Here we are again :) I don't really have too much to say this time except I hope you like this chapter as much as I do. I really love writing the banter between Carlisle and Bella. The next chapter I am almost done writing but hope to have to my beta before Monday night so if the update isn't for another 3 weeks, that's my fault. (We're shooting for February 6th) Sorry :( I started a new job a week and a half ago and that distracted me, but I am a woman on a mission to get chapter 5 out to you ASAP! Thank you again to my beautiful Eifeltwr (TS), I can never express my gratitude to you! I appreciate the time you put in to fine tuning this for me. Also my talented friend Lindz is making another banner for chapter 5! So when I post that, the banner will be up too! Please review and let me know what you think and thank you all so much for reading *kisses*

Lost & Found ~ Chapter Four

I needed a distraction. I had two rolls of film that I decided to develop as a way of keeping my hands and mind busy. I grabbed my cell phone off its charger and my old button-up collared shirt I wore when I developed film. I glanced at my phone to see if I had any missed calls or texts. Nothing. I sighed deeply, before stuffing my phone in my back pocket. I was becoming disappointed with myself for constantly checking my phone. I had become accustomed to hearing from Carlisle regularly since he had gone out of town for work.

I could hear the heavy rain pounding against the roof, which helped calm me. Earlier that morning while I had sat at the kitchen table, nursing a hot cup of coffee, I found myself drifting in and out of my thoughts. My eyes focusing on the rain hitting the window. I had an outdoor engagement photo shoot today, but had rescheduled it due to the weather. So, instead I cleaned my house, top to bottom, hell even the refrigerator and microwave were scrubbed and the cabinets were organized.

I had gotten my morning text from Carlisle, wishing me a good morning and asking what my schedule looked like. That had been hours ago, before the sun had risen or would've been if it hadn't been raining. I had sent him a text him back as soon as I'd awoken at eight and still hadn't heard back from him. His response usually came during his lunch break, and since it was now the afternoon and I still hadn't heard anything from him today was odd. I was so ready to get the day over with, it'd been two weeks since I had actually seen Carlisle and he was finally due back the next day.

I walked into my small bathroom, which also served as my makeshift darkroom. It was cramped and tricky, but it had a sink, so it worked. I currently didn't have the luxury to be choosy. I would rather have used the large area of the kitchen, but the bathroom was the only room that didn't have any windows, therefore it was much easier to convert into a darkroom then a room with a huge bay window.

I grabbed an empty spool and put in one roll of film, as I busied myself laying out the three trays I would need, I grabbed the developer solution as the film pre-soaked in the tank.

I tapped my foot waiting for the timer to go off when I felt a vibration coming from my back pocket making me jump a little and hurriedly dug it out of my pocket, hoping to see Carlisle's name, but was slightly disappointed when I saw my dad's instead.

"Hi Dad." I smiled into the phone.

"Hiya Bella! I had a lull and thought I'd give you a call to see how you've been."

"I'm good, I am actually developing some photos right now."

My dad snorted into the phone. "No offense Bella, but shouldn't you be working?"

My dad obviously forgot that I made my own schedule, which meant that I periodically worked weekends and nights while I had my weekdays off-all of which depended on the job. Don't get me wrong, I always hoped to schedule my jobs to fit around me, but I knew that couldn't always happen and so far I didn't mind the odd hours. It couldn't be helped.

My dad was the sheriff in Forks, so he could understand the meaning of odd hours. He was always on call and a lot of times had to leave during dinner or get up in the middle of the night, and when needed, he also worked the overnight shift. Although, he never seemed to mind. It was his life and he seemed content with it. He took pride in his job.

When he'd get that call, he'd be sorry to have to leave me or my mom, when they were married, but he always had a smile on his face. It was no exaggeration to say he loved his job.

"It's raining today, Dad. I had to cancel my outdoor shoot. You do know developing photos is part of my job description, right?" I teased. I cradled my phone between my shoulder and ear as I took off the cap of the tank and poured the water down the drain. I then began diluting the developer so I could soak the film. "Is it raining there?"

