Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story or its dirty-talking Edward AKA; Masen, and his equally smutty Bella, AKA; B.

A/N: Back already! I'm happy to report that I seem to be on a roll with this story so you should expect regular updates for the next couple of weeks. *fingers crossed*

Many thanks to my beta, myonlyherion. Even on a holiday weekend, she gets things done and I truly appreciate and adore everything about her! If you celebrate, Happy Easter! If you don't celebrate, Happy Weekend! Let's hop to it then.


Further Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 7

(...Edward...)

It was just after nine, and the girls would be pulling up to Jasper's place any minute. From here, we would start our first ever evening as a foursome, and for some reason, I was feeling nervous as hell about that, even though I knew I obviously had the upper hand.

I'd, of course, offered to come pick them up, but Bella had forced me to admit I wasn't planning on returning to my apartment later this evening. Because of that, she'd persistently insisted on not making me be their personal chauffeur, no matter how much I'd returnly insisted that it really wouldn't have been a big deal.

Our plan, after having a drink or two at Jasper's, was to Uber from his place over to Wynwood Walls, a local art district with some trendy breweries and bars, free live music and a few galleries to walk around. It was actually a really fun place to go when you had the right kind of people to go with.

Bella and Alice were without question, the right kind of people.

"You look good in my clothes, my man!"

I laughed at my best friend and shot him a sarcastic thumbs up. In my haste to leave the apartment earlier this afternoon, I'd managed to forget to grab my overnight bag, but I wasn't about to risk having another run-in with Tanya tonight. Instead, I'd dug out a plain black button down shirt from the back of Jasper's closet and paired it with my dark blue jeans. I had to admit I wasn't looking half bad, even though I was in desperate need of a haircut and a few extra hours of sleep these days.

"Look, you need to go ahead and have another beer to help you simmer down. You're pacing like a goddamn banshee on crack." Jasper further joked while making his way towards his small fridge in the corner of the opened room to grab us both a glass bottle. I followed his advice and took a seat on the barstool beside his short countertop, then watched him pop the caps with a lighter before sliding one over towards me. "I can't remember the last time I've seen you this nervous over a piece of tail. Granted, you've been anchored down for over three years, but even before that… this is not at all like you."

I slowly shook my head, not really wanting to have this conversation with him. Unfortunately, I knew better than to think Jasper would simply let it go.

"She's a cool girl. She's different, and not just because she has a boyfriend which is currently forcing me to take the long PG rated road with her until she's wised up. There's something about her. I don't know."

"Well, just do me a solid and give me at least a week with Alice before you risk it all and attempt to take a detour from that road pushing you towards a shortcut full of doom, deal?"

I nodded my head in agreement with my best friends slightly selfish request, then chugged the last of my beer after hearing a car pull up right outside, "No worries from me. I'm determined to take it slow and I've promised B I won't actually bite until she's asked me to."

"How very admirable of you. Just don't call her B, out loud, and we should be able to pull this evening off without any overly dramatic hiccups."

There was a light rappa-tap-tap at the front door, and I made one last attempt to swallow down all of my anxiety, then straightened my shoulders right as Jasper slapped my back hard with his opened hand. "You got this. Just be yourself. That's the Edward that has her coming back for more. Don't stress so much about the phone spank bank stuff. If you obsess over it too much, that's when you'll end up slipping." He'd rushed his last sentence, and also bravely chosen to rustle his hand aggressively at the top of my head, no doubt successfully messing up my hair in the process.

"That's much better. You don't need to be that preppy fuck that Tanya had slowly transformed you into. It's time to let the good times roll again brother. Just like the old days. You've fucking earned it, to say the least. Especially with all the other bullshit you've been thrown thanks to your dad and uncle." I reached out to give my buddy a playful shove, but he'd already sped up his pace to swerve himself out of the way just before his hand grasped the knob on the front door to let the girls in.

Alice entered first and she didn't disappoint.

"Christ woman, you were born to grace Miami with those legs!" Jasper hollered out, quickly taking Alice by the hips to bring her into him for an extended embrace and light kiss to the top of her head. He wasn't wrong. Bella's friend had chosen to wear a ridiculously tight form-fitting black dress with red heels that granted her a good couple of extra inches in height and also a nice slanted raise to her already perfectly curved backside.

"Well, don't you two clean up nice," Alice smirked, eyeing both Jasper and I with an all approving look on her face. I instantly noticed movement at the front doorway and turned my attention back that way just as Bella stepped through the threshold and literally took my breath away over the sight of her.

She'd put her hair up into a tight ponytail at the top of her head with some fancy braid wrapped around at the base of it, and the heavy dark eye makeup she'd put on perfectly highlighted her guarded expression when our anxious stare finally met.

While her friend had chosen a sexy little black dress, Bella had gone with some ridiculously tight black leather pants that almost looked as though they'd been painted onto her legs and a body clinging white tank top embellished with black lace that went down the center of her top all the way to her navel stopping just above the button of her pants.

"You're really determined to test my willpower tonight, aren't you, Bella?" I whispered beside her ear once I'd leaned in to greet her with a friendly embrace. She didn't stiffen under my touch.

I, of course, had to attribute that to the smell of alcohol I'd already noticed on her breath, but I also wouldn't complain.

Whatever it took for her to find the courage to come out tonight, I'd accept it and make it my new found mission to help her find a way to feel comfortable around me without succumbing to alcohol poisoning before our evening together was over.

"Can I offer you ladies a drink before I call us a ride?"

"That would be fantastic, baby! Serve it up while we walk around and check out this beachside bachelor pad of yours." Alice quipped, then took Bella by the hand to lead her towards the other side of the opened room where Jazz had his mini indoor 'herb garden' set up.

