Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Author's Note:Thanks so much to each and every person who reads and reviews. I'm sorry I don't take the time to reply to every single one, but it is more difficult on here for me for some reason. But I love and adore each one. Visit us on the Twilighted forums. I have never posted teasers so I don't know if I will be very good at it, but I may try soon! Hope you all like this chapter! Enjoy!

Edward POV

That kiss just fucking killed me.

I had these walls carefully set up so that she couldn't hurt me anymore. I didn't care what a pussy it made me sound like, but I was sick and tired of Bella hurting me without even realizing it.

When she told me this morning that she thought last night was a mistake, what the hell was I supposed to say? I wasn't about to tell her how I really felt just to make things even more awkward than they already were. I decided I would just go along with it. I figured if I agreed—if I made her believe I thought it never should have happened—then eventually Iwould believe it myself.

Well, that blew up in my fucking face.

I was doing a really good job of pretending before that kiss happened. I wanted to both strangle and hug Rosalie and Emmett for giving me that opportunity. When our lips met, everything else in the room just stopped and we were Bella and Edward again. The ones we used to be before shit hit the fan. But then I had to get all evasive after it happened just so she would know I didn't expect anything more from it.

I fucked up though.

I let her see a crack in my wall by bringing up last night again and how she had said it was a mistake. I brought it up relatively out of nowhere and tried to digress before she noticed, but it was pretty fucking obvious. Then Alice—thank God for her—came in to say goodnight and saved me from that conversation.

But holding her in my arms, feeling her body against mine; it fit so perfectly. I wanted to stay that way. I held onto her as long as I could, but eventually I had to let go. I had to turn away before my walls came crumbling down. I didn't care if I sounded like a complete ass—she was making mefeel like shit so might as well bring her down with me.

Why the hell did she ask me what that kiss meant, though? What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to tell her it meant everything to me? That for the first time in three months I felt whole? That I wanted to do it again? No, I couldn't say any of that shit because she would just go on and on about how I had hurt her over the years and that we didn't fit together anymore. I didn't want to face that. It was hard to lie; to really act like I didn't give two shits about her. But it was worth it if I didn't have to get hurt in the end.

I was lying on my back, staring up at the dark ceiling as Bella's even breathing filled the room. I glanced over at her and saw she was facing me for once. I smiled slightly at the sight of her. I loved watching her sleep. I used to do it all the time. I told Jasper once and he thought I was some sick creeper. But Bella said she liked it. She said it made her feel safe…and loved. I wished so badly I that I could just wrap my arms around her and pull her to me and make her feel that way again. I wished none of this had happened and we really were here, happily married, about to celebrate Alice and Jasper's wedding. I wanted things to be different. I wanted to know if she felt the things that I had been feeling and had just been hiding them like I had been.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled over onto my side and faced Bella. I didn't touch her. I didn't move closer to her. No. I just lay there…and watched her until sleep finally overtook me and I succumbed to the darkness.

XxXxX

"Edward! Bella!"

I groaned and rolled over, willing the noise to go away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you! I'm coming in!"

Shit. Alice.

Again.

I quickly sat up and looked down at Bella as she stirred and looked up at me with sleepy eyes. I mouthed 'Alice' to her and this quickly got her attention. Her eyes went wide and she swiftly scooted over toward me. I sighed and took a deep breath for another round of pain to come when I felt her in my arms again.

Instead of laying with her back to me like she had last night, she simply lay her head on my chest and put an arm around my torso as I put an arm around her and held one of her hands in mine. I looked down at her and she looked up at me and for a split second, I saw that familiar look she would always give me when we woke up in the mornings together. It was a look of adoration and I hadn't realized how much I had missed it until now.

There was no more time for contemplation, however, as Alice swung the door open and came barreling in. We both looked up at her and saw she was fully dressed and obviously had a lot of energy even though it was barely eight in the morning.

"Good morning, sleepy heads!" she chirped happily as she perched herself on the bed beside us.

"It's not even eight yet, Alice," Bella replied in a raspy morning voice as she rubbed her eyes and snuggled deeper into my chest. She must have liked the warmth there.

Alice just rolled her eyes, completely oblivious to the fact that I was holding my breath in an attempt to not completely burst with Bella being in such close proximity to me.

