A/N: I own nothing…Here is the next chapter.
Bella laid in Alice's bed crying with her tiny friend wrapped around her crying. Charlie was working an overnight shift and thought it would be best for her to stay at the Cullen's as well as stay home from school where someone could watch her and help her. Esme volunteered stating there was plenty of room and she would love the company. So she was stuck in the same house as him.
Edward had just been yelled at by his sister for the last 30 minutes and was now listening to her trying to quiet Bella's cries. It hurt him each time he would hear her voice hitch and catch in her throat when she would try to speak through her tears. He didn't know why it hurt because it had never bothered him before to watch a girl cry because of him. He didn't know why until he thought about the past days events the way Bella would smile at him, the way she would throw her head back and laugh, the way she looked at him, the way her breathing would become shallow when he came close to her, the way she closed her eyes and her whole body hummed when he kissed her forehead at her locker. He kissed her he wasn't sure if she felt the charge that passed through him as soon as his lips touched her skin but it was electrical rocking him to his very core. It seemed to wrap around his heart and tug, it scared him because he had never felt it before so he had to put some space between them.
When he heard her cry out loud at spotting him with Tanya he knew he had to make things right with her had to explain it wasn't him. He had to explain it to her and now he wasn't sure if Alice would allow him within 20 feet of her. But it was something he had to try.
Bella awoke to hear rain patting against Alice's wall sized window it was dark out and she realized she must have fallen asleep after eating some soup Esme had brought her and taking her pain pill. She still felt a little loopy from the medication but she needed to stretch. She looked over at her best friend who had been tucked into her side holding her while she slept, and smiled. She was wearing a thin pair of cotton boxers and a white tank top. She headed carefully downstairs while holding the banister. She stopped almost at the bottom when she saw Edward sitting out on the porch guitar in hand strumming a song she had never heard while he sang. Bella dared herself to inch a bit closer until she silently sat on the couch propping up her leg. She then noticed he was only wearing sleeping pants and occasionally a rain drop would bounce off of the covering of the porch and roll down his back. She had to distract herself or risk giving herself away so she listened to him sing.
I should never think
What's in your heart
What's in our home
So I wont
You'll learn to hate me
But still call me baby
Oh love
So call me by my name
And save your soul
Save your soul
Before your to far gone
Before nothing can be done
I'll try to decide when
She'll lie in the end
I ain't got no fight in me
In this whole damn world
So hold off
She should hold off
It's the one thing that I've known
So I put my coat on
I'm coming out in this all wrong
She standing outside holding me
Saying Oh please
I'm in love
I'm in love
Girl save your soul
Go on and save your soul
Before it's too far gone
And nothing can be done
Cause without me
You got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Without me you got it all
Without me you got it all
So hold on
Edward stood up to come inside he needed to sing to clear his mind some and to clear the sound of her cries from his head. When he turned her froze dead in his tracks Bella was curled on the couch sleeping peacefully wearing the smallest shorts he had ever seen her in her top translucent from the light of the moon coming in through the large doors. He sighed setting down his guitar grabbing a soft blanket to cover her with. Had she heard him? She must have because she was not there earlier. He would talk to her tomorrow he decided as he watched her curl up more on the couch because he had a lot that needed to be said.
Bella's eyelids attempted to flutter open but she kept them closed as she sunk further into the soft blanket. Soft blanket? She didn't have one when she came downstairs…came downstairs and heard Edward singing on the porch. Edward singing her must have found her…she must have fallen asleep. She let out a huff of air trying to turn herself so she could get off the couch. No use in being embarrassed when there was no one home to catch her. When Bella finally got herself upright she found Edward perched at the island bar in his mothers kitchen. He looked into her eyes as Bella tried to hurry herself into the bathroom that already had fresh clothes sitting by the sink for her. She was fighting back the tears…why she was crying she didn't know maybe out of frustration or anger or hurt but before she knew it she was being held. The smell of vanilla and lavender entered her nose as Esme shushed her lightly rocking her and smoothing down her hair.
" Come on darling lets get you cleaned up and dressed. It will be alright.." Bella nodded her hair and sat on the seat in the huge bathroom. Esme proceeded to wash her hair braid it and get her dressed like it was something she did regularly. When Esme turned Bella to see her final look she smiled down at her as she rested her hands on her shoulders. " Go talk to him Bella, he is very upset with himself. Just listen to him."
Bella nodded at the woman who had come to fill the void her own mother had left behind and was saddened not to have a few more tender moments with her.
Bella slowly headed out the kitchen and to the other side of the island that Edward was currently watching her from. She took in a slow breath before finally speaking to him. " What are you doing home?"
Edward gave a slight smile at her words. He could tell she was having a hard time being there with him but he needed to talk to her. " I was sick today so my mom let me stay home." Bella shook her head she knew he wasn't sick so why bother to even say that. " what did you want to talk about?" Edward was already in front of her before she could protest his close proximity he turned her carefully in her stool so her knees were resting between his thighs as he stood in front of her.
" Bella I have to explain to you what you saw yesterday. You have every right to be upset but it wasn't at all what you thought. I know all men go into saying that but it's true I wouldn't do that to you. I hope you know that." But Bella cut him off. Leaning back against the island so she could look at him. He could tell she was getting angry by the way her brows turned in and the flush that rose to her cheeks. " How do I know you wouldn't do that to me Edward? It seems like every time we take a step forward we take 5 steps back and I can't keep getting upset and hurt like this it's just not fair. And if this is how its always going to be then I can't be your friend I can't have that in my life. I already have enough disappointment to live with for a lifetime."
Edward sighed taking her hands into his own. " Your right Bella its not fair but I can't not have you in my life. I know we've only been friends a short time but Bella I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore. That girl you saw me with she use to be my girlfriend until I found her sleeping with someone else her name is Tanya. She came to the school to try and get me back and that's when you found her with me. I wasn't going to take her back and I was in the middle of telling her she shouldn't even be touching me when you walked up and you looked so hurt Bella. So hurt."
" I was hurt Edward. After all that had gone on during the day I was very hurt. Then I realized I must have been insane guys like you don't become interested in girls like me. You don't have to explain yourself to me Edward I'm nobody to you just a friend. But that's all we can be."
Edward was furious by now did she really think that lowly of herself? Did nobody ever encourage her and tell her how beautiful she really was?
" Bella I wasn't just doing those things to hurt you I did them because I'm interested in you I know I shouldn't be because I'm not a good guy not because you aren't good enough or whatever it is you think in that head of yours. But I do think I have to explain myself to you because if that's all you at least you deserve that."
Bella was crying and Edward found his heart hurting again as he tried to push the tears away. " Edward why are you interested in me?"
Edward smile at Bella wiping away another tear that threatened to fall down her beautiful face. " I do the things I do Bella because I think I could love you."
Bella's breathing caught in her throat and if she didn't calm herself she might have hyperventilate right then. " What do you mean you think you could love me?"
Edward smiled rubbing lazy circles on her back to try and relax her. " Yesterday when I saw you crying Bella and knew it was because of me it hurt me more than anything I have ever felt before. I knew I couldn't allow you to feel that way I had to make you feel better. So I may not know how to love you right now but I think we could if you were willing to take things slow we could find out."
Bella rested her head on his bare shoulder so she wouldn't have to look him n the face and nodded. " Okay Edward we can take things slow. I think I could love you too…"
A/N: So what do you think??? Should be continue with the story…I'd really like reviews they would make me oh so happy and any thoughts again on where we should go with this story.