"Bro, I owe you my life for bringing that woman into my world." Jasper snickered while eyeing them from the countertop where he was now pouring them both a rum and Coke.

"I'll just add this to the very long list you've already accumulated over the years." I quickly joked back just as Bella glanced over her shoulder towards us, inevitably catching me smiling in her direction. She smirked back in reaction and even shot me a quick wink from her eye- once again testing my limits in ways that didn't seem at all fair.

"Remember to keep the cruise control on, and don't get ahead of yourself or you'll start tripping all over the place."

"Like I said, no worries from me. I know what I'm doing here." I insisted just above a whisper while my eyes continued to watch Bella and Alice giggle together over something shared between the two of them.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. Tanya was also supposed to be a controlled experiment and look where that got you."

"Nothing about Tanya and I was ever controlled. I've learned from that. I've grown from it. I'm not someone who makes the same mistake twice. You know that."

Jasper laughed at my words and shook his head, "Dude, all you did was make mistakes with that bitch."

I gave him a look that told him to drop it, and he slowly lifted his hands up in front of him to defend himself, "Okay, okay. I'm done. Let's just try to have a good time tonight. It's been too goddamn long."

This time I nodded my head agreeing with him.

I'd earned this night and I was determined to make the most of it without over-analyzing every word or look Bella and I shared.

...


...

When we'd first gotten down to Wynwood, the streets hadn't been too heavy with foot traffic. The unpredictable weather had clearly kept some of the typical patrons from venturing out, which had helped make things a little more enjoyable all around.

My least favorite part about coming over here was always the crowds and pretentious hipsters who thought the world should and would revolve around them and their narcissistic ways.

Tanya usually helped with some of that by taking all of the attention and effortlessly drawing it onto her and only her. She could part seas of people when she'd step onto a sidewalk or into a club. Tables would instantly clear and our drink orders were always taken before we'd even have to look around twice. That, of course, was all due to having her on my arm, and boy did she take pride in that. Or ever let me forget it.

"Whatch'a thinking so hard about, neighbor boy?" Bella's sweet soft voice suddenly cooed beside my ear. This was our third stop for the night. Meaning, it would be B's third drink, not including what she'd already downed prior to arriving at Jasper's, and the drink she'd had before leaving his place barely two hours ago.

"I'm afraid my current thoughts aren't even worth a penny," I laughed.

"Ah, I see, thinking about that ex, are we?"

I swiftly turned my head to look down at her. The look of shock displayed on my face made her smile and also shoot me another playful wink from her right eye. "Did you guys come here a lot?"

She was reading me like a book and I hadn't even noticed her studying.

"No, not a lot. This wasn't really her scene, but she'd enjoy herself just about anywhere when we did go out."

"Well, unfortunately for you, I won't be able to go home happy tonight unless I've witnessed you thoroughly enjoying yourself, Mr. Cullen, so wipe all the negativity from that inner voice in the back of your head, and let's make things a little more interesting, shall we?"

I smiled at her and felt my defenses weaken once she'd linked her arm through mine to bring her hip up against my own, giving my body a playful jab to the left and causing me to check my balance in the process.

"And what exactly do you have in mind, neighbor girl?"

So far, I'd already been enjoying myself, and I had a feeling Bella didn't have much to complain about either. The looks I'd catch from her, the smile in her eyes and the way she'd made it a point to always keep herself right beside me or holding onto my arm… things were going well and I was feeling better and better as the night had progressed.

Even with Bella's best friend eyeing me herself quite suspiciously throughout the evening, Bella had still managed to let go and, be, with me so I was feeling pretty damn good about that.

Jasper and Alice were walking a good ten feet or so ahead of us now, leading the way into the next bar where familiar music had begun to pour out from the opened doors. As soon as we entered the brick building, Bella tugged on my arm to bring my ear down closer towards her lips.

"Let's be other people tonight. It's a game Alice and I like to play sometimes."

My eyes went wide.

This was almost too much.

She'd just blindly suggested our other shared reality without even realizing it was something we'd already shared and mastered.

Keep calm and breathe, Cullen.

Just. Act. Natural.

"I see, and what is, uh, the alias you like to go by when you're out pretending to be someone else?"

"Me?" She laughed nervously and looked away obviously feeling a little bit embarrassed now.

The way her laugh had lit up her entire face, it had left me standing there watching her in absolute awe. She really was feeling comfortable. She was feeling good. I needed to just relax and let things happen without overthinking my every chosen word before it would leave my lips.

"You can call me... Betty. Betty with a B."

Jasper had just handed me a beer, and thankfully I hadn't taken a sip from it yet or I very likely would have sprayed some of its liquid from my mouth all over them.

"Oh, are we bringing out Betty and Amber tonight?" Alice interjected, sounding extremely excited by the idea. "Just don't go naming Edward here, Masen, Ms. Betty, or you might not make it home with your panties intact."

All color drained from Bella's face almost instantly, and even Jasper froze in reaction to Alice's taunting tease.

If she did… holy christ... if she did suggest I go by my actual middle name… the name that was given to me at birth… the name I use when she calls me late at night and I'm on the clock being paid to get her off… Fuck, I'd have a really hard time making it to the end of the evening without suffering from a minor guilt triggered panic-attack.

"Shut up, Amber! That name has already been assigned, and will never ever be shared. Edward here will be… Mitch and Jasper, you can be um… Todd."

"N'oice, Betty!" Alice laughed before clinging her beer bottle with her best friend's. "Way to stick with the capital M's. I wonder why that this? Hmmmmm… let me think, let me think."

