Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of it's properties.

A/N: This is gonna be another split POV chapter, so watch for the change. I'm tossing in a bit of drama towards the end, but I promise it won't get too angsty. Everybody's life has some drama, but I figured since this story is supposed to be about grown-ass people, that I'd keep it to a minimum =P

BPOV

My need to be near Edward only seemed to grow with every day we spent together. He spent the next few days after our trip to Port Angeles with Tanya and her friends, much to my dismay. But the days were spent with me and the gang, going down to La Push, partying, and just hanging out.

As the week went on, melting into the next one, I noticed that he started passing up nights with Tanya to hang out with us. I did a mental victory dance every time he called her to tell her he wasn't coming over. He never really talked about her, and he really didn't seem that committed. I couldn't help but cringe whenever her name was mentioned, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of her even touching him, let alone kissing or being....intimate. Yeah, definitely didn't want to go there.

We spent most of our time with the whole group, but every once in awhile we would hang out just the two of us. Nothing big, just a trip to the bookstore, or lunch at the diner. We drove over to Port Angeles one night to listen to a band we both liked, Shaman's Harvest, that was performing at a local bar. I suggested that maybe he should have taken Tanya instead of me, and he just laughed and said there was no way in hell she would come listen to them with him. Not that I minded, of course. He even came over to Charlie's a few times to hang out, always ending up in us talking well into the night. Our relationship was still platonic, but I knew there was something there. I was hyperaware of his presence, noticing a change in the electrical currents of the room anytime he was near. It was unnerving and comforting at the same time.

I learned a lot about him over the next two weeks. His parents were incredibly wealthy, big shock there, but it had always seemed like more of a curse than a gift to him. They thought that they could buy his happiness, just giving him money and sending him on his way in lieu of spending time with him. He had always wished to move back near his cousins and be as carefree as he had been in his early childhood, but never thought he had the option. Then a few months ago, it just hit him: why doesn't he go to school in Seattle? His plans had been solidified by the end of the week, and the rest was history.

I was a little shocked to learn that he wasn't much of a ladies' man. With that sex hair and those hypnotic eyes, not to mention that body, I had just assumed that he was well-practiced. Apparently Tanya was his first girlfriend, and I hated that he had to have that experience with her. He was smart, sweet, funny, caring, and absolutely perfect, yet he was sharing such an important rite of passage with a massive bitch.

The only thing that appeased my anger at the situation was the knowledge that they hadn't progressed passed some light kissing. He said that it just never felt right to go any further with her, and he didn't want to do anything that he wasn't one hundred percent sure about. He held my eyes for a long moment while he shared this information with me, and I couldn't help but squirm in my seat at the intensity of his gaze. I blushed furiously and he dropped his eyes, quickly changing the subject to something safer.

Tonight was the Cullens' annual summer blowout. They had held it every year for as long as I could remember, and the whole town always showed up. We only had about two weeks left in our vacation, and I was excited to have some fun, and let loose with my friends. Alice had brought me an outfit for the party, tossing me a wink as she placed the box in my hands and walked back to her car. I had to admit, it was pretty perfect.

The sundress was a bright, emerald green that matched Edward's eyes perfectly. It had a deep v-neck, with thick shoulder straps and flowered lace detail over the cups and along the hem, and a thick white belt just under the bustline. She slipped a pair of white peep-toe wedges into the box, and a thin white headband with a small white orchid. Summery, cute, and perfect.

I showered quickly then slipped into my dress, throwing on my shoes and accessories and letting my hair dry in its natural waves down to the curve in my lower back. I grabbed my purse off the back of my door and hurried downstairs, nearly skipping with excitement as I reached my truck. The drive to the Cullens' house felt endless, but I eventually pulled into the hidden drive and began the long wind to the house. I didn't bother knocking when I reached the porch, letting myself in to find Esme in the kitchen directing the caterers.

"Bella, you look beautiful," she greeted, coming over to give me a hug. She looked amazing, as usual, in light beige slacks and a silk lavender blouse. Her bronze hair, just a shade lighter than Edward's, framed her soft face beautifully, her smile radiating out of her eyes.

"The kids are in the back," she winked. I blushed lightly, wondering to myself how she could possibly know as I hurried out of the kitchen and into the backyard, tossing Carlisle a quick wave as I passed him in the family room, instructing the DJ in what kind of music he wanted. Alice and Rose were the first two I found out back, both sitting in deck chairs and talking quietly.

