Chapter Nine

"Bella!" I hear my dad call from somewhere in the airport.

I turn around, scanning the faces in the arrivals lounge before I see him and Mom waving their arms at me. I smile before making my way through the throngs of people over to them.

"Hi Dad" I grin when I reach them.

"How was the flight?" He asks me as I hug Mom.

"It was good. Not too bumpy" I laugh.

"Good, good" Dad smiles. "Come on then, let's get outta here".

We head out of the airport and into the parking lot. I load my suitcase into the trunk before climbing into the backseat. On the drive back to Forks I tell them all about the movie and the party I attended. I leave out the part about James being a little overzealous with his flirting, not wanting to worry them. They seem excited for me.

"So how's the deck looking?" I ask as we drive into town.

"It's beautiful" Mom gushes. "The boys did such a good job".

"I'm excited to see it." I tell them.

"Well, on Friday night we thought we'd have dinner out there. We've invited the boys too and Angela of course" Mom smiles.

"For dinner?" I ask, feeling my mouth go a little dry at the thought of spending an entire evening in Edward's presence.

Would Charlotte be there? Mom didn't mention her. Maybe that means they're not a couple?

"Yeah. I was going to do that chicken dinner you like. I thought it would be a chance for you to catch up with everyone too" She smiles.

"Yeah. Sounds good" I reply with a tight smile.

Here we go again.


The following morning while I'm eating breakfast I hear my phone buzz.

Hey. Want to come for a walk with Theo and me in half an hour? - A

I smile a little. I didn't get the chance to see Angela last time I was here as she was working the couple of evenings I was in town. I quickly text her back saying I'll see her in twenty minutes before running upstairs to grab a cardigan to put over my dress. When I'm ready, I make my way into the backyard to find Mom and Dad.

"I'm going to go for a walk with Angela, is that okay?" I ask.

"Of course honey. Have fun" Mom smiles.

I grin at them before heading out the front door and down the front porch steps. The weather is warm and the sun is shining so I decide to make the most of the uncharacteristic weather in Forks and walk the distance to Angela's place.

On the way, I take in great lungfuls of fresh air, looking at the neat front yards currently filled with late summer flowers. I nod to a few smiling faces as I pass them before rounding the corner into Angela's driveway. She's sitting on the front porch swing.

"Hey!" She says when she sees me, smiling widely.

"Hey" I grin, walking up the few porch steps to her. "Hey Theo" I grin.

He gives me a big gummy smile and I notice a little flicker of white.

"Oh my god! He's got a tooth!" I cry, tilting my head to get a better look.

"I know" Angela laughs. "It was a stressful few weeks" She admits and I notice she looks tired. "Ready for a walk?" She asks.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" I reply.

"Yes! I need to leave the house" She laughs.

I giggle, nodding before waiting while she straps Theo into his stroller. Once ready, we take off down the road, agreeing to do a circle of the town. As we walk, I can hear Theo babbling away to himself and I can't help but smile at the sound.

"So how have you been?" Angela asks.

"Oh you know, same old, same old" I smile. "I got that movie part" I tell her.

"I know! I saw your Instagram post. Nice dress by the way" She says.

"Thanks, it's from Net-a-Porter" I tell her. "If you ever want anything from there I get a discount so let me know" I add.

"Wow thanks but...I probably don't have the lifestyle for designer gear" She admits.

"You never know. You could always treat yourself to a handbag or two" I wink and she laughs.

"So have you started the movie yet?" She asks.

"Yeah we did a couple of weeks but there's been a catering issue, hence the sudden week off in Forks" I explain.

"Ah, okay" She nods. "So...what's is like working with James Witherdale?" She asks, her eyes lighting up.

"It's okay" I mumble.

She quirks an eyebrow at me and I sigh a little.

"He's a bit...letchy" I admit.

"Oh really?" She grimaces. "Like flirting or...?"

"Yeah and suggesting we rehearse together...at his house...alone" I tell her.

