Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight.

Chapter Seven - Caught Me By Surprise

You sit there in your heartache

Waiting on some beautiful boy to

Save you from your old ways

You play forgiveness

Watch him now, here he come. ~ The Killers

I was sitting in front of our vanity table, giving myself a hard look.

I was nervous...what was new in the world? I had been a wreck for the past ten days, and today was the day where I had to go to the doctor's house. That meant nobody was there to watch out for me. I had to be in his house - alone.

You will be fine, Bella. Nothing will happen; he's a doctor.

I chanted it in my head again and again.

I sighed, and scraped my hair back into a messy bun. I hoped that everything would be okay. I hoped that he'd do his job, and then I would come back here, and that would be the end of that.

Why was I even thinking like that?

"...Girl, you'll be a woman soon!" Rosalie sung.

My heart leaped - Fuck!

Obviously Sam had been playing his Tarantino soundtracks.

"Damn Rosalie, do you have to sneak up on me?" I snapped. She ignored me and flounced onto the bed. She seemed happy. I wondered why that was...pfft, I knew why that was.

I turned around to give her my undivided attention. She was now laying on the purple duvet, her eyelids closed and her golden locks sprawled across the bed. Her flimsy top had ridden up, showing the crooks of her hips sticking out of her skin and the little bumps of her ribcage. I swore if you hit her hard enough she would crumble.

"What'cha thinking of?" her voice softly asked.

"Oh, y'know. Stuff," I answered dryly.

"Oh yeah? Let me guess. You're thinking about where you're going to go when you leave the house," she said.

"When we leave the house," I reminded her.

A smile curled sweetly around her cheeks. "So tell me about it."

My lips slanted, I've told her about the plan thousands of times before. "I don't have time, Rosalie. Y'know what Sam's like with his timekeeping."

Her eyes fluttered open. "Oh please, Bells. Tell me about what we're gonna do when we leave this place," Rosalie implored.

I grinned. "Okay, Lenny. We'll move out and get our own ranch and I promise you can tend the rabbits."

She giggled. "Oh, fuck you then."

"What are you two fucking doing up there?" Sam shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

I huffed. Sam always had to be clued in; there was no room to breathe.

"Whatever it is, video tape it me for later!" Jared cut in.

I heard the two explode in boisterous laughter. Fuckers.

"I'll see you later, 'kay?" I wished my voice didn't sound so uneasy.

Rosalie vaguely hummed something in response. I hoped she would be alright.

I slowly made my way downstairs, not wanting to move at Sam's preferred pace. The last few weeks Sam had gotten more unbearable, or maybe I had gotten less tolerant.

When I arrived in the main room, I was surprised to see Jessica sitting on the wooden floor, (well, I wasn't so surprised about that) her cheeks were red and swollen and her eyes glistening.

I looked around the room - Jared and Paul were smoking, not even bothering to give poor Jessica the time of day.

I exhaled, and ambled across to where she was sitting.

"Hey...uh, are you alright?" I quietly asked.

Christ, Bella, does it look like she's alright?

She nodded her head shyly, not even looking me in the eye.

"I know how you're feeling, by the way," I told her.

Her head didn't rise up to acknowledge me speaking. She remained silent with vacant eyes.

"And I know it's scary being the new girl; we've all done it. You've got to remember that-"

I felt a hand slap my ass. It caused me to involuntarily squeak. That noise was embarrassing."

I spun my head around to see Jared's smarmy face, his eyes twinkling.

Ugh. Dis-gust-ing.

"So then Iz, we're gonna take you to see Emmett's brother, the Doctor?"

"Okay..." I muttered. I couldn't help but scowl at him; he was dirt.

"Jesus, Iz. It's only me, don't get too excited,"

I continued to glower at his face. "I doubt I'd ever get excited to breathe the same air of such a misogynistic asshole."

