Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the Twilight characters

TRIGGER WARNING- brief mention of miscarriages.

Please read, review, and tell me what you think. I love hearing y'all's opinions. Send me some truth or dare questions you'd like to see in a later chapter.

I was hoping to fit more into this chapter but didn't want to make it too long. It is currently 6,000 words strong.

BPOV

"I'm ready to talk." I felt a swarm of feelings enter my body but I was too mentally exhausted to cry.

"What if I'm over talking?" I turned my back and walked further into the house without shutting the door behind me. I knew she would follow.

My emotions have gone through the different stages of grief. I was upset over Alice ignoring me but then I was angry because she was overreacting. It hurts to know that she'd cut me off that easily but what gives her the right to be so angry over something out of my control. She acts like I shot her.

"Bella? We have to talk." She shut the front door behind herself. She followed me to the kitchen where I put the island in between our bodies.

"No we don't. You made that abundantly clear when I needed you most."

"I was upset." Her eyebrows furrowed.

"So was I." I felt my nose prick and tears started to form in my eyes.

"How was I supposed to react when you got hitched without telling anyone?" Her words filled me with anger.

"Do you ever stop thinking about yourself? How were you supposed to feel, let's think about how I was supposed to feel."

"Bella." I held my hand up to stop her.

"No Alice, you're going to listen to what I have to say." I took a deep breath before continuing. "You are my best friend and I needed you. I needed someone to talk to and cry too but you weren't here. You were selfishly worried about your own feelings as if mine didn't matter. You worry about yourself as if you were directly involved. Which you weren't. You might want to think that YOU were hurt by the situation but you WEREN'T. You were nothing but a shit friend when I needed you."

The tears started falling down my cheeks but I continued. "You're not the one that got married. You're not the one whose life was signed away in a legal agreement by a man who's no longer alive. You're not the one living and arguing with a stranger who you are supposed to call your husband. What you are is selfish. Yes you could be upset but you had no reason to storm away from my wedding. It's even worse to know that you're so willing to ignore me in a time of need. Literally everyone else has been a better friend than YOU, my best friend. Unless what you're going to say is an apology, then you can leave. I have already apologized for not telling you about the wedding. A wedding that I only found out about a week before saying 'I do'. But now you've ignored me for another week and I'm no longer at fault."

I knew my words were a little harsh but I needed her to know how poorly I felt and how her actions made me feel this way.

"Bella, I'm sorry." Her face dropped. "I was made and was trying to process it. I felt lied to and betrayed."

"I understand you were upset but so was I. I never lied to you…. I was just trying to find the proper way to explain it. We could have figured this out together. Ignoring me was never going to be the right option."

"I know." She mumbled while looking down at her hands.

"What even made you come here. We haven't spoken in over a week and you've been avoiding me."

"Edward did." My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I saw him in the elevator this morning and we briefly talked. I then heard your whole argument in the E.R.. Rosalie also told me that y'all were having issues." She looked back up at me. "Then I felt bad because you normally talk to me about these things."

"You're right, I normally do but it's hard to do that if you're ignoring me."

"I'm sorry." She murmured again. "Can we be ok?"

"I won't lie to you, it's going to take time. I have no problems with being your friend but I'm still hurt over how easily you ignore me."

"I understand. Thank you."

Alice left quickly after our conversation. I felt bad that I was glad when she was gone, but it gave me a chance to process my feelings. My head hurt and my nose was stuffy. It feels like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster lately.

I know that it's not Edward's fault that he works with me, but I'm still not happy about him acting like an ass. It lets me relate to Alice's feelings about being lied to but atleast Edward and I talked it out. Or…. Sorta talked it out. Either way, I didn't completely shut him out.

In an effort to relax, I decided to run a bath since Edward was still at the hospital. I could feel myself starting to get more excited as the tub filled with water. It has been so long since I have soaked in a long, hot bath. It also thrilled me when I found some bath salts and bubbles under the sink.

