A/N: Apologies for missing Monday's update. It was missed for health reasons. I'm also late with Wednesday's for the same reasons. I want my chapters to be the best they can be, so I wanted to make sure I felt well enough to edit this to a high standard and do a proper job, rather than a half ass job just to get it out to you guys on time. I know I tend to do this a lot, and I am sorry. I always deliver eventually though, don't I?!

There is no Previously for this chapter because it's a change in POV, but it still leads straight on from the last chapter. Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed; puts my nerves at ease!

Anyway, let's hear from Edward, shall we?

I'll Always Find Peace In The Meadow

Chapter Thirty-seven: 'Next time' (Edward POV)

Wednesday 28 June 2017

"Wow," I breathe.

That was... it was... wow.

Sex is way better then I expected. I've heard my fair share of stories from other guys my age, mostly in the locker rooms at school. But nothing can prepare you for actually participating in the act yourself.

Wow.

When Bella proposed this idea to me, I honestly had no clue whether she - we - would actually go through with it. I mean, it was a pretty crazy, and completely unexpected, idea. An idea that had, and still has, the potential to be detrimental to our friendship. I was skeptical, even after we had that awesome kiss, my first kiss, in that beautiful meadow that she took me to. My family and I are the reason she's spent so long away from that place and I intend to be the reason she visits it from now on.

Her idea, and my agreement to said idea, has been the only thing on my mind since then. I know I've felt attracted to Bella for a while now, but I had no clue she felt the same, and I one hundred percent did not expect her to want to act on that attraction. But she did want to. Without realising it sooner, so did I.

And now we have.

And I can't stop grinning.

I can hear her breathing calming down a bit now, the same as me, though mine is still a little heavier than hers.

I feel lethargic after my release, but manage to twist my head until my cheek is resting on the pillow and I'm looking at her - well, the side of her.

She has my sheets covering her breasts, with her arms pinning it down at her sides. I can't really tell what she's thinking from here. She's suspiciously silent... and she hasn't acknowledged me since I, reluctantly, rolled off of her.

This is what I have been most afraid of since Saturday. In all the time I've been thinking about this day since Saturday, the thing I've worried about the most is how we'd be after having sex. I didn't want it to affect the strong friendship we've established over the months I've been here, and I most definitely didn't want there to be any awkwardness between us afterward.

But I fear this, Bella's silence, is the beginning of that dreaded awkwardness. Please don't let that be true.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly, as if speaking any louder is forbidden right now. My voice seems to startle her, and she jumps just as she did when I touched her waist after we first got settled in my bed. Her wide brown eyes, which are glowing at this very moment, a honeypot of emotions swirling within them, meet mine. I'm relieved to see no regret or sadness in them.

She stays silent and I contemplate asking her the question again. After settling my hand on the one of hers that is closest to me, I inhale to do just that, but pause when I see her brow furrow. She's confused. About what?

"Did you just ask me if I'm okay?" she questions incredulously. I nod hesitantly. A slow smile begins to pull at her lips, and I feel instantly at ease, especially when her smile is accompanied by her signature blush - a blush I now know spreads further down her body than I ever realised. "Edward, I'm better than okay. Really. I'm..." she doesn't finish that sentence, going back to silence.

A thought occurs to me now that I'm free of my post-coital haze, my breathing now back to its usual tempo. And along with the thought comes guilt.

"B-but you didn't..." I trail off, feeling a terrible mixture of guilt, shame and embarrassment. Her eyes refocus on me.

"Didn't what?" she asks. I don't know how to answer that without furthering my embarrassment... which is stupid after all that we've just done together.

"You know..." I whipser, trying to say it without actually saying it. She stares at me cluelessly. I sigh heavily, resigning to the fact that I'll actually have to say it... or... or suggest it without actually saying it? That could work, right? "You didn't... find... any... pleasure," I stumble through my explanation, feeling equal parts ridiculous and pathetic. For fucks sake, Edward. You were just inside her, and you can't verbally explain that what you mean is she didn't climax?

Bella laughs, quite obviously disbelieving. "Edward, I felt pleasure. Don't you worry about that," she scoffs, surprisingly without her enticing blush.

I know you did. Your moans were a clear indication of that.

"No. What I mean, Bella, is that you didn't..." I huff. "You-"

I'm interrupted by her giggle, but I don't feel hurt that she's laughing at me. I'm just delighted that she's amused and not as embarrassed as I feel. She rolls onto her side, keeping the sheets tucked under her arms as she moves closer and lays her head on my pillow, so close that our noses almost touch. "Are you trying to ask if I'm okay because I didn't... finish?" she says. Why couldn't I find the words for it as easily as that? I nod stupidly, my eyes rapidly jumping from her eyes to her lips. She giggles again and shakes her head mildly. "I know I didn't, but I really hadn't expected to."

