I don't own Twilight! Or The Who [btw, best band ever!!! Pete Townshend is my idol!!]

Bella POV

"Favorite song," Edward inquired, holding onto the door of my locker as I put my biology book away. He had started asking trivial questions about my likes and dislikes when we left the cafeteria. The interest and intensity his voice and face held while asking me such questions confused me.

"Why are you so fascinated with my interests?" I asked him, my eyebrow quirked up as I shut my locker door and walked along with him down the hallway to the exit. Something inside of me quivered at the thought that Edward was interested in me, even if it wasn't personal.

"Because I can't read your mind, so I'm trying to understand you better. I've never had to find out about someone by actually asking them, usually I just read their minds to find out what it is I want to know, but with you it's different. Now, favorite song."

I rolled my eyes at him. He smiled down at me, his golden eyes seeming to illuminate, brightening the cloudy day. My breath hitched in my throat at this attempt to dazzle me, more like success at dazzling me. "My Generation," I mumbled incoherently.

"The Who?" he asked, chuckling. I glared at him, the daze wearing off.

"What's wrong with The Who?!" I asked, feigning hurt and outrage. He shrugged.

"I just never really pictured you as a hippie rock type of person," I snorted and he chuckled.

By now, we had reached the cars and I moved towards mine. I was about to open the driver's side door when Edward's hand shot out, holding it open for me. I looked up at him incredulously. It was a wonder that after his… I didn't even know how old he was. But, it was a wonder that living in this time, his properness hadn't worn off. I would have to ask how old he was later.

His eyes slid over to mine with a look of innocence. I shook my head slowly and got into the car, the door was shut behind me with a thump. I turned over to the passenger's side where my bag laid and dug through it to retrieve my keys.

I sat up to put the key in the ignition and felt my dead heart leap. Edward had leaned down, his head now near my window. Our faces were inches apart and I could see every perfect detail on his gorgeous face. Every angled feature, the perfect shapes to his lips and eye brows, the way his jaw squared off flawlessly. Having saved his eyes for last, I looked up into a pair of golden eyes, darkening slightly with flecks of yellow around the pupil. Fringed with long, black lashes, his eyes gazed back into mine and I had the feeling, once again that he was looking past me into my soul.

His cool breath reached my nose and slightly opened lips, and it was like I could taste him in my mouth. His scent swirled through my brain, drugging me with his honey scent. I leaned closer, so close to actually tasting the delicious smell, to feeling his lips moving in synch with mine.

Just another half inch and he was closing the gap quickly when a loud ringing sound interrupted us. Snapping out of the trance, Edward stood up quickly, watching me as he took his phone out of his pocket.

I turned my head so I was looking straight in front of my car.

I felt flustered, confused, startled, shocked, dazed, stunned, overwhelmed…. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror when I turned around. My face was flushed, an intense comparison against my pale skin. I inhaled deeply, shakily and released the breath nosily out of my mouth. That… was close.

Suddenly, I felt like crying. Whether it be the feeling of rejection that flowed over me or the overwhelming knowledge that I had almost kissed Edward Cullen, he had almost kissed me. Not rejected. My subconscious reminded me. Not rejected. Interrupted.

There was a snapping noise and I looked over to realize that Edward had closed the phone. I watched him despairingly as he returned the phone to his pocket, then looked up at me. I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep in the senseless broken sobs that threatened to take over my body. I had no idea why I felt so miserable. It wasn't like I was just turned down by someone I love.

Realization hit me hard and I held in a gasp. I was falling for Edward Cullen. Possibly, slightly, in love with him, even. I felt like moaning at this new insight. As if my life wasn't complicated enough.

"Um," Edward ran his hand through his hair, obviously at a loss for words. But for what I wasn't sure. Was it what someone had said on the phone? Was it because he regretted almost kissing me? I would never know.

I wondered momentarily who was on the phone, but I didn't want to ask. Besides. If it was something involving me – though there was no reason that it should – he would surely tell me, right? Right.

"I'll follow you to your house now, I guess. And you can drop off your car." I nodded, acknowledging that I understood and he turned on his heel to the Volvo. I watched him as he got in and turned on the car. I pulled out swiftly, wanting more than anything to be out of the parking lot, out of Edward's view if by chance I happened to break.

*****

My mind began to clear as soon as the familiar soothing sounds of my precious Jetta traveling at ninety miles an hour over the paved roads whistled through my ears. Sighing, I leaned into my seat, repositioning myself from the rigid posture I had adopted only mere minutes ago.

My eyes reflexively flickered to the side mirrors to see a silver Volvo zooming close behind. The image, unmoving in my mind, brought on a feeling of delight and content aggravation. I was no longer aggravated with what had happened. I could deal with it now, in the refuge of my car where I was free to show emotion without the knowledge of certain others.

