A/N... Smiles at how many times who is now deemed Sweetward was called "adorkable." LOL Yes, yes. He is, and he's confused, but now Bella gets her say. She isn't as...aware as you guys seem to think she is.

I want to thank you for all the reviews. It was good to see some old friends, along with some new ones. (Waves and blows kisses!) Okay, so on with Bella's side of the situation. Let's meet our girl, shall we?

CHAPTER 2

BELLA

My eyes narrowed on Kate as she walked into the cafe. It was the place we all got our morning coffee and ate lunch, because it was right across the street from our building. I didn't know what she had said to Edward at Phil's that night, but I was pretty sure she'd crushed him, because he hadn't been to work in a week. The fact that she was practically slobbering all over a new guy made me hate her all the more, but I'd never really liked her to begin with.

Edward had called the next Monday morning, asking to speak with Emmett, and had explained that he had family in town and needed to take a few days off. He'd taken the whole week, and I missed him like crazy, especially since he'd left my apartment so abruptly.

I'd called and texted him, but his answers were short and almost harsh, stating that his cousin was in town and that he'd see me at work. I'd tried apologizing, enticing him to the movies, and telling him that Emmett was stuck on the new girl, Rose, but he wasn't engaging with me at all. I was slightly hurt, because despite the fact that I worked for him, he was my best friend.

Gagging a bit as I watched Kate tell her companion goodbye, I shook my head and went back to my sandwich and book. It was easier to blame her for Edward's absence, because my imagination ran wild with it. I could fantasize that she'd crushed my sweet friend, because he was so vulnerable to begin with. He was brilliant, but he was a little naïve, too. He saw a pretty girl in Kate, and I saw a leech. He had no idea that girls ogled him everywhere we went. He considered himself a nerd, and God, he was so damn shy. I supposed he was a little nerdy, but he...wasn't. Not to me.

I found Edward to be beautiful – both inside and out. He was a gentleman, soft spoken, and so very kindhearted. I also thought he was extremely handsome – something he never saw in himself. He had these big green eyes behind round, wire-framed glasses, with eyelashes so long, they practically brushed against the lenses. He had dark hair, with reddish highlights that most women had to pay for. He was tall and lean, well-built. Yeah, he kinda dressed a little weird – sweater vests with suits, shirts almost buttoned all the way to the top, even without a tie, and Converse sneakers in almost every color. The man didn't own a pair of dress shoes. I didn't care what he wore, because he was just...Edward.

I'd liked him – and Emmett, for that matter – the minute we met in college. We were living in the same dorm, and Edward and I had a few things in common, including a few of the same classes. Emmett was Edward's roommate and had hit on my roommate, Lauren, at the time, and we were inseparable from that moment on. Lauren and Emmett didn't last, but the rest of us hung out every day after that. Each of us were different, but it worked.

I was protective of Edward, because I saw how nervous he was around everyone, especially girls, and Emmett was protective of both of us. He was the big guy, the jock. He hated when guys overstepped their boundaries with me and despised it when Edward was picked on. We became our own little family. I was pretty sure that we all survived four years of college that way.

"Bella!" Kate gushed, sitting uninvited at my table. She was beaming, wearing smeared lipstick and looking a bit disheveled, but I couldn't find it in myself to let her know. "Where's Edward? I haven't seen him around."

"He took a few days off," I answered, barely looking up from my book. "Family obligations."

"Oh, okay," she sighed, leaning her chin onto her hands. "I wanted to thank him again for listening to me. I must've rambled on and on about my problems, but he was right. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

My gaze snapped to hers, trying my damnedest not to sneer...or spit on her. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do more. It wasn't that I wanted her to like Edward, because I was pretty sure there wasn't a girl out there that would understand him, that wouldn't take advantage of him, and wouldn't shatter his sweet heart, but she could've treated him a little nicer. And because she hadn't, I hated her.

"Well, I'm sure you can thank him soon," I sighed, gathering up my garbage. "He's supposed to be back tomorrow."

