AN: Trying out this weekly posting thing for real. Thanks to everyone who's still with me. Last chapter was about half my usual readers/reviewers, and I'm not sure if that's because my updating schedule is complete shite (which it was) or because ff(dot)net was complete and utter fail (which it always is nowadays), but…if you didn't read the update last week, you'll be confused. So, go back.

Thanks to my betas lreganb and lisa89 for your invaluable corrections and comments. I would suck without you.

~Bella~

The next week passed quickly—too quickly. I should have anticipated it, but I ignored it, simply enjoying each day to the fullest. I woke up each morning with time to shower before breakfast, then after a full day of classes, I'd spend rest hour with Edward and each night with our group of friends or in rehearsal.

And although each night with our friends was amazing—from laser tag to double features at the drive in to drunken nights at The Pound—my favorite moments of the day were spent with Edward. Apparently Pringles had it right. Once you pop, you can't stop. And I couldn't stop. I needed Edward constantly. And by Edward, I mean his cock. I was a sex maniac, starved for peen-induced orgasms. It got to the point that if I didn't have sex with him at least once a day, I started tweaking like an addict. After that first time with me on top in the shack, we'd finally found our groove. Of course, depending on our locale, we had to use condoms again, but the convenience of a non-messy clean up was worth the saran wrap, desensitizing shield. It just allowed us have sex in less discreet places.

By the end of the week we'd christened the shack, the fine arts room, the gymnastics mats, the meadow at The Point, his shower, the girl's bathroom at The Pound, the lake, and the costume room. We were definitely making up for lost time. Stupid lost time. Time that we were running out of.

Seriously, whenever Jasper saw me, he now broke into a chorus of "The Girl Gets Around."

He claimed he was just practicing for the big show, but I couldn't help but blush into a lobster every single time.

At my thoughts of the big show, I refocused on the task at hand…the dress rehearsal. Or I tried to, at least. But it was proving extremely difficult to focus on anything but Edward.

He looked mouthwatering. I wanted to strip his pants off right there, but I knew I couldn't exactly do that. Well, at least not with other people in the theater. He was wearing a pair of skinny black jeans (his, of course), a white button-down shirt, and a skinny black tie. I got distracted nearly every time he walked on stage, which was pretty bad, considering we had the majority of our scenes together.

"Edward, Bella! That's your cue!" Maria yelled from behind the piano. She was all too amused by our inherit distraction. Oh, yeah—the same went for Edward.

As soon as he'd seen me in my jean cut offs, tight white wife beater, and red boots, boy popped a boner so hard, his brain couldn't tell right from left. It was turning out to be somewhat of a problem, seeing as the entire dress rehearsal was spent with Maria shouting, "A little bit left stage…no, your other left," at both Edward and me. Had I not been so amused, I would have been ready to kill both of us. Hopefully the rest of the cast felt similarly.

"Sorry, Maria," Edward said with a lowered head, properly abashed. "I'm trying."

Maria clucked her tongue and pulled her clipboard up to her chest. "I know you are, sweetie. And I know you haven't had very long to work on these lines or this staging, and truth of the matter is, none of the campers will care. Just, promise me when we wrap up tonight that you and Bella will run through all your lines and maybe the songs, too?"

I bit my lip, trying to hold back a moan at the thought of running through lines later. If it was this hard for us to keep our clothes on with people present, how did anyone expect us to do that alone? It was fruitless.

Edward chuckled and ran a hand through his hair before cocking an eyebrow in my direction. "I think we could set aside some time for practicing tonight. Right, Bella?"

I hummed my approval, keeping my mouth shut. I didn't trust myself to stay appropriate if I opened it. Who knows what'd be coming out? Maybe a, "Yes, Edward, I can't wait to practice coming all over your cock. Oh, and then we can run some lines, too. Sure." Not sure how the masses would take that one.

"Great." Maria clapped her hands and sighed loudly, a sure sign of exhaustion. "I know the show is tomorrow night, everyone, and we still have a chunk to get through. So, shall we take a thirty-minute break and then resume? Or do you want to keep going and just end as quickly as possible?"

"Break!" everyone shouted from around the theater.

"Oh, good." She slumped over the piano before gesturing to us both. "Edward and Bella. A word, please?"

