A/N: *Peeks from behind hands* Everyone still here? Read on!

Chapter-6: Heartbeats and Heartaches

"Why?"

One broken whisper is all I get from her before she runs away from me.

It is said that in every person's life there comes a time when he has to choose which heartbeat matches his own and hold onto that heart for dear life.

For me, that moment was now.

"Stop!" I call out, and disregarding the whole crew watching us with wide eyes and open mouths, I run after her. "Isabella, please!"

Shaking her head in defiance, she quickens her pace.

I follow her out of the studio we're working in, and still she keeps on running.

"Damn it! Will you stop?" I swear into the quickly approaching twilight when I finally catch up to her. Reaching out, I wrap a hand around her wrist to make her stop.

My breath comes out as loud pants as I ask her, "Will you at least tell me what I did?"

"You didn't do anything." Her response comes out sounding harsher than I've ever heard her speak. "It's just me."

Her words piss me off and I tug on her hand hard enough to whirl her around to make her face me. "Are you fucking kidding me?" The question comes out sounding like a bark. "You're giving me the universal break-up line when I haven't even had the chance to take you out on a date yet? What the hell is your problem?"

Her eyes flash brightly at my anger, and she pulls her hand away from my grasp. "I'll tell you what you did," she says venomously at last. "You fucking kissed me! That's what you did, Edward Cullen."

"What?" I'm a cross between shocked and angry this time. "That's you problem? Well, you didn't seem to mind my disgusting lips so much last night, Ms. Swan!" I exclaim.

"That's because I didn't know there were paps out there to grab the scoop! Our photos are plastered on every gossip magazine this morning." she snaps back at me. "Is that why you kissed me the second time? Because the first snaps might have been hazy? Did they pay you to do that?"

Each of her questions hit me like a thousand bullets as she looks at me with a mixture of anger and disgust.

"You are a famous actor, Edward. This all might be fun and games for you, but not for me," she says after taking a deep breath. "Your little stunt just ruined everything."

"Stunt? Stunt?" I repeat in disbelief. "Isabella, if you think I would do anything to hurt you in any way, you really don't know much of the world. Do you think I would rush to in the middle of nowhere for just anyone? Do you think I make a habit of going around and kissing girls? No! I went to you because I like you, damn it! I kissed you because I wanted to." Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh. "God! How I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you, Isabella!"

"Edward…" she says my name in a frustratingly soft tone, her voice almost pleading with me. "Don't do this please."

Tilting my head to the side, I look right into her eyes. "Do what exactly?"

She motions between the two of us and responds, "This. Don't… be here. You shouldn't be friends with me."

"Why?"

Maybe it's the bluntness of my question, maybe she doesn't want to see me, but she looks away. "Because I've got scars that can't be healed, and I don't want anyone to see them."

Whatever I expected her to say wasn't this, and the heartbreak in her voice makes my heart twist painfully in my chest. "Am I just anyone to you?"

My question makes her stop breathing for a moment, and then she shakes her head slightly.

"No, you're not," she whispers. "That's the reason I don't want you to get hurt, Edward. And if you stay with me, you'll only get hurt. I know it. I'm bad luck."

I see a lone teardrop make its way down her flushed cheek and that snaps me out of my thoughts. I reach my hand out to tap on her chin then, prompting her to look back up at me.

When our eyes meet, I see her look into my eyes—as if searching for some kind of criticism and pity there— but I hope that all she can see is understanding and a feeling I can't name myself… yet.

I reach for her face, and she can't help but flinch away from my close proximity. My heart breaks for this breathtakingly beautiful girl once again. However, I don't let her reaction deter me from my pursuit. I know that I can't let her slip away from me.

"Hey," I call her softly, placing one hand on her cheek. "Look at me. Please."

I wait until her eyes find mine before saying, "You say that you're scarred, but Bella, when I look at you, I don't see any scars; I just see an incredibly beautiful girl whose inside is just as beautiful as the outside. You are so perfect."

She frowns at me then. "Who's Bella?" she asks.

I tap the tip of her nose with my finger and reply, "You are, pretty girl. Bella means beautiful, and you are my beautiful Bella."

She remains quiet as our eyes keep locked on each others. And in that moment, I hope that she can see how I see her… that she feels beautiful.

"Besides," I continue after a moment, leaning my face down so close that my lips are almost touching hers. "I don't want to be your friend, beautiful Bella," I whisper in her ear. "I want to be your first crush, your first blush, and maybe someday…your first love. Will you let me?"

She closes her eyes at my words, and I see teardrops run down her face. "Shit!" I curse and cup her face in my hands. Wiping away at her tears, I apologize. "Bella, I'm sorry. Forgive me if I embarrassed you. I never wanted to make you feel bad…"

My words get cut as she moves her head and closes the gap between us and places her lips on mine. Just before kissing me, she whispers, "I will."

I hold her close to me and kiss her adoringly, wanting to take away whatever hurt has caused her to feel so broken. When our lips separate, I tell her in a breathless whisper, "We're out in the open, baby. What if some other pap sees us?"

She looks up at me and offers me a bright smile. "Let them," she answers before pulling my head down to hers again.

And in that moment, I know it for sure.

Isabella Swan makes my heart smile.

A/N: That's the last regular chapter, people.

Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.

I'll post the epilogue when I wake up tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Take care.

Ann