"A little. Not enough to cause any problems, but you know how people get when the weather changes. I'm just waiting for the first call of the day being a fender bender." He chuckled. Forks was a quiet town. He never had any huge cases, it was usually car accidents, rare drunken and disorderly conduct or vandalism in the form of teenagers toilet papering their teacher's homes. The low crime rate always brought relief to me, if he worked in a bigger town or city I'd be an emotional mess with my constant worrying. "So," my dad said, "What do you have planned for your Friday night?"

I grabbed the developing tank and began flipping it, counting silently as I tried to concentrate on doing the two tasks at hand.

"Actually Dad, after I'm done developing these rolls I'll just go through my portfolio. It needs updating. Then, maybe I'll make some dinner or watch a movie. I'll find something to keep myself busy."

I could hear shuffling in the background, a door closing. My dad huffed before he spoke again. "What are the kids doing tonight Bella? Why don't you go hang out with them? I don't like you being by yourself so much."

"Dad, they all have dates. It's no big deal." I put the tank down and stared at everything before me. I felt the sudden urge to stop what I was doing. Dad was right. I was in this house too much. If I wasn't working or at the beach with the gang, I was home. Okay, so I didn't exactly have anywhere to be tonight, but maybe if I bundled up and it had stopped raining I could go for a walk. A drive. The urge to get some fresh air and enjoy the gray weather suddenly overwhelmed me. I could maybe go to the diner and people watch, and have some dinner or get a coffee while I'm there. I began putting the tanks and trays away and was just about to pour the solutions down the drain when I stopped.

Once I started the photo developing process, I couldn't stop. I didn't want to lose all the photos I had.

I decided to finish what I'd started and grabbed the container that held the stop bath.

"That reminds me," Dad started nonchalantly. "I was talking to Billy earlier today and I heard through the grapevine that you've met someone."

WHAT?

I am going to kill Jake! Or Emily! Oh Hell, both sounded good right about now. I bit my bottom lip as I racked my brain, trying to decide how to handle this situation with my dad. What do I say? The truth.

There isn't anything to say. We're friends, I tried to reason with myself. No, I couldn't even say that, well maybe we were friends...kinda, sorta...oh I'm confusing myself and rambling. I really didn't want to talk about this, especially with my dad.

"Bella? Stop stalling and tell me about this guy."

I let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. "There isn't anything to tell!" I said, and quickly realized I came off a little defensive and tried to backtrack quickly. "Dad..."

"So it's true?" He'd cut me off before I even started. I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my hand across my forehead. Is it possible to will away a conversation? Maybe go back in time and not answer the phone?

"I'm 24 years old, Dad. We're really going to talk about my dating life?" Or lack thereof, I thought. I grabbed the tank with the roll of film inside, pulled it out of the diluted developer and into an empty tank. Once I poured the stop solution in, I waited for my dad to respond. He never did. He knew that would make me uneasy and question myself. I fell for it every time. "There's really nothing to say. We're almost friends, maybe?" I busied myself shaking the tank and timing it every ten seconds.

My phone beeped, alerting me to another call coming in. My hands full and my dad on the line? It'd have to wait. Who would be calling me on a Friday night anyway? It was probably Emily making sure I was okay or seeing if I wanted to tag along with them tonight or…could it be Carlisle? My heart fluttered at the thought.

Is it wrong to want to hang up on your father?

"Dad, I have another call."

"Well it's going to have to wait. We're not done," he said sternly. "You're 'almost' friend excuse? That isn't exactly how Jake describes it."

"Dad...why do you believe the crap that comes out of Jake's mouth? I mean come on, it's Jake!"

