Let Love Lie

Chapter 6 – Together

BPOV

I spent the rest of the weekend lounging around the house, not in the mood to do anything. It was now Sunday night and I was eating Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked ice cream out of the carton while watching recordings of Whose Line is it Anyway? in hopes that I would laugh. Not a chance. Ever since yesterday morning I have been in a permanent funk.

"Hey, Squirt," Emmett said as he came and sat next to me. I nodded, barely acknowledging him. Jasper had been home once last night to get clothes because he was staying the night at Alice's again. Well, good for him. He can have a relationship, and I can ruin a friendship.

"What are you doing here, Emmett?" I asked after a few minutes when it was clear he wasn't going to leave. I paused my show and looked at him.

"Someone's cranky," he joked. I sighed and got up to put the empty carton in the trash.

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes," I huffed.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I think I blew it with Edward," I grumbled.

"That guy you were hanging out with lately?" he asked as he sat at the table.

"Yeah, him."

"How?"

"Well, he came over Friday with his nephew and we hung out. His nephew fell asleep playing with Rufus so we put him on my bed instead of waking him. Then we watched a movie and fell asleep. Then in the morning we were searching for Riley because we didn't realize Alice picked him up after her date with Jasper and Edward was all 'I was so stupid'. So I'm pretty sure he was regretting staying over," I explained.

"Bell, talk to him. Maybe he meant something else."

"He hasn't tried to contact me since. Normally we talk whenever we can. He hasn't texted or called me since he left."

"Then call him."

"I don't want to seem like I'm a needy friend," I whispered.

"Then do whatever you want. But I think you should call him."

"What did you come over here for?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I wanted to see if my favorite sister wanted to hang out with her brother," he said as if it were obvious.

"No, really, why did you come over?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Rose and I got in one of our small petty disputes. I'm giving her some space to cool off."

"You do know she's probably going to come over here, right? Or call me?"

"Yeah, I know," he shrugged. "But until all hell breaks loose, I'd like to enjoy my sanity."

"What's going on with you guys?"

"Just wedding stuff. She's stressing out over it. We still have months but she insists we get everything done this second. I just want what makes her happy and when I try telling her that she calls me lazy and asks me whether I actually want this marriage or not. If I didn't want the marriage why would I propose?" he ranted.

"Try talking to her," I said, turning his advice on him.

"Emmett!" Rose's angry voice called into my house. "Bella is mine when it comes to fights!" she said as she came into the kitchen.

"And what better time to talk than now?" I asked. "Come sit down, Rose," I said as I moved a seat out for her.

"No," she said stubbornly.

"Rosalie Ann, come sit down!" I said in a tone that said try and deny me. She huffed and sat down across from Emmett. "Now, you two are going to talk like adults," I said calmly. "Who would like to go first?" I asked. Rose and Emmett looked in different directions. "Seriously you guys?" I scoffed. "Alright, Rosalie, why are you mad at Emmett?"

"He seems like he doesn't care about the wedding! He sits there and answers questions with 'it's up to you' and 'whatever you want'. It's like he doesn't want a say!" she ranted. Emmett looked like he was going to burst because he wanted to talk so bad.

"All right, and Emmett, what do you have to say in defense?" damn, I'm turning into Rose. Counseling and shit.

"Babe, I am having a say in this wedding. My say is you coming down the aisle wearing whatever you want. Hell, you don't even have to wear a dress. You can wear sweats and have your hair messy and a hoodie and I would still think you're the most beautiful woman ever. I also say that I want this to be your dream wedding. I know you girls plan all this shit at a young age so I want that to come true for you. All of these decisions we have to make, I'm going to give you the same answer. Whatever you want. You ask and it's yours." Wow. My brother the jokester just made a deep mini-speech. Damn.

"Em," Rose smiled happily. "Thank you," she got up and went over to him before kissing him on the lips chastely. I turned away, giving them a private moment. "I'm sorry I've been Bridezilla, it's just this whole wedding has me stressed."

