BPOV

Edward was fast approaching my doorway, which was where Jacob and I were currently standing. The look on Edward's face was murderous, and I realized that I needed to get Jake out of my house as fast as humanly possible.

"Ah, Jake? This really isn't a good time to be talking about this," I said, looking at the ground. I didn't want to see Jacob's face when he saw Edward walk up to my house; the heartbreak that would be written all over his face would kill me.

Edward walked up to us and stood next to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. I looked up at him and saw that his perfect features were twisted into a large scowl-and the phrase "if looks could kill" fit perfectly into this scenario.

"Bells? Please? I have waited long enough; I just have to talk to you. Now. Can't you see that this is killing me?" Jacob said, willing me to look at him. His big brown eyes were brimming with tears and I felt a sharp tugging sensation originate from my chest and radiate all the way to the pit of my stomach. I couldn't take it, honestly- so I did the only thing that I could think of.

"Edward? Can I see you inside for a moment? And Jake? Will you stay here for just a second?" I said, as I grabbed Edward's arm and yanked him into my apartment. It was quite clear that he did not want to leave the space that Jacob was occupying but I wasn't going to leave him the choice. He had no real claim on me other than our "friend" status, and as a friend, he needed to understand that I needed to talk to Jacob right now.

"Edward, I need you to stay inside while I go out to talk to Jake. He needs closure, more than what our last night together gave him, and I want to do it now. Jake was my best friend and it is killing me right now seeing him the way he is at this moment. PLEASE behave, please remember that I am a big girl and please remember that I can handle myself around this man, okay?"

Edward gritted his teeth. "You wouldn't have been able to handle him on your own when he turned violent the last time."

"That's not true Edward. I have known Jacob all of my life, and I dated him for almost a year. Please understand that he has never 'turned violent' on me before."

Edward's mouth turned into a snide, disbelieving grin. "Why did he the night you broke up then?"

I balked. How do I answer that? "It probably had something to do with you being at my place when I was breaking up with him," I said, blushing as soon as I realized that admission had left my mouth.

"Me? Why did I provoke such a response?"

"Uh...um...because...Jake may have known at that time that I was completely and totally...besotted with you," I said, turning towards the door. I didn't want to have this conversation with Edward right now- I wanted to wait until it was a more romantic moment, not when there was a potential fight brewing between my ex-boyfriend and crush. Shit, I have the crappiest timing ever. Seriously.

My admission seemed to stun Edward for a moment. He shook his head to recover.

"Regardless, I still don't think that it's safe for you to be out there by yourself. Especially if I happen to be a trigger for his mean streak...remember, I am here; just like last time."

Damnit, he had a good point. Stupid beautiful man.

"Okay, how about you keep your phone on you. I will text you if I feel that things are escalating. Hell, give me five minutes...if I'm not back in that time, I give you permission to come out and rip Jake limb from limb. Sound good?"

This seemed to placate him, if only just a little bit.

"Bella, don't think that I won't be camped out right next to your door, waiting to jump on him at any moment if he lays a single finger on you," Edward said, following me to the door. He stayed back a bit to stay out of Jacob's line of sight when I opened the door, and for this, I was extremely grateful.

I opened the door, walked outside and was immediately met with Jake' now tear-stained face.

I felt like another tiny piece of my heart broke seeing Jake-big, strong, manly Jake-so broken, so helpless, so...sad. I had to get him out of here as soon as possible; I couldn't handle much more of this.

"Jake, you have five minutes," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and tilting my head to the left. The more I concentrated on my physical actions, the less I noticed that this man was on my doorstep, crying because of me.

Jake took a deep, unsteady breath. "Bella, I am sorry that I came here today. I have been trying to give you your space since we broke up-but I couldn't handle it anymore. I just had to come here to see you. No matter what you said last time, I refuse to believe that you and I were done."

"Jake, I don't know how to put this nicely, but we are done...without a doubt, you and I are finished. I meant everything that I said before."

He shook his head.

"I can't believe that all of the times that we shared together meant nothing to you."

I felt tears start to sting my eyes. He honestly wasn't playing fair at this moment, and I was starting to crumble.

"It's not that they meant nothing to me, it's that the moments hold a different kind of meaning for me. I value you so much as a friend Jake...and nothing more. Honestly, nothing more. Please, grasp that."

