Firstly, let me just say that I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. I had writers block for a couple weeks and then my work schedule was a little crazy for a while. But here it is finally! I know this chapter is a little bit shorter than normal, but I'm going to start working on the next chapter as soon as I post this so hopefully I have that up soon. So here is Chapter 11.

EPOV

I can't believe I locked myself out of the apartment, and what's worse is that Anthony is gone for the week at some police boot camp. I sigh and slump against the door. I can't even ask the superintendent to open the door because I'm not one the lease. Well, this is what I get for having an argument with Anthony before he left. This is karma.

It happened a few hours before he was supposed to leave. I was getting ready to go to work and he had just finished packing his bag.

"I just don't know what you see in this girl," He had said to me as he looked in his fridge.

"You don't have to understand. All that matters is that I really like her," I counter back

"You don't even know her," He snorted

"I do know her. She doesn't hide anything from me."

"And what about you? Does she know about your situation?" he asked. "Does she even know that you've been married before?"

"No. I'm not ready to tell her," I said annoyed. What does it matter to him? "Besides, she doesn't care about my past."

"And what about your present? Technically you're still homeless. You don't even stay here most nights," He said in a smug tone "Why don't you just move in? If you asked me I would let you. You're watching the apartment for the week anyway, right? Just stay."

"I don't want to ask you to do something like that for me," I said standing from my seat. "I want to be able to take care of myself. You are not my dad. I don't want to be treated like a kid."

"I'm trying to be your friend," He replies sounding mad. "I don't have to do the things I do for you. I'm just trying to be helpful."

"If you wanted to be a helpful friend, you would support my decisions. And you don't need force yourself to help me. I'm not a fucking charity case," I tell him, walking to the door.

"You could have fooled me," he countered back.

I didn't even reply, I just left, leaving my key inside. Not that he'd still want me to watch his apartment after I sounded so completely ungrateful. I don't know why I got so mad about what he said about Bella. He was probably just worried… he's a good person, unlike me. I put my head in my hands.

"Excuse me sir," I look up to see an older man. "But can I ask what you're doing?"

"Oh. I was just… my friend lives here," I try to explain. "I stay with him sometimes."

The man gives me a suspicious look. "Look. I've never seen you here before and if Anthony was goin' to have someone staying with him I think he would have told me."

"It's a newer arrangement. I only stay with him sometimes," I say standing.

The man takes a step back. "If you're trying to rob the people in this building it won't work. So you better just get out before I call the cops."

"Please, it's not like that," I try to explain.

"Go! Or I'll call the cops!" he shouts.

"Ok, ok," I say, standing.

I walk swiftly toward the stairway. Great, now what am I gonna do? I sigh and open the exit door. The sun has already set. I walk down the sidewalk think about what my next step should be. The first thing that pops into my mind is Bella. We've been dating for over a month now. I've gone to her house almost every day since her party, although things haven't progressed much from the kiss. It feels as though we're stuck somehow, like things can't move forward. At least not until…

I shake my head. There's no way I could tell her now. Not about me being jobless or homeless, and definitely not about Tanya, especially when Tanya's been spending so much time with her. Plus things are going really well at the flower shop. I'm still kind of an intern there, so I'm not getting paid much yet, but I should start working there full time in a couple days. So I'm not completely jobless. And I stay with Anthony a couple days a week, so I'm not completely homeless either. But still, I haven't progressed very much, and I'm not sure how much longer I can hide it from her.

I keep walking and turn the corner of the street, realizing I've been walking to the shelter, but it's already late and the doors have been closed for the night. Great, I think, now where am I gonna go? I think about walking to Bella's but then quickly change my mind. It would bring up way too many questions. I guess there's always the graveyard. I cross the street and head in the direction of the cemetery, letting my mind wonder.

Ever since I met Bella everything has been turning around. I can't believe I found a job after all this time. It may not be as glamorous as the office job I had before but it's still oddly satisfying. There's something about the look on a persons face as they're choosing out the perfect flowers for that special someone. Don't get me wrong though, I loved my old job. There was a lot of paperwork involved but I also got to go around visiting the various sites of the company.

The Denali Company oversees a lot of different non-profit organizations, but there main focus is in software services and publishing. At my old job I used to go around to the various departments of the office; collecting proposals, checking on progress, picking up and dropping off merchandise. I was somewhat of an errand boy but I worked directly under the CEO, so I was mostly doing work that he assigned me. I guess you could say that I was lucky. When I married Tanya I was promoted to a high position since she was the daughter of a CEO. It was a lot of paperwork along with the physical errand work. I had to do reports on the progress of the different division's for the boss to review. Oddly enough that job was satisfying. My new job at the flower shop is also satisfying though.

I smile thinking of my few interesting days there. Angela is sweet and always eager to help. As for my boss he is… well, he a little more hotheaded. His name is Phil, he used to be a minor league baseball player and retired early and decide to open the flower shop. He's bossy and hot tempered, but still oddly wise and kind in his own way. He's been working me nonstop for the past few days "assessing" my abilities. He hardly even yells at Angela, but when he does she just smiles and does what she's told.

"He may seem mean spirited," she said to me one day after he had scolded both of us for taking too long on an order, "but he cares in his own quirky way."

I smile again as I turn the corner, about three blocks away from the cemetery. I have just made it half way to the next turn when I hear screeching. I turn my head toward the sound and see a car has halted to a stop a few buildings down on the opposite side of the street. There are no other cars around so it wasn't an accident. Its Saturday so I suppose it could be drunk drivers. I shake my head and keep walking forward. I haven't thought about it till now, but what if those guys I fought back when I saved Bella were part of a gang or something. In fact we never found out if the cops found them. I doubt that's them though… I hope it's not them. I pick up my pace a little, but I see someone running across the street to where I am. I ready myself, but feel myself relax.