"Hey, gorgeous," Rose winked suggestively, eyeing me up and down. I laughed but tossed her a quick wink back, crossing over to hug them both before taking a seat.

My eyes quickly swept the yard, having no trouble finding Edward with the guys tossing a football around. His light, worn jeans hugged his hips and legs perfectly, sitting low on his waist. A navy blue polo fit snugly, stretched tight across his shoulders, and bringing out the red highlights in his hair. A carefree smile graced his lips, and I couldn't help but smile in response.

Alice cleared her throat beside me, her and Rose both quirking eyebrows at me. I responded with an eye roll, but couldn't quite wipe the smile away, so I stood up to go say hello. Rose gave me a quick swat on the ass, and a 'go get em tiger', sending me on my way.

My legs carried me swiftly to the other side of the yard where the guys were gathered, heading straight for Edward. He heard my approach, and the smile on his face widened as he turned to see me, doing all sorts of crazy things to my heart.

"Bella!" he called happily. My smile widened instantly, and walked straight to his side.

"Hey, handsome," I greeted, earning a blush. He dipped his head, trying to hide the pink tint in his cheeks, then peaked back up at me through his lashes, nearly making my heart stop cold in my chest.

I made a mental note to buy Alice a huge present when his eyes traveled hungrily over my body from head to toe, before snapping back up to my eyes, the desire in his own barely contained. I tilted my head back to grin at him, reaching up to give him a quick hug before stepping back.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly, a smile still pulling at his lips. I blushed lightly, but held my own smirk.

"I try," I shrugged nonchalantely. He threw his head back to laugh, the sound causing my heart to beat triple-time, then hooked an arm around my shoulders, leading me toward the porch where the guys had joined their girls.

The six of us hung out on the porch for another hour or so, just talking and enjoying the rare sunny day, until guests slowly started filtering into the backyard. It wasn't long before I spotted the familiar strawberry-blonde curls weaving through the crowd, and I quietly moved away from Edward, hedging closer toward Alice and Rose. Edward's head whipped over to me, tilted in confusion, and I gave him a small smile before she reached the group.

"Eddie!" I watched as Edward cringed at the nickname, then replaced the look with a forced smile. I sighed quietly, wishing that we could rewind to the carefree smiles that had lit up his face only moments before. Tanya wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, not noticing that he kept his own arms by his side, and turned her head to glare furiously at me. I smiled tightly and let Alice and Rose know I was going to walk around, smiling sadly at Edward one more time. His normally vibrant eyes dulled as he tossed me a pained expression, and I turned to mingle with another group, leaving him to deal with Tanya on his own.

*****EPOV*****

Bella was incredible. There was no way one human being could be so perfect. She was everything I had ever imagined in my dream girl. There was only one problem: she wasn't my girl.

I spent every moment with her that I could over the last two weeks. A lot of our time was spent as a group, but I tried to find as many reasons to break away as I could. It was getting harder and harder to leave and hang out with Tanya, and I knew that wasn't right. Sooner or later, I was going to have to make a decision. Every fiber in my body wanted Bella, but my guilty conscience reminded me that it wasn't fair to Tanya to just drop her like that. But I also knew it wasn't fair to string her along when I was falling for someone else.

Actually, that was a lie. I wasn't falling for someone else; I had already fallen. My original intentions had been to just get to know Bella as a friend, and try to leave it like that. But the first night I had showed up on her porch, I knew that plan had flown out the window. She was just too amazing to resist. It was time for me to quit being such a pussy, and just face the facts: I was in love with Bella Swan.

It didn't help much when she showed up at my Aunt and Uncle's house for the party. The deep green of her dress made her skin practically glow. And there was a lot of skin. My mouth watered at the sight of her long, slender legs and generous cleavage, tempting me to just take her right there. The sex-appeal of the sundress was offset by the innocence of her flowered headband and neutral makeup, which only made me even harder.

Then there was the way she smiled. She would glance up at me through her eyelashes, a pink tint to her porcelain cheeks, the desire in her eyes poorly masked. It made me want to cry with joy knowing that she wanted me like I wanted her. The intensity of her gaze was staggering, and I couldn't help but grin like an idiot at her. It was mesmerizing to watch her throw her head back in laughter as we talked with our friends, the sun picking up the red undertone in her mahogany hair.

