Author's Note: Omg. I am EXHAUSTED from work. I almost didn't even come home and finish this chapter, but then I remembered that I left it on a cliffie (albeit a slightly predictable cliffie, but a cliffie nonetheless). My mom's getting surgery tomorrow, so I've got the day off work! (My first day off in THREE WEEKS!) I'm hoping to get two chapters out tomorrow.

Also, I've got a game that I think could be fun to play throughout the story. So, as someone that listens to country music pretty frequently, I'm gonna slip country music lyrics into each chapter and the first person to guess the lyric in the comments will get a shoutout in the following chapter. That's not going to start in this chapter, but it will in the next chapter.

There's been one lyric used (not from Farmer's Daughter) thus far, so feel free to look back and guess that one!

Anyway, keep reviewing and reading. Thanks guys :)

Chapter 8

Can the answer to that question ever be no? Because I think that's my response. No, Bella, I think I'd prefer we didn't talk, let's just sit here and enjoy each other's presence. Or maybe I could just jump up and leave before she can start The Talk. What I don't know can't hurt me.

"Sure, Bella, I'm always willing to listen." So please don't dump me. Can I even be dumped when we aren't officially a couple yet?

"Let's go sit in the living room," she took my hand and led me to sit next to her on the couch, "I'm only twenty-two. I get that I've got a lot of livin' to do, but I don't like being alone. I'm not asking you to get down on one knee or commit to forever or anything. All I want to do is put something out in the open: I want a serious relationship. If this is a casual fling for you, then maybe we should just be friends. We have a lot in common and I feel a real chemistry. There could be somethin' deep between us, but I don't wanna waste my time or yours if we aren't lookin' for the same thing." Bella finished her spiel with a blush. We made eye contact and the pink in her cheeks intensified.

Her embarrassment was unnecessary because this talk couldn't have gone any better. My shoulders loosened and a smile took over my face. Taking both of her hands in mine, I kissed her softly.

"There's no way I'm lettin' you go. If I'm being honest, Bella, I've spent this past week thinkin' about nothin' but you. Everything about you draws me in and every time I learn something new, it leaves me wantin' more. I want this to be something serious and I know it's too soon to make any promises of forever, but I wanna keep on turning the pages of this story because I think I might find you at the happily ever after. Maybe it's too soon for us to even have this conversation, but I know there's something more to us. We've got a special thing and we'd be crazy to ignore it."

"You think so too?"

"I do."

"It's just that I've dated before and it's never been like this. The only serious relationship I've ever had didn't even feel this way." She looked down like admitting that ashamed her. It made me glad we were on a somewhat level playing field.

"I've never had a serious relationship, sweetheart. Dating was hard in the city and I gave up after a few years of being unable to connect."

"That must've been lonely," Bella frowned, sliding closer to me on the couch. I shrugged because there wasn't much else to say. It was lonely, but maybe there was hope that this was the end of that loneliness.

Bella confirming that my feelings for her weren't going unreciprocated made that possibility seem much more likely.

She seemed to agree that words weren't necessary because she wrapped her arms tight around my waist and buried her head against my neck. I held her just as close. We stayed that way for a while. There was a heightened intimacy in our embrace. Maybe it was the silence or the vulnerability that we both felt after our admissions that made us need the connection. Either way, I was glad to enjoy the moment.

. Either way, I was glad to enjoy the moment.

"Rose made me realize how important it was to have this conversation today. Her husband, Royce, is no good. And she feels like she fell into the marriage without even realizin' what was happening. Talkin' about it with her today made me think about what I could miss out on if I just let things happen without takin' any kind of action. Rose wasn't proactive and now she's miserable. I don't want that."

"You're right, baby. That's no way to leave." I'm sorry she's going through that. Is she gonna leave him?"

"I wish I knew. Things are different now. More complicated than they used to be, but she needs to get out." It seemed that the conversation was aging Bella by decades as the minutes passed. Obviously, she cared about Rose and her inability to help her friend was distressing her.

. "I don't want to talk about Rose anymore. Sorry, I know I brought it up, but I'd rather not be sad while I'm with you."

"No worries. Were you able to at least get a few hours of shut eye last night?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you for carrying me upstairs. It was very sweet of you. I slept like a baby those first few hours. You're an expert at tucking people in." Bella laughed. I readjusted her and she stretched her legs across my lap. Her feet lay to my left and I glanced at the red polish on her toes. Her feet weren't adorned with the usual embellishments. The second she noticed I was looking, Bella curled her feet underneath the couch cushion.

"Sorry, they're naked." A deep belly laugh left me. Naked. She was apologizing because her feet were naked. I gently tugged her ankles to reveal her toes again.

"As unappealin' as most feet are, yours are not repulsive. There's no reason to hide them, even if they're naked. You're free to be yourself around me. And if that means you don't want to dress them up one day then I promise not to judge."

Bella smiled up at me and let her feet hang freely. I loved her foot quirk, but I hoped that she'd take my words to heart. The toe rings and anklets weren't necessary. I wanted an unfiltered Bella.

"Thank you." She opened her mouth to add something on when a huge yawn left her instead. I looked at the bags under her eyes and realized I was hogging her attention when she really needed sleep.

"Aren't you tired, love? We can see each other tomorrow, but you look like you're struggling to keep your eyes open." At first, she started to protest, but after another involuntary yawn escaped, she gave in.

"Only if you come up to tell me goodnight," Bella said, looking up coyly. There was no arguing that. I stood, pulling her to her feet and letting her lead the way to her bedroom. "Let me go brush my teeth and change and I'll meet you back in here." With Bella gone, I took a second to look around her room a little more. There wasn't much as far as decorations went. Her bedspread was a pale yellow and there were a few fancy pillows strewn across the mattress, along with her new stuffed dog. Her curtains matched, too. It seemed the only connecting feature in the room was the pale yellow color.

I took note of her apparent preference for the color.

There was a bookshelf in the corner that held dozens of books. Upon closer glance, it looked like most of them were classics. And very well read. It seemed like the bookshelf was the most used piece of furniture in her bedroom.

"Hi, again." Bella looked like a dream in her sleep shorts, tank top, and loose hair.

"Hey, beautiful. Ready to sleep?"

"I think I'm sleepwalking right now, actually." She giggled, laying down. I pulled the blankets up to her chin, kissed her soundly, and stood upright.

"Go to sleep, baby, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, I'm really glad we talked tonight."

"Me too. You have no idea."