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"I never wanted to hurt you Bella." He continued. "I spent the whole night trying to talk to you and trying to make it up to you, but you were so stubborn. Then I thought you would be happy if I let you have your way, so I tried to back off. I tried to think of you as just another girl, but I couldn't, because you weren't just a girl, you were my girl and as soon as I realized that, I knew I was wrong to push you away. I knew I had to fight for you."

By the time he finished his story I was crying, happy tears this time.

"I love you so much." I said, smiling through my tears. "I never meant to hurt you either."

"I know." He said as he kissed my tears away.

"So are we even now?" I asked.

"Even?"

"Yeah…can we forget about all the bad stuff and just start over?"

"Is that what you want?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Okay." He agreed. Then he pulled my face down to his and softly pressed his lips against mine. This kiss was sweet and gentle and everything it should have been. It was the first kiss between Edward and Bella, a couple in love.

So Edward and I agreed to start things over. And as our first official act of starting over – we took a break.

When I got home from class Monday afternoon, Edward was waiting for me at my door.

I couldn't contain the excitement I felt when I saw him standing there. I dropped my backpack on the floor and ran into his arms.

"Gosh I missed you." I exclaimed as I planted kisses along his jaw.

"I missed you." He responded. He hugged me back and he kissed me.

"How were your classes? Did you think about me as much as I thought about you?" I teased.

"You know I always think about you." He responded.

Something wasn't right.

He was doing all the right stuff and saying all the right things, but every action and every word felt detached.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

After I put my things in my room, I led him to a group room on the second floor of the building. I locked us in, then I took a seat at a table across from Edward.

"Okay…" I leaned forward with my elbows on the table and clasped my hands together while I waited for him to speak.

After a moment's hesitation, Edward grabbed my left hand and held it in his while he told me that we should take some time apart.

"Why Edward?! Why would you want to do that when we just got back together. I-I-I thought you loved me?" I gasped through shallow breaths. "I though we worked everything out. Did you change your mind? Did I do something wrong?"

"Bella stop." He ordered as he gently traced circles with his thumb along the back of my hand. I yanked my hand out of his and dropped it under the table.

"You want to see other people." I whispered.

"No! There's only you. That is the one thing, I'm most certain of, I only want to be with you."

"I don't understand."

"Bella, it's not you, you haven't done anything wrong. But this past week has been an emotional train wreck for me. Everything between us happened so fast. In the last 48 hours alone I've gone from being your best friend, to wanting to be your lover, to almost hating you, to falling in love with you again. It's been very intense and very confusing… You said you wanted to start over. Did you mean that?"

I slowly nodded in confirmation.

"Good, because I did too, and for me that means letting go of everything that happened before last night. I can do it, I can let go, but if I try to be with you now while my emotions are still all over the place, I'll just end up pushing you away, and that is the last thing I want to happen. I want to be able to give us a fair chance. There are still so many feelings I need to resolve before I can start over."

"I don't think you would push me away." I argued.

"I don't want to take that chance. I need you to do this for me – you already know I'm not strong enough to stay away from you on my own. I just need some time to clear my head."

"You worry too much." I pouted.

It wasn't fair. I just got him back.

I could refuse to go along with this, even give him an ultimatum if I had to so he would have to stay.

"Please Bella, I promise it will be okay. Just give me this."

I could try and change his mind about this, but I wouldn't. If I was being honest I could admit that I myself had nearly gone mad trying to figure Edward's feelings and where things stood between us these past couple of weeks. I couldn't imagine what he must have gone through, what I must have put him through…

This was my fault and I had to face the consequences for my actions. If he needed time away from me, I didn't see any other choice but to support him and wish for the best.

"How long?" I prompted.

"I don't know." He replied.

"Can I still we still see each other? Can we still talk?"

"It would be better if we didn't."

I expected he would say that, but it still hurt to hear him say it out loud.

It's not the same, I told my self. It's not like last time. You will see him again.