We walked together back across the street, and she chuckled to herself. When I looked over at her, she asked, "Can you believe he asked me out?"

Yeah, it took all I had not to punch her, because she had no idea what it probably took for him to work up the courage to even speak to her, and then to have her turn him down... No wonder he said he felt humiliated.

"Yes," I stated, almost harshly. My eyes narrowed on her again. "Is that really so surprising? You must get...propositioned daily, Kate."

"I do, but that's not why I turned him down, Bella," she countered, looking a little wounded as we stopped outside Cullen and Masen. "I turned him down for you. I thought you two were..."

I was shaking my head no before she even finished. "No, we're friends."

"Yeah," she scoffed with a little laugh. "You keep telling yourself that, honey. I've seen you two work together, sit together, ignoring everyone around you. I've seen him kiss your head and the way that you two look at each other." She stopped and studied my face for just a moment. Tilting her head at me, she asked, "You really don't see it, do you?"

I shook my head slowly, frowning at her. "We've been that way for years..."

She smirked, rolling her eyes, but a spark of something flickered across her face, before she said, "Well, anyway... He's not my type. A little too..."

"Intelligent?" I growled, grabbing the door that led into my office. "Sweet? Gentlemanly?"

"I was going to say...fashionably challenged, but now I'm thinking...taken," she chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender. "You really should take a step back and look at the two of you."

Emmett tugged open the door to the office, looming large in the small space, but his face was as it always was – smiling, happy, and easy going. "Katie, just the girl I needed to see. We're all meeting up at Phil's later. Why don't you and Rose join us? Eddie's bringing his cousin in before he heads back to Chicago."

"Yeah, sure I'll be there," she told him.

"Sweet, and did you know you're a little...smeared?" he asked.

It took all I had to keep my face passive, like I hadn't seen that shit.

"Have a nice lunch, Kate?"

"Shut it," she snickered, using the glass door to check herself. "You got the hots for my cuz?" she teased him, giving him a wink. "Don't screw her over, Em. She'll tear you apart."

He grinned, all boyish and naughty. "God, I hope so," he sighed dreamily, but dramatically.

"Ugh," I groaned, pushing past him and heading straight for my desk. Emmett chuckled, following behind me. "Shut up, Emmett. I don't want to hear a word about your debauchery. It's like listening to my brother and Alice."

He laughed, his head falling back as he took a chair in front of my desk. "You know, Bells, we could've made an amazing couple."

"Ew," I scoffed, pulling out the file I needed to prepare for Jasper to take on the next job. "I'm sorry, but I never could see past your giant ego or your lecherous ways with women."

"Or Eddie..."

I sighed, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "What is it with everyone today? Edward and I are friends."

"Yeah, that's the bullshit he tries to sell me, too," he chuckled. "In fact, I called him on it just a minute ago when he called me about meeting up at Phil's. He said that someone like you—" he pointed to me "—would never date someone like him. He didn't know why anyone would date someone like him."

I tsked, groaning and shaking my head again. "Oh, Edward... I don't know why he sees himself that way."

"Because he's a dork," Emmett snickered. "He's our dork, but he's a dork, nonetheless. And I'd beat the fucking piss out of someone else if they called him that."

I laughed, because that was the damned truth, but my laughter died quickly. "God, Emmett, something happened to him when he asked Kate out, and he wasn't right when he dropped me home."

He grimaced and nodded. "Yeah, I've been picking up that vibe from him on the phone. He mumbled something about making some overdue changes."

I looked up at the clock. "It's almost two o'clock, Em. You'd better head to that job site," I sighed, pointing to my calendar.

"Yeah, got it," he groaned, standing up from the chair. Just before he walked into his office, he turned to look at me. "You know, I told Eddie he was blind. That he didn't see you the right way. You've been in love with him since we met, haven't you?"

I scowled and waved him away, because I didn't have that answer. "Go away, Emmett."

He laughed, muttering something like, "I thought so." He came back out with his briefcase and his suit coat in his hands. "Hey, meet you at Phil's, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll lock up," I said, not even bothering to look away from my computer screen. "See you there."