My stomach turned as I hopped off the edge of the stage and made my way over to the piano. It felt like I was being called into the principal's office or something.

"What's up, Maria?" Edward asked, his eyes serious.

Maria shook her head, her rhinestone glasses sparkling and nearly blinding me with each horizontal movement. Suddenly, she stopped and leaned forward. A crooked finger beckoned us to follow her lead.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Uh…" Both our mouths dropped simultaneously. It was technically against camp policy to fraternize, and here Maria was, confronting us. I wasn't sure what to think.

She cracked a warm smile and ran a hand through Edward's hair. Despite it being a motherly move, I scowled anyway, causing her smile to broaden. "I'm not going to tell on you, so don't worry about that, you fools."

"About three weeks?" Edward offered. "Since parents' visiting day."

Maria sighed and nodded. She looked as if she were coming to some conclusion, but I had no idea what on earth it could possibly be. "Okay, here is what I propose, because your sexual tension has been oozing out all night and has gotten the entire cast flustered."

"I'm so sor—"

Maria cut me off. "Don't apologize, LB. If you need to take your scripts on stage with you tomorrow night, so be it. The campers will love it regardless. I propose that we finish rehearsal for the night. You two can stay here and run lines if you so choose." That statement seemed pointed. "And please make sure that you are not so tense before the show tomorrow. I'm not worried about you two. You're very talented, and I know you won't let me down. Just promise me that, and we'll all get out of here."

I gawked. Had Maria really just insinuate what I thought she had?

"Are you saying you want us to…" Edward began. He was clearly following my line of questioning.

"Yes. Please don't make me say it out loud, Edward, but yes. Now…are we through here?"

"Yes ma'am," Edward replied with a grin.

"Great," she said with a curt nod, effectively ending that discussion.

"So—" Edward nudged me with his hip "—should we find somewhere private to start practicing? You know, so we don't bother anyone else?"

I wanted to tell him that was out of the question and that we should just wait until everyone had been dismissed from rehearsal, but my mind could only focus on the jeans and the skinny tie, and so I stupidly nodded and followed his lead.

Before I had time to think, I was pressed up against the wall of the scene shop. With Edward's body firm against mine, I couldn't see anything, but the faint scent of sawdust and primer clued me in as to where he'd taken us.

His head fell forward with his eyes shut. I'd never seen him looked so pained before, and I wondered if I looked the same. I definitely felt the way he looked—desperate.

"This costume might be the death of me," he ground out as he slipped his hands from my sides into my back pockets. I could feel his fingers squeeze my ass lightly, and I leaned further into the wall to press into them, even though I really had nowhere else to go. "Bella, I…" He trailed off, sounding unsure. Nervous, even.

"Mm?" I opened my eyes and looked up. I'd never get used to how tall Edward was and how tiny he made me feel. No, not tiny—protected, safe, treasured. His eyes sought mine out, the green darkened under the shoddy lighting of the small room.

"I love you."

I didn't think that was what he wanted to say, but I wasn't going to fight it. "I love you, too."

My hands ran up his chest and clasped behind his neck before tugging his mouth down to meet mine. Our lips met, and we both moaned in relief. Maria was right – we had been tense. For the first time in a long time, though, Edward seemed unsure. It wasn't our usual maddened frenzy; he seemed too controlled. An idea appeared in my head, and before I could talk myself out of it, I pushed Edward off me.

He held up his hands in surrender. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I cooed, pushing my very confused boyfriend onto a recently painted—but thoroughly dry—bench. "Just relax."

"What are you…" Edward's eyes opened wide, his mouth ceasing to work, as I lowered myself onto the ground between his legs. My hands went straight for his waistband, but he stopped me, covering my hands with his own. "Holy shit. You want to?"

I could feel my nose crinkle, displeased with Edward's skepticism, as my hands continued their mission: to get Edward's cock out and into my mouth.

"MB, really, you don't have to—"

I stared up at him. "Do you like getting me off with your mouth?" He was about to answer, so I kept going. "That was a rhetorical question. I know you do because you tell me all the time. So, why would you think that I wouldn't enjoy that, too?"

Edward was quick to help me remove his pants and boxers, sliding his cock from its confines and into my hands.

"Not complaining," he stuttered. "Just surprised."

