an: okay, I lied, tomorrow is busy so here's your early Christmas present 🎁 (if you celebrate ofc). Hope everyone enjoys themselves over the holidays, I'll be back next week with the last two chapters 😊

•nineteen•

Race day dawned bright and early, the morning clear and crisp, the ground hard underneath Edward's feet as he walked with the bike up to the gates, Emmett at his side once again. It was ritualistic—Emmett with his helmet and goggles; him with his bike.

Edward sneaked a look over his shoulder at Tia standing with Rose. She gave him a wave. He caught Emmett's face in the corner of his eye; distaste written all over it.

"What?" he asked, irritably.

He'd left not long after his encounter with Bella, but despite this, Tia had still chosen to come today, asking him a million questions to do with bikes and racing. He'd palmed her off on Seth for a while, but now she was back, standing with Rose and talking animatedly with her, glancing at him frequently.

"Are you into her?" Emmett asked him now, his voice betraying the doubt.

"I could be," Edward said slowly, his annoyance growing. "She's fun. Pretty—"

"Annoying. Yeah, but—"

"Don't say it," Edward snapped as they came to a halt in front of the metal gates and the track beyond. "Thought you didn't like Bella, anyway?"

"I never said I didn't like her. I just questioned her intentions," Emmett retorted. "But I like her even less."

Edward shoved his helmet down onto his head. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by what Emmett thought. His mind flitted to Bella instead; replaying the look on her face last night when she was standing in the doorway, the clench of his stomach when he realized it was exactly what it looked like to her. Him with someone else. The balled fists, the anger, and the jealousy she couldn't deny. She had no right to be, and yet… Edward gave himself a mental shake. Now was not the time. Nevertheless, he wondered whether she'd be here today, watching. He'd find her later he decided, find out what she was wrong about.

He adjusted his goggles, pulled at his gloves, the cold biting at his fingers.

"Good luck, bro. Told you, I got a good feeling about this one."

Edward grunted. He'd heard that line enough times now to not believe it. He wondered at this point whether Emmett really believed half the shit that came out of his mouth, even if it was for his benefit.

Edward was ready when the race started; the gates dropping, the churn of wet earth under the tires. He made it around the first lap unscathed, and in the lead, until Seth came into his peripheral on his near side.

They raced neck and neck, swapping first and second position for three laps; Edward cursing when Seth pulled ahead at the start of the fourth—a bike length, then two, Edward altering his racing line so it was tighter.

He was determined to take this win—hot on Seth's tail, pushing hard, as he caught him back up.

It was Seth's mistake. Edward could see him, casing the jump and flying off his bike; hitting the ground right where his own was going to land milliseconds later.

It was Seth, or the bike.

"Shit."

There was nothing that Edward could do except to veer off to the side sharply, leaning his weight in mid-air to avoid crushing Seth under his wheel. Edward swore again as his body connected with the ground, a cry from the sharp pain in his side. For a long few seconds, all Edward felt was pain. His ears ringing, his head throbbing, and when everything stopped moving—he was back looking up into clouds with his heart in his throat. The sounds of the speakers crackled in the distance, the murmurs of the crowd in the distance.

"Could be worse," he mumbled.

...

"Mr. Cullen, sit back, please!"

Edward tutted but did as he was told. The matronly looking nurse gave him a stern look as he collapsed backward into the pillow, groaning with pain. She reminded him of Gram, but worse.

"You got some more painkillers," he rasped. "It fuckin' hurts." His breaths were coming in shallow pants, the pain in his left side excruciating.

The nurse sighed. "I'll see what I can do." She bustled out, drawing the thin blue and yellow curtain behind her, leaving him with the soft beep of a monitor and the chance to wet his dry mouth.

Edward leant back into the pillows for a second, closing his eyes briefly and grimacing. He'd been here for hours, the ER busy—yet to have an MRI to check for internal bleeding. The doctor he'd first seen was sure there wasn't any major damage—it was just precautionary, or so they'd said. So Edward had sent Emmett away to get dinner and update Gram and Rose; their fuss wasn't what he wanted—it was irritating, and Emmett kept laughing at him because he was high.

Not high enough.

He steeled himself, leaning forward again, growling as pain lanced across his chest and down his side all at once, as he stretched for the plastic cup of water just out of his reach.

"Fuck."

His fingers never touched the plastic. A hand, attached to a slim wrist appeared.

