Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story.

A/N: I am eating, drinking, and sleeping with these characters taking over my head. Updates will come as quickly as possible, I promise! Many many MANY thanks to my amazing beta, Mariahajile. She cleaned this chapter up so beautifully for me and I'm learning so much from her as we go. All the hugs and kisses to my pre-readers, myonlyheroin, and BPlemons. I love those girls hard!


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Nothing Gold Ever Stays

Chapter 3

Walking On A Wire

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It's almost 2:00 a.m. when the eight of us eventually separate at the fire pit to head inside our own homes.

Edward and I spent the rest of the evening sitting beside each other up in the treehouse, but we always kept an inch or two between us and barely spoke.

I keep telling myself it'll get easier.

It has to.

All I need is a little bit of time to get used to our newly established, well-regulated platonic friendship and all of the boundaries that come with it. Once we find our rhythm, though, everything will be okay.

Unfortunately, the more time passes, the harder it seems to be getting. Not reaching out to take his hand in mine whenever I want, not leaning in to kiss his cheek or lips, not being able to just stare at him and smile...

Nobody's said anything, but I can tell they're all well aware of the awkwardness that's engulfed Edward and me.

Emmett continued to give me reassuring smiles all night, but they were always guarded, and I have a pretty good feeling why.

Pity.

After taking a quick shower, I come out of the bathroom to find my brother sprawled out on my bed with all of the lights on and my door wide open.

Thankfully, with the way the house is set up, Jasper and I pretty much have our own quarters upstairs to do whatever we want. Our parents rarely wait up for us anymore when we're here.

"Shouldn't you have tucked yourself into your own bed by now to dream about Alice and her new boobs?" I tease, plopping down beside him.

"What happened with you and Edward? Things were different when you came back, but you're still not the same."

"He has a girlfriend. You know this. Nothing's changed. We talked. I've accepted the choice he's made, and he's accepted the choice I've made to not be a part of another dirty little secret with him."

"You mean like last summer?"

"I told Mike everything!" I snap back.

"And he tried to destroy your reputation right after! If Edward messes with your head again this summer. I will… I'll—"

This is not a conversation I want to have with my younger brother.

It's sweet and all that he feels the need to defend my honor, but I really don't need him to.

It's very important he understand this.

"You'll do nothing, Jasper. I'm fine. I'm also really tired and meeting Edward on the beach in, like, four hours. I need to get some sleep."

Jasper looks surprised.

Surprised seems to be a popular reaction for him these days.

"You two are still going out alone all day?"

"It's our birthday, isn't it?"

I'm determined to not make this a big deal.

"But all day? Alone?"

"Why are you asking me questions you already know the answers to? You know how much that annoys me. Yes! All day. Alone. That's our plan. Every year. Now let me sleep!" With my last word, I press my feet into his body and slowly begin to push him from my mattress.

He lets out an exaggerated sigh, drops his body to the floor, stands up, and looks me dead in the eyes. "Just... Please be careful."

"Always am, little brother."

We both know that's a total lie.

It's pointless to argue.

Seconds later, he shuts my door behind him.

I can breathe.

My room still smells like bug spray after the fumigators were here this afternoon. I walk over to my window and push it open to let in some fresh air, then quickly brush out my hair and crawl into bed after turning off the lights.

I actually love sleeping with my windows open when we're here.

You can hear the waves in the distance if you lie still long enough to listen for them.

After several minutes of forcing my eyes closed with zero progress, I begin counting sheep.

It doesn't take me very long to give up on that, too.

When I can take no more, I get out of bed, pull on some shorts, and climb out of my window with a pillow and blanket in my hands. Once on the ledge, I toss everything to the ground and climb down the trellis.

I find the grass with my bare feet and scoop everything back up to start my walk down to the beach.

I've been sneaking out of my room on the island since the day I turned twelve, but it's usually to meet up with Edward for some late-night, off-the-grid adventuring in the woods or down by the beach.

Tonight, I'll be all by myself.

Something about this actually feels liberating and even a little bit exciting.

I didn't even bother to grab my flashlight, and I don't have a plan.

There's just no way I could continue to lie in that bed with all of my thoughts running circles without driving myself crazy before the sun came up.

Within seconds, I decide to head down to the main dock.

Maybe lying in one of the boats while it rocks in the ocean will help put me to sleep.