The laugh that came out of my dad surprised me. It had been so long since I had heard such a hearty laugh. It brought a smile to my face, yet I knew I wasn't off the hook by any means and I had to get the spotlight off me. Time to turn the tables. "Bella, I'm serious-"

I cut him off this time before he had the chance to lecture me. "So, how's Sue?" Sue Clearwater, Emily's mom and my dad had been friends for years. She made him dinners and would bring them to him in her Tupperware containers, he'd bring them back to her, washed and cleaned. It was a vicious cycle. I knew he liked her and she obviously liked him, but they never took that final step. What held them back? I didn't have a clue. She lived in La Push, while my dad resided in Forks. Distance? It wasn't that far of a drive, but maybe he had been alone for so long, he was used to it. Emily and I had discussed intervening, but in the meantime I would tease my dad. "Have you asked her out yet?" I held back the giggle that threatened to escape my lips.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" he erupted.

I must have hit a nerve. "Oh Dad, full name usage, really?" I knew my dad wasn't really mad at me. I could get away with teasing him, especially on the phone. "Dad, you like her. Ask her out for dinner. Oh, better yet, you should make dinner for her! You know, like a thank you for all the dinners she's made for you." I pulled the phone away from my mouth as I chuckled and put it on speaker phone so I could have my hands free to prepare the trays. "Women love that!" I called out.

"Uh, Bella, it's..." he stuttered.

My phone made another beeping sound, alerting me to a voicemail. I looked away from my photos to see it was Carlisle. I gasped. I could feel my insides warm and flutter at the thought of hearing his voice. I put my hand over my mouth to hold in the squeal, dropping the tongs I held instead.

"You alright?" My dad's voice brought me back to reality.

"Uh, yeah, Dad. I'm good. Promise."

"Alright, so back to this guy, what's his name?"

"I got to go, Dad," I called out as I slid a piece of paper into the developer tray.

"Bella, don't you hang up on me!" he threatened. "Come on, first and last name-just let me do a background check!" I laughed out loud at my dad's antics.

"Goodbye Dad!"

"Bye, Bella. Love you," he resigned.

I hit the end call button and picked it up with my free hand while I watched the photo develop in front of me. It was five o'clock now, a few hours later than when Carlisle usually called on his lunch break. I wonder what had happened. I called my voicemail, and typed in my password.

"You have one new voicemail, to listen to your voicemail, press one now." I did, my finger shaking the whole time.

"Hi, Bella," Carlisle's sincere, gentle voice warmed my heart. "Sorry I didn't call sooner. We worked through our lunch today so we could leave at a decent hour. I'm getting some dinner with the guys and then I would like to talk to you." He paused before his voice dropped. "I missed talking to you today." He cleared his throat. I heard other men's voices in the background. "Are...will you be at the beach tomorrow? I would like to see you, if you're not busy." He sighed before he spoke again. "Alright, the guys are coming, I better go. I'll talk to you later tonight. Bye." The phone clicked, ending the voicemail. I immediately saved it and listened to it again, before deciding to call him back and see if I could catch him. It went straight to voicemail, and now it was my turn to leave a message.

The last two weeks Carlisle had been gone had gotten me to thinking, well contemplating. At first we had texted casually, asking how each other's days had been. Every morning I had a text telling me to have a good day and every night I had a text telling me to sleep well. As each day went by, our texts became more and more frequent. We told each other the little things of our days, like what we had eaten for lunch, our jobs, weather, jokes or stories from our days. Without thinking of how he would react, I had asked him when he was coming home on more than one occasion. Each time, he's answer with 'Why? Do you miss me?'

Of course I never admitted to him that I did, I was having a hard enough time admitting it to myself. Instead I'd answered him with a different sarcastic reply every time. It was easier to tease, or dare I say flirt through texting. I didn't have his intense gaze or my embarrassing blush to contend with.

In an odd way, this separation opened up our lines of communication. It brought us to the next step.