She widens her eyes slightly.

"Ew, that's creepy" She says, "Are you okay on your own with him?"

"Yeah, I'm never alone with him anyway. I'm either on set or I have people with me." I nod.

She smiles at me.

"How about you guys? How's Ben?" I ask.

"He's good. They've been working on another house this week" She tells me.

"That's exciting." I smile.

"I assumed you'd know. You and Edward text right?" She asks.

"Yeah, but we haven't the last few weeks. Both been busy I guess" I murmur.

I don't tell her about Charlotte and how it made me feel. She obviously gets a vibe because she drops the subject. We're just coming up the main street when her phone buzzes. She reads the message before scoffing and rolling her eyes.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Ben's forgotten his lunch and asked if I can drop it off. Do you mind if we stop at the grocery store? I'm not walking all the way home for him" She says.

"Yeah no worries" I nod.

We head to the grocery store and Angela buys a packet of sandwiches and a drink for Ben, grumbling the whole time about his memory. I can't help but giggle. At the last minute though she picks up a box of doughnuts for the boys so she can't hate him that much.

She pays for the food before we head back out onto the street.

"Do you mind if we drop this off on our way back?" She asks.

"No, course not" I smile.

On the inside, I immediately wonder if Edward will be there and try to casually check my outfit as we head down one of the residential roads. I notice Angela give me a little look but she turns away before I can detect what it means.

"So, we're all at dinner at your parent's place on Friday" She smiles.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it" I grin.

I am, even though I'm kind of wary of being around Edward after the whole Charlotte incident.

"Ben said their deck is beautiful" She says.

"Yeah it is, they did an amazing job" I smile at her.

We walk for a little longer before I hear banging and sawing. My eyes immediately fall on the dark blue truck parked in the driveway and feel my heart pick up its already fast pace.

"Hello!" Angela calls as she walks into the house, bumping the stroller over the front steps. I help her in before I hear voices and what appears to be a radio playing somewhere further inside the house.

I look around the space and see the house is completely gutted. The walls are there but only in timber and there's a pile of insulation on the floor as well as drywall boards.

"Hey! One sec!" Ben shouts back.

Angela and I follow the sound of their voices before rounding a corner and seeing Ben up a ladder, pulling what appears to be electrical cable through a hole. He turns when he sees us and grins.

"Oh hey Bella!" He says before smiling at his son and sticking his tongue out.

"Hey" I smile.

"There's my big boy!" He says, coming down the ladder and scooping Theo out of his stroller.

"Don't get him too dirty" Angela laughs as Ben blows a raspberry on Theo's little tummy and cuddles him into his shoulder. He looks perfect as a father and I feel my chest ache a little at the exchange.

I turn away, feeling the need to break my gaze before my eyes land on green eyes and auburn hair. Edward stands in the doorway, his eyes fixed firmly on me. He's wearing a grey t-shirt and work trousers, his large hands full of timber. I feel my mouth go dry at the sight of him.

"Hey" He says quietly, smiling at me awkwardly.

"Hey" I reply, giving him a tight smile.

I watch as he places the timber on the floor before straightening back up.

"How are you?" He asks.

"Good thanks, you?" I reply.

"Yeah, not too bad. Long time no speak" He adds.

"Yeah, sorry I was busy with work" I tell him.

It's not entirely untrue but to be honest, I just didn't know what to say after seeing him with Charlotte. So, I said nothing.

"Edward, you should show Bella around" Angela says.

I turn to look at her and for a minute I think I see a look in her eyes but then it's gone. She gives me an encouraging smile before I turn back to face Edward.

"Yeah, sure." He nods. "If you want".

"Sure" I nod.

I smile at him before he walks me around the house, showing me the various rooms and explaining what's left to do in them. I listen to him talk, not really understanding what he's saying but unable to not listen to his voice.

"So then it will just be second fix, decorating and snag lists" He finishes, his eyes darting to mine.

"Right..." I nod before I see a small smile tug at his mouth.

