First off, I'd like to apologize for the late update. I update every week, but, last week got away from me. So, here's this update. My other story, Outerra, is going to be update sometime by the end of this week. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter Eleven – Two Little Words

I nervously played with the end of my shirt the entire drive over to his house. I had never been there before; I didn't really know what to expect.

He lived in a tall apartment building close to the livelier parts of town. His apartment had its own parking garage which was nice. Alice always complained about having to park in the street. There was a little walk from the garage to his apartment.

"Now, I hope you're not expecting anything spectacular. I'm not a decorator or anything, I just have furniture and some bare essentials that my mother made me buy." He chuckled.

"What's a bare essential?" I asked.

"Well, before my mother's input I only had one towel." He said.

I nodded; I knew I was being a little cold, but, I just couldn't shake my nerves away. I was terrified. And that bugged me because I didn't want Edward to think that I thought he was a bad person or anything.

He took out his keys and unlocked his door before opening it for me. I tried to cover the fact that I took a deep breath before walking in.

"Bella," he said just as I started to take a step, "I know you're really nervous, and that's okay. But, I swear on my life, that nothing is going to happen. I'm not going to force you into anything and I'm not even going to try anything."

I nodded, "I know… I'm sorry, I just can't shake off the feeling."

"Don't apologize, I understand." He smiled.

I tried to smile back, but, I know it still came across as terrified. He reached beside me and turned the light on. I was momentarily blinded before I realized that he wasn't kidding about not having any sort of decorations.

His living room had one really ugly loveseat, a small chipped coffee table and a large flat screen television. It was incredibly bare, like he said.

"Wow," I said as I ran my hand over the coffee table, "I would've thought your furniture would be… newer?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, it's the furniture from my first apartment. I felt bad for throwing it out when I moved here, so, I just figured I'd use it until I had the extra money to buy new stuff."

"You haven't had the money?" I asked.

"No, I have it," he said, "I'm just lazy. I'll use this stuff until it breaks."

"Hmm," I said, "Where's the room I'm staying in?" I asked.

"It's down here," he said as he lead me down the hall. There were three doors, one was a bathroom and the other two were bedrooms. He opened the door on the left side of the hallway.

"You can sleep here tonight." He smiled.

I looked around that room; it was clearly occupied, which lead me to believe that it was his room.

"Is this your guest room?" I asked.

"No, it's my room. My guest room is… well, it has nothing in it to sleep on. So, you sleep here tonight, and I'll sleep on the couch." He smiled.

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch," I said in surprise.

"Absolutely not, my—," he paused, "Um, I will not let you sleep on the couch. I wouldn't be a gentleman, then."

I blushed, "O-okay," I shifted on my feet, "Do-do you have any clothes I can sleep in? I don't have anything."

"Of course," he moved passed me into the bedroom, "I have some really big T'shirts and some boxers you could borrow. I don't really have anything besides work clothes."

"You don't have pajamas?"

"Nope. I usually sleep in my boxers." He said as he dug out an oversized shirt and a pair of boxers.

He handed me the clothing and smiled, "The bathroom's right there. I'll be in the living room."

I nodded and walked into the bathroom. I stared at the clothes for a little; it was strange changing into the clothes of a man. I took a deep breath and put the clothes on.

The white shirt fell low on my thigh, covering the red boxers he'd given me. The clothes were loose, but, it'd do for tonight.

I walked out into the living room and found him sitting on the couch flipping through Netflix. I stood awkwardly by the wall.

"Hey," he smiled, "Want to sit? Watch something?"

I nodded and sat on the opposite side of the couch. I mindlessly watched as he flipped through several shows.

"Do you want to watch anything?" He asked.

"Whatever you want to ask if fine. I don't watch so much TV." I said.

"Hmm, how about a movie?" He smiled, "What are you in the mood for? Comedy? Romance? Horror?"

"Um, whatever you want." I shrugged.

He chuckled, "Okay, how about we just talk?"

I turned to look at him, "Talk about what?"

He gave me a beautiful half smile, "How was work?"

"You already asked me that." I said.

"Yeah, but, tell me more. Did everyone treat you okay?" He asked.

I nodded, "Everyone was fine," I bit my lip, "I mean, there was a tiny problem, but it's no big deal."

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't want to tell you, I'm afraid you'll make a big deal out of it." I said.

"I won't, I promise." He said, holding up two fingers.

I sighed, "Well, this one girl was very cold to me for some reason. She didn't really say anything to me. I said hello, but she just nodded at me for some reason."

