A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it and I would really need some reviews if anyone is reading this? :)

8. I'd take you anywhere you want to go

Edward's PoV

Bella looked beautiful naked. Maybe even more beautiful than I'd imagined. She was sleeping on her side, only barely covered with the blanket. She was quite a restless sleeper. Her clothes were tossed on my floor and the sight of it made me grin. She still managed to look really peaceful when she was sleeping, maybe more peaceful than I'd ever saw her before, like nothing worried her. I liked seeing her like that.

Last night was… well unexpected.

I wanted to wrap my arms around her, and pull her close to me again, but I didn't want to wake her. We were late for school already, but I also didn't feel like getting up yet anyway, so I just laid back beside her and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

I liked having Bella in my bed, more than I'd thought I'd like. Being with her was natural; she wasn't like other girls, demanding or dependent.

She moved slightly and muttered something I couldn't figure out. Her eyelids were moving a little and then she slowly opened her eyes.

And yelped in surprise as she noticed she was sleeping next to me and startled so that she almost fell out of the bed.

I grinned. Watching her was kind of fascinating. For a moment she looked a bit like a scared animal. She tried to even her breath, probably starting to remember last night.

"Morning," I smiled.

"Oh shit!" Bella yelped, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. She closed her eyes for a bit, as if she was expecting all of this to just disappear if she did so, but when she opened her eyes, I was still here.

"What's the clock?" she asked.

"Ten thirty," I answered.

"Shit!" She said again. "We're late for school. And what will Esme say, does she know I'm here, oh shit, I have to –"

"Don't worry about that, she's not here," I said. "They're both at work, calm down."

"Okay," she said, breathing in deeply. "We should get dressed," she added then quietly.

I smiled. She was pretty cute, all shy like this.

"Edward?" Bella asked when I was pulling on my jeans.

"Yes?" I asked, turning around. She looked concerned.

"This is not anything serious, right? Not even now that we've –"

"That we've had sex." I finished her sentence. "Nope," I said, "nothing serious."

She turned to look at me once she'd pulled on her t-shirt. "And Edward?"

"What?"

"I just want you to know, that I don't do this sort of thing with just anyone," she said, blushing. She was cute when she blushed like that.

"I figured that out already," I said. "I don't think you're easy, if that's what you mean."

"Good," she said, "Because I'm not."

It was still weird seeing her like that. Somehow so vulnerable, open. I had the feeling that she was showing me a completely new side of her.

After we got dressed, she stood up and looked at the tangled sheets we had a while ago slept in.

"Do you want some breakfast?" I asked.

Bella shook her head. "We should go to school."

"Let's not go," I suggested.

She smiled at that. "Are you going to get expelled here too?"

"We're not going to get expelled because of one day." I grinned. I really did not feel like going to school. "Think about it, we could go away for a day, just the two of us. I'd take you anywhere you want to go."

"Anywhere?" She looked at me thoughtfully. "That's a lot to promise."

"Try me," I told her.

She shook her head. "No, but you could take me home."

She looked quite confused so I didn't want to push her anymore. I wondered when I had become so nice; guess Forks was really starting to affect me.

Bella didn't say anything on the way back to her house, she seemed to be deep in her thoughts when I glanced at her few times.

"So see you tonight then," I said as I stopped in front of her house.

"What?" She turned to look at me.

"At Rosalie's party, remember?" I reminded her.

"Oh," she said. "Right."

She climbed out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

I reached out for her before she had time to close the door and pulled her close to me, kissing her. "Thanks for everything," I corrected with a suggestive look.

She didn't seem to know whether to laugh or not so she just slammed the door close and walked to the front door. I watched her getting inside the house before driving away.

I was still thinking about her as I got home. She was beautiful, she almost never let me see through her defense, but when she did, it was beautiful. Last night was very beautiful and I wasn't just saying that because I was a guy who got some.

And I really did like her, maybe I didn't want anything like a relationship with her, but I did think she was amazing.