I'd also noticed how Betty with a B had ultimately chosen to go with a name that began with an 'M' when it came to assigning me my newest persona. I couldn't help but beam just a little bit more on the inside because of that small, yet, secretly related victory.

"So, is this really something you two do often?" Jasper questioned, eyeing them suspiciously and then throwing me a sideways glance as well.

"Nah. Not often. Only when Bella is feeling extra adventurous, secondary to Jake being extra dick-ish."

Bella instantly jabbed her best friend in the side with one swift move from her extended elbow.

Ah, so that's what this was all about.

She'd finally talked to the boyfriend and apparently, their talk had not gone so well.

Interesting.

I threw Jasper a look, signaling that I wanted him to see what he could get out of Alice, then asked Betty if she'd like to go stand by the stage with me to check out the band that was currently playing.

B nodded her head, smiling over my usage of her newest alias, then linked her arm with mine so we could make our way through the crowd of people towards the back of the venue where the stage was located. We stood side by side, swaying to the music that filled our ears, but my thoughts were a million miles away now. Every time I'd steal a glance towards Jasper and Alice, I could feel my anxiety rise while I wondered what she was telling my best friend.

I needed the intel, and I needed it as soon as possible, so I'd know what cards to play in this next round.

A few minutes later, when I noticed who was taking the stage next, I felt a whole new wave of anxiety hit me.

Super. Your luck had been riding a little too high, Cullen. This actually makes total sense.

Once I'd caught the eyes of two of the members of the band they both offered me an acknowledged head nod and obvious wave from their hands before beginning their set.

"Friends of yours?" Bella yelled into my ear over the music that had once again begun to play.

"Yeah, Jasper and I went to high school with the singer, Tyler, and the guitar player is actually my cousin. His name is Riley."

"Well, I see the suave debonair looks run in your family Mr. E." She quipped with a playful bump to my hip.

"The name is Mitch, remember?"

She laughed and nodded her head, then redirected her attention back towards the musicians on the stage. I could tell she was really enjoying the music and listening rather intently to the lyrics of the songs.

This made me smile, and for good reason.

Maybe this won't be such a bad thing after all.

A few minutes later, when their set was finished, both Tyler and Riley came down and gave me a solid slap from their hands.

"Long time no see, cousin! Where've you been hiding out?" My cousin questioned, though his eyes were set on Bella, and he'd barely given me three seconds of his undivided attention.

"Well, tonight, he's been busy showing me the ways of Miami."

"I'd say he's a lucky son of a bitch if that's true!" Tyler chimed in before anyone else could speak.

"Guys this is…"

Shit.

I didn't know what name to give them, and for a second I had to laugh nervously to myself.

"Bella. I mean, since I'll likely be seeing the two of you again, I guess I'll have to go by Bella."

They both looked beyond perplexed by her random introduction, and the sight of their faces forced me to both laugh out loud, and also take Bella in under my arm so they'd understand dibs had already been called here, and I'd been the one to pull the trigger.

"Bella moved in next door, so I've been helping her get acclimated to the area."

"Very good! We were starting to worry you were hiding out in that apartment of yours wallowing in self-pity and turning into some fat fuck who plays video games all day while eating Hot Cheetos and washing them down with Cherry Slurpees. Bets had been placed cousin, and I was actually hoping to make a nice little bit of cash off your heartache and despair."

I'd have to remember to return this favor to Riley in the very near future, but I also should have expected nothing less from him.

"Nope, I've been functioning just fine. Started a job, and making new friends because who wants to hang out with you dipshits all day? The new song sounds pretty damn good though! I like what you did with the chorus."

I was feeling desperate to change the subject.

Change the subject, and also earn myself some more points on Bella's scoreboard.

"Hell yeah it does, thanks to your lyrics!" Tyler easily shared, giving my arm another friendly jab with his balled up fist.

"Wait, you wrote one of those songs?" Bella questioned, instantaneously catching on to what Mike had said.

"Eduardo here writes most of the lyrics to our stuff. Has he not shared his poetry book with you yet?"

"I don't write poetry, you ass." I quickly grumbled, already feeling my face begging to turn red with unneeded embarrassment.

"Edward! You didn't even tell me!"

"Still lots to learn, Betty." I teased, making her smile even more after she'd crossed her arms in front of her body pretending to pout. "I don't write the music though. That's all these guys. They're lyrically challenged so that's where I come in."

Bella was clearly impressed.

In her eyes, I could see her defenses falling even further, so this was indeed a winning bonus for this evening. One I hadn't even anticipated and one worth once again internally celebrating.

"We gotta get back on stage, but why don't you guys come back out Wednesday night? It's less crowded and we will be able to actually chill. It was nice to meet you, Bella. I hope we will get to see a lot more of you in the very near future before this asshole here scares you off." Riley joked with sarcasm thankfully drilled into his tone. He then leaned in to give me a quick high-five and a firm pat on my back bringing me in closer towards him so he'd be able to privately add something else. "You know I'm just busting your balls. It's good to see you out again. You need to hit me up, shits been going down with the fam. It's not looking good. I need to fill you in before you have to read about it on the internet."

I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant, then promised I'd give him a call tomorrow afternoon.

Once they were gone, Bella was both smiling and rocking herself side to side on her feet, "I can't even believe you really wrote those songs!"

"Why not? I told you I'm a writer."

"Yeah, but! That last one was so good! I literally can not get the chorus out of my head! I thought you wrote like comic books, or for some silly man blog on-line."

She was teasing me.

Bella was teasing me again, and it felt good.

I watched her take a calculated step in my direction, narrowing what very little space there was left between us, then felt my heartbeat accelerate in reaction to the smell of her sweet perfume. She was so close to me now, all I'd have to do was lean down a mere couple of inches and I'd be able to bring my lips directly onto hers, inevitably giving her something to really smile about… or run away from.