"Bella, you and Rose are coming with me today to try on your bridesmaid dresses! I need to make sure they fit!" Alice all but pouted. When Bella's eyes remained closed and she stayed firmly at my side, Alice shook her legs roughly. "Bella! Wake up, wake up, wake up! Molest my brother later!" That got her attention.

Bella's eyes quickly snapped open when she realized how close she really was to me, and she sat up straight and practically leaped out of bed, suddenly very awake.

"Sorry, Alice, you're right. I'm not being a very good maid of honor," she mumbled, turning three shades of red. Her eyes remained downcast as she walked to the bathroom. "Just let me shower and I'll be right down." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes, the shower turned on and I closed my eyes again and let out a sigh of relief. Having her that close to me was not good. It only reminded me of what I didn't have anymore and it hurt like hell.

"So you and Bella seem happy," Alice said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

I rubbed my eyes and opened them and sure enough she was smiling brightly at me. "Yea, things are good," I stated plainly, not wanting to have to give details that didn't exist.

She nodded. "I'll bet. You know, you should take her somewhere just the two of you. I know Jasper and I have been completely eating up your guys' time with wedding stuff, but you and Bella don't live here in Seattle. You should take her for a night on the town or something," she insisted, growing more excited with the idea as she continued speaking. "Jazz and I will even make reservations at an amazing restaurant for you guys! It'll be great!"

"Alice," I started softly, shaking my head. "You don't have too. We don't want to cause any inconveniences."

"Nonsense," she said, holding up her hand to stop my rebuttals. "Case is officially closed. Jasper and I will make reservations at that new restaurant that just opened. Ooooh, and there's going to be a concert in the park nearby! Jazz took me a couple times and, Edward, it was so sweet!"

"Alice—"

"It's going to be great!" she interrupted, jumping up from the bed and clapping her hands excitedly. "Aw, she is going to think you are so romantic, Edward! I need to go make some phone calls." She practically hopped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I just lay in bed for a while after she left, trying to relax and not think about how hard tonight was going to be. Maybe we could arrange to just go our separate ways and tell Alice and Jasper we went.

Fuck, the restaurant would probably call home when we didn't show up for our reservations. Well, shit, there was no way to talk ourselves out of this one. We had been doing a fairly good job of keeping our distance from one another—minus the amazing sex and make out—but to have to go spend a 'romantic' evening together? I didn't really see any way we could talk ourselves out of that one.

Let the pain begin.

Again.

XxXxX

"What?" Bella all but seethed as I told her of Alice's plans for us tonight.

We were currently in the bathroom. Bella was brushing her hair after she had changed into her outfit for the day, and I was brushing my teeth. I had the towel wrapped around my waist seeing as I had just taken a shower. Bella was originally going to wait until I was done in the bathroom, but Alice was rushing her. So here we were, taking part in a completely normal marital activity and we weren't even technically together anymore. But then why did it still feel so natural?

"Listen," I said as I spit out the last of the toothpaste from my mouth and rinsed with water before straightening up and placing my toothbrush in the cup beside hers. "We'll just go to whatever place they make reservations for us tonight and get it over with." I dried off my hair with a towel and noticed her eyes in the mirror were zeroed in on my chest. "See something you like?" I asked cockily when she didn't say anything for a few minutes.

Her eyes snapped up to mine and instead of blushing like I thought she would, her mouth turned up into a smirk. "I've seen better," she said as she brushed past me and went into the bedroom to put on her shoes.

I just stood there for a second, a little shocked at her boldness, before going to stand in the doorway of the bathroom. She was sitting on the bed tying her sneakers when she looked up at me and raised her eyebrows expectantly, probably waiting for me to make a smart ass rebuttal.

"Touché, Bella," I replied quietly, smiling slightly at her. She offered me a curt nod before sighing and hopping off the bed and out the room.

"Have fun trying on dresses all day, Bella," I called after her before she made it to the first step. I knew it was an activity she didn't relatively enjoy, so reminding her that she would be spending the better part of her day doing it was going to get to her.

She stopped and looked at me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times and I knew she was trying to think up a quick response. She finally smiled softly at me. "Touché, Edward," she said.

"Bella!" Alice's voice flitted upstairs. "We are burning daylight, my love!"

