3

Saying goodbye to her parents proved harder than Bella thought it would be. For years, she'd longed to sit across from her mother and have a civil conversation, to be able to be a normal girl, and gossip about boys and talk about clothes and what chick-flick they wanted to go watch. But the woman sitting there wasn't her mother, anymore. And Bella had to finally accept that Renee Swan, the mother she knew and loved, was gone.

And so was Charlie.

A sigh slipped out of her mouth as she turned her attention to Edward, who had one hand draped on the steering wheel, while the other was resting on the back of her seat.

"I love you," she murmured, causing him to smile and look over at her. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he said, sparing her a glance before looking back at the road. "Can I ask what promoted that sudden declaration of affection?"

"Do I need a reason?" she asked, leaning toward him and sliding her hand on his knee. "If I asked you to pull over onto the side of the road and make love to me, would you?"

"Yes," he said, immediately. "But we'd probably get arrested because there is no room in this car for sex so I'd have to take you against the car, which would draw attention and cause someone to call the cops."

Bella smiled. "It'd be worth it."

Edward laughed. "For you, maybe. I don't much fancy getting thrown in the slammer. Orange has never been my color, baby."

"Oh, but think of the fun we could have with handcuffs," Bella snickered, laughing harder when Edward's eyes flew open. "Too much?"

"A little," he murmured. "Not sure my heart could handle you and a pair of handcuffs."

Bella sighed and shifted her eyes out the window. "You're stronger than you think you are."

"I know," he said, quietly. "Are you all right? After seeing your mom and dad, I mean. Are . . . Was it too much?"

"I . . ." Bella shook her head. "I don't know. I miss them so much, but at the same time, it's hard to sit there and try not to beg and cry for them to come back to me. Does that make sense?"

Edward nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't have taken you to see them."

"Maybe not," Bella admitted with a sigh.

—WH—

An hour later, Edward pulled the car into an empty parking space in front of their new home. Young Hall was a new addition to the college, an effort by the university to offer housing to young married couples. For several minutes, they sat in the car, watching as men and women trickled in and out, boxes in their hands, smiles and laughter, peace and tranquility.

"Guess we should go inside, huh?" Edward chuckled, looking at Bella. "Kind of silly to be so nervous."

Bella smiled. "I'm nervous, too, you know."

"You are?" he asked. "You don't act like it."

"A clever ruse to make myself seem cooler," she told him, thinking back to when they first met and they were writing notes back and forth, trying to get to know each other. "I'm terrified, Edward."

"Me, too."

Bella sucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she reached over and grabbed the door handle, pushing the door open. "We're grown-ups now. Time to . . . time to act like it."

"Yeah," Edward whispered before following her lead and opened his door.

They each grabbed a couple of bags from the trunk before walking into the building, finding themselves face to face with a tall red-haired woman with deep blue eyes. She looked up from her clipboard and smiled. "You must be the Cullens."

"Um, yeah," Edward murmured. "How'd you know?"

"Because you're the only ones who hadn't checked in yet," she explained with a laugh. "I'm Victoria, one of the resident advisors. My husband James is the other. Our apartment is the first on the left. You've been assigned apartment fourteen B, which on the left side, at the end of the hallway. Here are your keys," she said, holding out two brass keys to them.

"Oh, um, thanks," Bella murmured, placing her suitcase on the ground before taking the keys from her. They felt heavy in her hands.

"You're welcome." Victoria held the clipboard out to her. "I need you to sign on the bottom. Just says that you agree not to make copies of the keys, or give them to anyone else."

Bella quickly scribbled her name across the bottom and handed the clipboard to Edward so he could do the same, which he did.

"Thanks," Victoria said, taking the clipboard back from him. "I'll let you get started on moving in, but know that James and I are available anytime if you need anything. Just give us a holler."

"Yeah, okay, thanks," Edward replied, picking up the bag at his feet.

Bella simply nodded before following him down the hallway to their new apartment. She unlocked the door, but before she could walk inside, Edward dropped his bags and swept her off her feet, causing her to scream softly.

"It's okay," he said, laughing. "I just . . . I want to carry you over the threshold."

"You shouldn't be carrying me anywhere," she murmured, holding on tighter as he stepped into the apartment.

"I'm strong enough for this," he said, but quickly put her back on her feet.

They stood in the middle of their living room slash dining room slash kitchen. There was cheap floral couch with a wooden coffee table, a couple of end tables, and two lamps. There wasn't a television, but there was a small chest where they could place their television. The dining room had a small, square table and two plastic chairs that Bella was sure would match those in the cafeteria. In the kitchen, there was an olive-green refrigerator, a matching stove, and a couple sets of cabinets on either side of the small size. The walls throughout the apartment were plain white and the floor was covered in a shaggy, brown carpet that needed a thorough cleaning.

Bella and Edward shared a look before they grabbed their bags from the hallway and carried them into the bedroom, which had a full-size bed, two dressers, a couple nightstands, and two small closets. Through the bedroom was the bathroom, which had a standing shower, toilet, and sink.

"Wow," Bella murmured, placing the bags she was carrying on the bed.

"Yeah," Edward said. "Not great."

"But it's ours," she said, smiling. "That's something, right?"

Edward grinned. "It is."

Bella turned and placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating. "Let's get the rest of our stuff and get settled in. We'll make this place our home."