He breathed out a low whistle. "Christ Iz, don't attack me with the fancy wording." He then laughed in a way that made me wish I could take back my words.

"Don't cry because the size of your vocabulary is about the size of your dick!" The anger just spewed out of my mouth...

That made him shut up, although I still had that airy nervous feeling inside of my chest. That little spat didn't help me at all.

He shoved my back towards the kitchen door. "Just get the hell out of the house and into my car," he snapped.

I huffed; sometimes I wished I was a man, and then nobody would tell me what to do.

I mentally kicked myself for thinking that. I was proud to be a woman.

God, I needed to get into the car and stop thinking about all the negativities.

When I was strapped into Jared's old Chevy Citation I waited for him to sit in the driver's seat. My legs kept bobbing up and down, and I couldn't stop rubbing my hands together.

I hated Jared's car; it was the most ugliest car in the world, it had a musty smell like it should have belonged to an eighty year old man, and don't get me started on the mess. It was a sea of empty coke cans and packets of Chesterfield cigarettes.

He ignored me completely when he shoved his keys into the ignition - but that was fine with me. The car rumbled, and before I knew it we had driven out of the street and through Forks' town centre.

Now and again I heard Jared grunt, but that was the only conversation I got from him. That suited me fine, although I really wanted to know where he was taking me. We were driving into an area that I had never seen before.

There were beautiful houses surrounded by effervescent front gardens that invited you to its door. It was a long time since I saw something so pretty.

Suddenly the car stopped.

I gasped. "Oh...my...God..."

"I know." It was the first time Jared had spoken. "The Cullens' have money brimming up to their ears."

My neck snapped to Jared's face. "Cullens?"

"Yeah, Emmett's family."

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit.

I was staring at Dr. Cullen's house. Why didn't I guess that they were related - their eyes had been a perfect giveaway.

Dr. Cullen's house was so tall; I bet it had five bedrooms on the second floor plus a home cinema and steam room. The bricks were coated with a pristine eggshell white, and the house had beautiful Venetian windows. Dr. Cullen might as well scream to passers-by that he had money.

A part of me felt relieved. I was relieved that I had him, instead of a middle aged man enduring a life crisis who thought he would take the excellent chance of forcing a girl into sleeping with him.

Then, there was that other uncomfortable part of me; the part that told Dr. Cullen a bunch of lies I'd somehow gotten away with.

Oh my God. It's fucking karma coming to shank me in the back.

"I'll pick you up around...let's say, four."

"But it's half past one. It won't take me two and a half hours to get my stitch off," I countered back.

"No it won't. I'm sure Dr. Cullen can think of something you can do," Jared's voice was laced with surliness.

"But what if he doesn't want me to be there...I mean, he won't be-"

"Iz. Get the hell out of my car unless you want me to make you get out of my car," Jared threatened.

My whole body declined from the situation. Jared was the confident type and that meant he was totally unpredictable.

I opened the car door slowly, and stepped my bare legs out in the cool, sunny breeze. As soon as I closed the door, he sped off down the road, not taking a second glance back.

I exhaled loudly.

Shit. Why did this have to happen to me?

I was tempted to run, but where to? I had no money or clothes. It would have been stupid, and I have certainly learned from stupid decisions.

I carefully stepped across the gravely path towards the door. I had to have the stitch out of my forehead, besides it was getting really itchy. As soon as it was out, I could play it cool, say bye and stuff, and then sit outside of his house for the next two hours.

Wow. I didn't have to say it out loud because that plan sounded shit. Nice one, Batman.

Before I knew it, my jittery legs had made it outside of his large, white door. The door had a little window that allowed me to spy into his front room, and God, I had never seen a room like it. His front room had a mahogany staircase in the middle, leading off to different parts of his house, and he had a huge crystal chandelier that was ostentatiously shining down on the entire room. Whoa.

Money up to his ears? I swore he was suffocating in the dollar.