Or then again, maybe I was just a guy who got some.

xxx

Bella's PoV

This morning was quite a lot to take in. I nearly had a heart attack waking up beside Edward. It would have been fine; after all I had woken up next to him before, if not for the fact that I was naked. My thoughts were still tangled when I got home to my own room.

I had no idea how I was able to act so remarkably normal while I was freaking out inside. How the hell that had just happened?

I didn't have any idea, how it had turned into that, because I hadn't had any intentions of sleeping with Edward. Damn, I didn't want to have sex with Edward.

Except that I did.

I threw myself onto my bed and buried my face into one of the pillows. Who would have thought I wasn't able to resist Edward after all? I didn't even know what I was supposed to think, every time I thought about some part of last night, it made me want to shout out loud because it was just that confusing.

I wanted to call Alice but I wasn't sure about that. She had been so distant lately and she was probably at school, like I was supposed to be. I wondered what was going on with her, I hadn't spoke to her a lot lately, maybe she had just figured out her problems with Jasper and they'd had lots of make-up sex or something. I had problems of my own right now to have the energy to think about that. I trusted that Alice told me if she needed me.

I sat up and sighed. I could still smell Edward on my skin, it smelled sweet and dangerous and a little intoxicating.

I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower, closing my eyes, letting the cool water run down my face.

I felt more like myself after I had showered and changed my clothes. I went to the kitchen, took some cereals and sat on the table looking outside the window.

"Bella?" Mom looked at me from the doorway. "Why aren't you at school?"

"I slept in and then I didn't feel like going," I said. It wasn't actually a lie.

"Okay," she said. My parents didn't really care as long as I passed the courses. And I hadn't really figured out whether they cared if I wouldn't pass, since I always passed.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.

I pointed at my cereal bowl. "I'm already eating."

"I meant some real food," she said.

I shook my head.

"Okay, tell me if you need anything," she said before wandering away.

"You," I whispered when she was already gone.

I just basically wandered around the house, trying to do one thing and then deciding to do another, so I didn't get anything done, before it was finally time to get ready for Rosalie's party.

I stood in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear. Usually I didn't bother to care about clothes, but today I didn't have anything fitting. Finally I decided on a simple, black dress, put it on and moved to comb my hair in front of the mirror.

"I had sex with Edward," I whispered to my reflection. She didn't say anything back, but she looked serious.

"And it was great," I added smiling a little.

Then I grabbed my bag and left.

I was early at Rosalie's, since I had really nothing to do today.

"Why weren't you at school today?" Rosalie asked, as she let me in.

"I didn't feel like going."

"Okay," she said, giving me an examining look.

We ate some chicken salad and prepared the punch together before everyone else came. Even though Rosalie was planning a small party, it looked like eventually about the whole Forks was there. Edward came with Emmett and Jasper but I didn't see Alice with them and I decided I'd call her if she didn't show up after a while.

Meanwhile I poured myself a glass of punch and sat on the living room couch. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, there were even few people on the dance floor, even though it was still quite early.

Edward sat next to me. I didn't look at him, I couldn't.

"Hi," I said finally, when the silence became too much to bear.

"Hi," he said, amusement in his voice. Apparently he found my embarrassment funny.

"Don't you ever take anything seriously?" I asked.

"Nah, life's too short to be taken seriously," he said.

I chuckled at that. Admittedly, it was quite a nice ideology. If only it would have worked.

"So wanna dance with me?" Edward asked as the song changed into a slower one.

"No," I said. I didn't even like dancing.

Edward grabbed my chin and gently turned my face towards his. "Do you want me to convince you?"

I tried to shake my head but didn't manage very well, Edward holding my chin. "I'm the kind of guy who's used to getting what he wants," he said, lowering his lips to meet mine.

I quickly pushed him away, while I still could. "Okay, okay," I said, looking around us. "I'll dance with you, people are staring."

Few freshman girls were glancing at us curiously, Edward winked at them and made them blush and turn away quickly.

"Gosh," I muttered, pulling him to the dance floor roughly. "That's blackmailing."

"All is fair in love and war," Edward whispered to my ear, wrapping his hands around me.