It took them the better part of two hours, but they slowly managed to get the car unloaded and everything unpacked. The apartment still wasn't much, but at least it felt more like them. They'd added pictures and posters on the walls, covered the couch in the extra sheets they'd brought so the couch was now a deep blue, and not a horrid floral pattern. With the addition of a few lamps, throw pillows, pictures of their family, and such, the apartment was more than a dump, but still less than a home.

"I'm hungry," Edward said late in the afternoon. They were laying on the bed, which had been sprayed heavily with Lysol and covered with three sheets before they added their bedding. Call them paranoid, but they were careful.

"Me, too," she said, quietly. "Guess we should have gone to the market, huh?"

"Suppose so," he said. "Cafs open, though. Might as well take advantage of the food plan we've paid for."

Bella laughed as she stood up, holding her hand out to her husband. "Let's go."

They stepped into the hallway just as the door to the apartment across from theirs opened and a tall, curvy blonde woman and a dark-haired man stepped out. They looked up at Bella and Edward, smiling.

"Hey, neighbors," the woman said, a southern accent lacing her words. "How y'all doing?"

"Um, good," Bella murmured, tightening her grip on Edward's hand. "And yourselves?"

"Oh, can't complain," the woman laughed. "I'm Lauren Crowley. This is my husband Tyler. Who are you?"

"Edward and Bella," they said together.

"It's nice to meet you," Tyler said, smiling. "We were just heading out for dinner. Want to join us?"

"'Fraid it's nothing special," Lauren drawled, gesturing for them to follow. "Just the cafeteria, but the foods good and they have a huge selection."

"We were heading that way, anyway," Bella said.

The cafeteria was halfway across campus, but Bella worried that the walk would be too much for Edward, who still struggled with long distances. She didn't say anything, however, knowing how sensitive he was about his condition. Especially with Tyler and Lauren leading the way. This was supposed to be their second chance, a fresh start, and the last thing they needed was for people to stare at them again.

Lauren hadn't been lying when she said they had a great selection of food. Burgers, fries, pizzas, enchiladas, sandwiches, there was very little that they didn't offer. While Edward opted for a hamburger steak, baked potato, and a salad, Bella grabbed a burger and fries, secretly smiling about the fact that Emmett couldn't give her shit about eating junk. Once they had drinks, they followed Lauren and Tyler across the crowded cafeteria to a table in the back corner where Victoria was sitting with a tall, lanky blond guy.

"Hey, guys!" Victoria greeted, smiling as the four of them sat down. "Isabella and Edward, right? Fourteen B?"

"It's just Bella," Edward murmured.

"Oh, duly noted," Victoria giggled, sliding her hand across James's forearm. "This is my husband James. Honey, this is Bella and Edward Cullen from fourteen B."

"Nice to meet you both," James said, smiling before spearing a piece of cantaloupe on his fork and popping it into his mouth. "Get settled in okay?"

"Yeah," Bella said, quietly before picking up a fry and taking a small bite. It was odd to her, people being so friendly and polite, like they weren't freaks.

"I thought the university was going to remodel the apartments," Lauren said, mixing her salad with her dressing.

"Apparently the Football team needed a new weight room," James said, shaking his head.

"That's bullshit," Tyler scoffed. "They don't win enough to need new anything."

"For reals," Victoria agreed, before looking over at Bella and Edward. "Sorry. Where are you from?"

"Um, Forks," Bella told them, feeling everyone watching them. "It's a few hours from here."

"So what year are you in?" James asked. "Victoria and I are both grad students. Lauren and Tyler are starting their senior year."

"We're freshman," Edward said, and each of them stared at them with wide eyes. "We took a year off. Needed some time to . . . I don't know."

"So you're what? Twenty?" Victoria asked and when both Bella and Edward nodded, she said, "You're so young. How long have you been married?"

"A year and a half," they said together, knowing that they, like the people they'd encountered in Forks, would be shocked by their ages.

"So you're the veterans," Lauren laughed. "Ty and I got married eight months ago."

"It's been ten months for me and James," Victoria added.

"That's nice," Bella murmured, shifting her attention to her burger. Edward draped his arm around the back of her chair, his hand resting on the top of her back. She looked up at him, smiling when he winked at her.

"Oh, Lauren, did you get into Dr. McGregor's class?" Victoria asked.

And just like that, the focus was pulled away from Bella and Edward.

—WH—

After eating, the six of them walked back to their building. The air was cool and there was a light mist swirling around them. Edward kept his arm around Bella's waist as they followed James, Victoria, Tyler, and Lauren across campus. It was still odd to Bella that they were actually on their own, no brothers and sisters watching over them, making sure they were okay.

While Lauren and Tyler bid them good night and headed down to their apartment, Victoria placed her hand on Bella's shoulder, both her and James watching them closely. "If you need anything, please just ask," she said, leaning toward them. "Anything. James and I are more than just resident advisors; we're friends."

"Okay, thanks," Bella murmured, nodding.

Edward headed straight into the bathroom to take his meds while Bella changed into her pajamas and picked up her cell phone, sighing when she saw the texts and missed calls from Emmett. Pulling her knees up in front of her, she deleted all the notifications and sent him a text, assuring him that they were okay. That he didn't need to worry. He would anyway, she knew, but she would keep assuring him that they were managing. Because they were. Today they'd moved into their own apartment and made friends with their neighbors. Nobody stared at the girl with cancer or the boy with the broken heart. Today, they were just Bella and Edward Cullen.

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