I chuckled at Alice's impatience and Bella rolled her eyes and hurried down the stairs. I walked out into the hallway and looked down at the foyer. The two of them were waiting for Rosalie to put on her shoes. Alice and Bella were the first to leave and I watched them go—hand in hand—and my heart swelled at the fact that Bella still fit into my family so perfectly.

Rosalie looked up at me just as she was about to walk out and smiled smugly. "See something you like, Edward?" she asked jokingly, gesturing to herself.

I just chuckled and shook my head. "I've seen better, Rose," I repeated Bella's earlier comment. Rosalie's face fell and she flipped me off before turning and slamming the door behind her.

"I've seen Bella," I murmured quietly to myself.

And I was completely taken aback by the truth in my own words. There was still something there between Bella and me; even if we were both trying desperately to ignore it. Why else would we have drunken sex? Obviously our subconscious minds were trying to tell us something, right? And that kiss. She pretty much admitted to feeling something after that kiss. Why else would she have brought it up?

I wasn't sure what was happening, but things were definitely not the same as they had been the first day we had arrived in Seattle. It was this bittersweet sensation—hot and cold. Amazing and horrible at the same time. While I enjoyed being near Bella so much, it still killed me that she hadn't trusted me. And even though I loved having little teasing spouts with her like we used to have, I felt like there was always an underlying anger deep within the both of us, threatening to escape if we were pushed far enough.

And then there were times when I would watch her sleep and want to wake her up and whisper nothing but loving words in her ear. To tell her she was the only one for me and that no matter what happened, we would always end up being together because the two of us just fit.

But at the same time, we had both put each other through so much shit that recovering seemed more painful than what we had already been put through. Still, I wasn't sure how much longer these feelings—these thoughts—could be pushed aside before they reached the surface. So much had happened in the short week that we had been here; I could only imagine what the next three weeks would entail. There was a fifty percent chance that things would take a turn for the better. But there was always that other fifty percent chance that things would take a turn for the fucking worse. And if I was being perfectly honest with myself, I wasn't quite sure which one it would end up being.

"Edward!" I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when Jasper appeared at the foyer below me. "Emmett and I are heading into town to try on the tuxes. You good to go?" he asked.

"Uh, y-yea. Sure," I stammered, still in somewhat of a haze after having reached a few stunning revelations in my head.

We spent the majority of the afternoon getting fitted for our tuxedos. I was Jasper's best man so I had to be a good sport and try not to stress him out too much. Of course Emmett's tux took a lot longer to fit since he was so fucking huge.

Jasper apologized multiple times for the whole pregnancy misunderstanding from the other day. He had never really got to talk to me about it and he was feeling unnecessary guilt. He told me how he thought Alice's idea for Bella and I to have a romantic evening was the perfect way for him to show his apologies. I didn't think it was such a positive thing.

We finally got back to the lake house by the time the sun was starting to set. I groaned out loud when I saw that Alice's Porsche was parked outside; that meant they were home already. I was hoping I would be able to prolong the inevitable a bit longer.

Emmett glanced at me from the passenger seat and smiled cheekily. "Why so gloomy, Edward?" he asked mockingly.

I glared at him and if Jasper hadn't been sitting in the car, I probably would have punched him in the fucking face. "Just miss my wife," I spat back, praying he would leave me the hell alone.

"Yea, you two sure are…somethin," he quipped, putting extra emphasis on the last word. I continued glaring at him as Jasper put the car into park and I practically ran out and up the front porch.

"He wasn't kidding about missing her," I heard Jasper chuckle as I yanked open the front door and slammed it shut behind me.

"Edward?" I heard Alice call me from upstairs.

I took a deep, calming breath before pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes, trying to get control over my frustration. "Yea, Alice?" I answered a little harsher than intended.

"Go get ready! And close your eyes. I'm moving Bella to mine and Jasper's room to finish getting ready!"

I sighed, aggravated, but closed my eyes and waited. I heard faint footsteps upstairs as Alice shuffled Bella across the hall before closing the door.

"Okay, open," Alice instructed. I opened my eyes and saw her standing at the railing with a huge grin on her face. "Put on a nice dress shirt, tie, and dress pants. You have thirty minutes to get ready. Go." She turned around briskly and walked into the room to finish with Bella.

I shook my head and robotically climbed up the steps. I took a quick shower before drying myself off and putting on a pair of black fitted pants, a dark grey button up shirt, and a black tie. I ran my hand through my hair, but it was a lost cause. It would just go whichever direction it wanted to go in the end.

With a heavy sigh, I finally walked out of the room and went downstairs to wait for Bella. After putting on my shoes and shuffling my feet for about ten minutes, the bedroom door opened. I looked up just as Alice stepped out.

"You ready?" she asked with a bright smile on her face.

I returned her with a weak smile, trying to be enthusiastic, and nodded. Alice let out a sigh of relief and walked back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, she walked back out with Bella beside her. And for a second, I forget to breathe.

Bella looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a simple black dress that fit to her curves perfectly and ended just above her knees. And her heels—shit—they were sexier than the red heels she had been wearing at the engagement party. They were black and had zebra print on the front where they were peep toe. I could see her toenails were painted a dark red and that just made the outfit even sexier than it already was—if that was even a possibility.

I was so caught up in checking Bella out, that I didn't come to until I heard Alice's quiet giggle. I finally looked up and saw that Bella was now standing in front of me and Alice was standing on the last step behind her, watching us with amusement in her eyes.

"You look beautiful, love," I whispered. I couldn't even lie to myself and say that I only said it because Alice was witnessing. I said it because…I meant it.

"You too," Bella replied quickly, and then blushed and bit her lip when she realized what she said. "I mean…you look…um…you look very handsome," she stammered quietly.

"You guys are acting like two awkward teenagers going on their first date," Alice laughed.

No. But it was pretty damn close.

"Um…shall we?" I asked hesitantly, holding my hand out for her, wondering if she would take it. She did.

"Oh, Edward!" Alice suddenly called after us. I looked at her—forgetting she was even there because my mind was so focused on Bella—and saw her hand Bella a piece of paper. "The directions to the restaurant. It's new and Jazz and I think you'll love it. We already called and made reservations and it's on Jasper's credit card so don't worry about that."

"Alice—" I started to argue.

"No, Edward." She held up her hand for me to stop. "This is mine and Jasper's treat to you guys. Don't ruin it."

"Really, Alice, it wouldn't feel right," Bella agreed, looking at Alice uneasily.

"Bella, you have been running around with me helping with wedding stuff all week. You agreed to be my maid of honor even though it's a hell of a lot of work. And we made both you and Edward fly out here for four weeks and take time off work for us. We want to do this. So please? Enjoy?" she said pleadingly with an encouraging smile.

I finally sighed and nodded and Bella just shook her head and kissed Alice's cheek. We said our goodbyes before leading Bella out to Jasper's car. He was lending it out to us for the night—as if they hadn't already done enough for us.

I opened Bella's door for her and helped her in since Alice was probably still watching through the window—and if I was being honest, I just really wanted to.

"Alice," Bella sighed, shaking her head as I got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"I know. But when Alice's sets her mind on something…"

"…there's no stopping the hurricane," she finished for me.

I nodded and chuckled before pulling away from the house and driving down the long winding, dirt driveway before I finally got to the main road. Bella remained relatively silent through out the ride so I didn't try to start any conversation for fear it would be awkward. She only talked when we got into the busy part of town and I asked her for directions.

It didn't take long until we were in front of the Italian restaurant. It was definitely a sight; I'd give Alice and Jasper that. I parked in front of the restaurant and helped Bella out before giving the keys to the valet and walking with Bella to the entrance. We didn't hold

hands or touch. We simply walked at a safe distance into the restaurant and to the hostess stand.

The hostess looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old with curly blonde hair. She still had braces and when she saw us walking in, her eyes zeroed in on me and she began twirling her hair.

"Oh boy," I heard Bella mutter under her breath. But I didn't acknowledge it. I didn't want her to think I was actually falling for this girl's flirtation—my indifference about it was partly what ruined our marriage in the first place.

"Good evening, sir," the hostess greeted us, looking only at me. "Table for two?" she asked.

I nodded and offered a polite smile, but it only made her smile grow wider. "We have reservations. I think they're under Edward Cullen?" I said, unsure which name Alice had used.

She nodded and looked in the reservation book sitting on the podium. I saw Bella shiver from the corner of my eye and I looked down at her. She had on a fleece button down coat, but even I thought it was a bit chilly in here. I looked toward the back of the restaurant and saw there was a fireplace by a few tables near the windows.

"And could we also have a seat by the fireplace, please?" I asked, turning back to the hostess. "My wife is a little cold."

The girl's smile instantly faded and she looked over at Bella before sighing dejectedly and nodding before writing something down and grabbing two menus.

"Right this way," she said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

I glanced down at Bella and saw she was looking at me curiously. It was probably in reaction to what I had said. I wasn't going to lie—it felt good to address Bella as my wife in public again and when I said it, it came out completely lovingly and adoringly and I knew she sensed it in my tone; that's probably why she was looking at me.

I kept my hand on the small of Bella's back as we followed the hostess to a table for two rights beside the fireplace. I thanked her and she nodded curtly—avoiding my eyes now—and putting our menus on the table.

"You're server will be right with you," she said in a bored tone before turning on her heel and practically stomping away.

Bella and I remained silent as we both opened our menus and peered at our options. I smiled when I saw they had her favorite—it was something she would get at every Italian restaurant we ever went to.

"Are you getting the mushroom ravioli?" I asked her, looking up from my menu after deciding what I wanted.

She looked up at me a little surprised. "How did you know?"

I chuckled. "It's what you always get, Bella."

"Well I'm happy I can be so predictable," she laughed humorlessly, looking back down at her menu.

"On the contrary, Bella, you're anything but predictable," I said in a low voice.

She looked up at me again and studied my expression. I stared right back at her unabashedly, committing everything about her face to memory because if I was being honest with myself, I wasn't sure how many more chances like this I would get with her. I looked away from her when the waiter came to take our drink orders. I looked at Bella expectantly when I ordered mine and saw she was still staring at me. She finally noticed that both I and the waiter were waiting and she snapped out of whatever haze she was in and ordered a coke.

Dinner was quiet. Very quiet. Bella and I didn't talk as we waited for our food to arrive. The only words spoken were when the pianist in the corner began playing one of Bella's favorite songs. After that, nothing else was said.

A female waitress returned with our food and I didn't miss her not so subtle attempt at flirting with me. I know it sounded arrogant, but it's not like I was making this all up in my head. I didn't want them coming on to me. That was actually the last thing I wanted. The only person I ever wanted to get that type of attention from was from the woman sitting across from me. And that seemed like an impossibility.

I made sure not to react or say anything to the waitress. I realized that my polite smiles and nods of acknowledgement didn't give them the hint that I wasn't interested. Once I actually paid attention to what I was doing and to the girls' reactions, I realized that these simple mannerisms were actually spurring them on. It was like they thought I was using a secret code so that my wife wouldn't know that I was flirting right back. If only they knew their efforts were being completely wasted on me.

We left after we finished eating and the waiter reminded us that Jasper Whitlock would be paying for our meal. I thanked him and left a generous tip for their service before helping Bella back into her coat and following her outside.

We stood awkwardly side by side on the sidewalk as we waited for the valet to bring our car around. I was disappointed when the young man working the valet held the door open for Bella because I wanted to do that. I sighed agitatedly and shoved a tip in the valet's hands before getting into the car and heading back on the main road.

"We don't have to go to the concert in the park, Bella. We can just go home," I said, remembering how Alice had timed dinner so that the concert would start a half hour later. The park was only a few minutes away from the restaurant.

I glanced at Bella and saw her contemplating before sighing and shaking her head. "No, we have to. Alice will wonder why we're home so early. We can just go check it out. I like classical music," she said, turning to me with a small smile.

I gave her my crooked one in return and nodded. "Me too."

We spent the rest of the ride to the park in silence. She didn't wait for me to help her get out of the car once we parked and that was kind of disappointing, but I decided to let it go. We walked side by side down the wide concrete pathway that separated the park into two sections. The grass was green and there were numerous trees surrounding us. People were having picnics in the grass even though it was dark and really cold. Bella wrapped her arms tighter around herself and I wished at that moment that I could just wrap my arm around her like I used to and hold her close to me.

