Chapter Five

It's been two weeks since Bella left Forks and I've been struggling. I can't concentrate. I try to keep myself distracted with work and walking Finn but I can't seem to get over that hug. We shouldn't have done it, I knew it would affect me. I should have just waved and walked away but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know if she still felt the same, still smelt the same, if I still felt the same when I touched her. Unfortunately, the answer was yes.

As soon as I had her in my arms I'd felt that pulse of electricity that I'd tried so hard to forget over the years. She smelt the same but different. She wore a different perfume now but her hair still smelt like strawberries and the realisation made my chest ache even now.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by my phone buzzing on the coffee table. I lean forward grabbing it and opening the message.

Hey. How are you? :) - B

I swallow the food I'm chewing before typing out a reply.

I'm good. You? - E

I put my phone down on the couch next to me, turning my attention back to the TV and trying to ignore the urge to check if she's received or read my message. My phone buzzes again and I grab it a little too quickly.

I'm good. What are you doing? - B

Not much. Just watching TV. You? - E

Trying to improve your knowledge of the world of media? - B

I chuckle, liking that she's started to tease me a little, that our relationship, whatever it is, is a little like it used to be, without all the intimate bits, of course. Suddenly a second message comes through

Trying to learn my part. I'm kind of freaking out - B

I stare at the message for a moment, chewing my food slowly. Fuck, what do I say? I don't know how to fucking help. I don't even really know what her job entails other than pretending to be different people.

I look down at Finn and he's sleeping soundly in front of the TV. He must feel my eyes on him because he suddenly lifts his head, looking at me.

"She's freaking out apparently," I tell him.

He cocks his head to the side like he doesn't understand me.

"I don't know why either" I mumble. "What do I do?" I ask him.

He barks once before spinning in a circle.

"You think huh?" I chuckle before letting out a slow breath.

Want to talk about it? You know...vocally? - E

I bite my lip as I watch the message send, get delivered and then read.

Yeah? - B

Sure - E

I wait impatiently for the phone to ring, but what I'm not expecting is for her to fucking Facetime me. Fuck, I can't see her. I'm wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt that's a little too tight and I'm shovelling rice into my mouth! But, I can't ignore it, I just agreed to speak to her. I stare at the phone in horror, looking at Finn who just wags his tail.

"This is your fucking fault" I hiss before answering the phone and holding it in front of my face, briefly making sure there's nothing embarrassing in the background.

I watch as the screen turns black and then reveals her face. She's frowning a little before she smiles softly.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind. I just thought this might be easier than having you on speaker phone" She says, shuffling around a little.

"Um..no, it's fine" I mumble, feeling a bit exposed and unable to take my eyes off my own picture on the bottom hand of the screen. "So, you're freaking out?" I ask.

"Yeah" She huffs a little, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm supposed to audition for this part in like two days and I just...don't know if I'm doing it right," She says, rubbing her hand over her forehead.

"What's wrong with how you're doing it?" I ask.

"I don't know. I suppose I just...don't know if I'm capturing her right." She sighs. We're silent for a moment. "Sorry, you probably don't want to hear about something trivial like a movie script," She says.

"No, it's okay." I assure her.

She gives me a small smile before looking down at her lap. While she's distracted I take the opportunity to study her for a moment, how her hair falls around her face and over her shoulders, how a small crease forms between her eyebrows when she thinks, and how her plump bottom lip finds its way between her teeth.

"So, did I interrupt something good on TV?" She asks, suddenly looking up.

"Oh um..." I stutter, feeling like she totally just caught me checking her out. "No, not really. It was just noise while I ate." I tell her.

"Fuck I interrupted your dinner?" She asks, looking concerned.

"No, it's fine" I smile.

"Shall I let you go?" She asks, blushing a little.

"No, it's fine," I say a little too quickly.

"You can eat while we talk if you want. I don't mind" She shrugs.

I consider it for a moment before looking at my half-eaten meal.

"You sure?" I ask.

"Yeah" She laughs. "Just pretend I'm not here".

Like that's going to fucking happen. I roll my eyes at her before grabbing a couple of books and propping my phone up on the coffee table so she can still see my face. I start spooning some rice into my mouth and chewing slowly, trying to eat neatly. She looks at me for a moment before smiling a little.

"What have you got then?" She asks.

"Thai green curry" I tell her once I've finished chewing.

"Mmm sounds good" She says.

"It's okay" I reply. "Needs a bit more chilli next time" I mumble.

She giggles, shaking her head.

"What?" I ask, smiling myself.

"I can't believe you're a fucking foodie" She laughs.

I chuckle with her, shrugging before I look behind her, seeing a bit of what looks like a living room.

