AN: I don't own Twilight

Back again. So, Eclipse is so close, are you guys getting excited? Anyone going to a midnight showing? Did anyone pick up the soundtrack? My favorites are Eclipse (all yours), Neutron Star Collision, Heavy in Your Arms, Chop and Change, Rolling in on a Burning Tire, and Let's Get Lost. Needless to say, I love it.

Chapter 37
It took me a minute to realize where I was in the morning when I woke up, but as soon as I felt Bella stir in my arms the small amount of what happened last night came back to me. I raised the arm that was resting around her to run my fingers through her hair, causing her to snuggle closer to my side, inhaling deeply in her sleep.
The morning light coming through the partially open curtains behind Bella hit her perfectly, making the red in her hair stand out in comparison to the shadow cast over her face due to the position of her body.
I turned over onto my side, careful to slide Bella's head onto the pillow I was laying on. I kissed her forehead, the part of her body at equal level with my lips, and put my hand on her cheek, stoking soft circles in her skin with the pad of my thumb. She smiled in reaction, scooting close enough to me that I could easily feel her even breathing on my neck.
Bella stirred slightly, making sleep infested grunts until her eyes slowly eased open, at first cringing at the morning light seeping through the crevice in the covering. A small smile played on her lips as she looked up at me, maneuvering in an odd way that could only be her attempt at stretching.
"How long have you been up?" she asked, her voice gravelly.

"Not long," I whispered back, lifting my hand off her hip to correct the position of her mussed hair.
She settled back, making a humming sound as I raked my hand through her tangled locks.
"Wouldn't it be nice, having this all the time?" she whispered, seeming hopeful that her innocent inquiry would lead nicely into another conversation.
"What are you thinking about, Bella?" I countered, searching for the truth behind her banter. She usually had a motive behind any random inquiries of opinion.
"I was wondering if you…wanted to-to move into this room with me. I mean, we could have more alone time and be able to do things more solely as a couple." She was clearly fearing rejection, hence her babbling and evasive eyes. However, I also caught on to the fact that she was being bolder by flat out offering what she wanted.
"Bella," I sighed before she could go into another round of hysterical nonsense. She instantly stiffened when she caught my tone; she knew me as well as I knew her and she could tell by my tone what my answer was. "I'm not saying no because I don't want to be close to you; you would have to be insane to think anything like that," I began, running my fingers through her hair, hoping that touching her would make her understand just how factual that statement was. "I just want to make sure that we don't rush into anything, even if we've already done it all. Plus, Ashley is just starting to adjust to me living here at all, and I don't want to upset that because I'm now in the room with her mom."
Bella released an exasperated sigh and kept her eyes locked on the piece of string fringing off her purple comforter.

"Bella, talk to me." I forced her chin up, making her look at me. Her eyes were sort of glazed over with the new formation of tears, but the reason was unknown to me; more often than not Bella didn't cry out of sadness.

"I feel like an idiot," she sputtered out and clunked her fist down angrily on the other side of her. I inclined my head to put my forehead against hers- my hands were still in place under her chin so she couldn't look away- and I slid my nose against hers.

"Bella, don't be silly. I understand exactly where you're coming from; I want to be with you in every way too, but we have to be more responsible and put Ashley first."

Unfortunately my words had the opposite affect; instead of her nodding in understanding and cleaning up her tears, she began to cry harder.

"Bella, shh. Calm down," I crooned, trying to get her to a place where she could explain to me what the problem was. I stroked her hair as her salty tears soaked the cotton sleeve of my black t-shirt.

Once her sobs slowed, I finally was able to inquire the reasoning behind her sudden emotional out-burst.

"Why did you get so upset?"

"I just feel…stupid. Again. Because everything you said makes perfect sense and if I would've actually thought about it then I wouldn't have asked and saved myself from being embarrassed and you from having to say no."

"Sweetheart," I chuckled, lacing my fingers through her knotted hair. "You're thinking entirely too much. Its okay, you can ask me anything. Besides, I didn't say no completely, more like a 'just not now'. Better?" I was rather concerned; having an emotional spiral this early in the morning couldn't be healthy.

"Yeah, I'm alright now." She wiped her eyes and backed away from me slowly. "I'm probably just overly tired and maybe possibly insane."

I didn't take the bait and laugh at the joke she inserted to make it seem like nothing was wrong. "Well, why don't you stay here and rest some more while I go pick up Ashley from Rosalie and Emmett."

"Okay," she conceded with a fake yawn, resting her head on the pillow beside where I was sitting up. "Do you have to work today?"
"No, I have to work the rest of the week though."
"Oh." I couldn't help but smile at the expression of distaste she bore when she heard the news.
"One of them is a night shift."
"And you have to work the next day?"
"Not until pretty late and only for a few hours."

"So, since this is your only day off for the rest of the week, do you want to do something?"

"Hm… do you have anything in mind?" Unknowingly, I somehow was again laying down next to Bella, like I was unconsciously moving closer to her and matching any movement with my own and vice versa.

"We should… go to a bookstore." Bella developed a crease in her forehead as she deliberated, but then her eyes lit up when she came to her conclusion. "We'd have to make a trip to Seattle; they still haven't put any decent one in Port Angeles."

"Right," I chuckled, leaning forward to give her a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep and I'll wake you up when we get back."

"Okay," she grumbled, settling herself in for her stupor.