Hello beautiful readers! I'm thrilled that you liked Edward's version of a 'goodnight kiss' last chapter :P And the majority of you seem to enjoy his POV the most! It's good to know, but unfortunately I can't/ don't want to change my story, and like I said it's about half and half. Though Edward's chapters do tend to be longer. Most of this story is already written.

Okay, on to the chapter, SM owns the Twilight universe!

. . . Bella . . .

I woke up, stretching lazily in my bed and smiling within seconds. The first thing I thought of had been last night, and it was impossible not to smile while thinking of yesterday.

Even with my current handicaps, it had been the best date I'd ever been on. It was so completely opposite of what I'd been expecting, but Edward was just…amazing. He made me so comfortable, and I hadn't had a panic attack or passed out the entire evening.

I couldn't wait to talk to Irina.

I hadn't used my debit card with a cashier once, but three times. Yes, the first one had been horrible, but Edward had come to my rescue with one simple word.

And then he let me flee to wait before I could completely freak out, and he didn't say anything of it. But I saw him tell her to get him her manager, and I could tell he reported her to her boss.

Which was really…sweet. And chivalrous. He seemed very protective of me the entire day. I wasn't sure how much of that was on Charlie, and I'm not sure how I felt about him doing it. I hated that I needed the help at all, but I liked that he cared.

He knew about my issues, and didn't seem to care about them at all. He still liked me despite my problems and handicaps.

And I really fucking liked him too. A lot. Yes, he was ridiculously good-looking, but he was also really sweet, caring, courteous, respectful, generous, and interesting. He also had decent tastes in games, TV shows, movies and music.

And he wanted to see me again, I didn't doubt his sincerity it that. And now I was excited for it instead of dreading it. He was such an easy person to be around. He made me feel almost normal, but special at the same time.

And then there had been the kiss. That had to have been the cutest thing any guy had ever done for me, because I knew he must have carried that thing around with him all afternoon. There's no way I could have carried chocolate around all day and not eaten it. I didn't eat the one he gave me, though, and not because it had been in a boy's pocket all day. I hid it away carefully in my dresser.

I realized that it had been a while since I'd thought about Demetri. My best friend, my ex, and the only reason I was still alive right now. It made my stomach twist guiltily. I was grateful for what he'd done, but it was for the best that we weren't speaking any more. I was itching to text him at that moment, but was a little relieved that I couldn't. The ties were severed. No one had my new number, and I'd deleted all of theirs. He didn't need me anymore, he'd made that obvious.

But I didn't need him anymore either, and was surprised that I had no resentment towards him at all. I'll always be thankful for what he did, but I told myself that it was okay to forget about him, Heidi, and the fact that my best friend of nearly my entire life had dropped me and moved on while I'd been in the hospital, and the fact that he couldn't handle what my mother and her fucking cult had turned me into.

I had waited until Edward left before taking my sleeping pills, and was up a little later than usual. When I got up I jumped in the shower before getting dressed in some jeans and a dark-grey turtle neck. I was picking pieces of egg shell out of the mixing bowl with a scowl when Charlie came out, and he laughed, alerting me of his presence. I smiled and waved at him before grabbing my book.

Can you show me how to make French toast? I really want French toast, I wrote, giving him my best pout. He agreed instantly, making me smile, and he started cooking up some sausages while I finished fishing out the pieces of shell. He told me what to add, showed me how to coat the slices of bread properly, and what temperature to set the griddle to. We sat down together with our plates once everything was ready, and as usual I was a little intimidated by the amount of food he could eat without exploding.

"So how was your night last night?" He asked curiously. I could see a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Really good, I had a lot of fun. And I used my debit card with a cashier.

His face lit up. "Really?"

I nodded. Three times.

"I'm so proud of you," he said with a slightly watery smile. "How was it?"

I frowned. The first lady was a jerk, but Edward kind of came in and helped me out. I think he even reported her to her manager too, I admitted in embarrassment. He was grinning. The second and third times weren't too bad though. I even ordered at a restaurant, and our waitress was really nice.

