A/N: I just want to thank everyone for being good sports about the cliffhangers in the previous chapter. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint after the build up.

I have posted music notes in my profile, but just in case you don't feel like going through it, cue up some Damien Jurado while you read this chapter okay?

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

BPOV

Jake cut in. "That's just it, Bella. I love you too and I never want to hurt you. That's why this is so hard to say…"

"Then just say it, Jake!" I pleaded.

"Okay, here goes," he took a deep breath. "Bella, I…"

He choked. I could see it in his face; he couldn't spit the words out of his mouth. I felt as if my body and my mind were separating. I could see myself as an observer, hovering over the scene. I could see Jake trembling and clenching his hands in his lap, looking like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked up, his pleading eyes meeting mine as he began to speak in a rush.

"There was this girl on the tour after you left. She was in the band the label sent. She didn't know I had a girlfriend and I guess it never came up. Anyway, one night the bands were all relaxing in the bar after the show and she was flirting with me pretty hardcore. I was kinda drunk but I kept pushing her away. I didn't want to be rude or hurt her 'cuz I knew she was pretty tipsy too…" he trailed off, seeming to lose some of his steam.

"Go on," I encouraged.

"Well, she left me alone eventually but I saw some guys from the local band hitting on her and she started to get uncomfortable. I didn't want to get involved, but I figured I should at least tell them to back off. I could see them getting aggressive, so I went over and told them to leave her alone. They stopped for a while but when we were all getting ready to leave, I noticed she was outside smoking by herself and those guys were hanging all over her again. One of them got in her face and started giving her a hard time, calling her names and being a real dick. I ran out there and I got into it with him and his buddies. We ended up fighting and it got out of hand…"

My stomach twisted in sympathy for the poor girl in Jacob's story, but I still didn't understand where he was headed with it. I made some encouraging noises and he kept talking.

"Well, finally Quil and Embry and Seth came out and we were able to stop the fight before anyone really got hurt. I mean, that asshole and his friends had some black eyes and bloody lips, but I figured they deserved it for being such shitheads. I could tell Leah, that's her name, was pretty shaken so I offered to walk her back to the hotel and make sure she got inside okay. The rest of her band was already there and they had no idea what was going on.

Anyway, so when we got there and I walked her to her room, she seemed really nervous still so I went inside to help her relax. We watched a movie and I guess I still never told her about you, because there was just this moment and she kissed me. I figured she was just grateful, but then she started talking about how much she liked me and I was totally blown away. We kept kissing and…" Jake stopped. I could tell he didn't want to get into any details.

I was totally stunned. I really couldn't say that it surprised me, because I could tell that he was genuinely torn up about it and I figured it would have to be pretty bad. I never expected Jake to cheat on me, but this didn't really feel the way I expected it to. I still felt like a cloud floating above the entire scene, wishing that I could connect with my body and somehow speak to him.

He just looked at me with anguish in his eyes. I could see that he wanted me to say something, to say anything but I just felt frozen in shock. I honestly didn't feel angry with him. How could I be angry when I was harboring all those pent-up feelings about someone off limits myself?

Finally, Jake cleared his throat nervously and wiped his hands down his pants. "Bella, I know you're probably really angry and I just want you to know how sorry I am. I never meant for anything like that to happen, and I never thought for a second that I would cheat on you. Leah didn't know I had a girlfriend but I never deliberately hid the fact that I was with you. Please say something!"

I looked up at him, curiously relieved. "Jake, it's okay. I'm not angry, honestly. I know that it was just the time and place and the situation got out of hand. I can understand…"

As I trailed off, Jake's face became confused and a little bit relieved. "Why aren't you angry at me, Bella? Why aren't you screaming at me and making me feel like the horrible asshole I am?" he asked.

Here goes, I thought. "Jake, I think our relationship has been one of the best things in my life. You are my best friend and I couldn't imagine all these years without you. I guess I'm just not mad because I feel like maybe… maybe we aren't supposed to be together anymore," I finished timidly.

My cheeks burned as my eyes bored holes in my shoes, willing Jake to speak.

"Bella, do you honestly believe that?" he asked.

He sounded so hurt. I looked up at him quickly before returning my eyes to the ground. "Jake, if I was truly in love with you, don't you think I would be seriously pissed off and hurt over what you just told me? Instead, here I am feeling sympathy for this Leah girl and being glad that you were there to help her when those guys were trying to attack her."

I could tell Jake was totally blown away by my words. I figured he would expect us to break up, but maybe he thought it would be due to my anger and rampaging jealousy. I sort of wished I could deliver those emotions, just because I felt like poor Jacob was worth a girl's anger and jealousy. Instead, all I felt was a quiet sense of relief at not being the one who cheated. I knew that it was possible I would eventually give in to my feelings for Edward, and I definitely never wanted to hurt Jake in that way.