"Hey, there Betty, can I steal you away from Mitch here, so you can help me find the powder room before we head out?"

"We're leaving? Already? It's barely midnight!" Bella instantly pouted.

"Just taking things back to my place. The night is still young, and plenty more adventures await us." Jasper spoke up, giving Bella a quick wink from his eye. "The sea turtles have been making nests down by the water behind my place. We have to get going though if we want to catch them in the act."

"Ah! Seriously?! How cool!" Bella was adorably excited by this idea. Even Alice was smiling over her school girl like reaction.

"Come you, let us pee before our next quest."

We watched the girls depart and Jasper swiftly gestured with a nod of his head that I follow him outside where things were quieter and we'd actually be able to talk.

"I saw Riley with you already plotting for a chance to pounce on Bella, and I'm sure Tyler wouldn't mind getting a taste either."

"Yeah, when hasn't my cousin wanted a piece of what I have?"

"Ah, but you've yet to have any pieces yourself, my dear friend!" Jasper joked, then swiftly glanced over my shoulder, no doubt checking to make sure the girls weren't about to join us again.

"How about that nickname though! Mitch! I almost died! I swear she contemplated calling you Masen for a good solid second there."

"Dude, you have no idea. What did Alice tell you? Did Bella talk to her boyfriend?" The anticipation was almost killing me. I needed to know if I was still playing by the same rules, or if I could take a side step from the straight and narrow path that had been laid out before me from the very first moment I'd set my eyes on the neighbor girl next door.

"Yeah, they talked. He didn't respond very well to the fact she'd moved down here and hadn't told him. According to Alice, he blew up on her and accused her of not trusting him, and blah blah blah. He sounds like a total female on her period when Alice talks about him. I really don't understand how someone as cool as Bella wound up with such a tool."

"Yeah, you and me both. So, they're still together then?"

"I guess. I mean, Alice was kind of cryptic with that. She said Bella mentioned she has a lot of things to figure out, and that Jake made her feel like a child right before they'd hung up earlier. Something about her depending on other people too much and not being able to make decisions for herself."

This struck me as odd. In the short time I'd known Bella, she didn't really come across as the needy clingy type.

"What an asshole,"

Jasper placed his hand over my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "Yes, but his asshole-isms are giving you new opportunity. Apparently, this little alias game of hers tonight is something she does during their typical 'breaks'."

"Wait… meaning what exactly?"

My best friend was grinning ear to ear now.

"Meaning, follow her lead. If she jumps in, jump in with her and don't worry so much about where you might land come tomorrow morning."

Now I really was confused. What was he telling me? To not ask questions and go ahead and bite? I turned and saw the girls starting to make their way through the crowd to join us outside in front of the bar, so I knew my time was now very much limited.

"Alice said that?"

"No, Amber said that. When Bella is Betty apparently all her good girl behavior flies out the window. Just listen when I say don't take the lead. Let her guide you into her comfort zone, then help her get a little more comfortable once you've arrived there."

My head was spinning with all of this information.

All these aliases.

All these terms begging to be re-written and replaced with something of actual substance and purpose.

It was enough to drive a sane person mad, and I was already far from feeling completely sane these days.

"Did you summon us an Uber, Todd honey?" Alice gently questioned after snuggling herself back up against my best friend.

"I did, Amber. It should be here any minute. You good Betty, or should we get you a drink for the road?" Jasper teased, earning himself a look from Bella after she'd repositioned herself beside me to casually take my hand into hers. Jasper grinned noticing her action, and I quickly gave him a warning glare of my own, silently letting him know he better keep his damn mouth shut and not make it awkward.

Well, it looks like we're riding wild now, Cullen.

Let her lead.

You follow.

Zero hesitations.

No regrets.

I pulsed her fingers where they were intertwined with my own, then carefully brought her body in front of me, so I could instead slide both of my hands slowly past her hips to the center of her stomach and bring her up against the front of me to hold her there in place. It was a simple move, one I'd used in life more than a few dozen times, but I'd proceeded with caution and then waited for her reaction.

When I felt her relax further into my body, I knew it was the right move to make, and even Alice was smirking while watching me with her best friend... Her best friend who was clearly feeling completely comfortable around me now, even under her good buddy's watchful eyes.

"You two have the potential to make some ridiculously cute babies."

"Alice!" Bella yelped out, sending her best friend's arm a loud smack with her freed hand at a vicious speed.

"The name is Amber, sweetie, and I was only making an abundantly obvious observation. I wasn't telling you to go lay on your back and spread your legs to take his DNA, geez."

That only earned Alice another playful smack just as our Uber pulled up to the curb behind us.

We piled into the SUV, and I quickly glanced at my phone to check it for any messages but found nothing. I was actually kind of surprised that Tanya hadn't bugged me once since I'd stormed out of our apartment, but I wouldn't question it. Instead, I'd take the no news as good news and purposely push her back out of my thoughts where she belonged.

From the front passenger seat, I'd noticed Bella checking her own phone several times during our drive across town back to Jasper's place. She was being bombarded with text messages and responding at an equally fervent pace.

It wasn't Alice, though, that she was busy texting with.

No, Alice and Jasper were too busy sucking on each other's faces for her to be texting with her best friend.

That, of course, led me to believe it was The Douche himself, harassing her from four hours away, during what was supposed to be my time.

This was not good.

This had the potential to royally fuck up the rest of our evening. All it would take was him putting her in a mood that would ultimately send her running home to eat a box of chocolates and cry woefully into her pillow.