Jake shook his head again. I watched as his face turned from a look of sadness to a look of what can only be described as a look of...anger, as if a part of him snapped.

Shit, he was going to blow up at me now. I pushed his buttons too far this time. Why can't he just understand that I am not capable in loving him more than a friend? Damn my life, damn it to hell.

"You know what? Fuck you Bella. I gave you all of my heart, fuck you for breaking it."

"Jake, I am sorry. I am so, so sorry," I said, feeling the tears that had been welling up in my eyes, spill down my cheeks.

"Sorry doesn't undo the heartache. Sorry doesn't do anything for me right now."

I stood in front of him for a while, feeling the tears fall freely down my cheeks. We stood in silence, both of us being overcome with emotion.

Jake was the first one to speak up.

"Are you dating Cullen now?"

I honestly didn't know how to answer him. Shit, I wish we had talked about this further, I swear.

"I guess you could say that."

Jacob scoffed at me. "Are you in LOVE with him?"

Thinking for a second, I decided to answer truthfully. I had nothing more to hide from Jake; I didn't want him to hurt later on if he finds out that I lied to him. However, I didn't NEED to tell him the truth, the likelihood of anyone needing to find out how strongly I felt about Edward is very small, considering his "hostess phone number" antics today. I liked the idea of being truthful though, I didn't want to start lying to Jake when we had always been so honest with each other.

"Yes, I think that I am."

He laughed as he grabbed a hold of my right arm. "Good. I hope he rejects you the same way you rejected me. In fact, I am sure he will. He doesn't look at you the way I look at you. You will NEVER have anyone look at you the way I do. You deserve heartache, which you will get. You deserve that much," he said bitterly.

His words stung, because deep down inside I believed that's what was going to happen to me. I felt a new set of tears building up in my eyes and I decided that I needed to be inside my bedroom, under the comfort of my bed covers. NOW.

"Jake, that REALLY hurts. Please let go of me, now. We are done talking..."

I tried to wriggle myself free, but to no avail. Jacob had a strong hold on my arm at this moment, and he was starting to scare me.

"Jake, I am not kidding! Let me go, you idiot!"

I looked to the door just in time to see it open as Edward swiftly walked out. Jacob let go of my wrist and I threw myself at Edward, sobbing onto his shirt. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, embracing me into a tight hug.

"Jacob, I would suggest leaving now. I think that you have done enough to Bella for one night," Edward said with a growl.

Jake scoffed at Edward.

"I am not kidding Jacob. If you have any type of survival instincts at all, you would get the hell off this property. NOW."

I wrapped my hands into Edward's shirt and pulled myself as close to him as possible, trying to pretend that it was just Edward and I at this moment, pretending that my best friend didn't just air my biggest insecurity.

"Fine. However, this isn't over Bella. I'm not ready to give up on us just yet. I know that you and I are meant to be together, I just know it."

"Good luck with that Jacob. I would have to say that you are dumber than you look if you are going to continue perusing something that clearly isn't yours," was all that Edward said as he turned and pulled me back into my house, shutting the door behind us and locking it.

I collapsed on the floor of our entryway, taking into account exactly what Jacob said to me. I was doomed to love someone that didn't love me back; which is what I deserved after what I did to Jacob. The thought of unrequited love drove me into near hysterics as I continued thinking about how my heart was Edward's and it would always be his, even if he didn't feel for me the way I felt for him. I felt myself sinking into the deep pit of despair that I had fabricated for myself within my own mind.

I was brought back to the surface by Edward, who was shaking me gently.

"Bella? Bella! What happened? Bella! Did he hurt you?"

Still sobbing, I shook my head.

"N..n...no...I'm...f...fine," I said, between sobs.

Edward sat down on the floor with me and pulled me into a comforting hug as he stroked my hair.

We sat in that position for quite awhile, Edward comforting me and my sobs dying down, until I heard my phone ringing in the other room. The ring tone was "Circus" by Britney Spears, and I automatically knew that it was Alice who was calling. I slowly tried to pull myself off the floor to get my phone...because if I didn't answer it now, Alice would never stop calling me until I DID answer it.

I scrambled to my feet and reached my phone right before it went to voice mail.

"Hello?"

"Bella! What's wrong honey? Is everything okay? You sound like you have been crying! Is it Edward? Did he do something to you?"

