We're starting with Bella, but will hear more from Edward in the second half of this chapter. Thanks for much for reading, guys! I appreciate it.

… …

I sat across from Rosalie, blowing on my hot coffee. She didn't seem ready to talk, so I let her take her time. Finally, she just blurted it out.

"I went home with someone on Saturday."

Raising my eyebrows at her, I took a sip and thought for a moment. "Wow. That's unlike you…but good for you, Rose. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I know, it's just…it's not me." Her voice had dropped to a whisper, and then I knew that this was really bothering her. "I mean, I'm still with Royce! He wanted space, and I went and slept with someone else. I don't know if he'll ever forgive me."

"Rosalie, does Royce make you happy?"

"He's still my boyfriend. I cheated."

"I understand why you're freaking out about this, but it's not that cut and dry. It's complicated…and the last time we talked about it, I got the feeling that you were ready to let go of Royce." I was trying to be gentle, but I also wanted to be honest with her. "You're not happy, and he hasn't been treating you very well. I know you've been together for a long time, but that doesn't mean you're supposed to stay together. Some relationships just run their course, and it's better to let them go before you end up getting hurt more."

She nodded, but didn't look at me. "I know. I know that. But it's hard to cope with."

"Of course. I understand, Rosalie, and I want to be here for you. Anything you need, just tell me."

"There's kind of…one more thing," she said slowly, finally making eye contact again. "The guy I slept with was Emmett Cullen."

I stared at her for a moment, not making the connection right away. Then my mouth dropped open. "Edward Cullen's brother, Emmett Cullen?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." I set my coffee down, no longer interested in it. "How…well, how did that happen?"

"Don't be mad."

I shook my head, and reached for her hand across the table. "I'm not mad, Rosalie. Not at all. I'm surprised…and a little confused. But not mad. There's no reason for me to be."

"After you left, Jacob came back to where we were sitting. He wasn't really causing problems, he was just kind of pestering Alice and I. But you know him…he's that kind of guy. He's always been like that. Anyway, we were getting kind of fed up and Emmett came over. He talked to Jacob and I don't know exactly what he said, but Jacob got an Uber and left. Emmett stuck around for a little while and it just sort of happened."

"Do you think you'll see him again?" I was honestly curious, and Rosalie seemed pretty out of sorts about it so I wanted to understand the situation and how she was feeling.

"I think so. He was really sweet, and I think I actually like him. I mean, as much as I can after one night together and texting yesterday and today."

"Well, if you feel that way, then I don't think you have to worry about what Royce thinks or him forgiving you. Instead I think you need to end it with him for good. There are better things out there, and who knows…maybe you're on to something with Emmett."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

I shrugged. I did find it a little odd, but there was nothing wrong with Rosalie seeing Edward's brother. "There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Okay. I just didn't want to do anything or act on anything I'm feeling without talking about it. And I don't even know how Emmett really feels about me…I just know that if I feel anything at all for him, then you're right. I do need to end things with Royce." She paused for a moment, shaking her head. "Wow. I never thought I'd say that. I just feel like I did things the wrong way…I feel like a complete skank for sleeping with someone else."

I squeezed her hand again. "I'm here for you, Rose. No matter what. And I won't let anyone talk badly about you- including yourself."

"I know. Thank you."

She told me a little more about Emmett; how sweet and funny he was, and how he had already asked her if they could go on a real date next weekend. It struck me as funny how different Emmett clearly was from his brother. Not that I minded, because I wanted the same thing as Edward, and Rosalie wanted the same thing as Emmett. It worked for us. It was unknown now, but there was an expiration date on what Edward and I had. I hoped there wouldn't be for Rosalie and Emmett, if they really hit it off.

Our afternoon meetup for coffee turned into dinner, and then Rosalie invited me over to her and Alice's apartment to watch the newest episode of The Bachelor.

Girl time was important, and I knew I'd likely end up staying over at their place inside of going back home because The Bachelor always meant lots of wine. So even though Edward and I'd had tentative plans tonight after his night class got over with, I texted him to cancel.

Edward Cullen

I packed up as the last stragglers filed out of the classroom, all of us relieved to be done for the night. It had been a long class of trying to teach a lesson and cram in a review session for the upcoming exam. I was passionate about my field of work and I enjoyed teaching, but it took a lot out of me sometimes.

When I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, I saw a text from Bella, and I smiled until I actually read it.

