Day 2: Charlie

Edward POV

Charlie didn't join us at dinner last night. He didn't want to impose on our family celebration, but he understood that Bella stayed and they would postpone their celebration to today. I was allowed to come as well. We all knew he just didn't want to miss out on the football game yesterday night on TV. And he didn't like the family thing anyway.

He was so unlike Bella. She's outgoing, spontaneous, open and warm. When she was talking yesterday, about the ceremony and all, she had my entire family wrapped around her finger. She doesn't do it on purpose, seeking attention, it just comes naturally.

Charlie is more like me, quiet and brooding.

I told her once about this striking difference, and she said that her mother had been outgoing as well. But that deep down, she was more like Charlie than most people noticed. She appeared more confident than she actually was, not wanting any pity from our friends. This attitude hadn't harmed her, on the contrary.

Being able to show her easygoing nature to everybody had opened doors for her. Everybody loves Bella. She was overly popular, with boys and girls. All the while still the blind girl, so nobody envied her.

Despite this popularity as a friend, she never had a real boyfriend.

Not since she was thirteen, and never longer than two weeks during summer camp. Charlie started to worry, ask awkward question. If maybe she liked girls instead.

She was mortified. Not at the thought - Bella is very open minded, even more so than me, and I grew up with Emmett - but at the idea that her father felt like he needed to talk to her about her lack of boyfriends.

I know she was worried as well, but we never talked about it. We were able to be open about everything, no taboos. But I didn't cut subjects that might hurt her, like her fear of growing old alone. Me telling her that she would never be alone with me as a best friend had not helped her, the one time we did talk about it. She never brought it up again either.

By implying one of our infamous plans, we managed to hit two birds with one stone: we told Charlie we were together, boyfriend and girlfriend.

We both know that we're not each other's type, romantically, but Charlie doesn't know that. We didn't even need to persuade him. He believed us even before we said it out loud.

I have to admit, we do act like a couple sometimes. Only we never kiss. But not all couples kiss in public, so that's not really a necessity.

The first advantage of our plan was that Charlie was off her back about the boyfriend thing.

The second one was that she was allowed to go on this road trip with me. Bella is eighteen, so she doesn't need his permission, but she wanted it anyway.

"Hey Edward, stop thinking so hard, that brow of yours someday might stay in place like that," she teased, guessing how I must look.

"I'm sorry if I ruin your view on my pretty face," I joked back, but she was right. I straightened my face rubbing it with my hands.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked, as she was stirring the soup on the stove. I sat at the kitchen table and watched her.

I sometimes tried to be a hero, by helping out the blind girl in the kitchen, but I always end up messing everything up. She's much better at this than I am, so I am now condemned to just sitting while she cooks.

"About that strange father of yours."

"What about him?"

"Now he knows we're sleeping together – as you are assumed to sleep with your boyfriend – you're allowed to come on our trip. But you weren't allowed when he assumed we were just being good kids. I would have expected the Chief to react the other way around."

"I told you he would rather have us be together."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't get it."

"I have a theory about it."

"Let's hear it."

"Well, he knows how attached we are to each other. And I think he believed that you were claiming me too much and he was protecting my poor heart by not letting me go on the trip. Now you are my so called boyfriend, your intentions appear to be noble. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," I answered softly. I understood all too well.

"What?"

She can't see me, but she hears more in my voice than I want to let on.

"Do you think that as well? That I'm using you without noble intentions?"

"Of course not. It takes two, remember. I swear he's from a different century sometimes. Besides, I don't know if he assumes the sleeping together part, so hush on that one."

"Of course. The man has a rifle."

"Several."

I gulped loudly and she smirked.

"There he comes. Behave, honey," she said, emphasizing the last word with a wink.

She's got the ears of a… I don't know, an animal with really good hearing. We didn't change our posture. Since everybody believed we acted like a couple a lot of the time, that comes in handy for our plan here. And even if we were together, we wouldn't be touchy feely around Charlie, so no need to put up a show.

