The Morning

Bella was confused when she first woke up on Monday morning. It took her a few moments to realize she was in her bedroom, lying against Edward's side. His arm was underneath her with his hand curled gently around her hip. Memories of the night before came rushing back. She felt her face heat as she thought of what his hands and lips, among other things, had done to her and buried her face further into his chest. His skin was soft and warm against her cheek.

The air mattress had deflated during the night, and the hard floor had taken its toll on Bella's body. Slowly, she stretched and flexed the muscles in her back and legs, careful not to move too much. She wasn't ready to get up and didn't want to wake him. She lifted her head to look at the clock. There was still a few minutes before her alarm was set to go off.

Bella risked a glance at Edward's face. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully. She rested her head against his chest again, feeling her body rise and lower slightly with each slow breath he took. Her eyes scanned his body, which was bare except for the sheet covering his groin and the leg closest to her. The rest of the covers were wrapped securely around her; she always had been a blanket hog.

She reached out to place her hand on his stomach, but the blankets shifted as she moved, revealing more of Edward's skin. She gasped when she laid eyes on what the dark room had concealed the night before.

Peeking out of the blankets, nestled on the inside of his hip bone, was a loop of black ink. Bella had completely forgotten that Edward mentioned having a tattoo. She pinched the sheet between her fingers and slowly lifted it.

"See something you like?"

Bella yelped and abruptly pulled her hand away. Edward chuckled softly when he saw her shocked expression.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough."

Once again, Bella hid her face against Edward's chest.

"You can look at it if you'd like."

Bella studied his face. His expression was serious, but there was mischief behind his eyes. Her gaze traveled back to his hip. Edward pushed the blankets away just enough to reveal the tattoo. Bella reached out and traced the treble clef with her thumb. Edward tilted his face toward the ceiling and sighed.

"I love it when you touch me." Edward couldn't contain his smile as Bella's cheeks turned pink. He rolled on top of her, pinning her to the flattened mattress. "I love your blush." He kissed her cheek. "I love kissing you." His lips traveled to her neck. "And I love . . . being with you." He shifted his hips to accent his words.

"Edward . . ." Bella knew what he wanted, even without the minimal coverage of the thin sheet giving it away. "I have school, and you shouldn't be late for work."

"I can be quick," he said playfully.

Bella opened her mouth to tease him about just how quick he could be, but decided better of it. "Maybe if you didn't already break my bed . . ."

"Me?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, you." She pushed her palm softly against his shoulder. "We should really get up."

When Edward rolled to the side, Bella gathered the sheet around her and stood before making her way to the door. Edward told himself Bella was just being her normal, responsible self, but as he lay alone in her room, he couldn't help the way her rejection caused his heart to sink.

o.O.o

When Edward arrived at work, his anxiety level was running high. Carlisle knew about his past, so he wasn't worried that he'd lose his job now that the truth was out, but he knew word traveled fast. He refused to keep the job, no matter how much he liked it, if his coworkers were going to alienate him. He took a deep breath before pushing through the front door.

Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Jasper standing at his usual spot behind the checkout counter. He kept his eyes on the floor, not bothering to look up for Jasper's signature nod. He knew Rose wouldn't be in yet, as she typically worked in the afternoons and on weekends. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the warehouse unacknowledged.

Edward set to work for the day. He cleaned the warehouse and put away the shipments that arrived over the weekend. He took his time, feeling guilty for not being as efficient as usual but not wanting to have any awkward interactions with his coworkers. When he couldn't avoid it any longer, he decided to restock the accessory shelves, hoping he would go unnoticed in the aisles.

The door to Rose's piano room was closed when he walked passed it, meaning she was currently giving a lesson. He glanced at the clock and wondered how long she would be inside. For a brief moment, he considered looking up her lesson times in order to avoid her more easily, but that would mean possibly conversing with Jasper.

He kept his head down as he continued his job duties on the showroom floor. He was in the process of dusting the percussion instruments when there was a soft touch on his shoulder. He jumped but quickly composed himself when he heard Rose's voice.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?" His response was aloof.

"Look, I uh . . ." She dropped her voice further. "I wanted to apologize."

"About what?"

Rose could tell by Edward's tone that he wasn't playing dumb and quickly took the hint. She shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. "Um . . . nothing. Never mind."

Edward nodded and continued wiping the dust off the instruments, relieved when she walked away without another word.