"I'm rambling, aren't I?" He chuckles.

"Kinda" I laugh, feeling a little more relaxed around him now that we've broken the ice. "And I'm a little lost, but it sounds really interesting" I tell him.

He shakes his head, laughing slightly before his eyes meet mine again.

"You didn't tell me you were coming back" He says and I almost think I hear disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah, I...I guess I just didn't really know what was going on. Dates and stuff" I mumble.

He nods a little, looking at me with those deep green eyes before he opens his mouth to speak again but an ear-piercing howl rings out and we both wince. I turn to face the noise and see Angela trying to comfort Theo who seems to be having some kind of tantrum.

"Urgh..." Angela moans. "Bella I'm sorry but I think I need to get him home for his nap" She says wrestling the toddler in her arms. Ben looks like he's trying to help but he's covered in dust and appears to be at a loss.

"That's okay. Can I help?" I offer, watching as Angela struggles to dig around in her bag and hold her son. "Shall I hold him for you?"

"Are you sure?" Angela asks, looking surprised.

"Yeah" I smile, wincing slightly at the howl that leaves Theo's mouth.

"Okay thanks," She says, passing Theo over to me.

I take him in my arms, looking at his tear-stained face before I start to bounce slightly. Theo looks up at me and I try humming a little to calm him down but it doesn't work. Suddenly, I see his eyes move behind my shoulder and I turn to see Edward bending down, resting his hands on his knees as he grins at him.

"What's up Theo?" He coos.

Theo breathes in shakily and sniffs a bit before Edward pulls a silly face and he laughs a little bit. Edward keeps pulling faces, moving closer until he can reach over my shoulder and tickle his tummy.

Theo laughs loudly, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. I can't help but chuckle too before Edward's eyes land on me.

"You're good with him," I say quietly, feeling something stir in my chest.

"Thanks" He smiles. "It's not hard when you're an idiot".

I think I hear something in his voice but he gives me a little grin and the moment is gone.

"Urgh, thank god for you two," Angela says and I chuckle, still bouncing slightly.

"I just wanted the cuddle really" I tease, smiling at Theo, who's still staring and Edward wide-eyed.

"I think we should go, while the going's good" Angela whispers.

I nod before turning to say goodbye to Ben, who's covered in some kind of white dust.

"See you Friday, Bella" Ben smiles, "Thanks for helping with Theo" He says.

"No worries" I grin, putting Theo back in his stroller and letting Angela strap him in. "See you Friday?" I ask Edward.

"Yeah, Friday" He smiles.


Friday comes sooner than I expected and before I know where I am, I'm throwing on a pair of dark jeans and a deep green polo shirt. I spray on some aftershave and give myself one more look in the mirror. It's not often I go out for dinner so making an effort feels kind of foreign to me.

When I decide things are as good as they're going to get, I say goodbye to Finn, telling him to be a good boy before I lock up and climb into my truck. I make the short drive to the Swan's house before climbing out.

As I walk up to the front door I take a deep breath before pressing the doorbell. I wait a few minutes before I hear footsteps behind the door. Suddenly the door opens and Bella stands in the hall. She's dressed in a deep blue, sleeveless dress. Her hair is pinned up away from her face, exposing her neck and making me think about that place behind her ear that used to make her moan.

Before I can stop myself, my eyes roam over her body, obviously checking her out before my eyes snap back up to hers.

"Hey" She breathes.

"Hi" I smile. "You look...nice" I tell her.

It's a lie. She looks fucking incredible but I can't tell her that.

She lets out a little laugh before rolling her eyes.

"You sound like Emmett" She teases.

I chuckle before following her into the house and out to the backyard. I take a moment to ogle her before I greet the others, chatting away with Theo for a minute before Charlie asks if I would like a beer.

"Sure" I smile.

Charlie hands me a bottle before I take a sip, my eyes finding Bella's as sips her wine.

"So what's for dinner Mrs S?" Emmett asks.

