AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your amazing reviews. I'm sorry I'm so terrible at responding to them. I try, I do, but I am a busy bee trying to move, and so I apologize for lagging on them. Just know I'm truly grateful for all your words of encouragement. Your love for Campward and LB (now MB) astounds me, and most of the time, I have no fucking clue why any of you read this, haha.

Major thanks to my betas LaraIsAwkward and lreganb for prettying my shit up.

And also, fic rec of my life—go read The Hood by yogagal. Okay, and I don't do this to often…so, you know it's good ;) There's a read along of it tonight on twitter, so it would be the opportune time to start. And, seriously, not only is it so realistic that I feel like I'm reliving my high school years again, but Stonerward (who I've claimed, btw, so hands off, bitches) is pretty much the most amusing yet still swoon-worthy Edward I've come across. Ever. Yeah, so…you should definitely get on that.

Speaking of Edward...uh, yeah. He's got something to say. Enjoy all.

~Edward~

I was in a dark forest, running as fast as I could away from a large group of vicious…tennis racquets? Yes, tennis racquets. They were holding out their hands, each one grasping large knives dripping with some sort of gelatinous substance, and yelling about cutting off my fingers. My speed increased, knowing that I wanted to keep my fingers on my hands. Through the trees, I saw a clearing up ahead. When I finally reached the opening, though, I realized it was a body of water—a dead end.

Just as the lead tennis racquet (chief of the tennis racquets?) grabbed my hand and raised his knife into the air, ready to attack, there was a loud clap of thunder, thrusting me into consciousness.

Whoa, what a weird-ass dream.

My eyes opened to a room still shrouded in mostly darkness, and the light tinny rumblings coming from my bedroom ceiling informed me that it was a rainy day. God, I fucking hated rainy days at camp. It was bad enough that the kids were upset they didn't get to do activities, but to force them to watch stupid movies and play board games all day was just cruel and unusual punishment for us all.

"Morning," I croaked, my voice sounding like sandpaper.

"Dude, I hate to be a buzz kill, but you look like hell. Out too late last night with your lady love?"

"Lady love?" I snickered, "Who the fuck are you? Who even says that?"

"Whoa there, angry face." Jasper's hands rose between us in a defensive stance. "You'd think getting some would put you into a better mood."

An unstoppable groan left my mouth as I remembered what would now be referred to as the 'Finger Banging Fiasco of Summer 2K9.' I'd wanted to make it completely about her, since I felt like utter shit about the night before. Talk about awkward. And embarrassing. So, as Bella cringed and told me to stop, I'd never felt like more of a failure. But, she was so tight…

"Uh oh. That noise doesn't inspire much confidence, Cullen. Talk to me, what happened?"

I rolled from my back to my side so I could face Jasper without getting up. My body really didn't want to do that yet. He waited patiently, perched on the edge of his bed, like a small child waiting for story time.

"I'm never getting laid. Ever again."

I closed my eyes and breathed out through my nose, willing the terrifying images of tennis racquets away. I knew my metaphor had been pretty ridiculous last night—I mean, cum as a tennis ball and pussy as the court…who the fuck was I? But, I had almost been about to lose it in my pants again, and so when I saw the sports equipment out of the corner of my eye, I knew I needed to divert. No one should ever come in their pants two days in a row…especially if said person is above the age of fifteen.

"What?" Jasper sounded confused, and I couldn't blame him. "Did she tell you she doesn't want to—"

I waved a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No, nothing like that. It's just…" I opened my eyes again, unsure of whether or not Bella would appreciate me talking about this with anyone. I'd wager she probably wouldn't, but if any one of my friends could be trusted, Jasper was definitely it.

"Edward, I'm not the gossiping fiend everyone thinks I am. Seriously, you can tell me, and I promise I'll be a vault or a steel trap."

Everything I'd been trying to shove aside last night came rushing back in full force, and I just let it spill.

"I'm scared, no wait, terrified to sleep with Bella." I sighed, realizing the truth of the situation. "Last night was great. But, trying to redeem some sort of 'good boyfriend' points, I decided to make it all about her. I needed it to be all about her. And dude, I just…I just…"

I rolled onto my back and clutched at my hair. I needed to stare at the ceiling and not at Jasper for what I was about to confess.

"Two fingers were too much for her. It hurt her. I hurt her. I'm almost ninety eight percent certain that her cherry was actually popped last night…on a fucking tennis court! How low am I? But I didn't realize how fucking tight she actually was until it was too late. And if that hurt her, how can I possibly selfish enough to even imagine putting my cock inside her? I'll fucking rip her in two! Not that I'm ridiculously huge or anything, but I'd say I'm reasonably large and—"

"Okay, let's not talk about the size of your manhood first thing in the morning, okay?"

