A/N: Wow! I'm getting an insanely awesome response to the first chapter! Here's the next one, hope you enjoy!

Thank you to all those who have reviewed, are already rec'ing this and putting it on alerts!

Bella

"Come Isabella, just one dance." He whispers and his voice breaks me out of the trance I'm currently in with his hand. His voice is so smooth and silky, I just want him to keep talking. He's moved closer to me, his lips almost against my ear.

I nod slowly. He gently pulls on my hand and walks towards the dance floor a few feet away. We're on the outskirts of the party, everyone else is caught up in the music. At least, I hope everyone is. I can feel the connect we have, the one we've always had, and it makes me wonder if its as palpable as I think. Right now I feel like anyone looking at us would be able to see it, feel it.

This really isn't how I expected to see him for the first time in so long. I thought it would be more private, intimate. I had thought up so many different scenarios of how it would happen.

Maybe I'd see him by chance, walk past him on the street. Maybe he would call me and tell me he missed me. Maybe he'd call and tell me that he never should have left. Maybe I would figure out where he lives so I could go yell at him, scream at him all the things I've gone through. I had always hoped he'd find me, he'd seek me out. I just never thought it would be so late, too late.

Now we're dancing in the middle of my rehearsal dinner and I feel like I'm in a fish bowl. In my head, everyone is watching us but as I look around, no one is. I'm thankful for that. I want to just grab him and leave. I want to be alone with him, just grab him and leave. Walk right out that door and demand that we talk. I have questions that I've wanted answers to for years, I have things I planned to say to him. I wanted to be the strong, independent Bella the next time I saw him. Not the weak, love struck, can't look into his eyes, almost married Bella.

When he pulls me into his arms I keep my head down. His touch is calming and warm. It takes me away from the anxiety and stress I had been feeling moments ago. I feel safe, the pain in my chest is almost gone. I can't even remember the last time the pain has gone away this much. I don't think it ever has actually, because Edward has never been around me since then. I just want to keep touching him, would the hurt go away the longer I do? I'm wearing heels and yet my eye level is at his chest. I lock my fingers behind his neck to keep myself from playing with his hair. God, I want to touch his hair so badly. I want to run my fingers through it, I want to pull it, twist it, tug on it.

I'm full out fantasizing about his hair right now. Not good.

He rests his hands on my lower back, right on my tailbone. I can feel his wrists pressed against my sides, palms against my back and fingers sprawled out. Our bodies are close. Closer than friends would be if they danced, but not touching. The currents are buzzing on my skin where he's touching me and keeping me aware of the proximity I am to him. I want to close it, to press myself against him fully. To someone else watching there would be nothing sexual about us, to me however, my skin is on fire. I'm burning up.

I stare at the third button down on his black dress shirt. I'm finally noticing what he's wearing since this is the first time I've actually looked at him, he's wearing all black. Just don't look into his eyes. He's wearing a suit, which means he completely planned to come to this. No one just has a suit to wear to events, do they? Maybe he's rich now? Maybe he's one of those men who owns a suit and drives an expensive car and pays a hundred dollars for a haircut. It bothers me that I don't know the answer to any of that. I do notice one thing though, he doesn't have a tie on. Formal yet casual. Completely and totally Edward.

I haven't even said a word to him yet. I must be making myself look absolutely insane because I wont look at him or talk to him.

"Is there a specific reason you won't look into my eyes?" His voice flows over me and I close my eyes. God, he still has the same effect on me he always did. He definitely noticed my awkwardness, but I guess that was inevitable. I've been staring at either; the table, his hand or the button on his shirt the entire time. I don't know what to say. I focus back on the button and as I open my mouth to speak, my brain freezes. I want to say that right now I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff and if I look into your eyes I'll fall off. But that's not what comes out of my mouth instead I just say; "No."

"Don't lie to me. " He has always known when I was lying and he's always called me on it. Others will just appease me when I lie, since usually its about how I'm feeling. When I say that I'm 'okay' they don't ask more, they let it go. I've gotten used to that luxury. I hate when people want to pick and pick until they figure out what's really wrong.

"I'm not." I try to sound convincing but the smell of cigarettes, beer and laundry consumes my senses again and I lose my confidence. Those three things were the only way I could describe him to someone else. Its clean and dirty at the same time, yet incredibly sexy.

"Yes you are. I can tell." He seems proud of the fact that he can still tell, I'm proud of it too.

"You always could." I whisper that so quietly, not even realizing he can hear me.

"That is very true. I used to know you better than you knew yourself." He paused, he sounded sad and drifted off as if he was lost in a memory. I know I was. I was thinking about how we used to be, how close we were. All the happy memories I have stocked up in my brain to keep me going. To assure me that it was all real, even if the ending was a horrible mess.

"What am I supposed to do?" Our voices are so low that no one could hear us even if they tried. We were being so discrete that even if they looked at us they probably wouldn't even realize we were talking.

"Talk to me." He was so sincere, he wanted me to talk to him. I wanted to talk to him.I wanted to tell him so much.

All of a sudden my mind popped the word, Michael, into my head. Mike flooded my thoughts and his words triggered the anger in me. I said exactly what I wanted to without hesitation.

"Here? At my rehearsal dinner? I hardly think the conversation you want to have is appropriate for this venue." I still kept my eyes on his shirt button, it was getting a lot harder to do. I wanted to look at him. I wanted to see if I could read his emotions through his eyes, I wanted to know what he was really thinking.

"You're right." He started moving his thumbs back and forth over my dress. It was distracting. I was enjoying it far too much, I focused on the rhythm of his fingers, back and forth. It was making my body heat up, part of me remembering his skin on mine. I wanted that again so badly. I shouldn't though.