As I was about to lower my mouth to his head, I looked up once more. "Um…you'll have to help me?" I asked, hoping he'd understand the subtext—I've never done this before.

"Of course." He smiled and placed a guiding hand on mine, wrapping it around the base of his cock. My eyes moved to our hands as I heard him exhale slowly.

Carefully, I angled his cock towards me slightly and leaned down, letting my tongue lick at the tip cautiously. It wasn't as if I didn't know the basics of a blowjob. I'd seen enough porn to know that step one was to put your mouth over it, then lean down, then pull back and repeat. But Edward had always taken his time to make sure that I enjoyed everything he did to me to the fullest, and I wanted to repay the favor.

Plus, I really didn't want to go too fast, gag and then possibly vom all over his crotch. That would most likely ruin the mood.

Slowly, I let my tongue explore further, dipping into crevices and wandering over untasted skin. With his pre-cum dripping and my tongue lapping, I felt like I was licking a popsicle, melting in the summer heat. A cocksicle.

His hands gripped the edge of the bench as I ran my tongue up the underside of his cocksicle, and his breathing increased notably. Finally back at the top, I let my mouth descend over the head. He made a hissing noise, followed by a few choice expletives, and I tried my damndest not to smile. Instead, I let my tongue swirl around, causing his hands to fly into my hair. I could actually feel his restraint as he tried not to shove the cocksicle down my throat. And I'd never felt more powerful.

As I lowered my mouth past his head, he let his arms relax, no longer feeling the need to push down. In fact, he helped me rise up, exposing his wet cocksicle to the cool air.

"I-if you can g-go faster, um," he stuttered breathily, "that'd be g-good."

"Mhm," I mumbled, causing an immediate, "Fuck!" to escape Edward's lips as he threaded his fingers through my hair.

I increased the force of my sucking along with my pace, loving the way Edward's fingers tightened in my hair, tugging just the right amount. His moans were becoming nonsensical as my bobbing continued, until I finally felt him tap my shoulder.

I raised my eyes, wondering what he wanted, but I didn't stop my movements.

"MB," he panted, "I'm getting really close. Just a warning."

I didn't understand why he would warn me. I was glad he was close. I mean, wasn't that the whole point of this oral sex thing? Instead, I hummed my acknowledgment and continued going. I wanted my cocksicle's cream center.

"Shit, you're not going to pull off? You want me to come in your mouth? I don't know if…but, oh God, I love you so much. Fuck, Bella…I…I…" he babbled, making no sense at all. Yes, I wanted him to come in my mouth. Where else would he come? Ignoring his comments, I continued sucking, rubbing my tongue up and down the thick vein of his shaft with each swipe.

"Fuck, Bella, I'm coming!" Edward climaxing was one of the most intriguing things to watch. His entire body tensed up and his eyes scrunched closed, almost as if he were in pain. But the thick fluid in my mouth told me he felt quite the opposite.

Wait, fluid…still in my mouth? Eugh.

I figured I should probably swallow what was already in my mouth, but it didn't taste very good just sitting in there, so I pulled back and looked for a place to spit. But of course, there wasn't a trashcan or paper towel in sight—odd for a scene shop. Coming to, Edward caught wind of my distress and stood up not only to tuck himself back into his pants but also to hopefully find something for me with which to dispose of the liquid in my mouth.

"Where the hell did they move all the garbage cans?" he shouted at no one in particular. Still on my knees and afraid of gagging, I reached for the closest thing to me. As discreetly as I could, I spit the milky fluid from my mouth into the open paint can sitting next to the bench. Unfortunately, the paint was brown, and it didn't exactly blend in. Even as I used the wooden mixer, I was only creating a white marble throughout the paint.

I could hear Edward laughing as he peered over my shoulder. "Oops?"

My face formed a small frown, but as I looked up at him, I couldn't help but smile. He looked so carefree, his entire body relaxed. And I had done that.

"Sorry."

He shook his head and leaned down to help me off my knees. I leaned into him as his hands wrapped around my back, pulling me close.

"Don't apologize. That was, uh, spectacular."

"Yeah?"

His grin was infectious, and soon we were both just staring and smiling at one another like crazy people.

"Oh, yeah."