"Are you at home?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'm in my house" She nods.

I nod a little, chewing slowly and swallowing hard, trying to peek at what I can see of the room.

"Want a tour?" She suddenly asks, smirking a little.

I look at her for a moment.

"Sure" I shrug, trying to act casual.

"It's not particularly interesting but..." She shrugs a little before picking up the phone and standing up.

She flips the camera around and I can see a living room. There are two cream couches and two chairs in some kind of blue fabric. There's a large stone fireplace in the centre of the wall in front of her with a large mirror above it. She waves at her reflection, making me chuckle.

"Welcome to my humble abode," She says, laughing breathlessly. "So this is the living room," She tells me, turning slowly in a circle. Behind her is a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with ornaments and a few books. It looks very styled.

"This is the dining room" She continues, walking into the next room.

There's a large round wooden table in the middle of the room and a large chandelier hanging above it.

"Then we have the kitchen" She says, flicking on a light.

I see a pale blue kitchen with an island. It's big with all the best appliances. It's spotless as well, like it's never been used. There's a cakestand on the island counter with what looks like a pile of cookies on it.

"Then we have the guest bedroom" She continues, flicking on a light and showing me a pale blue bedroom.

"And finally...my bedroom," She says.

She turns a light on and I see a white room with a large bed in the centre. There are two bedside tables, a walk-in closet on the left and a TV on the opposite wall. I can see her pyjamas on top of her bed covers and seeing them makes my insides feel weird and my sweatpants suddenly feel too tight.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm getting turned on my nightwear now? I need to get out more.

"That's it" She sighs before flipping the camera back around to her face and I can see she looks flushed. I wonder if that's because I've seen her bedroom.

"It's nice," I tell her, my voice sounding tight and gritty.

"Yeah well, it's home," She says, walking back into the living room and turning the lights off as she goes.

"It's a lot nicer than my place" I mumble, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed that she's been here when she's used to that.

"I don't think so. Yours is homely, mine is...designed" She says, rolling her eyes.

She gives me a small smile and I smile back before spooning some more food into my mouth. I don't want to say something stupid.

"So, how's your week been?" She asks me.

"Good, we're closing on that house next week," I tell her.

"Oo, that's exciting," She says. "Do you have something lined up for afterwards?" She asks.

"Yeah we have three more houses booked in for this year." I nod.

"Wow, that's...impressive" She admits. "Don't you take any time off?" She asks.

"I have to take a couple of weeks during the year." I shrug.

"You don't sound very pleased about it" She giggles.

"I like to keep busy" I admit.

She nods biting her lip again before I place my empty bowl down on the coffee table, grab the phone and swing my legs up onto the couch, getting comfortable. I lean back against the arm, sipping on my beer. I notice her eyes flash to my mouth for a second and the action makes my skin tingle.

I'm pretty sure she was checking me out at the cafe but I can't be sure. She might have just looked over at me at the same time that I looked at her.

"So, what's this movie about then?" I ask.

"It's a romance. Based in the thirties" She says.

"There must be more story than that?" I point out.

She smiles a little before shrugging.

"It's about a guy who's engaged to a woman but before he gets married he meets the girl he used to be in love with and it sets off loads of complications," She says.

I know how the guy feels.

"Sounds...interesting" I nod.

"It does?" She giggles.

"What?" I reply, feeling a small smile cross my face.

"You don't strike me as the period drama type" She shrugs.

"Well...you never know. I last watched Deadpool which according to you should be classed as a period drama, it was out so long ago" I chuckle.

She laughs at me, really laughs and my head swims at the sound. Over the years I'd tried so hard to remember that sound but could never quite get it right.

"So what's your audition?" I ask her, needing to change the subject before I do or say something stupid.

"What do you mean?" She asks, a smile still playing on her lips.

"Well which bit of the movie is it?" I ask, sipping my beer.

"Oh, it's um...it's when my character confesses her love to the leading man," She says quietly.

"So, why do you think you haven't captured the moment right?" I question.

"I don't know. I don't know if I have the emotion right. I feel like I'm forcing it I guess." She shrugs.

We're quiet for a moment, Bella looking at her lap. Suddenly, her eyes flash up to mine.

"Would you...would you mind giving me your opinion?" She asks quietly.

I stare at her for a long minute. I've never seen Bella act before. I made a conscious effort to never see any of her movies, any interview, not even a magazine article, worried it would hurt too much, so the idea of her performing just for me makes my chest feel strange.

"Um...okay" I whisper.

"You don't have to" She says quickly. "It would just help to have another opinion." She says.

"And you trust mine?" I question. I immediately regret the words once they're out.