With my blanket draped over my shoulders from behind my neck, I high step it through the sand and then walk down the wooden planks while playing a quick round of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe in my head to choose which boat I'll set up camp in.

I step from the dock onto the smaller boat us "younglings" are allowed to take around the island, then drop my pillow onto the longer bench in the back and position myself across it before settling in with my blanket.

There isn't a single cloud in the sky, but there are thousands of stars up above to help keep me company.

I turn to look back toward the circle of houses.

All of the windows are dark.

The fire pit's embers are still burning red and orange.

Something else catches my eye... There's a small beam of light moving down the path toward me.

Almost like a ghost in the night.

Maybe it's Mabel.

I smirk at the possibility but quickly realize it's a human heading my way.

For a very brief moment, my heart ties itself into a knot, thinking it might be Edward.

Even after realizing it's not him, though, its rapid beating still doesn't settle.

This surprises me.

I sit myself all the way up and slowly smile at Ben as he tosses me a marshmallow from his hand.

"I brought you some hot chocolate too."

"It's, like, 3:00 a.m.! Why in the world are you even up making hot chocolate?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was in the kitchen when I saw you from the window. If you want to be alone, I'll understand."

Five minutes ago, I wanted to be alone, but seeing Ben with his hot chocolate and crooked grin have apparently changed all of that for me.

"Permission granted. Climb aboard, Benjamin Tori."

He nods, still smiling, and steps onto the boat, causing it to rock a little.

I watch him take a seat beside me, and he hands over the thermos he's brought with him.

When silence begins to take control, I quickly open my mouth to speak after swallowing down my first gulp of warm cocoa.

"So, things with you and Emmett are good again?"

Ben looks over at me with a perplexed look on his face. "He told you about our fight?"

"Yeah, sort of. Not the details. Just that you had one."

He doesn't say anything after that.

I can tell he's thinking hard about something.

It probably would've been better if I'd avoided the topic altogether, but my tongue works faster than my brain sometimes.

It's a flaw my mother is constantly bringing to my attention.

And by constantly, I mean daily; at least three to seven times before the sun goes down.

"Sorry. If you don't want to talk about it—"

"No, it's fine. We're good. Just so long as it doesn't happen again, things will stay good. It's his choice to make."

Jesus.

Boys and their passive-aggressive, little-to-no-informative responses.

I refuse to ask for any further information.

Besides, the less I know, the better.

Especially since they've already declared a truce and moved on from whatever it was that caused their fight in the first place.

"You and Edward seemed better when you came back to the treehouse."

Now I'm the one avoiding his eyes, and I'm also taking a long and extended second gulp from the thermos.

"Don't want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not."

"Okay. That's probably better for me, anyway."

What's that supposed to mean?

Based on the way Ben's currently looking at me, I'm pretty certain I know what he means, but it seems too surreal to actually be a real-life possibility.

"Alice kind of told Ri about everything. Sucks. I know you two kind of finally made things 'anti-official but official' last summer."

"Is that what we kind of finally did?"

I bite into my marshmallow, hoping it'll prevent me from opening my mouth again to tell him to mind his own damn business.

"Sorry. I'll mind my business."

Great.

Now Benjamin Tori's in my head too... or am I just becoming silently loud with all of my private thoughts these days?

"It's better that way. Edward and I… We're complicated. Trying to explain it would only make me sound like a crazy person."

"What's not complicated in high school?"

"There's no school here," I snap back. "We're supposed to leave our complications on the mainland."

Ben laughs and leans into me to nudge my shoulder with his. "Ah, but what happens when complications find us here on the island? The kind that have nothing to do with the mainland and everything to do with us being here?"

I look over and find his blue eyes watching me with purpose.

I swallow hard.

"You've changed a lot, Little Swan. I knew you would. I actually thought about you more than once after we left here last summer."

This makes me feel bad, because I can't remember ever thinking about him after we returned home last summer.

Not even once.

I mean, he's Benjamin Tori, Irina and Heidi's older brother. He's the guy who used to pull my hair and steal my juice boxes when we were kids, only to spray us with them while we'd run around barefoot on the beach.

Hell, he was still doing that last summer!

"That's, um, nice," I say, finally getting it past my lips, before carefully shifting my weight to slide further over on the bench.