I pull back, preparing to ask what she means by that, but her hand coming up to clamp over my mouth prevents that from happening. "Edward, it was my first time. And it was your first time. I did do some... research before we did this, and to be honest, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did."

Okay... I try not to feel too hurt by that. But I know she's right. The first time for anyone is meant to be quick, and often painful for the woman. I'm quite proud that she felt any pleasure at all. I pull her hand away from my mouth, holding it gently to my chest; it's the one that she fractured.

I narrow my eyes at her and she pulls back a bit, a wary look on her face. "Next time you will," I vow, not completely explaining what it is she will do because I know she'll understand. Her eyes widen and I'm once again graced with the sight of her cheeks turning rosy.

"So there will be a next time, then?" she asks. Is she for real? I bloody well hope so!

"Absolutely. It would appear I need more practise... or so someone has brought to my attention," I say, not holding back my smirk as I release her hand to poke at her side teasingly.

She throws her head back and laughs as she tries to pull away. "Edward... Stop!" she wheezes out between bursts of laughter. I'm chuckling, too. She pushes my hand away and eventually rolls to the other side of the bed in an attempt to get out of my reach. She almost rolls off of the bed and that's when I stop tormenting her.

She stays on that side of the bed, a wary look in her face as she glances over at me. I hold my hands up, a sign of surrender, and she eventually slides back over. She lies back down on her side, her head once again resting on my pillow. "Going back to our conversation," she begins, her eyes twinkling above her natural smile, "they do say practise makes perfect." A light blush covers her cheeks as I smirk at her words. She brings her face closer to mine, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. I cup the side of her face with my hand as she opens her mouth, allowing my tongue entrance.

We kiss for a few minutes before she pulls away, both of us left breathless. "Not now, though," she says with a sweet giggle. My confusion must be showing on my face, because she once again blushes. My goodness, I don't think her cheeks have gone back to their normal colour all morning. "I'm... sore," she whispers, lowering her eyes.

My smile, which has been a permanent fixture on my face for a while now, falls away. I clear my throat, gaining her attention. "I'm sorry I hurt you," I tell her quietly. She leans forward to press a chaste peck to my lips.

"Don't apologise. It's not your fault. The pain was inevitable," she replies. To my delight, she kisses me again briefly - I could definitely get used to her doing that whenever she likes - before pulling back entirely, her arms hugging my bedding to her chest. "Can I use your bathroom?" she asks. I nod silently, gesturing toward the closed door across the room.

She offers a smile in thanks and slips out from beneath the covers, rushing to slip on her Queen band-tee that ended up hung on the back of my desk chair when she threw it haphazardly earlier. I laugh, shaking my head at her antics as she runs to my bathroom door while pulling the hem of the t-shirt down, like her virtue is in danger.

As soon as my bathroom door clicks shut, with Bella closed inside, I quickly dispose of the condom. Finally.

As I head for my walk-in wardrobe that's beside the bathroom, I hear the shower turn on and instantly start growing hard... again.

I stop outside the bathroom door, weighing up my options. Would it be rude to just walk in there? Would she be mad at me if I did? I think about it for longer than I realise, because sooner than expected, I hear the shower being turned off and I quickly move away from the door, disappearing into the wardrobe.

I'm staring down at my crumpled bed, dressed in only a pair of cut-off sweatpants when Bella exits the bathroom, wrapped in one of my towels and gripping her shirt in her clenched hands. Her hair is piled on top of her head, exposing a red mark that I must have left on the side of her neck. Oops. I gulp down the sudden lump in my throat, but don't avert my eyes. She smiles tenderly as she walks quickly to the left side of the bed where all her clothes are and sits on the edge of it.

She dresses silently. I should turn away, and I fully intend to do so, until I catch sight of the discolouration of green and brown that's in between her shoulder blades. I'm frozen as I watch her quietly reattach the two necklaces around her neck. I am dying to know what that key I've never seen before unlocks, but now, I'm even more desperate to know how she got that bruise.

She's in her underwear now and sits back down after slipping into her skinny jeans. Off their own accord, my legs move me toward her. Before I know it, I'm knelt on the bed behind her, my hand reaching out to lightly brush against the bruise. "What happened here?" I ask quietly. I feel her entire body tense and hear her breath hitch.

"Nothing," she squeaks out, rushing to release her hair from its tie, so it tumbles over my hand. I simply sweep it to one side, so I can see the bruise still.

"Did I...?" I trail off, suddenly mortified with the idea that maybe I did that to her earlier. Was I rough?