"Yeah" She says quietly.

"Okay" I nod. "Fire away".

"Okay so like I said," Bella says disappearing off camera for a moment, "it's when my character, Kitty, confesses she's always loved her childhood sweetheart, Raymond".

"Raymond?" I chuckle, unable to help myself.

"Yes Edward. Raymond" Bella says and I can see the humour in her eyes. "Okay" She says, straightening the papers on her lap. "Ready?" She asks.

I nod, suddenly feeling nervous.

She looks down at the paper for a minute before looking up and directly at me through the camera.

"I have to be honest" She starts, "I think about you a lot. In the morning...when I wake up" She breathes, "At the end of my day, right before I go to sleep and during the day...in between everything" She laughs breathlessly, looking away for a second.

I feel my stomach flip-flop at her words and feel like she's speaking directly to me. Suddenly she looks back, looking at me in the eye again.

"It's you" She whispers, "It's always you. I...I kept my feelings contained for as long as I could, wanting you to be happy, wanting to you find happiness with her but...but I'm not happy." She says, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"I'm in love with you. Completely, irrevocably in love with you and I understand if after all this time you don't feel the same anymore but I needed you to know before you walk out of that door and into your new life. I wish I could have told you sooner but there was never time, never the right moment but...I need you to know. I'm yours, all of me. Always."

She stares at me for a long minute before blinking rapidly and dropping her eyes to her lap.

"That's it" She whispers.

"That was..." I trail off, unsure what to say. I completely believed her. I felt like she was saying all those words just to me, like she was confessing her deepest secret to me. "Great," I say.

Great? How fucking lame is that?

"Really?" She asks, looking doubtful.

"Yeah" I nod, "I believed you" I add, taking a long drag of my beer.

"Yeah?" She asks.

"Totally" I nod.

The worst part is...I wanted to.


Fuck I'm nervous. You'd have thought after all these years I wouldn't feel this way anymore. It's only a fucking audition, after all, I did thousands when I first got to LA.

"Bella, are you ready?" Marcus asks.

Marcus is one of the producers for Girls of Yesterday. I've worked with him before and he's a nice guy, always looking out for the younger or more inexperienced actors.

"Yeah" I nod, grabbing my stuff and following him into the room.

"How are you feeling?" He asks as we walk down the hall.

"Bit nervous" I admit.

"You'll ace it" He says, nudging my arm with his. I give him a small smile and try to swallow the bile rising in my throat.

He pushes open a heavy wooden door before we walk into a large boardroom. Seated at the table in the centre are two men, Laurent Levigne, another producer and Demitri Jensen, the director.

"Miss Swan" Laurent says, standing from the table and smiling warmly at me. "How are you?"

"Bella, please" I mumble. "I'm good, you?"

"Very well, very well" He nods, "Please take a seat."

I do as he says, dropping my bag to the floor and placing the script on the table in front of me. I notice a glass of water in front of my place and take a small sip.

"So, how are you feeling?" Laurent asks.

"I'm good. Excited to hear more about the movie" I smile, trying to put on a confident face.

"Good, we're excited to hear your take on the scene" Laurent smiles, his soft French Canadian accent coming through.

"Shall we get started then?" Dimitri asks. "I thought we could talk a little about the movie and then go through the scene" He says.

I nod a little, a mixture of excitement and nerves.

We talk for a while about the movie, about how they envision the film going and things that have already been put in place set and cast-wise. Eventually, they say they're ready to hear my scene and I swallow thickly.

I begin to recite the scene, speaking it as best I can but I can hear my voice shaking with nerves. I'm halfway through when I see Demitri and Laurent exchange a look. I'm fucking this up. I stop speaking, dropping my eyes to my lap.

"I'm sorry, I'm doing it wrong" I mumble.

"Why don't you start again and take your time, there's no rush," Marcus says kindly.

I nod a little before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes for a second. I think back to the night I practised with Edward, the way he'd looked at me through the camera, like he really believed me. His eyes had been so intense I'd had to look away for a minute.

I begin to recite the words, imagining that Edward is sitting in front of me. I imagine how he looked at me, how I could see the top of his chest rising and falling slightly faster when I confessed loving him all this time. I imagine how I would feel if I had to confess those words to him in reality and feel tears prick my eyes.

When I finally come to the end of the scene, Laurent, Demitri and Marcus are all staring at me. There's a beat of silence and I wonder if I've completely misread the scene before Laurent suddenly claps his hands together, grinning at me.

"Well...that was phenomenal," He says.

"Indeed" Marcus nods, smiling at me.

"I think we can safely say you've got the role Bella" Dimitri adds.

