AN: Before you read, remember the discussion in the chapter before this one. Keep it in mind as you go into this. ;)

Suggested Listening: "Talk" by Kodaline

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Bella chewed thoughtfully on a french fry, but in reality, her mind was everywhere but on the meal in front of her.

Swallowing robotically, her gaze dropped to the left to where Maddie sat on the inside of the diner booth, her attention completely on the kids menu she was carefully coloring in. Lingering for a moment, her eyes pulled to the right, landing on Quil, who was sitting next to her daughter, aimlessly scribbling on his own paper placemat. He'd finished his meal long before Bella and was quietly keeping himself occupied while she did.

Her mind drifted in the silence, much like it had countless times in the two weeks since that night in her kitchen. Remembering how she capitalized on that growing warmth she felt. How she definitely jumped, every single part of her sprinting gracelessly from the starting line before her head had a chance to catch up.

Even so, it seemed to be all she could think about. How an uncharacteristic burst of confidence and ambition to move - a straightforwardness she wasn't used to - sent her stumbling straight into Quil's arms.

How, despite it all, he'd caught her without a second thought.

Almost like he'd seen it coming.

Almost like he was thinking about it, too.

And Bella wondered...if he was still thinking about it. They hadn't talked about it much, but something had definitely changed. There was a tension, thick and palpable in the air surrounding them when they were together. It wasn't uncomfortable but it was so incredibly different than what Bella was used to.

Eyes lingered longer than they should have. Quil constantly made excuses to touch her, and every single time he did, she wondered…

What it would feel if he left his hands there. What it would feel like to kiss him again. If she was meant to. If it would be the same, and if it would ease the inexplicable pressure inside her.

If it would only make it worse…

But another part of her was still hanging onto what he said, and it was clear he was, too - about taking it slow and one day at a time. She told herself she was okay with it, and a larger part of her was, because she didn't want to get ahead of herself or take too much stock in what happened. Not yet.

But she still wanted to know...how he was feeling.

If she was the only one who wanted to feel every single bit of it again...

And beneath all that was something that happened earlier that day.

It was a surreal moment she had at work, which came in the form of a conversation with her friend, Angela Weber. Angela had stuck close to Forks even after she graduated college, working as a clerk at the police department. Since City Hall was just down the street, the other woman visited Bella frequently. They'd become friends, even if they didn't spend much time together.

It was a moment that all day had kept what happened with Quil at the very front of Bella's mind, whether she liked it or not.

And it was something she felt compelled to tell him, even if she wasn't sure why. Maybe because he was her friend, too - one of her best friends those days, even though the word suddenly felt foreign and out of place when it formed in her mouth.

Bella took a deep breath, wiping her hands on her napkin before letting them settle in her lap, fingers lacing together anxiously.

"So...Angela told me something kind of funny today…"

Looking up from the placemat, Quil's pencil stilled when he lifted both eyebrows in curiosity. "Oh, yeah?"

Releasing the air in her lungs, Bella tried to smile. She had his attention at that point and there would be no backing out of it. Not when he was looking at her like that. Not when he was still watching her from across the booth.

"Well, I laughed when she told me," Bella clarified, her mouth suddenly dry. "Maybe you won't think it's funny, but it kinda was at the time.."

Quil chuckled, going back his drawing. "If you need me, I'll just be creating the next modern masterpiece here until you can spit it out."

Bella bit down on the inside of her lip, wincing when she did it a little too hard. She glanced quickly at Maddie, the little girl equally engrossed in her own doodles, before focusing back on Quil. Before pushing the words from her mouth.

"I guess the new guy down at the Public Works Department wants to ask me out…"

Quil's pencil ceased to move against the placemat, even though he stared at it for several long moments after.

And Bella suddenly found herself wishing she could stuff the words back in her mouth and forget she ever mentioned them. Unsure of why she had felt so compelled to tell him in the first place.

The guy was no one important - she knew who he was and that was about it. He'd come into City Hall a few times since he started working for the city. He always smiled at her and they'd shared a few conversations, but that was the extent of it. She hadn't even known he was interested.

Either that, or she simply chose not to see it.

Quil swallowed, finally peering up at her. "Like...on a date?"

Bella nodded slowly. "I guess," she murmured, hands clenching into nervous fists beneath the table. "I told you it was pretty funny..."

Quil offered her a tight-lipped smile, looking away at the same time and focusing on Maddie's drawing instead. "I'm laughing on the inside," he said steadily, and by the hint of sarcasm laced through his tone, Bella could tell he wasn't amused. He let the silence hang between them for several agonizing moments, and Bella wasn't sure why her heart suddenly pounded in her chest, or why she held her breath until Quil finally looked back to her.

"So, are you gonna go out with him?"

Blinking rapidly, Bella frowned, a part of her hoping the shock from his question - forming in a deep part of her she hadn't felt in awhile - wasn't quite as apparent on her face.

"Sh...should I go out with him?"

Quil was doodling again, and Bella would be lying if a larger part of her wasn't agitated by it. If she said she wasn't bothered by the unexplainable nonchalance that was practically dripping off Quil's features. Off the way he was sitting across from her, and by the lack of expression on his face.

Still, she could tell there was something else. A conflict in those dark eyes, even if she could barely see it.

It was still there, and she noticed.

But he blinked, shutting her out the same moment he swallowed thickly.

"I think you should go out with him...if he asks."

Bella's mouth fell open in surprise, all the breath leaving her lungs as she sat back against the booth. As she tried to comprehend why he would say that, even though there was a part of her that thought maybe it was still too early for thoughts like that.

"And you'd be...okay with that?"

Quil shrugged, glancing up at her and looking away much too quickly. His jaw tight, almost like he was trying hard to keep any kind of reaction at bay.

"Sure, Bella," he murmured.

Bella could feel the frown on her mouth deepen, and she was sure Quil could see the tangible disappointment in her eyes. A disappointment that made it impossible to keep in what she was about to say to him.

"What if I don't want to go out with him?"

Quil snorted softly, finally looking up at her. Waiting a moment before he took a breath and his features softened. Before that subtle irritation was swept from his features.

Before he finally smiled at her.

"If you didn't want to go, Bella, you wouldn't be telling me about it."

Bella's stomach wrenched, but she held his gaze anyway, lips parting as she tried to think of something else to say.

"And sure, maybe it's not about this guy. Maybe you just want to go out with someone and see what it's like," Quil pressed on before she could say anything, his pencil drawing the outline of a star on his placemat. "And I think you should go out with him...you know, give yourself a chance to see what you want...and that doesn't have to be me. Heck, I'm not that great of a catch anyway." Quil shrugged, another smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I leave clothes all over the floor, I almost always put the gallon of milk back in the fridge with one drink left. Oh, and back rubs? You might as well just forget about that."

"Quil…"

Her voice was barely a whisper, but he glanced away the moment his name slipped past her lips.

With a heavy, labored sigh, Quil finally shut his mouth. Looking back toward her, he caught her eyes, every ounce of sincerity in them confirming he wasn't kidding...that he really did want her to see other people.

"Go on a date, Bella," he interrupted her. "Making out on your kitchen table does not bind you to me. Go out, and have a good time."

He didn't say another word and neither did she, both of them still thinking about the conversation long after they stopped having it.

In fact, the only sound that broke through the thick silence swallowing the table were the faint hums coming from the three-year-old little girl still oblivious to what was happening around her.

Oh, Quil... :\

Thoughts?