She quickly stands, and after slipping her t-shirt back on, she turns to kneel in front of me. "No, Edward. You didn't hurt me. I swear." I believe her and nod, but something on my face must show her that I still want to know how she got that rather large bruise. She sighs. "It's an old bruise. I... I got it when I did this," she explains, holding up her fractured wrist to show what 'this' is.

"You mean the door...?" I ask uncertainly, trailing off.

"Like I told you, it was windy that day." That's all she seems to want to say on the matter, because she stands from my bed and begins straightening it out... with me still knelt in the center of it. I quickly hop off and help her. I decide, while we work together to remake my bed - I need to change these sheets before Bev is next in here - that I believe her. It does seem like something that would happen to Bella. I've come to learn over the course of our friendship that she can be rather clumsy.

"It's only lunch time. You hungry?" she asks me once we're done.

I nod. "Sure, I could eat. We have just worked up an appetite," I say, waggling my eyebrows. She shakes her head with a badly concealed smirk - blushing, not surprisingly. "The diner?" I ask. She nods. "Cool, let me just have a quick shower," I say, already heading towards the bathroom. I feel icky and sweaty - though for an entirely good reason.

~I*A*F*P*I*T*M~

Bella is gone from my bedroom when I re-enter it fifteen minutes later. Her bag and glass of water are gone, too. I quickly change into a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt, toweling my hair dry. I grab my own glass of water, and pocket my cell phone and wallet before heading for my bedroom door.

I freeze with my hand on the doorknob when I think I hear the faint sound of my piano playing. I smile and quietly open my bedroom door, coming to a second stop when the sound of a beautiful, soft voice reaches my ears. I start toward the music, creeping down the hall stealthily and peeping my head round the wall, into the great room. Bella is sat at my piano, her hair once again tied up into a messy bun as she plays and sings a song I've never heard before.

"The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, 'cause
There's -

-Oh! Edward! I didn't realise you were ready," she exclaims, blushing redder than ever as she stops mid-sentence when she sees me. She quickly closes the piano lid over. I walk toward her, still speechless at hearing her sing - which she can do extremely well.

I'm still approaching as she tries to slyly sneak a book from the piano stand into her bag. "Woah, woah. What is that?" I ask, finding my voice as I plop myself down beside her on the bench.

"N-nothing."

"If it's nothing, then why are you trying to hide it from me?" I ask, raising a brow.

"I'm not."

"Good. Then I can have a look."

"No," she says weakly, holding her now closed bag protectively to her side.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because it's mine. And it's personal." I have nothing to say to that... except...

"So you write songs?" I ask. She hesitates before nodding weakly. "Like me," I assess with a grin. "Did you write that one you were just singing?" I ask. She nods, once again silent. "It was really good. And you have a beautiful voice, Bella." She flushes and smiles gently, whispering a barely audible 'thanks'. "So... can I hear it all? From the beginning?" I ask, trying to keep the hope out of my voice. As stubborn as I know she thinks I am, I won't push her on this if she refuses. I know how scary sharing something so personal, such as songwriting, can be. Though I felt nothing but at peace when I let Bella see my unorganised collection of compositions on her first day here.

Her mouth drops open and she blinks at me several times before clearing her throat. "Um," she tries to speak but gets stuck and clears her throat again. "Maybe some other time," is all she says. I nod, accepting that. I stand and gesture toward the stairs.

"You ready to go?" I ask. She remains seated for a few seconds, looking a little shocked by my non-stubborn reaction to her brush off. I don't address her surprise in any way, and ask her again. She wordlessly gets up this time and follows me up the stairs.

For the rest of the afternoon, I marvel at how easy it is for us to slip back into the natural, friendly bond we've built since my arrival in April. There's no awkwardness, no destruction to our friendship. It's just as it was before today.

Well, that's not entirely true, because now I know what she looks like underneath her baggy, dark clothes. Now I know what she looks like underneath me, and I have every intention of reacquainting myself with those images.Soon.

But for now, I'm happy to sit opposite her in this booth at Forks' Diner while she munches her way through a burger and laughs as she tells me about something funny Alan said to her during her last visit to his florist on Sunday, when she was purchasing some flowers on her way to the cemetery to see her dad. For now, I'm happy just being Edward and Bella: friends.

A/N: I'm rubbish at poems and writing lyrics - trust me, I've tried - so that's why I've used an actual song for one of Bella's compositions. The snippet in this chapter is the second verse (because Edward walked in half way through Bella singing it) of 'The Climb' by Miley Cyrus.

What did you think? Don't forget to let me know! Thanks for being so patient with me. I really do intend to post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but you know how life can be.

I'll be back on Friday with another Bella POV. Bye for now!