A/N: I need to apologize to everyone who tried to leave a review on the last chapter, but couldn't. I deleted the author's note I posted by itself, so the last chapter took over all the reviews left for chapter 9 and apparently you can't leave more than one review per chapter.

So, I'm sorry. I've learned my lesson: don't delete anything ever again.

Thanks for everyone's support and kind reviews. I'm glad I was able to adequately portray the emotions that I wanted to express in the last chapter.

To clarify something in this chapter, a diamond girl is something they had at my college, but I don't know if they exist elsewhere. Basically, these girls help out with events for the baseball team and raise money, look cute in matching outfits, blah, blah, blah.

Chapter 11 – Hanging Out

EPOV

Driving to Jasper's place, I tried to keep up with everything Bella was saying, but ended up going back to what she had told me at the restaurant. Hearing what that guy had done to her, I wanted to find him, wherever he was now, and beat the living shit out of him.

Where did he get off cheating on my sweet, lovely Bella like that? Just how moronic was this guy?

His loss, my gain, I thought, glancing at Bella as she continued recounting a story about her days as an undergrad. Her eyes were lightened and she was smiling, making her entire face light up. Definitely my gain.

So she had trust and commitment issues. I could handle that. A lot of people had those, and they got past them alright. I would just continue showing her I was a trustworthy guy and I wouldn't push her beyond what she wanted from me. Any thoughts I had of her and me together in any sort of throes of passion would just have to continue remaining thoughts. Maybe one day she would trust me enough to do more than kiss, but I wasn't going to rush her.

She was the only girl I had ever felt about this way before. Was it really possible she had only been in my life for less than a week?

It seemed so much longer.

There was no way I was going to screw this up. And I sure as hell wouldn't betray her like that bastard had.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles turned white as I tried to control the overwhelming anger I felt every time I thought of Bella in pain from his actions. Stupid, thoughtless bastard.

What kind of a name is Jacob anyway?

That's it. I'm finding him and beating him until he cries. Then I'm going to pick him up off the ground and beat him some more.

I sighed, letting go of my anger and focusing on the beautiful girl sitting next to me. Getting angry right now would not be beneficial to my cause.

Pulling into the driveway, I remembered the warning I meant to tell Bella before we went inside.

"Hey, I hope you don't get upset over this, but I didn't tell my sister who you were," I confessed, twisting in my seat to see her face.

Bella looked nervous as she asked, "So, I should expect…?"

"Screaming and possibly a hug while jumping," I reported gravely.

"Oh, okay. That doesn't sound so bad," she said, shrugging.

I let out the breath I had been holding. Good. She knew how to handle an Alice. I guess it helps that they've already met and seemed to hit it off.

We walked up to the front door, hand in hand. Bella seemed to be almost skipping alongside me, making our intertwined hands swing a little. In fact, her entire appearance glowed with happiness. Was she really that excited to meet my sister again? Was I such horrible company that she wanted free from me?

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, a hint of desperation edging my question.

"Nothing much. Just feeling a little lighter after telling you about my past," she said softly, fidgeting and tugging on a strand of hair with her free hand.

Her answer surprised me. It never occurred to me that her opening up to me would bring about a new, lighter-hearted Bella. Holding that information in must have affected her more than she let on. I smiled, relieved she trusted me enough so far to be more herself around me, and stopped us just in front of the entrance, turning to her and squeezing her hand.

"Thank you for doing this," I said gratefully. "I know it's a little early for formally meeting family members, but you'll soon learn that Alice almost always gets her way."

Bella laughed softly and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can see how much she means to you. Besides, I liked her when I met her on Wednesday, so I don't see it as that big of a deal."

I wanted to kiss her, but didn't know how to approach it, in light of recent events. So I went for the obvious and hoped she wouldn't say no.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Edward," she whispered, smiling. "You don't ever have to ask me that."

"Is that a yes?" I asked warily.

"Yes, that's a yes," she said, rolling her eyes at me.

Allowing myself a quick smile before leaning down, I lightly brushed my cold, windblown lips against hers. The heat we sparked in that small contact felt better than the warmth of the sun on my face ever could.

She made a small sound of disappointment when I pulled away, which made me grin. It occurred to me then that maybe I wasn't the only one in this relationship that wanted more from the other, which seemed like a good step in the right direction.

I wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her against my side as I knocked on the door. It was wrenched open before my hand even left the wood. Alice must have been standing right behind the door this whole time. I was actually surprised she hadn't rushed outside the moment my car was parked.

"Edward! It's so good to see you. And this is…" Alice trailed off as she stared at Bella. "No. Way."