My heart was pounding against my ribcage as I raised my pale hand close to the brilliant white of his door.

I was going to do this. I was Isabella Swan, and I wasn't going to get pushed around anymore.

So why was my hand trembling like an alcoholic with the shakes?

There was no turning back - I had to do it.

I knocked on the door; it was loud and clear. He definitely would have heard it 'cause that Cullen boy didn't miss a thing.

I heard a shuffling noise in the house. God, I felt really nervous.

Stop staring at your sneakers, Bella.

Stop it! He won't be down there!

I now knew that there was a presence behind the door.

Crap.

The door gently opened, and I hesitantly raised my stare to meet his eyes.

Green. Stop fucking thinking of how green they are, Swan! Stop it.

His expression was a bewildered one - as to be expected. He gave me a tough look. Nothing was said.

I took in his features, and it was like I really saw him for the first time. His tousled hair that told you he was a workaholic. His rugged stubble that told you he was a busy man. His creased shirt that told you he was a lonely man.

He wasn't married like I'd thought. He had some of the customer symptoms, except for the fact he was tall, lean and handsome.

I felt small in comparison. Hello Daddy long legs.

"It's you," he said.

"Ta-da," I sung weakly.

He shook his head laughing, it was unnerving. "So, you're Emmett's favor, huh?"

"Uh, I guess..." Dr. Cullen stepped to the side, gesturing me to go through.

As soon as I moved my feet onto his shiny floors, I was hit with the most mouthwatering smell. Something was cooking and that made my stomach pinch with hunger. It smelt like Italian...Christ, I was surprised at myself for still being able to differentiate cuisines.

I stood right next to his staircase, feeling about an inch tall. "Where shall I put my shoes?" I asked.

His eyes flitted down to my worn out sneakers. Oh, God, I felt so out of place. I might as well have been a donkey in a pack of zebras.

"You can just leave them over there." He nodded his head, signaling toward the shoe rack.

My cheeks were definitely burning. Why didn't I see the shoe rack in the first place?

I padded over, wishing that my hair wasn't in a bun as I really wanted to use my hair as a protective curtain to cover my tomato face. I pulled both sneakers off in haste, and then neatly slipped the laces back into the soles and rested them on the shoe rack.

I could feel Dr. Cullen's attention glued to me.

I turned around with my arms hugging my chest. I felt awkward. My stare drifted towards Dr. Cullen's perplexed face, and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I waited for some kind of order.

He cleared his throat and stared at the door at the back of the room. "So, you can just follow me in here, and we'll get this stitch off," he told me.

I nodded my head slowly. "Okay." That was all I could say. My throat muscles felt rigid, making it hard to conjure words.

I followed him through the door into his kitchen. I noticed he had tons of photographs in his house that were hanging on the walls; the photos were really sharp so I guessed the camera was expensive. They were mainly picturesque shots of Forks' woodland, but there were also photos of Dr. Cullen with, I presumed, friends and family. One was with Emmett; he had a goofy grin on his face, while Dr. Cullen looked like he was happy, but not as cheerful as Emmett.

In another photo, Dr. Cullen was with an attractive woman with strawberry blond hair cascading down her shoulders. Their faces were cheek-to-cheek and it seemed kind of intimate. Looking at the photo flinched something that was between anger and disappointment inside of me; that must have been Dr. Cullen's girlfriend.

When we reached the kitchen, my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. What- a - kitchen!

It was a symphony of black and white. The room was so stylish, with a huge stainless steel cooker at one end, and a tall island in the middle with long leather stools surrounding it. My eyes lingered over his hi-tech gadgets that he had on the counters; they made me feel lost just staring at them.

My stomach ached, noticing that we had found the main source of the delicious smell.

"You have a beautiful house." I finally remembered my manners after gaping at the sight of his monstrous kitchen.

He looked at me, his eyes squinting for a second, and then a crooked grin spread across his face.

I inwardly swooned. It was pathetic, really.