We finally spotted the stage where a crowd was already forming on the grass. We walked towards it as the band began playing a slow-beat song. Some couples in the crowd were swaying side by side; others were simply holding each other.

Bella and I stood on the side and watched, just enjoying the music. A couple—close to our age—came and stood near us. I looked over at them and saw that the wife was pregnant and the father was holding a small girls' hand—she was maybe four or five.

"Daddy!" the little girl called, yanking on her father's hand. "Daddy, put me on your shoulders so I can see!"

Her father chuckled, obviously adoring his daughter, and helped her climb on top of her shoulders. The wife smiled at him in a loving way and kissed him on the lips as one of his hands trailed down to caress her round belly.

I felt my heart constrict at the thought that that should have been Bella and me right now. Me with our daughter on my shoulders, her carrying our child. The thought that that would never happened killed me. It was like the night when Alice thought Bella and I were having a baby. How I wished that was the case. How I wished we had a family—that we were happy. That none of this cluster-fuck had ever happened.

I tore my eyes away from the happy couple, unable to handle the self-inflicted pain any longer, and looked instead at Bella. That was a huge mistake. She was staring at the couple too. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and they seemed a million years away as she watched the family interact with one another. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking. That that should have been us. It should still be us.

My questions were answered when she finally met my gaze. I could see it in her eyes—she was thinking it too and she knew I knew. I opened my mouth to say something—I wasn't sure what—just something to break us out of this holding pattern. This holding pattern of never addressing our problems. Of letting each day pass by and ignoring everything that was changing between us. But I was interrupted by a voice I never thought I would hear again.

"Edward?"

Bella and I both tore our eyes away from each other and looked behind us. Jessica Stanley was standing there, smiling widely at me, holding a taller, blonde man's hand. I recognized him immediately.

"Jessica? Mike?" I asked, not believing that they were both here. Together.

Jessica nodded a bit too enthusiastically and began absentmindedly twirling her hair, much like she used to when we were in high school. It never ceased to annoy me.

"Oh my God! I cannot believe it! Small world! Do you live in Seattle?" Jessica asked curiously, not letting Mike get a word in edgewise.

"Uh, n-no," I stammered. They hadn't even seemed to notice Bella was right beside me. Okay, scratch that. Jessica didn't even seem to notice Bella was right beside me.

I glared at Mike when I saw him looking at Bella from head to toe and decided to put my arm around her shoulders, holding her close to me. She didn't hesitate to lean into me since we both knew Mike Newton was a creep who always had a thing for her.

"Oh, Bella, hi! I didn't even see you there!" Jessica said in that fake friendly voice of hers.

Nice to see some things never change.

"Of course you didn't," Bella bit back sarcastically. I held back a laugh as Jessica's face fell a little and she looked at mine and Bella's proximity.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed. "Are you two…together?" she asked, pointing between Bella and me.

"Three years," I answered immediately, squeezing Bella a little tighter.

"Wow," Jessica said, as if it was the most shocking piece of information she had ever heard. "Who would have thought? Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. High school sweethearts till the end," she mused, smiling wistfully.

"You better believe it, babe," Bella spat back, trying to sound nice, but failing miserably.

"Cullen, what are you doing nowadays?" Mike finally spoke up.

"I work at a law firm in New York. Bella's a writer for a magazine there," I replied proudly.

He nodded. "So what brings you two to Seattle?"

"It's Alice and Jasper's wedding," Bella said. I was happy she was aiding me with this conversation. They were both pretty obnoxious in high school and it seemed to still be the case now. The sooner we could get rid of them, the better. For the first time in three months…we were on the same side.

"That's unbelievable!" Jessica exclaimed a little too excitedly. "Alice and Jasper. Bella and Edward. It's crazy," she said, shaking her head at the facts presented.

"You and Mike tie the knot?" Bella asked in a bored tone of voice. I actually chuckled that time.

"Yes," Jessica responded, putting her arms around Mike's waist. "Happily for five years now. Tonight is our anniversary. He took me to this fancy restaurant for dinner and then here to listen to some classical music." She smiled up at him and he smiled back, kissing her forehead. They genuinely seemed like they were in love; happy.

"Any kids yet?" Mike asked us as Jessica stared up at him adoringly.