Before too long, hands that had once been stagnant began roaming, lips melded and clashed, and throats groaned in appreciation and relief. I couldn't believe how impossible it was for us to be alone without feeling this inexplicable pull to be joined together everywhere. I didn't particularly want to have sex amongst the wood shavings and partially dried set pieces, though.

"Hey," I panted, pulling back slightly. "Let's go back to your bunk and work on lines."

A sly smile appeared on Edward's face. "We did promise Maria," he said solemnly.

Hand in hand, we walked through the dark woods, the path only lit by the bright moon and smattering of stars overhead. It was perfect. With each silent step, the tension built again. How had we gone this long without one another? And how would we possibly be able to handle it again?

Sneaking a glance at Edward, I ignored the persistent voice in the back of my head and instead focused on the beautiful boy beside me. I'd never thought I could be this lucky.

As we approached his bunk, I heard raucous laughter and the heavy blare of electric guitar and synth drums.

Edward sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair. "So, it seems like we won't be running lines," he said, the frustration clear in his eyes and tone.

Smirking, I leaned up and stole a small kiss. "Hate to break it to you, Edward, but it seems like we'll actually be running lines."

"But I wanted to practice with just you," he whined. I couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes, he was such a boy.

"We have w—days more to practice, Edward. Now, come on." I smiled, putting on a brave face. I'd almost said we had weeks to practice, but it was finally sinking in that we didn't have weeks. We had this weekend, and then next week was the last week of camp. I had tried so hard to avoid thinking about our time constraints and just live in the now, but the voice in the back of my head was getting more panicky with each passing day. I couldn't avoid it for much longer, I knew.

I made to open the bunk door, but a small tugging on my arm pulled me back into Edward's chest. "One more minute." His smirk descended onto my lips, kissing me breathless.

"Um, hey…"

Edward and I broke apart at the sound of our intruder. Emmett, of course. He scowled, his face contorting as he took in my current state of dishevel.

I tugged at my wife beater, suddenly remembering I'd forgotten to change out of my costume. I felt very naked under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Hey, Em." I didn't know why I felt so awkward, but it was as if I'd been caught making out with my boyfriend on the front step by my dad or something. In fact, that was almost exactly what had happened.

His eyes narrowed in on Edward's hands, which were still locked firmly around my lower back, dangerously close to the curve of my ass.

Wanting to diffuse the situation, I smiled and extracted myself from Edward's arms. Naturally, he pouted and was about to start up his whining again—I could tell from the face he was making—when I interrupted, cutting him off before he could get started.

"What are we still standing here for? Let's get practicing." I squeezed past Emmett and made my way into the central room of the bunk. It was a party going on in there. Everyone had spread out amongst the couches and the floor. As soon as she saw me, Riley hopped up from her spot on the arm of the middle couch and wrapped her hand around my waist. I tumbled back onto the arm with her, giggling at her enthusiasm.

"Bella, I'm so glad you're here. This practice has been absolute chaos without you. I've been trying to cover for you, but it's been pretty rough."

Seth nodded, pulling Riley from her perch next to me and onto his lap. Turns out Edward had been right about those two. Riley was just what Seth needed—a little firecracker to keep him on his toes—and he in return grounded her, reigning her in with his genuine sweetness. I hadn't speculated about their sex life; I got enough of that posturing from Edward. I assumed that was going pretty well for them, though, considering how close they had become.

"It really has. Seriously, what took you so long?" Rosalie asked, exasperated.

As if on cue, Emmett and Edward walked inside. They both looked thoroughly embarrassed, and I wondered what the hell they could have been talking about.

Riley rolled her eyes and whispered conspiratorially so that everyone in the room could hear. "Obviously, they needed to fuck before coming back to the bunk to fuck again." Then she shook her head, her long blonde ponytail swishing back and forth along her shoulders.

"You fucked in the theater?" Rosalie gaped at me, and she seemed almost a little proud.

"No!" I shouted, my face flaming. Jasper raised an eyebrow in my direction, clearly skeptical. "Well, not today, at least," I amended.

The girls hollered at my admission, Alice louder than the others. We still hadn't had a follow-up conversation to that first "I painfully lost my virginity" one, and hopefully she was glad to know it had gotten better since then.

"Ugh, LB…" Jake cringed, and I could feel my face heat up further. "Please…just…"

"So, if you weren't fucking, what were you doing?" Rosalie asked.

