Edward and Bella were sitting in their usual seats at the old theater. They did this every Friday night. Of course this tradition would be over soon. They only had two more weeks of school. And that terrified Edward. He'd made a decision last week as he watched all the guys in Seattle drool over his girl as they'd gone out to dinner for their year anniversary. He needed to let her go and see if she could find someone that made her happier than he could. It would kill him, but he needed to know that Bella had seen everything before she chose him. If she chose him, he corrected mentally.

"Edward," Bella yawned. "We've seen this movie ten times. I don't really feel like sitting through it again tonight."

Edward chuckled as he looked down at Bella. He couldn't blame her. The Forks theater only showed one movie and they showed the same movie for up to three months. If people got too tired of a movie, they'd just pull out an old one and begin to show it.

Edward took Bella's hand and pulled her out of the row, ducking to make sure that they didn't block the light from the projector. They got to the lobby and Edward went into the closet to get their coats. When he came back, Bella had her back to him and was studying the picture on the wall with all the graduating pictures from the past however many years that the town had been taking graduating pictures. Edward knew she was imagining their picture in the group. It had already been taken and the owner of the theater was just waiting for their actual graduation to put it up.

Edward had kissed her on the cheek causing her to blush right as the flash had gone off. He smiled knowing that a moment in time when they had been happy was now captured forever for anyone in Forks to see. Even if she followed through on his plan and found someone else, he could always come back here and remember how perfect they had been together.

Edward walked up behind Bella, placing her coat on her shoulders. She jumped, and turned to look at him. "Dear God, Edward. Don't startle me like that. You could have given me a heart attack."

He just smiled and leaned down to press his lips lightly to hers. The gesture always quieted her annoyance with whatever he might have done. It amazed him that he knew these little things about her. He liked knowing that he was the only one who knew the best ways to comfort or soothe her. The little voice in his heart told him that was because he was the only person who was supposed to know those kinds of things, but his head squashed that idea saying that she should know what her choices were. And the heart gave into the thought because it wanted Bella to do whatever made her happiest.

He pulled back and gave her the crooked smile that she'd claimed he used to dazzle her. He had to admit, she did look a bit dazzled. He took her hand and led her back outside to his car. When he was reaching for the passenger door handle to open the door for her she pulled back on his hand. He turned back to look at her. "I'm not ready to go home yet. I just didn't want to see that movie again." She looked left and right as she chewed on her lip deciding what to do. "Why don't we just go for a walk?"

Edward walked back toward her and pulled her under his arm. "Are you sure? It's awful cold out tonight."

She smiled up at him. He didn't want to go home yet either, they both knew it, but he wanted to make sure that she was comfortable. Bella had no idea how she'd gotten so lucky. Any girl in the world would kill for a chance to be with Edward and he'd chosen her. She leaned into his side and nodded, "It's too early to go home, yet. Charlie will still be up and then you'll have to talk to him again."

Edward chuckled as they started walking forward. "Talking isn't the scary part. It's the idea that he could take down one of those guns on the wall and point it at me. Plus, he's a cop, which means he probably knows how to make it look like he didn't do it, which means he'd have one less reason not to do it."

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Charlie likes you a lot more than he lets on. I mean, you always get me home by curfew, you're the perfect gentleman, and your father's a doctor. What could be more perfect for someone like me than to be near the son of a doctor?"

Edward smiled down at her, "See, now I know the real reason you've stuck with me so long. When you fall at my house, you're not very far from someone who can bandage you right back up."

Bella smiled, trying not to laugh. "Well," she said slowly. "There might be other reasons for me sticking with you so long."

Edward tightened his grip on her shoulders and smiled as they continued to walk forward. They passed by several stores, all of them closed due to the late hour. They passed the jewelry store, and Edward looked away. Up until last week, he'd planned on proposing to her this summer. He'd actually been into the store already to have his grandmother's old ring sized. Now, the whole trip might have been pointless.

"Edward," Bella said excitedly as they turned the corner. He looked at her questioningly. Her mood was the antithesis to his own and he was taken a little off guard. She was smiling and pointing down the street. "The diner's still open. Let's go get a sundae."

He chuckled, "You are such a little kid sometimes."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just because I want to share a sundae with my boyfriend, I'm a little kid."

Edward shook his head and reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. He didn't carry around all of his money. His father had instilled it into his mind that he was supposed to only take as much as he thought he was going to use. Dr. Cullen had once lived in a big city, and though things didn't happen in this small town, he knew he wouldn't live here forever. Edward opened his wallet, there was enough to get a sundae. "Okay, just one, though."

Bella scrunched her brow as she looked at his wallet. She'd forgotten about money. It was just that the diner was usually closed when they got out of the movie. She had just wanted to do something with him. "Edward, we don't have to. You know how I hate you spending money on me."

"I know." And he really did. That was one of the reasons that he'd been planning on giving her his grandmother's ring rather than buying her one. The other reason had been that his grandparents had been married for fifty years and then his grandfather had fallen ill. His grandmother had died of what he could only describe as a broken heart a few months later. He felt like the ring represented a true love that he hoped to share with Bella. "But I want a sundae, Bella. So we're going to get one whether you like it or not."