"Why are we talking about Edward's donkey-sized cock?" Jake asked, peeping his head through the door.

"Queers!" Emmett called from the living room, causing both Jake and Jasper to snicker.

"You just wish I wanted you," Jake taunted, winking.

Seeing that our opportunity for a real conversation was over, Jasper shrugged and got up from his bed. I supposed I'd have to do the same in the near future. Catching his eye, I silently asked for permission to finish our conversation later, and was elated when he nodded slightly.

Distracted, I didn't see him coming until it was nearly too late. Luckily, I managed to leap out from under my covers just before Jake threw himself on top of my new bed.

"Off, whore," I commanded, smacking the back of his head with my open palm.

"I'm not a dog," Jake grumbled into my mattress.

"Really?" I asked, amused. "You sure fooled me." I grabbed the pillow from the top of his head and whacked him with it. Pleased with Jake's disgruntled yelp, I headed toward the bathroom to get ready for my day.

x-x-x

"…groups eleven, twelve, and thirteen will be in the gym with the land sports staff, and lastly, groups fourteen and fifteen will be with the arts staff in the theater. Have a great day, and try to stay dry!" the portly director of the camp trilled.

I usually enjoyed morning announcements, but hearing that I'd be spending all day with a group of sullen fourteen and fifteen year olds wasn't exactly what I needed. At least I'd have Bella there, since I was with the entire arts staff. And, hopefully, I'd be able to finish my conversation with Jasper.

Yeah, you really need to have that conversation…

I'd barely been able to look at Bella throughout breakfast. I just felt bad. I wondered briefly if she was still sore or if she'd bled. Oh, God, no. Instead, I'd moped shamefully into my bowl of Lucky Charms, hoping that the miniature clovers I'd been ingesting would somehow give me the luck I needed and magically open up Bella's pussy.

Somehow, I'm thinking that's a long shot.

Needless to say, I was feeling a bit skittish. As I arrived at the theater, I immediately sought out Jasper. He was sitting on the edge of the stage, one hand wrapped around Bella's shoulders and the other brushing water droplets from the top of her head. As if sensing my eyes on her, she moved her chin in my direction, a small smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back, and I loved the way her cheeks flushed and her front teeth chewed at her bottom lip, making her previously innocent smile seem delightfully devious.

Delightfully devious?

It was like my conscience had an unstoppable commentary this morning. And I seriously needed to finish that conversation; otherwise, I had a feeling the commentary would never end. Apparently, I was pretty obvious about my need, too. Because as Ashley—the head pottery counselor—slipped the first movie of the day into the DVD player, Jasper crossed the room, his blue eyes growing more serious with every step towards me.

"Want to…" he whispered, nodding his head towards the back of the theater.

I nodded and led the way to the loading dock, which was full of sawdust and left over remnants of sets from past summers.

Sighing, I pulled out a wooden box to sit on and rested my elbows on my knees, slumping over half-heartedly.

"Edward, you look like someone just told you Star Wars doesn't exist and it was all a figment of your imagination."

A small smile played on my lips at that thought. If it had never existed, then my imagination rocked, and I could become a multi-millionaire creating that whole franchise in place of George Lucas.

"There we go," he chuckled. "A smile. Now, technical, um, difficulties aside…what else is wrong? Because there's a clear-cut answer to that problem, but I need to see if there's anything else I have to help you with first."

Say what, now? My back straightened up as I listened to him. A clear-cut answer? I'd like that now please.

"Really?" My voice came out far too high, and I took a moment to concentrate on lowering my excitement level before continuing. "And what would that be?"

"For someone so bright, you are often a dumbass." Jasper looked at me thoughtfully, and I couldn't help but finally release the tension in my shoulders and laugh.

"Gee, thanks. You're such a pal."

He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "It's the truth. Now, do you want my help or not?"

Groaning, I agreed.

"Awesome." He paused, and I leaned forward on the box towards him, anxious for his next words. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'practice makes perfect?'"

"Uh, yes? Hasn't everyone?"

I had no idea what the fuck Jasper was on, but all of a sudden his eyes got really wide, and he just stared at me like I was the world's biggest moron.

And then it clicked.

Man, you really are the world's biggest moron.

"You're saying…"

"That you guys should practice? And often? Yeah. That's what I'm saying. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. You're actually helping her," Jasper said confidently. "But, if you get chastised by Em or Jake for pawing at Bella all the time, I'll deny everything."

Huh. That actually made sense. And as I thought it through, my mind started conjuring images of me 'helping' Bella in various locations all over campus—my bed, the shack, the fine arts room, the theater…oh, yes, the theater. I had options aplenty, and I couldn't wait to start checking them off my newly acquired list.