My mind knew the difference, but my body didn't. My entire frame shook and trembled as I tried to suppress the sobs growing inside my chest.

Edward walked around the table, knelt beside my chair and wrapped me in his arms.

"I'll miss you." I said when I could finally speak, "I get so lonely without you."

"Don't be sad love, we'll figure it out as we go."

Edward rose to his feet. He placed his index finger under my chin and tilted my head back. "Never forget," He leaned down to kiss me but hesitated before our lips could touch, "I'll come back to you." He whispered, then he pressed his lips to mine.

I used my time apart from Edward to get closure` on my own unresolved issues, and I started with Rosalie.

I apologized to her for my behavior the night of the party, at least as much of it as I could remember. Rosalie was quick to remind be about all the things I didn't.

"Oh Rose, I'm sorry, you're right I wasn't being fair to you," I exclaimed after she was done retelling the evening from her point of view. "And from the bottom of my heart, I apologize that I took you for granted. I'm not perfect. I have been selfish… but, I won't apologize for that, not when it comes to Edward. Although I could have been more—what is the word I'm looking for…level headed, rational, sober—' graceful', I don't regret anything that I did that night, because it brought him back to me."

Rosalie stared at me in silence.

I knew that any chance I had of her accepting my apology would be shot to hell with that last comment about Edward but I wouldn't take it back. It was truly how I felt, and I was trying something new these days called honesty.

I didn't expect Rosalie to forgive me, so I was stunned when she got up and hugged me. "I think I finally found the one thing we have in common." She whispered. "What is it about those boys that makes us want to throw all our common sense out the window?"

I couldn't help myself. I started laughing, and Rosalie laughed too.

I'll never forget that day. It was the day Rosalie and I finally found the one thing that brought us together, our undying love for our men.

Rosalie and I got along much better after that. We would never be best friends. I would never be the most significant person in Rosalie's life and she would never be the most important person in mine, but now that we finally understood the true nature of our relationship, we were okay with that.

Thursday morning I woke up with a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach. As I was getting dressed for class I understood why.

I had lab this afternoon, I would have to see James again.

I looked at the bruises on my arm, which had now faded to a sickly greenish color and thought about skipping the class.

I eventually decided against it.

Edward told me what he could remember about what I'd done at the party, but I still had so many questions.

What happened when James and I were alone together? All I could remember was him grabbing me. I assumed we got into a fight. I didn't think there could be any other explanation, but it wasn't impossible that things happened differently than I imagined. What if I got the bruises some other way? What if we hooked up?

I shuddered at the thought. The realization hit me then that if I had questions about my involvement with James, Edward must too.

Was this one of the feelings he needed to resolve? Did he think we slept together?

I was more determined than ever to find out what happened.

I was thoroughly disappointed when James didn't show for class.

The week after, I almost missed him. He walked in to lab wearing a pair of dark oversized shades. Even with his disguise, I could still see that most of his face was the same sickly green color my wrist had been the week before.

James walked right past me to get to his seat and he didn't acknowledge me at all.

I caught up with him after class was over. "James!" I yelled as I chased him out of the building.

Edward would have a fit if he knew I was seeking out James. After what he did to you?! Have you lost your mind?! He's dangerous?! I could practically hear Edward scolding me as I got closer and closer to James. Fortunately we were "on a break" and his opinion on the subject didn't matter at the moment.

"What do you want from me?" James growled.

"You don't have to be rude!" I said angrily, "I want to know what happened that night. You owe me an explanation."

"Look," he said, "I promised your boyfriend I would stay away from you! It's like I told him, nothing happened!"

That wasn't good enough. 'Nothing' didn't clear up anything for me. I needed details for myself and for Edward. We both needed closure.

"Nothing doesn't explain the bruises all over my body." I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry for that. I was drinking."

"Do you remember?"

"Yeah."