"Ali! Take a breath!" I said, interjecting as soon as I heard a chance. "Everything's okay, honestly. It's just that Jake...came...over and said...some really...mean...things," I said, hiccupping and feeling a fresh round of tears reach the brim of my eyes. Talking about what is making me sad always makes me cry, especially when I am flustered, as I am right now.

"Bella, baby...I am so sorry. I was going to call and say that Rose and I won't be home until later cause we ended up taking a small road trip. However, if you want, we can turn around right now and make it back in an hour or so. I am so sorry honey, I should have called before we left to make sure that everything at home was okay before we drove anywhere...I feel like such a miserable excuse for a friend..."

"Alice. Shhhh. Edward is here with me right now. Hon, you aren't a bad friend...how can you even say that? It's not as if you knew that Jake was going to do that to me! Take it easy Ali; I will see you when you and Rose get home, okay?"

After a few more mumbled apologies from both Alice and I, I got off the phone. It really bothered me that Alice had put the weight of the situation on her shoulders...after all, it's not her fault in the least and it's not as if she can protect me from everything in the world. The world is a cruel place, and I was just lucky to have people in my life that made me ready and able to face how malicious it really is.

I walked back to the living room, which was where Edward had migrated during my phone conversation with Alice. I sat down on the opposite side of the couch as Edward, and noting that I did so, he scooted closer to me until our knees were touching. Another surge of energy passed through my body, caused by Edward's close proximity to myself. This caused a shiver to go up my spine, which alarmed Edward.

"Bella? Are you okay? I don't want to pry, but...honestly, are you okay?" Edward said, wrapping his arms around my back and pulling me closer to him. He gave me an encouraging squeeze on my shoulders, and I knew that I could trust him.

I sighed. Was I okay?

"Yeah, I guess I am okay...it's just...that conversation...was really hard on me," I said, not giving any specifics because I wasn't sure at this moment that Edward would want to hear them.

"Bella, did you want to talk about it? You know that I am here for you, right?"

I looked at Edward's glorious green eyes. They looked sad and...Very, very honest.

"Oh Edward, I don't..."

"You don't have to, Bella. I just want you to know that you can talk to me if you want. I was getting really worried there...the way you were crying...my heart was breaking for you."

I took a deep breath. "It's just...Jacob knows me better than anyone else in the world does. With that being said, he also...knows how to hurt me more than anything," I said, feeling a betraying tear slide down my cheek.

"Bella, what did he say to you?" Edward said, a stern tone to his voice.

"It's really nothing..."

"No, it's not 'nothing.' It really upset you! You cried...for a very long time Bella." Edward said, wiping the tear off my face. His touch was so gentle, so sincere...it was amazing.

"Jacob told me, in so many words or less, that the person that I...am in love with...will never love me back. And it's true! It's exactly what I deserve, especially after what I did to him! I deserve...to...be...alone!" I said, breaking out into full-fledged tears at this moment, crying so hard that I felt my temples start to throb.

Edward let me cry; probably scared to death by the way I had been reacting. Hell, I was scared by how dramatic I had been acting towards the situation, especially since Edward was there.

I should have been full-blown embarrassed that Edward was the only witness to my breakdown, but I wasn't. For some odd reason, I was COMFORTED by his being there for me, and instead of holding the tears back like I normally would have, I felt free enough to let myself succumb to the feelings that I was being overwhelmed by.

Once my tears had turned into soft whimpers, Edward spoke up.

"Bella, I don't think that I can speak for anyone else, but I can speak for myself.

And Bella, you are perfect...in every sense of the word. Moreover, whoever it is you fall in love with should consider himself the luckiest man in the world. If they don't return your feelings, then...then they don't deserve you. You deserve nothing but the best, Bella. And I mean that, Bella. I am not just saying that..."

I don't know what overcame me at that moment, but I couldn't let him finish his sentence. That had to be one of the sweetest things that anyone had ever said to me, and I was surmounted with emotion that I simply could not contain any longer.

I thrust my lips onto his with such intense emotion that surprised even me as I turned and straddled his lap, not pausing to let Edward react to the situation or let myself wuss out over how forward I was being. I didn't care; nobody says something like that to me and not expect me to react in some way, shape or form.

Surprisingly, Edward returned my kiss. With fervor, turning my not-so-chaste kiss into an even more not-so-chaste kiss.

