Warning, mild and tasteful lemony goodness ahead. Sorta important to get through though...

Jacob and Angela were an essential component of my summer too. I met with Angela and her now steady boyfriend Ben, on many occasions, and we even double dated once, going to see a new movie in Port Angeles. Ben and Edward (either prepped by Alice, picking from Ben's brain, or genuinely interested) began talking comic books, anime, and movies that I hadn't even heard of, while Angela and I signed back and forth, filling each other in on summer events. I told her all about my trip to Phoenix with Edward while she told me about her family's venture to La Push with Rocky in tow. He had absolutely loved the water and the house and car had smelled like wet dog for days. Everything about Angela and Ben was so calming and easy that I felt that Edward truly enjoyed himself. Usually he and his family tried not to ingratiate themselves into society, choosing to remain aloof to avoid suspicions and danger. I wondered if Edward was now so good at resisting my blood that everyone else's was easy, or if he did miss new people and night I questioned him about it.

"I was wondering about something." I stated quietly. Edward tensed slightly. I wondered if he expected me to ask him to 'practice' things tonight. I was not that silly. Not only did I want to practice things in an empty house, I was also smart enough to wait until Edward had freshly fed.

"Do you actually like Angela and Ben?" I whispered in the darkness of my room, lit only by cell phone light. "If I hadn't been there, for example, would you still have gone?"

I do like them, and I think I would have. Angela is a very kind person. Mentally she is quite on par with Esme for her compassion and optimism. Esme could even learn a thing or two about how she views the world. Ben is a more typical teenager, but he has a quick and keen mind, full of imagination. I wouldn't be surprised if he became a writer or artist of some kind.

"You never really socialize with people." I began pointing out, only to have Edward sign over me.

Most people aren't comfortable being around us. There is an instinct that pushes them away. Most people - he eyed me condescendingly - choose to avoid us.

"Well as we both know, I'm not 'most people'."

Either way, before you, we haven't really been able to socialize.

I felt sorry for him. For them. How lonely their existence was sometimes. Was that something I could handle one day? I wanted to spend eternity with him. Could I give up everyone else in my life? Jacob, Angela? Hell, Renee and Charlie would be the hardest people to say goodbye to. It wasn't something I had to think about anytime soon, but it was certainly on the horizon. How old could I stand to get, with my other half perpetually frozen at seventeen? I was already older than Edward by almost two years. Still, this was something that I at least wanted to happen outside of high school. I had one more year to go, then I would start pressing the issue. If Edward even wanted to stick around that long. I wasn't entirely sure why he was here in the first place.

"Does you spending so much time with me help in other ways?" I vocalised, to get my brain off of it's morbid topic. Edward looked confusedly at me, prompting an explanation.

"I mean, since my blood calls so strongly to you, are you finding it easier to be around other humans?" I clarified in a whisper. He smiled quickly.

Yes. As morbid as that is. No one else smells remotely close to you. I would probably make an analogy to heaps of cold tofu, compared to the smell of bacon, or freshly baked bread.

"I wish I could help Jasper more." I muttered sadly. Edward's eyes darkened.

You are lucky you don't smell as delectable to him as you do to me. You'd already be dead.

"Thanks for the uplifting note." I whispered, shaking my head at him.

…

The time I spent with Jacob, I usually spent when Edward had to go on a hunting trip. He had gone from feeding as little as Carlisle did to feeding as frequently as Jasper did. The two boys now regularly joined each other for hunting trips, with occasional family members tagging along less frequently. Jacob and I enjoyed strolls along the beach, or visited the rocky tide pools, or holed up in his garage, if we had bad weather to deal with. That was when I would most frequently pour over the book that Jacob had lent me. It was absolutley beautiful, and Jacob seemed to find new enjoyment from his own histories and legends and wars, as he explaineed them to me. Quil and Embry, who stopped by relatively regularly, also joined in on the 'teach Bella all things aboriginal' classes. I learned so much about the history of his tribe that I could quiz them on it. All three of them told me that they'd ace their next history test.

I could see the strain in their effortless nature when they began to talk about any recent generations though. The divide between Sam/Paul/Jared, and Quil/Embry/Jake, was becoming complicated, and even some of the younger tribe members, and some of the female tribe members were beginning to be woven into the story. I tried not to push, and they tried not to incriminate their friends around me, especcially since I was Charlie's daughter. I had my own theories about drugs, while they had theirs about cults, and perhaps it was a mingling of both. None of us were sure, and none of us spent too much time on present issues, when they had some amazing stories about epic battles between their tribe and the cold ones, and generational wars between neighboring tribes.

Quil and Embry were also joining my signing club. Before long all of Forks would know about me, and my partially deaf state. Embry was absorbing signs like a sponge. He was particularly adept at it, and it had the boys all competing to learn more. As I learned their stories, I repeated them in sign, until they were telling them to me in ASL from the get go.

My summer was going so well. Everything felt comfortable and amazing, and I felt as though somehow I was truly fitting in for the first time in my life. I felt empowered, and stronger, and like I had direction in my life, which was probably why I felt confident enough to finally corner Edward.

And that was kind of where things got complicated.