"Eddie!" And just like that, the moment was ruined. The smile slipped from my lips as I noticed Bella inching away from me, and I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her close. Only the feel of Tanya's arms around my waist held me in place. I watched in agony as Bella's face fell, and she offered me a small smile before turning to walk away. The disappointment I had seen in her eyes mirrored my own, and I knew that I was going to have to find a way to end things with Tanya soon. The hard part was figuring out how to do it without hurting her too much.

The next couple of hours were torturous. Tanya carted me around the yard, introducing me to people that I had already met, forcing me to pretend to be interested in the town gossip. My eyes sought Bella out instinctively every few minutes.

Mike had found her almost as soon as we had separated earlier, and it didn't seem like he was planning on leaving her side anytime tonight. I took a small amount of joy in the sight of her leaning away from him, her expression pained everytime he brushed his hand against hers, or leaned in to get her attention. Mostly, I was just furious. I hated that he could be so near her, where I so badly wanted to be.

Eventually I got sick of watching Mike inch closer to Bella, and listening to Tanya go on and on about other people's problems. I politely excused myself from the group we were currently standing with, and turned to walk over to Bella. Tanya stumbled along behind me, apparently not intending to let me have any space this evening.

Bella and Mike were standing with a small group of people. The gang was all there, as well as the two guys I recognized from Bella's band, and Tanya's friends. I squeezed into the loose circle to stand by Jasper and Emmett, while Tanya went to Jessica and Lauren. It was a relief to finally have a little space between us, and I turned to smile at Bella. She smiled softly over at me, then turned back to Alice and Rose to talk.

We had all been engrossed in our own conversations for a few minutes, when I caught Bella's expression out of the corner of my eye. Tanya was standing in front of her with her flackeys, a hard glint in her eye and tight smile on her face. She was speaking lowly to Bella, but whatever she was saying was definitely not friendly. Bella looked up at her in silence for a moment, shocked, before her face crumpled and tears began to slip down her cheeks. My heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight, and felt useless as she turned and ran into the house.

Tanya's laughter quickly filled the air, sending chills down my spine, before she turned to smirk at her friends. In the next instant, she was staggering backwards holding a hand to her face, blood dripping down the front of her dress. Rose shook out her hand, her eyes burning a hole into Tanya's face, then turned to follow Bella with Alice right behind her. Everyone was silent for a moment before whispers broke out over the backyard.

"Emmett, Jasper, please escort Miss Denali and her friends off my property," Carlisle ordered, then followed his wife into the house. Jazz and Em quickly turned steely-eyed gazes at Tanya and her friends, causing them to scamper away of their own accord.

I stood frozen in my spot, unsure of what had just happened. I vaguely noticed the guys heading up the porch steps while the other guests began to file out of the backyard. I guess the party was officially over. After a few moments of confusion, I finally snapped out of it and hurried inside. I still had no idea what had just happened, but I knew that I needed to be near Bella.

When I got inside, Carlisle and Esme were talking quietly in the kitchen. They quieted when I came in, offering up small smiles in my direction. Esme walked over to hug me, kissing me on the cheek before she stepped back with her hands on my forearms.

"The girls just left to take Bella home," she explained. I nodded woodenly, feeling completely useless.

"I'm not sure what happened exactly," I said slowly. She shared a look with Carlisle, then smiled sadly at me.

"That's something you'll need to ask Bella about, honey." She squeezed my arm lightly, then turned to follow Carlisle out of the room. I stood still in the kitchen for a minute, contemplating what to do next. I decided that it was probably best that I gave her a little bit of time, knowing that Alice and Rose were with her right now. I'd call when they came home.

I went upstairs to take a shower while I waited. Her tear-streaked face appeared behind my eyelids everytime they closed, and I quickly rinsed off, ending my shower to find something else to occupy my time. Alice called to let us know they would be staying with Bella tonight, and I sighed in frustration.

With no chance to talk to Bella, I knew I was going to have a long night. My legs carried me to the music room without me having made any conscious decision to go there, and I sat slowly on the piano bench. My fingers rested gently on the cool white keys, and I closed my eyes as the music flowed through my body and into the empty room.

A/N: I'm not completely thrilled with this ending, but this chapter was getting a little long and I needed to move on to the next one. The next chap will be Bella's POV, so send me some reviews and I'll get it out there =)