"Edward," Carlisle said as he breezed past. "My office, please, when you have a moment."

Edward's heart was suddenly very heavy. He dropped the rag into the pail of various cloths and polishes and followed Carlisle into his office. Carlisle sat behind his desk and gestured toward the door. Edward closed it before taking a seat on the opposite side of the desk, wondering if today was going to be his last day on the job.

"How was your date last night?"

It wasn't the question Edward expected. His jaw dropped and he sputtered. "What?"

"Or, you know"—Carlisle waved his hand dismissively—"whatever you want to call it."

Edward took a moment to process what he was asking. This conversation was a far cry from terminating his employment. Perhaps, he thought, Carlisle was just making small talk to cushion the blow.

"It was good. Great."

"Glad to hear it." Carlisle gave a genuine smile for the first time since they entered the small office, but it quickly faded. "Jasper said the alarm wasn't set when he opened the store this morning."

Edward smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. He had been distracted by playing for Bella and the conversation that followed, and without having done it before, setting the alarm slipped his mind.

"God, Carlisle, I'm so sorry! I—" He didn't know how to explain without sounding irresponsible.

"It's okay. No harm done. I'm sure it was an oversight. I just want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It won't," Edward promised.

"Good, because I'm putting you in charge of closing the store from now on."

Edward watched Carlisle closely, waiting to get the joke. "You what?"

"I'd like you to lock up at night. Only if you're comfortable with it, of course," he added.

"Me? Why?" Edward winced once the words were out of his mouth. He didn't want to come across as ungrateful. "I mean, you have Rose and Peter and Charlotte. They've worked for you a lot longer than I have."

Carlisle shrugged. "It's an important task. It should go to someone who wants the responsibility."

Edward did want it. He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to know there were people willing to see him for the man he was now, not the criminal who spent a third of his life in prison. "I'd love to, but my meetings . . ."

"I know you can't do it on weekends; I'll take care of it on those days. I'd also like to nail down your schedule so it's the same every week. I was thinking ten to six Friday to Sunday, and one to close for two days during the week. Do you have any days in particular you'd like off?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays," Edward answered without hesitation.

Carlisle produced a calendar from his drawer. He concentrated on it for a few moments before scribbling some notes across it. "That should work. Now according to this, your probationary period is up next week, and all the full-time employment benefits will be available to you. Are you still interested in health insurance?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. I'll get you the paperwork this week." Carlisle jotted down more notes. "I think that's all for now. Go ahead and finish your scheduled shift today. I'll see you in here Wednesday at one."

The men stood and shook hands.

"Thank you for having faith in me," Edward said. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Carlisle said with a smile. "Oh, and one more thing. Have Jasper start training you on the register before you leave today."

Edward felt sick to his stomach as he walked back onto the showroom floor, not knowing how Jasper would act toward him. He waited until Jasper was done helping a college-age kid pick out a guitar and took a deep breath as he approached the registers.

"Do you have a minute?"

Jasper briefly looked up from what he was doing behind the counter. "What's up?"

"Carlisle wants you to show me how to use the register."

"Oh." Jasper sounded mildly surprised. "Sure, okay. Just give me a second." He picked up the piece of paper he'd been writing on and began to cut slits in the bottom. Edward tried to mind his own business, but curiosity got the best of him.

"Selling something?"

"Huh? Oh this? Nah, I'm looking for a roommate." Jasper stopped cutting, and his head snapped up. "You aren't looking for a place to live, are you?"

"Me? No." The answer came automatically. When Jasper shrugged casually and kept cutting, Edward started to think about what he actually implied. "But if I were looking . . . are you saying you'd consider me for a roommate?"

"Why not?"

"Even after . . ."

Jasper snorted through his nose as his face broke into a grin. The light-hearted expression was an odd contrast to the dark makeup and piercings. "No offense man, but what's the worst you got? Death by awkward conversation?"

Edward didn't try to hide his smile. "Probably." He started to think about what Bella had said the night before. She seemed reluctant to be in a relationship with him while living under the same roof, and although Edward didn't share her concerns, he didn't want to discount them. He had said he would move out if she were worried about it, and he meant it. Besides, after being rejected this morning, he worried she might change her mind about the whole thing anyway. "Actually, I may be in the market for a new place, but there's someone I have to talk to first, and I don't know how soon I could make the move." Even if Bella wanted him to leave, there was still the issue of his parole. All address changes had to be approved by Officer Evenson prior to the move.

