A/N: Thanks for the great reviews on the last chapter, everyone. I hope you like this one

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its recognizable characters.

BPOV

It had been a week since the day Edward and I… got together, for lack of a better term. Things were awkward. We had barely spoken since then, and everyone was beginning to notice the change.

After we'd gotten dressed and drove back to the school for the game, I had studiously ignored any probing questions from Alice and Rosalie. I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet, and things were too fresh to have really sunken in yet.

I couldn't tell you why Edward was being awkward, but I could tell you my problem. I had just had sex with my best friend, for God's sake! What was I supposed to do after something like that? What should I say, what should I do? How should I act around him now? Even though I'd meant everything I'd said with all my heart, I couldn't be sure he'd actually meant the things he'd said in return.

I know I was probably being a stupid girl. I knew Edward wasn't like the other guys our age, but I just couldn't tell my brain the same thing my heart knew.

So there I was, avoiding my best friend because I was too afraid to talk to him and see if he felt the same way about me.

I was currently trying to shove my trigonometry book into my locker at school while keeping my head down so I wouldn't be noticed. Edward wasn't the only one I'd been trying to avoid; Alice and Rose kept blowing up my phone with pleading text messages and phone calls at all hours of the night.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward coming down the hall toward me. Emmett was walking beside him, looking slightly guilty and frustrated. Edward's mouth was set in a grim line, his eyebrows lowered dangerously over his beautiful gold eyes.

I tried to pretend I didn't see him, even when he stopped a couple feet away from me. I clenched my eyes shut and silently willed him to keep walking; I just wasn't ready to talk about this here and now.

Finally, I heard him sigh in frustration and stomp off without saying anything. My eyes filled with shameful tears as I tried to fight back the pain stampeding through my chest. This was so horrible, and I had no idea what to do. We'd been doing this awful dance all week and it would have to stop sometime.

Eventually, I was able to fight the inner chaos of my locker and unearth my Biology book a scant minute before the bell rang. I quickly shoved it into my bag and hurried toward my next class, which was unfortunately with Edward. Thus far, we'd been watching a movie in class all week and it provided the perfect excuse to avoid talking to him. However, the movie was over and today we would be going back to our labs.

I groaned in misery as I recalled that inconvenient fact. How was I supposed to avoid looking at my best friend, who was also my lab partner, and not feel the rush of memories from that day? I could feel my cheeks heat up as I heard the echo of everything we'd said to each other. No, this was definitely not going to be easy.

I stomped off to class, my resolve hardening into an angry bitter shell to protect my tender heart. I would just have to keep everything very light and stick strictly to doing Biology. If Edward tried to talk to me about anything, I would just have to ignore him.

I threw the door of the classroom open, prepared for a battle. I held my head high but I kept my eyes straight ahead, valiantly ignoring eye contact with anybody seated in the desks. I could see Edward's bronze hair in my peripheral vision, already at our lab table. I kept my eyes trained on the seam between the ceiling and the back wall as I walked quickly to our table and took my seat.

I made a long drawn-out production of getting things out of my bag and getting settled. I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I kept my own trained on the top of the desk. Finally, Mr. Banner came in and class began.

The first part of the class was a lecture, so I was able to continue ignoring him as I took incredibly thorough notes on the subject. Edward was taking his own notes in his elegant handwriting, and when he wasn't looking I let my eyes wander over to look at him.

Mr. Banner finished the lecture and passed out the instructions for the lab. Everyone was busy milling around, getting everything they'd need for the experiment. I reluctantly turned to Edward, finally raising my eyes to meet his.

"Do you want to get the stuff while I get the lab sheets ready?" I asked meekly.

"Sure…" he said, looking disappointed. I watched as he walked up to the front of the classroom and began gathering the equipment. He was so good looking; it broke my heart just to look at him. His back was to me, but I could see the outline of his strong muscles through his fitted t-shirt. His long legs were encased in dark jeans and his belt was peeking out from underneath his shirt. He looked so untouchable and I could feel the tears rising up my throat once more.

I quickly prepared the lab sheets, trying to get myself under control before he got back to the table. Once that was done, I gripped my hands in my lap and kept my eyes down so I couldn't stare at him again.

I heard him come back to the table. He set everything up and we started the lab in silence, falling into our familiar pattern from the weeks before The Incident. He took notes while we both performed the experiments one by one.

I'd taken to referring to that day as The Incident in my head because I wanted to try and distance myself from it all. I couldn't help my intense feelings of frustration and self-doubt; after all, Edward was considered one of the best looking guys in school. Why was I being so stupid?

After we'd finished all the required experiments, Edward finished the notes and I returned the equipment to the front of the classroom. As I walked back to the table, I looked up to see him watching me with something dark in his eyes. I felt myself stumble about three feet away from our table, but instead of meeting the ground as I had expected to, I felt Edward's arms wrap firmly around my waist.

I clenched my eyes shut in embarrassment, only for them to fly open at his words.

