A/N: Hello! Here's Bella's answer ;)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or the little poem I've used in this chapter. I found it through the wonderful thing that is Google and it seemed to fit perfectly for my Olderward's situation, so all credit goes to whoever is the owner. I did my best in the research and to make the locations I've mentioned as realistic as I could, but I might have taken some creative liberties, since I'm not a resident of New York (Or USA, for that matter). So, please allow me that.

Diane (OTB) was kind enough to make me a beautiful banner... Thank you!

Dazzled Eyes22 & Melissa... Thank you! xoxo

Now go read! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 7

Okay.

One little word. Four letters. Two syllables.

A simple expression millions of people use hundred times a day.

But for me, that one word became everything- friendship, love, life, hope- when it slipped out through Bella's lips last night.

"Okay."

I blinked, disbelieving. "Okay?"

"Yes. One week. Show me the real you, show me that I can trust you."

A wide grin slowly stretched across my lips as it sank in.

She was giving me another chance. She was agreeing to try to make this work.

I squeezed her hand. "Thank you. I won't let you down, Bella."

She smiled back for a moment, a tentative yet hopeful smile that lit up my world. I frowned when seconds later, her face fell.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "Nothing."

"It's clearly something if it has made you upset. Please, tell me?"

"You don't want to hear it, Edward."

"Don't do that, please. We've always been able to talk to each other freely before. Don't shut me out now."

"It's just…" she hesitated. "I'm not looking forward to the conversation I'm about to have with Jake."

Unbidden, the memory of burly, copper-skinned arms wrapped around Bella's form flashed in my mind and I suppressed a wince.

Refusing to let my thoughts wander down an explosive road without any details, I asked, "What, uh, what do you mean? Are you both- Is he-" I couldn't finish my thought but the pink tinge in her cheeks told me that Bella understood.

"No. I mean, not really?" Her uncertainty made it sound like a question. "He's asked me out several times since we joined college, but, I-I always said no. Last week-" she paused and looked down. "Last week, he became really persistent. He threatened to camp out right here outside our door until I agreed to go out with him. So, I figured, I'd do it once and then tell him it didn't work out." She shrugged, but I doubted her plan would have worked if the asshole was determined to have her. "It was his apartment I was returning from when I met with the accident."

"You had a date at his place?" I felt like I'd been sucker-punched in the gut.

"More like a game party. We were heading out to a restaurant when his friends showed up unannounced for the game and he couldn't refuse them."

I guess the guy really was an inconsiderate asshole.

Just saying.

Not that I was an example worth following.

"Anyway, there's nothing between us, but with the accident, I haven't had a chance to tell him that. I'm pretty sure Jacob has other ideas in his head." She sighed. "I'll have to talk to him if we're really going to do this."

"If you want, I could do it for you," I offered. I had a quite a few choice words for Jacob in my mind.

Bella threw me a knowing glance. "No, thank you. I can manage it. I don't want or need a pissing contest in my life. Jake has been a good friend since we were kids, I don't want you arguing or fighting with him."

I huffed. "Fine. But, promise me you'll tell me if he becomes… well, more than what you can handle."

"He's not going to hurt me, Edward," she scoffed with an eye-roll. "I'll be fine."

Though I was not entirely convinced, I gave up for the time being.

And that was why I woke up on Christmas morning with a big smile on my face. The last evening played over and over in my mind as I showered, shaved and got dressed, whistling a cheerful little tune.

The next hour was spent in the kitchen as I prepared a picnic of sorts. Once that was done, I rooted around in my closet until I found the gift-wrapped rectangular box I wanted, grabbed my jacket and a beanie and then headed out.

Thirty minutes later, I stood once again at Bella's door. My demeanor was completely different this time around. Much more confident than I had been yesterday, I resisted the urge to bounce on my toes as I knocked quickly and excitedly.

"Hey," Bella smiled as she opened the door. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Bella." She stepped aside, inviting me in.

She turned toward her room, but I stopped her, holding out the gift I'd brought.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Edward," Bella said, her brow furrowed as she took it from my hand.

I simply said, "I wanted to."

She glanced at the little card on the top and gasped. I held my breath as she read through the words that expressed so perfectly what I wanted to say to her.

Can we start over?

Can we be strangers again?

Let me introduce myself

We can laugh and talk

And relearn what we already know

And come up with new inside jokes

And create new memories

And give each other

A second chance.

