First of all, thank you all SOOO much for reviewing and I know it's been a long time since I've uploaded any new chapters, and I'm really sorry about that! So, here's chapter 4, I really hope you enjoy!

Breakfast with Bella was a quiet event. Although she had seemed comfortable enough with me last night, I wondered if in the light, I seemed different to her, more like a stranger when I was able to form coherent thoughts. Perhaps she seemed less vulnerable across a dark hallway, further away from me, than at a round, open kitchen table in the light. Somehow the thought that she was uncomfortable around me upset me. A sense of unease bloomed in my chest at the thought of her feeling unsafe or unsure around me, and considering how thick the snow had spread itself around the house, the amount of time we would be spending here alone was unconceivable, and the thought of us being two strangers in such an enclosed space made me feel awkward. I had to break the silence, be the first to reach out. But I had absolutely no clue where to start.

I cleared my throat, a noise that seemed to startle her, which put us both on edge. "Sorry," I mumbled.

She half-smiled, "It's ok. So…"

I repeated, "So…Bella, tell me about yourself."

She blushed; a reaction that I've noticed is quite common with her. "Well…what do you want to know?"

She seemed hesitant to be talking at all, so I tried to ease her into conversation. "Well, I know your name is Bella, obviously. How old are you?"

She bit her lip, "Seventeen. How old are you?"

I chuckled, "I'm twenty-one." Her reaction was not what I had hoped for; she looked shocked. Did she consider me old in her mind or something?

With wide eyes, she asked, "You're twenty-one? I thought…" she trailed off, leaving me curious.

Smiling, I asked, "You thought…?"

"It's nothing, honestly."

I turned my head to the side, "Tell me, I honestly doubt what you're thinking will upset me. I promise."

She seemed to be weakening, "Well, it's just that, you do look young, but you seemed so…mature. Wise, in a way, but like you've been through a lot, I guess."

My jaw clenched. Okay, maybe there was something she could say that would bother me a little. But it wasn't that she thought I looked older, because, truly, it didn't matter how others perceived me or my appearance, but that she so easily read my face, looking past my smile and into my eyes.

I heard her sigh, "See. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking at her and noticing how she looked sincere, "No, no. It's not that, I was just thinking." My voice trailed off at the end, and the room once again had that tension.

She still looked worried that she had upset me, "Are you sure?"

I gave her a small, quick smile, "Truly, don't worry about it. Now, where did we leave off…?"

Bella and I spent the whole morning learning about each other, and I felt that we had quickly become friends, no matter the age difference. One thing I noticed, however, was the fact that we had skirted around talking about why we were there. Why had I been driving towards the exact place she had ended up after what she called "the worst night of my life, seriously"? I chalked it up to a coincidence, but I was unsure of Bella's view. I pushed that thought to the back of my head, and, smiling, cleaned up the kitchen.

While cleaning, I realized that Bella had made a silent exit, which gave me time to linger on my thoughts, but also left me with just an echo of the good feeling she left me with, when in reality I wanted her whole presence around me. That thought shook me up, leaving me with a mix of thoughts in my head that I filed away for the time being.

I went over to my guest room and went through all of my stuff in search of my small phone charger, to no avail. I wondered if my coworkers would somehow know to reach me here, which I doubted. But somehow, the thought of being so isolated filled me with a serenity I hadn't felt in a while.

The rest of the afternoon I spent alone, trying not to bother Bella. By the evening, however, I couldn't resist, and went searching for her. Finally, in the large library, did I locate her, but seeing a peaceful smile on her face kept me away. I quietly left the room, and went back to the sunroom. Thinking of nothing else to do, I poured myself a drink and then went back to my room.

Sitting in a large armchair in the corner of the room, I again felt the spin of emotion as I lost myself in my thoughts, losing myself. As thoughts I'd hidden away crept back up to the surface, I started to feel nauseous.

Last night, all my thoughts had centered on Danielle. And while most of them were about her tonight also, a few about Bella came to mind, and I couldn't help but smile. But as I continued to drink, I couldn't help but feel hopeless in knowing that she probably still thought of me as a strange, "old", guy who drove alone in the middle of the woods. But somehow, I slept easy that night.

In the morning, I noticed the air carried a harsher chill than it had the day before. Being shirtless with only drawstring pajama bottoms, I should have been thinking to properly warm myself. But my first thought was if Bella was cold, or needed something. And that was a weird thought. No, it's not, I corrected myself. In my mind I justified that I was only trying to play the role of protector, but I couldn't help but think that something was off about me…

After washing up, I was going to head downstairs when I saw Bella just coming out of her room.

She seemed to brighten when she saw me, "Hi, Edward. Just getting up too?"

I laughed once, lightly, "Yes, did you get a good sleep?"

For some reason, this made Bella blush intensely, "Um, you could say that."

Her reply made me curious and I was about to comment when she interrupted me, "Do you want some breakfast?"

Still a little confused, and slightly nauseous from last night's activities, "No, I think I'll skip out on breakfast this morning, but help yourself."

"Oh no, I'm not really hungry."

I raised an eyebrow, "Alright, so what should we do? We have, oh, about…a few days to waste," I teased.

Bella giggled, "Oh, I don't know. TV's out of the question, obviously. Got any board games?" She smiled.

I bit my lip thinking, "Hm, I think I can find us a few. I'll look for the games and you can get a spot ready?"

"Sounds good," and then she left the room, smiling.

I had managed to find one game - Twister. Great.

I found Bella in the more casual living room, where she had cleared out a round coffee table so we would have plenty of room. Smiling still, Bella looked towards me, "Find a good game?"

Smirking, I replied, "Just one. Is Twister fine?"

As soon as the word "twister" fell from my lips, I swear I could see Bella's face go pale. "Bella, are you alright?" Trying to relax her, I tried to tease her a little, "Worried you're going to lose, Bella."

She seemed to regain herself when she replied, "Oh no, I've won my fair share of board games, so don't you worry about that." She was smirking now, and I would take that as a good sign.

Her rapid mood change confused me, and I couldn't help but notice just how beautiful her smile was. My eyes focused on her again, and I was surprised to see her doing a small series of stretches. I felt so guilty, but I couldn't help but to notice how lean her body was, but also how curvy she was…No, stop! For Christ's sake, she wasn't even of age! But something in me just couldn't stop noticing. Oh god.

Trying to regain some of my composure, I took in a deep breath and tried to lighten the mood, "So what makes you so sure you're going to win there, Bella?"

She giggled, "Oh, only because I've been in gymnastics pretty much my whole life. I'm really flexible."

Oh god- kill me now.

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See you next chapter!