"Wow, that's just…I'm so proud of you," he said once more, making me smile.

Because I was a little proud of me too.

"So…tell me a little bit more about Edward."

I shifted uneasily under his scrutinizing gaze.

He's really nice. I've run into him a few times on my walks, he likes mountain biking.

It was so much easier to lie on paper, but I tried to give him as much truth as possible. We've sat and talked a few times. My writing doesn't really seem to bother himl. He's very respectful, and kind of careful around me, but he makes me feel comfortable. We like a lot of the same TV shows, movies, and music.

Charlie gave a small nod, but I think it was one of approval.

"Do you think you'll be seeing him again?"

I bit my lip and nodded, because Edward seemed different than the others, and now, having a little bit of hope didn't seem as reckless.

Charlie went and got ready for work while I started cleaning up the disastrous mess we'd made, telling me that he was stopping off at his friend Billy's for a bit before his shift. It was pouring out, and very cold, so once I was finished cleaning I made some muffins. Just a bag mix, because the oatmeal chocolate chip were my favourite, and once I was done I brought a plate of them into my room. It was the only way to guarantee their survival when Charlie came home. I finished off the bit of work that I had left, then did a few hours of studying for my history exam while watching YouTube videos.

But then, I had nothing else to do. It was impossible to fit any more knowledge of the subject into my brain, all my essays had already been proofread twice, and I had no work. I knew I was still a little too groggy to drive to the station to get some more.

So I put in a load of laundry, did an hour work out with my dancing game on my WiiU, and had another shower. I smoked a big joint just past the tree line in the back yard with an umbrella, then put on a movie and did my nails.

. . . . .

Monday morning Charlie came out to the school with me. When he offered to come inside with me I accepted, only because I knew there might be a lot more talking today. We walked over to the administrative building, and met with the vice principal who I usually dealt with. She was the one who was pretty much coordinating my individual learning plan. When we sat down across from her, I cautiously set down the large folder of completed work with my note attached to the front, telling her I'd finished all the material for both of them, and was ready to write my exam as soon as I was a little more clear-headed. I also asked if I could start my social studies and environmental sciences credits.

"Ah, yes. I have your social studies here," she said, turning to one of her shelves and taking out a large bundle with three books and a fat manila envelope that I assumed was the work material. She handed it to Charlie for me automatically. "And I know Mrs. Briggs has your package ready, but she still has it. Do you remember her?" I nodded with a smile. She was sweet. "She has a class right now, but I know she wouldn't mind if you went down to ask for it."

She and Charlie watched me patiently, waiting. I knew this was a little test, to see if I could, but I also knew neither of them would judge me if I declined.

But I wanted to try. I'd ordered dinner on Saturday, and paid at a cashier three times. I could handle getting a package from the classroom.

I nodded, and both of their faces lit up with their smiles.

"Excellent!" She said excitedly, and wrote me a note. She slid the pad towards me on her desk, and I tore off the paper. "I'm just going to go over a few things with the Chief, we shouldn't take more than a half hour." I nodded, and wrote down a 'thank-you' for her on her pad of paper, turning it back around before getting up. She gave me another smile, and I ducked out of her office, leaving the two of them alone.

The hallways were deserted as I wandered through the school, searching for the room number that was written on the top of the page. It took me almost ten minutes, and the room sounded fairly silent. I took a steadying breath, straightening out my shoulders before I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" She called, and I cautiously opened the door to find her and twenty-something other pairs of eyes watching me curiously. The teacher looked surprised to see me, but when I held up my note, giving it a little wave as I stood in the door way, she smiled brightly. "Ah, Bella! Please come in, just close the door behind you, we're writing a test." She turned on her class. "Eyes on your papers, people! Fifteen minutes."

I closed the door as I stepped in, trying to ignore the curious stares of the students as I walked across the room to her desk and sat the note down for her to read. She read it quickly, and grinned.

