Author's note: Hi everyone! I've been sick this week but I am feeling better. Back to work and back to writing. I hope you enjoy chapter 9!

...

So when you're caught in a landslide

I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you

And in the rain, give you sunshine

I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you

Landslide - Oh Wonder

...

I haven't heard or seen Edward in a week. I've been stuck at Charlie's house, cleaning and trying to get ready to put it on the market. Apparently, he had savings and life insurance which is what will be paying for the needed updates on this home.

The offer on the house was too low and honestly, I wasn't ready to go back to Florida just yet. Renee wouldn't care and I've got in touch with my bosses who thankfully are understanding.

But now we need to upgrade this house and all of this new shit isn't cheap. Charlie's savings won't last this entire renovation with what Rose has planned for it.

She offered to pay contractors and I agreed but only if I could paint. So that's what I was doing all week. Picking appliances, painting for the walls and carpet to match them was more work than I thought. Approving and signing papers made my head hurt and deciding whether to talk to Edward first was making it worse.

Leah pulling me away wasn't exactly a way to end the night after having such a decent time at dinner. Sure, the bar was a little more than unplanned and awkward when I sobered up, but he needs to know there's no bad feelings involved.

Should I wait for him to call me? Would he even call? Is he more of a texter? Did he even save my number?

This is so stupid.

I pick my phone up, unlocking it and opening my messages. I scroll to my recent messages finding Edwards's name and clicking it. I read over our messages about dinner and where we were eating before hovering my finger over the call button.

"Do you want to seem desperate?" Devil rolls her eyes.

"It's not desperate, it shows she's interested." Angel sighs in love with the ideas of letting Edward be there for her.

I click the button before I change my mind. It rings three times before his tired, raspy voice answers.

"Hello?"

"Hey," I say, biting my lip and realizing it's almost midnight and he probably has work tomorrow. Shit.

"Nice going, idiot." My Devil laughs at me.

"Bella? Are you okay?" I can hear him rustling in the background and a light turning on.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I was just-I just wanted to check in. I haven't heard from you since that bar and I know I left all of the sudden, I was drunk and I know that's bad because it has increased since being here and I-"

"Bells." His voice cuts me off from babbling too much. "Breathe."

I take a deep breath. "Sorry," I murmur then chuckled at myself.

"Don't be." I can hear a smile behind his words. "I wasn't sure if it was okay to call you after Leah pulled you away. I didn't know if I had gone too far. I know this week has been difficult and I don't want to make this about me or my wants."

Want?

"What do you want?" I speak without thinking thanks to my Confidence perking up.

His silence lets me know I took him by surprise. He fumbles his words before finding some that make sense. "I've just wanted to be here for you in this tough time."

I furrow my eyebrows. Here for me? It sounds nice.

I've learned that having too many people in your corner, supporting you through a difficult time isn't as bad as it seems. But what does being here for me mean to him? Before we've taken too many guesses without really knowing what the other means. Our assumptions were never right and led to more problems with communication between us.

"What do you mean here for me?"

He sighs then chuckles. "You need a friend, Bella. That's all I want to be."

"That's all?" I question. I don't even know what else he could be for me but a friend. I don't have many and like I said too many isn't too horrible. I've never had many to know.

"Is there something else?"

I think for a moment. The only additions are casual sex, a real relationship, or not speaking to one another for years again. I definitely wasn't fond of the last one and sex is an intricate subject. A real relationship is nowhere in my near future. Friends was all that was left.

I didn't want to lose him again even though we'd probably be better off. Together we make our individual selves complex, but maybe being friends will keep us separate in a way that doesn't turn our worlds upside down.

I shake my head, remembering he can't see me. "No."

Me and Edward… friends?

This is probably a horrible idea but for some reason I'm always testing my limits.

"So what's up… friend?"

I smile at his words. "Nothing, really," I sigh, moving my clothes from my floor to the laundry baskets. "Trying not to worry about everything back home-I mean Florida."

"How's the house?" He sounds more awake now.

"The house is a mess," I explain. "And Rose has so many plans." I roll my eyes at the thought of the wall that needs to be torn down for the open floor plan. I'll be staying at a hotel for a week during this time, maybe I could go back to Florida then… probably not.

I guess I could go back there now but I don't want to face Renee right now. She's called multiple times and I just don't have the energy to talk to her. I can see the conversation being filled with hurtful words towards Charlie and how she knew this would happen.

That was her way of processing things, putting him down even when he's already six feet under.

"Well how about I take your mind off of things?"

I try not to think of all the ways I would like him to take my mind off of whatever is in my head, but the idea of his hands on me sends shivers through me.

"What do you have in mind?" I fan myself with an empty picture frame.

"For me to know and you to find out," he chuckles. "Wear something nice but casual," he says, knowing I'll freak out about what to wear. "Jeans are cool and bring a jacket because it'll be cold."

"Doesn't sound too casual," I say, not really wanting this conversation to end but I need to call Rose to check in with her too. It's late but she'll be awake.

"Just be you, look good… or don't. Just be comfortable."

I can't help but to smile. "Time?"

"Six okay?"

"Sounds good." At the same time my phone vibrates because Rose is calling me. "I'll see you tomorrow… or today."

He laughs. "Goodnight." He hangs up first and I switch my call to Rose.

"Sam! Oh my goodness, finally some adult interaction."

I laugh. "Hi." I'm genuinely happy to hear her voice even though it's so late. Her schedule is busy with two preteens in multiple after school activities and homework they need help with. She cooks dinner almost every night but when Emmett gets home from work they eat as a family. She also works at a dentist office for a couple hours a week while the kids are at school.

"So how did your date go?"

"It wasn't a date, it was just dinner." I repeat the words I told myself before meeting Edward that evening.

I can hear her roll her eyes. "How was just dinner?"

I tell her about my time with Edward, leaving out the amount of wine I had and the night at the bar. I also told her about meeting him later tomorrow… or today.

I can hear her interest change to worry immediately as she sighs. "Bella."

"We're friends. I need a friend, Rose." I don't want to explain this to her because I really don't know what friends really entails. It's never just friends with Edward. We lasted a month in that category before having sex in cars and getting married on a limb. We aren't good at being friends, but maybe it's really what we need.

I'm not sure how that's going to happen because my Angel has been dancing since I decided to go out with Edward again.

Rose doesn't say anything else about friends. Instead, she talks to me about how Posie and Pen, her fourteen year old twins are top of their classes and in the running to be students of the year again. She sounds proud as a mother with successful children should. She mentions coming down here to see how the house is looking in a few days. I thankfully talk her out of it because I can just send her pictures and she remembers she's busy the rest of the week anyways.

An hour later we hang up and I am still thinking about Edward and I being friends. There's so many ways this can go and I'm overthinking them all.

Just go with the flow. I tell myself something that's easier said than done. I've never been good at that but maybe for the sake of my anxiety I will tell myself that it's what I'm going to do.

I can do friendship with Edward.

I will make friends with Edward.

…

Author's note: What do you all think about friends? Find out next chapter how that goes. Leave a review and I will send you a sneak peek of chapter 10 because it's my favorite chapter.