"So… you're saying you want to break up? You aren't mad, but you don't want to be with me anymore?" Jake's face was full of puzzlement and pain. I wished I could make it better, but I knew I could not.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Jake. I wish I could change things, but I can't. Besides, I don't think if you and I were really in love, you'd be able to have sex with someone else; so maybe we're both just finally realizing that we should be friends."

I stood up awkwardly, my legs shaking as I crossed to sit next to him. He huddled down into his jacket, his face slightly obstinate and angry. I knew he would need some time, but our friendship had always been strong. I hoped that he would come around and our bond wouldn't be completely destroyed.

"So I guess this is it, huh?" he asked bitterly.

"This is it for our relationship, but I will always be your friend Jacob; you know that. Whenever you're ready, I'll still be here. I just hope that you won't stay mad at me for long," I said sadly.

He didn't say anything else, so I finally stood up and walked back to the main road. I pulled out my cell phone and called Alice, hoping to catch her at home. I needed a ride back to the house.

EPOV

Tanya must have sensed a change in me because she threw some money down on the bar and took my hand, leading me out of the bar. I followed behind willingly.

I groaned pitifully as I rolled onto my back on the bed. The sunlight was pouring cheerfully through the cracks in my blinds, pounding against my abused eyelids. The sheets were tangled around my legs and I could feel the heavy taste of stale alcohol in my mouth. Ugh. I felt disgusting.

I threw my arm over my closed eyes, trying to shut out the light. I rarely ever had a hangover, and I was all too ready to swear off drinking if I could never have one again.

Finally, I sat up and cracked my eyes open carefully to peer at my surroundings. My clothes from the night before were tossed carelessly at the foot of my bed and the blankets looked like a tornado hit them. I winced as I heard my bedroom door slam.

"Finally, he rises from the dead! What happened boy-o, couldn't get it up last night?" Emmett cheerfully shouted as he plopped down on my bed, causing it to dip and set my queasy stomach swaying.

"Ugh, Emmett, don't you have something better to do than bug the shit out of me?" I growled.

"Hey, when my baby brother calls me in the middle of the night to pick him up from some chick's house because he's too drunk to drive his own ass home, I think I deserve an explanation!" he said indignantly as he punched my arm playfully.

My stomach heaved and I made a run for the bathroom, hoping this would be the only bout of vomiting for the day. I retched piteously into the toilet before laying my head on the cool porcelain rim. I could hear Emmett's pounding footsteps following me into the bathroom before he spoke again.

"Bro, seriously, what happened?" he asked, quieter this time.

I must have been quite a mess last night if I had called Emmett, of all people, to come pick me up. I groaned as I recalled the rest of the night after leaving the bar with that Tanya chick.

"Nothing happened, bro. I just met this girl, I was drunk, she wanted to take me back to her place, and I didn't feel up to it. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could so I called you and the rest is history," I groaned.

"Hey, she was pretty hot. Why didn't you seal the deal?" he asked. I could hear the water in the sink running and he handed me a glass of water. I took it gratefully before replying.

"She's just not my type. I'm not into doing that kind of thing, you know that."

Emmett patted my shoulder sympathetically and finally left me alone on the bathroom floor. Eventually, I felt it was safe to get up and decided to take a shower and brush my teeth.

Once I was clean, I walked back into my bedroom and sat down at my computer. I took the remote for my stereo and turned it on before I remembered the album it would play. My aching head dropped onto the desk as I heard the familiar beat of the song Bella and I had listened to that day by the pond.

Great, I thought bitterly. Like I needed to be reminded of the one person I was trying to avoid thinking about! I slammed my head against the desk, hoping the pain would overpower the ache in my stomach from the memory of Bella's beautiful face.

I grabbed the remote and switched the CD to the next disc. The cheerful sounds of Tilly and the Wall filled my room, helping me to forget the face swimming behind my eyes.

I could hear the door slam downstairs while I checked my email. Our Myspace page was getting a bunch of hits now that we were starting to hype the new EP. I could feel the familiar excitement building in my stomach at the thought of being able to see my dream come true.

My ears unwillingly perked as I heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the hall, only to stop at Alice's room. I could hear her little chirpy voice echoing through the walls, but I couldn't decipher what she was saying. She sounded concerned. I couldn't hear the other person's voice, so I just turned back to my computer and lost myself in doing some stuff online for a while.

After a time, I heard a soft knock on my door and I turned to tell whoever it was to come in. Alice stood in the doorway, looking worried.

"Hey Edward, I was thinking we should have a movie night tonight. Bella's feeling really crappy and I want to cheer her up. I think something happened with Jake but she doesn't really want to talk about it," she said.

"Er, sure, Alice. We can do whatever you want, just give me an hour to finish some stuff really quick," I said. She nodded before turning and leaving, closing my door behind her.

I wanted to kick myself. The jump of unruly hope in my stomach at Alice's words made me feel like a jerk, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know what had happened between Jake and Bella, but I also couldn't help hoping that maybe I would finally get a chance to tell her how I felt about her.

