Chapter 10

I woke up on the chair in Angela's dorm room with a stiff neck and a feeling of dread. I had no idea what the day would bring. I knew I would need to talk to Edward at some point, but I wasn't sure I was ready for it yet. I kept my phone turned off as I thanked Angela for coming to my rescue and left her dorm.

Walking across the quad in the early morning light was much more pleasant than it had been the night before. Thankfully, the creepy feeling that I was being watched was gone, but it was replaced by a hollow in the center of my chest. I truly wanted to believe there was an explanation for what I saw last night, however the pain in my heart every time the vision popped into my mind was overriding my sensibility.

I decided that I needed to clear my mind for now. I had a lot to think about, but not a lot of time to do it. One thing I would not let happen was to let any of this derail my studies. If I could make it through the accident and the aftermath without getting off track, there was no way I would let a silly relationship pull my focus from school.

This morning, I would need to focus on getting back to my apartment and getting ready for class. I had a full day ahead of me, and letting my thoughts be consumed by Edward was only going to get me into trouble.

Taking a deep breath as I reached the front door of my apartment, I steeled myself against everything having to do with Edward, the bar last night or the blonde. As soon as I got into the elevator, I jammed my finger on the button for the sixth floor and forced my mind to think about the books I would need for today's classes.

My head was down, making mental lists of what I needed to do today, as I turned out of the elevator and walked briskly toward my apartment. When I reached the familiar door, I gasped as a pair of well-worn Docs came into view.

My eyes followed the boots upward, seeing blue jeans covering bent knees. Recognizable long fingers were hanging over those knees, and sad, bloodshot green eyes were peering into my soul.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered, barely able to make my voice work.

Edward swallowed audibly. "I came to talk to you last night," he said in a raspy voice. "Then Rose told me that you hadn't been home, and I was so worried." His eyes were desperate, but I tried to lock my feelings up for the moment. I couldn't deal with this now.

"I'm fine," I said with conviction. "You don't have to worry about me."

I took a step closer to try to get to the door and Edward scrambled to his feet. "Can we talk, please?" he begged from behind me, causing my heart to beat in double time. "I swear, it's not what you—"

"I can't do this now," I said, holding my hand up and cutting him off. I forced walls to go up around my heart. "I have a full day of classes starting in forty-five minutes."

With a shaking hand, I put my key in the lock and started to turn it. "Later? Please?" he asked, placing his hand over mine.

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the electric pulses running from our attached hands straight to my heart. "I can't promise anything right now. I'll try to call you later." I tried for authority in my voice, but wasn't sure I succeeded.

His hand slipped from mine and I felt the loss immediately. "Okay," he conceded. "Call me whenever, and I'll come over … or meet you somewhere … or whatever you want."

I nodded and turned away from him, opening the door and slipping inside. The vision of his hurt face right before I closed the door caused an ache to form deep within my chest.

I sent a quick text to Alice, letting her know I had stayed at Angela's last night but was home and fine now. She asked if we could meet for lunch, but I told her my day was packed and I wouldn't have time. I had decided I didn't want to hear about anything else that happened last night—at least not from Alice or Rose. I wanted to hear it from Edward, but not until I was ready.

Showering and getting dressed quickly, I left for class and was thankful to arrive on time. I went about my day as planned, locking up all thoughts of Edward and focusing only on the words coming from my professors' mouths. But as much as I tried to center myself, I don't think I took in the actual meaning of anything they said. I took notes, knowing they probably made no sense.

I felt like a zombie as I walked across campus to my last class. Arriving a few minutes early, I sat in a seat near the back and finally let my thoughts drift. I realized that although I was successful in not thinking about Edward all day, I was still completely useless. It was likely that I would continue to be useless until this situation was settled.

With new determination, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Edward.

"Can you meet me at the coffee shop near my apartment at 5?"

I figured if we talked, I could get my mind off of this and back on my school work.

He responded quickly. "I'll be there. xE"

I thought momentarily about the voicemails and text messages he had left last night, somewhat sorry I had hastily deleted them this morning. But, a larger part was glad I got rid of them. I didn't want to hear his instant excuses, or whatever he had to say while he was in a panic. When we meet at the coffee shop, we will both have had time to cool down and be able to talk like adults.

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I gave the professor my full attention for the next hour and forced my brain to comply. But as soon as class was over, my heart started pounding and my palms began sweating. I knew I'd be seeing Edward in a half hour, and either this last week of pure pleasure would be a fading dream, or we'd finally figure things out and begin moving forward.

My legs carried me across campus faster than I intended. I had enough time to go up to my apartment and drop off my books, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I thought I'd arrive early and get myself settled with a cup of coffee to calm my nerves while I waited for Edward.