"This is neither of them," I pointed out and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Edward kissed my neck softly.

"I thought we were supposed to dance," I said breathlessly.

"We are," he said, kissing me again.

I spent a few moments there, on the dance floor at his arms and then managed to drag myself away from him and went to find something to drink. It was Friday night and I didn't have any intentions of spending it sober. I wanted not to care. About the whole mess with Edward, and about what was going on with Alice. We hadn't really talked in a while, she had been so distant lately, but I didn't want to worry about that now.

And so the party carried on and I kept sipping down my punch until I felt nice and relaxed. I talked a while with Angela and then slipped outside from the back door to get some fresh air. I walked around in Rosalie's back yard. It was dark and you could see the stars clearly. It was beautiful, kind of calming.

I walked further away, rounded a big tree and then stopped suddenly when I saw a couple, tightly tangled around each other. I was about to turn around and quietly walk away when I recognized her.

"Alice!"

She turned her head around and looked slightly panicked when she saw me. I didn't get the weird expression on her face until I noticed the guy she was kissing – and doing quite a lot more than just kissing from the look of it – was totally not Jasper. I must have looked more than slightly shocked when I realized who it was; Mike Newton.

"What the fuck, Alice?" I cried out.

"Look, I can explain – "

"I don't think you can," I said to her. Then I turned to face Mike. "You. Go," I said to him. "I want to talk to Alice."

He looked from me to Alice and back, clearly startled about the situation. "Now!" I ordered him.

After he had gone I turned to look at Alice.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked in a dangerous voice. I had already put the pieces together and figured out why she had been so distant lately. Not because she had sorted out her problems with Jasper, but because she had been too busy creating more.

"I – I don't know, not long, it was only couple of times; it was an accident!"

"No wonder you didn't have time to pick up the phone, when you've obviously been too busy cheating Jasper," I said to Alice coldly.

"Bella, please," she almost whispered. "You don't understand."

I shook my head. "No I don't, actually. I don't understand people who cheat the ones they supposedly love."

"I do love Jasper," she said miserably. "He had just been so distant and I was lonely, and sometimes he made me feel so unsure and then Mike was there, I never meant to –"

She didn't seem to know what to say so she just closed her mouth. "I thought you were smarter than this, Alice," I said. I knew Alice, and particularly Jasper sometimes had their doubts and problems and hard times like, I guess, every couple did, but they also loved each other a lot.

"Are you going to tell him?" Alice asked quietly.

I shook my head. "You're going to do it."

"How could I?" she was clearly fighting back tears, but I didn't know how to comfort her now.

"He's a good guy, he doesn't deserve this," I said.

"I know," Alice whispered.

"I just don't understand how you can be so damn stupid, Alice," I exclaimed. "It's Mike Newton we're talking about."

"For God's sake, Bella, can you for once try not being so judgmental," Alice said as tears filled her eyes. "Besides, you're not that innocent yourself either. I mean, fucking Edward Cullen, how did that happen? I thought you said you don't even like him."

I was so stunned that I didn't even know what to say for a while. "How do you know about that?" I finally asked quietly.

"Jasper told me," Alice said. "I would have thought it would have been you who told me, though."

"It's not like I didn't try to," I cried out. "You were just so busy doing Mike to even notice me. If you think I'm being judgmental, well at least I'm not as damn selfish as you."

I was so mad at her right now. Fine, maybe she was lonely or had a hard time or whatever, but it didn't seem like she cared about Jasper or me or anyone but herself really.

"That's not fair!" Alice yelled at me, tears running down her cheeks. "Don't you see that I'm fucking hurting? You're my best friend; we're supposed to be there for each other!"

"That's just totally your own fault," I yelled back at her. "And some best friend I have, it's not like you've been that interested about me either. You're too busy to listen to my problems, for fuck's sake, you don't even pick up the phone!"

"That's unfair, Bella. You're just so hypocrite, so ready to judge everyone who makes even the smallest mistakes, but you're not perfect either, you're far from it."