"Chicken with peppers, olives and tomatoes" Renee replies.

Emmett, Jasper and Ben all groan their delight making Renee blush and I hear Bella giggle a little at her reaction. The sound makes me chuckle before my eyes flash to hers for a second.

"Are you ready to eat?" Renee asks.

We all nod our agreement before Bella follows her into the kitchen, returning a few moments later and placing the salad in the centre of the table. I watch as she checks that everyone has a top-up of wine before helping Renee place the chicken at both ends of the table. When she finally comes to sit down the only available chair is between Angela and me. I'm not sure whether to rejoice or cry.

The number of people around the table makes it a little tight so she kind of knocks into me as she takes her seat and in turn sets my body alight with tingles.

"Sorry" She mumbles but I just give her a small smile.

"Wine?" I ask, noticing her glass is almost empty.

"Please" She nods.

I pour her another glass before placing the bottle back down on the table. Renee dishes everyone up before sitting down herself, grinning at us all.

"Thank you so much for coming," She says.

"Yes, and a toast, to the beautiful work you all did" Charlie says, holding his beer up.

We all raise our bottles and glasses, clinking them against each other. When I cheers with Bella her eyes flash to mine and I feel too warm under her gaze.

We tuck into our food and it's delicious. We chat away happily, talking about the house we're working on and the daycare Theo will be starting in the Autumn but soon the conversation moves to the movie Bella is in.

"So what's it like being in a movie?" Jasper asks, looking curious.

"It's actually kind of boring most of the time" She laughs. "A lot of waiting around, doing the same thing over and over again".

"Who else is in the film?" Emmett asks.

"James Witherdale is the leading man, Irina Marks is playing his fiancee and Elizabeth Masen is going to be starring in it too" She tells them.

"Wow. Elizabeth Masen?!" Renee cries, looking impressed.

"Yeah I only found out the other day" She smiles.

"Have you met her yet?" Charlie asks.

"No. Apparently I'll meet her when I go back to film next week" She replies.

"Irina Marks is hot" Emmett chuckles.

"Yeah" Jasper agrees with a nod.

"Not for me" Ben replies, looking at Angela and smiling and making her roll her eyes.

"Even I think she's beautiful Ben" Angie laughs and we all join her.

"How about you Ed?" Emmett asks.

I suddenly feel like everyone is looking at me and I'm acutely aware of Bella's curious gaze.

"She's okay" I shrug, taking a long sip of my wine.

"Just okay?" Emmett laughs.

"She's a bit...LA" I reply, my eyes flashing to Bella's and see her biting back a smile.

"She is" She agrees. "Very beautiful I agree, but a little... man-made shall we say," She tells them, making them all chuckle.

"What's James Witherdale like?" Ben asks moving the subject away from man-made women.

"He's okay..." Bella trails off. "A bit flirty" She admits looking at Angela.

"In what way?" I ask.

Her eyes flash towards her parents before she answers.

"He invited me to a party the other week and while there he suggested we...rehearsed...at his house together," She says, staring into my eyes.

Son of a...

"Rehearse?" Charlie asks, "Rehearse what?"

"I think it's code for other things dear" Renee whispers.

"Oh...Oh! That's not on!" Charlie cries.

"It's fine! I made it clear I wouldn't be doing that" Bella reassures them.

"Don't be alone with him" Charlie insists.

"I won't. Promise. I'm either on set or in a meeting. I'd never meet him otherwise, there's no need to" Bella shrugs.

She looks at me and I can feel my blood pressure rising at the thought of this slimeball hitting on Bella. Who the fuck does he think she is? I decide to sip my wine before I say something I shouldn't and thankfully, Jasper starts asking about how long a movie takes to make so the conversation moves on.

We all continue talking, discussing nothing in particular before Renee asks if we'd like more wine. Nods of agreement go around the table but before she can stand Bella offers to grab it.

