A/N: Hi! I'm glad I got good reception for the last chapter. I was really worried that people would be disappointed since it is a crucial point in the story when Bella tells Edward.

And thanks for the great feedback on my new upcoming story. I know you guys want me to start officially writing it, but I am firm in my decision that I will not start posting chapters until this story is done. So, I'm sorry, but the first chapter won't be up until sometime around the holidays.

Okay, so this chapter is pretty important to. Bring on the drama! Just read the chapter title and I think you'll get what I mean.

On with Chapter SIXTEEN!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Woe is me!

EPOV

Bella's breathing slowed and became even. She was asleep. Good. She looked so worn out; she needed to rest. Especially with what she just did. Letting me in on her secret was hard for her to do, and I'm glad she did.

I gently brushed the hair from her face and whispered, "I love you."

It hurt to know she couldn't hear me.

Chapter 16: The One Who Loves You the Most – BPOV

I woke up around noon. Wow, I really was exhausted.

When I did awaken, I felt a sense of… peace, I guess, as corny as that sounds. It was like I was lighter, the weight of the world having been lifted off my shoulders. I knew this must have come from telling Edward about Phil. I also knew it wasn't good and that I'd probably regret it later, but it made everything so much less suffocating, if you know what I mean.

My eyes fluttered open, blurry shapes obscuring my vision. I blinked a few times to clear my eyesight.

"Ugh," I groaned. The light was too bright. Why did I have to wake up facing my freaking window?

"Bella?" a velvet voice said behind me.

Gasping, I shot up in bed and whirled around to see Edward, who was sitting on top of the covers, looking at me rather amusedly. What the hell was he doing here? I quickly backtracked in my mind what had happened before I fell asleep.

Fought with Edward, got hurt by Edward, fought with Edward, told the truth to Edward, fought with Edward, reconciled with Edward, decided to take a nap, asked Edward to stay-

Wait, I asked Edward to stay with me? Oh God, that was embarrassing. I felt my face flood with the usual blush as I remembered my sleep-induced words.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to ask you to stay with me. You were probably bored. I just, I – argh!" I felt like ripping my hair out, I felt like such a stuttering idiot, which wasn't too far from the truth actually.

He just laughed musically and said, "Don't be sorry, Bella. It's no trouble, besides, I wasn't bored." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. Something told me I wouldn't like the next words out of his mouth.

"You haven't grown out of your sleep talking," he clarified, smirking.

I blushed even deeper. At this rate, my face would forever look like a tomato. Dread washed over me at his words. Holy crap, what did I say? I swear if he started teasing me, he would never see the light of day again. I hoped he remembered the last time:

We were thirteen and I had slept over at the Cullens' house. All four of us (Alice, Emmett, Edward, and I) were sleeping on the floor of the living room. In my sleep I said something about Emmett's big toe and the freaky looking fish my dad caught while fishing and… well, Alice took a video of it on her cell phone to humiliate me with. I won't go into the details, but I was in such a vicious rampage the next morning trying to destroy that video that even Emmett hid from me.

Now as I looked at Edward I knew I must have said something embarrassing. His eyes were wickedly amused yet there was something under all that. That same strong emotion that I could never decipher. I could tell he was trying hard to hide it from me.

"What did I say?" I asked, horror and dread filling my voice.

Edward grinned. "It's cute how you think I look like Adonis."

My face literally couldn't get any redder. I was mortified. Alice told me before, back in high school, that I talked about Edward a lot when I slept. I guess I still did. Oh my God, I would never live this down. I knew he would just keep on teasing me about this for years and years and years.

Would I still be around then?

I pushed the thought from my mind as I came back to the present. The very embarrassing, humiliating present. I groaned as I lay back down and buried my face in my pillow. I wanted to bury my head into a hole and not resurface until Doomsday.

Edward laughed more at me and then gently reached over and raised my face from my pillow. "Please don't hide your face," he said quietly.

I looked up at him to see that emotion in his eyes again, but this time it was less hidden and stronger. The force of it would have surely made me collapse if I wasn't already lying down.

Within half a second, the emotion was masked again and he said, "Would it make you feel better if I said you were Aphrodite?"

I scowled and smacked his chest while he just laughed at me. Stupid, perfect Adonis.

"Did I say anything else?" I asked after a few minutes.

