Get ready for an intense and emotional chapter. There might be some triggers during their talk, so approach with caution.

It wasn't the fact that Bella was dreading the talk about her brother, but she was far too content lying in Edward's arms in the bathtub. Edward was drawing lazy patterns on her forearms, while she soaked in the peaceful moment.

Bella's mind drifted to the scene they had played, and for the first time, she was eager to explore more, to dare herself to push her limits and find her tolerance threshold.

Her focus was turned to Edward's finger on the skin of her back. It felt like he was air-writing something. She tried to concentrate and understand the letters catching shape on her arm, but it was difficult.

"What did you just do?" Bella tilted her head back to look up at him.

Edward had a playful smile on his lips, but his eyes were serious. He stayed quiet, challenging her wordlessly, to guess. He repeated the motions with his finger, while her eyes stayed on what he was writing.

This time, she caught it from the beginning.

It felt like Bella's heart was about to take off, as she figured out what the letters meant.

I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U

Bella gasped, turning around into his arms. She could barely see his face through her tears. She'd figured it out a long time ago that she was falling for this amazing man, but for him to return her feelings…Bella had never dreamt of it.

"Really?" she asked, breathlessly.

Edward's smile grew. He leaned closer, stopping a breath away from her lips. The back of his hand stroked her cheek. His deep green eyes showed everything he felt. "I love you, Bella."

"Oh!" She covered her mouth, as a sob escaped her lips.

Finding someone had never been a top priority for her, let alone, someone who would love her. Bella was aware she was flawed, and even though, she might have a pretty face, her body showed the ugly scars of her past.

When Edward said he loved her, he meant all of her, which filled her with hope and joy…and love.

"I love you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, God! I love you so much, Edward!"

His strong arms wrapped around her body, holding her tightly, pressed against his chest. His hands travelled lower, until they clamped onto her hips, bringing her on his lap. Bella knew exactly what he wanted, so she straddled his lap, shifting until she was where they both desired.

Holding gazes, they made love, wrapped around each other.

.

.

.

"Why purple?" Edward asked curiously. He was standing behind her in front of the bathroom sink, running her brush through her hair.

Bella caught his eyes in the mirror, shrugging. "Purple's cool."

He snorted. He curled a strand of purple hair around his finger, before bending to kiss her bare shoulder. "I like it."

Bella couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You might be biased, Mr. Cullen."

The hand resting on her hip, moved away, only to smack her towel-clad ass. "Believe me, if I found any part of you repulsive, we wouldn't be here." He made a point to stroke two fingers over the birds tattoo on her shoulder. "You're beautiful, Bella. All of you."

Bella took a deep breath, trying to accept the compliment. She slowly turned into his arms, cupping his cheek. "So are you. Even though, you don't see it. We have that in common." She nipped at his chin, making him chuckle.

Edward pulled away, playfully narrowing his eyes at her. "You're not escaping that conversation by seducing me."

"Is it working?"

"If I didn't have as much discipline over my body as I do, we wouldn't be standing here."

Bella whimpered at the implications. Her body was most likely not ready for more sex, not so soon, yet she yearned to have him close again.

When they were finally done in the bathroom, they adventured to the kitchen. Edward was wearing only a pair of gray sweats, hanging low on his hips, teasing Bella with the happy trail leading to the Promised Land. Bella had on her favorite pair of boy-shorts and another shirt stolen from Edward's closet. Her air-drying hair was already sticking in all directions, but she knew there was nothing that could tame it, besides, Edward's hair was always a hot mess.

Edward pointed to a stool by the kitchen island, while he went to ransack the refrigerator. Bella wasn't one to sit and wait to be served. She ignored Edward's frown, as she filled the electric kettle with enough water for two cups of tea, then she stared at the cabinet doors, not sure where she'd find the tea.

Edward opened the tall cabinet by the fridge. "Take your pick. I prefer the forest fruits assortment."

She grinned, looking through the variety of tea boxes in there. She chose the green tea for herself, knowing that if she drank any black tea, she wouldn't sleep that night.

Bella was busy pouring the hot water over the tea bags, while Edward was heating their dinner in the microwave oven, when Tanya joined them. Bella didn't see her approach, so Tanya's voice startled her.

"I hope you're not breaking my kitchen," Tanya scoffed. "I swear, I'm not here for two minutes, then you set the house on fire."

"Hey! It happened only once," Edward scolded her, but he was clearly amused.

"Try a dozen times." Tanya had her hands on her hips, tapping her foot to the floor. "Can I help with anything?"

"We've got it," Bella answered. She wanted to know the stories behind Edward's disastrous kitchen experiences.

Tanya watched her in disbelief.