"How soon would you know?" Jasper set the flyer on the counter. "I can probably wait a month or so to put this up, if you're interested I mean."

Once again today, Edward was taken off-guard. He couldn't believe Jasper would put his roommate search on hold for him. "I don't want to hold you up. If someone comes along . . ." Edward shrugged.

"Fair enough." Jasper gestured for Edward to step behind the counter. "Come on," he said. "I'll show you how to run this thing."

o.O.o

Bella ferreted through her purse, searching for her cell phone. She could tell by the ringtone that Jake was calling.

"Hey," she answered breathlessly.

"Hey, yourself." There was a short pause. "You training for a marathon or something?"

"No," she said indignantly. "I'm taking the stairs."

"Are you running up them?"

"No! Okay, maybe I'm a little bit out of shape," she admitted.

"Sounds like someone's been doing too much partying."

"I wish. I haven't gone out in forever." Bella reached her apartment. Once inside, she tossed her purse on the counter and collapsed on the couch. "So," she began, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"My class was canceled, and since you're a slacker and only have two classes this semester, I thought you could help me pass the next fifty minutes."

"Very funny. Spend the next three summers earning course credits and then call me a slacker."

"I don't know what good it did you. It's not like you're graduating early or anything. Do you even know what you're going to do yet?"

Bella's anger flared. "No, I don't," she said pointedly. "Can we talk about something else please?"

"Sure." Jake thought for a moment before asking, "So how'd the date go?"

"Fine." Her anger quickly subsided, replaced by a strange combination of elation and anxiety.

"What did you do?"

"Edward took me to dinner and a movie. Then he showed me where he works." Bella spared her friend the more intimate details of the evening.

"Did he kiss you?" Jake drew out the word, singing it in a teasing manner.

Bella felt her embarrassment rising, but she wasn't going to let him get the best of her. "As a matter of fact, he did. Jealous?"

There was a beat of silence. When Jake spoke, his voice took on a serious tone. "Yes."

Bella's mouth dropped open, and she silently choked on words that wouldn't come out. She looked around her apartment frantically, but nothing she saw helped her formulate a reply. "Jake—"

"Come on, Bella. How could I not be jealous? Edward's so dreamy!"

Bella growled into the phone.

"Gotcha, didn't I?"

"Shut up!" She felt silly for falling for it in the first place. "Paybacks are a bitch, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

This time, it was Bella's turn to become serious. "I really like him." Normally she didn't talk about boys, especially to Jake, but he understood her better than almost anyone.

"That's . . . unusual."

"Tell me about it. I just feel like . . . I don't know. It's weird. I've never felt this way about anyone, but a little voice in my head is telling me one of us is going to get hurt."

Being privy to Edward's circumstances, Jake couldn't have agreed more. "Isn't that the risk in any relationship?" he asked, hoping to offer her some comfort. "I think you're thinking too hard. Quit being such a girl."

Bella snorted. "Is that your great advice? Don't overthinking it? Stop acting like a girl?"

"I'll send you the bill."

Edward walked in the door just as Bella let out a hearty laugh. He gave her a curious look.

"Hey, Jake, I gotta go."

"But I still have forty minutes to kill! Wait a minute. Lover boy is home, isn't he?" The silence on the line told Jake all he needed to know. "I see how it is. Give lover boy a kiss for me." Jake began making kissy noises into the phone.

"Jake," Bella warned. The kissing noises continued. "Bye, Jake." Can't wait till you get a date, she thought as she hung up on him.

Edward approached where she was sitting on the couch. Bella stood to greet him. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Hey."

Slowly, Edward reached out his arms and placed his hands on Bella's waist. When she didn't move away, he pulled her body against his and wrapped his arms around her. He sighed against her hair, expelling all of the day's anxiety and stress from his body. "I missed you," he whispered.

"You just saw me this morning."

"I know." Edward leaned down. Their lips met for a brief kiss, and he smiled. "I've been waiting to do that all day."

In the entire time that they had known each other, Bella had never seen Edward looking as relaxed and happy as he did in that moment. Her heart soared knowing she was the reason why. Standing on the tips of her toes, she hugged his neck and pressed her lips to his once more.

Edward held back the words he was afraid to say. He squeezed her tightly, trying to tell her with his body how much he cared for her. He didn't want to think of a life without her, and in that moment, he knew there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for the girl in his arms.