Six

Almost five weeks to the day Edward left, I was ready to start my new life.

I'd spent the last week in my apartment organising and reorganising the boxes and bags that would become my new closet, kitchen and bathroom. My bedding was ready - a sleeping bag, a pillow and some lightweight fleece blankets - and I'd bought a pop-up sun shield for the front windshield, to give me some semblance of privacy.

Everything, bar my small backpack and purse, was in my car, so I began checking and double checking every drawer, cupboard and shelf. I then looked underneath the bed and ran my hand down the sides and the backs of the sofa cushions.

I was procrastinating.

A loud thumping on my door startled me for a second, but then I was bounding down the stairs, my heart ready to break if it was anyone else but him.

"Hello, Bella," he said, his voice low. I felt every inch of skin on my body tingle with excitement. "May I come in?"

Though my mouth opened, no words came out. I nodded and turned to walk back up the stairs. Half way up, I couldn't resist looking round to be sure he was really there, but what I didn't expect to see was him staring my ass. What the...?

We entered the living room and I watched him scan the room before he fixed his gaze on me. It was predatory, as if he were a blood-starved vampire bent on quenching his thirst.

He stalked toward me and I found myself retreating until he had me virtually backed up against the wall. I couldn't contain myself any longer. I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

My back hit the wall as our lips met. Gone were the gentle, almost chaste kisses from before he left; these kisses were passionate and consuming.

Edward pressed his body against mine, our hips connecting for the first time, and an electric pulse shot up my spine. I moaned into his mouth, internally begging him not to stop, but before I could run out of air, he was pulling back to rest his forehead on mine. breathing heavily.

"Bella," he said, groaning, "I'm tired of trying to stay away from you."

I pressed my hips against his, feeling the hard evidence that I affected him too, and started giggling.

"What?" He frowned, but he could barely hold back his own laughter.

"I thought you might be gay."

"I bloody well hope I'm convincing you otherwise!"

In an instant, his hands slid up from my ass to tickle my sides and I shrieked with laughter.

"It's going to take a lot more than being pressed up against a wall, Edward."

"We have some talking to do first," he said more seriously, kissing my nose.

"Yeah." I dropped my legs down to the floor.

"Besides," he muttered under his breath, "I want our first time to be in my car."

I doubt he registered the flush on my cheeks, because he was already turning to take in the state of the bare living room.

"What's going on, Bella? Where are you going?"

I swallowed hard and drew in a breath to steady my nerves.

"I'm moving out, Edward. After you left, I did a lot of thinking."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for leaving like that. I should have told you where I was going."

"Yes, you should," I said, "but I probably wouldn't have listened."

"I desperately wanted to take you with me that night. You were in such a state and I just... left you," he said, looking ashamed. "I couldn't ask you to change your life, not for me, and I don't have any right to impose my way of life on you."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised a hand to stop me.

"I want to be near you again, Bella, if you'll let me. I'll go wherever you're going, stay wherever you're staying."

"No, Edward." I grabbed hold of his hand as his face fell. "I don't want you to change your life for me either, but you should know that you have already changed me."

His eyes widened as I pulled him toward me.

"From the moment I met you, I've been slowly coming back to life. I didn't even know how much of myself I'd kept buried deep inside until that moment. You leaving made me realise that I had a choice and I chose to set myself free."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to live in your world," I said, watching closely for his reaction, "with or without you."

I half expected him to protest, but the smile that spread across his face was positively jubilant.

"With me, Bella, please," he said, wrapping me in his arms again.

His gurgling stomach broke our momentary silence.

"Would you like to get something to eat?" I lifted my chin and grinned at him. "My treat."

He stared down at me for a minute, then with a cheeky, crooked smile he asked, "Now?"

"Yes, now." I laughed at him. "I was almost on my way out when you arrived."

I pulled myself free and took one last look around my empty apartment, then grabbed my purse and backpack and followed Edward out, locking the door behind me.

"I just need to hand my keys to Old Mr Volturi," I said, opening the door to the bakery.