I was about to tell everyone to shove it and mind their own business when the entire room burst into laughter. I looked over my shoulder to see what they were looking at, and I frowned, catching the last second of Edward's gesture before he was able move his tongue away from the side of his cheek.

"Edward!" I punched his stomach, or as far as I could reach. Of course, I barely tapped the front of him.

"What?" He shrugged innocently, taking his place next to me on the arm of the couch. "I didn't say anything."

"Asshole," I mumbled.

Ignoring me, Edward picked up a script sitting on the floor and smiled widely. "Okay, let's practice, guys."

~Edward~

The show went spectacularly. Every line wasn't perfect, and I missed a few steps in the choreography, but watching Bella's face as her campers swarmed her after the show made it all worth it. They loved her, and they had bragging rights over the rest of the campers for the rest of the week because their counselor was the lead in the musical. I was proud of her. It was like I was watching her come into her own.

Bella was brave and talented. She was everything I knew she could be and more. She outshone me in so many aspects that it was a wonder she even loved me at all. After all, she was the one with all this potential, and I was the one heading back to my college town to work at the campus bookstore and try to make some freelance videographer money on the side.

I was a loser.

"Edward!" Jasper called out to me. He took the liberty of kicking one of the legs of my bed for extra emphasis.

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." I shook my head and stretched out further, trying to avoid looking at the Padme poster next to my bed. It only reminded me of taking Bella's virginity, one of the greatest moments of my life.

Jasper sat down on the edge of my bed and leaned over me, obstructing my view quite perfectly.

"Seriously, dude. Something's going on in your head and it's not good. You were great in the show last night. But today…something's wrong today. Did you and Bella get into a fight?"

I sat up too quickly, nearly crashing into Jasper's forehead, but he managed to narrowly avoid my spastic movement. "No, why? Did Bella say we were in a fight?"

Jasper tugged at his hair, looking confused. "I'm not quite sure what this is," he said, gesturing towards me, "but you need to lighten up. We're going to a movie today. Isn't that right up your alley?"

Groaning, I flopped back onto my bedding, hoping Optimus Prime would have the answers I sought. It was another rainy day…well, a rainy weekend, more like. We were supposed to take the seniors on a beach weekend, since it was the last weekend of camp, but we'd been rained out. I would have been able to have an entire weekend of sleeping in the same bed as Bella and waking up next to her, but the fucking weather had to put a kink in my plans. And although we were going to take them to a movie, I was still a bit peeved at the change in plans.

"I hate rainy days," I said simply.

Jasper patted the bed before hopping off and donning a rain jacket. "At least you get to go somewhere cool. I'm stuck in the Fine Arts room with bored kids who'd much rather be at a movie like the seniors. Tell Bella I hate her when you see her, okay?"

I snorted and nodded, closing my eyes to descend into my self-deprecating thoughts again. I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, Jake was shaking me awake and berating me for not being ready to go yet.

"Sorry," I groaned.

"Come on, the bus is already waiting." His goofy grin, while usually a mood lifter, only served to drive me further into my mood.

"They can wait," I grumbled, pushing myself off the bed and rummaging around my closet for my black hoodie.

Jake narrowed his eyes, and I tried to ignore his stare. When he made a humming noise, I finally snapped.

"What?"

"Whoa, can you stop being on your period?" He took a step back to give me some space. "I thought we'd finally overcome your man PMS?"

"Fuck you, Jake. I'm ready. Let's go."

The burning feeling coursed through me, and I held onto it, happy to be feeling something other than self-loathing. I flipped my hood over my head and trekked my way up towards the bus, not bothering to wait for Jake and Emmett, who were probably still standing in the hallway, stunned by my outburst.

Once upon a time this behavior would have been usual—expected, even. But now, everything was different. I hadn't been this moody since pre-camp.

My sneakers squeaked as I walked up the steps onto the bus, and I was assaulted by the shrill sounds of excited teenage girls. My eyes scanned the bus quickly, and I was caught by surprise at the flash of red leaning against the window. I shouldn't have been shocked to see Bella in my hoodie. After all, I'd given it to her. But it made my stomach flip and the burning feeling dissipate immediately.