"…about you."

I looked up just as Jasper finished, what I was sure had been a diatribe and a half, but I hadn't heard a single thing. Staring at him blankly, I began to wonder how I could respond without giving myself up. Unfortunately, Jasper was too quick for me.

"I said," he began sternly, his eyes narrowing to make sure he had my undivided attention, "But, it's also important that you let her help. It can't always be about her…sometimes, it has to be about you."

"That's important?" I asked, genuinely curious. Jasper seemed like a relationship savvy kind of guy, and I felt like he was imparting extremely valuable wisdom.

"I'm going to ask you a stupid question that I don't actually want the answer to." He paused, and his face contorted with semi-disgust before continuing. "Didn't you like making Bella, um…uh…um."

Jasper's face turned a dark crimson as he grappled with the right word. Having a little bit of a heart, I decided to cut him off. Obviously, I knew what he was asking. And it didn't take a genius to know the answer.

"Of course! Which is why I still can't even fucking believe that I hurt her!" I whisper-yelled.

"Well, don't you think she'd feel the same way? Hmm?" I had no response. I'd never thought of it that way. "Exactly. So, let the girl have her turn. You'll make her feel better, and maybe it'll make you stop worrying about losing it too quickly."

My jaw dropped in disbelief, but I managed to close it quickly with a loud snap.

"Right, well, my work is done here. And let's not bring this up again, okay? You can handle the rest, right?" Still speechless, I nodded, not saying a word. "Great. Because I love Bella and all, but I really don't need to know about your sexual exploits with her."

With another nod, Jasper left me sitting dumbfounded, feeling like an idiot.

Still grappling with the mass overload of advice Jasper had just thrown on me, I made my way back out to the theater. The girls looked bored, and I couldn't blame them. The "age appropriate" movie they were watching was some ridiculous film about a teenage mermaid, and I wanted to gouge my eyes out just watching some of the terrible dialogue that was happening.

"Do you love me?" the Disney blonde bimbo-looking mermaid asked some supposedly dreamy lifeguard.

To which he responded, "No, but I think you're hot."

I couldn't keep in my snide laughter as I continued to watch, disbelieving that a movie this shitty could actually be made and distributed. Why couldn't I get so much as an agent to look at my films when there's crap like this floating around? Hollywood must be a sad, sad place. Trying to relax, I leaned against the doorframe and closed my eyes, not wanting to subject myself to the travesty on the television screen. I needed to think positively. I knew I'd never get anywhere in the industry if I was constantly doubting myself.

Suddenly, I felt small hands pressing against my chest and the heat from her body mere inches away from mine, causing a really unfortunate and inappropriate stirring in my shorts for our current location. "Hey," Bella whispered, and I finally reopened my eyes.

"Hey." Not wanting to draw any attention to us, I clasped my hands over hers and removed them from my chest. It wouldn't be a good idea to be "public" in front of campers, especially when there was a supposed non-fraternization policy amongst the counselors. I pushed myself off the doorframe, causing Bella to take a small step back. Her eyes met mine with confusion, so I signaled—as best as I could without talking—that I didn't think close contact between us was a good idea with other people around. Her head quirked to the side, taking in what I was trying to say. Then, she shrugged and leaned against the other side of the door.

I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and take her somewhere to start our practicing, but I exercised all my self-control and walked toward the front of the theater where I noticed the movie had just ended.

I contemplated putting another movie into the player, but I saw that we only had about forty minutes until lunch. And really, did I want to become invested in…The Lizzie McGuire Movie only to have to turn it off? Ha, yeah. I decided to just let them play games and read and gossip, which was what most of them had been doing anyway.

As I surveyed the room, I saw that Bella had moved on to play some cards with a group of girls. She was so fucking gorgeous, even in her uniform t-shirt and shorts and her hair in a messy ponytail. Her face was so serious, her brow furrowed as she looked at her cards, and I wondered what game they were playing. Was Bella into poker? Or Gin Rummy? Or BS? Or maybe my own personal favorite, Egyptian Ratscrew? I wanted to know everything about her.

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I stood and watched her play until the lunch bell rang. Even then, I strayed toward the back, observing her from a distance. Yes, I knew it was fairly creepy to stare down my girlfriend from afar, but to be honest, I couldn't get enough of her. I loved the way she bit her bottom lip when she was concentrating; it made me want to pry it from her front teeth with my tongue. Or how her head would lean slightly to the left, as if tilting it would somehow give her the answer. I loved how her entire face lit up when she smiled, showing off her perfect teeth and bright eyes.