A week into texting each other, he had asked if I would be willing to speak on the phone. When I received that text it felt like my phone was burning in my hand. I was so apprehensive. My body shook with nerves as I read the text over and over. I was being ridiculous! I had spoken to him for over a month now in person. When we'd see each other at the beach, I was still fearful yet I felt awakened in his presence. I found a part of me dearly missing his voice and I had so much I wanted to say, to ask.

Just silly things like, I wanted to hear him sigh, laugh, cough, click his tongue...his tongue…After I replied yes to his text, we pretty much talked every night before bed. During the day, we'd text as much as we could while at our jobs and during our daily routines, even leaving voicemails if we had something to say that ended up being too much to text.

Even on the occasion our days were busy and we didn't get the chance to text much, we had an unspoken commitment to speak on the phone every night, always around the time we'd usually be at the beach and it always lasted until we were in bed, and nearly falling asleep.

It had become the favorite part of my day.

We spoke for hours about our families. I told him about my parents, their life before, during and after the divorce. How I had grown up in Forks when my parents were married, and lived with my mom in Arizona after they divorced, then moved back to Forks with my dad when my mom had remarried. I didn't go into great detail of how I felt about it, but he knew I had no siblings, a stepfather, Phil and a baseball loving sheriff for a dad who wouldn't ask out a family friend he was obviously crushing on.

Carlisle's dad, Peter was a pediatrician at Seattle's Children's Hospital. His mother, Charlotte was a successful interior designer. They'd met through mutual friends of friends while they were both in their respective colleges. They dated for a year before eloping, which didn't exactly make their parents happy. It had been rough on them, living in a one bedroom, rundown apartment, and eating Ramon noodles, but seeing as they were still happily married thirty five years later, I couldn't see how it mattered. To me, it sounded awfully romantic in an unconventional way and totally worth it. I even expressed that to Carlisle, who teased me about being a hopeless romantic and an optimist.

Carlisle was very comfortable teasing me about anything and everything.

Within two years of their marriage, Carlisle's sister, Esme had been born and he was born three years later. The first few years were hard on his parents with their new careers. They were both determined to be successful, with their careers and their babies. Of course their parents eventually came around when they fell in love with their grandbabies and helped them in every way they could. Peter and Charlotte soon found a balance that let them enjoy their family lives and their professional ones.

As difficult as it all sounded, I still felt envious. No matter how Carlisle told the story of his parents' careers, their love lives and his childhood, I still romanticized it. Maybe I was naïve, but they'd stuck together no matter what. I was a bit jealous that Carlisle had grown up around such a wonderful example of unconditional love. His parents were thrown curveballs and had to maneuver around roadblocks, but they'd stuck together through it all.

I knew my parents were better off as distant friends, although I wondered what it might have been if they tried harder or if they'd been in love enough to try harder.

Carlisle's sister, Esme had stayed in Chicago when he and his parents moved to Washington so she could finish her education. During her last year of college, she'd met Alec and they dated for a while. Unlike her parents, Alec and Esme decided to finish school and establish their careers before they got married. Esme had a successful position at an ad agency and Alec was an ER doctor at the University of Chicago Hospital.

Carlisle told me that in the eleven years since he moved from Chicago, he didn't go back very often. At 17, he had a hard time adjusting to a new school and it being his senior year with a new class of students, new state, missing his sister on top of all that, it had been a rough year on him. He and his parents usually traveled every Christmas to visit Esme and Alec. That was until Esme had given birth almost two years ago and they tried to increase their visits to more than once a year. Carlisle admitted that he hadn't been back to Chicago since last Christmas, six months prior, his parents had gone just gotten back the day before from their most recent trip. Charlotte couldn't bear to be away from her grandson for too long. She continually begged Esme and Alec to move to Washington so they were closer.

While Carlisle couldn't get away as often as his parents, he spoke to his sister as much as his time permitted. They had been pretty close growing up so he felt some guilt about their physical distance and not seeing his nephew as often and did what he could to make up for it.