"You think you're stressed? I had to ask my own father to marry you. He denied me twice," Emmett pouted. Both Rose and I busted up laughing.

"He what?" I laughed.

"Yeah, he was all like 'you can't marry her until you can ask me in a way I see fit'," he mimicked Dad's voice and held his finger to his lip to make a mustache. Rose and I were doubled over laughing.

"Awh, Monkey Man," Rose giggled before kissing his cheek. "Thank you for asking until he said yes. Come on Baby, let's go home," she smiled and straightened up.

"Thanks Bells," Emmett winked. "Oh, and remember what I said," he reminded. I nodded and saluted to him. They walked out and I went to grade papers.

I was on the last paper before Jasper came in smiling from ear to ear.

"Thanks for introducing Ali to me," Jasper said as he kissed my cheek sloppily and sat next to me.

"Ew, Jazz," I laughed as I wiped his spit off my cheek. "And you're welcome."

"You and Edward looked pretty cozy Friday night," he wiggled his eyebrows. I thought I was done crying, but I broke down in tears all over again. "Whoa, what did I say?" he asked anxiously as he rubbed my back.

"I think I blew it with Edward," I sobbed.

"What?"

"We haven't talked since he left Saturday and we weren't on the best of terms when he left."

"I'm sorry. Maybe just talk to him."

"God, now you sound like Emmett," I sniffled and ran my hand through my hair.

"Emmett gave you advice?" he chuckled. I let out a soft airy laugh and nodded.

"I'm going to head up to bed," I smiled softly. "I don't want to talk about Edward." Jasper got up and hugged me.

"Okay, goodnight," he said as he squeezed me tight. Like Edward did on Friday. I sighed and pulled away, walking to the stairs. I went up to my room and quickly changed before crawling into bed. I set my alarm and closed my eyes.

I sprang awake in a cold sweat gasping for air. I felt like I couldn't get enough, that my throat was constricting and my lungs wouldn't fill. My whole body was trembling.

"Bella?" Jasper's groggy voice called out. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I knew it was close. Everything was blurry and turning black. "Oh shit, Bella," Jasper said panicked. I felt his arms wrap around me in comfort and to stop my trembling. I heard whimpering noises and realized they were coming from me. "Deep breaths, B," Jasper said soothingly. "Match my breathing." He brought my hand to his stomach and he exaggerated deep breaths. I did everything I could to pay attention to it but I couldn't think about anything for more than a few seconds.

After a while I matched his breathing and I felt like I could breath again. I was still trembling and tears were streaking my cheeks.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I-It was nothing. J-Just a d-dream," I stuttered.

"Bella maybe you should start that medication again," he said in a soft, stern voice. I shook my head.

"No," I protested. "Yes, that medication takes away the bad dreams, but it takes away the good ones too. I feel numb when I'm on that medication. I'm fine with my anxiety medicine," I insisted. I looked at my clock and it read 4:45. "I'm taking a shower," I sighed and got up. I went into my bathroom and started the shower. I walked out to get clothes for the day and Jasper was still sitting on the bed.

"J," I sighed. He looked up at me. "I'm fine," I insisted. I went over and hugged him tight. "I'm just having a rough few days."

"Bell, promise me something."

"Anything," I said honestly.

"If this ever becomes too much, all these dreams, you'll get help. You won't bottle it up."

"I promise," I nodded and took his hand, squeezing it. I got up and smiled before walking back into the bathroom.

EPOV

This weekend couldn't have dragged on any slower. All I wanted to do was text or call Bella but I didn't want to seem like I was being clingy. Fuck, we aren't even dating and I'm worrying about being clingy.

I pulled my fingers through my hair for the billionth time since Saturday morning. I groaned and kicked my shoes off before grabbing a beer and moving to the living room. I just got home from stalking Bella's every move—Chief's orders of course. She hasn't left her house since Saturday. She's probably worried she'll run into me and won't know how to end our friendship gently.