"Thanks. I really do love this house." His head looked around the kitchen, admiring his handiwork.

Big headed much? Oh, I didn't blame him. I would have acted exactly the same way.

He patted his hand on the breakfast table. "Could you just perch on here for me please, Bella," he told me.

I eyed the table. I could see a clumsy attempt from me to climb onto the tall breakfast bar.

He walked off to the other side of the kitchen, leaving me to my own devices.

I gave it my best, pushing my arms on the cold hard island, while my legs flailed like a jellyfish swimming. I got there in the end, albeit flushed. Thank God Dr. Cullen didn't see me.

"So, did you find that guy who was chasing after you?" Dr. Cullen asked. He sounded so casual; he might as well have said 'So, did you find that blue dress you were after?'

"Dr. Cullen, can we not..." my voice was more like a soft hum. I really could be too shy for my own good at times.

His eyes flashed to meet mine; he had an eyebrow raised. I gulped.

"It's Edward," he told me. He looked like an Edward. "This won't take too long, but you might find it uncomfortable," he warned me.

He took out a pair of scissors and tweezers from a plastic bag and then leaned in, right next to my face, staring intently at my forehead. He brushed a stray strand of hair away, and the feeling of his hand touching me made my insides tingle. A nervous lump formed in my throat.

I felt his breath dance across my skin when he worked on getting my stitches out. His eyebrows were furrowed together, and when he swallowed I saw his Adams apple bob up and down.

"You're quiet today," he noted. I wanted to say something witty, but I felt too tense. "You were more than audible last time we 'bumped' into each other."

"Sorry about that..."

He snorted. "So you should be." My eyes flittered upwards, the anger was breaking through that shyness barrier of mine. "You nearly crashed my Volvo," he said.

Oh! I would have hated to crash his Volvo!

"Well, if you just did what I said," my voice was a near growl. Then, I remembered that I caught him spying on me when I left his car. "Oh, and you didn't have to watch me get picked up either."

"So this is what I get for trying to be a good citizen." His crooked smile made a comeback, although I swore he was mocking me.

I felt the tweezers gently raveling my stitches out. I really wanted to push Edward away and scratch my forehead - it felt so itchy.

"So, who do you live with then? I might know them," he asked.

"Uh, I don't think you will," I replied. The truth was, he probably wouldn't. Unless he knew that his brother was a hit man, then he might have known Sam. For some reason, I doubted that Emmett would have told Edward. The way Emmett was acting at the house - he definitely felt discomfited.

"Everybody knows everybody in Forks." When will Edward give up?

Plus, why was there a rule that everybody had to know everybody in Forks?

"You're a persistent little thing aren't you," I said.

His eyes lit up. "Little?" his voice chimed. "Do you want to do a back to back measurement?"

Okay, maybe a small smile curled on my lips, but I had the image of me and Edward standing in the middle of the room measuring ourselves.

"So, go on, shoot - who are your roomies?" he asked.

I sighed; I really didn't have the energy to be stubborn.

"I live with a few girlfriends: Rosalie, Lauren and Jessica, and then there's Sam."

I could see his mind rooting for second names.

"You don't know them!"

He nodded, showing his white flag. "Okay then. So, is this Sam your boyfriend, the one who always picks you up everywhere?" he asked nonchalantly.

"God no!" I blurted. "Sam's a sort of power crazed fascist."

He chuckled, and I kind of laughed too. It was nice.

At that moment, I had the daunting thought of returning to the house. The stitch had been successfully removed.

"You're not like the other girls," Edward stated, sounding so damn confident. I wished I was like other girls. "When you arrived, I thought you were going to be like the rest of the girls who come in with the same problem. Most of the times time they're under aged and they go out to clubs with their fake ID's and drink like there's no tomorrow. They wear provocative clothes...you know, like short skirts and revealing tops, and then they cry in the morning because they've been drugged. I know it's not their fault, but they're kind of asking for it. It's twenty-one for a reason."