"Really?" I laugh.

"Of course" Laurent nods.

"Thank you" I grin. "Thank you so much."

"What did you use as inspiration for the scene?" Marcus asks, looking curious.

"Oh er...just imaging how I would feel in that situation I guess." I shrug.

They all nod a little before we fall into easy conversation about the movie and what my other ideas are for different scenes. Despite my excitement and enthusiasm, I can't shake the feeling that maybe I did mean the words a little more than I intended.


"To Bella fucking Swan!" Alice squeals, raising her champagne glass in the air as the limo drives through the city.

I'm out celebrating my new movie role with my friends, Alice and Rose have even flown in from New York to be with me. I laugh brightly looking around at the group surrounding me. Alice is already three sheets to the wind, despite this only being her second glass of bubbles. She's dressed in one of her own designs, an asymmetric black dress with an angular neckline. She looks beautiful of course.

Rose sits next to her, taking numerous photos of us all and looking like the Victoria's Secret angel that she is. She's wearing a tiny red dress with a slit up the thigh. I'm jealous of her legs.

We have a few other friends in tow too. There's Tanya, Emily, Seth, Leah and Aro. They're all laughing and drinking and celebrating with me when we pull up outside of the club. The door suddenly opens and Jake gives me a small smile before holding out his hand to help us out of the car.

As soon as we step out of the limo, a hundred camera flashes go off in my face. I keep my head down as we stumble our way into the club, being pushed and pulled slightly by the paps. Eventually, we make it inside, the bass hitting me in the chest and the strobe lights dancing off our faces.

"Drinks ladies?" Seth asks.

"Let's have sex on the beach!" Alice cries.

"Yeah, a pitcher?" I ask.

Rose nods so we tell Seth our order before he rolls his eyes, making his way to the bar. I laugh at his reaction. He's probably cursing us for choosing that cocktail.

We find a booth towards the back of the club, sliding into the seats and talking excitedly amongst ourselves. Seth returns a few minutes later with a tray of drinks, handing them around to us all. I take the large glass of fruity cocktail and sip on the striped straw.

"I think a toast is in order!" Aro cries, holding his beer in the air. "To Bella! Congratulations!" He says.

A chorus of congratulations and cheers goes around the group while I smile and thank them all.

The night is fun and we remain fairly under the radar, only a couple of people approaching our table for autographs or photos. I feel light and free and the most relaxed I have in weeks. We laugh and talk and take silly photos before Alice and Rose say they want to dance. They ask me to come with them and I nod, sipping the last of my drink and sliding out of the booth.

We head towards the dance floor, holding hands until we reach the centre. A sultry beat comes on and I begin to move my hips to the music, my head tilting back and my eyes closing. I dance with my girls before I see Seth and Aro dancing their way toward us.

I laugh at their moves before they join our little group. The music changes to something more upbeat and Seth begins to spin Alice and Rose around in front of him while Aro grabs my hands and dances with me. I laugh loudly before I turn, pressing my back to his chest and wriggling against him.

"Don't tempt me, woman!" Aro teases. "You'll have Alec on your back if you do!"

I laugh loudly, knowing he's not wrong. Aro's boyfriend Alec is a little possessive, if not the loveliest man I've ever met. We continue to dance for a while before we both call time out, needing to catch our breath.

We stumble back to the booth, finding the others all talking and taking photos of each other. Aro hands me another cocktail before leaning in close.

"So, you're going to be working with James Witherdale?" He says, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Yeah" I giggle. "I'm kind of nervous" I admit.

"He's meant to be a real flirt," Aro says knowingly.

"Really?" I ask.

"You better watch your back pretty B" Aro winks.

"He's not really my type" I admit.

"What is your type then?" Aro asks, "I've never seen you with anyone."

"I don't know" I shrug.

Even as I say the words I know they're a lie. I have a type I just don't want to admit it because unfortunately, it's auburn hair, green eyes and a million miles away in Forks.


I stand on the front porch holding the six-pack of beer and pizza boxes, tapping my foot impatiently. I'm about to knock on the door again when Jasper finally appears, his hair wet and hanging into his eyes.

"Hey, sorry I was in the shower," He says.

"Remind me again why you invited me? Considering I had to pick up the beer and the pizza?" I tease.

He rolls his eyes at me as I walk into his apartment, closing the door behind me.

"So, you've actually left the house" He teases, heading into the kitchen and grabbing the bottle opener.

"I leave the house" I argue, taking the beer he hands me.

"To go to work and the grocery store," He says, "That's not leaving the house".

I roll my eyes at him, tipping the bottle to my lips and ignoring the gibe.

"Living room?" He asks, opening the pizza boxes.