"Hmm, what did she look like?" He asked.

I shot him a look, "Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know who." He shrugged.

"It was one of the girls, thank you," I said, "Now, tell me about you and your dad."

He sighed, "My dad can be a pain sometimes. He drives me crazy about being a doctor. I like being a business owner. And I'm pretty successful, but, sometimes I swear, he acts like he's so disappointed in me. Like, I've done the ultimate offense because I'm not a doctor. He doesn't put this much pressure on Rose."

I nodded, "Maybe you should tell him. It might things better between you guys."

He sighed again, "Maybe. But I'm sure that'd spark a big argument. My dad and I have never really been able to talk about things like this. We always end up arguing and not listening to each other."

I frowned, "I mean, your mom is a therapist, right? Maybe you could talk to her first."

He shook his head, "I don't want to involve my mom. It'll just upset her."

"Then things aren't going to get any better."

He gave me a look, "Same to you, girly girl." He chuckled.

I swallowed hard. No one had called me that name since… since… I turned away from him, breathing heavily.

"Bella?" He said, scooting to me, "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine… I just… I'm going to bed!" I jumped up and ran to his bedroom.

I was hyperventilating, tugging and twisting my shirt in my hands. Girly. That name. That horrible name regurgitated so many horrible memories.

I crawled onto the bed and hugged my knees, my eyes squeezed shut as I tried to ignore the memories that flooded my brain. I wanted to scream, but instead, I bit down on my lip.

"Girly girl."

The taunting voice repeated over and over again. The voice was as clear as the day I first heard it.

"Bella?" Edward called as he knocked on the door, "Bella, you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." I called back.

"You don't sound fine," He said, "Let me in, did I say something wrong?"

"I-I'm just tired. I'm g-going to bed now." I yelled.

"Okay…" he said hesitantly.

I heard him walk away, probably back into the living room. Now I felt bad; Edward was probably worried as to why I dashed out of his living room. He was probably concerned, but I just couldn't get out of the bed to go console him and tell him it wasn't his fault.

Ugh. Why was I like this? I hadn't had a panic attack in a year. Now all of a sudden, two little words set me over the edge. Damn me.

Edward's POV

I felt like I had done something wrong. She just bolted out of the room. I don't know what I could have possibly done to upset her. Maybe I pushed her too hard about spending the night. Or forcing her to talk with me.

I was tempted to call my mother and get some advice, but, I didn't know if that'd be betraying Bella's trust.

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. It's like another step back. I thought tonight I'd gain more of her trust, but, I feel like I just lost some of her trust. Damn it.

But, maybe I should ask my mom about it. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?" She said after a few rings.

"Hey, mom…" I said.

"Hey Edward," She said cautiously, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "I mean, well, not everything."

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

I sighed heavily, "I think I just messed up with Bella."

"What happened, honey?" She asked.

I sighed again, "I don't really know. We were talking on my couch and then all of a sudden, she jumped up and ran into my room. She told me she was just tired, but, it just seemed like there was something more. Like I did something wrong."

"What were you guys talking about?" She asked.

"Nothing in particular. I just mentioned something about her seeing a therapist or something. And that was about it." I explained.

"Hmm, maybe you triggered her in some way."

"I don't really know how though, mom. I don't think I said anything that I haven't said before." I told her.

"Was there anything else that happened tonight to possibly trigger her?"

"Well, she came over to spend the night because she was locked out of her apartment. And since we've been together, she's been extremely apprehensive about coming over and just hanging out. Maybe that pushed her over the edge." I ran my hand through my hair.

"It might have, Edward. You're not trying to convince her to do anything, right?" She asked.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, "She sets the pace in our relationship. And I know she has issues with that, so, I don't even mention it."

"Okay. For right now, leave her alone. Let her decompress on her own, don't try to pressure her to talk or anything because you might trigger her more. Only intervene if you think she's going to hurt herself in some way. When she comes out, do not try to push her into talking. Just continue as if nothing happened. Carry on." She said.

"But, that seems kinda unhealthy. Shouldn't we talk about what happened?" I asked.

"Yes, but not immediately after she's had an episode. Wait a week or two. Let her calm down. Then gently talk with her about it," She said, "But, don't pressure her to discuss it with her. She might not want to talk with you about it. And if she doesn't, you need to accept it."

"Alright mom. I gotcha. Thanks." I said.

"No problem sweetie. Call me if you need me okay." She said before hanging up.

I sighed; I would give anything to go back there and comfort her.

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