CHAPTER 10

The following weekend, there was a party. A new-semester party.

People throw parties around here for the dumbest things, Bella thought to herself.

And just like always, she was dragged, kicking and screaming, by the rest of her friends. Jacob was all for it, enjoying the company of the group and any chance to see Bella.

And Edward? Edward would be there too.

The evening progressed as anyone would have predicted of a college party: kegs, loud music, loud people, red Solo cups everywhere, sticky floors, and lots of drunken, stumbling college kids.

But this time, there was no Kate interrupting Bella and Edward at every turn. No, this time, Jacob did one better, staying glued to her side the entire evening, blissfully ignorant to the guy who was ogling his girlfriend.

Bella liked Jacob's company. As much as she would usually rather choose to hang around Edward given the chance, once Jacob was around, she found herself genuinely having a good time. Genuinely wanting him there, and genuinely holding his hand and stealing a few kisses.

Maybe Jacob was good for her. He certainly didn't come with a truck-load of drama attached.

Fortunately and unfortunately, Jacob had to leave early, having to wake up early the next morning for a group project meeting.

He held Bella's face and kissed her a sweet goodbye, before waving to everyone else and telling them to have fun.

The second he was out the door, Edward was the first person she saw when she turned around to rejoin the group, and then it was like she had forgotten about everything else. It was just the two of them now, no boyfriends or girlfriends to interrupt with silly proposals of doing keg stands. And as much as Edward tried to respectfully keep his distance from Bella, he couldn't resist her grinning face when she approached his side.

"Wanna grab a drink with me?" she asked.

He grinned back, nodding, and off they went to begin their evening.

They started off drinking together, and when it was obvious that Bella was drinking a little too much, Edward stopped, opting for water instead. Jasper was in no state to make sure Bella made it home safely that night, and Emmett had already left with Rosalie. And he would be damned before he let her stumble back to her dorm all alone, late at night, in the state she was in.

"Whoa," Bella cried.

Edward's arms flung out impulsively to catch her before she hit the snowy ground. "I've got you," he said.

She steadied herself in his arms and looked up at him through hooded eyes.

"I've got you," he repeated, but it was no more than a whisper. And he didn't let go.

She could feel his breath on her face as he said the words. It paralyzed her, and all she could do was gaze up at his beautiful face, taking in each of his features one by one. His forehead, his strong eyebrows, his vibrant green eyes, his cheeks, his jaw line, his chin, his top lip, his bottom lip. Each one was better than the last.

In her inebriated state, she had no clue how long she was staring at him, and she didn't even care. She was in his arms and his face was so close to hers, so she took this opportunity to memorize every inch, with no interruption. He gazed back at her, at first trying to decipher what she was thinking as her eyes searched his face, but then deciding that he didn't care and enjoyed the view. Above all, even though she was drunk, he loved the way she looked at him.

Bella's tongue flicked out to quickly graze her bottom lip, and Edward's eyes followed the motion. His gaze lingered on her mouth for one more indulgent second.

"Bella," he breathed.

Her heart sped up. Drunk as she was, she had remembered what happened the last time he said her name like that, way back when. Jasper had flung the door open and they were abruptly interrupted. Would he finish his original thought now? Would he finally tell her what he was thinking?

"Yeah," she slurred, tripping over herself even though she was standing still. His hands tightened on her waist, and her breath became heavy.

There was a long pause. Or maybe it just felt long.

"It's cold out," he said simply.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"You're really drunk."

"Yeah."

"I'm taking you home." His voice was resolute, as he was clearly telling this to himself, not her.

She nodded, eyes still locked with his. "Okay."

He kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders, as he used his other one to hold onto her arm that was tucked into his side.

They walked silently; the only sound was the snow crunching under their boots in the quiet night. Edward's mind was screaming at him so loud he was surprised she couldn't hear it. If he had been trying to fight his feelings for her before, it was useless. He was falling harder for Bella every time he saw her. He didn't know why he ever even tried fighting in the first place.

His heart rate sped up every time Bella would fist his jacket to hold her balance, and by the time he reached her door, he was barely holding it together. She had never touched him this much, been this close to him.

He turned to her then, and felt his mind clear. The only thought he could focus on now was the strand of hair that was draped over her face. He reached his hand up and softly and slowly tucked the strand behind her ear. As she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, his eyes roamed her face, landing finally on her parted lips.

He only had to resist kissing her for a second before her eyes flitted open again and she swayed a little too far to the left, effectively losing her balance.

Edward's arms held her steady again, and the two laughed briefly at her heightened clumsiness.

"You should get inside," he told her. Because the longer they stood there together, the longer he had to keep reminding himself that she was drunk in order to keep from kissing her right there in the dorm hallway.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thanks for walking me back."

"You're welcome."

She unlocked the door and turned her sleepy gaze back to him.

"Think you'll make it from here?" he asked, smiling down at her.

She nodded, smiling back timidly.

He waved a silent goodbye and walked away as she shut the door quietly behind her. She managed to take off her clothes and get into a comfortable t-shirt to sleep in before collapsing onto her bed.

Bella only had enough time to reflect on her blissful walk back to her dorm room and decide that it couldn't have been real, before she passed out.

Days turned to weeks, and with every passing day Edward suffered what Bella had suffered for months. He sat at the sidelines, watching her be with someone else, kicking himself for not ending it with Kate sooner, before Bella would have ever even met Jacob.

But he had to be sure. He had to be sure before he ended his one and only relationship, the one he always though would last forever.

He knew now that he was right, that he and Kate were never meant to grow old together.

But he was certain of his feelings for Bella. In fact, he had never been more certain about anything in his life.

So he would sit back, and he would wait. For as long as it took.

Okay, I know this one was really short (I really can't believe how short), but the next one's good, I promise. Well, at least I think it is. It's the moment I've been waiting for! Can you feel it getting closer? Because it is. It really, really is.