"Sure" I nod.

We head into the living room, sitting on the couch and opening our food. I take a bite of my pizza before Jasper speaks again.

"So, you met up with Bella for coffee then?" He asks.

I wondered how long it would be before one of them asked about that. I should've known it would be Jasper.

"Yeah" I nod.

"How'd it go?" He asks.

"Not as bad as I thought. We talked about how everything ended all those years ago and it turns out we both thought we were to blame" I tell him.

"What did she say?" He asks.

"She said she shouldn't have said what she did and she didn't mean it that way. That she'd always wanted me even after she left." I say, feeling my heart flip-flop in the same way it did when she said those words in the cafe.

"What did you say?" He probes.

"That I should never have asked her to stay. That I should have supported her when she wanted to go and pursue stuff" I tell him.

He nods a little.

"So you're good?" He asks.

"Yeah. We agreed we're friends and things have been...good. It's like getting it out there, addressing it, has made things more relaxed She's even started teasing me a little" I chuckle. I leave out the part about hugging her, deciding that's not something he needs to know.

He looks at me curiously and I roll my eyes.

"She thinks I'm archaic with movies. She was shocked when the last one I'd seen was Deadpool" I tell him.

"Deadpool?!" He says in shock. "That was like five years ago!"

"You sound like Bella" I chuckle.

He laughs with me, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"You're like an old man at times" He tells me.

I shrug. I don't care, I'm content as I am.

"Did you see her pictures from the other night?" He asks.

"What pictures?" I reply.

"Oh thats' right, you don't do social media do you? Oh great one" He rolls his eyes, pulling his phone from his pocket.

He taps away for a couple of minutes before handing me the phone. There are a series of photos on Instagram showing Bella dressed in a little silver dress. She's obviously out at a nightclub or something with friends. There's one of her on her own, smiling into the camera, a few with various friends, drinking cocktails and then dancing with a guy. Her back is to his front and they're both laughing. For some reason, seeing that photo makes my insides feel uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Jasper asks, looking a little concerned.

"Yeah" I reply, clearing my throat. "I didn't realise you followed her."

"Have done for years" He shrugs.

"Really?" I ask. How did I not know that?

"Yeah" He chuckles. "You could too if you weren't such a fucking grandpa".

I roll my eyes at him and bite into my pizza. Jasper asks if I want to watch the game and I nod my agreement but I can't focus on the TV. All I can think about is Bella in a little silver dress, pressed up against a guy, laughing and how I don't like it.

Not at all.


By the following evening, I've managed to forget about Bella's photos on Instagram. It's not like I have a right to feel anything, maybe the guy's her boyfriend or just someone casual. I never asked if she had anyone in LA.

I'm walking around the small grocery store in town, staring at the various types of bran flakes on offer and wondering what crappy TV show I can watch tonight. God, my life is so fucking dull, Jasper's right. I grab the first packet I see before throwing them into my cart and walking forward.

Suddenly, I crash into another cart and look up abruptly, seeing a petite, dark-haired girl. She pushes her bangs out of her eyes and looks up at me with a small frown. I recognise her from somewhere.

"Sorry" I mumble.

"No worries. I wasn't looking where I was going" She says with a small smile.

"Me neither" I admit. "Um...do I know you from somewhere?" I ask.

"I work at Michael's," He says, referring to the bar in town.

Suddenly, it all floods back to me. Ben's birthday, drinking, the waitress, the waitress slipping her number in my pocket.

"Oh," I mumble, not really knowing what else to say to her.

"Yeah," She says, looking a little awkward.

"You gave me your-"

"Number" She nods.

We're silent for a moment before she tucks her hair behind her ears.

"This is by far the most awkward moment of my life so I'm going to grab my cornflakes and go" She says, laughing awkwardly and moving past me.

"I'm sorry" I blurt out, feeling the need to apologise to her. "It wasn't anything personal," I tell her.

"You didn't feel the vibe, it's fine," She says, her cheeks flaming red.

"It wasn't that," I shake my head. "I...I've had some personal shit to deal with and it just kind of slipped my mind. I was flattered you gave me your number" I tell her honestly.

She looks at me for a long minute before smiling a little.

"I don't normally hand out my number" She admits. "I always thought it was kind of tacky, especially in a bar but..." She shrugs a little.

"It wasn't tacky," I reply, honestly.

We share an awkward laugh before she looks up at me under her lashes.

"So...were you going to call me? Before the personal shit?" She asks.

Was I? I don't know. I mean, I was flattered by it. She takes my silence as denial and goes to move away from me again.

"Hey, I'm sorry." I say to her. "I'm being a real ass and you don't deserve that."