"Hmmm, smells nice in here, Bella. Oh, hello Edward."

"Hello Chief Swan."

I know I can call him Charlie, but he shows a little smile when addressed like this, which is a lot for him. He winked at me and let us alone in the kitchen, turning on the TV in the living room.

I know he likes me. And so he should, I have been really good for his daughter. Except for sleeping with her whenever we get horny. But of course Bella would say that counts as being good for her too, I thought, suppressing a smug smile.

This friends with benefits thing was perfect for us. The first time it happened, it wasn't planned and I was afraid it would change things between us, but it never did. And so we kept doing it. For two years now. Whenever I wasn't seeing someone of course. Sometimes I would start, sometimes she would. I hardly ever felt like I was using her. We were helping each other out. And neither of us felt anything romantically for the other, only friendship, so it was no big deal, right?

After the second time, we installed rules.

Rule number one, which is the most important one: no kissing.

I wouldn't mind kissing her, a nice kiss can be like foreplay. But we both agreed on this rule wholeheartedly. Kissing is often referred to as more intimate than the actual sex, so we didn't risk things getting awkward or messed up. We were only getting each other off. Having our way with a familiar body and afterwards we were back to being Edward and Bella. No aftersex cuddling. Just the occasional hug now and then. No more or less than before.

Rule number two: top secret. Obviously.

We weren't allowed to tell anybody. Not even our closest friends, not even our diary. If anyone ever should find out, we promised each other to deny till we drop. They wouldn't understand anyway.

Rule number three: No more than once a week. No matter how horny we were.

We shouldn't depend on each other for our needs all of the time. So once a week it was.

This rule made it easier to say no. Because we weren't always horny at the same time. We were allowed to deny without valid reason at any time. Although I actually never denied her.

In real life, we didn't do it every week. More like once or twice a month. She wasn't my girlfriend and we weren't roommates. Therefore we had to be really careful not to get caught.

So basically, these were the rules and in those two years, we haven't broken them once.

But I had to admit, this benefits thing is one of the reasons that I look forward to our road trip. Away from everything. I look forward to not sneak around and being able to just let go. I know she does too. She pretends to be offended by my perverted needs, but I know she feels the same way.

She called out to Charlie to come to the table, whispering "brooding" to me. I chuckled and helped her put everything on the table.

We ate in relaxed silence, only the sound of forks and knives against plates. Bella is an amazing cook, she can turn any man speechless.

"So," Charlie started, once his food was finished, looking from one to the other "what are you guys going to be up to the rest of the day?"

"Just packing, I guess." Bella turned towards me.

"Yes. Packing."

"And at what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Around lunch."

"I'll take the day off from work then."

"No dad, you don't have to do that. It's only a vacation."

He nodded, but I knew he would anyway. After he lost Renée in a car accident he raised Bella on his own. And even though she blossomed into this amazing woman, he never ceases to worry about her.

This would be the first time she would spend such a long time away from him. He needed this as much as she did. To grasp that she was growing up. She might leave Forks forever in September, and he would have to be able to survive. She stuffed the freezer with food for him this summer, but some day, he would have to fend for himself.

"And that camper, are you sure it's safe?"

"Dad…" Bella started but I interrupted.

"It's a new camper, Chief, but if you would like to check it out before we leave, we would feel a lot better."

He grumbled his approval and got up to grab a beer from the fridge. He went back to the living room and sat down in front of the TV again.

Bella smiled at me for my brilliant move and started cleaning up. While we were both doing the dishes I asked "So, the packing…"

"Sure, I'll help you. And you have to help me. It goes a lot faster with eyes."

"How come you always know what I want to say?"

"You're very predictable. I helped you packing every family vacation you ever had."

"Oh. Right."

AN: Okay, so you're interested. Tomorrow they'll leave. And now, are you excited? ;-)