A/n: This is from Bella's POV. I struggled with this chapter, so hopefully it turned out ok.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or the characters. I can only wish.

It was dark, cold, and completely crowded. The town of Forks decided to have a bonfire on the beach for the New Years Eve celebration. The town council collaborated with the Quileute elders to throw a huge joint party. Apparently pigs can fly, and the sky is falling because I never thought that would happen. I mean, the Quileutes and the town of Forks always acted as separately as possible. The reservation had its own clinic, schools, and police force.

I wasn't going to go; I didn't want to chance running into Jacob or the elders. And at this celebration, I definitely would. It was really just a matter of time. Charlie didn't like it, but he understood and didn't bring it up more than once. But Mike and Angela, my two angels in disguise, showed up begging me to go. Angela had invited her boyfriend, and Mike didn't want to appear as the third wheel. So I went as a friend…for now.

I heaved a big sigh as I found a spot by the bonfire, nursing the bottle of beer in my hand. Charlie had told me earlier that he would allow me to have a few, as long as I drank responsibly and didn't act like a fool. Angela had gone off with her boyfriend, Brian, and was currently introducing him to everyone. Mike was also making his rounds, greeting everyone he considered a friend.

Another sigh escaped my lips as I stared at the ground. I really didn't want to be here. But I wanted to at least make an effort for Mike and Angela. After everything they had done for me, it was the least I could do to repay them. Come with us, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

Fun. Right. It was cold. The bonfire helped, but I'd have to stay by it to keep this warm. There were too many people. Some greeted me, and I forced a smile and a return greeting. Some tried to converse with me, but I didn't know what to say, and neither did they. And Jacob was here. Standing with Sam and the others. Staring at me, and not even trying to hide it. This was not my idea of fun.

It was nearly midnight when Mike plopped down next to me for a final time. Throughout the night he would come and sit with me for a while before getting up to mingle again. Sometimes we would talk. Other times I would just lean my head against his shoulder for a few minutes. No matter what we did, each interaction was what I needed to re-center myself. It was like he knew when I was ready to just slip away quietly, and he came to me every time to provide a few minutes of his company. If he weren't so damn perceptive when it came to me, I would have been out of here already.

As much as I wanted to be annoyed, I couldn't be. Being out here around a crowd instead of spending a lonely night at home would be good for me in the end. I knew this. His presence calmed me whenever I became too overwhelmed. I was closer to the breaking point this time; Jacob just wouldn't stop staring at me, and it was making me nervous and putting me on edge. I couldn't relax unless Mike was next to me.

My reverie was interrupted when Mike stood and stuck his hand out to me, "Let's go for a walk, Arizona."

Swallowing my sudden bout of anxiety, I took his hand and nodded, although I was secretly afraid. What if he wanted a walk with me so that he could tell me he didn't want me after all?

We walked in silence along the beach for a while, making sure we could still see the bonfire. I stole glances at him, which always ended on his lips, wondering if they felt as soft as they looked. Wondering what he tasted like. What it would be like to have his lips on mine. I blushed as that thought went through my mind.

It was one of the times where I stared longer than normal, not paying any attention to my feet. As a result I tripped and ended up flat on my back. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, I somehow managed to take him down with me, and he landed on top of me. I started apologizing profusely, keeping my eyes closed, hoping he wasn't mad at me.

But when I opened my eyes seconds later, the words flew out of my head and all I could do was stare. His face was barely an inch away from mine. I could feel his hot breath fanning across my face. All I'd have to do is lift my head just a little, and our lips would meet. But could I kiss him? Was I ready to take this step?

If not, would I ever be ready? Maybe I should just do it, and apologize later if I freak out. Or maybe I should just see what he does now. Maybe he will just take a chance of upsetting me by taking advantage of this opportunity. Or maybe he will decide to back off. Yeah, that sounds good. See what he does before deciding what I wanted to do.

His head lowered as I continued my inner monologue. He hesitated when our lips were barely a hairsbreadth apart, and I started to feel the uncertainty and rejection creep in. Did he not want this anymore? Good job Bella, you made him wait too long.

Before I could continue berating myself, I felt his lips press into mine softly. And I realized that this was what I wanted. I was ready. He broke the kiss to look at me worriedly, afraid that he overstepped his bounds too much.

"I'm sorry Bella. That was inappropriate of me…"

I smiled shyly as I cut him off with my finger and whispered, "Again. Kiss me again."

This time there was no hesitation. Instead there was just a sense of happiness, of hope. After a while we lay on our sides and just stared at one another, no words were needed. Neither of us took notice of the celebrations, of the countdown and the yelling and hollering of the people around the bonfire.

It was like we were in our own little world. A world where there was only Mike and I. A world where there was peace and contentment. A world where we had just taken a big step in this strange relationship of ours.

We were at a crossroads now, this I knew. I had decided before now to give Mike his chance…But now I just had to decide how much of a chance to love me. How much trust I should put into him. If I wanted to take things slow, or if I wanted to just throw all caution to the wind, and jump in head first and hope I survived if it all crashed and burned.

In any case, I decided not to decide outright. I would just let things flow.