"No," he said, quickly glancing away from my eyes. That instantly gave away the lie. I was surprised; normally Edward was an excellent liar. It was me who was so obvious in telling a false truth.

He looked back at my eyes and the room was filled with a comfortable silence as we just stared into each other's eyes. I knew, as I looked into the gorgeous green, that I was falling for him all over. As much as I didn't want to, I was. Now that Edward knew my secret, it was bringing us closer. It was something only the two of us knew, which created a special bond. The bond of confidants.

"So…" Edward said, breaking the silence. "You want some lunch?"

I nodded. "Sure. Thanks."

Within ten minutes, we entered the dining hall. It wasn't very crowded since most students were returning from home tomorrow. Jeez, it was still the holidays? With everything that's happened, it felt like the events of the holidays had passed long ago.

I took out my wallet to pay for my food, but Edward's elegant white hand stopped me. I looked up at him, glaring. I knew what he was trying to do and wouldn't let him. He knew I hated it when other people paid for me, even if it was something as small as buying me a keychain, or as big as buying me a house (though one has yet to try and do that). I didn't like being a charity case.

"Bella, don't be difficult for once and let me pay for you," he said.

"I don't want you to," I retorted.

"Yes, but I want to, so too bad."

Before I could respond, Edward swiftly passed the cashier his money for both our meals, a smug smile on his face. I half expected him to say, 'I win'. Frowning, I took my tray from him and sat down at our usual table. Without the other four, it felt empty and too big.

All of a sudden, the dining hall doors banged open and Tanya walked in, or rather, strutted in. I felt like some kind of Pussycat Dolls song should have been playing as she made her entrance. She was obviously looking for attention, as if she was the queen of the school, and she got it. Pretty much everyone in the hall was looking at her. However, they weren't looking in admiration, but in amusement over her little show.

Spotting Edward, she made her way across the hall towards him, Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley following her like loyal puppies.

When she got close, Tanya spotted me sitting across from Edward and she frowned. Quickly wiping the frown off her face, she stood next to Edward and put her hand on his shoulder. She batted her eyelashes in an attempt to look sexy and leant down so her mouth was right next to his ear.

"Hello, Edward," she said in a deep breathy voice. Edward looked at me with eyes that just screamed 'Help!'. Not being able to stop myself from laughing, I not very discreetly covered it up with a cough. The corner of Edward's mouth twitched up at that.

"What's so funny, Swan?" Tanya sneered at me.

I just smiled at her. "Oh nothing. It's just your poor obvious attempt at flirting with Edward is rather pathetic," I answered. Tanya's nostrils flared, making her momentarily look slightly like a pig. I suddenly had the urge to laugh again, but suppressed it.

"You think you're like, so smart, don't you?" Lauren Mallory said in her nasally voice. She flipped in white blonde hair and shifted her weight to one hip. It looked ridiculous.

"Compared to you, yes."

"Look, why don't you just leave and give Edward and I some time alone. No one wants you here and I'm sure Eddie would like some private time with me without you breathing down his neck," Tanya said, wrapping her arms around Edward's neck.

"Actually, I'd rather she stay right where she is," Edward said, his voice cold as he withdrew Tanya's arms from around him. "You, on the other hand, can leave." His tone turned dismissive and Tanya's face looked shocked.

"But Eddie…" she whined. Really attractive.

"My name's not Eddie. Why are you even here, Tanya?" Edward sounded annoyed and I couldn't deny the satisfaction I felt when he wasn't being very welcoming towards her.

"I thought you and I can talk. I miss you, Edward. Did those two years together mean anything to you?" She batted her eyelashes at him again and looked at him with a sickly sweet expression.

"Those two years only showed me how much I do not want to be with you, Tanya. Now, since you won't leave, Bella and I will."

Edward stood up from our table and led me out of the hall. Although I felt very happy and relieved Edward didn't return Tanya's flirting, I still couldn't help thinking that maybe he did miss her. I mean, they were together for quite a long time and he broke up with her because she was cheating on him, not because he wanted to.

I just had to know. "Edward?" I said as we walked back to the dorms.

"Yes?"

"Do you… um, do you ever miss Tanya?" I asked quietly. I looked away from his face when I said this. I didn't want him to know I cared.