"Ah, this is much sooner than I expected, I didn't think you'd be ready for another month or so," she said, and I just gave her a small shrug with a smile. She pulled a flash drive out of her desk drawer before getting up and taking a few textbooks off her shelves. She stacked them in a neat pile and sat the drive on top. "This seemed more environmentally friendly than printing it all out. The files are numbered in order, and there's a full summary and outline in the first file that should make it all pretty straight forward, and if it's easier for you, you can contact me and send me your work through e-mail. I only need you to come in for your written tests. How does that sound with you?"

That sounded fucking awesome. I gave her a bright smile and a thumbs-up, making her laugh.

"Excellent. The principal said you couldn't start for a few days, but look over that first file when you're able and contact me, and we'll set up a deadline for your first unit." I nodded, and mouthed a thank-you to her. I froze when I went to grab my stuff, and heard her speak.

"Mr. Cullen, finished already?" She asked, and I turned to face him. He gave me that charming, lopsided grin, making me smile.

"Yes, I am. Is there any chance I could be excused early? I could walk Bella back to the office," he offered, turning his powerful smile on the teacher. She was putty in his hands.

"Of course, how very thoughtful of you. I'll be talking to you again soon," she told me, and I nodded.

"Here, I'll get those," Edward said, grabbing my books off her desk with a wink, and I blushed before following him out, purposely not meeting the eyes of the class.

Thank you, you didn't need to do that, I wrote with a smile, turning my book for him to read. He chuckled.

"I think I did, actually. You need to be careful wearing something like that, I feared for your safety walking through the halls. I'm sure you came close to giving a few of the guys a heart attack," he teased. I looked down, but it wasn't like I was dressed slutty or anything. My denim skirt was a little short but I was wearing tights under them. And my shirt wasn't revealing, it was just kind of form-fitting, I rolled my eyes at him, smiling.

"So, how was the rest of your weekend?"

Not very exciting. I watched movies and played some video games for most of the day. The rain was horrible. What about you?

"My mom dragged me out into the rain to help her wrap up her shrubs. Then my buddy Ben came over with his girlfriend Angela and we played some Call of Duty. Nothing too exciting. My mom made steak for dinner though, which was awesome. So you're starting your new classes today? How'd your meeting go?"

He stopped with me in the office, getting me there in less than two minutes compared to my ten. It was sorcery.

It went well, I handed my stuff in and she told me that she would set it up so that I could take my exam sometime next week. She's in there talking with Charlie right now.

"So, environment and social studies?" I nodded. "Well, we're almost done with the class, if you ever need any help with anything just let me know," he offered with a smile. I nodded, mouthing a thank-you.

And it surprised me once more how comfortable I was around him. He was leaning against the wall next to me casually with his hands stuffed into his pockets, so close that I could smell his soap, or shampoo, or whatever. He always smelled so good.

And the craving to reach out and touch him was so fucking powerful, but I couldn't. It was getting easier each time to be close to him like this, but no matter what I just couldn't force my body to reach out to him. It was like there was this invisible wall blocking me.

I liked being next to him like this though, and I would take what I could get. It was already so much more than I had let myself hope for.

"So how are you feeling? You look a little more alert today," he asked softly, and it still surprised me how comfortable he seemed talking about my issues like this. Like he was asking about a scratch or something. I smiled.

I'm feeling better, I just get dizzy.

"I'm glad," he said with a smile. "Do you have any plans for the week yet?"

Nothing out of the ordinary, just getting started with my new school work. You?

"I have a few tests, but nothing outside of school yet."

I chewed on my lip for a moment before forcing myself out there. He'd done it, and I didn't want him to do all the work. I wanted him to at least know that I wanted to hang out with him.

Well, if you want, maybe you could come over and hang out sometime this week? We could watch that show or something.

I fidgeted uneasily while he read, before he smiled. "I'd like that. When were you thinking?"

