A/N: Reader, reader on the...computer ;)

This one's nearly 1000 words. You better love me.

Support has been amazing, as usual!

Also, I don't have a beta (I should, but my writing schedule sucks so I've got no time). Sorry for mistakes!


BPOV

I blink a few times, my eyes adjusting to the light. It seems like all I've been doing for the past few days is sleep. I rub my eyes and try to sit upward, raising my arms over my head. I pause in mid-stretch when I see someone sitting in the chair next to me.

It's him. He smirks when I freeze,

"You shouldn't be here," I say, completely in shock. "The police know you're in Forks."

His smirk falls, and he narrows his eyes at me. "How?"

I shrug. "No idea. But I think they're still around."

He looks at me strangely. "You didn't tell them you saw me?"

Geez, what is with him? He was mad because he thought I told them, and now he think I'm crazy because I didn't.

"No. Don't ask me why, because I don't know." I look away from him, trying not to think about how he was better looking that I remembered.

"Thank you," he murmurs.

"Yeah, it's no problem."

Silence.

"I just wanted to see how you were," he says after a minute. "How's your leg?"

"Just a fracture. Nothing major," I mumble, almost incoherently.

"I'm really sorry," he blurts suddenly. I sneak a peek at his expression, and his eyes are closed. He seems to be concentrating really hard.

"You already told me that."

"No, I know. But I'm telling you again. I'm sorry I did something this stupid. I shouldn't have. You were right when you said that everyone has problems, and killing myself won't accomplish anything. I've gotten myself into...a bit of a situation."

"You didn't do it." It isn't a question; it's a fact.

"No, I didn't," he says, and I'm hit with the full force of his green eyes. "But I'm the one who got caught."

"The police suck." I have no idea why I say this.

He laughs loudly.

I look at him curiously. It wasn't that funny.

"I wish I could tell you," he says. "But I'm not going to drag you into this."

"As per usual," I sigh. "The testosterone-filled guy needs to protect the delicate girl from the horror of his tortured past."

He cracks a smile. "That sounds about right."He looks frustrated, then. "I wish...I wish I could have met you before all of this. We could have been friends."

I sincerely doubt that. Unless he owned a yacht the size of Texas, my mother would not approve. But I on the other hand...I think I would have been his friend.

"Just so we're clear," I begin, and he looks at me, "you're not going to walk out of a hospital and throw yourself under a bus, are you?"

He winces.

"Too soon?" I ask. Me and my big mouth.

He shakes his head, laughing. "It's just that...that is exactly what I would have been. Something that other people laugh at."

"How are you going to clear your name?" I ask, trying to distract him. I don't like the look on his face; it's laced with regret.

"Find a place to stay while I figure this out, I guess. I can't just say I'm innocent. I need to find who really did it." He clenches his hand into a fist. "They took everything from me."

"You can stay with me," I hear myself blurt out.

Uh, no, he can't. This is not what Angela meant when she said to let this go.

His eyes flash up to mine. "You don't mean that."

"Why not?" I say. "The house is certainly large enough for two people."

He looks at me like I'm an idiot. "Bella, I'm a criminal."

I briefly wonder how he knows my name, but that thought is quickly replaced by the realization that I really like it when he says it.

"No, you're not," I insist, "and you know it."

"I didn't commit the crime, but the police have enough evidence to put me in jail. And since you're in the private wing of the hospital, I'm guessing you aren't from a typical middle class family either. You have a lot to lose." He speaks to me as if I was a child.

I know he means well, but he is pissing me off. "I can make my own decisions. It's not like I'm asking you to marry me, just stay at my apartment for a few days until you figure something out."

He doesn't look convinced. "It could be longer than days. Weeks or months. Are you prepared for that? And what if the people that I'm trying to find hurt you? How am I supposed to live with that?"

"This would be so much easier if you just told me what's going on. Look, you may not like it, but I'm the only one on your side right now. You don't have to stay with me. You can walk away right now. But let me just tell you that the world sucks if you don't have anyone with you. I'll do whatever I can to help, okay? I promise." I put my hand on his shoulder.

He looks at me again and his eyes are frightened. "I haven't trusted anyone in a long time."

"You can trust me. I haven't turned you in yet," I smiled weakly, taking my hand off his shoulder.

I hope I didn't imagine how he almost looked disappointed when I did.


First real convo and they're already moving in together? Damn, this girl wastes no time.

Review. That's a request (order).