Ugh. I really should have taken her out for a real date the other night, I concluded as I watched her. Yes, I was definitely going to have to plan an early evening off for us both in the near future. Bella deserved so much better than anything I could give her, but I was going to try my very hardest not to fuck it up too badly.

Sighing, I turned off the lights to the theater and made my way to the dining hall.

Lunch was delicious and exactly what I needed to regroup—grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yeah, I creepily watched Bella eat hers, too. So what? The way her tongue would experimentally taste the spoonful of red liquid before wrapping her lips around the spoon…fuck, I was in agony. Jasper was right; I needed practice, too. Otherwise, I was going to be coming in my pants for the rest of the summer, which was really only another month. Four weeks. Twenty-eight days.

Shit. There goes my appetite.

How could the summer only be another month? Four weeks was not enough time with Bella. And then she'd be heading to Los Angeles all the way on the other side of the fucking country from me.

Thoroughly depressed, I pushed around the rest of my soup, unable to stomach another bite.

"Dude." Jake smacked my shoulder, sending a ripple of pain down my right arm. "Is everything okay?"

For once, my best friend actually looked serious, but I couldn't really tell him what was wrong in front of all these people, so I just shrugged him off and gave him a noncommittal nod.

Thankfully, he left it alone, and I was the first one out of the dining hall after we were excused, not wanting to give him the opportunity to question me about my mood further. The campers were told to go back to their bunks and meet at their designated "rain spot" in an hour.

And an hour in the shack was exactly what I needed.

x-x-x

I was so busy with the systematical cutting and pasting of film clips that I was almost late getting back to the theater. Everyone had already arrived and The Lizzie McGuire Movie was just starting.

"Hey," Jasper accosted me as soon as I walked through the door. "Have you seen Bella?"

"What?" My head spun around quickly. Jasper's eyes looked legitimately concerned, and I felt my stomach drop even further. "Not since lunch, why?"

Jasper tugged at his hair and groaned quietly before typing something quickly into his cell phone. "No one knows where she is."

What?

"What do you mean no one knows where she is?" I whispered, my stomach knotting with nerves.

"Alice went to meet her at her bunk for rest hour, but she never came back." I gulped, not knowing how to deal with the overwhelming sense of panic that was coursing through my body. "You don't know where she could have gone? She wasn't in the Fine Arts room…maybe she went to the shack?"

I shook my head. "No, I was in the shack for the entire hour. She wasn't there. Wh-why wouldn't she go back to her bunk? I mean, it's fucking disgusting out there."

Jasper shrugged. "The rain's let up a lot, but yeah, it's still kind of gross out there." Something buzzed in his pocket and his eyes flicked over the screen before turning back to me. "Alice said something about how Bella liked to hang out at 'The Point' when they were campers?" He said it as a question, using air quotes.

The Point was a secluded spot, about a mile off campus. There was a long winding trail that started at the bunks and led through the woods. A lot of campers used the route as a short jog during their rest hours, but I had a feeling that wasn't where Bella was. What most campers didn't know, unless they were super sneaky or had insider counselor info, was that if you stepped about five yards off the end of the path, the trees gave way to a beautiful clearing.

"Do you mind if I—"

"Go, go," Jasper interrupted. "There are more than enough counselors here to keep these guys under control."

I squeezed his shoulder and was off.

Jasper was right; the rain had nearly completely diminished, just a light mist, which soaked through my hoodie as I trudged along the path. Luckily, I'd made this trip a few hundred times, because otherwise, I would have been shit out of luck. The rain may have been gone, but the fog was rolling in, clouding the air in front of me.

Step after step felt longer and longer, and I was beginning to wonder if maybe I'd gone the wrong way when I heard it. And it sounded like…crying.

Crying?

My pace increased as I bolted through the trees, hoping that she was okay.

Please be okay, please be okay.

Finally, I made it through, only to see a blob of red in the distance. As I approached, I saw that Bella had wrapped herself in my hoodie with knees drawn up to her chest, her back shuddering with each sob. And I had no fucking clue what to do. Or even what was wrong.

"Bella?" my voice cracked, unsure of how to handle this situation.

At the sound of my voice, she froze, her body going completely still and her tears ceasing. Slowly, she turned around peeking from underneath the large hood to look me in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

I shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets and walked closer. "Looking for you, actually."

"Oh." She looked genuinely shocked, although I had no idea why.

"What are you doing here?"

"Umm, hiding?" she asked more as a question, her voice barely a whisper as she turned her chin back to rest on her knees.

"From what?" I asked, sitting on the cold and wet ground next to her. My ass was going to be soaked, but I didn't really give a shit at this point in time. Bella was first and foremost my priority.

"You."

She said it so quietly, I almost asked her to repeat herself, but then it clicked. She was hiding from me? Oh shit.