Bella passed the cup to him wordlessly.

"Thanks."

She didn't move. Rooted to the spot as she watched him drink, somehow spilling water all down his bare chest.

"Shit." He laughed wheezily and looked up at Bella. She wasn't laughing. Her lips pressed tightly together, her red-rimmed eyes scanning every inch of him, from the way his gown gaped, because he hadn't put it on properly, to the colorful wires and sticky pads attached to his chest and the monitor that beeped occasionally. "You're here," he said, struck now with how beautiful Bella was. He had to blink several times to make sure she wasn't some kind of twisted hallucination.

"This is what I'm terrified of," Bella said, her voice quiet. "But worse."

Edward nodded solemly. It made sense.

"God, I thought… I thought…" She was tearful now, hand to her eye wiping at it.

He reached for her hand, squeezing it, their fingers tangling together. "Hey. I'm okay. I'm fine. Broken ribs. Better than landing on Seth's fucking head. That fucker, right? I'd have crushed him like a can."

"I know, but… God, Edward. Did you have to get back on the bike?"

"I won, didn't I? Next time—"

Bella snorted. "There might not be a next time. Don't you understand? You might not be this lucky again. You're not a cat, with nine lives—"

"I could be a cat. Cats are fuckin' cool." He felt like he was betraying Riley, backtracking fast. "Riley is way cooler, though. Everyone knows dogs are the best. Don't tell him."

Bella shook her head, looking at him with a bemused expression on her face.

Edward stopped talking, bringing Bella's hand up to his lips. He kissed the back of it. She smelled good, and she was here. That had to mean something.

"How does it work?"

"How does what work?"

"Us? How do we work? How do you see it working?"

He smirked, he couldn't help it, a lopsided grin that made her smile too. "Well… you let me take you out, and we do all that shit couples do. Argue in IKEA. Post sickeningly sweet photos on the 'gram, change your relationship status on Facebook, binge watch Game of Thrones again before the new season comes out, and you know—make each other fuckin' happy."

Bella sniffed.

"There's so many things I worry about if we did this. And I want to. That's why I came to find you yesterday." She paused, running a thumb over the back of his hand, frowning. "I want to give this a go if you still want to... but I don't see how. You know? There are too many things that just mean it won't work practically."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact you live in Kentucky and I live in Ohio? Like the fact I am older; I don't know whether or not you want kids, and by the time you might want that, I might be too old… all those kinds of things that you probably don't think about."

She was red in the face now, flushed.

"Sorry, I'm being presumptuous."

"C'mere." He pulled her toward him until she had her head resting against his shoulder and he could kiss her forehead. "I think I love you. And your crazy kid."

Bella choked on a laugh. "How high are you?"

"Not high enough." His hand was in her hair, soft under his fingers. "I'll move."

"Edward," Bella huffed. "You can't move. What about your Gram? Your brothers?"

"Move in with me, then?"

Bella laughed, incredulous.

"You've not even taken me out on a proper date and you want me and Kase to move in?"

"So? I've buried myself so deep in your—"

Now she was laughing.

"Stop it," she chastised. "Anyone can hear you through these curtains."

"And, they deserve to know how fuckin' sweet—"

Her hand was over his mouth now. "Shush. What the hell did they give you?"

She moved her hand fractionally back, waiting to clamp it over him again, but he leant forward and kissed her palm instead again. And then he licked it because she wouldn't move it away. She had a really nice hand. He liked it around his—

She covered his mouth again, muffling him.

"Keep talking and it's never gonna happen again," Bella warned. She closed her eyes and kissed his jaw, once, twice, until her lips landed on his mouth. "I'm just really, really glad you're okay. And that you won, even if it was with broken ribs. Collapsing on the podium was not great."

It was totally worth it to Edward, but he didn't tell Bella that.

"We'll figure it out, y'know. Everything you're worried about—it's gonna be fine. You'll see."

"Okay. But…"

"Always with the buts."

"Did you really not do anything with that girl?"

"One very drunk kiss," he admitted.

Bella closed her eyes. "Just a kiss?"

"Just a kiss." He shrugged, helplessly.

Bella sighed. "I can deal with a kiss."

"Is that a yes, then? You're gonna let me date you for real?" His smile got stretched all over his face when she kissed him fully on the mouth.

"Yes, I'm gonna let you date me for real."