"No not yet," Bella replied before I could, putting extra emphasis on the last word and making it sound like it was a possibility in the future. My heart sank at the realization that it wasn't. "You?" she asked.

Mike nodded. "Two, actually. One's a month old, the other just started pre-school last week," he responded like a proud father. It shocked the hell out of me that Mike Newton was a father. "Jessica just started working at the hospital as a registered nurse and I'm so busy teaching ninth grade biology, it's nice for the little one to have somewhere to go during the day," he chuckled.

"Wow, congratulations," I offered as enthusiastically as I could.

"Well it was nice seeing you too again," Jessica said, smiling widely at us. "Tell Alice and Jasper congrats."

I nodded. "Sure thing, Jess."

"Later, man," Mike said, shaking my hand. "Bye, Bella."

I looked down at her and she just offered him a small smile.

"Bye, Bells!" Jessica beamed, leaning in and hugging her before taking Mike's hand and leading him to a food cart.

We stood there for a few minutes after they left, not moving from our positions. Finally, after a while of just standing there holding each other and listening to the smooth classical music coming from the stage, Bella pulled away.

"Can we go home?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. Nothing else was said as we walked silently to the car and pulled out of the parking lot. I took the steep, dirt gravel driveway up to the lake house and looked at the clock on the dashboard. A quarter to midnight.

Bella didn't wait for me to open the door for her again and the two of us walked side by side up the front porch and into the house. Carlisle had left it unlocked for us. Bella started straight for the stairs and I closed the door softly behind us, watching her with my eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering why she was suddenly so quiet.

I walked up the steps slowly and went into our bedroom, closing the door behind me. I changed into my pajamas while Bella was in the bathroom. When she came out, I went in and brushed my teeth. It had become our nightly routine, but tonight I sensed something was off.

I sighed and turned off the bathroom light before walking back into the bedroom and over to the bed. We had agreed that we could both sleep under the comforter as long as we kept our distance. So I climbed into my side and turned off my lamp. Bella's was already turned off, which was strange for her. She usually read for a little while before she went to sleep.

I decided I would just take the leap and ask her what was bothering her. Things were already awkward enough between us without the added tension. I figured the worst she could do is not answer me. It wasn't a hard decision to make.

"Bella?" I asked into the darkness. I was lying on my back, looking over at her. She was lying on her back as well, only she was staring up at the ceiling. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness and I could see nothing but emptiness in her eyes.

"Hmmm?" she finally replied after a few minutes.

"Are you alright?"

There was silence. It lasted a long time. I didn't want to break it for fear of pushing her over the edge so I just took it that she didn't want to talk about it. I sighed and turned my head to look up at the dark ceiling as well.

"Their life really came together," Bella finally murmured, almost to herself.

I looked over at her again. "What?"

"Mike and Jessica," she replied, not missing a beat. "Their life really came together. Kids, great careers, a happy marriage. Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. The two people you would least expect. He couldn't even stand her in high school," she finished quietly. I wasn't sure what to say to her. I wasn't sure why she even brought it up.

"Bella…I don't understand," I replied dumbly.

She looked over at me thoughtfully. "Me either. I don't understand," she said dejectedly. She spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her. She sighed and rolled over onto her side, facing away from me. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bella," I whispered.

I was still in a haze from what she had said. I didn't get it. What did she mean 'I don't understand.' When I said it, it was because I really didn't understand what she was talking about. But she said it so vaguely, like I should get the underlying meaning. But I didn't.

I rubbed a hand across my face in confusion and frustration before turning over onto my side facing away from Bella. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to overtake me. I was teetering off the edge of unconsciousness when Bella's words began replaying in my head.

Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. The two people you would least expect. I don't understand.

Then I got it. She didn't understand how two people like Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley—two people that were on and off through out high school; who hated each other every other week—ended up happily married with a wonderful life and family.

While me and Bella—two people so madly in love; so perfect for each other—hadn't.

We had fallen apart.

I don't understand, I had said.

Me either…she had sighed. I don't understand.

Author's Note: So no Emmett/Rosalie shenanigans in this chapter, but don't worry they'll come back. What did you think of this chapter? Reviews are amazing, but I don't have to tell you guys that :)