I suddenly felt awkward.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean..." I agreed - even though I kind of disagreed. "But, are you telling me that you never got drunk before the golden age of twenty-one?" I asked. I even cocked an eyebrow. I had an urge to prove him wrong.

He squinted his eyes, and then exhaled a breathy laugh. "Okay, I did from time to time." His eyes turned to the corner of the kitchen. Cullen boy was in thinking mode. "But the thing about underage drinking is that you do it for the sake of getting drunk. I remember when I went to this party because a girl I liked was going. Before she even arrived at the party, I had drunk half a bottle of tequila. When she finally arrived, I drank a whole lotta Irish whisky." He laughed again. "I spent the remainder of the night with my head hanging in a toilet."

He shined his crooked smile at me again. I swear he knew how that affected me.

"Well, you're just soft," I concluded.

He folded his arms and slouched back onto one of his counters.

"Sorry, I guess I am kind of soft, next to Forks' number one hardcore drinker."

My cheeks flushed, once again. I didn't like the fact I was blushing so easily around him.

"I don't get drunk easy." I always could hold my drink. Well, I liked to think I could.

"Right." He nodded, still shining that mocking grin.

"Shut up!" I chided.

He smirked. "Anyway, what time are you getting picked up?"

My heart flopped. "Well...about four...but if you want me to leave now, that's okay. I don't want to be getting in the way or anything, 'cause I know how annoying that can be and well I don't want to be an annoyance but..."

"Bella."

"...you know, it wasn't me who decided on the time, because I knew you wouldn't want to spend your whole day with me..."

"...Bella?"

"...not that I'm bringing myself down and want you to feel sorry for me or something, but I can just sympathize and..."

Did he just say my name?

I stopped. God, I had a bad case of the babbles. I raised my head and smiled weakly.

"You don't have to go. I was only wondering because I thought you could stay for lunch," Edward said.

"Oh..." how can he be so assertive, so confident, while I sat there and played the towns jabbering idiot.

"That would be nice," I replied, "Thank you."

"I hope you like lasagna."

I breathed in, and nodded. "Do you mind if I go outside to have a cigarette?" I asked.

His lips quirked at the corners, "You smoke?"

I felt my eyebrows pinch together. Oh God, I hoped he wasn't an Anti-Smoker who would talk my ear off about the cons of smoking.

"Evidently," I replied.

He raised his eyebrows, probably at the tone I just took.

"Don't you know that smoking is bad for you?" His eyes were screaming in delight, challenging me to bite back.

"You're kidding? Well, that's news to me. Who would ever have thought that smoking was bad for you?" Okay, I knew there was a red light blaring in my mind saying 'sarcasm overload', but please, why did people have to get pissy about smokers? Okay, I knew Edward wasn't being pissy, but he was trying to provoke me.

Judging by the look on his face, he succeeded.

"Damn, Bella. Don't get so worked up; I was only kidding." He then turned around and grabbed a pair of green oven mittens.

"I'll be back," Damn, why did that come out as me sounding like Arnold Schwarzenegger?

I waited for him to say something; but he didn't. Great, I looked like a fucking idiot.

I wasn't a fan of the hot and cold moods. Then again, I could have been over-analyzing his moods. I decided to continue walking outside to his front porch.

When I reached the windy weather, I snatched out my carton of cigarettes from my dress pockets, and embedded one between my lips. I then plucked out my trusty blue. It took me about ten times to light that goddamned cigarette. I needed to quit.

I inhaled a really long drag. It felt so good, so calming. To be honest, I wasn't as stressed as I was earlier. In fact, talking to Edward had made me feel pretty...happy. Well, happier than I have been in the past few weeks. It was a new experience, well, maybe not new, but definitely refreshing.

I hoped I wouldn't say anything stupid.

Why was I obsessing over Edward?