I couldn't help but let out a small groan as my tired muscles relaxed in the steaming water. I let out a frustrated sigh when my phone chimed once I was fully submerged in the water.

Would you be willing to grab lunch with me this week? - Esme

I sat a little straighter in the tub when I received Esme's message. What does she want from me? Have I done something wrong? I tried to calm my nerves before responding.

Sure. Does Thursday work for you? - B

I didn't want to upset Esme by turning down her lunch invitation, after all she was Emmett's mother. I also know that she's important to Edward. He told me this when he mentioned asking Esme's opinion on getting married.

Perfect! I'll text you a location tomorrow, my treat - Esme

I relaxed further into the tub and closed my eyes, but only for a moment.

…

"Bella?"

I was startled awake by Edward knocking softly on the bedroom door. My body flinched and I looked around the room in confusion. The bath water was cold and my fingers were extremely pruney.

"Bella? Are you okay in there?"

I grabbed my phone from the edge of the tub and looked at the time. I had fallen asleep and stayed in the tub for three hours.

"Yes. Yes." I called out to Edward as I quickly drained the water from the tub. "I'm about to be out." I stumbled around the bathroom while getting dressed.

"Ok, I'll be in the kitchen. I brought dinner."

I dressed in a baggy pajama shirt and some fuzzy pants. The water had made my skin cold and I was desperate to warm up. I was thankful that he had brought home dinner since my stomach started growling.

"I brought Chinese. I hope that's ok." It was more than ok. I'm starving and love eating noodles.

I noticed that he was still wearing his scrubs. Of course Bella, you had him locked out of his bedroom.

"Sure! I love Chinese." I don't know why I'm so nervous around him. Where is the courage that I had earlier when yelling at him?

"We can eat on the couch and hash it out."

"Hash is out?" I turned to look at him.

"Well, not hash it out per say….. let's just talk." He took his food and went to the couch so I followed suit.

We sat in silence for a moment, positioned on opposite ends of the couch while facing each other.

"So, you're a doctor."

"I am." He nodded. This is awkward.

"Did you know that I was a nurse or that we'd work in the same hospital?" I wasn't sure what I wanted his answer to be. I stared at my food as if it was the world's most interesting thing while waiting for his reply.

"Not until Alice told me." My eyes shot up to stare at him.

"Alice knew." I hissed. She wanted me to feel bad for her when she was keeping things from me.

He quickly realized my frustration. "Not until this morning! I got on the same elevator as her and she asked if you knew. Alice knew that I was a doctor but we never discussed where."

"Ok." I was still slightly skeptical of his answer and was shocked that Alice didn't bring it up while she was here.

"You're a nurse." He was back to being awkward.

"Yes, labor and delivery."

"What made you choose that?"

"I've alway enjoyed babies even if I didn't want to work directly with them. I also wanted to be a strong advocate for mothers while they're in labor. A lot of mothers aren't allowed to follow their birthing plan if it's too inconvenient for the doctor. I wanted to be a voice in the room fighting for the mother's wishes."

"That's actually really nice of you."

"Thank you…. What made you choose the E.R."

"Will you hold back any judgment you might have?"

"Of course." I nodded and took the chance to shove more lo mein into my mouth.

"I like all the gory shit. The broken bones and weird accidents. I want to help people but I also like the adrenaline that the E.R. brings."

We fell back into an uneasy silence after his answer.

"Alice stopped by today." I blurted out.

"Did she?" His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah. She blames me for her outbursts and thinks that I should have told her about our marriage before our marriage."

"I see both of your sides. She's hurt that she wasn't included but you weren't given much information either." I wish that he wasn't playing Switzerland and would side with me for a moment. Bella, he has no loyalty to you. Alice is his cousin.

"I know. I know. I did tell that she was selfish and wasn't as affected by the situation as she'd like to think. It makes me so angry that she could ignore me. Especially when she has the audacity to blame me for the entire situation!" My mouth started rambling.

"Did you and Alice come to an understanding?"