We were still three intersections away from Jasper's, but I decided to casually interrupt things by changing the rules a little by sending her a text of my own.


I hope I'm not overstepping here…

I realize I'm in the front seat and you're stuck behind me in the back,

but I'm kind of itching to have you beside me again.

It's actually an extremely terrible feeling to have to endure.


My ears alerted me to her soft giggle, then within seconds her chin was being positioned over the top of my shoulder and her right hand had found its way between the seat and passenger side door to grab a hold of my arm and give it a sensual pulse.

"Better?" She whispered into my ear, her warm breath instantly creating goosebumps on the back of my neck.

"Much… though now you're making me nervous by not wearing your seatbelt."

She laughed over my parental-like concern then leaned back into her seat with a loud sarcastic huff. I could see the glow from her phone out of the corner of my eye.

When it was a text that came in on my phone, I easily found my smile again.


-I'm calling my own dibs.


Was all her message had said. I thought over my response for a few seconds then sent a simple question mark emoji back to her in return and patiently waited.


-To Be Continued, neighbor boy.


I instantly felt as though a million glaringly loud explosions had gone off in the SUV we were all sharing, but that I'd been the only one to notice them. I needed to text Jasper, but I knew he would be too busy with his current conquest to pause and return the attention and help bring me down.

Every red light thereafter felt like an eternity and my foot would not stop shaking from where it was positioned in front of me under the dashboard.

As soon as we pulled up and our driver parked, I jumped out of the SUV and opened the back door for Bella. She wasted no time to take my hand back into hers, and I walked us both up to the front door while Alice and Jasper continued their make-out session against a pole under the carport as soon as our Uber driver had taken off and left us all behind.

"Jesus, how do they even breathe?"

"Oh, well you see, Alice had to learn how to breathe underwater for her degree. She can go a full three minutes without taking a breath of fresh air." Bella teased, smiling up into my eyes and refusing to break our own guarded but heated stare. She looked so unbelievably gorgeous. Even under the cheap buzzing yellow lighting that illuminated Jasper's walkway, she still looked like the world's most brilliantly beautiful creature.

"You're funny, Betty."

She smirked, and tilted her head to the side, "Why don't you just call me, B?"

I did my best to control my reaction, but I was almost certain my eyes had gone wide and my mouth had dropped open for at least a good couple of seconds.

For the love of God… if she starts calling you Mase, you're not going to survive this.

I couldn't overthink things.

I had to say something, and it had to come out of my mouth without it sounding like some cheesy scripted overused line.

"I'll call you anything you like, just so long as it means I get to share more nights like tonight with you… on a regular basis."

She grinned as she processed my words, but two seconds later Jasper and Alice were standing with us beside his front door, both of them seemingly out of breath.

"You two ready to stalk some turtles?"

"Oh, are you two done sucking the life out of each other's faces?"

Jasper punched my arm with his balled up fist then nodded his head, "Why don't you and Bella head on down to the water. Alice and I will get us some refreshments and a flashlight, then meet you down there?"

Only a fool would believe that was all they would be getting while inside.

"Yeah sure, see you guys in twenty minutes then," Bella scoffed, also catching on to what was actually taking place here.

"Don't worry. He won't need a full twenty minutes." Alice instantly chirped, not missing a beat from the moment we were all semi-awkwardly sharing.

Bella reached down and grabbed at my hand to bring it into hers, and we slowly began reversing out bodies to head towards the back of the building so we could make our way towards the sand and surf.

For the amount of booze this girl had downed in the last two hours, it was pretty impressive that she was still able to walk a straight line, let alone walk herself backward and around various obstacles in the process.

"You handle your alcohol pretty well, B."

She smirked and nodded her head. "So I've been told. Is the water very far?"

"Nope, just around the building. Jasper's lived here ever since we'd graduated high school. His parents took off to Canada once he flew their nest to stay in the city and work on his degree in architecture."

"Really? What's the rent like here?"

"Not as cheap as what we pay at our building, and for a hell of a lot less space." I snickered "He also has to evacuate whenever we get any tropical weather, and he has to surround his door with sandbags during several different high tides throughout the year."

"Well, that wouldn't be very convenient, now would it? I can see now why you haven't just moved in with him. He really doesn't have much space. You two would probably kill each other within weeks."

"Days." I joked back, making her laugh again.

She pulsed my hand in hers, and I looked down to catch her still smiling to herself. "And you and Tanya… you've always lived together in our building?"

It was official.

I didn't like hearing Bella say my ex's name.

She must have noticed because she was instantly apologizing, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I brought her up again."

"No, it's fine. I just have a difficult time hiding all of my grievances whenever her name is mentioned out loud." I instantly followed up my words with a light laugh of my own, hoping it would help Bella relax again because truthfully I couldn't have cared less about who we were talking about.

Truthfully, all I cared about was sharing this time with her.

"To answer your question, though, yes, it's where we've always lived. We moved in together right after I graduated high school before we'd even become exclusive, and we were just friends. She went to Europe for a year shortly after we did became a couple... to study French abroad… so for the record, I have lived all on my own for at least a small portion of my adult life. That's her major. French. Just as pretentious as she is."

Bella laughed and leaned herself a little closer up against me as we approached the sand, "So, she goes to UM with you?"

"Yeah. We should be graduating at the same time. We'd planned it that way."

"And what's your favorite color?"

I turned again to look at her and laughed out loud a little louder this time after I'd realized she'd purposely changed the subject in a not so subtle way.

"I told you I'd eventually get you to play twenty questions with me."

"Right, right. Burnt orange. Like a sunrise shared with a pretty girl. Yourself?"

"Me? The-color-of-your-eyes, green."