I'm not at all prepared for this, least of all at 3:00 a.m. after the day I've already had and while still being slightly buzzed on the little bit of alcohol I downed earlier.

I fake my best stretch and then let out a loud yawn from behind my open hand. "I think I'm actually ready for a real bed. The sun's going to be up in three hours, and I'm supposed to meet Edward here for our birthday adventure around the island."

"Oh… So I guess that means you won't be coming with me over to the tiny island."

I shake my head and quickly begin to gather my things.

"Thanks for the hot chocolate. I think it did the trick."

I hear him mumble something under his breath, but I don't ask him to repeat it.

"I'll walk you back, if that's okay."

My shoulders shrug, and he steps off the boat first, then offers his hand to help me over onto the dock.

Once my feet are on steady ground again, Ben doesn't let go.

My heart begins to speed up, and I can feel my cheeks instantly betray me.

We stand there inches apart, me with my blanket draped over my shoulders and him holding my pillow under his arm. Our eyes are steady and set on only each other.

I can literally hear my heart pounding in my ears.

It's beating so hard the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore have completely disappeared.

What is happening?!

What is this?!

Is it a dream?

A nightmare?

Both?

"Okay. So... Walking now." I begin moving my feet and slowly loosen my grasp around his hand, which thankfully causes him to finally do the same.

Now I can breathe, and now I'm also stuffing my hands deep into my pockets.

"Do you know where you'll apply for college after next year?"

Conversation is very much needed here.

He coughs nervously into his hand then clears his throat. "Don't tell my parents or my sisters, but if I don't get recruited to play football for a college, I'm actually thinking about enlisting in the army."

"What?! Why in the world would you do that? That'll break your mother's heart, Benjamin Tori!"

"Yup. It likely will." He's smirking, which gives me my answer, but it also causes me to narrow my eyes.

Mrs. Tori doesn't seem so bad, but she does always nag on Ben a lot more than Ri or Heidi.

They definitely have a strained relationship. That being said, I never thought Ben would join the army just to spite her.

"Well, I hope you get recruited to an amazing college. As honorable as joining the military is, I don't want you going off to war."

"No?"

I look up at him and match his smirk. "No, nerd, I don't."

"Have you thought about what you might want to study in college?"

"Me?" I laugh. "Nope. I'm just a sophomore. My parents have me stacking up my transcripts, though. I might end up having a nervous breakdown with all the classes they're forcing me to take next year."

Ben smiles again and nods his head, understanding exactly what I'm talking about. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're one of the smartest girls I've ever met."

I feel my cheeks turning red again, and I'm instantly grateful for the darkness that's surrounding us after I've turned to look away from him.

We reach the trellis on the side of my house and stand there in the dark, neither of us apparently knowing what to say or do next.

The silence is killing me.

I need to get away from him before I say something stupid, because right now, everything I have running through my head is utterly and completely stupid.

"Bella, look, I have to get this off my chest…"

When he pauses to find his next word, I suddenly stand up on my toes, place my hand at the back of his neck, and bring my lips toward his.

I'm not even sure what I'm thinking.

Or why I'm thinking it.

This is a terrible idea.

The worst idea I've had all year.

In the moment, though, it feels perfect.

He kisses me back, and my pillow drops from under his arm after he reaches out to grab hold of my hips.

His kiss is so different from Edward's.

It's tender... but not.

Slow... but purposely paced.

I've kissed more than a couple of boys since last summer—thanks to Mike Newton attempting to ruin my reputation around school, making all the boys interested—but none of them have ever kissed me like this before.

Not even Jacob.

When we eventually part, Ben's grinning like I've never seen.

I'm having a hard time hiding my own smile.

"I've wanted to do that since I saw you this morning. Kissing you had to be my first 'first' for the summer."

"Don't be ridiculous! I guess you forgot you were still dumping Kool-Aid in my hair last summer."

He looks hurt by my words. "And I guess your mom never told you that boys who tease you the most are usually the ones who like you the most. That's what I hear my mom telling Heidi all of the time, anyway. That's also why Emmett never ever teases her; he's heard my mom say it and doesn't want to give her any ideas."

I laugh at this bit of information and nod my head, but I say nothing since I'm still spinning from our kiss.

"You're actually a really good kisser for a sophomore."