I tried to be stealthy in my approach, but the wet squeak of my sneakers alerted her to my presence. Her head popped up from the window, and a tired smile stretched across her face.

"Hey."

"Hey." I slid next to her, and she automatically leaned into my side. My emotions conflicted, winding against one another in a battle so lethal that I wasn't sure what I even wanted the outcome to be.

"Do you know what movie they decided on?"

"Uhh, yeah," I responded. "Something called 500 Days of Summer."

"Oh! I wanted to see that!" Bella smiled and gazed up at me through her dark lashes, which were still wet from the rain. "It's Zooey Deschenel and Joseph Gordon Levitt and Matthew Gray Gubler. Should be great."

"Bones' sister, the guy from 3rd Rock to the Sun and Dr. Reid?" I asked, actually intrigued by the star lineup.

Bella relaxed back into my side, and I couldn't help but place my arm around her shoulders. "You watch too much television, Mr. Movie Snob."

"Maybe I should focus more on making movies and less on watching television, huh?" I joked, but the words sounded bitter coming off my tongue. She heard it, too.

"That's not what I was—"

"Hey, way to wait for us, Doucheward," Jake grumbled, sliding into the seat.

"Language," Emmett snipped before holding up a large clipboard and smiling widely. "Okay, quiet down, everyone. Time to take roll and then we can roll on out of here." His joke was met with silence, except for his soft chuckling. "Yeah, I know that was bad. Just raise your hand and say 'here' when I call your name. Arader, Michelle?"

A giggly "here!" came from the back of the bus, and I closed my eyes as Emmett prattled on. I knew Bella had taken offense to my statement, but what else could I say? I'm sorry I'm a failure? Good thing you won't be? I'd rather save that conversation for when we weren't surrounded by nearly thirty sixteen year olds.

As we pulled out of the long driveway and began our journey, I felt Bella shift away from me and back towards the window. It hurt, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes yet. Instead, I was a coward and faked sleeping, choosing to ignore and avoid for as long as possible. After about fifteen minutes, I heard Jake speak up.

"What are you reading?" I felt Bella's arm brush against mine as she lifted it from her lap. "Ah, really? You brought Tolkien with you to camp?"

"I've never read any of them before, but they're some of my favorite movies. I mean, who doesn't love Viggo Mortensen? And Peter Jackson was truly a visionary. Did you even know his name before those movies came out? And now he's a household name."

"I hope you know I have no idea what you're talking about."

I could almost hear Bella frown. Who didn't know about Lord of The Rings? "Anyway," she continued, "I saw them in the library the other day, so I figured I could pick one up for some down time during rehearsals."

Jake scoffed. "Down time? You? Miss leading lady? Excellent performance, by the way."

"Thanks," she said warmly.

"Speaking of which, how's our leading man doing?"

"God only knows," she said, sadness returning to her tone.

"So he snapped at you too, huh? Good to know you're not immune. His PMS was raging this morning. Thought you'd maybe have some insight."

"Insight?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, you know…like, did you two have a fight or something?"

Thanks for prying, Jake.

"Uh, if we did, I wasn't aware…"

And thank you for placing that idea in her head, Jake.

"What'd you do after the musical last night?"

"Bunk bonding. I played charades and told stories with my girls."

"Hm," Jake hummed thoughtfully. "He hasn't been this pissy since before you guys got together. I guess I just assumed…"

"You don't think he's actually mad at me, do you?" Bella asked nervously. I could have throttled Jake.

"Nah. I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just realizing the summer is coming to a close. End of summer blues—everyone gets them. Back to reality, you know?"

"Yeah." Bella sighed loudly and quieted down. Soon only the sounds of girls chattering and rain splattering could be heard. This was going to be a long ride.

I was "awoken" some time later by Bella, who nudged my arm gently. I let my eyes flutter open, taking a few seconds to adjust to the bright glare of the clouds overhead.

As I stood up to make my way out, Jake grabbed my sleeve, pulling me back. "I know you were awake," he whispered.

"What?"

"Listen, you've been my best friend for a really long time. You're not that good an actor. I know what you look like when you're asleep, and you don't twitch every time you're mentioned in a conversation. You sleep like the fucking dead."

"Uhh…" Jake was trying to keep calm, but his rage was obviously boiling just beneath the surface. I could very nearly see it.