"Son of a bitch," I grumbled as I flipped through the channels on the TV. Nothing was on. Of course, nothing is ever on Sundays. I clicked the TV off and went over to my piano. Yeah, I know, piano is for chicks. What the fuck ever. I took a huge swig of my beer and set it on the table next to the piano and started playing, experimenting with different notes and rhythms.

I soon gave up after finishing my beer. No two notes seemed to fit together today. I threw my beer bottle in the recycling bin and headed up to my room. I plopped onto my king sized bed face down. I kicked off my jeans and pulled my shirt over my head before letting myself drift to sleep promising myself I would face Bella tomorrow.

BPOV

"Alright, that's it for today," I announced to my class. Thank god it's time for lunch. I heard a throat clear while I was erasing the board.

"Yeah?" I called as I turned around. I was shocked by who was standing in my doorway. They weren't a student like I had expected. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I needed to see you," Edward shrugged slightly, still in the doorway.

"Come in," I encouraged. I nervously shifted from foot to foot. He was here to end our friendship. "Why are you here?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound as terrified as I felt.

"I miss you," he said simply. Wait…what? I stared at him confused. "Never mind, I shouldn't have come here," he sighed and started walking away.

"Wait, Edward," I called as I walked after him, my heels clicking on the linoleum. He turned around and I bumped into him, twisting my ankle. He caught me by my arms. "Damn these blasted heels," I groaned. I slipped out of them and sat on a desk so I could easily rub my ankle.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He sat in a chair and pulled my foot from my grasp. He rolled it a few times before gently rubbing around the bone with his thumbs.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not the most coordinated person ever, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he chuckled.

"I miss you too," I whispered after a few minutes of silence. He looked up at me and smiled softly.

"I was so scared you didn't want to hang out with me anymore," he admitted, blushing a little.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked. "I felt the same way about you."

"Bella, I wasn't the one that kicked you out of my house," he pointed out.

"And I didn't talk like I wished Friday night hadn't happened," I countered.

"When did I talk like that?" he furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "Oh!" he said after a moment. "No, Bella, you misunderstood. I was saying I was stupid because I lost my nephew! So that's why you kicked me out!" I blushed, embarrassed and covered my face with my hands. "And we're back to the drawing board with you being shy with me," he joked. I dropped my hands and smiled at him, biting my lip. "Alright, up you go," he said as he dropped my foot and stood, holding his hand out to me. I got up off the desk, babying my ankle. "Try walking on it."

I started walking with him holding my arm, making sure I don't fall. I had a slight limp but could walk.

"Don't wear those shoes the rest of the day," he instructed.

"And where do you suppose I get new shoes?"

"I thought all girls had extra shoes with them," he shrugged. "I grew up with Alice, so that is a valid thought," he defended when he saw my arched eyebrow. I giggled and shook my head.

"Rose might have some. Want to come to her office with me?" I asked. He nodded. We walked out of my class with his hand on the small of my back. The halls were fairly empty, most of the students being in the cafeteria with only a few stragglers at their lockers.

I knocked on Rose's office door before walking in.

"Bella, what did you do?" Rose asked as she stood to come over to me. "You're limping."

"Is that really surprising, Rose?"

"Well, no, but still. What did you do?"

"She twisted her ankle," Edward explained.

"Right," I said. "Edward, this is my sister-in-law Rose. Rose, this is Edward."

"Nice to meet you," Edward held his hand out. Rose smiled and took it.

"Do you have any extra pairs of shoes lying around here?" I asked as I looked around the office.

"Yeah, I always have a spare pair." I looked at Edward and saw a smug smile on his face. I lightly elbowed his stomach and he chuckled. Rose looked up at us and I smiled innocently. She pulled out a pair of flats from a cabinet and tossed them to me.