~oOo~

"Hi, Mom," I sighed, falling down on a bar stool. I was the first one there.

"Hey, baby," she crooned, leaning over the bar and giving my forehead a quick kiss. "How are all my boys?"

I smiled, shaking my head. She counted Emmett and Edward as her own from the minute she met them. She, like me, had attached herself to them both. She thought Emmett was the funniest thing, but she fawned over Edward. She treated him special, because she said he looked lost and sweet, that his intelligence most likely made him feel lonely, especially since his own family was far away in Chicago.

"You'll see them all soon," I told her, taking the beer she slid across the bar. "Jasper's picking up Alice now, and Emmett's on his way from a job site."

"And my sweet boy?" she asked, and I grinned up at her.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, shrugging one shoulder. "He's got family in town, so he hasn't been at work this week."

"When will you finally come to your senses and snatch that boy up?" she chuckled, shaking her head at me.

I groaned and stood up. "This is ridiculous. We're friends! I'll be out on the deck. Okay?"

"Sure, baby," she sang, greeting a customer coming in the door. "That band should start once the sun goes down."

"Fine," I said, not even bothering to turn around.

I fell into a chair with my beer still in hand, gazing out over Rocky Point and pulling my jacket closer, due to the chilly November sea air. It was a beautiful sunset over the bay, and I loved that the salt sea breeze could usually clear my head, but it wasn't working this time. There was too much going on inside my mind. I'd missed Edward all week. I'd worried about him, and now three people had told me that they saw me and Edward differently – all in one freakin' day. But the question was... Did I see us that way?

As the setting sun slowly dipped below the Gulf water, the band set up for their performance. They were pretty good and played at my parents' bar quite frequently. The deck doors creaked open, letting out the loud laughter that Emmett just naturally brought out in people. I smiled, watching my brother, Alice, Emmett, Kate, and Rose pile out onto the deck, the latter of which seemed to be taking Emmett's heavily draped arm over her shoulders just fine.

Jasper pulled two tables together, falling down in the chair next to mine. "Hey, Bells," he sang, nudging me with his elbow. "Mom says she offended you again."

I chuckled, looking up at his sweet, wry smile. "No, I'm fine. She's just the third person today to tell me that I'm in love with someone, and apparently, I'm completely oblivious."

He chuckled, kissing the side of my head. "Sometimes, others see us better than we see ourselves. Are they right?"

"Not you, too, Jazz," I groaned, starting to get up.

"No, no, no," he laughed, making me sit back down. "I'm withholding my opinion until you answer the question. B, this is me you're talkin' to."

I smiled, but sighed the first breath of relief of the day, because Jasper never judged me on anything. We were only a year apart, and we had been really close growing up.

I stared into his deep blue eyes for just a moment. "I don't know," I whispered, shaking my head. "Do I care about Edward? Yes, of course. Do I think someone will hurt him? Most definitely. Will I kick their ass when they do? Sure." I took a deep breath, and he let me continue. "I've missed him this week," I muttered, looking up to make sure our conversation was still being ignored. "And I know something his bothering him, Jasper. I want to protect him, take care of him, make him laugh. I can be myself with him, and I'd die if we weren't friends anymore. I want to see him happy."

My brother smiled, tilting his head at me. "Sounds like you have your answer, B. See...I feel all those same things for Ali."

I swallowed thickly, because I was scared to death of something changing. Suddenly, I remembered every laugh, every kiss to my head, every sweet smile he only sent my way, and my stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies.

"What do I do?" I squeaked.

"Tell him." He held up his hand to stop my immediate protest. "Look, Edward doesn't want to do shit without your say so, because he wants your opinion on everything we do. You're already as close as two people could get, but you're missing the one thing that would push you over the edge. He leans on you when he's insecure about something, and he lights the fuck up when you walk into the damn room. Hell, you finish each other's sentences, for God's sake. So I'm pretty sure...you two are readin' the same book, but you both need to get on the same damn page."