"It's okay. You have personal shit right?" She smiles at me.

"Right" I nod, giving a small laugh.

"Um...this might be the second most awkward moment of my life but...as you're here and I'm here on this exciting Friday night, do you wanna maybe grab a coffee from the diner?" She asks, biting her bottom lip.

The action reminds me of Bella but I push it from my mind. This girl has done nothing but be nice to me, even giving me a second chance, so why am I stalling? Bella's grinding up against another guy anyway. She's not thinking about me.

"Sure" I nod. "That would be good...um..." I trail off, not knowing her name.

"Charlotte" She fills in.

"Edward" I tell her.

We both laugh slightly, feeling awkward.

"Okay well, are you nearly done shopping?" She asks with a bright smile.

"Yeah, give me ten minutes?" I ask.

"Okay, meet you out front?" She says.

"Sure" I smile.

She nods before we head off in different directions to finish our shopping. I grab my last few items before heading to the checkout and paying. I bag up my purchases before heading out to my truck, dumping the bags in the cab. As I do, I see Charlotte leaning against a blue hatchback. She smiles at me.

I swallow thickly, feeling ants march in my stomach and I start to seriously question whether this was a good idea.

"Ready to go?" She asks.

"Yeah" I nod.

I lock the truck before we walk across the street to the diner. Some fifties song is playing softly in the parking lot before I open the door for her and we head inside. We find a booth, slipping into our seats before Wanda appears asking for our orders.

"Just a coffee for me thanks," I tell her.

"Me too" Charlotte smiles.

Wanda disappears in a flurry of pink apron before I look over at Charlotte. There's better lighting in here and I realise she's prettier than I initially thought. She has a round face, blue eyes and a delicate nose. Her dark hair is fairly long, her bangs falling into her eyes a little.

"So, Edward, what do you do when you're not getting drunk in bars?" She asks.

"Oh god, you remember that huh?" I chuckle, scrubbing a hand over my face.

"You were hard to forget" She admits, her cheeks flushing.

I know she's trying to flirt and the realisation makes my stomach fizz. I give her a small smile.

"I work in construction. Cullen Construction" I clarify.

"Oh that's cool" She smiles.

"How about you?" I ask.

"Well, I work at Michael's three days a week but other than that I work as a teaching assistant at the kindergarten in town" She says.

"Oh right," I nod. "That must be fun, working with kids all day," I say.

Suddenly, Wanda reappears with our coffee and places them down on the table.

"Yeah it's never dull," She says with a laugh and I chuckle with her.

"You're not originally from Forks." I say. It's more of a statement than a question. I know everyone that's lived here for years and she's not one of them.

"No I'm from Port Angeles originally," She says. "How about you?" She asks.

"Forks born and bred" I reply with a smile.

"Small town guy. I like it" She grins.

I chuckle slightly and try to ignore the way my stomach feels right now. Charlotte seems like a nice girl and she obviously likes something about me, at least on a superficial level.

"So, what exactly does Cullen Construction do?" She asks, sipping her coffee and watching me over the rim of her cup.

"Anything really. Mainly home renovations but also decks, repairs, doors and windows, porches..." I rattle off.

"Very cool" She nods.

We talk for a while longer, asking each other questions about our lives and jobs. It's neutral, if not a little flirty on Charlotte's part. Eventually, when our coffees have been drunk and we ask for the bill, I drop ten dollars on the table.

"You don't have to do that" Charlotte says sincerely. "I asked you for coffee".

"Yes I do. I was an ass to you, the least I could do is buy you a cup of coffee." I tell her with a smile.

"Well...thanks" She says.

I nod before we both stand and walk towards the exit of the diner. I say goodbye to Wanda and send my regards to her husband Joe before we both step out into the cool Spring air.

Charlotte and I walk slowly across the parking lot, the sound of Elvis playing in the background when she suddenly giggles.

"My mom loves this song" She suddenly says.

I listen a little more, tuning into the song behind me. It's Always On My Mind by Elvis and it immediately takes me back to another night, just like this, many years ago...


"Let me taste!" I cry, looking over at Bella.

"You have your own milkshake!" She points out, laughing a little and looking at me with those fucking flirty eyes.

"I got chocolate. I wanna try strawberry" I shrug.

"Well maybe you should have ordered strawberry then" She grins.

I roll my eyes at her before throwing myself over the table and capturing her straw between my lips, sucking the creamy liquid. Bella looks shocked for a minute before she smacks my arm.

"Edward!" She cries, laughing a little.

I chuckle at her before releasing her straw and capturing her lips instead. She giggles against my lips as I swipe my tongue against her bottom one before I pull back, dropping into my seat.