"Hi. Remember me?" Bella asked hesitantly.

Alice stared at Bella with her mouth agape for maybe one second, and then proceeded to scream, "Oh My God! I was right! I was so freaking right!" She turned her head and yelled over her shoulder, "Jasper! I was right!"

Bella stepped sideways into my body, throwing me a confused look. I shrugged as I tightened my arm around her waist. I had no idea what Alice was right about, but I was freezing.

"Alice, can we come in or are you going to make us stay out here in the cold all night?"

"Come in! Come in! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you!" Alice exclaimed, grabbing Bella's hand and dragging her inside. I followed them in, resigning myself to an evening of watching Alice manipulate all my time with Bella while we were here.

Why did I agree to this?

Jasper approached me as I shrugged off my coat and hung it up in the hall closet. "She's beautiful, Edward. I can understand why you became so fixated on her in the first place."

"Thanks, man. But don't get any funny ideas," I warned him, closing the closet door and turning to give him a stern look.

He laughed. "Don't worry. Alice is the only one for me. But I think she's made a new best friend."

"Yeah, apparently Bella met Alice at the boutique before our date on Wednesday," I explained.

"Ah, that makes sense," he muttered, following me into the living room where Alice had Bella sitting next to her on the couch, their heads close together as Alice whispered something a mile a minute. I only caught snippets of what she was saying. Something about dress and fate. Nothing that made sense to me, anyway. Bella looked like she was okay for the moment.

"Want something to drink?" Jasper asked me, pointing to the kitchen.

"Yeah, let me ask Bella if she wants something," I replied, walking over to the couch. I heard the words "and I had a dream that you and Edward were together" before Bella noticed me approaching them. She nudged Alice to make her shut up and they both turned to me, smiling innocently.

Something was going on and I wasn't sure if I liked having my sister and…the girl I was dating hiding something from me.

But Bella was more to me than just a girl I was dating. Was she my girlfriend? I wanted her to be my girlfriend. Did she want to be my girlfriend?

That would definitely have to be something I thought about later.

"I just came over to see if you girls want something to drink," I said, silently willing Bella to let me know if she was okay with me leaving her alone with Alice.

"A soda could be nice," Bella responded, smiling sweetly at me.

"Nothing for me, Edward," Alice said.

"Okay, I'll be right back," I replied, emphasizing the 'right back' part. There was no way Alice was going to get Bella for the whole night. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could and I wasn't one for sharing.

I turned and walked toward the kitchen. Jasper was already in there, grabbing some Pepsis from the fridge. He handed two to me before shutting the refrigerator door. I thanked him and headed back over to the girls.

"Thanks, Edward," Bella said as I handed her a Pepsi.

"No problem. Uh, Alice? I think Jasper wanted to see you in the kitchen," I relayed, lying convincingly. Alice vacated the couch and I sat down in her place. "What were you two talking so passionately about over here?"

Bella shrugged, taking a sip of soda. "Oh, you know. Just girl stuff."

She turned her head to look at around the room, but not before I spotted her blush.

Okay, if she didn't want to tell me, I wouldn't push her.

Alice came out of the kitchen at that moment with Jasper trailing behind her. "Edward! You liar! Jasper didn't need to see me."

"Oh, I thought he did. Sorry," I apologized, not really sorry at all. Bella turned her head and raised an eyebrow at me in question. I smirked and draped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to me.

"I don't like to share," I whispered in her ear before pulling back.

She blushed and ducked her head, but snuggled in closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder. I loved the feel and warmth of her against me.

Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with her mouth-watering strawberry scent that held just a hint of freesias. She smiled against my shoulder and I dropped a kiss on top of her head, never wanting to leave this spot.

Alice interrupted our moment by asking, "What do you guys want to do?"

I looked up to see her staring expectantly at me and Bella, with Jasper relaxing in the armchair beside her. He shrugged, not caring what we did. I didn't care either, as long as I didn't have to move.

"How about a movie or something?" I suggested.

"Okay," Alice replied. "Bella, do you wanna help me pick something out?"

I tightened my hold around Bella's shoulders. "No, she doesn't. Pick out something yourself, Alice."

Bella lightly laughed and pushed herself away from me. "Sure, Alice. I'll help you."

I groaned in disappointment as Bella got up from the couch and walked over to Alice, who was opening the cabinet doors that held Jasper and Emmett's movie collection, beside the huge LCD TV that took up most of the opposite wall.

At least I wouldn't be in danger of sitting through some girly movie. Although if Bella sat beside me, all snuggled against me like she just had been, the chances of me paying attention to any movie, no matter what it was about, were slim to none.