"Thank God for your clumsiness Bella. I was getting so tired of trying to come up with an excuse to touch you again," he said softly in my ear. He chuckled, as I looked up at him, shocked.

"Wh…what?" I stuttered. I tried to shake my head, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

"Bella, why are do you keep avoiding me? I want to know what's going on inside that head of yours. I've been trying to figure you out all week, but I'm no mind reader and I'm going to need your help," he said softly, speaking under his breath so the people around us couldn't overhear.

"Edward, I can't talk about this now!" I squeaked pathetically. There was no way I could explain my convoluted reasoning to him; he was a boy, after all. How could I explain how much my emotions and my self-esteem were wrapped up in everything that had happened between us? How could I possibly ask him if he still respected me?

He let me go, but not before saying, "Fine, but I'm going to come over after practice tonight and I want to talk about this. I can't stand you avoiding me, Bella." His voice held a note of warning, and I felt my insides quake with nerves. I quickly nodded and shoved everything back into my bag haphazardly before escaping as the bell rang to signal the end of class. I didn't bother to say goodbye to Edward.

EPOV

I watched Bella retreat from me as if I'd just told her I contracted the bubonic plague. I just shook my head in frustration and followed her out of the classroom, heading in the opposite direction toward my gym class to give her some space.

The rest of the school day passed quickly and I was grateful. I was dying to see Bella again and figure out what was going on. I knew she was avoiding me, and it was making things really awkward. I couldn't understand what her deal was, but I had figured that I should give her time after what happened. The crappy thing was, the longer I gave her, the further away she seemed to get from coming around. I felt my stomach clench as I considered what would happen if I had to let her go; I couldn't let that happen.

The game on Monday had been a complete victory for our team, but Coach was still running us mercilessly at practice. I was in the locker room, suiting up for the torture ahead when Emmett and Jasper started in on me.

"Dude, tell us what happened with Bella last week. You've been walking around like a jerk with his head stuck up his ass all week!" Emmett said loudly.

I grimaced at him, trying to ignore him. Emmett could be really clueless sometimes. "Sensitivity" wasn't exactly his middle name.

Jasper shoved Emmett before trying a different approach. "So, obviously something happened. Have you guys talked about it yet?" he asked with more concern coloring his tone.

I looked around the locker room self-consciously. Guys didn't talk about this kind of stuff; we were guys! I turned back to him and frowned, finally saying, "I don't want to talk about it. Just leave it alone."

Practice was grueling, just as I had expected. My head wasn't in the game and our scrimmage team lost, causing the coach to yell at me in front of the rest of the team. I felt like crap and all I could think about was finishing out the rest of practice so I could get to Bella's house. I wanted to see her face.

I groaned in agony as my feet dragged the rest of my body back to the locker room forty minutes later. I whimpered under my breath as I stripped out of my sweaty gear before limping to the shower. Varsity football was a completely new ballgame, and I was up for the challenge but it was definitely kicking my ass every day.

I quickly showered and got dressed again before throwing my stuff in my Volvo and speeding off to Bella's house. Even though I'd told her I was coming, I hoped it would slip her mind so I could surprise her. I didn't want her to come up with some lame excuse to avoid talking to me once I got there.

I pulled up in front of her house and went to knock on the door. Charlie answered, looking like he'd just gotten home from work. I could smell whatever Bella was cooking wafting through the door, and my stomach growled.

"Hey Edward, long time no see! Here to see Bella, I assume?" Charlie greeted me.

"Yeah…is this a bad time?" I asked, hoping he'd say no.

"Nah, we're just about to have dinner. Would you like to join us?" he asked.

I shifted uncomfortably. I was really hungry but with the way Bella had been acting toward me lately, I wasn't sure if she would welcome having me join them for dinner. Finally, Charlie just clapped me on the back and shoved me inside before yelling, "Hey Bells! Edward's here to see you!"

I followed the sounds of pots clanking, finding her standing at the stove. She looked up at me with an expression of panic on her face and I couldn't help but feel guilty for whatever I had done to put it there.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she replied before going back to her cooking.

I walked over to stand next to her and she finally turned to look at me again. "I didn't think you were really going to come over," she admitted.

"Of course I came; I want to figure out what's been going on with you. Charlie invited me to eat with you guys, but if you want me to leave then I will," I said sadly.

"No, it's okay, you can stay. We're having spaghetti," she said.

I nodded and sat down at the kitchen table to watch her finish making the meal. The table was already set, so dinner was served and I ate hungrily while Bella and Charlie talked about their days. I helped Bella clean the dishes afterward and she told Charlie we were going to go upstairs to do some homework.

I felt kind of guilty about Charlie because he'd finally accepted our friendship last year without treating me to the third degree every time I came over. I could guess that it must be hard to be a single father of a teenage girl, especially one as beautiful as Bella. We had managed to convince him that we were friends and nothing more, and he'd finally let his guard down.