This was probably the first time she'd ever cancelled no me- no, it definitely was. I was surprised at how disappointed I felt, even though we had just seen each other last night. So instead I went home, confused about how I was feeling.

For years, this had worked for me. I'd managed to avoid feelings and messy entanglements. Now, I felt differently and I didn't know what to make of that.

When I was sixteen, I was sure that I had met the love of my life. Savannah was beautiful and intelligent, and so kind that everyone had nothing but nice things to say about her. She was generous and selfless, and I considered myself beyond lucky that she loved me back. I proposed to her the summer before we both started college, but we waited to get married until a few years later. The time we spent as engaged couple was probably our happiest, because everything seemed like it was falling perfectly into place.

Savannah got the wedding she had always dreamed of, and I got the girl. The perfect wedding gave away to the perfect honeymoon…which was cut short. She spent the rest of our marriage sick, and by the time it was all over, she was a different person. It was the disease, not her, but the damage was done. I didn't mind being her caregiver- I would have taken care of her every single day of my life if I had been given that option. I had meant what I said when I vowed to be there in sickness and in health.

The girl I loved seemed to have died long before her body gave out, but that didn't matter to me. She was still in there somewhere, despite the things she said and the things she had asked me to do. But I didn't blame her. I couldn't.

And I'd eventually become content with my life after she passed away, something I hadn't originally even thought possible. I had realized that being in a serious relationship didn't feel right to me, so I had avoided them. I never once regretted marrying Savannah, or staying with her while she was sick. To me there was no other option, and I felt that she would have done the same for me. But I didn't feel like I could face the thought of ever going through that again, even if it was fifty years done the road. I felt like I'd given my marriage everything I had, and that there was nothing left.

At least, that's what I thought. Now I felt myself getting attached to someone who was never supposed to be permanent. That's how I'd always gotten through before- the casual relationships had been fun, and everyone involved knew the nature of it. No obligations, no futures together. Just two people taking what they needed and wanted from each other. The lack of expectations had made it easy for me.

Suddenly, that didn't seem to be working anymore.

… …

"You know Rosalie Hale, right?" Emmett talked with his mouth full, but I didn't mind. We were brothers, and we'd seen a lot worse from each other.

"Rosalie, Bella's friend?" I frowned at his question, wondering why he would bring up Bella. Did he realize I was starting to feel more for her than what we had agreed on? Was it that obvious that I was confused about what I was feeling for a girl that was supposed to be just fun? Then I realized he didn't bring up Bella, I did. He just brought up her friend. "Yeah, I do."

Emmett nodded, wiping at his mouth. "Well…I kind of ended up taking her home on Saturday night."

Peter raised his eyebrows. Emmett wasn't overly promiscuous or a player, but he was never hurting for companionship and he didn't usually bother mentioning girls to us unless it was serious. And if he was saying something after just one night…we knew he had to be head over heels.

"She was the blonde we saw the night of Sam's bachelor party," I reminded him. "I should have known it was a matter of time. How'd that happen?"

"You met that guy Jacob, right?"

I grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah, briefly."

"He was the one hanging all over Bella." I didn't need the reminder, but Emmett continued. "Anyway, after you left with Bella, he went back over to her friends and I could tell he was bugging them. When I came up, he was asking them why she didn't like him enough to give him a chance and saying he didn't have her new phone number…begging for them to give it to him. I told him he was drunk and it was time to go home, and then…I dunno, Rosalie asked she could buy me a drink, and I bought her one instead. It just kind of happened from there. She's gorgeous, and she doesn't take any shit. It's kind of amazing."

"Well, good for you." Peter cracked open another beer. "Edward might be a lost cause, but maybe there's hope for you yet."

The teasing was nothing new for us, but Emmett's blush was.

… …

Thoughts? Someone is definitely going to crack soon, and although most people originally thought it would be Bella, it isn't looking that way, is it?!

I'm in the process of getting a new story put together, and I posted on Facebook about it already, but like I said, not sure when it'll go up. The first chapter is actually almost finished but I like to get a little further into a story and I'm not sure when I'll have time for more. Stay tuned, if you're interested.

I ended up having a great weekend because I worked night shifts so no early mornings, and my Cardinals have actually been playing well! Zach, however, is in mourning because the St. Louis Blues lost today and were eliminated from the playoffs. I'm at work still so I haven't witnessed it yet but the snapchats I've already gotten from him and his brother tell a sorry tale. Wish us (me) luck ; )