I wrapped my hands through Edward's hair as I pulled myself closer to his chest. He started massaging my legs, which were on both sides of him, while my tongue begged entrance into his mouth.

He gave in immediately, and massaged my tongue with his own. He pulled my tongue into his mouth a little further, dominating my tongue, and lightly nibbled on it, which drove me absolutely crazy. I returned the favor with haste by pulling his tongue into my mouth and sucking very lightly on the tip, as if to hint towards taking this "make-out session" a step further.

A small moan escaped his lips, which heated me to my core, surely soaking me through completely with that small noise coming from his mouth. With renewed passion, I kissed Edward with more intensity as I wound my fingers into his gorgeous hair once more, giving it a slight tug, causing another moan to escape his lips.

This man was driving me absolutely nuts.

I let my mouth leave his as I lead a trail of kisses to his jawbone and then over to his earlobe. I pulled his lobe into my mouth and began sucking on it lightly as I felt Edward's hands leave my thighs to gently cup my ass. This development caused me to buck against his body, and I inadvertently felt his member throb against the inside of my thigh.

Seriously?!? Fuck me.

"Bella...we are...going to have to...stop...unless..." Edward said in between kisses.

I was faced with a decision that was going to be incredibly difficult for me to make on my own. Either I:

-Continue on, and let this situation naturally take course. After all, I may NEVER get a chance like this with the God-like Edward, ever again. OR

-Stop what we are doing and take things slowly. I didn't need Edward to think that I was a whore or anything along those lines.

The decision that I had to make made my head spin...but that wasn't the only response that I was getting from my body. Stupid fucking hormones.

"Damn...Edward...I don't know!" I exclaimed into Edward's neck as I trailed light kisses towards his chest. As soon as I reached the exposed part of Edward's chest, I placed a kiss at the top of his shirt and started unbuttoning his shirt.

The longer I put the decision off, the harder it was going to be to say no to continue doing what we were doing.

"Bella..." Edward said in a gravelly voice. "You...we...have to stop..."

I stopped unbuttoning his shirt and looked up at him from under my eyelashes.

"Bella...damnit, that's so hot...but honestly, we have to stop. I don't want this...us...to happen like this. I want it to be perfect and not some result from you crying your eyes out because someone hurt you. I want it to be a result of what we are, what we share. I care about you too much to let this go any further right now."

I pulled back from Edward and studied his face. "Wait, you care about me?" I asked, in a small voice, playing with the top button of his shirt.

"What? Of COURSE I care about you Bella. How can you even ask that? I thought that I made my intentions pretty clear earlier on when I took you out on a 'date.'"

"Well…yeah…you did. That is, until you took the hostess's phone number when we were leaving the restaurant. I saw you take it, and I saw you smiling when you got it. That reaction made it very clear in my mind that you were going to take her up on her offer," I said, looking down at the couch and trying to avoid eye contact with Edward.

Oh my gosh, I hope that this admission doesn't cause Edward to give up on our "relationship." Crap, crap, crap. I have SUCH a big mouth!

Instead of reacting the way I thought he was going to, Edward simply laughed.

"Silly Bella. As soon as I got that number, I threw it away in the ashtray that was placed right outside of the restaurant. I was smiling because of the way you reacted when the hostess gave me her number…you acted very possessive. It gave me hope, Bella. Hope that you just might like me…as much as I like you."

Edward grabbed my face between his two hands and pulled my face towards me, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Bella, I know that I said that I wanted to wait to talk about this…but I don't want to wait. I think that we need to talk…about us," Edward said.

I couldn't help it, but I suddenly realized that my heart was beating a million beats a minute.

A/N: Reviews are very much so appreciated!!

I was reading a story today when the author told her readers that she wouldn't update unless she got 30 reviews for the chapter. I literally laughed out loud…'cause if that were the case with my story, it would be dead in the water! Only two chapters in! :)

But seriously…thank you to all of you who reviewed not only the last chapter but all of the chapters thus far. It is because of you that I have an update for you all two days after my last one…SO THANK YOU!

In addition, I've said it once, I'll say it again…THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR READING THIS STORY! It's so crazy to me that someone else would want to read my crazy ass story…hope you have enjoyed it thus far!

Any input is much appreciated…I have enough ideas to have this story go on for awhile…any suggestions?