She really wasn't holding back, and I was feeling ridiculously turned on by that revelation.

"Sorry" she giggled, "I can keep my liquor intake under control before reaching my limit, but sometimes I can't control my tongue mixed with that liquor just before reaching that limit." She smirked bashfully with the completion of her fast-paced sentence, then looked up into my eyes with the full moon now visible in the reflection of her own.

"Don't be sorry. You said you wouldn't be happy unless you saw me having a good time tonight. I can honestly say that tonight has been an evening filled with countless good memory making moments, all of which you've been a part of and played the leading role in." I stopped for a second, then casually released her hand from mine so I could instead rest my entire arm over her shoulder to bring her body in, closer up against my own. "As crazy as it sounds, you've helped me figure out how to just… breathe again. It feels good. It's been a rough couple of weeks, but in a matter of days, you've managed to make me forget all about the worst of it."

If only she knew how deep your infatuation went, and how early on those roots had begun to settle in all around you, Cullen.

Yeah… She'd run back to the mountains and never look back- so proceed with caution.

When I glanced down again she looked a bit unsettled and for a moment I panicked.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Sometimes my tongue mixed with my mostly sober brain renders me stupid."

"No! Don't you dare be sorry!"

Our feet finally hit the sand with her last word, and she quickly bent down to take her shoes into her hands so she'd be able to walk a bit more steadily beside me and I followed her lead.

"I mean that, Edward. Don't be sorry. In a very short amount of time, you've helped me as well. I left my home, the only place I've ever known. I did that because I felt stuck. I felt as though I was being left behind while everyone else was getting to spread their wings to actually start living their lives. There's so much I want to see. So much I know I need to experience, but I don't know where to begin because I feel like I don't even know who I am sometimes, let alone what I want most of the time."

She paused to take a breath, and I watched her struggle for a few seconds while she tried to find her next words.

"I've been living this life, right? Stumbling through it all- following everyone else's rules, always doing everything the right way by being the cookie cutter version of me… for my dad, for my family… for Jake. I'd always been the person everyone expected me to be because my biggest fear has always been disappointing them and making my dad think he failed at raising me all on his own. Since meeting you though… since meeting you and moving here, I've started to doubt myself a whole lot less and I've found myself wanting so much more. I'm starting to feel like I can do this, and that it's okay to actually feel comfortable in my own skin and leap without looking ten times first."

I was mother fucking beaming now, but I was also at a loss for words, and terrified of saying the wrong thing, so I did the only thing I could do and remained silent.

"It's crazy because I feel like I know you… I mean, like I've known you for so much longer than just two ridiculously fast-paced days where I blinked and suddenly there's this entirely new person that I never even knew existed, but now that I know… I don't know. It's just crazy, isn't it?! I can't imagine going back and missing out on that morning when you caught me leaving for work before the sun had even come up. It feels like it was so long ago... Can you believe it was less than forty-eight hours ago? I mean, how insane is this?"

Bella was absolutely adorable when she let her tipsy lips and manic tongue take total control.

I was enjoying this entirely too much, so I, of course, had to push her a little further. "You called dibs before." I heard myself question, then mentally slapped myself for impulsively breaking her from the rant that was seemingly all about me… and about all of the possibilities that came with... us.

She laughed in response to my inquiry, and then gently pulled on my arm to stop our feet from moving. Between getting all of her thoughts out, and also walking on the soft beach sand, the poor thing was having a difficult time catching her breath now.

"Just let me know if you need a little mouth to mouth because I'll happily volunteer." I teased but instantly found myself wishing I'd forever find a way to mute my tongue during moments like this when the potential was there for me to insert my foot into my own mouth.

Her soft giggle made its way to my ears, mixed with the sound of the ocean's waves as they crashed onto the sand dunes not too far from where we were now standing, and I found myself able to relax again. I took in a deep breath feeling the salty ocean air fill my lungs, then slowly exhaled before taking her left wrist into my hand to bring her down towards the dry sand where I wanted her to take a seat beside me.

"There's still that boyfriend," she lowly reminded me, then wrapped her arms around her knees to give herself a tight fetal position embrace and also shield herself from the blistering wind that was now rushing past us in almost every direction.

"Ah, right, him."

I stole another quick glance in her direction and found her hiding a smile before she'd turned her head in an attempt to avoid my eyes.

"But,"

My expression swiftly perked up and my shoulders straightened when she shifted herself a little further into me. I took that as my cue to go ahead and wrap my arm around her, and she didn't waste another second to press her head deeply into my chest, ultimately resting it there just below my chin. No other words left her lips, and when I could take no more, I gently suggested she continue.

"But what, B?"

Bella sighed and began digging her feet further into the sand in front of us, "He told me… he told me he knew I needed to find myself. That I needed to figure out what I wanted from life and find something of my own to go after. Something that would define me, and give me purpose. He said I'd lost my spark." She paused again, clearly having a difficult time putting all of her thoughts into words now. "Then he told me he loved me, and he would do anything in the world for me, but that he couldn't do this for me… whatever the hell 'this' means, so that's why he left and took off to Florida. According to him, he'd hoped it would be the push I needed, but in reality, I'm still fairly positive it was more about it being the space he needed- he just found a way to put a pretty bow on it."

While I didn't want to rush her, I also knew our time was limited before Ali and Jasper would find their way down to us.

"Well, that sure doesn't sound cliche at all. So very eighties Rom-Com of him."

I felt her body slowly begin to quake with nervous laughter and found myself silently hoping her reaction was due to my fairly accurate, and on-point observation.