Alice turned around and run away. "Cheating your boyfriend doesn't actually count as a small mistake," I shouted after her, but she probably didn't hear anymore.

I hit my fist to the nearby tree so hard that my knuckles got scratches. I was so angry, I was afraid I might start to cry. Alice was being stupid and selfish and mean and not at all like herself. She had no fucking right to call me hypocrite she was the biggest hypocrite here, really; she said she loved Jasper then went on and cheated him, she said she was my best friend and then didn't give a shit about my problems.

I walked back inside, poured myself drink and gulped it down without taking a breath, then filled my glass again.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked taking the glass out of my hand. Where had he suddenly appeared from? I must be quite drunk.

"Nothing," I said trying to get the glass back from him but he held it out of my reach.

"I think you've already drunk enough," he said drinking from it himself. "Now tell me who's pissed you off?"

"I had a fight with Alice," I mumbled, somehow I had the impression that he wouldn't leave me alone before I told him.

"What did you fight about?" Edward asked.

"None of your business," I muttered. "Even if I've slept with you, it's no reason for you to start sticking your nose in my things." I felt angry and miserable and worn out. I didn't want to fight with Alice, I couldn't even remember the last time we'd had an argument. Suddenly I just wanted to go home and sleep.

"Wow, you're really in a bad mood," Edward said, touching my arm.

"I think I'm going to go home," I said. I didn't know how late it was, but it must be well over midnight already and I didn't feel like staying anyway. Of course I couldn't drive, but it wasn't that long walk.

"I'm coming with you," Edward said.

"No, you're not," I said, frowning at him. "I want to be alone," I said a little like a sulking kid.

"Yeah, but I also won't let you go wandering around Forks alone and drunk in the middle of the night."

"I'm just fine," I said impatiently. "It's not like it would be the first time."

"I'm coming," Edward said firmly.

"Whatever," I said and turned my back at him. I didn't have the energy to argue with him too. Surely he could follow me if he wanted to.

We walked side by side under the moonlight, neither of us saying anything. I had a hard time walking straight and once or twice Edward had to grab my arm, so that I wouldn't have stumbled on my own legs or bumped into a tree or something. He was clever enough to keep the snarky comments to himself though.

When we were almost back at my house already I nearly fell face first on the ground and Edward quickly caught me. I turned to look at him to thank him but then I accidentally looked him straight in the eye and he looked me back and for a moment it was almost like we could understand each other's thoughts. Then he grabbed my waist at exactly the same time as I tangled my fingers through his hair and we were pulling closer together. Our lips found each other and I pressed against him in such a force that we both fell into the shrubs at the side of the road.

Neither of us did anything to get back up though; neither of us even showed that we had noticed. Edward just pulled me tighter against him, slipped his other hand under my dress, keeping the other one still on my hips. I crushed my lips against his, letting out a sharp breath as I felt his hands on my body.

He moved his lips to my neck. I loved the way he kissed my neck, I run my hands through his sides, slipping them under his t-shirt. Edward started to open the zipper of my dress and that finally made me realize the situation we were in.

"Edward," I said sharply, barely able to breathe. "We can't! Not here."

"There's no one here," Edward mumbled in my hair.

"Oh come on." I struggled to get away from him. "Come to my place."

"But what about your parents?" he asked.

"They're asleep," I said, I had hard time concentrating my thoughts. I just wanted him so bad, I needed him.

"Let's go then, what are we waiting for?" Edward said and quickly pulled me up. I looked at him, his hair and shirt was full of small sticks and leaves and I realized that mine was probably too. I started laughing and he laughed too, but pulled me back the road again.

I started running, still laughing and he followed me, it was like we couldn't get there fast enough.

Finally, after far too long time, we reached my house. I was trying to get the key out of my bag, but Edward was making it impossible, kissing me again, pressing me against the door.

"Wait," I said breathlessly finally pulling the key out of my bag, but then I couldn't fit it in the lock because it was so dark.

"Let me," Edward murmured, taking the key from me. He was still holding my waist and I run my lips through his neck as he finally managed to get the door open.