"No." Edward responded firmly, easing my fears. "I was going to break up with her anyway. We are two completely different people and we just never mixed the way I would have wanted. I don't think she really liked me the way she claimed she did. I'm sure all she felt was physical attraction. I'm positive the only reason she is trying to win me back is a combination of that same physical attraction and the fact that me breaking up with her took a blow at her pride."

I nodded slowly. It made sense and that seemed liked very Tanya-ish behaviour.

We entered the elevator and Edward turned to me. "Want to come to my room? I still want to hang out."

"Sure."

We walked in silence to his room. Once inside, Edward passed me a can of coke and we sat on the couch, watching Friends.

"Besides, I kind of have my sights on someone else," he said after a few minutes.

"Huh?"

"I don't miss Tanya because I've fallen for someone else," he explained.

I felt my heart sink. So he liked someone else. I knew my falling for him again would be dangerous, I knew it would amount to nothing, but I still couldn't help but feel disappointment weld up inside me.

"Oh," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, "Who is she? Do I know her?"

"You know her. Very well actually." He grinned at me as if enjoying a private joke. I just looked at him confused.

"Care to enlighten me?" I said.

"Well, she's very beautiful. The most stunning woman I've ever seen," he said, his eyes smoldering. That instantly ruled me out then. I was far from beautiful. I certainly didn't think of myself as ugly, I was just average. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about me other than the rare pale skin.

Although, if it had been he was talking about, I wouldn't be sure of what to think. I knew I was developing feelings for him again, but was it love? I fell out of love when I left. Coming back had just thrown my feelings for him into a jumbled heap of confusion. He had unconsciously hurt me before, and with my present circumstances, a relationship with Edward Cullen was pretty much out of the question… despite what the erratic beating of my heart was telling me.

"Does she have brains to go along with the beauty? We don't want another Tanya happening." I teased, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Yes, of course. She's intelligent, witty, kind, selfless, beautiful, generous, and so much more," he said, his words were so tender and loving that I almost melted, even though they were not directed at me. This only made my disappointment grow. I tried to make myself relieved; relieved that he wouldn't be pursuing a relationship with me since that would have been too dangerous, but it wasn't working.

"Sounds like in your in deep, Cullen." I said, making my voice sound amused. It was harder than I thought, but I pulled it off.

Edward nodded wordlessly. He stared at me for a few more minutes before turning his head back to the TV. It was silent for the remainder of Friends before Two and a Half Men came on.

Remembering what happened between Edward and I just hours ago, I needed to talk to him. As much as I would have loved to never bring that topic up again, it needed to be discussed. I could tell that Edward was itching to talk about it too, but hasn't said anything yet out of fear that I would break down or something. He probably thought I was mentally unstable. Great.

I turned to Edward. "Edward?"

He looked at me, a silent gesture for me to keep going.

"Um, about before, when you figured out… you know. Well, I'm sure that…" I didn't really know exactly what to say. I knew the topic needed to be discussed, but I didn't know how to do it or what precisely about Phil we should talk about.

"Tell me about Phil," he said all of a sudden.

"W-what?"

"Tell me about Phil. Bella, since I already know what you've been keeping from everyone, I might as well know the details."

"Uh, well…" To be honest, I didn't really want to tell him. Knowing Edward, he'd overreact and go into protective mode, which I didn't need right now. I really didn't need that. But… he had the right to know and he did have a point. He was in on the secret, might as well know the finer details.

"Well," I began again, "Phil was my mom's boyfriend. Actually, he was her ex-boyfriend. They dated for about five months before she broke up with him."

"Bitter over the break up?"

"'Bitter' would be a bit of an understatement."

"That isn't all about him, is it?"

"No, um," Did I really need to tell him this? I knew the answer: yes. "Phil was… abusive."

"Towards Renee? Is that why she left him?"

"Uh, yes and no. Yes, she left him because of it and no, because he wasn't abusive towards her. In fact, Phil was great towards Renee. He treated her like gold. It was… it was me he didn't like so much."

I saw Edward's jaw tighten. Great. It was already starting.

"Maybe I should stop…" I trailed off.

"No, keep going. I want to know, Bella."

I sighed. "Phil always wanted a kid. I guess I was a bonus when he dated Renee. After a while he started acting like my father and I guess that pissed me off. I told him I already had a father and that's when the physical beating began. It wasn't anything serious. Just few slaps here and there, occasional punches, but of course, that doesn't make it any better. He was… jealous of Charlie for being my dad. I suppose he wanted to replace him."