She heads into the kitchen returning a couple of minutes later with a fresh bottle. She slides back into her seat, her hip grazing my shoulder and making her wobble slightly. I reach out and place a warm hand on her waist, stopping her from tripping. I hear my breathing hitch slightly before I drop my hand quickly as Bella sits down. I feel like I'm breathing too heavily for the innocent touch so I grab my wine and take a long sip. I glance over at Bella and she seems to be doing the same thing.

"I love your dress" Angela says to her.

"Thanks. It's by my friend Alice" Bella replies.

"It's beautiful. The colour makes your skin glow" Angie says.

Tell me about it.

"You can borrow it if you want" She smiles

"I don't really have anywhere to wear that kind of thing" Angie laughs. "Not with a baby anyway".

"Don't you ever have date nights with Ben?" Bella asks.

"Not really. Not since Theo was born. It was so hard to leave him in the beginning with breastfeeding and yadda yadda" Angela says.

"Well, I have a proposition then..." Bella says.

My ears prick up.

"When I'm next here, why don't I babysit and you and Ben can go somewhere nice for the evening?" She suggests.

"Seriously?" Angie asks.

"Of course. I promise, I will be on my best behaviour" Bella teases.

"Would you be alright on your own?" She asks.

"I can be there too" I suddenly pitch in, making it obvious I was listening to them all along.

Two sets of surprised eyes turn to look at me.

"Two are better than one right?" I say before sipping my wine.

"Yeah?" Angela asks and looks so fucking excited I couldn't take the words back even if I wanted to.

"Of course, and you can borrow the dress" Bella winks.

"Okay," She grins before turning to tell Ben about our offer.

"Are you seriously going to babysit with me?" Bella teases, her eyes dancing with mine over the rim of her wine glass.

"Course. Who else would I want to play toy cars with?" I chuckle, the second glass of wine making me feel much more relaxed and silly.

A giggle bubbles out of her chest and I glance around noticing a few curious gazes and stifled smiles before she bites her lip and busies herself with her chicken. I chuckle, my knee bumping against hers and the contact makes me feel lightheaded.

We finish our food before Renee asks if we're ready for dessert. We all nod our agreement before Bella stands to help her clear the table. While Renee and Bella are in the kitchen I notice Angela looking at me with a small smile. I smile back before seeing something behind her eyes that makes me feel a little too seen. I quickly pick up the salad bowl and head towards the kitchen just as Renee walks out with a chocolate cake.

"Oh thank you dear" She smiles.

"No worries" I chuckle.

As the kitchen door slams behind me, I see Bella jump at the sound.

"Oh! You scared me" She laughs breathlessly.

"Sorry. Just me and a bunch of lettuce" I chuckle.

She laughs with me before taking the bowl and placing it back in the fridge.

"Can I take anything?" I ask.

"You could take the forks." She says, holding them out to me.

I smile before taking them from her, my fingers brushing hers and making electricity flow up my arm. She grabs the plates before we make our way back outside. She passes Renee the plates while I hand out the forks before sliding into my seat. This time my hip knocks her shoulder and she glances up to see me trying to stifle a laugh.

"Sorry, it's a bit tight over here" I chuckle quietly.

"It's fine." She smiles at me.

Her eyes flash to mine before Renee hands everyone a slice of chocolate cake. We tuck in and it's hands down the best cake I've ever had.

"Mrs S you should start a bakery" Emmett groans.

"You really should" Angela laughs before giving a tiny piece to Theo.

"Good Bells?" Charlie asks.

"So good" She moans around her fork, nodding.

As soon as I hear that sound I feel most of my blood drain to my groin and my jeans become uncomfortably tight. I spread my legs a little, trying to alleviate some of the pressure but my knee knocks into Bella's, drawing her attention to me. She glances over at me before she crosses her legs, keeping her knee in contact with mine and making my skin burn.

I shouldn't do it but for some reason, I press my knee back slightly before dropping my gaze back to my cake, trying to swallow.

"So have you got any plans while you're here?" Jasper asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Um..no not really" Bella smiles. "Probably just hang around," She tells him.