"Thanks," I grinned. I slipped them on before sitting in one of her chairs. "Make yourself at home, Edward," I insisted. He sat in the chair next to mine. "Rose, do you have any Motrin?" I asked. "My ankle hurts." Rose rummaged through her drawer and Edward swatted my arm. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He patted his lap and I giggled before putting my foot in his lap. He took the flat off and started rubbing my ankle again.

"Here," Rose said as she tossed a bottle at me. She arched an eyebrow at Edward's and my position.

"I'm a doctor," Edward explained. "I get a bunch of sprained ankles."

"You're a pediatrician," I giggled.

"That's still a doctor, Baby," he chuckled. My cheeks heated at the name. Rose pretended like she didn't notice but I could see from the look on her face saying we would talk about that later. Good luck, there's nothing to talk about.

"So, Edward," Rose smiled and rested her chin on her hands. He looked up at her waiting for her to continue. "Tell me something about yourself."

"Uh," he thought, shifting his jaw. "I come from a family of four. My parents live just outside of Forks and my sister lives with her three old son about five minutes from here."

"Oh, so I bet you babysit when your sister and brother-in-law go out, huh," she smiled.

"Yes, I babysit for Alice, but she doesn't have a husband. Riley's father isn't in the picture." Rose's face softened.

"Poor guy," she frowned. "My parents weren't really in the picture either."

"I actually think Riley is better off. His father is a dead beat."

"I totally understand how that is," she empathized. The lunch bell went off signaling the end of lunch.

"As much as I would love to hang out with you more, I have to get back to class," I smiled to Edward. He put the flat back on my foot before putting it on the ground. He stood and helped me up.

"Can I walk you back to class?" he asked. I smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you after school, Rose," I grinned at her.

"Yeah, you will," she grinned back. Edward and I walked back to my room with his hand on the small of my back again. Students hadn't come in yet.

"I'll see you soon?" he questioned.

"Yeah," I smiled. He hugged me to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I missed this, being in his arms. He squeezed me tight before letting go. "Bye, Baby," he smiled once he let me go. He walked out and I was left there, biting my lip. I shook my head and smiled as I walked over to pick my heels up from where I left them.

I started writing what we would be doing in class and what the homework was as the kids walked in.

XOXO

"So what's up with him calling you Baby? Are you two an item now?" Rose asked as I sat and watched cheer practice after school.

"No, he just calls me that," I shrugged. "He started calling me it on Friday. But I like it," I smiled.

"I think you should go for it," she said.

"What?" I asked lamely.

"Hey," Rose clapped to get the team to stop their routine. "You're off. Start over. Once we get this you can go." She turned back to me. "You like him, no?"

"Yeah," I blushed.

"Then go for it!"

"We're just friends," I shrugged. "That's all we're going to be."

"Yeah, sure," she scoffed. "Let's see how long that lasts."

"Right," I rolled my eyes. "But I need to head home and get these papers graded," I sighed as I patted my bag.

"You work too much," she giggled. I said goodbye before heading home.

When I got home I grabbed the mail before walking into the house. I set my stuff down before going through the mail. A large manila envelope was addressed to me. I grabbed it before grabbing an ice pack from the freezer and sitting at the kitchen table. I propped my foot up on the chair next to mine and put the ice on it.

I tore open the envelope and pulled the papers out. I flipped them over and saw they were pictures. One was of Edward rubbing my ankle. Another of us hugging. The last one was of James and I when we first started dating. The last was a piece of lined paper with a familiar scrawl on it.

Isabella,

Soon we shall be together again.

James

I sat and stared at the note.

"Jasper?" I called. No answer. I got up off the chair and walked to the counter to see if he left a note. Nothing. I looked on the fridge. Nothing. I hobbled up the stairs and found a note attached to my door telling me he was at Alice's. I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket, and dialed Edward's number as I hobbled down the stairs.

"Hello?" Edward answered.

"Are you busy?" I asked.

"Well, let me check my calendar," he teased.

"Edward, please," I said desperately.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I-I just need you to come over. James sent me so-something."

"Okay, lock the doors. I'll be there soon."

"Doors are already locked," I said, peering out the window.

"Okay, I'm on my way." I hung up the phone but couldn't find it in me to move until I saw Edward's bike pull into the driveway. I made my way as fast as I could to the front door. I unlocked the door and flung it open. He was there and took me into his arms.

"Did you call your dad?" I shook my head. "Come on," he said as he let me go and ushered me into the house. "Call your dad." I nodded and walked into the kitchen. I sat at the table again and picked up my phone. Edward started walking out.

"Where are you going?" I asked nervously.

"Just to check out the house."

"Wait for my dad to get here."

"Baby, I'm fine," he insisted before walking the rest of the way out of the kitchen.

"Bells?"

"Yeah, it's me," I said through a sigh.

"What's up?"

"You need to come check some stuff out for me."

"What kind of stuff?" he asked.

"James sent me some pictures and a note," I said weakly. Tears started falling down my cheeks.

"I'll be right over," he growled before the line went dead.

"Edward?" I called. I sighed and got up to find him.

"Go sit down," he said as he appeared in the doorway making me jump. "Sorry," he chuckled softly. I shook my head and sat down. He sat in the chair I previously had my ankle. "Let me see," he motioned for me to put my foot in his lap. I did as he said.

He started rubbing it softly again.

"Put your other foot up," he instructed. I put my other foot up and leaned my elbow onto the table so I wouldn't fall over. "It's not swollen," he said as he inspected it. "Is it still bothering you?"

"Not really," I shrugged.

"Just stay off it as much as you can over this next day or so," he said.

A few minutes later the front door opened and I removed my feet from Edward's lap and stood up, him standing after. Dad walked into the kitchen and looked at me before looking at Edward, then back at me.

"Who's he?" Dad asked.

"Dad, this is my friend Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie," I introduced.

"Edward," Charlie said as he held out his hand. "You can call me Chief."

"Dad," I scolded his rudeness as Edward took his hands.

"Uh, you can call me Charlie," he said sheepishly. "Now, Bells, show me what he sent you," Dad said as he turned to me. He sat down at the table and I showed him the pictures and notes.

"What's going on in these pictures?" he asked as he glared at Edward who shifted nervously in his seat.

"I twisted my ankle. Edward's a doctor. And he was hugging me goodbye. Dad, we're friends," I annunciated. He mumbled a "good" under his breath. He looked over the pictures and the note again.

"Maybe you should come live with me," Dad suggested.

"No," I groaned. "Not this conversation again."

"I really want you to consider this, Bella," he insisted.

"No," I argued. "I'm not moving back in with you guys. I'm sorry, I love you and all, but I'm an adult. I don't need to live with my parents." Charlie sighed and looked at me pleadingly. I shook my head with the same pleading look. He sighed, giving up.

"I'm going to take this," he said as he stood up and took the pictures. "Keep it on file. We're going catch this son of bitch. Nobody hurts my daughter and gets away with it." I got up and hugged him before he left.

"Sorry you had to sit through that," I apologized to Edward.

"No, it's fine," he assured me with a smile. "I just wish you didn't have to call him with this. You shouldn't have to be going through this."

"Yeah, well it's my own fault," I shrugged.

"No it's not," he shook his head. "Him stalking you is no where close to being your fault."

"I was stupid enough to think he actually loved me," I whispered. "You even said," I started but he cut me off with a finger to my lips. I felt my lips start to tingle from his touch.

"Forget what I said. This isn't your fault." I looked up at him and he looked like he was having an internal conflict. He dropped his hand. "I should go," he whispered.

EPOV

"What?" she asked.

"I should go," I said louder. I can't believe I almost let myself cave into my feelings. I was so close to leaning in and kissing her.

"No," she protested. "Please, stay. I-I," she stumbled, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. "I don't want to be alone. Please don't leave," she almost whimpered.

I looked at the door before looking back at her. She looked so small and scared and unsure.

"I'll stay," I said softly. She came over to me and hugged me around my midsection. My heartbeat sped up a few notches. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me. "Bella," I said, my voice slightly husky.

"Hmm?" she moaned.

"Go out to dinner with me?" I asked, swallowing nervously afterwards.

"Why are you asking?" she questioned. "Normally you don't ask." I dropped my arms and she did the same, stepping back a bit to look up at me.

"I, uh," I stumbled, scratching the back of my head. "Do you want to go to dinner with me as a date?" I rephrased. Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Yeah," she smiled breathily. I'm sure my grin stretched from ear-to-ear.

"Alright," I smiled. I reached out for her hand and she took it. I led her out to my Volvo and I drove to a small Italian bistro just outside of town. When I parked I got out and opened her door for her.

"Such a gentleman," she giggled.

"What can I say?" I shrugged and chuckled. I led her into the restaurant with my hand on the small of her back, welcoming the familiar tingle that was running through my arm.

"Good evening," a hostess smiled from behind her podium. "Two?" she asked.

"Yes, please," I nodded. She grabbed two menus and marked off a table on her podium before taking us to a booth.

"Thanks," Bella smiled. We both sat down and started looking over the menu, although I had been here a million times and didn't need to look over the menu, seeing as I get the same thing every time. I took this time to discreetly watch Bella.

I was fascinated by the way she pursed her lips as she tried to decide, or scrunched her nose when she found something she wasn't fond of.

"It's not polite to stare, Mr. Cullen," she smiled without looking up at me.

"How do you know I'm staring, Miss Swan?"

"I can feel it," she said simply.

"I'm not staring," I argued. "I'm simply admiring." She put her menu down and looked at me disbelievingly. "Don't look at me like that," I chuckled.

"What's there to admire?"

"You," I said simply. She shook her head slightly and bit her lip.

"I'm nothing to admire."

"I find you very admirable," I smiled.

"Good afternoon," our waitress said as she came up to our table. "I'm Lauren, what can I get you to drink?" she asked.

"Iced tea, please," Bella ordered.

"Water, please," I smiled briefly.

"Okay, and are you two ready to order, or would you like a few minutes?" I looked at Bella.

"I'm ready," she nodded.

"Okay, what would you like?"

"Mushroom ravioli," Bella said, looking down at her menu.

"Fettuccine alfredo," I ordered as I handed her our menus. She nodded, assured us our food would be out quickly, and went to put our order in.

"So," Bella said shyly. "Why did you ask me on a date," she asked with furrowed eyebrows, looking up at me.

"Because I like you," I said sounding like a kid in high school.

"Really?" she smiled and bit her lip.

"Yes really. Isn't that why people ask others on dates?" I chuckled softly.

"Good, because I like you too," she blushed. I smiled at her. The waitress brought our drinks before walking away.

"Save any lives today?" she smiled.

"Just loads," I chuckled. "Just a few minor colds," I shrugged before changing the subject. "Help me get to know you better."

"You know a lot about me," she giggled.

"I don't know much about when you were in school," I pointed out.

"Well," she pursed her lips. "What do you want to know?"

"What was your favorite part of high school?"

"Homecoming senior year," she smiled, remembering. "At our pep assembly. We had been working on a cheer routine for weeks and we still didn't have our toss down. We had only landed it a few times. I had to be thrown back and do a backflip before being caught by spotters. They never could catch me right. But we landed it at the pep assembly. It had everyone so excited," she explained.

"Wow, the klutz can do a backflip," I teased.

"Hey," she blushed and laughed. I set my elbow on the table and cupped her cheek in my hand, rubbing it with my thumb. She closed her eyes briefly. That familiar electric current was running through my fingers. She brought her hand up and rested it over mine.

"Tell me your favorite part of high school," she said softly.

"I don't have any," I shook my head.