Okay, I had a small crush on him - it felt so teenage. I knew Edward wouldn't have reciprocal feelings. He was older than me. Why would he want a girl who was like me?

I couldn't push away the warm feelings I felt. I sounded like such an idiot. Nothing could happen, and nothing would happen. Besides, Sam didn't allow us to have relationships. We all knew what would happen if we did, and Victoria was a prime example.

My mind kept thinking about the casual grin he always lapsed into, which, used in the right situation, could get any girl hot and sweaty.

I bit my lip - I never thought about men like that. Not with those melted feelings that I haven't felt since...I couldn't remember.

I kept on taking repetitive drags of my cigarette, trying not to let myself think anymore, but it was hard. My mind was drifting off into wild thoughts.

When I finished, I stubbed the cigarette out on his porch and then chucked it into his trash can. I stepped back into the house, being greeted by that delectable smell of the Italian herbs.

I heard noises of cutlery banging around in the kitchen. He must have been ready to serve up lunch.

Then, something caught my eye.

The door opposite the kitchen was left ajar. I could see tons of technical equipment, and there was a white background on one of the walls. What secrets did Edward have in this house?

Edward was still busy, and I was curious. Just one little look.

I tiptoed to the room - it would only have taken a second.

When I reached the room, I couldn't believe it. It was like Christmas had come to wrap me up into its warm arms.

There standing in the middle of the room was a tripod, which had a camera placed on it that looked...well, pretty professional. I wanted to touch, but I didn't want to knock it over. There were so many photos pinned to the walls, mainly landscape shots. I felt surprised. Really surprised. I wouldn't have guessed that photography was Edward's hobby.

"...Bella?" I heard Edward's voice call out for me and my head snapped back.

I took a final look, baffled. Then, I reluctantly left.

I poked my head around the door, and saw that Edward was ready to serve.

It was a little perverted, but I was entranced by the look on his face. Pure intensity. He was only cutting out the lasagna, but his eyes squinted and his lips pinched together. I breathed in, calming myself before entering the room.

I padded over to the breakfast bar, and watched him dish out the pieces.

"I could smell you before you even entered the room," he said nonchalantly.

His words hurt me. I wanted to say something snappy back, but I didn't have any words to throw at him. Besides, was it really worth it?

Edward placed a neatly cut square of lasagna in front of me. It looked beautiful: juicy mince wanting to collapse out of the layers, a thick white sauce begging to be tasted and the dish was topped off with crispy, golden cheese.

I wanted to pick up my fork and savage the dish, but I felt uncomfortable eating in front of Edward. I didn't want to look fat or get mince around my mouth.

I took a sip of the cool glass of orange juice next to me, and kept an eye on what Edward was doing. He picked up his knife and fork and started cutting into his meal. I guessed that was a signal for me to start.

Edward swallowed. "Have you been doing any baby-sitting lately?"

I wished he didn't bring up that topic.

I moaned softly. "This is so good." I decided that I would just change the subject. That was easier.

His face turned from curious into a lazy smile. "Thanks. I love Italian cooking. I went for a two week crash course in Florence for my twentieth birthday," he told me.

I lifted an eyebrow. Wow.

"Impressive." It really was, although not as impressive as his room dedicated to his photography.

I nibbled at the lasagna on my fork, trying to act lady-like. "I love your photographs." I nodded my head toward the photo of the Forks woodland.

"You're just filled with compliments today." His velvety tone shivered down my spine.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm into my photography," he said. No shit.

"Really? Wow, me too... " I couldn't keep lying "...well, I used to be really into it, but I haven't used a camera in ages, although I'm thinking about going back into it."

I could have sworn his eyes sparkled a little bit. "You should get back into it, I could show you my dark room if you want?"

I bit my lip trying to suppress a laugh. My immaturity had got the better of me.

"That sounded wrong didn't it?" He asked with an adorable bemused expression.

My laughter was freed. "Pretty much..."