It was one of those beautiful days where Edward and I were actually alone. It was absolutely pouring outside, to the point where it looked shower like, and I had a very childish urge to go and frolic in it. Edward was watching me from his piano, fiddling around with music I couldn't hear. He said he was composing something, something that he hadn't been able to finish writing. He said that the piece was inspired by me, but a good portion of it was outside of my hearing range if he played it too quickly. I tried not to let him see that I couldn't fully enjoy his talent, and so I spent most of my time developing my liking of watching Edward play. He was so relaxed and happy that it was equally as entertaining as his music could have been. It was then that I caught sight of the rain outside. The Cullen household had a large, open back lawn that was immaculately weed free and soft. And it was absolutely pouring outside. I fished my phone out of my pocket and slipped off my socks, biting my lip. Was it childish? Yes. Yes it was. I took a quick look at Edward, who hadn't yet guessed my intentions, and then walked towards the back door. It wasn't until I opened it that Edward appeared beside me.

What? he started signing. I grinned at him and tugged on his shirt slightly, indicating that he should follow, and I ran out into the rain.

It was soft and squishy in the grass as I ran, letting the shower absolutely soak me. It took only a few seconds for me to be completely drenched in the cool water. I spun around happily for a few seconds before I was whisked upwards. A small scream later, and I was on top of Edward's shoulders as he circled lazily. I squeezed my thighs around his neck knowing I couldn't hurt him, and that he wouldn't let me fall. It was invigorating, being in the rain. I felt as though I'd been dipped into a lake, and the fresh smell and tingling sensations of the rain slapping against my skin was amazing.

Edward and I rolled around in the rain, and the grass for a while. It was super soft and squishy, and we were getting decently muddy. Edward started showing off, flipping and spinning, climbing trees, and jumping around like an energizer version of a gorilla. It wasn't until I started shivering that he finally coaxed me to come back inside.

Edward disappeared and was back in a flash with two of the largest, fluffiest towels I had ever seen. I wrapped myself up like a burrito, and we walked (or shuffled in my case) slowly upstairs to find changes of clothing. Edward peeled off his towel, and his shirt, tossing the wet one on the floor. I bit my lip again, and blurted out before he could put his new one on.

"Wait."

Edward froze, looking at me quizzically, and then with trepidation.

"Bella…" He started. I dropped my towel and walked towards him. I knew that I was not exactly in the most provocative of clothing. A long sleeved plaid shirt and jeans – soaked through – and my hair plastered to my face and neck, but maybe this would be the little boost of assurance that Edward needed. I believed in his self control. Time to lose a little of mine.

I gently pushed him back towards the closet door. He moved stiffly, but willingly. If he really didn't want to move, he wouldn't. I moved my hands gently over his body, making my way to his soaked jeans. I – clumsily – undid the button on them, and sent my hands in a downward direction. Edward stood, unbreathing, unmoving, eyes fixated on me. When I reached my destination I felt a cool blast of a sharp exhale. Edward's hands twitched towards me, and then quickly fell back to his sides. I could do this. I was brave enough. I knelt down slowly, keeping my eyes on Edward's face. He still hadn't moved much, aside from his fists clenching and unclenching. The strain in his neck told me his jaw was doing the same. I could feel the breeze of the sharper, and faster exhales hitting my face as I gently tugged his remaining clothing out of my way. I waited for a moment for the butterflies in my stomach to settle, as I evaluated what was before me and how to proceed. I took a steadying breath, locked my eyes once again with Edward's and took him into my mouth.

Edward's head snapped back with such force that a crack appeared in the door behind him. I continued, awkwardly at first, but figuring things out as I went. Edward's chest was heaving within minutes. Suddenly his hands flew forward and he pushed me away quickly, turning away from me as he shuddered. I smiled, standing up, slowly and surprisingly gracefully. Edward's breathing still looked laboured, and I didn't want to push him too much further today. I slipped around him, into his closet, where Alice kept a full range of Bella-sized clothing that she claimed had belonged to others. I grabbed a fresh set of clothing, and was about to escape to the bathroom, when I realised that today had been about firsts, and I might as well reciprocate with the level of nudity he got to see. I stripped off my wet shirt, having to peel it inside out from my arms, and did the same with my jeans. Edward's head snapped towards me.

I didn't look at him, as I continued to undress, though my heart was racing. I was just going to change clothing, nothing else was going to happen. I undid my bra, tossing it aside with the pile of wet clothing, and made to grab the clean and dry one, when Edward appeared right in front of me. His cold hands slid slowly up and down my back as he stared into my face.

"Isabella." He complained, his face a stunned, and aroused mix. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I told you." I breathed at him, flustered, and chilled, pressed mostly naked upon his stony chest. We were both topless, but he had pulled up his wet jeans, and I still had my underwear on. Despite the wet and cool texture of his clothes, I felt warmer than ever."Practice."

I wasn't sure if it was what I said, how I looked, or how I smelled, but I suddenly found myself pinned to the bed as Edward kissed me. He was quite unreserved in how he was kissing me, more ardently, like a need, rather than a want. I was thoroughly enjoying it. He pressed one of his thighs in between my legs, and I gently took it as an invitation to work my own arousal out. I was warm, sweating, and my hands were moving all over him in seconds. His arms were supporting him so that he was not pressed against me, but I managed to find the strength to pull myself up to him. His lips moved slowly down to my next as I worked myself up. He was kissing, licking, and it was just too much. I exploded in a wave of emotions and release, and my neck, which had been working so hard to hold my head up, finally relaxed under Edward's fingers. I felt lightheaded, and dizzy, as Edward kissed and licked away at my neck, pinning me down harder than he had before. All I could hear was my heartbeat throbbing quickly in my ears. The last thing I remembered was a rushing, cool sensation that was tingling in my extremities, then I was bombarded by bright lights and muffled sounds. I closed my eyes away from the light, and fell promptly blacked out.