EPOV

As I was ready to pound again I heard a noise, it sounded like a gasp and I knew she was there, on the other side. I felt her presence through the door, the magical current running through me.

"Bella open the door!"

Nothing.

"Bella I know your there, I can feel you through the door. Now open up unless you want to give your neighbors a show!"

I heard the lock and the deadbolt and then she opened the door quickly.

"Get in!" she hissed.

I went in through the door and fuck me senseless, she was in a robe. Her sweet scent was everywhere and my throat was closing up on me.

"Bella, why didn't you answer my last text? Or my latest phonecalls? I called Alice, Rose, Emmet and I even called Angela to see where you were!"

She gaped at me as if I was crazy. Maybe I was. It was solely her doing though.

"Are you insane? I'm a grown woman and I do not need you checking up on me!"

"Jesus woman! I was worried!" I pulled my hair.

She straightened up and pulled her shoulders back. "I don't need your worry. I have been taking care of myself for over 5 years now."

It stung as hell but she was right, I needed to calm the fuck down and she needed to put some fucking clothes on! "Ok, you're right, I'm sorry. It's none of my business but I still worry. Now can you please put some clothes on and come back out here so we can talk?"

"Eeeh….suuure… I'll just….be a moment…" she blushed scarlet and bolted for what I assumed was her bedroom.

Oh god, her bedroom. I had to diffuse this train of thought. My cellphone rang and gave me that exact excuse.

"Cullen."

"Mr Cullen, this is Eric. I parked the car on the parallel street but I'm surrounded by pappz. I'll have to leave and perhaps be back later."

"Shit!" I pulled my hair. What the fuck! I didn't think before I came here. I had to think of something fast or I would expose Bella.

"Just leave Eric. I'll call for another car or have Felix deal with this. Hopefully I'll be here a while and they'll grow bored. I'll call you later."

Shit, shit, shit, shit. What was I going to say to Bella? I had to be honest. But that would put a huge tree in the road for our conversation. I would tell her. Just not right now.

At that moment Bella came out of her bedroom in jeans and a band t-shirt. A Led Zeppelin t-shirt. Huh, who would have thought that could be sexy?

Her hair was still damp and she sat down on the couch.

"So… Would you like a drink? I have beer, coke, water and maybe some juice…" she said timidly.

"Yeah a coke would be great."

She left the room and went in to the kitchen. I followed her because she was like a magnet and I couldn't control myself around her.

As she closed the fridge she spotted me. "Shit you scared me!"

"Sorry…" I stepped closer to her. "You smell lovely"

"Eeeh thanks…Here's the coke." She thrust a can of coke in to my chest and stepped around me trying to leave.

I sighed and followed her to the living room, sitting at the other side of the couch.

"So…why would you do that Edward? The article?"

I sighed. Ok here goes nothing.

"I had a long talk with Em. And he knocked some sense into me. I am so sorry Bella, for taking away your choice. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." She whispered.

"That summer, I mean, yeah you were only 16 but… What did you feel?"

She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes as if contemplating if she should answer.

"The first moment I met you it was as if everything clicked in to place. As if my bones were broken and the sight of you put them back in place… It's so hard to explain. I thought everybody felt like this the first time they fell in love. But it was so intense. I couldn't function until I found out you felt the same. And then it was like… like coming home after a long journey… I learnt so much about myself that summer. You made me feel beautiful and talented and you changed me." She took a long sip from her coke.

"I had never felt that way and when you left I was sure you would call. When you didn't for the first 2 weeks I knew. I knew it was over and you wouldn't come back. I was heartbroken and devastated and I cried for so long. But then I pulled myself together, tried to move on and I started to work hard in school so I could get a full scholarship. When I graduated I went to NYU and followed my dream of photography. Me, Alice and Rose started the magazine and here I am right now."

Wow ok, that was a lot to take in. But she said she tried to move on. Not that she had succeeded.

"Bella can I tell you my version?"

"Please." She whispered. I knew she had to be scared.

"I came to visit Alice and Emmet and it was great. The day you came by the house it was as if I was pulled from upstairs to the door. I could feel you Bella. And then I saw you and I knew. This is the girl. You were it for me." Now it was my turn to take a moment and sip the coke. It was hard talking about it when she was so close and still so far away.

"I asked Em and Alice about you and found out you were 16. I tried to take it slow and I could, because I knew we had forever. But then I learned how inexperienced you were, when I got to know you and I thought that I was robbing you of the whole high school and college experience. So I decided that I would leave as planned after the summer and wait until you were old enough to want the same things I wanted. I pursued my dreams of singing and songwriting and I became very successful as you know." At this I smirked a little. Yeah I was a cocky son of a bitch.

"But I was a mess because I missed you. I wanted to go back and just take you with me but I kept telling myself it was for your own good. I did some stupid shit…" I didn't know how she would react to this and I was scared shitless about telling her.

"I tried blocking you out with drugs and alcohol…" she gasped and put her hand to her mouth, I looked down and started tracing the pattern in the fabric of the couch.

"It didn't work. I was high and started hallucinating and saw you, you were talking to me and you were laughing and I started getting fucked up just to spend that time with you in my head. It was sick and I dragged myself out of it by making up my mind. I was going to get you back. I started to work hard so I would be successful and bought a house that I thought you would like. I saved up all my money so I could shower you with gifts and so we could have something saved up when we were old and you know… I just planned out a future for us. It kept me focused. And I waited, I was just waiting for you." I looked her in the eyes as I said this, pleading with my gaze to make her see the sincerity behind it.

"Then uncle Carlisle told me you girls had come out to L.A. and I thought I wanted to give you the opportunity to find a life for yourself before I begged you to be mine again. My life is a fucking circus and I wanted you to be independent and strong before you had to face all this…if you even wanted to face all this."

I sighed and pulled my hair, the pain was good, it distracted some of the pain in my heart.

"So I went on tour, for an entire year. I had nothing keeping me here if I didn't have you and I had to keep myself away. And then I found out you were getting established and I knew you would be world famous if I started pursuing you again and I also knew how stubborn and independent you are. I knew you would want to be Bella Swan, famous photographer before you became Bella Swan, Edward Cullens girlfriend…. But then I just couldn't keep myself away, I could feel your presence here and it drove me mad."

I looked up to look her in the eyes, she was crying, silent tears streaking her beautiful face.

"Shh baby, don't cry… Please don't cry. I love you and I'm so sorry. I understand why you're mad and why you hate me. I hate me!" I stroked her cheek and had to close my eyes from the intense pleasure that was rushing through me of finally touching her. She had the most astounding effect on me.

"Say something…" I whispered while looking her in the eyes and cupping her cheek. A smile broke through on her face, it wasn't big but it was there and my heart soared because in that moment I knew she wasn't lost to me forever. I had a chance.

"I was just thinking… I should be mad at you and I guess I am. But it feels as if I've come home. You're home to me…"