"Bella?" I breathe in relief and surprise. What hell is she doing out here?

"Edward," she says, slightly out of breath.

"God, Bella" I take a deep breath. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," She replies as she steps towards me, her words blending together a little.

Its then that I notice how flushed her face is. She stumbles slightly and I reach out to balance her. She holds onto my arms. "Bella, are you drunk?"

"No!" she hiccups. I look at her doubtful. "Fine, maybe a little."

"Maybe I should get you home," I say. Although I'd either have to walk her or carry her since I don't have a car.

"Oh, no. I'm here with Jasper and Alice," she nods, pointing to the car.

"Well, it's late," I tell her, as if it's not obvious. I hadn't noticed how long I had been walking.

"I need to talk to you," she says, taking a deep breath. "Wait, why are you out this late?"

"I… ummm," I start, trying to quickly come up with a good excuse, but thankfully I'm interrupted.

"Bella, What are you doing?!" I hear Alice yell. We look to the car. "Is that Edward? Hi Edward!"

"Is she drunk too?" I ask, unable to stop the laugh that escapes me.

"Oh yes," she laughs too. "We went clubbing."

"Sounds like you had fun," I smile.

"Ya, I guess," she responds. She takes a deep breath and stares at me for a moment. "Hey… Edward?"

I look at her, worried at her sudden mood change. "Yes Bella?"

"This is kind of embarrassing, so I'm going to say this fast. And if you feel the same way then you can says so, or say nothing, it's up to you. I just need to get this off my chest," She rushes. She takes a deep breath and continues. "I like you, Edward. And I mean really like you, and that's confusing for me. Especially since I have no idea what I'm doing or how I should process my feelings for you. And what's even more confusing is that I have no idea how you really feel about me."

She looks up at me and I can't help but feel guilty. I had no idea she felt like this. "Bella, I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to be sorry. That's not why I'm saying this," she shakes her head and takes a step closer to me, or bodies almost touching. I feel my heart beat faster at the close distance. "I know I probably just sound like a drunken idiot, rambling like this, but I need to know how you feel. I need to know if you think about me as often as I think about you. And I want to know if I'm the first person that you think of when you wake up in the morning and the last person you think before you go to sleep. And…"

She pauses, looking away. My voice is barely a whisper when I speak. "And?" I ask, completely captivated be her words.

"I want to know… if you're falling in love with me too," she says, her voice barely audible, I'm not sure I heard her right.

"Oh, Bella," I hug her, pulling her as close to me as possible. She melts into me holding me tightly. I smooth her hair and she clings to me tighter. I can't believe I went this long and never even gave her a clue about how I felt. I've been so preoccupied with trying to keep my secrets from her that I didn't even see that I was hurting her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," she whispers trying to pull away.

"No," I say pulling her back to me. "I'm sorry."

"Edward…" she starts.

"Of course I like you, more than like you. Who wouldn't fall in love with you?" I respond. I release her a little, but only enough to where I can see her face. She looks surprised and opens her mouth slightly to say something but I stop her, placing my lips on hers.

Tanya POV

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

That bitch… that bitch! I can't believe the nerve of that girl. What the fuck does he see in her? She's nothing special. She's not even pretty. I mean, how can go from me to that?

"Whoo! Go Bella!" Alice shouts out the window.

"Alice," Jasper says in a warning tone.

"Sorry," Alice giggles.

Bella and Edward break apart and he says something before giving her another kiss. She turns and runs back toward us, waving goodbye to him. When she gets into the car she's all smiles and it takes all I have not to ring her skinny little neck.

"So?" Alice inquires as Jasper starts to drive again.

"I probably won't be questioning him any time soon," she giggles, a blush spreading through her checks.

"So he's your boyfriend?" I ask, trying not grit my teeth.

She nods and a rush of annoyance floods through me. This cannot be happening. I mean, sure, maybe I was the one who asked for a divorce but it's only been a little over a year. The point of keeping him out of work for so long was to make him miserable enough to come crawling back to me, not for him to move on with someone else. Damn, I'm gonna have to get him back another way then.

"See you later, Tanya," Bella says once we reach her house.

"Bye," I force a smile and wave making my way next door. As soon as I enter my house I grab my phone and call the only person that I can think of.

It rings a few times before he answers. "Hello?"

"Damn it, where are you?!" I shout, my annoyance reaching its peak.

"W-what?" he stutters, obviously not expecting my outburst. "I told you, I had a conference."

"I don't fucking care about your work," I scream. "I gave you a simple fucking job."

"Tanya, what happened?"

"That little bitch is snaking her way into his life. She's ruining my plans," I say through my teeth, trying to control my anger.

"I'll come back tomorrow," he says. "I'll fix this."

I take a deep breath and turn on the charm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you," I say sweetly. "But the only way we can be together is if I can inherit my father's success. You want to help me don't you?"

"Of course I do, I understand."

"And you love me, don't you?" I add. I can practically hear him melt, pathetic.

"Of course. I will do my best to give you what you want," he says. "I'll call you when I get back tomorrow. Good night, Tanya."

"Thank you," I say. "And good night… Anthony."

So, What do you think? Were you surprised by the ending? I didn't want to give away to much at once, but I'm thinking the story might pick up a little more from this point. Your feedback is always welcome.

Tasha