The song was ending, we're we going to keep dancing? Would it be weird to keep dancing? Was it bad that I wanted to?

"Honey there you are! And who might this gentleman be who took my bride away for a dance?"

"Mike!" I jumped, not realizing he was standing right there. I dropped my arms from Edward neck but moved one to touch my fingers to his arm. I couldn't stop touching him. It was addicting, it was my drug right now. When he touched me the anxiety went away, the depression vanished. It was what I would use to keep me sane. "This is an old friend of mine." I didn't want him to know it was Edward. I hope he forgot those pictures, please forget them.

"Nice to meet you Mike, I'm Edward." Okay or Edward could just introduce himself and ruin it all. Edward put one of his hands out to shake Mike's. I saw the recognition hit Mike's eyes as he stared at Edwards hand as if he had the plague. I kept my eyes on the floor or at Mike. I still refused to look into Edwards eyes.

"What do you think you're doing showing your face here?" Mikes tone was a harsh whisper. He was smart enough to not make a scene here but apparently not in control enough of his anger. Oh no. Please no. Mike took his arm and wrapped it around my waist, effectively pushing Edwards hand away. I felt Edward's finger tips against my arm, keeping the connection. I wonder if he needed it too?

" I asked you a question." His voice was hard and cold. What was he doing? He's never met Edward before, he can't judge him. All he knew was that Edward and I had history and it ended badly. I never gave him details, no one knows the details.

"I was invited." Edward didn't sound defensive, or mad. He sounded as if he was announcing something blatantly obvious, almost mocking Mike.

"You most definitely were not." Mike pulled me against him, completely severing my ties with Edward. I felt cold at the loss of contact. The piercing pain in my chest started slowly again. I was already craving Edward's touch, I needed it.

"Yes, I was. I can go get my invitation if you'd like, its right in my car." Mike was standing up as tall as he could but he was only a few inches taller than me, around five ten. Edward was so much taller than Mike, it was no competition. Where Edward was a couple inches over six feet and always had been. I watched Mike stare at Edward, the uncomfortable silence lasted about a minute before I realized this was going to escalate too far.

"I invited him." I said to Mike, loud enough that Edward could hear.

"You did what? " he turned to look at me, complete shock and anger registering on his face. "Care to explain?"

"There's nothing to explain, Mike. I invited him to tonight and to our wedding Saturday." He looked at Edward, then me. I kept my eyes on Mike's face. There was one benefit to me not looking into Edwards eyes, Mike wouldn't be able to see how we looked at each other. I didn't know if it would be the same as before but I had a feeling it would and that wasn't something your fiancé would want to see.

"May I speak with you, alone." Mike pulled me away from Edward and into a hallway that lead to the main section of the hotel. I didn't look back at Edward, I wondered what he must be thinking right now. I couldn't believe he was doing this right now. Pulling me into the hallway to talk? Am I a child? I invited someone that I've known for a long time to my wedding, that's not bad right?

"You invited him?"

"Yes."

"He's your exboyfriend isn't he?"

"Yes." I barely got the word out, my heart burned at his words.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to. His family was coming and I thought that it was only right that he get invited too."

"So, you just neglected to tell me?"

"He didn't RSVP, I didn't know he was coming. Plus, I didn't think you'd react in the best way and I was avoiding confrontation with you. I obviously assumed correctly." I was usually a pretty strong person around Mike, I wanted that strength to come through right now.

"You know, I understood when you wanted to invite his family. I got it. You were close with them and you knew they'd want to be here. What I can't understand is why you'd want to invite someone who fucked you up beyond belief for everyone else in your life? Does he realize how messed up you are? How disconnected you are from everything? I love you Bells but this..this isn't right. You shouldn't have done this without telling me." My immediate reaction is to defend Edward, its not his fault I'm like this. Mike doesn't understand any part of my past. But, I know that would be the worst thing to do right now. I had never heard any of this come out of his mouth, ever. I didn't know he thought I was fucked up? He didn't even fucking know what he was talking about. Edward was not the problem.

"If I'm so fucking messed up then why are you marrying me? Why did you propose?" How could he treat me like this, right now? He's known that I have issues, that I'm not the most normal person in the world. None of this makes any sense.

"Because I saw something in you that made me fall in love with you. I saw the girl you probably used to be hidden beneath all that damage he did. I thought that I could bring you away from that, I thought the commitment that I'm showing to you would help us grow and love each other more." He keeps bringing Edward up, he doesn't realize that he isn't the problem, that its not all his fault.

"So this isn't even real? This engagement, this to-be marriage? You're just doing it to try to get to me? See what you can get out of me? See if you can change me?"

"No. That came out wrong. Fuck, Bella." He was frustrated with me, I didn't really care right now. I was in shock at his words. "I love you. I want you, always. I just always feel like you have a barrier up between us. Yes I'll admit that marrying you has a small motive other than just love. I thought it'd make you realize that I'm here and I will be forever. I'm not going anywhere. I want to make you happy, cherish you, keep you safe. First and foremost I want to marry you because I love you."

"I love you too." My voice was monotone, there was no emotion to it. In two days we will be Mr and Mrs. Mike Newton.I turned around and walked away from him and back into the party. I had nothing to say. He thought so little of me and I had no idea until thirty seconds ago. I knew my past had bothered him but I don't think I realized to what extent, until just now.

I really wasn't in the mood to be here anymore.

A/N: Now what do you all think of Mike? Or Edward & Bella's dance? Reviews are the best present EVER.