Now here I was, sitting on Bella's bed and remembering all the delicious things I had done with her and to her just seven days ago. My skin heated at the memory, and I couldn't help but get turned on. Bella was so beautiful and I'd loved her for so long. She was perfect for me, and I couldn't understand why she was being so stubborn.

Finally, Bella settled in the chair at her computer desk and I cleared my throat, ready to speak but Bella beat me to it.

"Edward, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I don't know what to say, because obviously I've never done this sort of thing before. I just feel so freaked out because you're my best friend and I'm afraid of losing you," she said quietly.

"Bella, I don't know why you feel that way. I meant what I said that day; everything I said," I emphasized.

She peeked up at me from beneath her long eyelashes, looking hopeful for the first time. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to lie to me, Edward. I know how it is with guys," she said sadly.

My eyes narrowed into slits as I realized what she was trying to get at. "So, you think I just told you I loved you so I could get in your pants? Is that what you think of me?" I said, outraged.

Her head snapped up, her face covered in shock at my angry outburst. "No! I mean, uh… well, I mean, I overhear the girls at school talking about guys and I know a lot of them get their hearts broken because guys tell them they love them just so they'll sleep with them. I know you're not like that, but I couldn't help it; I just reacted to the situation automatically!" she said desperately.

I felt some of my anger ebb as I looked at her tear-filled eyes. I couldn't stay mad at her when she cried. I sighed and finally said, "Bella, you should know me better than that. Don't forget that I was a virgin, too. We both were. I thought we were on the same page, and it totally confused me when you gave me the cold shoulder all week."

Bella sniffled and got up to cross the bedroom. She sat on the bed next to me, wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest. I hugged her to me tightly as she continued to cry into my shirt. I stroked her hair and murmured in her ear reassuringly until her tears dried.

Eventually, she raised her head and looked at me. I smiled down at her and said, "See? I'm still the same Edward I was last week. We're still friends and that will never change, Bella."

She nodded and I could see her body language stiffen a bit. She looked back into my eyes and said, "Is that all we are though? Just friends?"

The meaning of her words sank in as I looked down into her wet brown eyes. Her lower lip was quivering and I had to drag my attention away from it to avoid sucking on it. I closed my eyes before responding, "I was hoping you'd already figured out the answer to that on your own, silly Bella."

She sighed and shifted closer to me, her head coming to rest on my shoulder before saying, "I'm a girl; we need to hear the words, silly Edward."

"Fine, I want to be with you Bella. I don't want anybody else, and you better not want anybody else either because they'll have a hard time getting to you through me," I said sternly.

With that, Bella threw her arms around me and laughed happily. Her laugh was a truly beautiful sound, and I couldn't help but laugh along with her. The nasty whirlwind of emotions had abated, leaving our personal horizon clear and sunny.

Bella launched herself at me then, tackling me back onto the bed and peppering me with kisses. I wrapped my hand in her hair to keep her still so I could kiss her properly. She was still half on top of me, so I wrapped my other arm around her waist to anchor her to me firmly. I began to devour her mouth with mine, letting all the pent up emotion out into the stormy kiss.

I could feel her wriggling against me, and I groaned. My hormones were kicking in and I wanted nothing more than to throw my sweet Bella down on the bed and give her a good, deep pounding. She probably deserved it for all the uncertainty she'd put me through this week, but I held myself back.

I continued kissing her hotly, my hands roaming her delicious body with passionate fervor. I growled into her mouth as I felt her hands slip underneath my shirt to rub along my chest.

Finally, I pulled away and drew in a deep breath to fortify me. We couldn't have sex right now, with Charlie downstairs watching the game. Bella's bed was old and squeaky, and it just felt disrespectful anyway.

Try telling that to my dick, my irresponsible side said grimly inside my head. I just shook the thought away and tried to think hideous thoughts so my raging erection would go away.

Bella really wasn't helping. She was lying on the bed next to me; her cheeks were flushed an attractive shade of pink and her lips swollen from our kisses. Her chest rose and fell quickly from her deep breathing. I could tell she was just as turned on as I was because her little nipples were poking through her shirt. I groaned in agony and tried to cool my rampaging lust for her.

Charlie's downstairs, Charlie's downstairs, Charlie's downstairs, he has a gun, he has a gun, he has a gun… I kept up my mantra, and finally I talked myself off the ledge.

I turned back to Bella and saw her staring up at me. "You know, my parents are going to be out of town this weekend…" I said as I brushed her hair away from her face.

She smiled brilliantly. "I guess I'll be faking a sleepover with Alice and Rose, then," she replied.

I felt my heart squeeze and my blood started to pound again. I had to get out of there before I lost all control. I quickly kissed her and jumped off the bed, leaving her on the bed. I ran to the door and winked to her before I closed it behind myself.

I said goodbye to Charlie and sped off to my house, floating on cloud nine for the rest of the night.

A/N: Okay, so I know I promised Dirty Talkin' Edward, and I will keep that promise, I.. err, promise! Now that things are settled between them, we can get to the GOOD stuff;) I hope you enjoyed it! -HIE