"I guess the biggest problem I'm having... is that I've always thought of myself… of my life… my future... as simply being a part of him and his because, well… that's the only plan I've ever had and it seemed like the inevitable for such a very long time. The thought of starting over, from nothing, with nothing… that is more than just a little bit terrifying. He- he left me though, but at the very same time, he says he doesn't want to let me go. In fact, he said he wouldn't let me go until I told him that was what I wanted… and if I were to be completely honest with myself… I'm not even sure I'll ever be able to tell him that, but then HOW can I really feel that way when sitting here with you makes me question everything I've ever thought I knew, even though I still barely know anything about you, Edward. You're my neighbor in a strange city where I just up and transplanted myself without any long-term plan. For all I know, you've only told me a fraction of the truth that you want me to know, and as much as that should scare me… it- it doesn't. How does that happen? How does any of this make sense?"

When she stopped talking, it took everything in me to not turn her around and bring her lips against mine.

In a perfect world, I'd be able to look her in the eyes and tell her all about how I've shared every single feeling, and how I've asked myself every single question she herself had just declared since the very moment our eyes had first met outside of our apartment doors.

I took in a deep breath and ran my freed hand aggressively through my hair, "All I want, Bella- is for you to open yourself up enough to really let me in. I'm not going anywhere. There's no rush to figure… this… out. Let's not question all of the what-if's, or the what-then's. I'm perfectly fine with taking it one shared moment at a time. I'm ready for that.I believe you're someone worth taking those extra-cautious steps with."

Quickly, I glanced behind my shoulder to make sure we were still alone and not about to be interrupted, then felt myself relax a little when Jasper and Alice were still nowhere to be seen.

"As for you feeling like you're on a path with no true destination in sight… I'd be more than happy to help you on such a journey… regardless of what we might find once you do figure out where you want to go, and who you want to have with you when you get there."

She shifted her weight to the side, so she could look back up at me and I felt my toes curl into the sand over the sight of the panicked nervous perfection that had taken over every part of her moonlit face.

"Seriously, where did you come from? Is this even real life? I swear it! You make me feel like I'm suddenly living in a Nicholas Sparks book. This is all so surreal." She declared, just above a whisper.

I laughed at her question and shrugged my shoulders. "I think I should be the one asking what took you so long to move your ass to Miami, neighbor girl." I easily teased her, then brought her body back into mine, so I wouldn't be so tempted to lean in and finally take her lips against my own.

"Look, I certainly don't claim to know all the answers, but what I do know… what I have come to accept, is that there are days that define you- who you are; but it's the nights that usually let you see who you actually want to be. When destiny strikes, you pay attention and react with purpose. You don't run from it, or you'll be running in circles for the rest of your life."

She sucked back a breath, and I felt her shiver under my arm, "Wow… that was… that was ridiculously impressive. You really should do something with this word hobby of yours, because you've got me seriously wanting to straddle your body right now and attack your face with my mouth, Edward M. Cullen."

I laughed at her absolute honesty, and without thinking twice, I swiftly lifted her up to turn her body, then pulled her over mine so she'd be laying on top of me once I'd shifted myself backward into the sand beneath us.

Our faces were mere inches apart now, but she wasn't attempting to get away. Nope. She hadn't even flinched or stiffened under my captive embrace. Instead, she'd stayed there, her hips pressed into mine, and her arms positioned in the sand beside my shoulders where she'd propped her life changing smile directly above my needful lips.

"Christ woman, I wish you'd tell me to go ahead and bite."

She giggled lightly and began pressing herself deeper into my hips, catching me completely off guard and sending me all kinds of new signals.

Is she… is this really about to… to… happen?

I watched her mouth as it slowly parted and continued to move closer and closer towards mine.

When she closed her eyes, and I could feel her breath on my skin, I blinked back my disbelief and carefully brought my opened palms from the swell of her back to the top of her shoulder blades so I'd be able to press her more securely against me.

"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! Dismount that man right this second and stand your ass up!"

And like a flash of lightning over the opened sea, she was gone from my grasp and falling backward onto her extended arms deeply into the sand that had so effortlessly caught her.

"Jesus Christ, Alice! What in the goddamned hell?!" I couldn't help but be more than just a little bit annoyed over Bella's best friend's impeccable timing.

So fucking close and then BAM, cockblocked by the insane momma bear roommate.

"WE have to go! Like, right now." Alice was glaring in my direction, but her words had been meant for Bella.

"Wha-what, why? What happened?" Bella stuttered still trying to make sense of everything.

"Great, what did Jasper do now?" I grumbled, grabbing a fist full of sand to toss it aggressively behind me in absolute frustration.

"Jasper didn't do anything. He's actually taking a shower. I already called us a ride. We need to go. Your phone has been blowing up, so I finally checked it and… well... we have a guest back at the apartment."

"What? Who? It's almost one in the morning, and everyone I know in Miami who knows where we live is right here."

"Yeah, well… who just found out you were in Miami about six hours ago, and only has a four hour drive to find his way to our doorstep?"

The. Fucking. Boyfriend.

"Jake? Jake is here? Here in Miami?!" Bella was instantly on her feet and frantically brushing the sand from her legs and backside. "Jesus, okay. Let's um… let's go."

And just like that, my night was ruined in ways I hadn't even imagined possible.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" She offered, but I could tell her head was already ten miles away back at our apartment building, thinking about the one single douchebag that had so easily sent her into my arms in the first place.

"Yeah, sure. Tomorrow." I wasn't trying to sound pissed off, but it had certainly come out that way and I felt like a dick for it immediately afterward.

She looked upset, but she didn't say anything else before taking off, leaving me all alone with Alice, where I was still pathetically positioned on my ass in the sand.

"You couldn't give us one more goddamn minute, Alice? Really?"

