A/N: I have a BEAUTIFUL banner made by RachelxMichelle. Pretty, pretty please click the link in my profile & let me know what you think, then go look at her banner blog =) Thanks to my PPSS girls for their love to this & all chaps.

BPOV

We go to get something to eat, considering that we both feel starved and dehydrated. I can tell Edward is worse off than me, but his shower seems to have helped his mood. Sitting across the table from him, things are still awkward, but we're talking more, if only in small fragments of conversation. I want to say more, but I don't want to overwhelm him.

The pictures on Rosalie's camera made my heart ache, and I'm glad Edward wasn't around when I looked through them. Being near him, even with all the tension and where-do-we-go-from-here-ness, my feelings from last night are affirmed. There is something between us, something that, in sobriety, still exists. It's unspoken and underlying, but it's a magnetism that remains. I recognize it in his lingering stares and the way I watch each move he makes. In this tiny ounce of time since we've met, no matter how unbelievable it may be, I feel bound to him – and not just in the marital way. I want to figure this out. I have no idea how but I want to regardless.

We're both picking at our food when he's quiet and thoughtful. I notice him staring at my hands, and I look down at them, then back up.

"What?" I ask.

"Huh?"

"You're staring."

He gestures toward my hand. "My mother would be ashamed of me." I nearly choke on my drink, and his eyes go wide. "Shit, that's not what I meant. I was talking about the ring. It's awful. Fuck, I'm so bad at this."

"I'm not so experienced here, either," I reply, half joking. He nods uncomfortably.

"Sorry," he says for what feels like the hundredth time.

"I kind of like it." I twist the ring around my finger. It's a simple band like his but with a tiny little diamond embedded into it. He'd told me last night that he'd get me something better, not that he remembers. Nor that I care.

"I feel like this wouldn't be as difficult for me if I remembered. I really wish I could. You remember everything?"

"Not everything," I admit. "The important stuff, more or less. What do you want to know? I'll tell you anything."

He purses his lips and frowns momentarily. "I'm piecing things together between what Emmett told me and the pictures, but that doesn't bring any of it back."

"Well, there was a lot of laughter. Our friends were giddy and wild. You were excited; we both were. Afterward, you just kept calling me 'Bella Masen' and you made everyone else do it too. You tried to talk Emmett into calling his dad to see if he'd pay for a honeymoon, but Em never gave in. And you asked if we could be Facebook friends now."

He groans and tugs at his hair, peering up at me a minute later. "Wow. I'm a piece of work."

"You were sweet."

He rolls his eyes but seems to believe me. "So afterward, did we, umm . . ."

"No," I answer, shaking my head. "We were getting there, but we both passed out."

"Okay, good," he says immediately, but he must notice my expression because he back pedals. "Damn, I have some serious foot-in-mouth syndrome today. I'm not glad we didn't. I mean, I'm glad nothing happened that I can't remember. Anything like that."

Suddenly, I feel emboldened. It's something about his nervousness that snaps me out of my funk. Since I woke up, I've been feeling and acting like some weak, helpless, shy girl. That's not me at all. I'm a strong, confident woman, and if I keep behaving like this guy is going to make or break me, we'll obviously never get anywhere. I need to take control and let my inner badass chick come out to play. That was the fun, fierce girl Edward was so into last night, and she was the wild one who got us here. It's time to pony up.

"So you're saying you did want something to happen?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

"What? I . . . well, yeah?"

"It's okay, Edward." I'm feeling a little devious now that I've gotten my proverbial balls back, and I want to press him with this. "I'd want to sleep with me too, if I were you."

His cheeks puff up as he takes a sip of his Coke, and I know I've got him now.

"We are married now, so what's mine is yours and all that good stuff."

He's so red that I think his head might explode, and I can't hold my laughter in any longer. I burst out, and he's red as well, only his is from embarrassment. When I calm down and he can look me in the eyes, I tell him that I'm only kidding. Sort of.

"Seriously, though," I begin when I've caught my breath. "Something happened but not much."

"What kind of something?" he asks cautiously.

"You done? Let's walk and talk."

He pays the check and we leave the diner, walking a few blocks back to our hotel. As we go, I fill him in.

"You asked me to leave the club. We started fooling around in your room and I made a joke about marriage first. You thought it was a great idea, and the rest is history, I suppose."

"You asked?"

"I joked," I clarify.

"And when you say we fooled around . . .?"

"You held me up against the door and fingered me," I explain bluntly. "That was it."

His cheeks redden instantly, and inwardly I'm giggling. Maybe this will be what he needs to break out of this weirdness and figure out what to do.

"Unless you want to go change that," I add oh so quietly.

"What?"

"Oh nothing."

I know he heard me, but I feign innocence.

E/N: Did you all heed my advice and go read Mind the Gap by LuckyStar815? If not, you're SERIOUSLY missing out on a wonderful E/B story. Don't forget to leave her some reviews, too! You can also check out The Fictionators 6/24 post because I begged Kassiah to read Mind the Gap, so you can see our in depth recs of the story there =) Links to the story & The Fictionators are both in my profile.