The timer buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts and I realized the photos had been sitting too long. I pulled the photo out of the developer and submerged it into the stop solution while I added a new one to the developer tray. I kept my hands and mind as busy as I could in the hour it took to finish developing the rolls and hang them in the drying racks.

My mind wandered to the new things I'd learned of Carlisle and his family, and how easy he shared it all with me and while I told him about my past, I still kept a lot from him. I felt safe that I hadn't opened up to him, yet I was beginning to feel remorseful. He'd opened up with no expectations. And the more I learned of him the more I found myself wanting to tell him more. A strange feeling rippled through me. Trust. At least the need to trust. Sure it was easier to stay quiet and hold back. That was a guarantee of keeping things the way they were and how they had always been. But was I happy in my current situation? Did I really want to keep going down that same path? Carlisle didn't put pressure on me to say more than I felt comfortable divulging. For that I was grateful and it made me realize how patient he was to let me go at my own pace.

The need to want to unleash my feelings, my insecurities, my inner ramblings and all my secrets to him overwhelmed me. Although I felt that, I knew I had to be careful not to scare him off. I was becoming quite attached to him. I never wanted to admit it to myself or had the guts to feel at ease with that thought until he had been away the last two weeks. Though I spoke and texted him every day, it wasn't the same.

I missed him. The thought swam through me, they drowned me.

My body jumped inside with tremors of excitement as I thought of seeing him again.

I wiped my hands on a towel and checked my cell phone to see no missed calls or texts. I had hoped he would return my call, but it had only been an hour, he was probably still eating with his buddies.

I cleaned up the bathroom and put all my photography supplies away, but left the drying racks up.

When I finished, I grabbed my portfolio out of my bedroom and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee.

I sat at the kitchen table and flipped through the first few pages and decided to replace a few of the photos with new ones. I had multiple photos of the beach and decided I needed to include more outdoor photos from other areas as well to help showcase my different ranges. I thought I'd find a children's playground, scout some houses-lived in and abandoned-take a hike to the mountains and get the rocks, the moss, the greenery, the waterfalls and the rivers, the forest early in the morning before the fog lifted. I was tantalizing myself with all the possibilities. I snatched up a nearby pen and paper and began to scribble notes of items I'd need, where to go to take the shots I desired and what times of the day would work best for lighting.

I put the photos I had pulled from the portfolio and placed them into a file folder when my stomach growled. I stacked everything up, leaving it on the table. I decided to save myself the trouble of cooking and cleaning up for only myself and headed to the diner for dinner. I locked up my house and pocketed my cell phone, keys and cash. I slipped my sunglasses on as I headed out the door.

The fifteen minute walk from my house to the diner was uneventful except since I had new inspiration for my portfolio, my senses felt heightened as I became more aware of the sights and sounds before me.

I made mental notes of the homes I walked by, the architecture of each one, one had a 1953 cherry red Chevy truck parked in front of it. I knew Jake, Paul and Embry would cream themselves over it if they saw it. The lush green trees loomed overhead as I walked closer to my destination, every now and then the breeze would blow and left over rain water from the tree leaves would sprinkle my face. I made my way to the parking lot of the beach and saw half dozen cars there. I scanned quickly to be sure none of them belonged to anyone I knew.

They didn't.

Alright, so I hoped they had, but I knew it wasn't probable. I leaned against the railing and stared out at the waves crashing, and the birds flying overhead. I watched a group of teenagers in a huddle, laughing and dancing and hugging each other. Some girls giggling in each other's ears as their eyes lingered on the boys just a few feet away.

On the opposite side of the beach, young parents and their baby were sitting in triangle rolling a soft, plastic ball back and forth to each other. The parents clapped excitedly when each time the baby giggled and playfully pushed the ball back.

An older couple were sitting on the bench not a few feet below where I was standing, holding hands. I watched as the elderly gentleman brought their clasped hands to his mouth, and kissed the outside of her hand softly.