Bella chewed on her lips and looked back toward the diner. She knew that Edward was just trying to make her happy, but she couldn't stand to take his money this way. Of course she didn't have a choice now. Edward knew that she wanted that sundae, and she was going to get it. He took her hand and pulled her toward the diner not allowing her the chance to argue.

They were immediately greeted by Gertie when they entered the diner. "Hey kids. What are y'all doin' here? The movie doesn't get out for another half hour."

Edward helped Bella out of her coat before shrugging out of his own and placing them on the coat rack. "Bella got tired of the movie and decided that we should come down here for a sundae before I take her home."

Gertie smiled and led them to a booth. They were the only people here. The diner would be closing down soon, probably as soon as they walked out the door. They sat in the booth as close as they could possibly get waiting for Gertie to get back with their sundae. When she brought it back with two spoons, Edward handed over a ten and told Gertie to keep the change. As much as they liked Gertie, they didn't need her coming to check on them every five minutes.

"So," Bella said around a spoonful of ice cream. With any other girl, the gesture might have made him cringe, but he thought it was rather endearing with Bella. "Have you gotten your dorm assignment yet?"

Edward didn't want to talk about college, but he wanted to enjoy his time with Bella now, so he couldn't give away his discomfort with the subject. "No, not yet. It should come any day, though. Have you heard anything, yet?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah, they put me in an all girls dorm all the way across campus from the building where all my classes."

Edward felt bad that his first reaction was relief that she was in an all girls dorm. He tried to push it off as the fact that an all girls dorm was safer for someone as attractive as Bella than a co-ed would be. "I'm sorry about the distance thing," he said, and he truly was. She was going to fall a lot during the year, and he wasn't going to be there to kiss away the embarrassment like he'd done over the past year.

She shrugged, "Maybe I'll avoid the freshman fifteen if I'm walking so much."

He held in the laughter as she said the words around another spoonful of ice cream. He didn't think she'd gain a pound, but the scene was still funny. She'd probably only gain if she got pregnant.

Edward closed his eyes against the thought. He didn't want to think about her pregnant unless it was with his child, and that could only happen if she chose him. This meant that until further notice, all thoughts of Bella pregnant were forbidden.

They finished the sundae, spooning up the melted stuff at the bottom before the other person could. Edward had teased Bella about her giddiness before, but it was part of what he loved about her. He loved being able to act like a little kid at times with her. He had always been serious growing up, but he got to be normal when he was with her.

Bella sighed as she looked down at the empty glass. Edward brushed her hair behind her ear so that he could see her face. "What's the matter sweetheart?"

Bella chewed on her lip, not wanting to look up at him. He would think she was absolutely crazy, because there were tears brimming up in her eyes. But there was no such luck. Edward used his finger under her chin to pull her face so that she was looking directly at him. "Bella, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She took an unsteady breath. "It's stupid really. It's just," she took a deep breath. "This is all going to end soon. Things are going to be so different soon. I don't want everything to change, but it's going to."

Edward wanted to kick himself, because he was going to cause more change, but it was necessary, at least for a little while. "The only thing that's constant in life is change, Bella."

Bella laughed, "Oh, God. I know. It's just that things have been so perfect this past year, and I know it's going to be hard not seeing you every day."

Edward brushed a few tears from Bella's face before leaning in to give her a light kiss. He wished there was something that he could have said, but for now, that was all that he could offer.

Edward smiled as he watched Bella walk across the stage to get her diploma. There were only about fifty people in their class, so the ceremony didn't take that long. He wished it could have taken longer. This was one day closer to the day he'd have to tell her. He wanted to tell her about three fourths of the way into the summer. He'd decided that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible without having to ruin her first few days of school. He knew she'd be upset. There was no way around it. They really did love each other. He just couldn't get over the idea that there might be something better out there for her.

Before he knew it, they were throwing their caps into the air, and then it was over. He saw his parents waiting for him, but he wanted to congratulate Bella first. And she must have felt the same way because she launched herself at him as soon as she broke free from the 'S' crowd. He leaned down to kiss her sweetly, "Congratulations." he said beaming down at her.

She smiled, "Congratulations to you, too. Do we have plans to celebrate tonight?"

Edward glanced up and saw Charlie heading toward them. "I don't know. Your dad might have plans for you already. How 'bout we do something together tomorrow?"

Bella looked back to see what had caught Edward's eye. She smiled at her father. "Okay, fine. But you're making this up to me," she teased.

Edward smiled as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Then he released her so that he could shake Charlie's hand. "Congratulations, kids." Charlie said enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Charlie." Edward said. "I was just congratulating Bella before I headed out to celebrate with my parents."

Charlie nodded, "Say hey to your dad for me."

Edward promised to do so and turned on his heels to find his parents. Charlie exhaled and turned to his daughter. "Okay, you're right. He's not acting the same."