There were tears in my eyes when I returned, large paper bag in hand, but I wiped them away and wrapped my arm around Edward's waist.

"So, your car or mine?"

"Both," he said, pulling me closer as we walked to the back of the bakery.

...

After spending a surprisingly long twenty minutes admiring my new Chevy, Edward drove ahead of me to the park. We sat in our favourite spot in the wooded area and ate our farewell lunch from Old Mr Volturi.

"What are your plans, Bella? Where were you intending to go?"

"Um, well, I knew you were coming back from your letter, so I was going to wait around town for a few days."

"Shit! If I hadn't turned up today, I wouldn't have known where to find you, would I?"

"Old Mr Volturi had instructions to give you my details, if you asked, and I left a note for you at the bookstore."

"Thank you," he said, leaning over to kiss me. "It's more than I deserve."

"Yes, it is. It would have been so much easier if you'd given me a way to contact you. I couldn't even reply to your letter."

"Sorry." He was silent for a few minutes, his brow furrowed in thought, before he looked up with a tentative smile. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"I don't know really. I've never taken the time to explore the area around Portland, so I'd like to do that. Hopefully, I might find some inspiration to get me writing again."

"Could you come with me on my next job?"

"I suppose so, yes. Where is it?"

"Just north of Scappoose, but we don't have to stay there. I know a good few places we can park up at night without drawing attention to ourselves."

"I'm still working my notice, albeit remotely, so I'll need access to the internet."

"There's a library in Scappoose."

"What about washing facilities?" I'd studied the gym locations map and knew there weren't any that far north of Portland.

"Last time I was working up that way, I used the restroom showers in McCormick Park in St Helens. The swimming pool there is nice too, if you'd prefer to use that."

"Okay." I smiled, feeling better about the idea already. "What's the job?"

"A mural for a boy's bedroom. I'll probably be done in a week"

"How did you get the job in Bend?"

"It was a recommendation from one of our Portland customers. That's how Emmett gets most of our work, by word of mouth."

We looked at each other for a few moments, then I decided to be bold and climb onto his lap, straddling his thighs. I ruffled his hair and he put his arms around me.

"Why have you been holding back, Edward?"

"I was scared," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I still am."

"Of what?"

"Of getting hurt, or hurting you, but I've managed to do both anyway."

"You didn't hurt me, Edward."

"I think I did," he said, opening his eyes again. "I didn't want to go back to how I was before and I couldn't see how it could ever work with us each living such different lives. I mean, why would a woman like you want a man like me?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"I don't have a home or a steady job, Bella."

"You could have asked me?"

"I tried, that last week, but..."

"I'm sorry. I wish you hadn't had to see me like that."

He tightened his arms around me, pulling me to his chest and I felt my body relax for the first time in weeks.

"It's been a very long time since I've let anyone get this close to me," he said after a few minutes silence.

I pulled back and cast a glance at his groin.

"Is that a roundabout way of saying you've forgotten how to use your equipment?"

"Bloody cheek!" he shouted, deftly slipping his hands under my top to tickle me. "I know exactly what to do with my equipment!"

I squealed with laughter. "So, just out of practice then."

"Oh no, Bella," he said, dropping his voice low and leaning forward to murmur in my ear. "Since I met you, I've been practicing very regularly."

A shiver of excitement ran through my body as he began to kiss along my jaw and down my neck.

"I've missed you so much," I whispered.

"I've missed you too," he said, finally bringing his lips to mine.

His hands roamed all over my back and shoulders as our kissing became more passionate. I shifted myself forward and tugged at his hair, causing us both to moan.

Then suddenly he was pulling away.

"Laundry!" he shouted.

"Huh?"

"I have to do my laundry. I'm wearing the only clean clothes I have left."

"What has that got to do with anything?" I was confused and just a little frustrated.

"I can't, uh, make a mess of what I'm wearing, Bella. Not until I've done my laundry."

"Oh! Right, um, well... I guess we'd better go get that done quickly then."

I jumped to my feet, picked up my bags and our trash and started for the parking lot.

"Bella," he called after me. "Could you slow down please? I can't walk very fast at the moment."