"James." I gasped. "All I want is the truth. Whatever happened—I'm not going to use it against you, no matter what it is."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes…" I hesitantly responded. It would be so much easier to tell him Edward would never find out, but I didn't want to lie anymore, not even to James. "but he isn't going to come after you again. Edward loves me and he wouldn't do anything to lose me. If he fights with you again, he will." Not because I particularly fond of James, but because once was enough. Edward made his point.

We could never have a future together if we continued to dwell on the past, and James was the past.

"I just want to move on." I told him.

James sighed, defeated. "I'm agreeing to this because I'd like to move on too, and I can't do that if I have to be constantly looking over my shoulder."

I nodded in agreement. James was giving me what I asked for with the expectation that he wouldn't have to worry about Edward coming after him again.

"I liked you and I thought you felt the same way I did. so I was being a little more persistent than you may have been comfortable with— okay a lot more—I grabbed you, I tried to force you, but you fought me off. I didn't even get to kiss you."

James pulled down the collar on his shirt to show me the marks I'd left on his neck, then he took off his glasses.

Both of his eyes were bruised to the point they were nearly black. His right eye was a raw pink color and swollen shut.

"My gosh." I whispered.

"I have you to thank for the eye." James commented as he fixed his glasses back on his face.

I believed him. Any doubts I had were whipped out of my mind. I was 100 percent sure that nothing had happened between me and James. I would make sure Edward was convinced too.

Without saying another word, James slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away.

I'd been almost four weeks (three weeks, five days, and 4 and a half hours to be exact) since we started this break and tonight I was absolutely restless.

I'd done a good job so far. I was missing Edward like crazy, but I gave him his space. I wrote him once after I'd talked to James, hoping that knowing what I knew would help Edward put his mind at ease.

He didn't write back.

I didn't email him anymore after that. I didn't call him. I didn't even run over to his apartment like I wanted to do so many times.

I was all for being the supportive girlfriend, but even I had my limits. It was 6 30 on a Saturday night and I didn't want to be alone. Edward didn't say we couldn't see each other, just that it would be better if we didn't.

Ten minutes couldn't hurt. Besides, the other day when I was cleaning out my closet, I found a sweatshirt that was much too big to be mine. It might belong to Edward (Or Emmett, or Rosalie, but that was beyond the point). The point was it was getting cooler outside, and if it was Edward's sweatshirt he would need it.

It was settled. I needed to see Edward to return his sweatshirt. If it's not his, then no harm done.

I peeled off the t-shirt I currently had on and replaced it with a midnight blue lace v-neck camisole. I originally bought it to wear as an undershirt. The gaps in the lace didn't leave much to the imagination and that was the look I was going for.

I changed out of my sweatpants and pulled on a pair of dark denims jeans and heels.

I curled my hair and let it hang loosely down my back. I dabbed on some eye-liner and lip gloss. When I was done I looked more suited for a night out with Rosalie than to make a trip to Edward's apartment.

I knocked on his door twice before it flew open. It was like the first time I saw him all over again. My heart was pounding against my chest. There were a million butterflies flocking inside my stomach.

Edward's eyes roamed over by body, taking in my appearance. He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

"My Gawd!" He exclaimed.

As soon as the door to his apartment clicked shut, Edward's mouth was on mine. I dropped the stupid sweatshirt on the ground so that I could secure both of my arms around his neck.

Without breaking the kiss Edward lifted me in his arms. I hooked my legs around his waist while he carried me to his room.

We fell onto his bed and continued kissing until our lungs burned from lack of oxygen.

"Amazing." He sighed once he caught his breath. "Simply exquisite."

"What?" I panted.

"You." He smiled as he ran his fingers through my hair. "I've missed you."

Our break was officially over.

We spent the rest of that weekend, and every weekend thereafter together at his apartment, kissing and talking, and getting to know each other again.

Edward and I were truly together with no lies, no questions, no doubts between us. We were happy, enjoying each other in life and love.

The End.