No, I was now aggravated with myself. My feelings and thoughts were all intertwined with Edward. Everything I felt, thought, or did now revolved around Edward, and that scared me. I couldn't sleep, hunt, drive, run, anything without Edward popping into my mind.

I eased into my driveway, parking the car and stood, waiting for Edward. I wasn't waiting for more than a few seconds when his sleek Volvo pulled in next to me. He got out, looking up at my house, admiring it.

I walked up to the front door, bag in hand so I could put it away.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, looking over at Edward who was looking at the surrounding trees, scrutinizing the layout.

"Do you hunt out here?" he asked, walking up to me with his hands in his jacket pockets. I shook my head, prying open the door. The one bad thing about this house was that it was old, so doors needed a good shove to open, windows needed to be greased. But other than that… it was home.

"No, I usually hunt in the woods a few hours from here. They're secluded and I've never seen – or heard – anyone hiking. I'll be right back; I'm just going to put my bag upstairs." He nodded, looking around. I started up the stairs, but turned, halfway up.

"Um, make yourself at home… you can turn on the T.V., or -"

"Bella. Just go put your bag away." He chuckled, shaking his head. I smiled and continued my way up.

**

Having Edward in my house, in my living room gave me a weird feeling. A mixture of ecstasy and anxiety. I threw the bag on my bed, unmade bed, and looked around. I had finally finished unpacking the last boxes in my room late last night and had only caught a few hours of sleep. That was alright though. I only needed about four and I was wide awake, but I could, and usually did, just sleep all night.

A dark blue button-down blouse caught my eye in the corner of my room, hanging on the desk chair. I looked down at my plain white tee-shirt, pulling it out from the bottom. Alice had lectured me on my style in the morning when she saw me in the hallway. "Don't worry Bella," she had said, her eyes wide with excitement, "We'll go shopping soon!"

I nosily blew out of my mouth and pulled off my white shirt and crossed the room, pulling on the blue blouse. At least Alice won't bug me about my outfit as much.

I glided down the stairs and made it to the bottom without tripping on the last step, how? I have no idea.

"Bella, is this…" he trailed off once he turned around and looked down at my new shirt. The way he was looking at me made me self conscious and I felt the blush spreading across my cheeks. His eyes moved from my shirt to my face, and his amber eyes seemed to darken in the slightest.

His eyes locked onto mine and I hurriedly looked away, trying to find something – anything to keep my eyes off Edward's. These past feelings of him being able to look into my soul, I was pretty sure they were true, and if he could look into my soul, it was probably obvious about my infatuation with him.

My eyes caught sight of the picture left hanging in his hand, probably what he was asking about before he… well, I still wasn't really sure what had happened to him. The way he was looking at me… sent tremors coursing through my body, threatening to shake me from the spine up.

The picture was of me and my mom and dad before they… died all those years ago. I could only imagine the questions that would pour out of Edward's mouth about them. If he thought the questions before were interesting….

I crossed the room towards him, the picture pulling me to the two people I missed most in this world. The two people who died because of me….

I reached out my hand to take the picture when our fingers brushed. His gaze snapped down to our hands like he was realizing for the first time that I had moved. He handed the picture frame to me and I put it back on the table behind me. Edward and I were standing close, but Edward stepped forward, bringing us even closer if possible. We weren't yet touching, but I could see his chest rising and falling in a broken rhythm. I didn't even dare look down at mine. My breathing was ragged, flowing in and out of my mouth quickly, I could only imagine how erratically my chest was rising and falling.

"That blue is lovely with your skin complexion," Edward murmured. His eyes flickering down to my shirt again. Another blush took over my cheeks, covering the old one that was beginning to fade. His hand reached out hesitantly. My breathing quickened. If I was a human, I'm sure I would have passed out by now from the lack of oxygen.

The back of his fingers swept across my cheek, a cool burning sensation trailing behind, like being burnt without the pain. My body began to crave his touch as his fingers trailed their way across my cheek, stopping near my jaw. My eyes felt heavy, like Edward's touch was a drug. They kept themselves open though, not wanting to miss a movement of his fingers across my face.

Indecision wavered through his eyes and he finally let go of any resolve he had come to, releasing my senses by dropping his hand to his side. No…. My mind reeled, wanting, pleading for his touch. But it never came. He took a step back. Any desire he had had flickering through his eyes and reaching his fingers was now gone as his eyes turned back to their normal amber color, his stature becoming a solid rock.

All the yearning in me was silenced by his subtle, but heart breaking shift in stance.

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