This is the chapter where it starts to get a little rough. So I'm going to bring this up right now. A lot of young-adult relationships, especially long-distance ones, don't work out. I'm not saying it's impossible, because there are people that manage. But you can't tell me that all these people in these relationships are going to want only each other for the rest of their lives, especially in a situation like Edward and Bella's. I think that Bella brings up some really good points about this, so please hear her out!

And please review, it means a lot. I'm hoping to get over a hundred with this chapter =)

Oh…and I saw Eclipse again last week, like I had been planning. So much better than the first two movies were, by a long shot! David Slade and Robert and Kristen and Taylor and Peter and Elizabeth and Ashley and Jackson and Nikki and Kellan and Billy and everyone else did such a great job with this one.

BPOV- September 13, 2010, New York:

I was practically counting down the seconds until I could see Edward again- we had only been apart for a month, and that had practically worn me down to the wire.

I didn't know how I was going to adjust to being apart for even longer. I had only been seeing Edward for a month, and most of that time had been spent in different states. That wasn't exactly the best start for a relationship. Because as much as I wanted to be with Edward right now, there was a part of me that wondered if we should wait…until I got out of school, and until we could really be together, not states apart.

This is insane…I must be going completely crazy. I want to be with Edward. I want to hug him and kiss him and call him my boyfriend. But I can't completely be with him, not while I'm in New York for school and he's still in Washington.

I shook my head, trying to clear out my negative thoughts. I was seeing Edward, and I wasn't about to change that. We had made this decision, and now that I'm eighteen, our relationship can move forward and grow. But again, my thoughts are taken over by negativity. How will out relationship be able to grow when we're thousands of miles apart? Edward did give me the best birthday present I could have ever asked for by coming to New York, but it wasn't like he could do that every weekend.

Again, I wished I had been strong enough to have just waited to get involved with Edward. I've had a crush on him since I first saw him, so I hadn't been able to control myself. So now, we had to face months of painful separation and there was nothing that either of us could do about it.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" I jumped when Edward's voice met my ears, and looked down at my feet as he approached and wrapped his arms around me. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No." I whispered, leaning further into his embrace. "Well, actually…yes." I confessed, refusing to look him in the eye. "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me…you coming all the way here for my birthday." I began, my voice a mere whisper. "And I like you…so much. I want to be with you. But I really wish we had waited to get together."

Edward didn't speak for a moment, and when I snuck a peek at him, he looked stunned, but…thoughtful. "I…I know what you mean." He finally said softly. "But I'm glad we didn't…I like talking with you and being with you and-"

"I know, and I do too, but I kept thinking that things would have been a million times easier if we had just been friends for a little while." I said, and I started to regret my words almost instantly. "Not that I don't want to be with you- I do. I want to, more than anything. I…I just think it would have been smarter for us to wait. To have seen other people first, to figure out what we want for the future."

"So, what, are you ending things?" Edward asked, and dropped his arms from their protective hold around me.

"No!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand. "I just…I…"

Edward took a step back, shaking his head. "I can't believe you…I came here because I thought you would be happy, and because I thought we could actually start a fucking relationship. I thought we agreed, that when you turned eighteen, we would start dating…that you would be my girlfriend and I'd be your boyfriend.

"I still want that, I just-"

"Stop with the I just's, Bella! Either you want this relationship, or you don't." Edward said, his voice rough and choppy. "I was under the impression that we cared about each other."

"I care about you." I said softly, my voice dropping. "I didn't mean to hurt you…I'm confused, and I don't want this to fall apart because we have to be apart so much." I said, trying to calm Edward down. I reached up and gently stroked his cheek.

Edward looked down at me, his expression unreadable. "I don't want this relationship to fall apart because you don't know what you want." He retaliated, although he had mellowed down.

"I know I want you and this relationship. What I don't know is how it's going to work out with us so far apart." I pointed out.

"People have long-distance relationships all the time." Edward murmured, stepping close to me and pulling my body flush against his. "And I don't think many people have the connection and chemistry that we do."

I shook my head in agreement, not bothering to speak. "Maybe we should just…cool it for a little while. You know…give each other some space to figure this out. We're not breaking up, I swear. I don't want to break up with you. All I want is to make sure we can handle the distance without being completely dependent on each other."

Edward was a quiet for a split second and then kissed me- his silent agreement.

I shouldn't have been worried about my mom meeting Edward. They hit it off right away, joking and laughing and talking while I stayed quiet for the most part. Edward noticed my slightly sullen behavior, but didn't say anything until my mom got up from the table to go to the bathroom after we ate our entrées.

"What is your problem?" He asked in a hushed voice, and I shook my head.

"I don't know." I replied, crossing my arms across my chest. "I really don't. I've never introduced a guy to my mom before…it's a little weird." Edward furrowed his eyebrows, obviously a little concerned, but I quickly shook my head. "Just because I've never done it before." I amended softly, and Edward relaxed visibly.

We held hands over the table for a moment, our fingertips grazing and pushing and pressing playfully. But just then, someone called out to me. "Hey, Isabella, is that you?" I turned slightly in my chair to see Marcus, a boy from my music theory class, walking over to our table.

"Yeah, hey, Marcus." I said with a friendly smile, looking up at him.

"I thought so." He said, smiling proudly. "Who's this?" He added, gesturing towards Edward.

"This is my boyfriend, Edward. We were just having lunch with my mom." I said, looking over at Edward and smiling as I spoke the word boyfriend aloud. "Edward, this is Marcus. We have a class together." I explained, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. Edward and Marcus exchanged pleasantries, and then Marcus excused himself, smiling widely at me and waving before he turned away and went back to his own table.

That was the moment my mom came back from the bathroom, and immediately picked up her conversation with Edward right where they had left it off. As they spoke, I glanced back towards where Marcus was sitting, instantly overcome with a blush when I saw that he was looking at me too.

I was just watched an old episode of Ellen and Kellan Lutz was on! She offered him $5,000 for charity to take his shirt off…and he didn't. But he did some pretty awesome push-ups, so it was all good. I'm in love with Robert and Peter and Kellan…they are all amazingly good looking. Taylor, too, but I like my men just a little bit older than he is, so I'll have to declare my love for him when he's just a couple of years older, like in his earlier twenties or so. We'll see.

Not sure when the next update will be…tomorrow would be great, but I'm not sure if that will happen. Let's just say it will be on Thursday at the latest.

Leave me some epic love and just leave a review!

Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie