Chapter 10: Hangover Kiss and Another Sleepover

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight.

Coach Masen

I woke up during the night with a horrible headache. I had drunk way too much at the club and it was a fucking miracle that I got back to our hotel room. How did I get here? I sat up quickly, looking around the room. Where was Bella? She wasn't in our room.

Still feeling extremely woozy, I stumbled out of bed to search for Bella. I hoped that I didn't do anything to piss her off during my drunken state. This was my first time being drunk in several months, so it wasn't like I did it often. What a way to impress the girl that I wanted more than anything…

I stumbled my way over to the bathroom, throwing open the door. I had to use the bathroom before I went out and looked for Bella. I didn't know if she stayed with one of the girls or what, but I had to apologize for my possibly shitty actions.

I squinted my eyes as I walked through the bathroom, heading over to the toilet. I quickly unzipped my pants and as soon as I did, I heard a small gasp behind me. I covered up my exposed junk and turned around to find Bella in the bathtub. She was covered in bubbles so I couldn't see what I desperately wanted to see.

"I… I…" I fucking stuttered, unable to form any words as I stared at her.

Bella crossed her arms over her chest as her face turned maroon. "I'm so sorry… you were passed out… and the freaking lock wasn't working on the door… oh my god," she groaned, placing her wet hand over her eyes.

Unfortunately, I did the right thing and turned around, though I really wanted to stare at her a while longer. When she moved her hand, I could see a small sliver of her left breast and I wanted nothing more than to suck on it, but that would be kind of… forward? Right?

"I'm sorry, Bella. I was just kind of out of it and I didn't know where you were. I was going to go find you after I finished…"

Bella let out a small giggle and I realized right at that moment that I loved hearing her make that sound. I loved it when she was happy.

"I'll close my eyes," Bella said as her nose scrunched when she closed her eyes tightly. "No peaking… so you can finish your… business."

She was so fucking beautiful.

I chuckled as I finished my "business" as she called it. And it was hard fucking business. Literally. I was actually surprised that my cock hadn't turned purple and fallen off by now, especially after seeing Bella in the tub. The tub that I could easily fit into with her. I could make her feel so fucking good. I would spend all my time worshipping her magnificent body if she would just let me.

Once I was done, I turned back to Bella. Her eyes were still closed and she had her small arms covering her chest. With strict restraint, I walked over to the bathtub and sat on the edge, enjoying watching her gnaw on her bottom lip nervously.

"I'm done… and it's all clear," I said with a laugh as Bella slowly opened her eyes. "So… why are you taking a bath in the middle of the night?"

Bella grinned at me and looked down, checking herself over, making sure she wasn't exposed at all. "I couldn't sleep… and you snore when you're drunk, so…"

"I'm so sorry… I'm a horrible drunk. I don't even remember getting back to the room."

"Oh…" Bella gaped at me as her eyes grew wide. "Don't be sorry… you didn't need much help."

Bella stuttered so much and seemed so nervous.

"Regardless… I shouldn't have drunk so much. I rarely do that."

Bella smiled and I had to remind myself to stop staring at her. I reached down and wiped a small amount of bubbles off her forehead. I should have known that was a mistake because once I was touching her, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to move my hand down her body, feeling her breasts… her ass… every inch of her.

Pulling my hand away quickly, I rubbed my face. "I'll give you some privacy."

"O-okay…" Bella said with her shy voice. I stood up and walked towards the door. "Hey, I put some Tylenol on the nightstand… and a bottle of water," Bella said as I was walking out.

"Thanks, Bella."

I was amazed that she actually cared about my drunken ass. The thought that Bella might actually feel the same way about me as I felt for her seemed unreal. Last night at the club, before I consumed an insane amount of alcohol, I let the slutty blonde girls hang all over me because I wanted to see if Bella would get jealous at all. It was Emmett's idea. I had no interest in those women at all, as my eyes were glued to the beautiful brunette that consumed every thought I had.

And when we were dancing… fuck. Bella definitely had one of the most phenomenal bodies I had ever seen or touched.

I took the medicine and tried to clear my mind of Bella. Leaning against the headboard, I turned on the television and flipped through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. Moments later, Bella emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and I could not fucking tear my eyes away from her body. She wore a tiny pair of black shorts and a white long sleeve t-shirt.

"Long sleeve?" I blurted out, feeling really disappointed that she wasn't wearing one of those tank tops that drove me insane, though anything she wore just about killed me.

Bella giggled as she nodded her head. "I'm cold…"

"Don't you think pants would actually help, rather than shorts?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, smart ass… but I didn't bring any pajama pants. Just shorts." Of course she didn't bring pajama pants. She was out to torture me all weekend.

Bella plopped down on the bed, lying on her back with her legs dangling off. I felt my cock grow hard as I pictured myself settling between her sexy legs. I honestly did not know how long we could keep up this charade of hiding our feelings towards one another. What was holding me back?

A few minutes passed as I tried to stop thinking about being inside Bella when I realized she must have fallen asleep. Her body was on top of the covers and I didn't want her to get cold, so I got out of bed and lifted Bella off the bed as I pulled the covers back. I gently placed Bella back on the bed, still reeling from the feeling of her body being in my arms.

Hovering over her body, I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, beautiful."

After we got back from our trip, things were different. It had now been four days since I last saw Bella. I dropped her off at her house and instead of us making plans to get together for dinner or a movie, Bella said that she thought she was getting sick or something. I would have taken care of her, but she insisted that she would be fine, not wanting to get me sick as well.

Four fucking days. I was going insane from not seeing or talking to Bella.

The only contact I had with Bella was a few text messages. I called a couple of times, but she didn't answer, only responding with a text. I wondered if she really was sick or just avoiding me.

It was Friday morning and I decided to go up to the school to get a few things done. I needed to order equipment for the school year as we were getting new gym machines. Once I was done with the boring shit, I decided to take a run around the track. On my fifth lap, I noticed Seth walking onto the field. He had come by a few times during the week to practice with me. I didn't want to make it so obvious to him that I had strong feelings for his sister, so I nonchalantly asked how she was feeling every time. He assured me that she was okay, but just having a hard time with her allergies.

"You're early this morning," I said as I jogged over to Seth.

"Yeah… I didn't sleep well…" Seth said with a raspy voice.

"Everything okay?"

He didn't say anything, but nodded his head.

We started our usual routine which was standing on opposite ends of the field, throwing the ball back and forth. With each pass, we'd both take steps back to see how far we could actually throw the ball. Seth was impressive for a high school kid and I knew if the he stuck to it, he'd be playing pro someday.

I launched the ball down the field, feeling pretty proud of myself that I could still throw such a long distance. And it didn't hurt. For the longest time after my injury, I could barely move my arm without having a piercing pain rip through my shoulder.

"That's fucking awesome!" Seth yelled from down the field. "Over seventy fucking yards, Coach!"

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. Just as I started to walk down the field to where Seth was, I heard someone clapping from the bleachers.

"Very impressive, Edward," the person yelled. I turned around and noticed my nosy fucking agent sitting in the stands with two other men.

I couldn't believe that he had set this up, going against my wishes. I wanted to be left alone. My life at this point was enjoyable and getting better every second. Especially since Bella came along.

"Who is that?" Seth asked.

The men started walking down the bleachers and I knew they were going to discuss the offer they had for me. I didn't want Seth around because I was really about to lose my temper.

"Nobody," I said, completely distracted with anger. "Listen… can you go lock up the workout room and I'll meet you later for lunch?"

"Sure… but I'm going to Port Angeles. You might check on Bella later…"

The mention of his sister's name snapped me out of my thoughts. "What's wrong with her? Still sick?"

"She's better… but today is our mom's birthday and I know she's kinda upset…"

"Oh," was all I could say, feeling so awful that Seth and Bella had to go through this. "Are you okay, Seth?"

"I'm fine, Coach… just going to spend the day with some friends."

I patted Seth on the back. "Well, be careful and… why don't you come to my house for dinner? I'll make sure Bella is there, as well."

"Sounds good," Seth muttered as he walked towards the workout room.

I needed to get to Bella, but first I had to deal with the asshole that is my agent. As the men approached me, I only had one thought in my head. Bella.

"Nice to see you, Edward," Garrett, my shitty agent, said.

"Hello," I said curtly, shaking his hand.

"Edward, this is Tom Ciskowski… and Jared Baker. They're the scouting agents I told you about from the Dallas Cowboys franchise." Garrett turned to the men and smiled like the jackass that he is. "Gentlemen, this is Edward Masen."

"Nice to meet you both," I said as we shook hands.

We ended up going to my office to talk things over. I had no interest in what they were saying because at the moment, I didn't have an interest in playing pro football. Sure, it was exciting, but I didn't think I was up to the task.

By the time our short meeting was over, I walked the men out of my office, hoping I wouldn't see them again anytime soon. Garrett was persistent and promised that he would be in touch with me, but I had planned on not answering his call. The offer I got was an amazing one, but I couldn't just leave the life I had in Forks. And that's exactly what the offer required. I would have to leave Forks immediately, leaving everything behind.

I locked up my office and, just as I was exiting the building, I noticed Bella's car exiting the parking lot. She had been going up to the school to work on things for the upcoming school year and I wondered why she didn't come by to talk to me. I rushed out to my truck and pulled out onto the highway, still able to see her car in the distance. She made a turn that was near the highway that was close to my house, but I knew exactly where she was going. Bella wasn't going to my house, she was going to the cemetery.

I needed to be there for her.

Ms. Swan

When Edward and I got back from Portland, I decided to go on an Edward-diet. It sounded so freaking crazy, but I had to distance myself from him a little bit. I didn't know if he would realize what almost happened between us when he was wasted, and I felt so ashamed because I let things go too far. I was the sober one. I knew exactly what I was doing and he didn't.

"I want you," Edward breathed against my neck. His lower half was pressing hard into my body and I could feel his obvious arousal. "See what you do to me constantly…" His lips moved against my neck, making my legs feel as though I would collapse soon. "All the fucking time, Bella."

I could have screamed because I wanted him so badly.

I couldn't speak because I was so overwhelmed with the way his mouth felt against my skin. I knew he was drunk and Edward would never admit these things to me if he was sober. Edward and I both had feelings for each other, it was obvious, but neither of us was ready for a relationship. I wasn't ready to be a fuck buddy, either.

Very gently, I placed my trembling hands on Edward's chest and pushed him away. "You're drunk, Edward, and we need to go to sleep."

I turned towards the door, fumbling with the crappy key card that would not scan.

Edward ground his erection against my ass as he began placing kisses along my shoulder to the back of my neck. "Fuck going to sleep, Bella."

He didn't know what his words did to me. God, how I would have loved to rip my clothes off in that freaking hallway and finally have our way with one another, but I could never forgive myself for doing that. If Edward and I crossed that line, especially while he was drunk, things would never be the same between us again. I already considered him my best friend and I didn't want to lose him.

With everything in me, I ignored the sensations my body experienced. "Come on," I mumbled as I finally got the door open. Edward followed close behind me as his hands were still on my hips. "Lie down, Edward."

I turned to him, pulling him towards the bed. Edward moved towards me and I knew he was leaning in to kiss me, not on the neck this time, but on the mouth. I didn't want my first kiss with him to be a drunken one, so I ducked out of the way as Edward stumbled to his bed.

As soon as Edward landed on the bed, he passed out. I prayed that he wouldn't remember what happened between us.

And that is what started the Edward-diet. I bought three tubs of cheesecake bites and placed them in the refrigerator the night we got back home. I also had to buy cold medicine because I really was getting sick. Anyway, I made a deal with myself that if I could avoid going to see Edward or calling him, that I could have five cheesecake bites at night. If I gave in to my temptation, I couldn't have cheesecake. It sounded simple, but I lost the bet with myself. I ended up driving past his house or driving past the school every single day just to try and get a glimpse of him. Though I didn't actually see him, it was still the point that I couldn't stay away.

Running a fever and feeling like shit actually helped in my effort to distance myself from him. There was no way in hell I would ever let Edward see me like that.

Esme came over a few times to check on me, along with Rose and Alice. They were all concerned, knowing what day was coming up. Friday was my mom's birthday and being back at home made it even harder to handle. In Arizona I was able to push aside all of the memories, but being back in Forks, I remembered everything.

The year my dad and I surprised her with breakfast in bed.

The year my mom and I left for a girl's only vacation.

The year I was five and stayed up really late, breaking the rules, to make her a card.

I still missed her so much.

I stopped by the local flower shop and purchased a fresh bouquet of flowers to place on her grave. She loved white roses, so that's exactly what I got for her. I also had a card to go along with the flowers. I hoped nobody would read it, but it just felt good to get my feelings out. I felt like I was really talking to her or something. As I drove away from the florist, I passed by the school and saw Edward's truck parked near the back of the school, along with Seth's vehicle. He usually worked out with Seth every morning, which was one of the sweetest things. Edward didn't have to do that for Seth, but he told me that he really enjoyed it.

I wanted to talk to him so much.

I kept driving and decided to stop off at the police station. Emmett would make me feel better. He always knew how to make me laugh.

As soon as I walked through the door, I was approached by several of my dad's old friends. Everyone there still missed him like he had just died yesterday. My dad was the type of person to help anyone he knew, even strangers. There was a homeless person that stopped off in Forks several years ago and, every single day, my dad would go buy the man breakfast. When it started to get cold outside, he bought the man several blankets because the man refused to go stay at the shelter. My dad was an extremely caring man.

"Hi, sweetie!" Emmett hollered from his office. I quickly said my goodbyes as I made my way to back to Emmett.

"Hey, Em… I'm sorry… I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

Emmett walked over to me and closed the door before hugging me tightly against his chest. "Don't ever be sorry for stopping by, Bella."

"Thanks," I finally answered after trying to hold myself together. I didn't want to break down in front of him already, but it was just a really awful day.

Emmett had an old leather couch in his office that he led me over to. "So… it's your mom's birthday today, right?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm having a bad day."

As soon as Emmett wrapped his arm around me, I started bawling. The ugly crying that you can't control the weird faces you're making. That kind of cry. Emmett had seen me like that so many times, I didn't really care.

"Shhh… it's all going to be okay, Bella. You have so many people that care about you… and I'm so glad you came to me. You are my little sister."

"Thanks, Em. Love you," I mumbled against his chest.

"Love you, too, Bella."

Emmett and I sat in silence for a while. He held me as I cried and it felt good to get it all out finally, but something was missing. I missed Edward. He made everything better and it was hard to admit that because I had extremely good friends that helped me through very hard times, but I knew deep down that Edward was the only one to make me feel better.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Emmett asked.

"Nah, I'm just going to stay in… maybe order a pizza or something."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, make sure you call us if you need anything… or Alice and Jasper… mom and dad… and you know you can count on Edward, too."

"I know… Edward is… a really good friend." I had to admit that to Emmett. He could see right through me. I was sure he already knew how I felt about Edward anyway.

Emmett smiled brightly. "Yeah, and I think he is really good for you, Bella. Maybe someday-"

"Stop right there, gossip queen…" I interrupted, laughing so hard because Edward had mentioned Emmett's gossiping ways.

We talked a little bit longer and Emmett walked me out to my car, making me promise to call if I needed anything. I drove away from the station, knowing exactly where I needed to go. To see Edward.

On my way to the school, I received a phone call from Seth. He let me know that he and some friends were going to hang out in Port Angeles since he was done practicing with Edward. It was a little earlier than their usual quitting time, but Seth said a few men showed up at the practice field to talk to Edward. He also mentioned that Edward wanted us over for dinner, which was very sweet of him to think of us. I hung up the phone and decided to go to the cemetery before I saw Edward. I knew we would end up going to lunch or something and I didn't want to miss going to the cemetery.

I parked my car at the side of the cemetery and grabbed the flowers and a blanket out of my car. I walked up to my parents' grave, still not believing that they were actually dead. Every time I visited their grave, it just didn't seem real. I spread the blanket out once I placed the flowers next to the headstone. I sat down on the blanket and laid back, closing my eyes as I thought about our fun times.

As I wiped the tears from my cheeks, I heard footsteps nearby, which caused me to sit up quickly. I opened my eyes and found Edward standing in front of me, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything… I just saw you heading out this way and thought you-" Edward stopped talking as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I thought you might need a friend?"

God, I missed him.

I stood up and without thinking, wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yes, I do."

His arms wrapped tightly around me, slightly lifting me off the ground. "I'll always be here for you, Bella."

"Thank you," I managed to say as my tears soaked through the front of his shirt. I pulled away and looked up at him. We both had goofy smiles on our faces and I realized then that I couldn't go another day avoiding him. His shirt had a wet spot on it and I cringed when I saw it. "Sorry," I said, pointing to the spot.

"Not a problem, beautiful."

I blushed when he called me beautiful because he had never said that to me before... well, not when he was sober, anyway.

"I love that," Edward mumbled as he ran his finger across my cheekbone. "I don't like to see you cry, but your eyes are gorgeous when you do cry. Big brown, glossy eyes."

As if blushing the color of a tomato wasn't bad enough, I now felt like my face was more like a burgundy color.

Edward grinned and held up the flowers. "These are for… your parents."

"Thank you." My hand was grasping one of Edward's tightly and I couldn't seem to let go. "It's my mom's birthday today."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward said with a sympathetic smile. "I didn't realize… if you need to be alone I can come back… but I'd really like to be here for you."

I tugged on Edward's arm gently and pulled him to the blanket. We sat down facing towards my parents' headstone as I placed the flowers Edward bought next to my bouquet.

"I need you here."

Edward put his arm around me, pulling me close to his side. After sitting in silence for a while, Edward was the first to say something. "What were they like?"

"Crazy… overprotective… loving."

Edward chuckled at my openness, but it was true. "My dad was definitely the type to be cleaning his gun when a guy showed up at my house. My mother was a spur of the moment type person. She would get these crazy ideas to do something wild and fun, but they were two of the most loving people you'd ever meet."

"I wish I had met them… you know, my mom knew them."

"Yeah… your mom called when they died. She apologized that she couldn't come to the funeral and, honestly, Chicago is so far away…"

"Have you ever met my mother?" Edward asked.

"No… my mom and her kept in touch, writing and talking on the phone occasionally, but no, I've never actually met her."

"She likes you a lot."

"Anyone is a step up from Lauren," I blurted out.

Edward laughed along with me, tightening his hold on my body. "True… but I was visiting her, actually, right before we met… and she warned me to be extra nice to you."

"And I bet you never imagined that you'd have to be nice to me so soon… changing my tire for me."

"It wasn't a big deal," Edward said sweetly. "I like to help the little girl in the rain… not able to change her own tire."

I smacked Edward's leg. "Haha… very funny. I would have changed it… eventually… the next morning, in the daylight."

Edward laughed loudly, his body shaking as he did. "Exactly."

"Thank you… for staying with me. I don't like coming out here alone."

"Just call me, Bella… anytime."

"Okay," I sighed softly as I leaned into Edward even more. "Sorry I haven't talked to you all week… my throat has been so sore… and-"

"I thought you were avoiding me or something… but your voice is scratchy… still extremely cute, but scratchy, so I believe that you were sick. However, I wish you would let me take care of you. I could've brought you soup or something."

It felt so good to have someone like Edward. I knew I could count on him for anything. I didn't want to lose our friendship, though. My mind kept drifting back to his mouth attached to my neck in the sexiest way possible.

"I didn't want you to get sick, though."

"Last time I checked, you can't really catch allergy problems."

"I know," I groaned. "But I looked like a piece of shit… you probably would have gotten sick just from seeing my appearance."

"Oh yeah, seeing you with your cute little red nose and your pajamas on… that would have been awful," Edward said mockingly as he brought his hand to his forehead. Gently, Edward placed his finger under my chin, tilting my face up to look at him. "Call me next time."

"Okay, I will."

I told my mom 'happy birthday' a while later and so did Edward. I had never met a sweeter man than him. We left a little bit later and Edward followed me to my house so we could drop off my car and grab my swimsuit. Edward mentioned that we might go swimming later that day. After leaving my house, we stopped off at the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. Edward was cooking steaks for him and Seth, and grilled chicken for me. He gaped at me when I told him I didn't really care for steak.

It was still early in the day when we got to Edward's house, so we changed into our swimsuits and relaxed in the pool for a bit. I had to keep pushing my dirty thoughts away as I stared at Edward. The word 'sexy' did not do him justice. He was breathtakingly handsome.

The water was up to my breasts as I sat on the pool stairs, watching Edward swim his laps up and down the pool. On his last lap, he swam right over to me and had a big grin on his face when he looked up.

"Bored?" Edward asked.

"Nope… wishing that I could swim that fast."

"Years of practice," Edward chuckled. "Anything on your mind?"

"Yeah," I answer honestly. "Seth said that some strange men came to see you at the field today… anything wrong?"

Edward sighed as he moved to sit next to me. Our hips were touching and though I had just asked him a question, all I could think about was climbing onto his lap to straddle him.

"Well… you know how my agent has been bugging me?" I nodded. "He and two men from the team showed up today… they saw me practicing with Seth and said it further proved that I was still able to play. They offered me… a rather amazing contract deal."

Without realizing what I was actually doing, I lunged towards him and hugged him. "That's great news!"

Edward shook his head against my shoulder and, once again, I felt his warm breath on my skin. "It's not… I didn't accept."

I pulled away from him and stood up, standing between his legs. "Why, Edward!?"

"Because…" he groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not ready to just up and leave my life here… and they want me as soon as possible… I have to worry about the kids I'm coaching and-"

"Bullshit, Edward… they could find another coach for the team. This is such a huge opportunity… what you've been waiting for!"

"It's not that easy, Bella… I would be so far away and it would just be so… different for me…"

"What team is it?" I hated the thought of Edward moving away, but I knew he was miserable not being able to play anymore.

With a regretful look, Edward said, "Dallas." And I wanted to cry. That was so far away from me.

"That is far," I mumbled, "but I know that isn't the real reason, Edward…."

"You're right… I just… what if I can't handle it? I'm twenty nine years old and I would be going up against young guys… just out of college."

"If they didn't think you could do it, then they wouldn't offer you a contract, Edward." I sat back down next to him, nudging his knee with mine. "Just don't give up on yourself yet… think it over for a bit before you make your final decision."

"Thanks, Bella."

"Anytime," I said, wrapping my arm around him. It was my turn to be there for him.

Edward and I continued swimming for a while until we realized that it was getting close to dinner time. Edward cooked the chicken and steaks and baked potatoes while I made a salad and a cake. Edward insisted that we have cake to celebrate my mom. I think I fell in love with him even more when he said that. Fell in love? No. Just as friends. We were just friends. The way I loved Emmett and Jasper.

Seth arrived just as we finished cooking and played with Edward's dog, Herkie, for a bit. We laughed throughout dinner and Edward got our mind off of the sadness that had plagued us all day. He was exactly what we needed.

The three of us cleaned up the small mess in the kitchen after eating cake and ice cream. Once we were done with the cleaning, Edward put in National Lampoon's Vacation because Seth mentioned it was his favorite movie. We needed something to keep us laughing and that was perfect.

I sat in my usual spot on the loveseat; however, instead of Edward sitting by me, like he usually did, Herkie plopped down beside me, resting his head on my lap. Edward complained that he stole his seat, but Herkie just looked up at him momentarily, as if he was saying 'And, asshole?'

All too soon, I found myself drifting off to sleep, unable to keep my eyes open.

Coach Masen

Seth and I laughed as we tried to keep Bella awake, but she eventually fell asleep and there was no way we were going to get her to wake up.

"Why don't you guys just stay here tonight?" I asked Seth, since it was so late and I didn't really want him out driving.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Seth asked as his own eyes were heavily lidded.

"Sure," I replied as I grabbed a couple of blankets out of the living room closet. "You can sleep down here or upstairs in the guest room?"

Seth settled in on the couch and offered to help get Bella up to the guest room, but I assured him I could handle her. Before I was able to get Bella out of the room, Seth was already snoring.

Herkie followed me upstairs as I carried Bella to the bedroom. I wanted nothing more than to take her to my room, but I knew I couldn't. God, how I wanted her in my bed.

I was jealous of my dog when he jumped onto the bed and cuddled next to Bella. My damn dog was getting to cuddle with my Bella and it wasn't fair. I turned on the bedside lamp so it wasn't so dark if Bella woke up. Very reluctantly, I left the room and headed to my bathroom to take a cold shower. I hated being such a horny bastard, but I had to go take care of the usual daily Bella-hard-on.

Once I was done with my shower, I sat in bed, flipping through the television channels. Skinemax and Hotime were showing their night time shows, which used to hold an interest for me, but now that I had Bella to fantasize about, I'd never turn to porn again. However, there was so much more to Bella than my attraction for her. She was smart and beautiful and sweet. I felt so connected to her. I knew if we could ever get over our fears of admitting our feelings that we both obviously had, then we'd be great together. Great for each other.

As I settled on an old episode of 'Friends', I heard a noise coming from the other room. I hurried out of bed and headed over to the door. Just before I reached for the knob, the door opened and there stood Bella.

"I… woke up and didn't know where I was…"

"Sorry, I tried to wake you up, but you were out cold." I leaned against the door frame. Bella was just inches away from me and I wanted to pull her close to me so badly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but where's Seth?"

"Downstairs… he fell asleep on the couch."

Herkie was standing next to Bella, nudging her hand with his head. He loved to be petted and he absolutely loved when Bella petted him. Bella giggled and squatted down to his level and began petting his back.

"I don't really want to be alone…" Bella admitted shyly.

"Sleep in my room..." I gently grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. "You take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch." Don't ask why I had a couch in my bedroom. Alice picked out all the furniture.

"I can't let you do that… I'll sleep on the couch."

"Nope… not gonna happen, Bella."

"Well… I'll just sleep in the bed with you. It's not like we haven't done that before anyway… would that be okay with you?"

"Definitely," I answered, wanting to jump up and down like a dumbass. I looked over to Herkie and smiled smugly. Who gets to sleep with her now? Uh, that would be me.

Bella needed something to sleep in and I found a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt. She had to tighten the drawstring to keep them up, and fuck if she didn't look so damn cute.

We climbed into bed at the same time. I still had that smug smile on my face because I felt so proud to have her sleeping in my bed. If only we could have some fun? That would be perfect. I pushed those thoughts away though, knowing Bella needed me to comfort her after the emotional day she had. Usually we kept our hands to ourselves but always ended up finding ourselves wrapped around each other in the morning. I decided to show Bella I really cared about her. Bella was facing the other way when I swiftly placed my arm around her and pulled her body back against my chest.

Bella's small hand gripped my forearm as she sighed sleepily. "Thank you for being… you, Edward…"

That night I held Bella as she went to sleep and I did not know how I was going to make it another night without having her beside me. I gladly turned in my so called man-card because that girl had me wrapped around her finger.

I didn't know how much longer I could hold out, holding my feelings back, but it wouldn't be long before I told her how I felt. I just had to figure out how and pray I didn't lose her in the process.

**reposting - no changes to the original story

thanks for reading!