"Oh." My heart was racing and my hands were damp—whether that was from the mist or my nerves, I couldn't tell. I cleared my throat, trying not to let it crack again under the heavy cloak of my anxiety. And then we sat there for a few moments in silence. I expected Bella to say something—anything, really—but all that could be heard in the small clearing was the sound of our breathing, which I couldn't help but be extremely aware of now.

I knew someone needed to give, and I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be Bella, so I just dove in.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're hiding from me, or do I have to guess?" I joked, hoping to break some of the tension.

Unfortunately, it had the adverse affect. Bella's posture stiffened, tilting her chin further away from my prying eyes. I tried again.

"Bella, I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong."

"I don't even know why you'd want to fix it anyway," she mumbled.

"What?" I leaned forward, hoping that I'd heard her wrong. "What are you talking about?"

"I said…" her eyes slid back to mine, and I saw the anger boiling within them "I don't even know why you'd want to fix it anyway, Edward."

"Why would you say that?" I asked, my voice getting higher, even though I was trying to remain calm. "Of course I want to fix it. We just figured this out, Bella, why would you think I don't care?"

At my words, she sprung up from the ground and took a large step backwards. "How can you say you care when you won't even come near me!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. I wouldn't come near her? I was literally on top of her not even twenty-four hours ago.

My hands palmed the grass, pushing myself into a standing position, careful not to slip on the mist-covered ground. I didn't think I'd look so strong and assured if I bit it in front of my girlfriend during our first fight.

Ugh. Our first fight.

I realized it for what it was the second I saw a tear splash across her face…and then another one…and…oh motherfucking shit cock balls.

Of all the times it had to start raining again, it had to be now, right?

What I'd thought were tears was actually rain. The skies opened up, the slow, fat raindrops splattering our clothing. Maybe this was God's way of telling me he was crying for me, too…that this was the end of me and Bella. But, of course, there was no way in hell that was happening.

"It's fine, just…walk away, Edward. Don't feel obligated or whatever."

"What are you talking about?" I finally raised my voice and took a step closer, unable to really see her through the steadily increasing rain falling between us. "I'm not walking away when I don't even know what's wrong! And I'm not going to fucking leave you outside, alone, in the rain!"

"Why not? You had no problem leaving me alone this morning!" she screamed back, taking another step towards me, letting her hood fall back and the water to cascade down her nose and cheeks.

My head was spinning, trying to come to terms with what she was trying to tell me, but I couldn't put the pieces together. I had no idea what conclusion she'd somehow come to without me, and I couldn't stand it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Bella!" I flung an arm into the air, noticing that my hoodie was now completely drenched, saturated by the never-ending torrents surrounding us. "You can't talk in some crazy girl code and expect me to understand!"

"I know you don't want to touch me, so just leave me alone, Edward." She crossed her arms in front of her chest as a chill ran up her spine, her small body shaking in the rain.

I couldn't take it anymore. Closing the distance between us, I put my hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look into my eyes. "I'm not leaving you here," I said slowly. "And how can you think I don't want to touch you?" My voice was still raised, trying to shout over the loud pitter-pattering of raindrops on the trees surrounding us. "God, Bella, every second I'm not touching you is like torture."

"But…this morning…and you pushed me away…and you wouldn't even talk…you went to Jasper…and I…" she mumbled, water running over her lips and obscuring her words. "I thought you didn't…want me…"

"You are infuriating," I seethed. My hands pushed her matted hair from her cheeks and let my thumbs stroke over her cold and wet skin. I needed to show her with my gentle gestures that she had to listen to the words I was saying and not the tone in which they were coming out; that was apparently uncontrollable.

"The only thing I'm guilty of is wanting you too much. Of course I pushed you away."

The anger in my tone was building again, but I couldn't stop it. I was feeling too much, and it was fucking freaking me out. She was ready to end things? I couldn't let her do that. Absolutely not. Not when we had so little time to begin with.

"Bella, I want to spend every second with you, but I can't. Instead, I have to watch you from across the room, counting down the seconds until I can get my hands on you again. And even then, I have to hold myself back. I may have no clue what I'm doing, but I do know I want you! How could you just run away from that?"

I'd been so angry, I didn't even notice that my hands had slipped from her cheeks and had knotted themselves in the wet strands of her long hair. Her eyes darted back and forth, droplets of water dripping from her lashes, as she searched my face for something.

"I…I thought it was over…" she confessed, her eyes finally stilling and locking on mine.

"It. Is. Not. Over." My voice lowered into a growl, and I crashed my lips to hers.