"Yeah, well, Edward and I practiced a lot last summer, and then I got some more practice after my reputation turned into garbage when I returned home, thanks to my ex hearing all about what Edward and I did."

Ben seems to frown at the mention of my actual soulmate's name, but I don't care.

Reminders are needed.

This doesn't change anything between us.

It can't.

Kissing is just kissing when we're here.

It's another skill to perfect, just like tying knots and setting sails.

"I should get up to my room. I have two and a half hours now before sunrise. I'm going to be hating life tomorrow."

Ben smirks and nods, then puts his hands at my hips to help me up onto the trellis. As soon as I find my footing, I begin to climb my way toward the sky and then pull myself up and over onto the ledge to my open window.

When I reach the top, he tosses up my pillow and blanket to me.

"Thanks for a strangely memorable moment, Little Swan."

"Thanks for not making it too awkward afterward, Benji," I tease back, smiling.

"Happy birthday, Bella."

I smile again, then give him a short wave and head into my room through the window, closing it behind me.

Sleep is now begging for my attention.

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My eyes spring open at the sound of someone whispering my name. I jump up from my bed and find Edward smirking at me from my window.

"You overslept."

"Crap! I even set an alarm, too!" I glance over at my clock and see that it's almost 6:00 a.m. The sun's already starting to come up from behind Edward's shoulders.

"Technology—it's evil and not at all reliant. Come on. Get dressed. We missed the sunrise, but we can still catch the sunset over on the little beach later on."

I do as he says and walk over to my dresser. I pull out some shorts and one of my bathing suits and then step into my closet to quickly change.

This is our usual routine when he's around and I need to get naked.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Me? Um, to be honest, not too good. I'll be running on about two hours of it, I think. We might have to take a nap under a tree somewhere around lunch time," I joke, thinking back to the kiss I shared with Ben not even three hours ago.

I feel guilty.

Why do I feel guilty?

I shouldn't feel guilty.

We're both single.

Crap. Is Ben single?

I didn't even think to ask him.

Damn it, Bella.

"I think a nap can be arranged. I made us sandwiches, and my mom packed us some other stuff to hold us over until dinner tonight. Hurry up, though, would you?"

After increasing my speed, I grab my sneakers, put them on, and walk out of my closet to run toward the window.

In my haste, I almost lean down to kiss him, since that's what feels like the natural thing to do, but I stop myself just in time. His face falls after he realizes what almost happened.

"Move your butt, Cullen, so I can get through the window."

He follows my demand, and I watch him leap down from the trellis and take off toward the woods with his duffle bag over his shoulder.

Our parents won't worry about us.

They stopped doing that when we turned ten.

This is something Edward and I started doing together on our first double-digit birthday here.

We'd get lost for the day, then return back to the circle just before dinnertime to celebrate our birthdays with everyone down at the beach.

We walk side by side, not saying anything for the first couple of minutes. Then he takes my hand in his as soon as we pass through the thicker mass of trees.

He surprises me further when he lifts my hand to gently kiss the top of it before bringing it back down between us.

I press my own lips together and feel my heart beginning to quicken its pace.

Day two of this PG bullcrap, and I'm already about to lose my ever-loving mind.

"Where to first?"

I'm feeling abundantly grateful he's able to start a conversation, because words have become my own worst enemy.

"I— I, um... I— I haven't been to the rocks yet," I eventually stutter out after shifting our snorkel gear bag up onto my shoulder.

Edward nods and begins walking us that way while the thoughts of us and how badly I want to kiss him continue to attack me with every synchronized step we take.

He smells so good, like he took a shower before he came looking for me.

Jesus, I love the way he smells.

There was a boy in my English class last year who used the same body spray Edward does. I purposely sat next to him almost every day just to be able to close my eyes and daydream about being back on our island.

As we walk, I keep catching Edward stealing nervous glances my way, but I never make it obvious I'm actually noticing.

All you need to do is find your rhythm, and then you'll be fine.

That's what today needs to be about the most: finding our new normal for the summer, since things are going to be so different between the two of us, at least for a little while.

"Do you think your parents got you anything good this year?

"For my birthday? Nope. I told them I didn't want anything. What about you?"

"I need a new phone, but that won't be useful until we get back home."

How original.

Probably so he can sext with his precious Charlotte.

More silence.