I smiled slightly and glanced away from them, feeling as if I was intruding on their moment. I continued to people watch, and listened to the screams, giggles, loving conversations. My mind wandered to Carlisle and what he was doing at that moment. I wondered if he was tired, happy, if he was ready to come home, or if he missed Ciaus. If he missed…me?

How would we react to seeing each other again after so long? Would it be awkward? Would we pick up where we left off? Could we possibly be closer? I felt closer to him, but it was all through text messaging and phone conversations. Looking him in the eye and being so close to him physically was a whole other predicament. I knew I would be shy at first. Would I shake his hand? Hug him? Maybe I could give him a lighthearted punch on the shoulder? I laughed at myself, took a deep breath and let it out at the crazy thoughts running through my head. I pulled out my phone and checked for a voicemail or text but saw nothing, so I stuffed it back into my pocket.

I pushed myself away from the railing when a deafening growl from behind me caught my attention. I turned to see a motorcycle pulling up to a stop a few feet away. I didn't know much about motorcycles except what little Jake, Paul and Embry had taught me, but I knew a Harley when I saw one.

Black cast aluminum disc wheels, satin chrome muffler, the gas tank was a flat black with the silver Harley Davidson wing emblem on the side. The seats were made of black leather and made to ride two people, even though the seats were pretty small.

The man set the kickstand and turned the motor off, instantly quieting my surroundings although the sounds of the beach and its visitors could still be heard. I watched as he pulled off his fingerless leather gloves and set them on the black gas tank in front of him. I looked back towards the beach and walked along the railing. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose and glanced back one last time as I made my escape.

I didn't want to stare but I felt a pull and couldn't tear my eyes away, so instead I hid behind my sunglasses and pulled the rubber band from my hair causing a curtain of hair to hide my face so I wasn't caught sneaking a glance.

The stranger on the motorcycle was undoing the helmet strap under his chin when he tilted his head up for better access and looked up in my direction. I swiftly turned my head forward and decided to make my way to the next set of stairs that led down to the beach. I almost made it, too, when I heard a familiar voice call out.

"You come here often?" I froze with my leg in mid-step, my hand gripped the railing. Carlisle. The excitement ripped through my body, the smile that exploded on my face was undeniable. I was ecstatic to know he was here. He was merely five, six feet behind me. As much as every cell in my traitor body was telling me to turn and jump him and hold him close, my brain won out. I moved to look in his direction and peered out over my sunglasses to see him pulling off the beanie helmet to reveal his deep brown hair pressed flat to his head, slightly damp from sweat.

I tried to hide the small smile I held for him but as soon as he made eye contact with me and flashed his genuine smile in my direction, I cracked. I felt my face and neck heat in blush and was grateful at least for the sunglasses I wore to partially hide my emotions.

"You know this isn't a bar, right?" I wisecracked.

Carlisle ran his hands through his disheveled hair and grinned. "Well," he motioned to the older couple I had been observing earlier. "I don't know, Bella. That guy right there is putting the moves on that poor unsuspecting lady." He lowered his voice to a whisper and cupped his hand over his mouth. "I bet she goes home with him," he teased.

I pursed my lips to try and hold back my giggle. I wasn't giving in to him that easily, well, he wasn't going to know it.

"Wow! I must say Carlisle, you really know how to read people," I poked fun.

"I do."

"You're back early." I pried.

"Surprise." He grinned.

His gaze held mine for a brief moment before he looked down to the helmet and gloves sitting in front of him. If I wasn't mistaken, I thought I saw a vulnerability flash before he put on a charming smile.

"So," I motioned to his bike. "You ride a Harley."

Carlisle blushed. Wait! Carlisle blushed?

He nodded with a shy smile. "I do. You like it? Want a ride?"

I took a couple steps closer to him until my hand was resting on one of the handle bars, I glanced at the opposite handlebar to see a second helmet hanging from its strap. "I don't know. It doesn't exactly look like a two person friendly ride." I pushed my sunglasses up to sit on top of my head, pushing my hair out of my face.