Her expression went serious and her arms firmly crossed themselves in front of her chest. "Say that again?"

"I mean, come on! Would it have killed you to let us have another couple of seconds?"

I was almost fuming now.

No, fuming barely scratched the surface of what I was currently feeling.

"Trust me. She's wasn't ready for what was about to happen. You're lucky I walked up when I did."

I scoffed at her words and quickly stood myself up to face her, "You don't know that."

"But I do! You've known each other for what?! Forty-eight goddamn hours! This isn't a Hallmark movie, Edward, no matter how charming you think you are! You can't just swoop in and be that person for her when it's taken me years to even get her this far. If she's going to finally break away from him, break away from all of it...it needs to be for her! No one else. That's literally what this move was all about!."

"What the hell are you trying to say? I wasn't down here forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do!"

Alice must have heard the obvious anger in my tone because she took an abrupt step backward, and I quickly found myself feeling like a complete and total asshole.

"Okay. I'm sorry for yelling. Look, I like her. I like her a lot. I'm not looking to be some simple rebound fuck."

I watched her stance settle a little more comfortably in the sand and then felt myself relax over the sight of her shoulders releasing some of the tension I'd so obviously forced upon her.

"I get that. I see that. Hell, anyone can see that because you've done an awful job at keeping it a secret from the very first time you and Jasper came over, which is half the damn problem. As much as you say you're not in this to be a simple rebound fuck, we both know a rebound fuck is exactly what you need before you go and get yourself involved with anyone, let alone, my best friend!"

Jesus, what all has Jasper said to her?

"Look, Edward. You're both damaged goods right now. The only difference being, she's yet to fully accept her own broken pieces and begin to glue them all back together. Let her at least process all of this change for a week or two, and you need to give yourself the time you need to really get to know her before you decide to actually try being that person for her."

I thought over what she'd just said, then shifted my weight in the sand after crossing my own arms in front of me to mirror her authoritarian stance.

"Okay. Fair enough. I told her myself I'm not going anywhere, that this didn't need to be rushed. Honest to God, I was only following her lead tonight or I would have already had her on her back on my couch this morning." I casually teased, hoping to make Bella's best friend smile again.

It worked.

For a millisecond.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't doubt that. I'm just glad you've turned out to not be that stupid. I'm rooting for you. I really am. I want you to know that. Jake is an asshole in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, he's right. Bella needs to find herself. She can't keep relying on predictability and comfortable choices."

We both heard a car horn beep three times then turned to see a pair of headlights flashing in the distance. "That must be our ride. Don't be mad at me. One day you'll thank me for this. She'll call you tomorrow, just like she said she would, and Jake will be gone before the weekend is over."

When I said nothing, she let out an exasperated sigh and took a step towards me to grab my arms with her hands and give them a caring pulse. "You don't want to be 'the other guy' in her secret world, Edward. Trust me. It sucks to be that person. Until she's found a way to let Jake go, that's all you will ever be to her. A secret that will eventually eat away at her and force her to shut you out, then pretend you never existed in order to ease her own conscience. You saw how she reacted just now when she heard Jake was here. She's just not ready yet, and you need to respect that."

Slowly, I nodded my head while honestly thinking over everything Alice had just said. We began walking through the sand, back towards the parking lot where Bella was waiting for us and I felt my frustrations begin to subside, as well as my anger dissipating.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, Alice was right. I didn't want to turn into some secret part of Bella's life. I wanted her to be ready and at the very least, ninety-five percent sure when we did take the next step to truly test the waters, because I knew that would be the step that would ultimately change everything, and there would be no turning back once we'd crossed that line.

"So, are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good," I eventually answered just before our feet hit the asphalt again. "Don't leave me in the dark though. I know I haven't earned the right yet, but I can't help but already worry about her. Especially after everything she told me tonight."

"I'll take care of her, don't worry. I always do. Jasper gave me your number, so I have you saved on my phone now. If anything happens, you'll be the first person I'll call."

I nodded in response but said nothing since we were now within distance of Bella's listening ears.

"I'm sorry." She whispered beside my ear after throwing herself into my body for an obscenely manic- like hug. I held her there close to me and quickly found myself able to once again smile, just by having her in my arms.

"Don't be sorry, neighbor girl."

She increased her grasp around me, and I returned the sentiment, wishing all the more that things could be different for us and we could just jump in, head first, the way Alice and Jasper had.

"Everything happens for a reason. That's something I've had to accept in my life. I promise I'm not going anywhere though, and I meant everything I said to you tonight. Call me tomorrow so we can make plans for Monday, if not sooner. I should be back at my place sometime in the afternoon since Tanya will be at work."

She pulled herself away from me and looked deeply into my eyes.

Bella was doing her best to hide it, but she was emotionally wrecked, and I knew deep down she didn't want to go. I couldn't force her hand though, and I wouldn't back her into a corner because that wasn't a place we were at… yet.

"Thank you for tonight. I had an amazing time, and I can't wait to do it again."

"The feeling is mutual, that I can promise you."

We heard the Uber driver beep his horn again, and seconds later I released her from my arms completely.

I stood by watching as she and Alice got into the car, then gave one last wave from my hand as they drove off, silently reminding myself that this was only the beginning and that I still had plenty of skeletons in my own closet that needed to be cleaned out.

We were a work in progress, and I could accept that as our shared reality.

Just so long as it meant she'd remain in my reality long enough to complete our own story.


A/N: What do we think? Progress was indeed made but goddamn to the sudden roadblock! *wink*

I'd love to hear from you!

**As thanks for leaving me your thoughts on the chapter I will return the smile with an outtake from BPOV during her ride home with Alice after leaving Edward behind.**