My schedule is pretty flexible, I teased. What would work best for you?

"How about Wednesday? I could swing by after school."

I nodded happily, and he was still smiling at me, watching me in a way that let me know that he wanted to kiss me. Or touch me. Or something.

I wanted to move, to shift closer. I wanted to touch someone else with an intensity and loneliness that made it difficult to breathe. That irrational, debilitating fear was just as strong, though.

I tried so hard to push through it, to beat it down, and my heart stopped when my finger twitched forward.

And Charlie walked out, laughing, and I sighed in defeat, closing my eyes as I fought off the urge to cry in frustration.

So I didn't notice Edward lean in closer to me.

"I'll talk to you again soon, gorgeous," he whispered, so close I could feel his breath on my skin, and I pulled in a sharp breath as my eyes shot open.

He was grinning mischievously at me, and shot me a wink and a wave, saying hello to Charlie as he handed him my books before strutting off. When I turned to look at Charlie, he was watching me with a teasing grin, and my face went up in flames as I realized he'd caught me watching him leave.

We stopped off to get groceries on the way home, and Charlie told me to have at her. He only had two nights off, so he only cooked dinner maybe once a week. He grabbed the things he wanted for his meal, then our usual staples, and I got some baking ingredients, stuff to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce, and the stuff to make my taco rolls again since Edward had liked those so much. When we got home he went on and on about how proud he was of how well my grades were doing. He was impressed by how hard I'd been working, but he made it so easy. It was the least I could do, and I figured if I kept up the good behaviour he would continue to be so lenient with me. It had seemed even more appealing now that I had the possibility of…something with Edward.

He was stuffing stuff in the fridge, and I saw that the eggs would be just out of his reach from where he was kneeling on the floor.

The urge to reach over and hand it to him was startling. It was what any normal person would do, what I would have done a year ago.

I moved before I could think of it, before my muscles could lock down. Charlie didn't even notice me come up, and just thanked me automatically when I handed it to him.

He hadn't touched me, but it felt like he'd burned me and I pulled in a sharp breath. That seemed to alert him to what we had just done, and he shot to his feet.

But I didn't collapse. I struggled to regain control of my breathing again as I leaned back against the counter, closing my eyes tightly against the images that flooded my mind. Of the feeling of all those hands, the memory of their fucking smiles.

But I didn't faint, or collapse, or black out.

My breathing started to slow back down, and even though the tremors that started to roll through me made me dizzy I stayed upright. I slowly opened my eyes to find Charlie watching me worriedly, his eyes pained, and I hated that I'd just forced that on him. I think he started to realize that I was okay, though, and a slow smile stretched across his face until he was smiling brightly at me.

"That was amazing, Bella! You did great," he said proudly. "And don't you dare fucking apologize."

I gave him a hesitant smile back, and he just laughed happily.

"I'm going to get started on dinner, why don't you go lay down for a bit, I'll call you."

I nodded, feeling grateful because I was suddenly exhausted, and really dizzy.

"Oh, before you go, I was wondering if it would be okay with you if Billy and his son came over for the game tomorrow?"

Shit, Billy's son was the one Edward told me to stay away from. Jake, I think he said his name was. I realized then that in all the time I'd been here he'd never invited anyone over, and my heart sank. I hated that he was altering his routine because of me, this was his home.

And Charlie wouldn't let anything happen to me, I knew that. I gave him a thumbs-up, and his face lit up. I walked over to my room, leaving the door open and dropping into my bed. I didn't fall asleep, my mind was too uneasy, but it was a relief to just be horizontal for a little bit.

A/N: Well, she's making progress! It amazing what positive reinforcement, or simple high-school crushes, can do to the mind. Have to admit, I do wish I could erase most of my memories of high school crushes. I'm sure everyone has a few of those :P All of those emotions and hormones can make kids do stupid things... -laughs ominously-

And I've been throwing out hints, are you catching them?

Thanks for reading!