I quickly glanced at Edward to make sure he was alright. His hands were clenched into fists and he was breathing heavier than normal in an attempt to calm himself. He nodded, encouraging me to go on.

"Well, um, I didn't tell Renee because she was so crazy over Phil. I didn't want to ruin her happiness. It wasn't like he was doing any permanent damage and to be honest, I wasn't so sure she would believe me. She was so infatuated with him; she sort of built a perfect opinion of him in her head."

"What made her finally realize?" Edward asked, his voice tense.

"She walked in as Phil was slapping me. She came home unexpectedly early from work. She became furious and immediately ended it with him. He was beyond pissed."

"And then?"

I gulped. It was much harder to talk about what happened after that. It was too painful and I could already feel tears build up in my eyes even though I hadn't said anything about it yet.

"Then… then he came over about a week later. I was upstairs, working on some stuff for school. I heard…" I swallowed, "I heard a thump from downstairs and I went down to check on Renee. I heard Phil's and Renee's voices. I didn't even know he was there." I took a deep breath.

"You don't have to go on if it's too hard," Edward murmured, gently wiping a fallen tear from my cheek.

I shook my head. He deserved to know. "I called the police, but Phil knocked the phone from my hand. He then…" I took another shaky breath and squeezed my eyes shut. "He then took out a… knife," I choked, "and he, he killed Renee with it. I tried to s-stop him, but he just punched me, throwing me on the floor. He decided to frame the death on me; he was going to make it seem like I killed Renee myself and then committed suicide. He never got the chance though since the police came. So he did the quickest thing he could. He… he threw me down the stairs." I whispered the last part. Recalling these memories was… excruciating.

Edward gently cupped my face with one hand and wiped the tears from my cheek with his thumb. "Oh, Bella…" he murmured, pulling me into his arms. I breathed in his sweet scent, and immediately relaxed. He always knew how to soothe me.

"I'm fine," I said, pulling away. "It's just hard, you know?"

"I know," he said comfortingly, using one of his hands to rub soothing circles on my back. It felt nice.

"Thanks Edward, for listening. And understanding. It's kind of a relief to get that off my shoulders." He just nodded.

We just sat there for a while, saying nothing, taking comfort in each others presence. The calm silence was broken by Edward.

"Bella, I just want you to know that I'll always be there for you, okay? If you need someone to talk to or anything else, I want you to come to me. When you're feeling upset or angry or if Tanya sets you off, come to me, understand? I want you to come to me."

He said the words with such sincerity, it made my heart throb. I nodded and looked up at him, a little puzzled. "Why Edward? I understand you're concerned, but why is it so important I go to you? Why are you being so completely kind to me? Not that I object, I'm just curious. Why do you want me to go to you?"

The question may have seemed stupid since he was my best friend; of course he would want to help me with my problems, but he said the words with not only sincerity, but with the firmness of authority. I wanted to know just why he wanted me to go to him so badly whenever I was down.

Silence. We just stared at each other.

Edward looked at me as if he were trying to decide something. Looking uncertain and indecisive, he quickly glanced towards my lips before looking back into my eyes. What was he thinking?

The look in his eyes slowly went from uncertainty to a fierce determination. This only puzzled me more. He still hadn't answered my question and now he was acting all weird on me.

He suddenly started leaning closer and I felt my head spinning. What was he doing? He was definitely breaking some personal space rules, being closer than any friend would be. My heart started beating in a rough jagged rhythm in my chest. Could he hear how loud it was?

Edward continued bringing his face closer until our foreheads and the tips of our noses touched. He closed his eyes as if savouring the moment. What. Was. He. Doing?! My mind screamed with this question over and over again. Was this his answer to my question because in that case, it was a crappy answer. He was driving me crazy by doing this. And worse, I couldn't even read his eyes since he closed them. They were my main outlet to his feelings. Damn it! His close proximity was making my emotions go haywire. What was he trying to pull off?

My breathing hitched. I said shakily, "Edward? W-what are you doing?"

He sighed, fanning his sweet breath over my face. He opened his eyes and looked at me, that weird emotion now stronger than ever. "This." He whispered. He leaned forward and stopped about half an inch away from my lips, as if asking for permission. When I did nothing, he closed the gap.