"Yes, we're still friends but I told her that I'm hurt and it will take a while to build back our trust."

"That makes sense." He agreed with me. "I'm sorry that you're so hurt by this situation." I could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"It's ok. I can understand her viewpoint as well as my own."

"Should we talk about our marriage? I know that we've had a small discussion the first night but maybe we should start over." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Yeah, let's start from the beginning."

Edward stood up from the couch and held his hand out for my empty plate. I watched him put them in the dishwasher before returning to the couch.

He sat a little closer to me and stuck his hand out to me.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm your new husband." I smiled to myself and shook his hand in mine.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Bella Swan...Cullen, your wife."

"Nice to meet you, Bella. When did you hear about our marriage? Would you like to tell me the story?" I'm glad that we are finally discussing everything. This is probably something that should have happened on the first night or even over text.

"Well…. Two-ish weeks ago my parents asked me to visit. I agreed but they were very persistent with making sure I'd actually visit. I drove to Forks on Friday after work. When I got there, my parents sat me down for an important conversation." I slumped into the couch, a little more. "This is when they told me that I'd be getting married the following weekend. I tried to argue and fight it but they said it wasn't a choice. The following day, on Saturday, we talked it out a little more. They had found out earlier in the month about the marriage contract. It was mentioned to my parents when I was a baby but they laughed it off, thinking my grandfather was joking about it. They had spent the majority of the month trying to find a loophole within the contract but were unable to do so. It was air tight on our end, failure to uphold my requirements would put my family into serious financial debit. The only way out would be if you'd chosen to not get married. The entire contract was written to benefit your position."

I paused to take a deep breath and continued with recounting the events. "I spent that Saturday trying on dresses and contemplating my feelings. I wasn't told anything about you….. I was only given your phone number. I tried to convince my mom to let me see a picture of you or to even give me your name. She was very determined that the answer was no. She only knew your first name but didn't want me to try and google you. She also claimed that she didn't have a picture of you. I came home on Sunday and was scared to tell Alice about the wedding. I spent the week getting the courage to do so but every time I tried, the plans fell through. She wasn't home or was in a bad mood. By the time we got to the end of the week, I decided to tell her afterwards. I was terrified about what she'd say since both Rosalie and Alice mean a lot to me. I never meant to hurt her but she also hurt me by choosing to ignore me afterwards. I had already spent so much of my week crying before our wedding and her betrayal made me feel worse."

I get upset everytime I think about Alice and I's 'fight'. "The weekend of our wedding, my parents picked me up out of fear that I'd run away. My Mother woke me up early on Saturday so that I could get ready and drive 2 hours to our wedding venue. I had no clue that you were related to Alice and Emmett until I saw them in the front row. My heart ached when I saw their faces. Then to hear how angry she was. I followed her and wanted to explain everything to her, but she was gone. Esme came out to talk to me and actually made me feel better about the situation. She explained how everyone in your family was involved in arranged marriages."

"Wow, I didn't know that you were informed so little."

"Yeah, most of my information came from talking to you. But we didn't really say much. I should have asked you directly what your name was….. but I didn't think about it. Or maybe I did, it would have made everything too real. Part of me was always hoping that I was dreaming….. So, what's your story?"

"Well." He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "I had a little more time to process the information I was given and it also seems like I was given more information than you were. It was about a month ago when my mother informed me that I would be getting married. She presented the contract to me by saying that is was an arranged marriage, one that was decided by my father and grandfather. She heavily guilted me by saying that it's what my father would have wanted. I was very weary of the situation but my mother kept nagging me about gaining access to my trust fund and how it was my duty to uphold the contract. I wasn't sure that I even wanted an arranged marriage. I grew up knowing that my parents hated each other and I was afraid to face the same fate. I reached out to Esme since she's like a second mom. I really valued her opinion but also wanted her to make a decision for me. She could only give me advice and perspective from her marriage. She doesn't regret getting married and loves Carlisle but she's not willing to make the decision for me. She also reminded me that we could divorce in a year if our marriage didn't work out."