Bella chewed on her lip as she watched Esme embrace her son with a watery smile. "I'm not sure what's going on. There's something that he's not telling me, and it's really bothering him."

Charlie straightened up, "Do you need me to remind him of my collection."

Bella smiled up at her, "Do you always have to resort to showing off your gun collection. I swear you're prouder of them than you are of me."

Charlie didn't look amused at Bella's attempt to brush the whole situation off. "I was serious, Bells."

"I know, Dad." Bella looked back at the spot where Carlisle and Edward seemed to be having a serious conversation. "He'll tell me when he's ready. I know Edward better than that. There's no need to resort to dramatics."

The summer was going to end soon, and Edward still hadn't accomplished the nasty task of breaking his heart. He wasn't going to do it today, though. Today they were going to their meadow, and that was definitely not the place to leave such a bad memory. He was going to do it tomorrow, and that meant that today had to be the best day. He needed to leave her with the best memories.

He had packed a picnic basket and nearly ran out the door to get to her sooner but had to run right back in to make sure that he had a first aid kit. As good as he was at keeping Bella vertical, it was harder when he was carrying something.

The drive to her house took forever, but the drive to the trail head was short. And then the hike to the meadow was even shorter. It was like the world was conspiring against him because they spent eight hours in the meadow but it felt like eight minutes. Then the hike back and the drive to her house took mere seconds in his mind. Then it was gone. His last day, his perfect day with her had passed, and he might never get another.

These were the feelings running through his system as he got to her door. When she turned to him for their customary goodnight kiss, he held onto her tighter than he'd intended to. He didn't want tomorrow to come. When it came, his world might just end. Tonight might be the last night that he could ever hold her again. And while he wanted her to be happy, he knew he might be destroying his own happiness in the process.

Bella knew it was coming, but it didn't make it any easier. He'd kissed her like it would be their last kiss. She thought he might do it right there on the front porch, but he hadn't. And now he'd asked her to meet him in the stands at the football field. She knew he was going to do it because he'd asked her to meet him somewhere that had no connection to them. Even if he was going to hurt her in the worst way possible, he would never destroy any of their perfect memories. And it made it hurt more because it made her fall all the more in love with him.

She walked up into the stands and saw Edward's bronze hair bright in the silver stands. She walked toward him slowly, but he didn't look up as she approached. She sat down, leaving enough space between them so she could feel his warmth, but there was no physical contact. "Hey," she said hoarsely.

"Hey," was his brilliant response.

They were quiet for a few more minutes. A few more minutes of being a combined unit. Edward sighed, "I want you to look at your options while you're at school."

Bella stared out at the field, noticing that no one had bothered to take care of it while football season was off. They'd have to start to manicure it again now that practice was going to start up. "What do you mean exactly?"

Edward licked his dry lips. "I mean that we've lived in this small town for so long, that you don't know what's in the real world. I want you to see what the world might have to offer you outside of this town," Edward swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "Outside of me."

Bella looked at Edward. This wasn't exactly the way that she'd expected this conversation to go. She'd expected him to break it off, but he made it sound like he didn't want to. "Edward, I don't want anything outside of you."

Edward knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Bella was stubborn. But Edward knew what would make her let him go. He just hoped that if she didn't find anything else, she would forgive him. "I want to see what the world might have to offer to me outside of this town."

The tears leapt to Bella's eyes without her permission. "Outside me," she whispered. She knew it was what he'd meant to say.

Edward wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that wasn't true, but he needed her to believe that it was, so he just remained quiet and let her soak that in. After a few moments he cleared his throat and she took in a shaky breath. He couldn't look at her, because her tears would kill him. He knew that his will power was wearing down, and soon he'd look at her and comfort her in every way that he knew.

So he stood up, put his hands in his pockets and sent her a mental 'I love you' before walking back to his car. He could hear her sobs begin as he walked away and he was nearly running by the time he reached the parking lot. Then he got into his car and turned it on quickly so that he wouldn't turn around and run right back to her like his body and heart ached to do. When he got to his house, he ran upstairs and threw himself on his bed.

The tears came freely. He knew what would happen now. She'd find somebody that she loved more than him, and then she would forget all about them and their time together. Edward wasn't stupid. He knew that she'd be it for him, forever. Even when she found somebody else, he would never see anyone besides her. Now, as the pain set in, even his mind was beginning to question his decision.

"I do," Bella said, her voice shaky with tears as she looked up into James's blue eyes. To anyone in the audience, it would appear that she was crying for joy. But her tears came from a much deeper place. Was it wrong that she felt like she was cheating by doing this? She loved Edward, and it wasn't fair to do this to James. She could never give him her whole heart, because it was never hers to give. And yet here she was, claiming that she could.

James smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her as the Reverend pronounced them husband and wife. As their lips met a door slammed and Bella swore that she'd seen a flash of copper, but she pushed it off as her mind playing tricks on her. She hadn't talked to Edward in four years. Actually, he hadn't talked to her in four years. Why would that change now?