him. According to Rosalie, Bella had no choice but to tell him. Edward would soon notice that something was bothering her; that she liked someone, and that would only complicate things further. Besides, he deserved to know the truth, because friends didn't keep secrets from each other, right?

Deep down, Bella knew that she had to tell him, but that didn't make it any easier. How could she tell Edward that she wanted to be more, a lot more, than just best friends? What if he didn't feel the same? How would their friendship go on after that big bomb had dropped? Would she lose him forever?

Bella had been distracted all day, getting multiple sighs from her teachers when she didn't know the answer to their questions―again. Her head just wasn't with school today; it hadn't been for the past week.

During last period, Rose finally made her move.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked with a naughty grin on her face. Bella rolled her eyes at her friend.

"What? You're not going to tell the guy of your dreams that you like him?" Rose went on, though trying to keep her voice down in class. "You're just going to wait until some other cow steals his heart and you'll continue to play his best buddy? Doesn't that bother you? How are you going to feel when that happens, huh?"

Bella shrugged, feeling tears well up just thinking about it. Rose could be pretty blunt when she wanted to. What if Edward found another girl? Could she live with that? Could Bella share him?

Their bond was very strong, and they'd been through a lot together, but what if the new girl would ask for all his time or demand that he didn't see Bella anymore? Could she handle that?

"I'm sorry if that sounded harsh, Bella." Rose interrupted her thoughts. Her words were a bit softer now, and the look of worry on her face made it clear that she felt as bad as Bella did. "But the only thing I can think of for you to do is to tell him. Besides, he's crazy if he doesn't want to go out with you. You're like his twin in girl form. It's creepy!" She nodded firmly as if that settled everything.

A weak smile appeared on Bella's lips. As she looked at Rosalie, she wished she had as much confidence as Rosalie did. Life would be a lot easier. She gave her best friend a sideways hug.

"You know what?" Bella said as confidently as she could manage. "I need to stop by Edward's house anyway. He invited me to come over after school to play some games but I wasn't sure if I―"

"What?!" Rose shrieked, drawing attention to them. Luckily, the teacher chose to ignore it. "Edward invites you over, and you are not sure if you want to go?" She threw her hands in the air before slamming them down on her desk. Again, this was ignored by the teacher.

"I'm telling you, you're going to lose your best friend if you continue like this. If you are not out of my sight and in your car within five seconds after the bell rings, I'm going to kick your ass!"

So Bella did what had to be done. Half an hour later, she stood before Edward's house, hesitating and doubting every thought that came to mind.

"Don't think, just do it," she murmured to herself. Before she could press the bell, the door flew open, and Edward came into view, a bright smile plastered on his face.

"You made it!" he said enthusiastically. "I was starting to worry when you didn't text me back. I can't even image not gaming with you…who else do I have to beat time and time again, uh?"

He playfully pulled her inside. The teasing, the smiling…it was so easy when she was with him.

"Come on, you can start up and I'll get us some drinks." Edward winked at her. Those gorgeous green eyes were so easy to get lost in.

Get it together, Bella,she snapped at herself.

Five minutes later, they were gaming, and like always, the necessary shouting was present.

"You do know that turning your controller won't help, right?" Edward teased and Bella growled an angry response. They were both so competitive that it made it all the more fun.

After a while, Bella started to get distracted with Edward so close to her. She could smell his aftershave. The butterflies in her stomach were going wild, crashing inside of her, and it was getting pretty hard to stay focused on the game as he sat closer and closer until their legs were almost touching. Edward started to notice that something was off as well.

He paused the game and sighed, throwing the remote on the table. "Okay, what's up? You've been acting weird all week." He turned toward her while looking deeply into her eyes as if he were trying to read the answer there. Bella felt herself blush.

"Hey," he said, worried. "It's me. Edward, your best bud? The one you can tell everything?"

Bella smiled meekly as she was trying to find the right words in vain. Every syllable got stuck in her throat.

"I know what it is," Edward tried again. "You're in love! You always act weird when you like someone." That definitely caught Bella off guard.

"Must be a girl thing," Edward mumbled to himself.

Okay, just go for the quick pain, Bella. She told herself. Like a Band-Aid that's ripped off. Get it over with.

She really wasn't prepared for this. She struggled to find the right sentences in her head, but Edward's chatter filled the room again before she could speak.

"Do I know him?" he asked lightly. Bella nodded. Of course he knew him!

"Oh damn, that hurts. My heart is broken; I have to share you again with some douche?" Edward smiled while playfully caressing his chest, right over his heart. He was trying to cheer her up.

"You'll make some time for me, right? Because honestly, I don't want to lose you to some other guy." He sighed. "Do you realize how much it pains me to know that you'll be going out with someone that's not me?" He shrugged, his eyes downcast. "Though, I guess I'll have to learn to live with the fact that I'll never be your boyfriend, but please don't stop being my friend, okay?"

Bella just sat there, stunned, rapidly blinking and totally not getting it. Did he just…Did he just really…No way!

She hadn't expected that monologue in a hundred years. Edward felt something for her, but thought that she didn't feel the same way? Was this really happening?

"You're saying that I don't want you as my boyfriend?" she said loudly, still a bit stunned but happier than she'd been in a long time.

"Yeah…right?" He looked confused.

"You really have no clue, do you?" Bella smiled lovingly at him as she took his hands.

"You mean?" he stuttered, at loss for words.

"Come here, you! You're even crazier than I thought!"

Bella pulled him toward her, and when their lips met for a long, soft kiss, they made the doubts and hesitation they had both felt, disappear for good.