"We can divorce?" I interrupted him with shock. I wasn't trying to sound excited but it makes me feel better to have an exit if we never found a connection.

"You weren't told that?"

"No." I huffed and forced myself further into the couch.

"Interesting. My mother didn't tell me that I could divorce either, it was Esme who informed me that my father made sure to add that clause in case we absolutely hated each other. My mother also didn't tell me about being allowed to back out, I honestly think that she's money motivated. Everytime she brought up my trust fund she kept saying 'we' and 'our money'. I don't really expect anything else from her." He sighed and his face fell slightly.

"Why don't you tell me about your family." I suggested. To be honest, I could listen to Edward talk for hours. His voice was smooth and soothing to listen to.

"You've met my family. My parents were forced into an arranged marriage and hated each other. My mother constantly wishes she never had me, unless she's needing me for something. She fell off the deep end when my father died since he was her meal train. She has never worked in her life and has always mooched off people. My father died from a heart attack when I was six."

"I'm so sorry." My heart ached for him.

"It's fine. My father was my main caregiver despite Elisabeth being a stay at home mom. So when he died, I moved in with Esme and Carlisle. They were very loving and attentive compared to Elisabeth. I never had to worry about anything when with them. Anytime life was going great, Elisabeth would pop back into my life and mess everything up. She finally decided that she could be a parent when I was fifteen and I was forced to leave Esme's house. I was devastated. I loved living with Esme, Carlisle, and Emmett. I even thought that they liked having me around but they never fought for me to stay. I was forced to move back in with my mother who was just as crappy as before."

He shook his head as if to forget his feelings. "I've never understood how she could act so affected by my fathers death when she openly hated him." He paused for a moment before looking at me. "So that's my personal family. As you know I'm cousins with Alice and Emmett. Alice's parents are like Esme and have a better marriage than my parents ever could." He laughed a little. "They were even willing to have a second child. I'm also sure that you know Emmett is an only child, which meant it was always the three of us hanging around. Cynthia was too young for our games."

"I knew that Emmett was an only child, did they never want another?" My question may have seemed a little invasive but we seemed to air out all of the family tree.

"She did. For many years she tried to get pregnant and struggled with the heartache of every child she lost. She was close to adopting when she had Emmett. They thought for many years that they'd adopt another child but it never worked out. They did foster a kid when I was twelve. His name was James, but he wasn't around very long." His face grew sadder. "For a while, I hoped that they would adopt me." Once again I felt my heart clinch and willed away the tears that were forming in my eyes. "How about you, I noticed that you didn't have any siblings or cousins at the wedding."

"I'm an only child, my mom's an only child, and my father is an only child. I was forever alone in the cousin department."

"Did you ever want siblings?"

"Of course! But I knew that it would never happen. My mom never had any intention of having kids. Don't get me wrong, she loves me and would do anything for me but she never wanted me. My parents were high school sweethearts and fell pregnant their senior year. So instead of getting to travel the world after graduation, my parents got married and had me. My mother would never tell me but I know she's always thought about how her life would be if she didn't have me. There's multiple times during my childhood that she'd take unexpected trips/vacations and leave me with my father."

"So neither of us have an amazing background." Edward laughed a little.

"I guess not." I began laughing with him.

"Do you regret our marriage? Truly regret it?"

I turned my head to look at him. "No. I feel like we skipped a few steps but I'm hoping for the best. Do you?" His question had supervised me.

"No, I don't regret it either. I feel like we could have better communication, but that's something we can work on."

"Agreed. If you're willing to meet me halfway in this relationship, then I'm willing to do the same." My insides warmed at his words.

"I think I can do that." I gave him a half smile. "How much were you told about me anyways?"

"Not much but with how this conversation has gone, more than you were told about me."

"I was told nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was given your phone number on a piece of paper and that's it. My mother wouldn't show me a picture or even tell me your name." I reminded him about what I said earlier.

