A/N: Hopefully some of you are still out there with me. I had writer's block and I seem to be getting over it now.

SM owns the people...I own their words. Enjoy!

Chapter 21 - Anger Time

The liquid sloshes in the bottle as he slams it down on the center table.

He rises from the couch, stumbling slightly. Edward doesn't drink until he's drunk, at least never before today.

"You haven't answered my question, Bella. Where the hell have you been all evening?" His speech is slurred, but intense.

"I…I was at my dad's." He stalks toward me and I take a step back with each of his. At this rate, I'll be against the door pretty soon.

"With Peter," he mumbles, stopping in his tracks. He drops to the love seat. His head falls to his palms, and it takes me a while before I realize the shaking of his shoulders is because he's crying.

"I deserve this. I cheated on Riley with you, and now you're cheating on me with Peter."

Cheating with Peter?

"Edward, what are you talking about? I didn't cheat on you. I would never cheat on you."

"Oh, no? Then explain to me why you left my parent's house to be with your ex and you've been gone all night." He's yelling again, and it makes me angry. I haven't done anything wrong here. He's the one that crossed the line today, not me.

I know that he's drunk, and probably won't remember this conversation in the morning, but I'm unable to hold my tongue. All the thoughts that have been swirling in my head all evening come rushing out and I'm unable to stop them.

"You have some nerve accusing me of cheating when you were all over Riley today in front of me and your family. Minutes after telling everyone you want to be with me, you're holding him and whispering in his ear. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you even know how that made me feel? How confused your family looked after the announcement we made today? You wanted me to hang around and witness more of that? You wanted me to sit and watch Riley gloating over being able to manipulate you? I was so angry, I didn't even realize what he was doing until I'd run out of the room. But you let him…you let him take advantage of the situation. Yes, it was bad timing on our part to tell everyone and yes, I knew people would be hurt. I didn't expect either one of them to be okay with hearing what we've been doing. You know what I didn't expect most of all?"

It's a rhetorical question and I don't expect him to answer. Particularly since it seems all of what I'm saying is going over his head. He briefly recovers from the shock of my outburst and responds.

"For me to hug Riley?"

"No, Edward. You didn't just hug Riley. You consoled him. You treated him like your lover, as if he was the one you had wrapped in your arms this weekend. As if his lips were the ones you longed to kiss."

I don't miss the tears collecting in his eyes as he looks at me. This is third time I've seen him cry. The first was when his grandmother died; the second was during the James fiasco and now this. I caused this. I've now placed myself up there with losing the person most important to him, and almost being killed by someone he loved.

I'll add it to my list of endless fuckups as of late.

A lone tear rolls down his face, and I feel bad for making him cry.

"I didn't know you would view me consoling a friend as turning my back on you, Bella." His anger is gone replaced by sorrow. "I thought we were beyond that."

I sigh before moving to the couch.

"Can't you see that I still don't understand why you want me? Why you would leave him to be with me? Not to mention that you've been gay since we met and now you say you're not anymore."

He looks at me with shock and awe. "Jesus Christ, Bella, you can't be serious. Did I not declare my love for you in this very room, and followed through by showing it?"

He doesn't appear drunk anymore, but will he remember this in the morning? Do we dear hash this out and find resolution tonight, whatever it may be.

One of the reasons I ran from this…me and Edward as a couple, as anything more than friends, was my fear of things ending badly. I could lose my best friend. It's that thought that has my heart beating rapidly in my chest. It's the reason my palms are now sweaty.

It's the reason I dread our next words.

This is our first real fight as a couple and it could be our last.

I struggle to find the words to tell him this is more about me, than it is about us. These are my insecurities. My fear of losing him that brought on most of what happened today.

I can see the hurt in his eyes; he can't believe I doubt him, doubt us. Though didn't he do the same thing just minutes ago?

It dawns on me then...we have bigger problems than my insecurities and Riley's manipulation.

We don't trust each other.

How can this work if neither one of us has trust in the other?

A/N: Not sure when the next update will be. My beta and I have a difference of opinion on what should happen next. She'll most likely get her way because she's very persuasive. I'll try not to make it too long.