"Maybe we could all get together again before you go?" Emmett suggests. "Go to the diner or something?"

"That would be really nice" She nods.


The rest of the evening passes fairly uneventfully and eventually, I manage to calm my hard-on down. One by one, the others begin to leave, Angela and Ben needing to get Theo home to bed, then Emmett and Jasper until it's just me left.

I help to clear away, wiping my hands on a towel in the kitchen before Renee looks over at me.

"Edward, I wanted to talk to you about another job at some point," She says, her eyes a little glazed from the wine.

"Oh yeah?" I ask.

"Yes, it's Bella's old room. I think if she's going to be coming back more regularly we need to redecorate it." She laughs.

"Mom, you don't have to do that, it's fine," Bella says, putting the rest of the cake in the fridge.

"We want to honey. You don't want to feel like you're fifteen every time you come to visit" She rolls her eyes. "Would you do a quote for redecorating? It would be painting and maybe repairing a few floorboards."

"Of course, want me to take a look now?" I ask.

"Are you sure?" Renee asks.

"Yeah, it's no problem" I nod.

"Bella, honey, why don't you show him your room?" She says.

Bella looks at me, her eyes going a little wide before her cheeks flush a delicate shade of pink.

"Unless it's a bad time" I murmur.

She might have stuff out that she doesn't want me to see.

"No, no...it's fine." She says. "Come on".

I follow her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. As I do, I can't help but look at her long legs and ass in that dress. When we reach the landing I follow her down the hallway before she pushes open the door to her room.

Fuck. It hasn't changed. It's like going back in time.


"So...I finally get to go upstairs huh?" I say with a grin as Bella leads me up the staircase towards her room.

"Yes" She laughs, "But only because Mom and Dad are out. They'd kill us both if they found out".

I roll my eyes but secretly agree with her. I can't imagine the Chief being cool with me being in here under normal circumstances.

I follow her down the hall before she pushes open her door and walks into her bedroom. I follow her before she closes the door behind us. I look around the room, it's kind of how I imagined. The walls are painted a light shade of purple, the curtains are blue and the bedlinen has butterflies embroidered on it. There's a dresser on one side of the room and a desk by the window on the other. There's a memo board on the wall, covered in flyers from school and pictures of her and her friends.

"So..what do you think?" She asks.

I turn to look at her and she looks a little apprehensive. It makes me chuckle.

"It's very you" I smile.

"Really? How?" She asks.

"It's cosy" I shrug.

"I'm cosy?" She laughs.

"You are to me" I tell her.

I sit on the edge of her bed, Bella joining me.

"Hey, did you hear Ben asked Angie to prom?" She suddenly asks.

"Yeah, apparently they're only going as friends though" I nod.

"Wouldn't it be weird if they ended up together?" She laughs.

"Yeah, really weird." I chuckle.

We're quiet for a moment and I look over at the wall above her dresser. It's covered in posters of various starlets from the past. I notice Audrey Hepburn makes a big appearance.

"You an Audrey fan?" I ask with a smile.

"Oh" She giggles, "yeah, kinda".

"What do you like about her?" I ask.

"I don't know. I guess, she was a normal girl and then she made it, you know?" She shrugs.

"You wanna be like that?" I wonder, my eyes flicking between hers.

"Yeah. I guess I just want to...shine a little." She murmurs. "Silly I guess" She adds, laughing awkwardly, her cheeks going red.

"Not to me" I whisper.

We look at each other for a moment before her eyes drop to my mouth. I take that as my cue and lean forward, kissing her softly. I feel her tongue swipe against my bottom lip and open my mouth, our tongues tangling together as my hands go to her hair. Bella sighs against my lips. I love it when she does that.

"When you're a star," I whisper against her mouth, kissing her softly. "You'll still come back to visit right?"

"That's assuming I ever become a star" She giggles, kissing me again.

"You're already a star. To me anyway" I whisper.

She breaks the kiss and her eyes meet mine, flicking between my gaze.