Jasper waved his hand once to catch my attention and then proceeded to flick his wrist, mouthing the word "whipped". I glared at him, struggling to resist the urge to flip him off. Instead, I resorted to blackmail.

"You're one to talk," I hissed, keeping my voice down so the girls couldn't hear me. "I know about the makeup."

Jasper's eyes widened in dismay and I smirked.

That's right. Be afraid, Jasper Hale. Be very afraid.

Just then, the front door banged open and a loud voice proclaimed, "Honey, I'm home!"

Everyone turned to see Emmett enter the room with a familiar-looking blond in tow.

"Hey Em, where ya been?" Jasper asked, raising his eyebrows quickly in the blonde's direction in the universal guy speak that asked the eternal question – 'Are you hittin' that?!'

Emmett grinned and pulled the girl that was behind him around to his side. Now that I could see her face, I instantly recognized her.

"Everyone, this is Rosalie. Rose, that's Jasper, the roomie, on the chair, Edward on the couch, and then Alice and a girl that I don't know."

Bella blushed and everyone else gave tentative waves, not really sure what to do. Emmett had never brought over a girl to his house before so we could meet her. This was new.

I jumped up; realizing introductions were in order on my side. "Yeah, sorry. That's Bella. Bella, this is Emmett."

She smiled shyly and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, both."

Emmett smirked and looked from me to Bella and back again. I knew he was going to say something inappropriate; it was only a matter of time.

"You too, Bella," he responded, rolling her name off his tongue like he was testing it out. "So are you and Eddie a thing?"

I grimaced at my much hated nickname. He knew how much I hated it. He only kept using it to push me over the edge. "God, Emmett. A 'thing'? What are we, in junior high? We're dating, which is the grown-up word for a 'thing'."

Bella bit down lightly on her bottom lip during my exchange with Emmett and I had to quickly look away before an unwanted bodily reaction embarrassed me in front of all of my friends.

"Okay, okay," Emmett said, backing off. "No need to get your panties in a twist."

Rosalie smacked him against the head at that last statement, causing Emmett to look at her in dismay. "What was that for?"

"For being stupid," she retorted.

I liked her already.

"Why don't you guys join us? We were just about to watch a movie," I suggested, indicating with a sweep of my hand the now vacant couch. I had reflexively been edging myself closer to Bella since standing up, so there was plenty of room between me and the couch for them to make their way to it without it being weird.

"Rose? You want to?" Emmett asked. She nodded and they sat down.

Jasper immediately started asking Rose a ton of questions about her job. Apparently he had recognized her as well. He was such a nerd sometimes when it came to technical things like how television newscasting worked or what made things tick.

Taking a step forward so I was now beside Bella, I wrapped my arm around her waist. "Find anything yet, ladies?"

"I think we're stuck between Bourne Identity and Mad Max," Bella said, holding the two movies up for my inspection.

"Really, it's more like we're stuck between ass-kicking Matt Damon and Hottie Australian Mel Gibson," Alice chimed in, giggling.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Does Jasper know that's how you pick a movie?"

"Of course," she said immediately, shrugging one shoulder. "How else does one pick a movie?"

I sighed in exasperation and looked at Bella. "Which one do you want to watch?"

"Matt Damon," she answered, smiling coyly.

Alice laughed in delight and announced their movie choice to the group. Jasper groaned, making me wonder if Alice picked that movie often.

I led Bella to the only other free seat, the place beside Emmett on the couch. She sat down, tucking her legs underneath her, and I took up residence on the floor in front of her knees. Alice slipped the movie into the DVD player and then gracefully joined Jasper on the armchair, curling up in his lap.

"You gonna be okay down there, Edward?" Emmett asked, apparently getting a kick out of me on the floor.

Turning my head to look at him, I replied, "I'll be fine, thanks."

He shrugged and turned to Bella. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a grad student at Shelton," she said in her soft, lilting voice. I leaned my head back against her knees, letting her voice wash over me. It had a very calming effect. "What do you do?"

"I'm an assistant baseball coach at Shelton."

"Oh, really?" she exclaimed, instantly perking up at that little bit of information. I looked behind me, confused at her sudden excitement.

"I bet you know my roommate," she continued. "She's a diamond girl."

"Yeah, I probably know her. What's her name?" Emmett asked, shifting Rosalie closer to him as the movie's opening credits started.

"Rachel Dawson."

"Yes, I know Rachel," he chuckled. "Kind of reminds me of that girl over there." Emmett nodded his head in Alice's direction.