Now it's starting to get to me.

"Are you still a virgin?"

Edward nearly trips over his own two feet and then laughs when he looks back at me. "Yes, I am. What about you?"

I nod and manage to keep my face straight, but on the inside, I'm beaming.

"Charlotte and I haven't really done anything more than what you and I were doing back when we were twelve."

Now it's my turn to laugh.

Christ, do I feel so much better knowing this.

"So you really broke up with that guy you were dating? Completely?"

"Yeah. Completely. The day before we left."

This was one of the main reasons why I was so annoyed about Charlotte and the fact he couldn't have told me about her before I'd rearranged my own life in order to come here and be with him.

"Sorry about that."

"No worries. He'll take me back in a heartbeat once I'm home again," I nonchalantly share, hoping it might actually bother him a little.

"He'd be an absolute idiot not to."

Welp. That backfired, Swan.

"I do seem to attract a lot of those, so who knows?"

Edward laughs at my snarky response, then gives me a light shove from his hand. "I guess I'll jump the rocks first since I'm the one that actually broke a rule and you like to do it for fun."

He isn't lying.

I'm a former gymnast.

I do like jumping from the rocks.

Once we reach the clearing and set down our stuff, I take off my shorts and t-shirt and then turn around to catch Edward staring at me in my bathing suit.

"Eyeballs in your head, buddy."

He smirks, then shrugs his shoulders before pulling his own t-shirt up over his head to toss it beside my clothes.

Christ, I want to touch him.

So badly.

I want to feel his skin against mine, and I want him to hold me in his arms so he'll remember everything we'd been last summer.

"Change of plans. I'm jumping first." Those words leave my lips before I even prompted them to leave my tongue.

If I don't take off running now, there's no telling what I might allow to happen.

My legs carry me through the green grass toward the edge of the rocks, increasing my speed as I go, and then leap away from the edge to do a double pike and perfect my landing deep into the water with my toes pointed and my arms up beside my ears.

After resurfacing, Edward greets me with a round of applause from high above, then jumps in after me, landing about ten feet away from where I'm treading water.

"That was amazing! You've gotten crazy good, Bella!"

I force a smile and shrug in the warm water while we both float, facing one another with a little less than a foot of space between us in the calm waves.

Every once in a while, I feel his hands beneath the water moving past me.

Knowing he's right there causes me to hold my breath while I daydream about the way we'd been last summer, when we'd swim here all alone and his fingertips would find ways to touch my bare skin without making it too obvious.

"I quit."

"Quit what?"

"Gymnastics."

His eyes go wide with disbelief. "Why the hell would you do that? You could've gotten a scholarship for college! You're seriously good enough. You can't quit!"

"Why the hell are you transferring to a crummy public school when you could be getting the best education ever at Lake Forest? Colleges notice that too!" I shoot back, feeling annoyed he'd question my motives after what he's decided to do.

"I got kicked out."

Now it's my turn to look shocked as hell.

"When?! For what?!"

His parent's hadn't let on at all that Edward had gotten into trouble at his former school. They'd made it seem like switching schools had been a personal choice, not a necessity.

"I got caught cheating… more than once."

"How appropriate," I snicker on impulse, earning myself a massive splash of salty water directly to my face.

To escape his attack, I duck under, then swim a couple of feet away toward the shoreline before coming up for air again.

He's nowhere… and then I'm being pulled back under by my ankle.

We resurface, laughing, at the same time. "Running away is pointless. How have you not learned that yet?" he teases.

I splash him back, then roll my eyes. "Running away actually helped me out a lot this past year."

His smile falls, and his eyes narrow. "Seriously. Why'd you quit? You love competing."

He knows me well.

Too well.

"I didn't like my new coach."

"Why? You never mentioned that in any of your emails. You said he was really good."

I roll my eyes again and begin swimming away to get out of the water. He's right behind me, but I don't slow down. Once I'm on the sand, I run up to where our bags are and grab my towel.

Edward's still staring hard in my direction.

He's not about to let this go.

I can't remember a time where I've ever had to lie to him—like really lie—so it looks like this, right here, will be my ordained first for the day.

"He wanted too much from me. Training five days a week from 3:00 until 8:00 at night while I'm taking a lot of AP and honors classes? I'm not Wonder Woman. I can't do it all. Plus, I'm ready for a break. I did good at nationals this year. It's always better to go out on top and be remembered for that."