"Ugh." He rubbed his hand down his face. "I was told that your name is Isabella and my mother described you to me. I was never shown a photo but knew that you had brown hair and brown eyes. If I was smart enough, I could have probably pieced together that you're Alice's friend."

"How so?"

"She spent the entire weekend going on and on about her good friend, Bella, someone who she wished I could meet and was sad that you couldn't attend the wedding."

"She talks about me?" I wasn't sure how I felt about that. It's almost as if she cares about me.

"Non-stop, all weekend long during both weekends. That was until she saw you walking down the aisle." He took a look at me before nudging my arm with his elbow. "To soon?" He teased me.

"This is completely off topic but Esme texted me today." I didn't feel that this was something that needed to be hidden from him.

"Really? What was she wanting?"

"Her and I will be meeting for lunch on Thursday since I'm off. I'm not sure what she's wanting to discuss. Are you okay with this?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I wasn't sure. I wouldn't go if it would upset you."

"Go Bella. I'm fine with it. I promise."

"Ok." I nodded before glancing at the clock. "I should probably go to bed since I work early in the morning."

"That's a good idea." I stood from the couch and headed towards the stairs. "Hey, Bella." Edward called after me. "We should do this again. Tonight was a good start and we definitely need to have more conversation. I know that not every discussion will be an easy one. If you're okay with it, I'd like to make our conversations a nightly thing."

"I'd like that a lot."

"You can always set the pace. Goodnight, Bella."

I definitely slept easier that night after my conversation with Edward. It was very insightful to hear about his family and his thoughts on our marriage. It seemed like we were both kept in the dark with information. I can't help but partially blame his mother. My parents weren't able to give me more information because they didn't have any but she was knowingly withholding information from Edward. I just wasn't sure why she would want to do something like that.

Tuesday

My morning wasn't as bad as the previous days. Edward was gone again when I woke up but he left me a note on the coffee pot.

Let's have takeout again tonight. How do you feel about Mexican? Text me what you want -E

I was also appreciative that I wouldn't have to cook dinner. I like cooking and love baking but I had no idea what foods Edward liked. That needs to be another conversation we have.

I was in a better mood by the time I got to work. Everything was going great until I took my lunch break. Rosalie was already sitting at the table when I joined her.

"How's married life treating you?"

"I don't know. " I pushed my salad around my plate without actually eating it.

"What's wrong, B?"

"Nothings wrong." I let out a sigh. "Last night was great, absolutely amazing. We spent a while talking and I liked that. Alice also stopped by and semi-apologized."

"Semi-apologized?"

"Yeah, she was ready to talk but I made her listen to how her actions had hurt me."

"Good. I'm glad you set boundaries so that she's not walking all over you."

We sat in silence for a bit before Rose sprung her suggestion on me. "You should go to the bar with me!"

"Really, Rosalie? The bar?" I bite the inside of my cheek.

"Yes, tomorrow night we should have a girls night and go out drinking and dancing."

"Maybe."

"There is no maybe." Our conversation ended as Alice joined the table. I knew that Rosalie was right, there was no maybe. She'd easily be able to convince me to go drinking after a day like yesterday.

"Ooooh a girls night sounds fun." Alice smiled with excitement as she sat down. I silently looked at Rosalie, unsure of how far her invitation extended.

"It was actually just going to be Bella and I." Rosalie spoke up for me.

"Oh." Her face fell.

"You can go with us next time. You were rude to Bella and I don't want to make her uncomfortable. I know that you apologized and I know that Bella accepted it but I'm not sure that you understand the effects you had on her."

"It's ok, Rose." I tried to cut Rosalie off.

"No Bella, it's not. You were crying for days because of both Edward and Alice being asses. Jacob drove all the way to Seattle because you were so upset!" I know that she's looking out for me but I didn't want to make things awkward.

"I know I messed up. I'm trying to rebuild our friendship and make it up to her. I don't plan on breaking her trust again. We talked this through."