The kiss was forceful, a mess of wet lips and teeth. Bella remained passive in my arms for a second, her body motionless, until a low rumble of thunder in the far off distance spurred her into action. Soon, her hands were fisted in the front of my hoodie, pulling me closer as our feet tried to keep traction on the thick grass of the flooding meadow.

It was almost violent, the force with which we attacked one another. Hands groped and clutched for dear life as our tongues met frantically, pushing past the useless barrier of lips and teeth.

The rain continued to pelt down on us, and the sky grew darker with the impending storm clouds, but it only seemed to further ignite my lust. With a forceful tug, I pulled her hair back, revealing her neck—my mouth's new favorite spot. Gasping for air, I hovered just over the pale flesh just below her ear, loving the way her hair stood on end as my breath passed over it. My eyes glanced up to take in Bella's expression. Her eyes were closed with her face tilted upwards, letting the rain wash over her face, removing any traces of previous tears.

Pulling her body as close to mine as humanly possible, I closed the distance between my lips and her skin, allowing my tongue to sneak out and lick rivulets streaming down her neck. She gasped quietly as I continued to move up and down the column of her throat. Finally, she decided she'd had enough and moved my lips back up to hers in a hard kiss.

Her delicate fingers wound themselves in my belt loops, pressing her stomach against my hips, and I couldn't resist moving my hands down to caress the skin there. I slowed our kiss down, softening it as my hands ventured underneath her hoodie and t-shirt. A chill ran up her spine as a light breeze whipped through the clearing, and she broke off our kiss to tuck her head into my chest. It was then that I realized the skin I was feeling underneath her layers of clothing was also wet, and we were both fucking freezing cold.

As she leaned back to kiss me again, I noticed her lips had darkened to a reddish-purple color, and the protector in me snapped.

We were soaking wet, and the temperature was dropping steadily. If I didn't get her warm soon, she would most definitely get sick.

"What?" she whispered, her voice coming out thinly through the still raging rainstorm.

I kissed her lips softly one more time before wrapping my arms around her. "You need to get inside and get warm, MB."

She nodded quickly and burrowed further into my chest—not that my body heat would do anything for her, since it too had diminished. Grabbing her hand, we walked as quickly as we could along the path and headed straight for my bunk. The only thoughts running through my mind had to do with getting her out of her wet clothes and into something warm.

As soon as we were within the confines of my bunk, I pulled her into the bathroom, started running the shower as hot as it could go, then peeled off the layers of Bella's wet clothing. By the time she was only in her bra and underwear, the bathroom had filled up with steam, but she was still shaking and her lips had turned from reddish-purple to purply-blue.

Not okay.

Utilizing every bit of camping knowledge I had, I stripped myself down to my boxer-briefs and pushed us under the stream of hot water. It wasn't until my hands were caressing pale expanse of Bella's back that I realized we were both in the shower…together…and half-naked.

And for once, my dick hadn't propelled this. I had been legitimately concerned for her safety. Nonetheless, my fingers froze halfway down her back and started to pull away once I took in our situation.

"N-no," Bella stuttered, forcing my hands back down onto her skin before wrapping her arms around my waist tightly and pressing her cold cheek against my chest. "Th-this is-s go-ood. I'm fu-fucking f-freezing."

"Okay," I chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Close your eyes…and pinch me if you can't breathe or something."

She nodded, still not moving her cheek away from my bare skin, so I walked us directly underneath the hot water again. Soaking up as much heat as I could, I moved my hands in a small circuit from her shoulders, down her back and up her sides, pressing light kisses into her hair as I went.

It was delightfully innocent. There was nothing lascivious about our shower, despite the fact that we had mass amounts of skin pressed against one another.

As the water went from hot to warm, I hopped out of the shower and grabbed two towels; it wouldn't do her any good to stay in the water until it ran cold.

I reached over her and turned the faucet off before wrapping her fully in the towel, rubbing her arms, generating some friction. Still, her teeth chattered and her body shook lightly beneath my hands.

"Are you still cold, MB?"

She bit her lip and tilted her head down, averting her eyes from mine. I wondered what she could possibly be embarrassed about after sharing a shower with me, but when she continued…oh, I understood.

"Y-yeah, my…um…underwear is g-getting cold…"

I gulped, my throat constricting without my permission. And for the first time ever, I was grateful that my equipment was too cold to work because that shit would have suddenly been on display for everyone as I asked, "Do you want to take it off?"

Her mouth dropped into a small 'o' and I refused to let her think of me as a crazy pervert, so I bent down and gathered our still sopping clothes from the bathroom floor. "I was going to put our clothes into the dryer." I gulped again, hoping that my voice wouldn't crack over my next words. "So, I can put it in if you want…"

"That's what he said," she joked as her hands slid underneath her towel to pull down her underwear.