I threw myself down onto my bed and gave myself a stern lecture that lasted for the next half an hour. I wanted to have myself completely in control before I went downstairs to join the rest of my family; it wouldn't do to let them see my sick preoccupation with this girl who already had a boyfriend.

I finally felt like I was under some reasonable control and I went to the bathroom to check my appearance. I ran my hands through my disheveled bronze locks and performed a bad-breath check before heading downstairs.

My siblings along with Jasper and Rosalie were all sitting in the living room, watching me come down the stairs expectantly.

Alice said, "Hey Edward, do you mind seeing what's keeping Bella? We're about to start the movie!"

I turned back around and bounded up the steps, my feet carrying me to the door next to Alice's. Bella had been staying in the guest room off and on when she wasn't being dragged into sleeping with Alice. I knocked hesitantly and waited for her to answer.

"Come in," she called quietly. I nervously turned the doorknob and stepped inside, taking my time to look around the room I'd seen a million times. The walls were a soft pale blue, the bedspread was made up in black and white toile, and my old computer sat on the delicate white desk facing the window.

I saw Bella perched nervously at the end of the bed, looking at me with her big beautiful eyes. They were rimmed in red and I cursed internally, suddenly unsure of how I should act around her.

"Hey, um, Alice wanted to see if you were ready to come down and watch the movie," I said nervously.

"Oh, yeah… I'll be down in a minute. I just want to cheer up a bit before I go down so I don't bring everyone down with my crappy mood," she answered sadly.

Still not really sure of my actions, I felt myself wander over to sit next to her on the bed. I looked down at her as she stared down at the floor beneath her feet. Her hands were stuffed into her black hoodie and her hair was covering her profile from my view.

"You don't have to talk about it or anything, but we're all here for you, you know," I said awkwardly.

She looked up at me then, her eyes luminous with unshed tears. "Thank you, Edward. I am really grateful to be here, you know," she replied.

Not knowing what else to say, I just nodded and patted her quickly on the leg before standing up and leaving the room as soon as I could without seeming rude. I really needed to get out of there before I tried to kiss that sadness off her face.

I ran back down the stairs and threw myself onto one of the couches, waiting for someone to start the movie so I could take a moment to get a hold on myself once again. I was getting really annoyed with my unruly hormones. I couldn't possibly begin to understand why I was being turned into such a wimp over this girl, no matter how gorgeous or amazing she was.

My eyes turned unwillingly toward the stairs as I heard Bella's quiet footsteps coming downstairs. I watched as she appeared, looking a little better than she had when I'd bolted from her room. She smiled bravely at everyone before coming to sit down between Alice and myself. I shifted over to give her some more room and Jasper started the movie.

The night progressed slowly, all of us trying our best to draw a smile or a laugh from Bella. I wanted desperately to see her smile again, but I knew that whatever was bothering her must be pretty bad because she just couldn't seem to pull out of her bad mood.

Finally, after two more movies, we were ready to call it a night. I stood up from the couch and stretched, feeling my muscles relax after being strung so tightly in the effort not to touch Bella. I yawned hugely as I walked toward the stairs, saying goodnight to everyone.

I was just coming out of the bathroom when I overheard Alice and Bella talking in her bedroom. The door was cracked just a bit and I felt guilty listening in, but I couldn't stop myself. I inched closer infinitesimally and held my breath as I heard Alice ask Bella the question I was dying to hear the answer to.

"So, Bella… did you and Jake break up?" she asked quietly.

I heard Bella sigh before she answered, "Yes. He told me he had sex with someone while on tour and I knew I had to end it."

My eyes narrowed and I had to resist the urge to growl. How dare he cheat on Bella! I was furious; Jake was obviously demented if he thought that Bella was the type of girl he could mistreat that way. I was busy planning my vengeance on him for hurting Bella when I heard Alice speak again.

"Bella, no! That's horrible! Are you okay?" she asked, sounding completely scandalized.

"Yeah, actually I am. I wasn't mad when he told me, and that's how I knew it was over. I should have felt sick to my stomach, but instead I just felt sorry for him because he looked so beaten up over it," she replied.

I stopped in my tracks, completely confused as I tried to reassess the situation. Bella had been the one to break up with Jake for cheating on her, but she wasn't still in love with him. What did that mean? My mind was busy trying to digest all the possibilities when I snapped back to reality, realizing I was still standing outside my sister's door like a creep and listening to their conversation. I quickly walked back to my bedroom, shutting the door quietly.

I had to think about this. The hope in my chest was warring painfully with my sensible side. I was completely torn between running back to Alice's bedroom and dragging Bella away to kiss her senseless and staying holed up in here until she left. I didn't want to look like a desperate puppy following her around; I knew I would have to come up with some sort of plan.

A/N: So I hope this chapter made you feel better! Do you hate Jake? I don't, I think he was bad but his intentions were honorable. Edward certainly has his work cut out for him, though… So, what did you think? I loved all the reviews from the last chapter! -HIE