Wow, I was a little overwhelmed with the response to the last chapter. Thank you all so much! It's really appreciated. On with the next chapter...

That's Why You're Beautiful

Chapter Nineteen

I rushed forwards out of the church and hailed a taxi as quickly as I could. None decided to turn up for a long time and I cringed to myself, running up and down the pavement in desperation. I'd been so, so stupid! Thinking back to the conversation with Edward made me wince; I just couldn't believe I'd been so cowardly. If I'd have just said his name rather than chickening out and muttering 'somebody,' this silly mess wouldn't be happening...

"Ooh! Taxi! Taxi!"

I flung the door open and barked my destination to the driver, pleading with him to move as fast as he could. His response was a low grunt and I focused on slowing my breathing before I hyperventilated or something.

When we stopped at a pair of traffic lights I was nearly leaping out of my seat in frustration. I personally wanted the driver to run straight through them but managed to keep calm and, after an agonising minute or two, the lights flickered to green and we continued forwards.

How long had it been since I had last talked to Edward? I peeked at the clock on the dashboard; oh God, it must have been about fifteen minutes ago now.

He could have done so much in fifteen minutes.

I was trying very hard not to vomit when we took the last corner to my flat. I quickly gathered some money from my handbag and threw it into the driver's face as soon as the car stopped. He muttered something incoherent as I leapt out of the door and I vaguely wondered what he thought of me. I must have looked like some kind of mad woman.

I raced up the steps to the flat, once again cursing about the lack of an elevator. There was a sore ache in my chest, yet I continued forwards, losing a shoe in the process.

Once I reached the last flight of stairs I felt a sudden surge of panic; what was I going to say to him? Would he even be here?

I stopped outside the door and took a long, deep breath. It was a little overwhelming thinking of what could or couldn't happen, but I reached for my key and slowly turned the handle with shaking hands.

As soon as I peeked inside, I knew that Edward was there. His coat was lying messily over the sofa and I glanced over at his room, seeing a suitcase by the door.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

I slammed the door behind me and rushed into the room in a frenzy and, sure enough, Edward was there standing by his cupboard. He was fumbling around with clothes and throwing them into another case that was lying open on the bed. He clearly didn't care about the state he was making, he was just being as speedy as possible, trying to get away from me.

That thought made me feel strangely ill.

He hadn't even noticed me so I cleared my throat nervously, causing him to jump and turn around jerkily as though he had been caught doing something wrong.

His face turned slowly from surprise to sadness as he recognised me, and my heart broke because of it.

"Edward," I murmured, trying to catch my breath. "Edward, w-what are you doing?"

He turned around with his back to me and continued collecting his clothes and, feeling painfully frustrated, I walked over towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Edward!"

A sigh escaped his lips and he didn't meet my eyes. "W-What does it look like I'm doing, Bella?"

His blunt response really cut through me.

"But... but why?" I asked frantically. "You don't n-need to leave! This is your h-home now!"

He stopped what he was doing and faced me. His striking green eyes still caused me to shiver, but the coldness in them was overpowering.

"I d-do, B-Bella," he said, visibly wincing when he murmured my name. "I... I can't s-stay here anymore."

"Why not?" I whispered.

He didn't answer, just looked at the floor.

"Edward, we need to talk," I eventually managed. No response. "Please?"

I was practically begging him and for a while he remained unbearably silent. He eventually swallowed and, looking a little lost, nodded once.

"Shall we sit down s-somewhere?" I offered, fearing that my legs would soon give way underneath me. I'd never felt so worried and plain terrified in my life.

He shrugged and I moved his suitcase over so that we could sit together on the edge of the bed. He was rigid and his eyes couldn't seem to meet mine.

It reminded me vaguely of our first encounter.

I took a deep breath, knowing what I had to do. There really was no other way around it but to admit my feelings to him and get it other with. Despite what Alice had said, this filled me with fear and the thought of rejection was dominating my mind.

So much could go wrong.

But, there was still a chance and it was well worth taking.

"Edward," I sighed, loving his name. "I... I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding."

I waited for a reply but he didn't move; he was as still as a statue.

"Well," I continued, aware of my shaking hands. "Well, w-what I was trying to say was... was-" I trailed off, unable to make any words escape from my lips. It was incredibly irritating; I just had to say it. It wasn't difficult...

Scratch that. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

During this internal debate, Edward still hadn't given any indication that he was bothered or even listening to me. He looked really uncomfortable and that he would much rather be someplace else right now.