We talked with ease for the rest of lunch. There were no awkward moments, and thankfully, no awkward questions. He told me about his father, who was the Chief of Staff at the hospital (he was the one who got him his job) and his mother, who was an editor for an interior design magazine - I thought that was pretty cool. He told me that she did a lot of photography, and that was how he got into photography himself. His life seemed perfect.

I helped him wash up afterwards, and when we finished, well, I have to admit, I was excited.

"So, if you'd like to follow me," Edward said as he exited the kitchen and held the door open for me. I nodded a timid thank you and then Edward took me into his dark room.

I automatically smiled at the beautiful sight.

"This is the camera I'm working with at the moment. It takes a really good shot outside. Well, it takes a pretty good shot anywhere. Would you like a try?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. I loved it when he did that.

I stared at the camera – it looked heavy and had too many buttons. I knew for a fact I'd look like a complete idiot fumbling around with the camera.

I shook my head. "It looks too complicated," I answered softly.

He grinned. "It's not as bad as it seems." He pressed a silver button on the top, and a picture of the white screen in front of the camera came to life. "What camera did you used to use?" he asked.

"I used my dad's old Polaroid camera; it was simple and I liked the pictures it took." A smile curved on my lips thinking back to the times when I ran about the house, sneakily taking photos of my parents when they weren't looking.

"That's pretty old school." Edward's warm voice melted through my memories, easing me back to the now.

He looked back at the camera. "Sure you don't want to have a go? It's pretty easy, Bella. I'll show you," he said.

I hesitated, but then he stretched his arm out, signaling me to stand next to him.

I did a mock eye roll and ambled towards him. "Fine," I said.

He grinned, biting his bottom lip as he did so. I think that was now my favorite look. He picked my hand up, and used it as a puppet on the camera. I giggled at his actions. He briefly gazed at me, his brow furrowed together. "I didn't know you laughed," he teased.

I lightly hit him on his chest. "Stop being an ass and teach me how to work this thing."

"Wow, that was harsh," he joked. He then leaned forward, his face was so close to mine, that I could feel the heat radiate from him, which made my cheeks flush.

"Right, so this is how you turn it on" - he clicked the silver button once again - "this is how to zoom in. You can press this button depending on where you are to get the perfect shot…so we press this…" I just watched his large, masculine hand cradle my small, pale one as he moved my fingers along the shiny instrument. For a moment, he leaned so close to my cheek that his stubble brushed across my skin and triggered all kind of feelings throughout my body.

He clicked my forefinger down, being considerate about the amount of pressure he laid on my finger.

Snap. There was a photo of a white wall.

"Well, that was definitely one of my finest creative moments," I said.

He laughed; the smooth sound brought joy to my face because I made him laugh.

"Yeah, I think we need to actually take a photo of something…or somebody." Edward glanced down at me. "Do we have any volunteers?"

My eyeballs nearly jumped out. "No way!"

"Oh come on Bella, don't be such a spoil sport!"

I nibbled my lip apprehensively. "I haven't been called that since I was about five…"

"So, is that you agreeing?"

"I don't take a good photo..." I groaned.

His eyebrows flinched. "Is that what you're worried about?" – I nodded my head – "You're just being paranoid," he said dismissively.

I sighed. "You're going to make me aren't you?"

His eye widened with excitement. "I wasn't, but now that you've mentioned it…"

"Fine!" I sauntered off to pose in front of the camera, except when I arrived there I felt body conscious. I wasn't sure what I should have done with my hands, and I tried to smile but my face felt rigid. I should have put my foot down and let him be the subject. I was going to embarrass myself in front of Edward. Great plan, Bella.

He eyed me for a second and then walked out of the room.

Confusion struck like lightning. Should I have gone after him?

"Edward?" I called out.

"One minute," he answered.

I huffed; I felt even me uncomfortable than I did before.