"I'm ok with Alice going. It may take time for me to completely trust her feelings towards me, but how can she prove her loyalty if she's never given the chance. She's still my friend." I looked between them both.

"It's ok Bella. I understand that I hurt you and I understand Rosalie's reservations. I won't go." Alice smiled sadly at me.

I bit my lip before blurting out, "I want you to go."

"Really?" Alice looked skeptical and Rose raised her eyebrow to question my judgment.

"Yes." My voices sounded less sure then I meant it too.

Our conversation was interrupted by Jessica and Lauren, who decided to sit down at our table. Everyone's face fell in their presence and Rosalie's expression hardened.

One thing that we all had in common was our distaste for Jessica and Lauren. Not only did they do their jobs poorly but they kissed Dr. Denali's ass. They were more concerned with being in everyone's business than they were the care of their patients. The worst part about the trio was their determination to sleep their way through the hospital.

"What did we do to be cursed with you sitting here?" Alice looked at them disgusted.

"We just wanted to talk to Bella." Jessica leaned in towards us. Talk to me about what? Panic started to set in as I worried that they found out about Edward.

"About what?" I leaned back in my seat, trying to keep my emotions at bay.

"Well…. I heard that you were yelled at by Dr. Cullen yesterday." Lauren looked too smug for my liking.

"I wouldn't say that he yelled at me. He was acting like a jerk so I called him out on it. He didn't enjoy that I was raising my voice at him so he raised his voice at me. Don't freight, we came to an understanding." I rolled my eyes as the feigned interest.

"That's inappropriate. That is no way to gain the interest of a man." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Jessica's words. The fact that she instantly thought everyone's goal was to sleep with men, made me want to puke.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with sex or personal relationships. But she should be concerned with her professional, working relationships. Not any personal relationships that might transpire. And she defiantly shouldn't be trying to fuck everyman in the hospital. Talk about being a walking STI. Does she really think that people are incapable of working with men without sleeping with them

"Bold of you to assume that I wanted him. What's it to you anyways. The issues between Dr. Cullen and I are only between Dr. Cullen and I."

"Well back off. I don't know what game you're playing but he will never want a boring brood like you." Lauren sneered.

"Who says I want him?" They were starting to get on my nerves.

"Just back off. He's ours." Jessica picked up her tray and left with Lauren trailing behind her.

I sat still and dumbstruck for a minute before turning to Alice.

"What the fuck was that?" I started chuckling.

"I have no idea." She started laughing with me. "But that was definitely like a scene from a movie. Just wait until they hear that you're married to him." Her laughs were just becoming louder.

"I can't believe that just happened!" Rosalie also looked dumbstruck. "How does arguing with Edward make them jump to the conclusion that you want to bang him?"

I've always thought that mean girls were only in movies but this hospital has taught me that I'm wrong. I also thought that girls fighting over a guy was just a plot for movies. They'll probably be pissed when they realize that he's unavailable.

"Don't tell them just yet. I want to see how far they are willing to go. Plus, I want to know if Edward will put them in their place." I gave a pointed look at both girls.

"I won't tell them, I promise." Alice was still laughing as she got up to clear her tray.

"Neither will I. That whole conversation was entertaining to watch." Rosalie looked highly amused.

"I'm glad that I could provide front row entertainment to the insanity that transpired."

The rest of my shift went off without a hitch but I was still glad that my shift ended at six. I definitely didn't feel like staying later and I was excited for Edward and I's conversation tonight.

"Hey Bella." I turned as I heard Mike call my name. I was in the process of gathering my stuff to leave when he walked up to me.

"Hey Mike, what can I do for you?" Please make this quick.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink after work." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Well I'm actually off now and headed home."

"Oh, well we can always get a drink when I get off. Of course, that's if you're willing to wait." He looked slightly hopeful. Why would I want to stay an extra two hours?

"Sorry, Mike. I really want to go home and shower." I was trying my hardest not to be rude.

"Maybe some other time." He looked slightly hopeful.