"Tastes good," I tell her.

I know there's an innuendo there and it's kind of tacky but the way Bella's looking at me with dark eyes makes it worth it.

"I think you owe me some chocolate now," She says, her voice a little breathy.

I push my glass towards her and she looks at me surprised.

"You're not even going to put up a fight?" She asks.

"What's mine is yours, baby" I chuckle.

She rolls her eyes at me before taking a little sip of my drink. Seeing her lips wrapped around my straw makes my pants too tight and I have to restrain adjusting my jeans. I won't lie, I'm used to being a bit more physical with girls than I have been with Bella. Normally, if it's not a makeout session at some party, it's a quick handjob or blowie in the car but with Bella, it's been dating, talking, and holding hands. I don't mind, but seeing her mouth wrapped around my straw makes me feel too warm in my jacket.

"Tastes good," She says, repeating my words back to me and looking up at me from under her lashes. Now I have to physically restrain a groan.

She grins a little and I realise she's messing with me.

"You're a fucking tease" I mutter, biting my bottom lip and trying not to smirk.

She giggles at me and shrugs.

"It's only a tease if you don't intend to follow through," She says.

My eyes flash to hers and I notice the blush creeping up her cheeks and her bottom lip between her teeth. My gaze lingers too long on her mouth but I don't care. She's fucking hot and she's driving me crazy.

"Oh really?" I ask, smirking at her.

She nods, giggling again.

"And what exactly are you going to follow through with?" I ask her, loving this confident Bella.

"Dunno" She mumbles, shrugging and grinning at me.

"Hmm" I hum, my eyes burning into hers, "Well let me know when you decide," I tell her.

"I will" She smiles.

We're quiet for a moment, just grinning at each other before I take another sip of my drink. For some reason, knowing Bella's mouth has been here makes me fucking hard. I look away from her gaze, needing a moment to rein myself back under control.

We finish our drinks in comfortable silence before I pay and stand from the booth, grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her towards the exit of the diner. We step out into the cool Spring air and head towards my car. In the background, I can hear Always On My Mind by Elvis playing and I absentmindedly hum along with the melody.

I notice Bella glance over at me before trying to hide a smile.

"What?" I ask, slowing my stride.

"Nothing," She says, trying and failing to hide her grin.

"What?" I chuckle, poking her side.

"I didn't know you could sing" She shrugs, giggling.

"I'm a man of many talents" I reply before launching into an Elvis impression. "You were always on my miiiind" I sing to her.

She laughs at me, rolling her eyes at me. I lift my arm, twirling her around in the parking lot and listening to her laughing at me.

"You were always on my miiiiid, you were on my mind" I sing.

She laughs before I pull her into my chest and wrap my arms around her waist. She laughs breathlessly before looking up at me from under her lashes, her hands resting against my chest and making me feel like I'm branded.

I look down at her, my eyes flicking between hers before I dip my head and give her a soft kiss. I feel Bella sigh against my lips before her hands go to my hair, holding me tightly to her. I grunt quietly at the feel of her fingers twisting around the strands of my hair before I pull away, looking down at her. Our breathing is laboured and her cheeks are flushed.

"Do you...wanna go somewhere?" I whisper.

She looks at me for a long minute and I can hear my heart pounding under my ribs before she nods a little and I grin at her.

"Come on" I tell her.

We walk over to the car and climb in before I back out of the parking lot and turn towards the outskirts of town. I drive for a couple of minutes before pulling over on one of the trail roads and turning off the engine. I glance over at Bella and she looks fucking nervous, biting her bottom lip and wringing her hands.

"You okay?" I ask.

She looks over at me like she forgot I was there and nods a little.

"Don't look so fucking scared" I smile at her. "We don't have to...do anything" I shrug.

Her cheeks flush and she looks a little embarrassed that she's so obvious. I reach over and gently pull her bottom lip from between her teeth with my thumb before tracing the shape. I hear Bella's breathing falter a little before I lean in slowly, until we're eye to eye. I hesitate for a moment before kissing her softly.

Bella sighs against my lips like before and her hands go back into my hair. I swipe my tongue against her bottom lip and feel her open her mouth to me. Her tongue tangles with mine and I slide one hand into her hair, holding her close to me as our mouths move together.

Suddenly, I feel Bella shift a little, tucking her knees under her and dropping her hands to my shoulders. I tilt my head up to continue the kiss before I feel her swing one leg over the centre console.

I break the kiss, looking up at her, my hands going to her waist to steady her before she brings the other leg over and basically falls into my lap.

"Fuck" She giggles breathlessly. "Sorry" She whispers.