We stumbled inside and fell on the living room carpet on our way upstairs. I muffled my giggles against Edward's chest.

"Not here," I managed to whisper and somehow we pulled ourselves back up again. And managed to climb up the stairs, while Edward was opening my dress and I was pulling his t-shirt over his head. We stopped after few particularly loud thumps to make sure that my parents hadn't woken up and finally made it to my room. Edward tossed my dress on the corner and I threw his shirt over my shoulder. He lifted me up in his arms and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bed.

"You have to be quiet," I whispered in his ear as I opened his belt

"No, you have to be quiet," he answered while reaching for my knickers.

I laughed softly and pulled him once again closer to me, as everything else disappeared. I was concentrating on him and only him, I didn't need to remember anything else, I couldn't even think about anything else and right now he was all I longed for.

xxx

Monday at school was weird. Mostly because Alice and I weren't speaking. That had never happened before, we had surely had our arguments, but we had always made up right away. I was mad at her, I didn't understand how she could have done something like that and I was hurt over what she had said to me, but I also missed her. A Lot. There was a lot happening in my life too, I would have wanted to talk with her about Edward and all. I wanted to confess to her how I had so hard time resisting Edward, how I didn't want to want him but I did and how everything was a bit of a mess really.

But instead I spent the lunch break with Rosalie and didn't look at Alice as she passed me by to go sit with the guys.

I bumped into Jasper on my way to the math class. I had already been afraid of it.

"Hey, Bella," he said stopping me as I was walking by.

"Hi," I said flashing him a careless smile.

"What's up with you and Alice?" he asked.

"Why you're asking me?" I asked a little surprised. I thought he would have asked Alice.

"Alice is being distant and weird," Jasper said. "And worried. Whatever it is, you two should make up, she seems really… different. And I don't want to see her unhappy."

I couldn't look Jasper in the eye. He was my friend too, and it wasn't fair for him, to worry over Alice, when Alice was…

"It'll be okay," I just said to him in a miserable tone. I was lying to him too, I couldn't know, but I guessed it would most likely not be okay. So Alice hadn't told Jasper yet, but she would eventually. I knew Alice well enough to know that she would, the question was just if she would before Jasper found out in some other way. After all things like these didn't usually stay secret for long. Just for Alice and Jasper's sake I hoped she would be the one to tell him herself.

"If there's something wrong with Alice, you'll tell me, right?" Jasper asked me.

I nodded. "Sure, but I won't tell you things about her that aren't mine to tell."

Jasper gave me one last long glance before nodding and walking away. I felt awful, whatever happened someone would get hurt, most likely everyone. Alice had hurt me and most of all she had hurt Jasper, and when Jasper would find out it would hurt her too, a lot.

I just couldn't understand it. They loved each other, they weren't supposed to hurt each other or push each other away. Love was useless, if it didn't even prevent these awful things from happening.

I didn't feel like going to the math class at all anymore. I turned around, walked to my car and drove to Victoria's place, hoping she was home.

She opened the door almost immediately when I rung the doorbell.

"Bella? Aren't you supposed to be at school?" she said letting me in.

"I didn't want to be there anymore," I sighed.

"You can't just skip classes whenever you don't feel like going," Victoria said, not really blaming, just letting me know that I shouldn't do it. That's what I liked about her, she didn't judge me. "What's wrong?" she asked after seeing my expression.

"Nothing really," I said sitting down at the kitchen table. "I was just… we had a fight with Alice."

"What happened?" Victoria asked.

"It's hard to explain, she just did something… wrong."

Victoria sat opposite to me. "Something wrong to you?"

"No, not to me exactly," I shook my head. "But she shouldn't have done it and now everyone gets hurt. It's not fair. She's a good person."

"Good people make wrong decision all the time," Victoria said, looking at me in the eye. "Maybe you should try to help her?"

But how could I? She was the only person who could help her, and there was easy ways to do that, after all, just stop cheating.

"I can't," I said leaning my head against the table. But I should, I thought, I was her friend, I should help her. Even though I wasn't quite sure if we were friends right now.