For God's sake, Bella, spit it out.

"When I s-said I was falling for s-s-somebody, I meant... I-"

He looked at me then, and I suddenly gained the strength to tell him.

"I meant y-you, Edward," I said quickly, closing my eyes and waiting for a reaction. I couldn't even breathe.

He was silent for a very long time and, when I eventually gained the strength to look at him, his eyes were wide and yet the sadness was still there. I wanted it to leave... I wanted him to be happy and be the Edward that I'd gotten to know and love.

"N-No, you d-don't mean that," he murmured quietly, surprising me.

I frowned at him. "What?"

"You don't m-mean it," he repeated. "You... you haven't f-fallen for m-me."

I felt like banging my head against a brick wall. "Edward, I t-told you that I-"

"N-No, Bella," he sighed. "It's only b-because of how I look n-now."

I shook my head frantically. "No, Edward, I-"

"You've only said it after this m-makeover," he airquoted, "and that's the r-reason that you think you l-like me, because of m-my appearance."

I was completely shocked. I couldn't believe he thought that of me.

"No... no, Edward, that's not true. Not true at all. It wasn't just because of what Alice did. Sure, it was a contributing factor, but not the only reason why..." I took a deep breath. "It's taken me so long to realise because... well, I've been in denial." He watched me carefully. "I've had so much happening in my life over the past few months that I never realised what was staring me in the face; I was slowly falling in love with you."

I paused for a moment, scared of what he might be thinking right now. "When I realised how I felt, I was terrified of what D-David would think of me. I didn't want people to think that I'd just forgotten him and moved on because that really, really is not the case. It was so tough but... but when I thought about it, I realised how much I need you in my life."

I felt incredibly vulnerable admitting all of this but I looked at him at that moment, and he seemed bewildered. I had to continue, though... I still had so much more to say.

"You've always been there for me and I took it for granted... but you really helped me and..." I trailed off, feeling my face prickle. "And now I've realised that I've f-fallen for you."

I stared at my hands for a long time and the silence felt louder than ever. I couldn't bear it and nearly walked away right then out of embarrassment. But, to my surprise, Edward suddenly spoke.

"Bella," he murmured. "I... I n-never knew."

I couldn't reply.

"Alice t-talked to me yesterday," he continued.

I peeked over at him and my heart began pounding fiercely when I noticed his eyes looking softer.

"She asked m-me how I f-felt about you."

My heart was thumping so hard now that I feared he'd be able to hear it.

"And what did you say?" I murmured quietly.

He paused for a moment, then said, "B-Bella, you're such a wonderful person."

I raised my eyebrows. "That's not the answer to my question."

He grinned. "The point still s-stands."

I rolled my eyes. "This is silly, Edward."

He looked at me closely and his gaze made me skin tingle. "You don't b-believe me, do you?"

I shook my head automatically.

"Why n-not?" he asked, persevering.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just... not."

"You really are so s-special, Bella," he sighed. "I can't believe you d-don't see that."

I snorted in disagreement. "I'm far from special, Edward. I'm just an average person with a dodgy handful of baggage."

He looked genuinally shocked at my reaction and I heard him take in a deep breath. "Bella, first of all you're so incredibly s-selfless. Throughout Alice's experience you've b-been there for her, showing your s-support and generally being f-fantastic." I felt myself blush at that, but he wasn't finished yet. "Secondly, you're b-brave. You faced up to Emmett," I tried to interrupt but he waved his hand around, "you shared your p-past with your parents, which must have b-been incredibly tough... I admire you f-for that. And you gave up your old j-job, something that you were clearly uncomfortable d-doing. Yet, you still d-did it."

I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off, continuing, "And finally, you always look w-wonderful."

Naturally, another scoff escaped out of my mouth and he groaned in protest. "B-Bella, you have the m-most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, your hair is always immaculate... I can't tell you the amount of times I've admired it." I felt myself flushing once more. "And, the w-worrying thing is, you genuinally don't b-believe that, do you? You don't realise how brilliant you are, and B-Bella," he paused, giving me a meaningful look, "that makes you fantastic. That's why you're beautiful."

I couldn't understand why, but I was suddenly crying. Tears flowed down my cheeks and he leaned closer towards me, tenderly wiping them away. His simple touch caused me to shiver.

He was so incredibly near to me right now; I could feel his unsteady breath on my face.

"S-So what did you tell Alice?" I managed, my voice shaking wildly.