She looked at me, chocolate eyes brimming with emotions and a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you, that's… that's perfect, actually."

"I'm glad you like it, Bella, but I'm getting really antsy here! Open it," I prompted.

She giggled and we both took a seat on the couch as she gently tore the wrapping paper. Her hand flew to her mouth when she read the words on the package.

"It's a Littmann," she whispered.

"Of course! The very best stethoscope for the best doctor-to-be," I replied.

"I love it, Edward. Thank you." She beamed and quickly put the buds in her ears, tapping lightly at the diaphragm.

I grinned, happy and relieved. With so little time, my options for Bella's gift were pretty limited and when I thought about what she'd love, I knew it had to be something related to medicine. I was honored to give her her very first stethoscope.

"I didn't get you anything," Bella said softly, her lips turned down in a frown.

"You've given me a second chance. It means more than anything else in the world," I replied honestly, sincerely. "That's all I need."

She blushed and changed the subject. "You never told me where we are going."

Last night before leaving, I'd asked Bella about the places she'd already seen in the city and when she mentioned that she hadn't done much sightseeing besides the Empire State and Times Square, I had thought of Central Park.

"Really?" she gasped, when I'd said as much, brown eyes sparkling. "I've always wanted to go, but believe it or not, I've never had the chance. I usually just go over to little park next to the campus when I want to read or unwind and stuff."

"Then I'm glad to be sharing your first Central Park experience with you." I smiled.

Bella rushed to her room and came out wearing a lavender sweater paired with dark jeans and a deep blue jacket over it. Wrapping a scarf around a neck, she was ready to go.

I paced myself ahead of her as we walked out of the building and opened the car door for her.

She paused for a second, turning to me with a raised brow, before getting in.

"What was that all about?" I asked, getting into the driver's seat and heading out.

"It's just, um, your car. It's different from what I expected."

"What does that mean?"

I watched as she bit her lip and shrugged. "You just didn't seem like an Audi sports car type to me. No offense."

I chuckled. "Well, what did you imagine?"

"A Volvo, maybe. More practical."

I hesitated over my next words, then decided to go ahead. Today was about getting to know each other, after all. "Irina hated sports cars for some reason and she wouldn't let me buy one either. She always wanted the sedans and the SUVs. After the divorce, this was a little rebellion on my part. A little Independence Day gift to myself, really."

To my relief, Bella giggled and shook her head. "Boys and their toys."

She reached out to change the radio station and we both settled in comfortably for the rest of the drive as Debussy's notes played softly in the background.

The wrought iron gate of Central Park was beautiful, decked up with little flecks of snow from last night. The morning was bright, the air crisp, but thankfully not too chilly.

Bella and I started off with our walk, not aiming for any particular direction, just traveling the path where our feet took us as we talked about anything and everything. My hand itched to reach out and hold hers, but I fought the urge by hooking my thumbs into the strap of the backpack I carried.

Bella stopped to snap a picture in her phone every few minutes, apologizing, but I assured her that I didn't mind. My personal favorite was the one I took of her in front of one of the few decorated Christmas tress we'd come across in our path. She was smiling widely in the picture, a few tendrils of her hair swaying in the gentle wind, a dimple showing in her chin. She was exquisite in her excitement, all pink cheeks and twinkling eyes that made my heart swell.

We were nearing the Turtle Pond, when I heard a slight rumble from Bella's stomach. She turned to me with a sheepish smile and I chuckled, leading us to a nearby bench.

Bella went to sit, but I stopped her. She looked at me, adorably confused, smiling when she saw me pull out a blanket from my bag pack and spread it on the bench.

We took a seat, and I pulled a thermos with two plastic glasses. Bella took them from me and poured it while I grabbed the container with foil wrapped grilled cheese sandwiches and some crackers.

She took a sip of the tomato soup, thankfully it had remained warm, and her eyes widened. "Did you… make this?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I'm sorry it's not much," I stuttered. "Seems like that's what I'm telling you every day."

Bella frowned. "Shush, Edward. I was about to say that it is delicious. There's just something so comforting about home-made soup. And trust me, you can never go wrong with cheese."

I let out a relieved breath and smiled. "Thank you. I am not much of a chef, but soup and grilled cheese was something my mother insisted every man should know. Oh, and eggs too."