"Yeah, maybe." I hightailed it out of the hospital as soon as I could get away from Mike. I felt like I was practically running to my car in anticipation for this evening.

….

When I walked through the front door Edward already had the food ready.

"That smells good." I didn't realize how hungry I was until my stomach groveled.

"Do you want to eat on the couch again or would you rather sit at the table?"

"Let's sit at the table, this might be messier to eat."

I went to the cabinet to retrieve plates while Edward grabbed napkins and silverware. He helped me plate our food while I grabbed drinks.

"What do you want to drink?" I had no clue what he likes. Maybe that's what we should start with.

"Water is fine." I grabbed both of us water before heading to the table.

"How was your day?" He quickly jumped into conversation once we were both seated.

"Wasn't bad. Nothing too exciting happened. I had a weird conversation with Jessica and Lauren during lunch today, and Rosalie asked to have a girls night tomorrow. Other than that, it was pretty average."

"What about the conversation was weird?" He asked between bites.

"They asked me about our argument."

"What did they say?" He set his fork down while waiting for my response.

"They mostly wanted to know if you yelled at me." He nodded before he continued eating. "They also said that you wouldn't want to bang me if I argued with you." Edward started choking on his bite of food. He coughed and sputtered as he reached for his water.

I don't know why I told him the last part. "What?" He choked out.

"Nevermind that, how was your day?" I wanted to quickly change the subject.

This is a good burrito and the salsa is to die for. Where did Edward get this take out from? "Mostly boring. Nothing exciting happened in the ER, mostly just people with sprained wrists and ankles. Do you plan to go with Rose for a girl's night?"

"Yeah. Alice, Rose, and I are going to drink and dance a little."

"Drink? Where are y'all going?"

"Oh, might help if I said we were going to a bar."

"Do you like drinking?" He asked me.

"Eh." I mumbled around my mouth full of chips. "I like to hang out with my friends but will probably only have a drink or two. I'm more willing to drink if I'm home rather than in public. Do you like drinking?"

"I'm not against it but I've never been partial to it."

"Was there any particular topic that you wanted to discuss tonight?"

"I think we should start with our likes and dislikes."

"Sounds good to me. I'll start, favorite food and drink."

"My favorite food is hard but I like to drink water, sprite, and peach Snapple."

"Peach Snapple, that's very specific." I teased.

"I know. I know. But those are my three favorite drinks. What about you? What do you drink and eat?"

"I also think it's hard to pick a food. My favorites change so often. My favorite drink is chocolate milk."

He chuckled slightly at me. "Chocolate milk?"

"Yes! What's wrong with that?" I felt the need to defend myself and my drink choices.

"Nothing wrong with it. That's normally an answer that a five year old would give." I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. "What is your biggest fear?"

"Wow, give me the hard questions now….. promise you won't laugh at me?" I was trying to avoid being vulnerable.

"I promise." He held his pinky finger out towards me. "Pinky promise."

"No whose five." I teased. I gladly accepted and locked my pinky with his and shook. I tried not to pay too much attention to how soft his hands were.

"I'm waiting." He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Let me start by saying that this fear is completely irrational and I know that. My biggest fear is…." I knew that I was stalling but I was trying to save myself from judgment. "My biggest fear is getting trapped in a washing machine, it locking, and getting turned on."

Edward sat silent for a moment. "Ok….. I thought you were going to say spiders."

"Ooh. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate spiders." I picked up our empty plates and loaded them into the dishwasher. "Your turn, what's your biggest fear?"

"Burning to death." He said very simply.

"That's rational." I noted aloud. "What's a food that you absolutely hate?"

"Pineapple."

"Wow, that didn't talk much thought. I don't like pineapples either."

The conversation with Edward flowed easy as we moved from the table to the couch. I found it healthy that we were able to learn the simple things about each other. I'm glad that Edward and I agreed to work on having better communication. It's the first step to a better relationship.

I went to bed with a bigger smile on my face than I did the night before. I'm not sure why talking with Edward makes me so happy but I hope to never lose this feeling.

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