"I'll lose my best friend, Jazz."

"You'll gain...more." He raised an eyebrow at me until I nodded. "Just think about it, B."

"Okay," I sighed, feeling a bit better.

We looked up, and I grinned at who strolled out onto the deck like he owned the place.

"Jamie!" I squealed, launching up from my chair and into Edward's cousin's arms.

"Bella-boo," he chuckled, catching me and swinging me around. "How are you, you beautiful thang?" he asked, kissing my cheek, but he hadn't put me down yet.

"I'm good. When I heard the word cousin, I assumed Tanya," I teased him.

"Oh, please," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "My lesbian twin is off with some butch chick for the month. Some eco-friendly, hiking nonsense."

I laughed, kissing his cheek. "There were some serious mess ups in that womb, buddy."

"Yeah, my dad says the same thing...fraternal twins...the son is gay, and the daughter is a lesbian. The X and Y chromosomes got all sorts of fucking lost," Jamie chuckled.

James and Tanya Masen had come to visit Edward every summer while he was in school. They'd fit in with us just perfectly. I preferred Jamie to Tanya, simply because Tanya hit on me relentlessly. They were both beautiful and blond, both carried themselves with grace and style, and they had more money than God, though you wouldn't know it, because they were very down to Earth.

"I'm sure you remind him of that," I teased.

"Every damn day, Bella-boo," he said with a cheesy grin.

"How long can you stay?" I asked him, wriggling until he finally set me on my feet, though he didn't let me stray far from him.

"For a little while," he sighed. "I was just answering an emergency call from my cuz."

The deck doors opened, and so did my mouth. Out walked someone I knew, but I...didn't. He was sex on two legs, wearing dark jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Edward's hair was cropped shorter, but still was in an attractive disarray, and it looked like he hadn't shaved in days. As amazing as he looked, I could tell this wasn't my Edward. Gone were his glasses, so piercing green eyes swept over the deck. They held none of Edward's usual open sweetness, and even the smile he gave to the people calling his name from the table wasn't his usual shy smile.

"Shit, Jamie," I hissed, glaring up at him. "What the hell did you do to him?"

He sighed, and I noted his face held a touch of sadness as he watched his cousin get oohed and ahhed over at the table. "Only what he asked of me, Bella-boo. All he'd tell me was that he was tired of being himself, so I gave him a makeover."

"Yeah, but this is more than just a make..." I started, but was interrupted.

"Hello, Bella," Edward said, his voice still its usual softness, but it held a touch of aloofness that hadn't been there before.

If I'd thought the change in him was immense from the door, it was nothing compared to how he looked, how he smelled up close. It was an assault on my senses. He stood taller, his shoulders broad. He smelled like expensive cologne and leather, but it wasn't overwhelming; it was alluring. And the fact that I could see his eyes without the glasses made me realize that they were the most amazing shade of deep green, almost matching the sea water behind him.

The butterflies in my stomach gave a huge lurch, and I braced myself, because what everyone else thought was true.

I was in love with my best friend, but it wasn't the man currently in front of me. "Hey, Edward," I sighed in defeat, because it seemed like the man I loved was no longer around.

A/N... Oh, boy... So it seems that Bella is finally figured it out, but Edward is...well, experimenting. Who better for a makeover than your flamboyantly gay cousin, right?

Once again, we switch pov's to Edward next time, so you'll get to see where he stands. And Bella isn't the only one that starts to hear how their friendship is perceived. I also need to let you guys know that this isn't about everyone else...like there's not a lot about Em's and Rose's budding relationship. This story is strictly about E/B. I just thought I should clarify that now.

I need to thank JenRar for beta'ing this for me, who really wasn't sure which direction I was going when I started it. To GooberLou and MedusaInNY for pre-reading it. Without their feedback – and believe me, there was a ton of it – I wouldn't have gotten through this.

Okay, so next update will most likely be on Sunday. Let me know what you think... Until then, Later! :)