"I hope you've gone to get a paper bag!" I shouted.

He then remerged into the room with a chair. "Why?"

He walked over and placed the chair next to me.

"To put over my head," I said, laughing a little nervously. I should have thought about what I was going to say before I sounded like an insecure moron.

He laughed. "Shut up, Isabella."

I glowered at him. He laughed, once again. That seemed to have been becoming a pattern between the two of us.

I sat down while he assembled himself behind the camera.

"If I were you Bella, I would stop trying to argue with me and just do what I say."

Subsequent to his comment, my lips parted in exasperation.

Snap.

"Shit," I cursed. He smirked, staring at the photo.

"You're not allowed to laugh! That was goddamn evil!" I complained. I tried my hardest to sound serious, but a smile was cracking through.

"It's actually a pretty good photo," he said. He stared at the camera, and picked it up from the tripod.

When he arrived next to me, he placed his hand on my shoulder. He made that area of my body tingle in delight. I decided to take advantage of the situation and lean against his chest, while he showed me the picture.

"See, it's not bad at all," he said.

I gazed with disgust at the photo. I was wide eyed and seemed a little spaced out. I thought my mouth would have been gaping a bit more - thank God it wasn't that bad. In fact, I did have a small smile creeping up, but I still looked a mess.

"That's bad," I said, and then pushed Edward's hand away from me.

"Bella," he spoke in my ear. "You're overreacting."

I stared up into his eyes. He was closer to me than I thought.

"I'm not - I look hideous!"

His eyebrows nudged up slightly, and silence fell upon us. The only thing I heard was his breath and mine. The sound made me want to do things that I shouldn't even think about for so many reasons.

"You look beautiful," he told me. His emeralds were sinking into my dull set of brown eyes. I wanted my kisses to dance upon his mouth. I had such a strong sense of longing in my chest, and I wanted him more than anybody.

I tilted my head towards his face. He gave me a compliment; I haven't received a compliment since before I ran away, and then it was only from my dad when I was having insecure teen moments.

His fingers stroked over my hair. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. I placed my hand on his masculine arm, feeling his muscles underneath his shirt. I wanted him on my lips so bad that places started to throb – I'd never felt like that before.

"Bella…" his voice rasped. "Stop."

I didn't stop. I wanted this too bad. My lips found their way to his perfect ones, and they were just about to feel his skin.

And then he stepped back, and my eyelids suddenly opened.

His face was pained. "You're too young, Bella."

Disappointment crashed down on me, cold and hard.

I felt the heat riding up my neck to my cheeks. Of course I was too young. I wasn't good enough for him, why. Why was I so stupid? I had jeopardized everything!

I nodded back. I was speechless and embarrassed. Why did I do that? Why, why fucking why?

He clenched his eyes for a few seconds, and when he reopened them he turned distant.

"I've got work to do. You can watch some T.V. while you wait for your ride home." He went back to that stern face he used in the hospital.

"Sure." I felt like a child that had lost its favorite toy.

So, I went to sit on his leather couch and tried to work out all of his hi-tech gizmos, but my mind didn't really care so much for T.V.

I wanted Edward. He was a piece that was missing from me, and I only realized today that my feelings weren't ones of friendship. My mind kept lapsing back to what he had done for me, but now everything seemed so black and white.

I mentally scolded myself - he would never want me, but it didn't seem plausible just to forget what had happened.

My mind wandered to where that kiss could have led. I closed my eyes, the heat rushing to my cheeks once again, but in the best way imaginable. My clit throbbed, shrieking for me to nurture it.

I couldn't, could I?

My eyes shifted to the stairs, he was only on the second floor.

A/N: Thanks you all for reading, and a special thank you to those who keep reviewing!

Also to my wonderful beta's Twimarti and Pamela0201 - Thanks so much. Honestly, you two made me feel so much better about this story.

So then, what do you guys think Bella's going to do?

Would love to know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Kitty. :)