When I look back over, he seems to be relieved.

This helps me relax.

Now we can move on, and I can attempt to forget again.

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Our day continues to be perfect, filled with memory-making moments and laughs I know I'll remember forever.

From snorkeling by the rocks to exploring the tide pools on the other side of the island, we're sticking to our routines, minus all of the making out.

"Where to next?"

"It's almost noon. Want to eat?"

I nod, then link my arm with his to start walking us toward our usual picnic spot by the tiny beach at the far end of the island.

"Maybe we'll see that fox Ri was talking about."

"She didn't see any fox. She probably saw her own shadow." Edward laughs, causing me to smirk. He's likely right. In all the years we've been coming here, the only wildlife we've ever seen are birds, snakes, and turtles.

After that, the silence sets back in, and he switches positions beside me to take my hand in his.

Again, he brings it up to his lips and kisses the top of it, but this time, I look him in the eyes and let out a sigh.

"Sorry. Should I not do that?"

"You should, but you technically shouldn't. That's the problem."

"I'll stop."

"I don't want you to stop."

He smirks and does it again.

Three more times, actually.

This causes me to laugh and lightly shake my head.

Day two, and we're already walking that line.

This is dangerous, but I don't care.

After eating our lunch, I'm feeling sleepy, so we lay out a blanket under a tree at the top of one of the taller hills by the tiny beach. I take the spot against the wide trunk to look out at the ocean.

"It feels smaller."

"The ocean?" Edward asks with a short laugh after positioning himself right beside me.

"Everything—the tree house, my room back at the circle, the dinghy boat."

Edward laughs again, then puts his arm around me to pull me up against him.

I don't fight it.

"I guess that's part of growing up."

"I don't want to grow up." I pout and nuzzle my head deeper against his chest when he begins to rub his hand up and down my bare arm. "I don't want any of us to. Everything's starting to change."

After going up to my room last night, I'd laid in bed thinking about Ben actually graduating and joining the army to become someone I wouldn't know anymore.

I thought about Emmett going off to college and only being here for a week or two next summer with Rose following him two years later.

Everything's going to start to really change after this summer, and I hate thinking about it.

Most teenagers can't wait to grow up to get away from the life they've always known, but I'd be content with never getting older and forever living in my fairytale on Prima.

I cover my mouth and let out a soft yawn. Then, on impulse, I lean over and wrap my arm around Edward's body to further relax against him.

I don't want to waste our day sleeping here, under this tree, but my eyes are demanding I let them rest for at least a few minutes.

"If I fall asleep, please don't let me drool all over you, okay?"

"I promise to not catch all of your drool while you sleep, Bella."

I feel him kiss the top of my head, and seconds later, I'm out.

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.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Later that night, after our birthday BBQ with our families, all of us "younglings" take off into the woods to go up the treehouse. We need to get away from our parents. They were starting to act a little too tipsy for our own comfort.

Ben's been sending me looks most of the night, but we haven't gotten a chance to actually talk privately.

When we get to the treehouse, we're the last two people to climb the ladders.

I have a feeling something's coming because he's tugging on my shirt to hold me back so his sister can go before me.

As soon as we reach the middle level, he grabs my arm to keep me from following everyone else.

"Did you and Edward have a good time today?"

I raise my brow in his direction and bite down anxiously on my bottom lip while my eyes stare into his.

I nod and then swallow hard.

Ben's wearing a black tank top tonight.

He clearly worked on his tan today.

His smile is talking to me again, but I'm having a hard time hearing him over the pounding of my heart.

"Emmett and I saw you guys when we went over to the little beach to do some spearfishing."

"You should've said hi."

"You were sleeping. Edward waved."

"Oh."

This means Emmett and Ben saw me practically lying on top of Edward while we were under the tree.

I guess I should be thankful I passed out and behaved myself.

"I told you I was going to be hella tired today."

He smirks and nods his head, then reaches out to tuck some of my loose hair behind my ear.

I take an abrupt step backward and feel the wood railing press into my back, preventing me from moving any further away from him. "What are you doing? Someone might see you!"

"So what? Can we meet up tonight? I got you something for your birthday. Emmett and I went into town before dinner. I saw it, and it made me think of you."