"Trust me. The kitchen is safe with me. I'm a good cook. Besides, the food only has to be heated." Bella pointed to the microwave.

"Yeah, like that absolves the kitchen on fire issue. Mr. Cullen should be banned from the kitchen."

Edward groaned, raising his hands. "I'll be in the living room."

"Do I want to know?" Bella whispered, when he was out of earshot.

Tanya huffed, shaking her head. "It's a long story."

They worked in silence on plating the food. Bella knew they'd need some privacy for the talk they were about to have, so she directed Tanya to the dining room with the plates. Tanya only hesitated for a second, before doing as told.

Bella joined Edward in the living room. She stopped behind the couch, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him. She berated herself when he startled.

"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling her arms back.

Edward caught her wrists. "It's okay."

"Dinner is ready," she said, extracting her hands from his grip. "Dining room."

He looked at her over his shoulder, smirking. "Fancy."

She smirked back, walking around the couch and taking his hand. They walked slowly, holding hands. Edward stopped in the dining room's doorway for a moment, then he went to one head of the table.

Tanya had placed their plates on each end of the long table.

Bella picked her plate and fork, carrying them to Edward's end, before folding herself on the comfy chair.

"I feel underdressed for such a formal dinner," Edward joked.

"You feel underdressed?" Bella laughed.

"Fair point." He took his seat, his eyes lingering on her bare legs. "So, why are we eating here?"

Bella toyed with her fork. "I figured we'd need some…privacy."

"I hope you don't plan to seduce me to get out of the talk." His green eyes pulled her under their spell.

"No, no! But now that you mentioned that's an option…" she teased.

"It's not an option," Edward gritted out, though he was smiling.

Bella stabbed a pea bean, glaring at it. "Jimmy and I used to be best friends. I don't know how close you are with your sister, but despite the seven year difference, Jimmy was always there for me. He used to take me out with him when he met his friends, he bought me anything I wanted behind our parents' back, which usually got him in trouble, he was my rock." A tear slid down her cheek, but Bella didn't try to wipe it away. "When it happened…" she stopped, choking on a sob. Edward covered her hand, brushing his thumb over her wrist, his eyes full of concern. "I was at Jake's. I had had a bad fight with my parents and James that night. I had told them I was spending the night at Jake's. They didn't understand our friendship. No one does…" Bella shook her head. "Jimmy came to get me way after my curfew, even though I'd told them I wasn't coming home that night."

"Quite the rebel," Edward commented.

"You don't know half of it," she mumbled. "I put up a fight, but Jimmy manhandled me in his car, telling me to stop being a brat. I still remember every word he told me on the ride home. He told me about trying to act more mature and stop being so influenced by other people. He kept hinting that Jake's intentions weren't as pure as I thought."

"Something we have in common," Edward murmured.

Bella rolled her eyes. Jake had backed down a lot after she'd punched him some years ago. It hadn't been her intention to hurt him, but he'd crossed the friendship line when he'd kissed her without her permission.

"I called him all the bad names in the book, threw his relationship with that cunt in his face…I taunted him that it was none of his business if I actually wanted to fuck Jake." Bella covered her face. "Jimmy told me that the way I was acting was hurting our parents, and if something happened to them or to him, I'd be just another guidable teenage girl who'd end up as a cold case in a police station."

"He didn't!" Edward roared.

Bella sniffed, dropping her hands. "It was my wake-up call. I was just finished promising myself to not let my teenage hormones rule my life, when we turned on our street." She pulled her knees to her chest, tugging the shirt over them, rocking slowly. The pain she had felt almost six years ago was still raw. "I can't explain how I felt. There are no words."

Edward got out of his chair to kneel by Bella's side, stroking her arm. "You don't have to talk about that."

She barely registered his words. She remembered the trance state she'd been in when she'd told Jasper about it during therapy. It felt no different now.

"Jimmy parked in the middle of the street. We ran to the shell of the house we used to call home. It was still burning. The firefighters kept us away." Bella pressed her face into her knees. "Some said it was arson, others said it was just a gas leakage. I don't even care what it was. It took them away."

"Shhh." Edward moved to hug her, kissing her head. "And the asshole found the easy way out."

"I thought about this on the way here, earlier. We all cope with such traumas differently. Look at me, I was on the road to destroy myself before Jake saved me. You found solace in alcohol. James needed a clean break."

"Making excuses for him doesn't absolve him from the pain he'd caused you."

"That's true," Bella whispered, straightening up and brushing her tears away. "But he's still my brother. The least he deserves from me is to listen to his story."

"Do you want me there?" Edward took her hand, kissing the back of it.

"No, it's something between him and me. But I'll let him sleep on it for a few days."

"You're evil."

As always, I appreciate all of you who take the time to leave me your thoughts on the chapter.