I couldn't help it; my eyes were glued to her hands, despite the fact that everything was carefully hidden beneath the towel. She stepped out of them carefully, and I couldn't resist taking inventory on exactly what kind of underwear she was wearing. They didn't look slutty, like the undergarments of the other skanks I'd had the pleasure of seeing wore, but they were still fucking hot. They were black and white striped with a thick hot pink waistband. And as I looked up, I saw that she was pulling a matching colored pink bra from under the towel, unclasping it and letting it fall to the ground, too.

"I-I'm just going to take these to the laundry room." I reached down and gathered our heaps of wet clothing and headed out the door, forcing myself to quit ogling Bella while I was ahead of myself.

"Wait!" Bella called, causing me to spin around quickly.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to put on some clothes?" she squeaked, and I realized that I still hadn't put on any clothes, nor had I bothered to wrap a towel around my waist.

Chuckling awkwardly, I nodded. "Right. Clothes. Um, I need those. Right."

Wow. I think we're the most awkward couple in the history of couples.

In my room, I dropped the pile of wet clothes into my laundry basket before looking behind me, only to realize that Bella had stayed in the confines of the bathroom instead of following me into my room. Not knowing how much time I had, I disrobed quickly and threw on some clean underwear, shorts and a t-shirt.

As I walked past the bathroom, I saw that Bella was still standing inside, so I popped my head in. "Hey, did you need something, MB?"

She spun around, startled, clutching at her throat. "Yeah, I was looking for a comb or a brush or something?"

I pointed to the drawer where Jasper kept his brush. I figured he wouldn't mind too much, plus, it was the only hair utensil we had in this place. I mean, Jake and Emmett's hair was too short to do anything, and my hair kind of did whatever the fuck it wanted regardless, so I never invested in brushes.

After a small smile, I headed towards the laundry rooms, which were thankfully completely empty. I shoved our pile of wet clothes in and set the dryer to 'very dry' and jogged back to the bunk. The bathroom was empty upon my arrival, so I headed back to my room. Bella was perched on the edge of my bed, her arms wrapped around herself and her long hair dripping down her back, as she watched the movie she'd put in—Pulp Fiction, of all things.

"Bella, what do you think you're doing?" I chastised. "You're still cold. You're going to get sick. Get under the covers."

"Yes, old man," she giggled as I reached for my Bumble Bee blanket at the foot of the bed and threw it over her. She leaned over, lying on her side to face me, and her face contorted into the most adorable pout. "Aren't you going to join me?"

That most likely was not the best idea, but I couldn't deny her anything. So, I shrugged and hopped into the bed behind her, tucking my chin into her shoulder to press a soft kiss to her neck. It was a good plan, except her hair was still wet and it soaked through my t-shirt, getting me cold again nearly immediately. Not knowing what else to do, I pulled the t-shirt over my head and threw it to the ground, twirling her long hair up and over the pillow, away from my bare skin.

She peeked over her shoulder, probably wondering why I was getting naked again.

"Body heat, right?"

"Sure," she snickered before tucking her head back into the pillow and inching herself closer to me.

"So…" I began, unsure of how to broach the topic of her earlier fit, though I knew it needed to be addressed. Not only had she scared the living crap out of me, but she had to be more confident in my feelings for her. If she kept running away every time she doubted me, this next month would be torturous and we'd continue on our path of awkwardness.

"Mmm?" she hummed.

"Are we going to talk about what happened before or what?" She didn't respond, so I pressed on. "Bella? I…we need to make sure this isn't going to happen again. How can we?"

Suddenly, her hand moved from under the fleece blanket to snake around my neck and grip onto my hair, bringing my cheek almost next to hers. Her hand relaxed and scratched my scalp lightly, and it took all my concentration not to thrust against her from behind.

Yeah, now is not the right time for that, Doucheward.

"Most of the time, I can't believe this is real."

She paused momentarily before rolling over to face me, clutching closely at her towel so it wouldn't unwrap during her movement. I adjusted myself on the pillow so our noses were almost touching, relishing the feel of her hot breath fanning across my face.

"Edward, I've…" Her eyes fluttered closed. "…fantasized about this…" Brown eyes snapped back open, locking on mine with such intensity that I couldn't help but be completely enraptured by them. "Since the first day I saw you."

I stared at her blankly, trying to understand, but my mind was failing me greatly…per usual.

She sighed and pressed her lips against mine softly, letting her other hand take over in scratching my scalp and lulling me into contentedness under her spell.

"I don't—" I tried to interject, wanting to understand where she was coming from, but she continued on.