Edward's lips were on mine then and my mind immediately short circuited. An electric shock went through me and before I could think, I was kissing him back. His lips were gentle and loving against mine as they moved in synch. Our mouths molded together as if they belonged fitted into the other. How many times had I dreamed of this back in high school? It was everything I had always wanted it to be and more. Kissing Edward was just so natural. It felt right.

But then my mind came back to the present and I saw reason through the starry haze that was Edward. This was wrong. This was dangerous. Edward already knew my secret, which put him in enough danger. Being in a relationship with him would just risk his life even more. I shouldn't do this, but… I couldn't bring myself to stop.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Edward pulled away, resting his forehead against mine again. Both of us breathing raggedly.

"Edward…" I whispered, but he cut me off, putting his index finger to my lips.

"Does this answer your question?" he said, "The reason I want to be there for you, Bella, the reason I want you to always take comfort in me is because… is because…" he paused, scrunching up his eyebrows in indecision again.

"Because what?" I asked. What was he getting at?

"Because… because I love you," he whispered.

I froze. My eyes widened as I stared into his, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth or not. He couldn't love me, could he? That was impossible. He told me he didn't feel the same way to me back in high school. His feelings couldn't have changed, right? I had been waiting for him to say he loved me for a long time, and now… I didn't know how I felt. I was still unsure on whether I loved him back. I just sat there, shocked and frozen.

"Bella, I understand if you don't feel the same way anymore. It has been two years, but… I love you. I'm in love with you, completely, irreversibly, and utterly in love with you. I know this is a surprise, but I think I've always loved you. I just never realized it until now." He held my face in my hands and closed his eyes again.

"I-I…" I stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"Please, Bella. I know you're going through a hard time, but please. Let me show you that you can trust me. I won't ever hurt you again. I will be the one who loves you the most. I already am. Just give me a chance to prove myself to you. So I can be… with you."

No, he couldn't. I wanted to be with him, God, I wanted to, but it was too dangerous. I know I keep repeating how it was dangerous, but that's because it was. I couldn't afford to put Edward at such a risk. I cared for him too much. I…

I loved him too much.

Shaking my head, I backed away from Edward, out of his grasp. He opened his eyes in confusion and hurt.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I can't," I said quietly. "I just c-can't. It's too dangerous. I can't risk losing you. You just knowing about Phil is a danger, imagine being in a relationship will do. I can't lose you, Edward." It was breaking my heart to say these words, but it had to be done.

"Bella, I don't care! I don't care about the risk! Please, don't…" My heart shattered even more to hear the pleading in his voice. I shook my head again and backed away.

"Please don't do this, Edward."

"Bella, give me a chance. I love you." How I had once longed for him to say those words… it was killing me to do this to him. But I had no choice.

"No."

"Bella…" To my absolute horror, I saw Edward's eyes start to water. Oh my God. No. This just showed his attachment to me was too deep. It needed to be severed.

"Bella, I need you. I don't care about the danger. Please don't go."

"I can't." I repeated before whirling around and dashing out of his dorm room. I ran down the hall towards the elevator, but I could feel and hear Edward coming after me. He was faster than I was, not to mention he was a lot less clumsy. I switched my route from the elevator to… somewhere else. I didn't know. I just needed to get away from him.

I found a janitor's closet at the end of the hall I turned down and ran to it. By some kind of miracle, it was unlocked. Thanking my lucky stars, I slipped inside and shut and locked the door. I turned on the tiny light, dimly lighting up the tiny room.

I sank down to the floor, my back leaning against the door. Will Edward find me?

"Bella! Please! Open the door! Just… talk to me. We need to talk about this." Edward banged on the door. I winced. Crap.

"Edward, please go away." I said, tears building up in my eyes. Finally he says he loves me, and I can't be with him. I bit my lip to stop myself from sobbing.

"Bella, don't do this!"

Tears poured down my cheeks as I banged the back of my head against the door.

What do I do now?

A/N: -Laughs maniacally- I mean, ah hem, Hit or Miss?

Next update should happen sometime next week. Sorry. You guys are going to have to wait a few days. Don't kill me!

Tell me what you think of the chapter! This was hard to write and took me a while. Let me know what you think in a REVIEW!!! REVIEWS are LOVE!!! If you LOVE me, then REVIEW!!!

Peace out.