He smiled at me, taking his time to answer. "I t-told her that I l-loved you, Bella."

Warmth flooded me and I was momentarily staggered before the thrill of what he had just said registered in my brain.

He loved me. Edward loved me.

We looked at each other for a long time and there was overwhelming feeling that suddenly convinced me I was doing the right thing. Edward started leaning forwards, agonisingly slowly, and the space between us eventually closed. After what felt like a lifetime, his cold lips pressed onto mine and ignited a fierce heat within me. My whole body wanted him, and I relished in the fact that his arms were pulling me closer. So many emotions were boiling within me, and my mind was going into overdrive.

Our skin brushed and I felt myself tingling. This seemed so right, so perfect.

I knew that David would be happy for me; I knew he wanted me to find love, and it looked like this was what I was doing.

I ran my hands through his hair, desperately trying to press him closer to me. My thoughts were jumbled in a daze of happiness and disbelief.

Edward's kiss was gentle and yet there was an undeniable passion from the way his hands caressed my back. His taste froze my senses and I wanted nothing more than to be with him for the rest of my life.

To my surprise, tears soon began trailing down my cheeks again and Edward suddenly pulled away, cupping my face carefully. His expression was flushed and his eyes were wild, yet they were full of concern, and I shivered as he wiped away a tear with one of his fingers.

Amidst all this, I felt like he knew why I was upset; his face was a mixture of understanding and tenderness. He knew me so well.

He pulled me close to him and I closed my eyes, relaxing against the softness of the fabric of his clothes. His fingers trailed absently through my hair and I loved being so near to him. Never would I have imagined this happening a few weeks' ago.

"I'm s-sorry," I mumbled, pulling back to look up at him. "I'm just... I'm just... so h-happy right now."

His smile was breathtaking. "Me too, Bella."

He stroked my cheek as I stared into his eyes. This was right and I knew it. I usually had instincts about when something was wrong, but this just felt completely positive.

Maybe, after a tough year, I could finally be happy.

"I love you, B-Bella."

His voice was only a whisper but his breath tingled against my skin. I shivered lightly against him.

"I love you too, Edward."

"I n-never thought I'd find anybody," he breathed. "I thought I'd won the l-lottery when I first saw you."

I smiled a little.

We sat in silence for a long time and curiosity soon took over me. "When did you know?"

"Know w-what?"

"That..." I cringed, feeling a little awkward. "That you loved me."

He laughed. "I realised p-pretty soon, B-Bella. I was a bit worried at f-first because it seemed as though you w-weren't interested in me at all." I frowned to myself. "Yet, as w-we became closer friends, I knew I c-couldn't ignore it anymore."

My fingers wound around his.

"I told C-Carlisle when I realised."

I peeked up at him. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah," he sighed. "He wasn't too h-happy, knowing about your old j-job. But I managed to c-convince him that you were a g-good person. But I r-really do love you, Bella," he continued. "I'm so g-glad I found you."

He wasn't helping with my attempt to stop crying. I felt overwhelmed by his words and he kissed me once more.

"I can't believe I almost lost you," I murmured, shuddering at earlier.

"I know," he sighed. "I panicked a l-little." His gaze moved downwards and he smirked a little. "Where's your other s-shoe, Cinderella?"

A laugh escaped my lips. "Oh, I was in a bit of a rush... those stairs out there are lethal, you know that."

We were silent for a few moments before I asked, "Are you still staying with me, then?"

"Of c-course," he smiled. "That is if you still w-want me."

"I want you more than you could ever believe."

He grinned at that, pressing his beautiful lips onto mine once more. "We'd b-better get unpacking, then."

"Uh, you can," I teased. "I'm making myself some c-coffee... this whole experience has been incredibly draining."

I fanned myself and left the room, hearing his chuckle. I really couldn't remember the last time I had felt this happy and it was a little overwhelming for me. I'd completely forgotten what it felt like and now... now it was just brilliant.

The future suddenly seemed very bright.

I hope you liked that! It's about time I think... one more epilogue to go to tie up the loose ends and then we're all done! I hope you don't think it's finishing a bit abruptly or anything, I just don't want to drag it out too much.

I'd just like to say thanks again to everyone who has supported this story - I really could hug each and every one of you.

A note on a new story I'll publishing very soon: It's called 'For Your Eyes Only' and it's another Bella/Edward story. I've just finished the first chapter and wanted to say, in case you were interested.

Anyway, please leave a review if you can, they're appreciated as always. :)