"Don't be" I tell her, my voice sounding deeper than before.

I slam my mouth to hers and lean back against the chair, loving the feel of her straddling my hips. She kisses me back enthusiastically and I groan quietly against her mouth when she scratches her fingers against my scalp.

My hands slide down Bella's back to her ass and I pull her further onto my lap putting her into direct contact with my cock. I hear Bella gasp quietly before a deep rumble leaves my chest.

The kiss gains intensity and I can hear the sound of our heavy breathing filling the car. Subconsciously, I begin to move Bella's hips against my own and I hear Bella let out a tiny moan at the feeling. That noise does something to me and suddenly I'm kissing her hard, nipping her bottom lip and thrusting my hips up into hers.

Bella tears her mouth away from mine breathing heavily as dark eyes meet mine. I can just make her out in the low lighting and I can feel her warm breaths fanning my face.

"Is this okay?" I breathe.

"Yeah" She nods.

I nod again before lifting my head and moving my mouth to her neck, kissing and sucking on that sensitive skin behind her ear. Bella moans again and I shift her hips against mine again, grunting at the friction against my hard cock.

Bella clings to my hair and begins to rock her hips on her own and I groan low at the feeling. I move my hands back up her waist, sliding my fingers just under the hem of her sweater, feeling her soft skin under my fingertips.

Suddenly, Bella pulls my face out of the crook of her neck by my hair and slams her mouth to mine. I groan at the feeling, our tongues tangling together as we breathe heavily into each other's mouths.

As Bella continues to move her hips against mine I start to feel the tingle of an orgasm at the base of my spine and realise that if she carries on like this I'm going to cum in my fucking pants. I momentarily think about telling her to stop but then she nips my bottom lip and all thoughts of stopping leave my mind.

I break away from her mouth, breathing hard and resting my head on the seat behind me. I open my eyes and see Bella looking at me like fucking sin, her hair hanging into her eyes and her cheeks flushed as she continues to move over me.

"Fuck...you feel so good," I grunt, my eyes fluttering slightly before suddenly I see lights out of the corner of my eye.

Bella snaps her head to the side and we see another car pulling into the trail parking lot. We both freeze and Bella looks at me with wide eyes. Under different circumstances, I would laugh but right now, it seems inappropriate.

"Oh my god," She whispers before we see the car stop, the engine turn off and an older man get out.

He walks around to the back of the car and opens the door letting a dog get out before they head into the woods. I look back at Bella and we stare at each other for a long minute before I let out a small chuckle. Bella starts to giggle too and then we're both laughing breathlessly.

"Fuck, your face" I chuckle.

She laughs with me before biting her bottom lip. The spell is kind of broken now and I give her a soft kiss, pressing my lips to hers before pulling back a bit.

"The moment's kinda gone right?" She whispers.

I chuckle, nodding a little.

"It's probably for the best otherwise you would've made me cum in my pants," I tell her.

I chuckle again when her cheeks turn bright red.

"Come on, I should probably be getting you home soon anyway. Don't want to piss off the Chief" I tell her.

"I think he likes you more than me," She says before crawling back into her seat.

I laugh at her before adjusting myself in my jeans slightly. I glance over and see Bella watching me, her eyes glued to the obvious bulge in my pants.

"Bella" I whisper and her eyes flash to mine, "Staring at it isn't helping it go away," I tell her.

"Sorry" She whispers before her cheeks flame again.

"I'm not complaining. I want you to look at it but I don't think your parents will appreciate it if I drop you off with a boner" I chuckle.

"You want me to look at your boner?" She teases.

Hearing her say that word makes my insides feel weird and it's not unpleasant.

"I want you to do more than look at it" I admit.

There's a beat of silence before we both chuckle at each other...


"So I had a nice time," Charlotte says snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah me too" I nod, giving her a small smile. "Thanks for not holding my previous behaviour against me".

She shrugs and waves me off.

"Um...maybe you'd like to get another coffee sometime," She says quietly.

She looks up at me from under her lashes and for a second she looks like Bella and then I feel guilty for comparing them.

"Yeah" I nod. "That would be good."

"Okay" She laughs breathlessly. "How about I give you my number now and then you won't lose it?" She says.

"Sure" I chuckle before handing her my phone.

She enters her number before handing it back to me. I send her a quick text saying hey, hearing her phone ding.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then" She smiles.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Bye then" She giggles.

"Bye" I chuckle before climbing into my truck.

I wait for her to back out, giving her a wave before I head off down the street. I drive mindlessly back to my place before turning off the engine, silence surrounding me. I groan quietly before resting my head on the wheel and letting out a long breath.

What the fuck am I doing...