"You didn't like high school?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Well, it was okay, but everything, and I mean everything, involved my girlfriend of the time. I don't like remembering the things we did." It was true. Everything I did involved Tanya. We were joined at the hip. We were homecoming and prom king and queen senior year. She was the cheerleading captain while I was the football captain. We were supposedly perfect for each other. She was my first kiss, my first time, my first serious girlfriend, and my first love.

"I'm sorry," Bells whispered.

"No worries," I smiled.

"What are your parents like?"

"My mother, Esme, is genuinely the kindest woman I know. She couldn't insult anyone if she tried. She owns an interior designing company. My father and I don't always see eye to eye but he is a great man. You already know he's a surgeon."

"They sound like great people," she smiled. I nodded.

Our waitress brought our food. I removed my hand from Bella's cheek and we fell into easy conversations while we ate.

Once we were finished I took Bella home. I walked her up to her front door.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked as she turned her back to the door. Would it be smart if I did? I've been dying to kiss her all night. I don't want to scare her off. But I don't want to leave. I don't want this night to end.

"I need to head home and change before heading into the hospital," I lied. I needed to talk to Chief though, so I would probably head to the police station from here.

"Oh, you work tonight?" she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too," she smiled. She came over and hugged me around my waist, burying her face into my chest. I hugged her to me and rested my head on the top of hers, smelling the sweet scent of her hair. She moved her head so I lifted mine. She looked up at me and the need to kiss her intensified.

"Bella," I said huskily. "May I kiss you?" she smiled and nodded slightly. I moved my hands to cup her cheeks and bent down so our lips were almost touching. I hesitated, giving her the opportunity to back out, and she tilted her head to connect our lips. I slowly moved my lips with hers, molding them together. My lips felt like they were on fire and tingling.

I pulled away before it could become heated and rested my forehead against hers, keeping my eyes closed. When I opened them I was met with her brown ones. I pulled away and smiled.

"Goodnight, Baby," I whispered to her. She dropped her arms and smiled at me.

"Goodnight," she whispered back. I walked down her porch steps before turning around.

"Lock the door behind you," I instructed.

"Okay," she smiled. I walked to my car and she went into her house, shutting and locking it. Cullen, you are an idiot for leaving that lovely woman. Yeah, I know.

I drove down to the station and parked my car in the lot behind the building. I walked in and up to Chief's desk.

"Chief," I called as I approached. He looked up at me and took his reading glasses off.

"Yeah, Cullen?"

"I can't be on this case anymore," I said bluntly.

"What the hell do you mean?" he asked, getting angry.

"You have to find someone else. I'll still be with Bella; I just don't want to be on this case anymore. I can't keep lying to her."

"If you're not on the case then why the hell would you be with her?"

"Because I want to date her without having to lie to her."

"That's not going to happen because you aren't going to date her."

"Sir, with all due respect, I think she can decide if I am going to date her or not."

"You're sticking with this case. That's final."

"Yes, Sir," I said unhappily.

"You better not break my baby girl's heart," he called as I walked away. I went to my desk and worked on paperwork until around midnight before heading home.

BPOV

I walked into the house in a daze. My lips were tingling from our kiss. I smiled as I locked my door behind me.

I walked up to my room and changed into sweats and a sports bra before crawling into bed.

"Rufus," I called, hoping he would come in and lay with me. He didn't come. I sat up and got out of bed. "Ru," I called. I searched the whole house and he wasn't there. Dammit Jasper. I groaned realizing how alone I was. I turned the hall light on before walking back into my room. I crawled into bed and turned my bedside lamp off. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to think about anything besides how alone I was.

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the delayed update. I have been SWAMPED! But, I got the chapter finished! I hope you all liked this chapter!

So, I NEED YOU GUYS TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME. Can you answer a question for me? Is it really that annoying that I accidentally changed Bella's birthday? Like, should I go back and change it to the correct date? I've gotten a few reviews saying how annoying it is and that they would stop reading because of that little mistake.

If you guys could leave me an answer in your review, that would be fantastic!

As always, reviewers get teasers!

Lots of love,

Nikki