"I know you think you're an asshole, but you're not. I'm an asshole. I've owned up to that. But you…you've changed this summer. And whether you want to admit it or not, it's because of Bella and who you are when you're with her."

I laughed, trying to ease the sudden heaviness that fell over us. "Are you going to get all Hallmark on me, Jake? 'Cause I don't know how to handle that…"

He shook his head and growled. Yes, he fucking growled at me. "I'm serious, Edward! Take whatever crawled up your ass and remove it and enjoy your last week here. Unless you've changed your mind and are going to come back again next summer."

"I don't…" I grappled with what to say, knowing it was all going to make me sound like shit. "I don't know how to end this."

Jake's entire face contorted, his expression almost unreadable. "Are you serious?"

"Yes?"

He sighed loudly and crossed his arms. "I don't have time to deal with this shit right now. But we're not done talking, you got it?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And Edward?" he hissed. "Do your girlfriend a solid and be straight with her. She doesn't need your shit bringing her down."

That's what I'm afraid of.

"Is everything okay here?" Emmett asked as Jake and I made our way into the theater.

"Peachy," I snapped.

"Riiiiight. Okay, why don't you get in there and do your job as a chaperone, and I'll call the restaurant to make sure they can accommodate thirty-five people."

Looking up, I saw Bella, her nose still buried in her book. She was ignoring the campers, who were too busy enjoying their day outside camp to bother anyone. Danielle and Jake flanked them and seemed to have it under control, so I slid into the seat next to Bella. The seat creaked as I let my weight sink into it, and she finally lifted her head, a soft smile adorning her lips.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Did you have a good nap?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I wasn't much in the way of company."

She placed her chin on my shoulder and pressed her lips to the hoodie so quickly I questioned if it had even happened or if I'd just imagined it. "Not a problem. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Mhm. I think I was just knocked out by that extensive week of rehearsals and, uh, other things." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she ducked underneath the large hood. I let my hand move to stroke her cheek. "I love my hoodie on you."

"I thought it was my hoodie," she replied cheekily.

"It is." I smiled as she took my hand and twined it with hers. Jake was right; with Bella, I was someone else, someone better. And I needed to hold onto that feeling for as long as I could, which meant that I was just going to have to stop thinking about saying goodbye. Out of sight, out of mind.

As the lights dimmed, she leaned closer, and I draped my arm over her shoulders. I nearly jumped as our burly best friend took the seat next to me.

"We're all taken care of for lunch," he whispered. "Applebee's!" He did a fist pump of excitement. "I'm so stoked for my provolone-filled meatballs. Either of you want to do the two-for-twenty deal with me? No? No takers. Hmm…your loss."

"Mm, now I just want spinach artichoke dip," Bella said dreamily.

We finally quieted down as the previews came on, since Bella claimed they were her favorite part about going to the movies. What a weirdo. My weirdo.

The movie was cute, but it cut a little close to home. I just was having a hard time figuring out whether I was a Tom or a Summer.

At one point in the film, Tom's little sister pulled him aside and said, "Just because she likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate." And for some reason, I froze. Wasn't that what I'd based my relationship on with Bella? Our love for indie films and offbeat humor? Or was that completely debasing our relationship? I couldn't see clearly anymore. This movie was really getting into my head.

Bella said she was in love with me. No, Bella was in love with me…I didn't doubt that. What I doubted was her life experience. She was going off to college. I didn't want to trap her in some long-distance piece of shit relationship where I prevented her from fulfilling her potential. College was all about going out and meeting people and making connections. How could I expect her to do that without being the jealous fool that I was and wanting to tie her to her bedpost? Would I be able to handle seeing pictures on Facebook of her out at parties, drinking with ripped football players? Absolutely not. And, yes, Bella might be in love with me now, but what if keeping her to myself would prevent her from meeting the person she was actually supposed to be in love with?

Over the course of the next two hours each insecurity I'd let run and hide over the past two months came rearing its ugly head. And I turned into a pussy, a whiny little bitch.

In the conclusion of the film, Tom and Summer sat side by side. And Tom asked, "What happened? Why—why didn't they work out?" to which Summer responded, "What always happens. Life."