Carlisle's eyes ran from my hands on my sunglasses and down my face before they rested on my eyes again. I never felt more exposed as I did right at that moment. I cleared my throat unintentionally, snapping myself and Carlisle out of our trances, Carlisle blinked. He turned to his left and patted the leather seat behind him. "See? It's made for two. Come on, Bella, it'll be fun."

When I chuckled but made no other verbal response, Carlisle continued. "So, Bella, I've noticed that you've turned me down each time I've asked you out for coffee-I'm wounded by the way-" he said with a light smile, pointing at me, mockingly. "but, uh, each time you brush me off. Why is that?"

"I don't brush you off!" I scoffed, furrowing my eyebrows. Okay, so yeah I did brush him off. Regularly. I still couldn't figure out how he could have any genuine interest in me. I mean, this was me. Stand me next to any female who passed us by and I was sure to be described as plain or ordinary as compared to them.

For instance, Emily had beautiful tanned skin as compared to my white, milky pale skin. Her long black silky hair was gorgeous while mine was brown with a few hints of red, mine didn't shine and bounce naturally as much as hers did. I didn't have her curvy body, I wasn't athletic, I got nervous easily around others. I was shy.

This obviously wasn't about Emily alone. I had awful self esteem. I compared myself to others on a regular basis. The only time I never chastised myself was with my photography. That I was 100% sure of. But being close to someone? Fully trusting them? And believing in myself? Not so much.

I tapped my fingers against the handlebar before I pulled them away to cross my arms over my chest.

I peeked at Carlisle through my lashes to see him smile and looking at the ocean.

Carlisle took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. I thought for sure I had upset him or discouraged him. I couldn't help the fear that washed over me at the prospect of being close to him or even alone with him, but in the same beat it excited me in a way I had never felt before and I wanted to explain myself. I had to do something fast. Just as I opened my mouth to say…who knows what, Carlisle spoke. "Come have coffee with me." He turned back to me. "Now." He leaned forward, motioning to the seat behind him.

Oh shit, Carlisle giving me a ride on his Harley? Any moisture in my mouth immediately went between my legs as my mouth dried and my heartbeat sped up.

"Bossy much?" I cocked an eyebrow, trying to hide my smile. "It's kinda late for coffee. You'll be up all night..." What. The. Hell. Was. I. Doing? I mentally berated myself.

"See? Brush off," Carlisle replied, smugly. His gaze burned into mine.

"I'm not brushing you off."

"You're not?" Carlisle looked...hopeful? "One cup." He held his index finger up.

I drank in his appearance from head to toe. His hair was still damp and flattened from sweating while wearing his helmet. His eyes were beaming, even though he was giving me grief the whole time. He had his black round sunglasses hanging off the neck of his green t-shirt. The black leather jacket, worn denim jeans and black motorcycle boots completed his look. He looked absolutely gorgeous and right at home on his Harley. When my eyes made their way back to his face, a self satisfied smirk sat on his lips. "What are you afraid of? Invite your friends." He winked.

Holy Hell.

"They're all on dates."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows suggestively. "It's just you and me then," he breathed. It was a statement, not a question. He shuffled on the bike, raised himself off the seat and handed me the extra helmet.

I pulled my gaze from his and spun the helmet between my hands. I knew I was going to hop on that bike, wrap my arms around him and let the walls down, at least for tonight. I had to see where this may lead. I was done being afraid. I was done denying myself a friend, if nothing else because of my irrational fears. He had given me no reasons to be fearful of him and every reason to take this step forward. It's just coffee, a bike ride.

What if I put my foot in my mouth? Make a bad joke? Stutter? Laugh too loud? Oh God, I snort when I laugh too hard! I already laughed so hard I cried in front of him. Worse yet, what if I clammed up and said nothing? I'm sure I was going to bore him to death and never hear from him again.