"Edward, that day in the car on the way to Wal-Mart during pre-camp with Jasper?" I nodded, remembering the day. I'd been a maelstrom of confusion, wondering how to come to grips with my body's physical attraction to her. "When you asked who I'd been in love with as a thirteen year old?" I nodded again, my stomach clenching in anticipation. Was she actually meaning to tell me…? "Edward, it was you. It's always only ever been you."

Bella had been in love with me as a thirteen year old? I…I had no fucking clue what to say or how to respond, even. I was seriously at a loss for words. Thank god, Bella felt like going on.

"So, at the slightest denial from you, I figured that you were over it. I'm not usually this insecure, I promise," she chuckled without humor. "But…when it comes to you…I've never known another way because I just figured there was never an actual chance we could ever be together. It's stupid and needy, but I think I may just need reassurance more often than not. You…you expected me to just know what was going on in your head, but after last night, I needed to hear that you were still okay with it…with us…with me…and my inexperience." Her eyes fluttered closed again as she rambled, but I could hear the pain and apprehension in her voice and that was no good.

"Okay," I responded nervously. "But you also have to understand that we can't be all over each other in front of campers. Not that I don't want to," I barked. "Believe me, Bella. I want nothing more than to be on you all the time. But, I can't. I can without a doubt assure you, though, that I want to be your boyfriend. And your inexperience?" Her skin flushed under the dim fluorescent lighting, and I was happy to see that she could finally get some color back to her skin. "It's just one more thing I love about you."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Really," I assured her before moving my lips forward and moving them against hers in a sweet kiss. Feeling like 'assuring' her more, I slid my hand from her knee to her thigh, pushing the soft terry cloth of the towel up and away from her skin.

"Oh!"

I stopped, freezing my hand on her leg and breaking the kiss as I heard a loud shriek from the doorway. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" Alice stumbled backwards, covering her eyes, but peeking through her index and middle fingers.

I had to admit, our position did look fairly compromising. I was shirtless and Bella was wearing a towel, so the blanket only showed off our bare shoulders, which were facing one another, her arm wrapped around my neck and mine riding up her thigh. Yeah. Um…

"Oh my God, LB, I'm sorry! I was just so worried about you when you never came back to your bunk and then Jasper said you didn't come back to the theater even after Edward went after you, so we looked in the shack and the fine arts room, and O-M-G, I did not mean to interrupt, um…" Alice flailed her hand in front of her face with her eyes still scrunched closed, causing Bella to tuck her head into the crook of my neck and burst into laughter.

"We're not doing anything!" Bella gasped, throwing the fleece off us, revealing our chaste and quasi-clothed forms.

"Oh," Alice breathed, a swoosh of air leaving her lungs as she plopped down on the edge of the bed next to our still entwined bodies. "Well then, what the fuck, LB? Here I was worried sick, and you couldn't be bothered to tell me you were still alive?" She crinkled up her nose as she took in the scene in front of her. "And why are you wearing a towel?"

Sighing, Bella turned over, still encased within my grasp. I wasn't going to let her go yet. If she needed reassurance that I wanted her, she was definitely going to get it.

"Sorry, Al," she said, moving her hand from around my neck to Alice's jean-covered leg. "I was upset and went into hiding…"

"The Point," they both said in unison, nodding as if those two words explained everything.

"Anyway," Bella continued, "It started raining and Edward found me and it was freezing, so we hopped into the shower and threw our clothes in the dryer and—"

Alice's eyes turned devilish as she held up her hand, stopping Bella. "Oh, I'll get the dirty details later, LB. But for now, you need to put some clothes on because it's almost dinner time."

"I'll grab them," Jasper offered as he sought out my eyes, making sure everything was all right. With a cursory nod, he was off. I really needed to get that boy a present or something; he was kind of a lifesaver.

Bella sat up and inched herself next to Alice, and I hated the fact that she wasn't in my arms anymore.

"Sorry I didn't have my phone on me," she whispered as Alice hopped up from the bed, her eyes darting back and forth between Bella and me.

"It's okay, LB. I'm sorry I freaked out. You just know how protective I am of you, right?"

Just then, Jasper returned with an armful of dry clothing. Bella picked her garments out one by one and scurried off to the bathroom to redress. She walked back into the bedroom, fully clothed, and I pushed myself up into a sitting position finally.

She leaned down to wrap her arms around my shoulders in a tight embrace, whispering her thanks before kissing me and heading out of the bunk. As soon as she left, I missed her. I had no fucking clue what was happening, but I thought that I might be falling…and falling hard for Bella Swan.

Chapter End Notes: In the words of my beta, "Le. Fucking. Sigh." True facts. Okay, my pretties. Leave me your thoughts, and I'll try my very hardest to get you another chapter before my cross country move. xoxo.