Disclaimer: The characters as well as any other reference to the Twilight series belong to their respective owner, Stephenie Meyer. Everything else belongs to the author of this work, Forever 17/Foreverx17.

Chapter Four: Sweet

EDWARD

I walk down the beach with my hands in my pockets, all the while thinking about dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. I try to block her from my mind, shake her from my thoughts, but I can't. I never thought that the daughter Charlie always talked about would ever have this effect on me when she finally came here.

But everything changed when I had laid eyes on her last night. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. There was nothing about her that I didn't find attractive. Everything about her drew me in. Her eyes, her lips, her voice, her smile, her laugh.

I stopped myself again. This was Charlie's daughter. Charlie, the man who had given me a chance when I felt like I was down on my luck. The man who had let me stay in his house, live rent free, and have a job. I would never undermine his trust by trying to get at his daughter.

I knew why I wasn't good enough. I knew why I would never be the man that Bella would look at in that way. And while Charlie knew I had a troubled past, he only knew bits and pieces. If he knew it all, he wouldn't even let me within a hundred feet of his daughter. I knew I had to stay away.

I open the door to the bar, so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't realized I had arrived. I spot Jasper sitting in a booth towards the back and I make my way over to him.

"Hey, man," he says as I slide in across from him. He motions the waitress to bring a beer for me. "So where have you been these last couple weeks," he asks me, taking a drink from his beer.

"Charlie's place has a shit load of renovating to be done. I've been working on the deck," I tell him, thanking the waitress when she brings me my drink. She smiles at me and winks before walking away. "What about you?" I ask him, taking a giant gulp.

He shrugs. "I've just been working at the warehouse while I look for a place to lease," he tells me.

Jasper had finally taken the necessary courses he needed to open a restaurant and pub in town. It had been a dream of his for a long time, but it wasn't easy, and in the meantime he was working on-call jobs and part time gigs here and there.

"Miss havin' you at the warehouse," he jokes.

I chuckle. "Yea, I bet you do. Now you actually have to work."

"Exactly," he says, taking another drink. "So Charlie's daughter come yet?"

I nod. "Yea. Yesterday."

"She hot?" he smirks.

I run a hand through my hair and shake my head, smiling. "He's Charlie's daughter," I say, looking up at him.

He shrugs. "So? What's that got to do with whether she's hot or not?"

"I just…I can't look at her that way."

"Oh…she looks like her dad without a mustache, huh?" he jokes.

"Shut up, man," I laugh. "No, she's…pretty."

Jasper nods. "I'm just fucking with you, man."

I sigh and nod, taking another gulp of my beer before looking down at the table.

"You happy there, though? Working for Charlie, I mean?" Jasper asks in a serious voice.

I look up at him and nod. Jasper knows more about my past than anyone else. When I moved to North Carolina at the age of 22, I worked odd jobs here and there, trying to get by. I had met Jasper when I started working at a fish market in town. It was during my darker times and he had helped me deal with a lot of things. He was the person I felt closest to over the last few years.

After the fish market, we both got jobs at a local warehouse where the hours were good and the pay was decent. Jasper was as happy as I was that I finally got the hell out of there. Even though he never said it, I knew Jasper had bigger things waiting for him than I did. He was going places. Working at a warehouse for him was a temporary gig that would pass. But I knew that I didn't have as many options, no matter what Jasper tried convincing me.

"Yea. I'm happy there," I finally answer him. We finish our beers and order another round.

…..

I make it back to the house at a quarter past one in the morning. As quietly as I can, I unlock the door on the deck and walk in. I realize I don't need to be quiet when I see the t.v. is on, casting a haunting glow in the living room. Bella is curled up on the couch with a mug in her hand and a blanket on her lap. I close the door behind me with a click and she looks up.

"Oh, hey," she says, smiling slightly.

"Hi."

She looks back at the screen and I kick my shoes off before going to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I take a few sips as I stand in the kitchen awkwardly. I'm not tired, but I don't want to impose if she wants to be left alone. I decide to go to my room and read until I fall asleep. I'm just about to turn the corner of the kitchen when she speaks.

"You like Annie Hall?" she asks me.

I stop and look at her. "What?"

"Annie Hall," she says. "Have you seen it?"

"Uh, no. Is that a t.v. show or something?" I chuckle as I slowly walk back into the room. I walk down the one step that leads into the living room that is otherwise attached to the kitchen and look at the screen, squinting my eyes. "Is that Diane Keaton?" I ask in disbelief as I sit down on the other end of the couch.

She laughs. "Yes. You've really never seen this movie?"

I shake my head and look at her.

"Well, it just started. I can start it from the beginning," she says.

"You don't have to do that for me."

She stops and looks at me. "Oh. Okay. Well, I don't mind. I just…I thought if you weren't tired you'd like to watch it with me. I'm not going to bed anytime soon."

I look at her and swallow a lump that has just formed in my throat. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

She laughs quietly, the nicest sound I've heard in a long time, and shakes her head. "No, I don't mind at all."

"Okay."

She smiles, presses a button on the remote, and starts the movie over.

About twenty minutes in, Bella asks me if I want to share her blanket. I tell her I'm fine and focus back on the movie. Something that is hard to do when her scent is filling my senses with its sweet, subtle smell. She's so close to touch, but yet so far away.

Another long stretch passes with us sitting there in silence watching the movie. I look at her at one point, just in time to see her laughing at what's going on on the screen. I hear commotion coming from the movie, but the feeling of warmth and calm I feel from gazing at her far outweighs the curiosity to look at the t.v. and see what it is that's so funny.

She must sense me looking at her because a second later she's looking at me. Her smile fades slightly, as if she's embarrassed that I've caught her laughing. I smile slightly in return, trying to dissolve some of the awkwardness. She looks down at her lap and then back at the screen. I do the same.

We watch the rest of the movie in silence, neither one of us moving from our positions on the couch. When the end credits roll, Bella sits up and stretches her arms above her head, giving me a glimpse of a sliver of skin from where her shirt rides up slightly.

"Thanks for watching with me, Edward," she says, getting up to turn the television and DVD player off. The sound of my name leaving her lips sends shivers down my back, taking me by surprise.

"Thanks for letting me. I liked it," I tell her, not moving from my spot.

"Yea?" she smiles, turning to look at me.

"Yea."

"Well, good."

She turns everything off before looking at me again. "Well, I'm really tired. I think I'll get some sleep before the sun comes up," she giggles.

I nod and stand up. "Yea, me too."

I make sure the French doors are locked before following her to the front of the house where the staircase is. I check the front doors as well before I turn to look at her. She's standing on the first step, her hand on the rail, as she looks at me.

"Goodnight, Edward," she says.

"Night, Bella."

She smiles again before turning around and walking upstairs. I walk past them and down the short hall that leads to the guestroom that has become my haven. That night I dream about her. Brown eyes and porcelain skin.

A / N: Thank you guys for reading. I appreciate the feedback. Hope you're enjoying this new adventure we've got started. I'm really excited to be able to share this story with all of you. Thank you again!