Meeting up again at night alone seems like a terrible idea.

"I, um... I don't know. I'm still really tired after running around all day with Edward."

Atta girl.

Mention Edward's name again.

Reminders are needed.

Someone else already owns your heart.

It's not for sale.

"I can just come up to you, at your window, to give it to you. The present, I mean."

I smirk over his unusual nervousness and slowly begin to nod my head, "Okay. Fine. Later. An hour after we all head inside."

His face lights up, and I instantly roll my eyes.

How is this boy—this almost man, someone I've known since I was eight but has always treated me as if I were some annoying kid—turning into someone who makes me want to hold my breath and smile on the inside where no one else can see it?

"You seriously have to stop looking at me like that," I warn, pushing myself past him to head toward the ladder.

"Why? Edward looks at you all of the time."

I turn around to glare at him, crossing my arms.

"That's different."

"Why? Because he knew you first, or because he kissed you first?"

Ben's teasing me, but I'm not in the mood.

Not with everyone probably wondering where we are and what had happened to cause Ben and I to fall so far behind.

"Can we please talk about this later?" I beg after glancing up the ladder.

"Okay. Later. It's a date."

"Jesus! It's not a date!" I snap back, then instantly begin to climb in order to put some space between us.

When I get up to the next level, I'm relieved to find no one else around.

Apparently, they've all made their way into the main room without even waiting for us.

This is good.

I make the choice to not wait for Ben, hoping it might make things seem a little less suspicious, then round the corner in search of our friends.

After going into the main room, I see them digging through the bag of stuff Emmett brought with him while my brother sets up the flashlights for our ghost stories.

Edward smiles in my direction, then looks behind my shoulder where Ben's followed me inside.

Ben very purposely moves me out of his way by placing his hands at my hips to get through the doorway.

Seconds later, I feel my cheeks flush in taunting fashion.

I can see it in Edward's eyes.

He noticed the way I jumped under Ben's hands, but I do my best to play it off and walk over to take my seat beside him.

"Everything okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. My, um, sandal fell off, so Ben had to go back down to get it for me," I lie while avoiding his eyes.

Why are you lying to him again?

That's two times today, Swan!

You never lie to him.

There's nothing wrong with taking your time and talking with a friend outside.

That's all you needed to say.

Jesus.

Pull yourself together.

"I brought us this." He pulls a blanket up from his side and then swings it out in front of us. It drapes across our legs, and I lean back against the wall beside him.

"Now I can hold your hand without us getting any dirty looks from your brother."

I smile, and my heart ties itself into a brand-new knot.

My fingertips find his to take his hand in mine, and I squeeze it three times.

When I look up again, I see Ben watching us.

His face is straight, but his eyes are set on the blanket positioned over mine and Edward's legs.

Ben shakes his head and grabs a beer from the center of the circle. He pops it open to take several long gulps before setting it down rather hard beside his body.

This is drama.

I don't like drama.

But drama is what I've apparently decided to sign up for this summer.

I squeeze Edward's hand again and lean myself further against him before letting out a soft sigh.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" he firmly questions.

"Yeah. Absolutely. I'm just tired from our day. I don't think I'll have any trouble getting to sleep tonight."

This is another lie, but what's the point in stopping now?

Especially when he seems so content with all of the progress we've made over the course of the day.

"That's too bad. I was hoping we could sneak down to the dock for some night fishing after everyone went to bed."

I shake my head.

Nope.

I've already got plans for tonight.

I turn my head to glance at Ben.

Ben's apparently eavesdropping on our conversation.

His smug smile gives him away.


A/N: Oh what tangled webs we weave. ;)

Bella seems to have found herself a nice distraction for the summer. How deep will she jump in with Ben? And once in, will she sink or swim?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

*Reviews Make Me Smile*

**As thanks for making me smile, I will share an Outtake in your Inbox from Ben's POV while he's listening to Irina tell Heidi about Edward having a girlfriend back in Chicago.**

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Two Makes Five to be one of the Top 10 Fics completed in June. I'm happy to share it ranked in at #6! So very awesome! That made my month for sure! *All The Hearts*

P.S. I am still working on the Aliases & Avatars update. That being said, it's hell'a hard to switch between writing in present tense then jumping back into past tense, so it's been a process, to say the least. Just know it's happening. ;)