"Would you miss me?" She asks.

"Every day" I nod.

"Really?" She smiles.

"Of course I would." I grin.

"Why?" She whispers.

I stare into her eyes, so close they're almost out of focus. I feel my heart begin to pound, my hands begin to sweat and my breathing becomes a little laboured. I know the answer of course. I've known it for a while but saying it is something else entirely.

"Because..." I swallow hard, my mouth dry.

"Because what, Edward?" She asks.

"Because I'm in love with you" I whisper.

She stares at me and I feel like time has slowed, like the minutes are passing painfully slowly. I wait for her to say something but her mouth remains shut. I'm just about to play it off as a joke when I notice her eyes sparkle with unshed tears.

"Really?" She whispers.

"Really" I nod before her mouth slams to mine.

"I love you too" She replies and it's like my entire body is buzzing with joy.

I laugh into the kiss, my arms going around her waist and pulling her up onto my lap. She giggles against my lips and the sound is euphoric.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..." She whispers.


I swallow thickly as I walk into the room, looking around at the once familiar purple walls, the desk by the window, and the dresser on the left. Her memo board with flyers from school is even still here.

"So this is it," She says quietly.

I glance back at her over my shoulder and see her watching me, her bottom lip between her teeth.

"It's the same as it was," I say to her.

"Yeah" She nods.

There's a beat of silence before I let out a breathy chuckle.

"What?" She asks, a small smile on her lips.

"I'd have killed for your mother to tell me to come up here so casually when I was eighteen," I tell her.

I probably shouldn't say that but the wine has gone to my head and the way she's looking at me makes me think maybe she doesn't mind. She laughs quietly, rolling her eyes.

"You and me both" She nods and I feel my stomach fizz at the admission.

"So, what colour are you thinking?" I ask her, wandering around the room, looking at some of the young adult fiction on the shelves.

"I thought you didn't do colours" She teases.

I chuckle before turning to face her again.

"I don't under normal circumstances" I reply.

"But these aren't normal circumstances?" She asks.

The question floods my memory and I feel the back of my neck warm.

"Definitely not" I say quietly.

There's a beat of silence where we just stare at each other before Bella speaks again.

"How's Charlotte?" She asks.

I knew this had to come up eventually. I wanted to bring it up when she came with Angela to site but it hadn't felt appropriate. Even so, the question takes me by surprise and I blink a little.

"She's fine I think" I shrug. "I haven't seen her in a few days".

She nods a little, her eyes falling to the floor.

"She's just a friend" I blurt out and her eyes flash back up to mine.

"Oh...I thought that-"

"Yeah, I know but she's not. We met up for a few drinks and a coffee and that's it" I tell her. I leave out the kiss because it's not important. It makes me feel bad to admit that but it's true.

She nods again.

"Would you like to be more than friends?" She asks, walking towards me slowly.

"I like her but no, she's not going to be any more than a friend," I reply.

"Why not?" She asks.

It's a simple question with an incredibly complicated answer.

"There wasn't a spark" I reply quietly.

It's true, there wasn't. When she kissed me there was nothing but lips, no fireworks, no buzz, not like with Bella. She nods a little and her eyes drop to my mouth, my own doing the same thing to her.

"That's important" She whispers.

"Yeah" I reply, my voice sounding deep and gritty.

For a second I think we might actually kiss but then...

"How's it going up there?!"

I jump away from Bella when I hear Renee's voice and it seems to snap Bella out of the spell we were under too.

"Good!" I call back before facing Bella and running a hand through my hair.

"We should go back down," She says quickly.

"Yeah okay," I chuckle.

We head towards the door before I suddenly grab Bella's wrist, her head snapping to look at me. I feel electricity shoot up my arm but ignore it.

"Do you wanna come over one night? I could cook again?" I ask.

She stares at me for a minute before nodding, a smile on her lips.

"Yeah. That sounds nice." She says.

"Sunday?" I ask.

"Perfect" She whispers.