I smirked, recalling my own similar thoughts when talking to Rachel.

"So, that would make you the infamous Bella Swan," he mused, an amused glint in his eyes.

How the hell did he know Bella's last name? I thought, blinking in bewilderment.

"How –?" Bella began, a stunned expression on her face. "Never mind. I know how."

She sighed and whispered, "How many baseball players did she try to set me up with?"

That question immediately captured my undivided attention and I stared in dismay at Emmett as he started counting out on one hand the guys that apparently had been approached by Rachel to date Bella.

MY Bella.

I was so focused on Emmett that I barely heard Alice comment on how ripped Matt Damon looked as he beat up some guys in the movie.

"Twelve, including a few underclassmen," Emmett finally stated, looking completely indifferent about the whole thing. My entire world had come to a screeching halt, and he looked indifferent about it.

Bella nodded absently and her cheeks took on a slight pink hue. She focused on the TV for a second before dropping her gaze down to my face. I had no idea what she saw there, but I guess it was enough to inspire her to comfort me.

She reached out and ran her fingers through my hair, smiling sweetly. It felt so good, her small fingers lightly running over my scalp. I rolled my head and body back around until I faced the screen again, always keeping my head against Bella's knees to stay within reach of her hand.

I never wanted her to stop playing with her hair. And I hated people touching my hair. I didn't care if it was going to look like I had stuck my finger in a socket when I went home, just as long as she continued her ministrations.

My eyelids grew heavy under her calming touch and I guess I nodded off a little because the next thing I knew, a light grip on my shoulder was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes to find Bella staring down at me, her eyes alight with amusement.

"Hey sleepyhead, the movie's over. Ready to head back?" she quietly asked.

"Yeah. Sorry about falling asleep," I mumbled, my mouth relearning the mechanics of speech.

"It's okay," Bella assured me.

I stood up, rubbing my hands over my face in an attempt to fully wake up. It would not be good to drive Bella home if I was still groggy.

Finding the others in the kitchen, all in different stages of devouring what looked like chocolate ice cream drizzled in more chocolate, I said my goodbyes, as did Bella. Then we left, the cold, crisp outside air snapping me awake in seconds.

Much better.

We drove down the five streets it took to get Bella back home in silence. I noticed she was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt again, a nervous tick she probably unconsciously did, much like me running a hand through my hair.

What does she have to be nervous about? I wondered as I parked my car in front of her apartment. Maybe she doesn't want this night to end just as much as you don't. Because face it, the thought of going back to your cold, lonely bed makes you ache with sorrow.

I contorted my body around to look at Bella once the car's engine was off, my leg hiked up on the seat to achieve a better angle, and placed a hand over hers to still them.

"Something on your mind?" I asked, keeping my tone light.

"Just… I don't like saying goodbye to you."

My heart jumped in response to her words. She had no idea how much I hated saying goodbye to her as well.

"Me too," I whispered, squeezing her hands within mine.

She turned to look at me, a huge smile on her face. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I felt my heart swell in my chest.

It felt like… love.

Shit.

Love?!

How could it be love?

Was I really in love with her?

Yes, I realized.

I was in love with her.

After three days.

Shit.

I took a deep breath, trying to corral my racing thoughts and heartbeat at the same time. It also doesn't help that I had broken out in a cold sweat. If she didn't think something was wrong with me before, I'm sure she had figured it out now.

But, miraculously, she said nothing, nor indicated to me that she noticed my current predicament. Instead she leaned over and kissed me lightly, the first time she had initiated such a thing. True she had asked to be kissed yesterday, but asking for it and actually doing it were two different things.

"Goodnight, but not goodbye," she whispered against my stunned lips.

And then she was gone.

If I hadn't been so lost in my own thoughts, I would have been amazed at her ability to get out of my car and make it across her icy driveway and through the front door without once stumbling. I sat in my Volvo for what seemed like a month, trying desperately to absorb what had transpired in the last five minutes.

I loved her.

I loved Bella.

It felt more right each time I said it. Of course I loved Bella. She was the epitome of beauty and sweetness. She embodied all that was good and right with the world. How could someone not love her?

But how did she feel about me? That was the question that bothered me as I finally pulled out of my daze and drove home.

Did she love me, too?

I didn't want to scare her off by saying it too soon. That would be disastrous.

As I lay in bed that night, my mind went back and forth between the options open to me. Finally, I decided to do what I had planned on before realizing my feelings for her.

I would continue trying to gain and keep her complete trust while getting as close to her as she would let me.

And I would not mess this up.

Because I loved her.