A/N: I got threats, man! Threats to update today or else...geez. Well, here it is folks. Also, the whole slip up thing, let's not take it too literally. Yes, he said 'love' to her but they hardly know each other and him loving her would be a bit random given the previous events. By him saying 'love', I only meant for it to show that the relationship was growing not that they were in love. Yet. ;)

Sorry for the mix up but rushed love sucks. We're taking it slow. Maybe we'll get an HEA out of this, maybe not... mwahaha

7 Days...

Chapter 10: Don't Look At Me Like That

Edward and I had yet to bring up the whole 'love' debacle again. In fact we actively avoided it as he pounced on me the second he got back from collecting his things from James', leaving no time for discussion of any kind. I spent the night the way I always did, wrapped up in Edward. I was getting much too used to having heat on top of heat behind me.

When I woke in the morning, his eyes were already on me and he smiled at me as my sleepy eyes adjusted to the light. Normally I would have found the fact that he was watching me sleep creepy but for some reason it only made me feel protected knowing he was watching over me.

After a rushed shower we made plans to spend the day on the beach and loiter around until the fireworks display started tonight. Tonight was the night when the hotel started to hold its little lights festivals in celebration of the end of summer. They'd do a fireworks display every night of the last week of summer. With a week left of the summer season, the number of guests were winding down and the hotel was going all out to accommodate them. Which also meant that they were charging a heinous amount of money for tickets. But I still had cash left over and Edward still had his last paychecks and he promised we were going to go and have a good time. I was excited that Alice and Jasper were tagging along with us as well. Tonight seemed to promise lots of fun.

BL

"Bella! Get back here!" Edward yelled breathlessly as he chased behind me.

"What's wrong? Can't keep up, old man?" I teased, though I was breathless myself. And it'd only been like 3 minutes.

I paused and turned around, waving Edward's shirt in the air, taunting him. He stopped short and narrowed his eyes before charging at me, looking more determined than ever. I yelped and tried to speed ahead but I didn't get far before he tackled me to the ground, pinning me beneath him.

"I win," he said, smiling as he took his short from my hands.

I just grinned up at him, admiring how young and happy he looked like this, all breathless and smiling. His smile dimmed as I watched him and he sighed heavily as he rested his forehead on mine. "Don't look at me like that," he whispered.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Like what?"

"Your eyes...you look at me like...Just stop."

I bit my lip, thinking back to the way he looked at me just this morning. I wasn't doing anything he wasn't doing himself. "I look at you the same way you look at me. I am not in this alone!" I insisted.

He was silent for a long time, keeping his head against mine as he thought.

"7 days, Bella."

"I know."

"So, what if I like you?" he asked, wanting me to guide him.

"Then nothing changes. Except maybe there's less awkwardness. It'll feel better." I felt like I was persuading him.

"But then things feel complicated," was his quiet response. That fucking word again.

"Complicated," I agreed. "But more real."

"Nothing changes," he checked.

"Nothing."

He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. "Okay."

"Okay," I repeated before pulling his lips to mine.

BL

"So we like each other. We're going to do the girlfriend/boyfriend thing now. Officially. No backing out," I said smiling as Alice clapped and jumped up and down. Literally.

"Eep! And?" she asked.

"And nothing. That's it. We like each other but we agreed, not in so many words, that we've only got seven days left together so," I shrugged. "We're not going to get ahead of ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we like each other but we both know that in 7 days regardless of what has happened between us, we're going to go home and...that's that."

"So, you're going to be with him for seven days and at the end of summer you just leave? No 'I'll write to you, I promise' or 'I'll never forget you'?"

"Alice," I sighed. "I don't know. I'd like to write to him, I guess but he lives in Montana and I live in Washington. That's quite far away. I can't do the romantic movie thing and spend my life writing to him. He's going home and I'm going home and if we keep in touch then that's great but...I'm not going to make him follow me." Okay so maybe Montana wasn't at all far. I can acknowlegde that that was bullshit but still...

"What if he can't stay away?"

"Alice, this isn't a movie."

"It could be. Bella, you're giving up. I don't get it."

"I'm not giving up."

"You are. You like him and you're just going to let him go? That's not fair to you or Edward. Why won't you take a chance?"

I narrowed my eyes at her pouting face and put a hand on my hip. "I'm not going to make him follow me, Alice."

"What if he wants to?"

"Then," I sighed, shrugging. "If he wants to follow me then he'll be on my plane at the end of summer. If not then...he'll let me go and be on his way to Montana. That's how I'll know." I held up a hand to silence her as she opened her mouth to speak again and I grabbed two drinks from the table and started my way back to Edward and Jasper. After a few moments, I heard Alice start to follow me.

"Hey, you," I smiled, handing a cup to Edward and stepping into his embrace. He grinned down at me and kissed me once before a loud pop filled the air. I jumped and squealed as he laughed at me.

"I guess the show is starting," he announced. He took my hand and sat on the sand, pulling me between his legs and wrapping his arms around me. Alice smiled over at us as Jasper pulled her into a similar position.

I curled up against Edward and watched and cheered as bright lights filled the air above us. With his laugh in my ear and the sound of Alice and Jasper's cheering, all the anxiety and worries about the end of summer were pacified and replaced by a feeling of pure bliss.