"She sounds like a wise woman. I've met her a few times in the grocery store."

"Really? She never said," I stated, then realized that Mom had no reason to tell me about meeting Bella. She didn't know about our relationship, now or before. I pushed that thought away for the time being.

The topic of parents led us to Charlie and I informed Bella that I had indeed sent him a text message, letting him know that she was doing fine and had received a 'Thank you' in reply.

"Wow, he must like you if he texted you back," Bella told me. "He's not a fan of texting, says the keys are too small for him to type out a damn sentence."

"Oh, um…" I hesitated. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I texted him because, well, because he intimidates me, so I wouldn't know what to say to him."

She waved it off. "You don't need to apologize. I'm always telling him to learn and use newer technologies, at least the basic one, so if anything, you made him take a step in the right direction." She paused. "And you don't need to be afraid of him, Edward. He doesn't know anything about us."

"Ha! Yeah, I figured that when he didn't threaten to shoot me that first day in the hospital." I shuddered at the thought and Bella smothered a laugh. "You'll have to tell him someday, though. If…If you decide to give this a chance, of course," I added.

A moment passed in silence.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she said simply and I left it at that.

We spent the next hour eating, drinking and people-watching.

"What about them?" I pointed with my eyes to a couple sitting on a bench across the path from us, far enough that they couldn't hear us talking.

Not that they would've noticed, because they seemed to be involved in a heated argument.

"Hmmm," Bella mused. "The guy? He's a 108 year old vampire, see he's got dark circles under his eyes… Probably hasn't fed in a while. And the girl is human, and she wants to have sex with him. But, vampire dude is saving himself for marriage. She's trying to convince him, but it doesn't seem to be working."

Hearing her speak of sex did certain things to my body. As a distraction, I pulled out the little container full of berries that I'd brought and offered Bella some, changing the topic. "And that guy?"

"The one with the shaggy hair?" She cocked her head to one side. "He is a part of a tribe where men turn into wolves. Werewolves. They're mortal enemies of the vampires, did you know that? Maybe he's here to keep an eye on the other dude. You know why his hair is so long?"

I struggled to keep a straight face. "Um, no."

"Because it's cold! They need to keep it long. Otherwise when they're in wolf form, they have no fur to keep their poor bodies warm!"

That was it. I snorted, loud enough for a passerby to look at us curiously and cracked up, laughing until tears ran down my cheeks. "How the hell do you come up with this stuff?" I wheezed out between bouts of laughter.

Bella couldn't hold it in anymore either and joined me in my chuckles.

Once we'd had our fill of food and laughter, we started off in the direction of the Belvedere Castle. We stepped onto the large, outdoor patio to take in the spectacular view of the park and the city.

"It's gorgeous," Bella sighed.

"Yes. Gorgeous," I repeated in a whisper, never looking away from her face.

We moved on to the Bow Bridge next and Bella squealed, clapping her hands together like a little girl while I couldn't help laughing.

"What?" she pouted. "I love You've Got Mail."

My gaze fell to her lips of their own accord, and the memory of that soft, plump lower lip sliding perfectly against mine invaded my mind.

I shook my head and blocked that thought to find Bella already standing against the backdrop of the bridge, waving me over.

I realized that she'd given her phone to a woman passing by, who indicated me to go and stand with Bella so that she could take our picture.

I shot her a grateful smile and walked briskly to Bella. Without thinking, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to my side. The very next moment, I was plagued by the worry that I'd over stepped my boundaries. I turned to find Bella already looking at me.

Is this okay? My eyes desperately sought an answer.

With a soft smile, she gently raised her arm, resting it against my back. The simple, yet monumental action nearly brought me to my knees as my lips turned up in pure, undiluted happiness.

A/N: The date is not over yet! We have more of it next chapter.

I've maintained a regular posting schedule so far, but I am sorry, I will not be able to post for the next two weeks due to my exams. I've already started working on the next one, so I can promise you that as soon as exams are over, I'll be back with the chapter and I don't expect any delays after that. Wish me luck, won't you? I really need it... Med school is tough. (yeah, I put that out there hoping that you'll understand and be patient with me.)

In the meantime, go read the Meet The Mate contest entries! I might have one there ;) There are many good ones and plenty more to come. And don't forget to leave the authors some love! You can find the link in my favorite authors list.

Thanks for reading :) See you soon.