A/N: Thanks for reading and letting me know your thoughts on the story. Hope you enjoy this! I wrote like 7000 words for this fic yesterday so I'll be uploading the next few chapters fairly quickly over the next few days.

Enjoy!

Edward's POV

I wasn't exactly sure what 'later' meant. Did she mean an hour? Two? Three? Tomorrow?

God, it was so frustrating not being able to know her thoughts. If I could read her thoughts, I wouldn't be pacing the woods wondering if she really wanted to see me or if she was afraid of me or if she was going to report me to the police.

My stomach sunk guiltily at that. I wasn't Bella's teacher anymore. I wasn't doing anything wrong legally. I was biologically seventeen. I was physically still a teenager. Maybe that's why these feelings were so strong; they were the buds of a first love. It was nothing like I'd heard in my parent's heads. Their love was overwhelming and true but there was a maturity around the way Carlisle and Esme loved each other.

But this erratic, irrational compulsion I had for Bella felt like nothing I'd seen or heard or read about before. Even with my siblings—

"OH MY GOD!" Alice's voice squealed in the distance.

I sighed and waited as Alice covered kilometres between us in seconds. She bounded to a stop before me, her small face bright with excitement. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" Alice shrieked, bouncing up and down on her heels and grabbing my arms. "I'm so happy for you!"

I rolled my eyes and let Alice pull my arms up and down a few times until I pulled away. "What did you see?"

Alice grinned widely and showed me her thoughts: she'd seen Bella and I in the truck hugging… the sky darkening… tightening of arms.

My body ached to be back with Bella.

I shook my head vigorously away from both thoughts. "Alice, I don't… understand what's happening," I admitted.

"I do!" she shrieked, her pale face glowing with glee. "YOU'RE IN LOVE!"

I gaped at her. "What?" I scoffed. "You can't know that! How would you know that? I haven't even said – I don't even know that—I mean, I like being around Bella but I don't—"

"Aw, look. You're blabbing. That's a sign of being enamoured too!" Alice grinned and suddenly her honey eyes glazed over as she showed me more of her visions: me, staring sadly out my bedroom window for countless nights; me, waiting in the woods behind Bella's window; my hand twitching towards Bella's in the truck today; me, waiting for Bella to summon me to her house tonight—

"Enough," I said roughly.

Alice stopped. She surveyed me with curious eyes. "So? What's the plan?"

"Plan?" I repeated, confused.

"She's human. You're vampire. What are you going to do about it?" Alice's voice was all business.

I shook my head at her. "Nothing."

"But you love her."

"That's not a good enough reason."

Alice stared at me in confusion. "You have to change her someday."

"No." I spat.

She raised her brows. "Yes."

"No," I growled.

"Yes," Alice growled back.

"I can't," I refused. "She's…she's…"

"She's everything you never knew you needed?" Alice surveyed me gleefully. "God, it's so great seeing you lost for words, Mr. Know-It-All."

"Stop it. It's not like that."

"Edward, I saw you two together. There wasn't even a threat of it going any other way today!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Not even a flicker?" my voice was barely audible.

Alice shook her head. "Edward, you've never been so sure of anything like this before. There wasn't even the possibility you'd hurt her; and believe me, I checked. Can't have you hurting my only friend in this town, now can I?"

I could only stare at my sister in shock. There wasn't even the possibility you'd hurt her. Euphoria swelled inside me.

Alice's smirk softened into a smile. "Bella's still a bit confused over things that have been happening lately, but I don't think it'll take her that long to catch up."

"She can't," I realised, all happiness suddenly disappearing.

"What?" Alice scoffed. "Edward, have you looked in a mirror—"

"No, not that," I cut her off impatiently. "Alice, there's no future for us. She's human."

"So change her," Alice said again, and just then she began searching the future—

"No!" I nearly roared.

Alice flinched and stopped. "What?"

"I'm not ending her life for her," I growled.

Alice stared at me in disbelief. "So what? You'll stay with her until she dies?"

Alice's words were a blow against my chest. "No," I said in a strangled voice. Bella couldn't die. The world without Isabella Swan?

But she would—it was natural. It was how her life was meant to be. I wasn't going to change her.

"She doesn't feel the same," I said, "so this conversation is irrelevant."

"Oh please, no one spends the entire day in the arms of a guy they don't like." Alice looked at me like I was the dumb kid in class. "For a fairly perceptive guy, you're incredibly thick when it comes to your own love-life."

I glowered at her. "This is ridiculous."

Alice nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, you are!"

I shook my head. "Go away. You're so annoying."

Alice stuck her tongue out. "Enjoy your evening," she flashed an image of Bella and me talking in her room.

My stomach lurched.

Before I could whack Alice, she ran away laughing.

I raked my hand through my hair as I mulled over our conversation. If Bella did begin to feel the same…

What had I gotten myself into?

I couldn't condemn Bella to my lifestyle –but she was damned either way. I couldn't give her a normal life.

What if it was just a crush for her? She had been crying over Jacob only the other night but those feelings hadn't stopped her from laying in my arms all day—

Low blow. That was a douchebag remark for me to make. I was the one who'd started all this – whatever this was.

I groaned and kicked out at a tree that split at the trunk and tumbled to the forest floor.

I looked at the helpless, broken oak and apologised out loud. I'd been knocking down too many of those since I'd met Bella.

I'd never given any thought to what I'd have to do if Bella reciprocated any interest in me. This whole thing was ludicrous, a dream! I'd been so caught up in how I felt and whether I was strong enough to not drain her blood… I'd never stopped to think what would happen if she reciprocated my feelings.

But now I was awake and faced with the unshakeable responsibility of having to fix this mess.

Bella couldn't feel how I felt. Alice was right – vampires were built to attract humans. It was how we fooled them into coming closer; letting us take the kill. I knew Bella found me attractive. I didn't need to hear her thoughts for that confirmation.

But I couldn't… I didn't…

Damn it! How had this all gotten so serious, so fast?!

I looked eastwards in the direction of Bella's house. Her father was making food in the kitchen while Bella's steady heartbeat pulsed in her bedroom.

What did she think of me now? I'd all but confessed to her in that car that I lo—

I needed to leave. And this time, I couldn't come back. Ever.

Yes. That was the right thing to do.

So why weren't my legs moving?

I sighed and slumped against a tree. Of all the women in the world, I had to fall for the one I couldn't have.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there contemplating what to do and listening to the sounds coming out of Bella's house. She'd skipped dinner with her father and stayed in her room, mostly. He'd gone in to wish her goodnight, immense worry emanating out of him in waves. Poor guy.

The sky above the green canopy of leaves began to darken until nothing but the black night lay above me. I didn't want to leave her. But it was what was best for her.

"Edward?"

I froze as Bella Swan's uncertain, soft voice carried its way through the cold, night air.

"Edward?" Bella spoke again, breathing out of pace as she shoved her window all the way up. "This is weird. I'm not sure where you are or if you can really hear me so this is going to get awkward fast if you don't turn up now."

I couldn't help but laugh but it faded quickly.

Perhaps I should go and say goodbye. She deserved that much, at least.

I wanted that much.

And more.