There, that was it. The crux of my insecurity. I could bulk up my excuses as much as I wanted, telling Bella I wanted her to go live her life and not be held down by some long-distance boyfriend who ultimately wouldn't work out, but I knew better. I didn't want life to get in the way. I didn't want to get left behind. I mean, fuck…I loved her.

x-x-x

Bella moaned as she bit into a piece of thick French bread, covered in a coating of creamy spinach artichoke dip, rousing my cock.

"Good?" I chuckled as she continued molesting the piece of bread, her eyes closed in food ecstasy.

"Perfect."

I reached over, trying to swipe a piece for myself, but she swatted my hand away. "Don't you dare, Edward Cullen. Did you not learn last time? I don't share food very well. Only child syndrome."

Rolling my eyes, I dug back into my own meal—a huge-ass chicken quesadilla. Imitating my tease of a girlfriend, I took a large bite and moaned overzealously. Her eyes snapped to me, my bedroom noise immediately catching her attention.

"Edward," she warned, her voice painfully low. "I'm not letting you fuck me in the bathroom at Applebee's, so knock that off."

Emmett choked mid-bite, sputtering in disbelief. He should have been used to Bella's crass language after this many years, but I knew he only saw her the way he wanted. Jake slammed his hands over his ears, pretending not to hear. And Danielle simply laughed and said, "I was wondering if you two had gotten together yet. Good for you."

I smirked and replied just as low. "Why not? You already let me fuck you in the bathroom at The Pound."

Bella's mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. I couldn't tell if it was arousal or shock yet, though.

"Edward!" Jake and Emmett bellowed simultaneously.

Bella's entire chest was blushing and blending in with the color of the hoodie—that was how red she'd gotten. "I can't believe you just said that." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "You're totally getting spanked when we get home."

My head tipped back as I let out a loud guffaw. "Oh, Bella, we both know if anyone's getting spanked between the two of us, it's definitely you."

"Oh my God," Emmett mumbled, sounding pained. "This is so much more than I ever needed to hear…ever."

Bella was steaming. I wasn't sure why all my insecurity was shifting and taking form as overzealous male bravado, claiming her loudly in front of people who already knew she was mine, but I couldn't stop it.

Jake picked up my Diet Coke and sniffed it suspiciously. "Dude, are you drunk?"

"No," Bella spat, "he's just an asshole."

"You love my asshole," I quipped, but Bella cringed, finally blanching.

"Too far, Edward. Too far."

Jake grimaced and smacked the back of my head. "That can't be unheard, you twat waffle. Please tell me none of that was true."

"None of that was true," Bella and I chimed in a monotone unison.

"I'm going to choose to believe that." Jake nodded at us both sternly, and I couldn't contain the goofy smile from spreading over my face.

"So, can I ask something that's completely unrelated to whatever awesomeness just happened?" Danielle spoke up.

We all nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"What happens over the next few days? I've heard the last week of camp is jam packed, but no one's really told me anything. Hazards of being a new counselor, I guess…"

Bella responded first. It made sense. After all, she had experienced the last week more poignantly than any of us—as a camper, over and over again.

"Well, tomorrow will be a normal day, but from Monday through Thursday will be completely different. Monday, we essentially have off. The seniors do senior takeover, where they'll imitate all the counselors and get to run the overhead systems and run activities for the younger campers. Then, that night, we have our staff dinner and party…which, I have to say I'm super excited about."

Her face was glowing. "Then, Tuesday they get out of activities early and have this night of singing called Sing-Song. You don't have to go, but it's an amazing tradition to watch in action. Um, then Wednesday we'll start packing and super duper clean up. And that night is senior banquet, which is a lot of speeches and boring tributes to the girls who are graduating. Then Thursday is more packing and clean up…because Friday is departure day."

Danielle and Bella continued chatting back and forth, Danielle asking more about the specific days and events and what that meant for her. Bella was patient and explained everything in detail.

With it all laid out there like that, I realized how short my time truly was. I had five days left with Bella—only a hundred and twenty hours until we parted ways, maybe for good. Jake was right. I had no choice but to tell things to her straight. I just wasn't all that sure what that meant yet.

Chapter End Notes: Uh oh. Someone's got his panties in a twist and I think his name is Campward. Coming up on the end of this summer, and he's more confused than ever. Show him some love. I think he needs it. Until next week (yeah, I'm really trying over here). xoxo.