I opened the door to the shop and stepped inside, inhaling the soothing aroma of coffee and baked goods. My eyes were immediately drawn to the back corner, where Edward was already seated, twisting his fingers together nervously.

Instead of heading to his table, I walked straight to the counter to order my coffee. I saw Edward stand, and he came directly over to me.

"Go sit," he said gently, nodding toward the table. "Do you want anything besides coffee?"

"No, thanks." The thought of food right now made my stomach churn.

I went to the table and took the seat opposite where Edward had been, my fingers fiddling with the sugar packets while I waited. I had no idea how this was going to go. I invited him here, but was I supposed to start the conversation?

Thankfully, he returned quickly, placing one cup of coffee in front of me and setting another down in his place. I mumbled my thanks. When he took his seat, I could feel his eyes on me but busied myself with doctoring up my coffee.

"You like it sweet," he noted quietly. I just nodded and gulped, still not meeting his eyes. "Me, too." I saw his hand reach for the sugar packets and pull out four, ripping them together and dumping it all into his small cup.

Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. I stared into my coffee cup, not even having the urge to drink it. Finally, I broke the awkward silence, since I had something to say.

"I need to apologize—"

"What?" he interrupted? "You have nothing to apologize for, Bella."

"Yes, I do," I uttered. "I shouldn't have run out like that, and I'm sorry. I know you were all worried about me, but I just needed time to clear my head."

"I still think it's unnecessary, but I accept your apology," Edward said. He took a deep breath and let it out noisily before continuing. "The woman last night … her name is Tanya." Ouch, so he did know her. "She's my ex-girlfriend."

I mentally cringed, although there may have also been outward signs on my body. Everything I thought I knew about him now seemed like a lie. He definitely didn't seem like the type to go for that kind of girl, but I guess I was wrong. So, what had he been doing with me?

"I thought—no, hoped—she had left town after she graduated last semester, but apparently I was wrong," he continued. "Things didn't end very well between us, and for a little while, she continued to come around as if I hadn't broken up with her. But, I hadn't seen her or heard from her in a while, so I was shocked when she walked in last night.

"Bella, you have to believe me," he said, reaching across the table for my hand. I pulled it back slightly and he took the hint, sighing before he continued. "I didn't know she would be there and I didn't want her there. I thought I had made it clear to her that I never wanted to see her again. All I wanted last night was to be able to spend more time with you, to get to know you better, to be able to hold your hand …" he trailed off, looking at his clasped hands in front of him.

When he looked up, I finally took a good look at him. He looked so sad and remorseful, his eyes pleading with me to understand. "I know we haven't defined anything, but I'm telling you now … I'm not interested in anyone else but you. I don't want to see anyone else. If that's too much for you, I'll understand. You don't have to make me any promises, but I will promise that to you.

"I didn't kiss her—she kissed me. The only reason it took me so long to realize what she was doing was because my eyes were on you. All I wanted to do was spend my break with you."

I bit my lip and nodded to let him know I understood, but I had to know …

"What happened after I left?" I asked quietly, finally sipping from my coffee.

"Nothing, really," he said with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "Rose offered to fuck Tanya up." We both chuckled. "I tried calling you and texting, and Tanya approached me before I went back on stage. I told her to get out of my life. Of course, she stuck around for the rest of the show to piss me off. As soon as I had my gear packed, I went to your apartment." He shrugged a shoulder as if it was no big deal.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," I whispered.

"Bella, please!" he said almost angrily. "You didn't ruin anything. She did. Look, I'll tell you anything you want to know about my relationship with her, but suffice it to say that she is not the kind of person I want to be with."

I took a moment to let his words sink in, and then made my decision.

"Okay."

"Okay? What do you mean 'okay'?" he asked gently.

"I believe you," I said, looking down at my coffee mug. "I'm willing to give this a try if you still want to." I shrugged.

"Bella," he breathed, grabbing my hand across the table. This time I let him. "You have no idea how much I want that. I promise I won't let you down. And, if she shows up again, I will give Rose permission to kick her ass."

I smiled a real smile at the thought. Rose would love to do it, too. I looked up to find a matching smile on his face.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispered.

I nodded, still smiling, as he slipped out of his seat and into the chair next to me. He cupped my face in both hands and gently placed his lips against mine, letting a breath out as we connected. It was such a sweet kiss, full of the promise of things to come.

"I don't want to see anyone else, either," I told him with our lips a hairsbreadth apart.

His green eyes blazed into mine as he sighed, "Oh, thank god." He then consumed me in a desperate kiss.

A/N: A slightly longer chapter so we could resolve this mess. I hope everyone is satisfied with the resolution, and maybe understanding Bella a little better. Let me know what you think.

I'd love it if you'd check out my other WIP, A Family Affair if you haven't read it yet.

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