"Carlisle," I bit my lip nervously. "Why is this so important to you?"

Carlisle picked up one of his fingerless black leather gloves and began to pull it on his left hand. "It just is. I like spending time with you, talking to you. I'm not exactly secretive about it. Why do you not want to go with me? I know you like me." He baited me again with a wink. I knew he was speaking in all seriousness, but trying to put me at ease with his playful tone. "I don't know about you, but the last two weeks I missed seeing you..." he paused and gulped. "…but I was damn happy to hear from you every day. I had the impression that you felt the same."

He held my stare. I saw nothing but sincerity and a twitch of nervous energy. He had put himself out there for me. All I had to do was take a few steps forward and hop on. It was just coffee. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't. But I would have tried. No harm. No foul. I decided to throw my hat in the ring and play his game.

"Well maybe, I'm just being nice."

Carlisle's eyes rested on the helmet in my hands before slowly running up my body. He nodded once and gave me a crooked, half smile. "You like me, Bella. Admit it." He raised his eyebrows.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, yet couldn't stop the red that colored my face or my tell tale look in my eyes. I would give nearly anything to hide my emotions better.

My parents had always told me I was an open book and couldn't lie to save my life. From the expression on Carlisle's face, I think he figured it out too. No more hiding.

"One condition." I took the last couple steps toward him until I was standing close enough to feel the heat radiating off him.

"What's that?" He licked his lips.

"I'm starving. Add a meal to that coffee and you got yourself a deal."

"Okay. I accept that condition, but I have one of my own."

I bit the side of my lip and unhooked the straps of the helmet so I could put it on. "Mmm hmm...what's that?" I took my sunglasses off my head and put the helmet on, raising my chin to hook the strap underneath. Carlisle put his right hand out to give me some assistance in climbing onto the back seat. Even with the leather gloves on, I could feel the warmth his large hands brought to mine. I could feel the calluses on his fingers, his rough against my soft.

"Let me take you on a proper date tomorrow." I situated myself behind him and set my free hand, holding my sunglasses on my left thigh. My heart beat frantically not only at his words but the fact that I was so physically close to him that my thighs pressed closely to his, our hands still clutching one another's. Carlisle lowered our hands to his waist and he pulled my hand around him to sit against his stomach, effectively pulling my body flush against his back. I was certain he could feel my wildly beating heart pounding against his back. He squeezed my hand and linked our fingers together.

I closed my eyes, loving the feel of my body encircling his. "Hmm..." I hummed in contentment before I could control it. I squeezed my eyes shut, thankful I was behind Carlisle so I could die of embarrassment away from his watchful eyes. I leaned my head against his back, and then turned my cheek to rest on him.

"You're not going to answer me, are you?" he whispered when he pulled his hand away. I thought I had upset him, but he secured his helmet to his head and looked back at me from the corner of his eye. He stared at my hand on my thigh and took it in his to wrap around his waist. I reveled in his unique scent and his hand holding mine. "Well, Bella, I'm going to take your hum as a yes," his voice sang.

"Stop teasing me," I said into his back as it shook from his stifled laugh.

"I wouldn't dream of it. But you know if you had said no…I would've changed your mind."

"Yeah right." I pulled my hand away to put my sunglasses on my face. Carlisle's back stiffened, but when my arms went back around him and my hands rested above the waist of his jeans, he relaxed. His hands went to the handlebars of his motorcycle. The engine roared as he kicked at the kickstand and held us up with his legs. The vibration from the bike shook through our bodies, excitement ran from the tip of my toes to my scalp. I had never been on a motorcycle before and the fact that I was sharing this with Carlisle…made my body felt like it was on overload. Carlisle looked back at me, the sight of him with his sunglasses, leather jacket, and helmet...he was the whole package. How had I not seen that before? And why did I waste so much time running away from him?

"Bella?" he called over the engine.

"Yeah?" I tightened my grip and felt his stomach muscles clench underneath my hands.

"Hang on tight."