I do not own Twilight.

I know exactly what has happened when I wake up and I'm terrified. Quickly, without waking Edward, I scramble from my bed to stare out of my window. It looks over the driveway—which is empty. I breathe a sigh of relief and can only hope my parents didn't check in on me before leaving for work.

I move back to Edward, curling myself into him. He's always looked so peaceful when asleep, like he hasn't had the roughest of childhoods. I kiss him gently and he stirs. I smile at him when he blinks up at me.

"Sorry," he says and his voice is still deep with sleep. "I needed to see you."

I only grin and kiss him again, moving to his throat. The stubble there tickles and he pulls away from me. "What is this?"

I blink, my hand moving to the spot on my neck he is staring at. The hickies. I never covered them after showering last night. "From that first night…" I say and Edward's face darkens.

"I didn't know," he says quietly but I kiss him to silence him because I can hear the regret, the self-hatred building in his tone.

"I kind of like it. I liked that first night." He bites my bottom lip this time when I kiss him and then presses against me. I blush. I think I'll always have this reaction, no matter what.

His hands start to roam beneath my shirt and I stiffen just a little. "Edward, I'm too sore."

He pulls in a breath through his nose and I can see where his mind has fallen. Yesterday, in my dorm room. He thinks he was too rough. I press a hand over his mouth so he won't speak. "No, I just hadn't…in a while…"

His brow furrows and he talks around my palm, "You and Mike?"

I shake my head. "Not very often." I take back my hand. "And not for a while."

But he's kissing me again and then running his fingers lightly over my ribs. "Let me make you feel good," he whispers and then is slowly kissing down my body, moving my clothing as he goes. When he kisses my inner thighs, my stomach does that thing it does when you're on a rollercoaster. "Should I give you matching ones here?" My breathing is staggered when he kisses me there.

Later, we shower and decide to spend the day at the beach in La Push. It feels like old times, like past summers and it feels really good. I watch as Jacob Black jogs by before doing a double take. I glance over, but Edward hasn't seen him. He will in a few seconds.

"Hey, man!" They do one of their handshakes, the kind all guys seem to know and Jake slaps Edward on the back. He looks at me and his eyes go wide. "Dude, you guys…?"

Edward rolls his eyes and punches Jake on the shoulder. I laugh.

"Get out of here, man," Edward says but his eyes are bright green and I know he's happy to see Jake.

Jacob laughs too, shaking his head before taking back off down the beach. "It's true love—told you not to worry, E!" he hollers. "It's like a fairytale!"

My laughter sparks Edward's. I curl myself into his side, kicking up sand as I move. "I like Jake," I say to his shoulder. "He's a good friend."

The corner of Edward's mouth lifts as he stares out over the ocean. "Yeah."

Speaking of…

I sit up. "Alice told me you and Jasper are still friends."

He doesn't answer, doesn't look at me, but his jaw tightens. I run a finger up and down his toned arm. "I'm not mad," I whisper. "Why didn't you tell me, though?"

He runs a hand through his hair. "I mean, you and Alice practically hated each other. I didn't want that to come between us anymore than…"

"Than I already did," I finish for him and smile sadly. His eyes study mine for a moment before he kisses me, pressing his palm to the side of my face. My stomach flips in on itself and I feel like throwing up. "It's my fault you guys got into that fight. Alice never said that to me," I say quickly.

I can see he's confused and my traitor eyes start tearing. "That day you came into my room, I was crying because…because my mom made me write a pros and cons list of being with you—I'm sorry, please don't be mad." I grab onto the arm that he had start to pull away.

"What happened to it?" he asks through gritted teeth.

"She threw it away."

"Why?"

I sigh and rest my forehead against his shoulder. "Because I packed the pros list and it wasn't the reaction she wanted, I don't think."

"But it gave you second thoughts about us. About me." His voice isn't angry, so I sneak a glance up at him. He's smiling. Not a real smile; a faint one, but a smile nonetheless. "It's okay," he says. "It's in the past. Besides," he twists away from me, staring back out over the water again, "your mom and I talked on the way to your school. I think we came to a better understanding of each other."

"What about?"

This time, his smile is wider; the one that pulls the left side of his mouth higher. "I think it's something you should ask her about."

I sigh because I'd rather hear it from Edward than have to pull it from my mother. "Okay."

"She understands you more than you think, Bella."

I snort, because I doubt that, but Edward ruffles my hair and leans into me, and I forget everything except him and us and the beach.