Hello readers of 'What if things were different?' Long time no see. I apologise profusely, life has hindered updates. On all stories. But here's an update! I have no school tomorrow, due to snow. So I'll try and update again tomorrow. Fingers crossed! I've also recently updated my other story in the works. It's called, 'We're Married?' and is for AliciaVampire101's field trip of love contest. Check it out, and if you like it, please vote for me. I'd like to thank everyone who has given me any type of feedback on this story, I really appreciate it. So thanks to anyone who reviewed, story alerted, added to favourites, etc, etc... Now onto the chapter. It's a bit shorter than usual, but I think that the content makes up for it. There's a bit of a cliffy at the end, so if you're dying to know what happens next, visit my blog for sneak peeks! And if I get loads and loads and loads of reviews, I promise to update tomorrow. I'll even start working on it as soon as I've posted this and put a sneak peek on my blog. Without further adieu, onto the chapter. Ps don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: If I owned twilight, would I be here? In all honesty? No. I do not own Twilight! I swear!

BPOV

Edward and I climbed into his Volvo. It was time for another tortuous day at Forks High. I could barely suppress my excitement. Not. Edward sighed beside me. I glanced at him, 'What's wrong?' 'I don't want to go to school today, that's what's wrong!' he replied tensely. I was about to say something when he continued. 'I don't want to spend yet another day watching human males fawn all over you and fantasise about you in a vulgar manner. I don't want to listen to their disgusting thoughts and adolescent opinions of the world. I don't want to listen to facetious teachers drone on about subjects I could give lectures on at college level. I don't want to deal with their insignificant squabbles and fights. Their pathetic little spats with one another.' He was squeezing the steering wheel tightly as he said all of this. I managed to pry his fingers from it when it began to buckle beneath his grip. I had thought he was over this, ready to battle another day. 'Bella,' he said. He looked up at me, his golden eyes miserable. 'Do we really have to go to school today? One day wouldn't make that much of a difference would it? Really?!' He was practically begging now. Maybe it would be best to take the day off. Alice would know, and why, so they wouldn't worry. It would look somewhat suspicious to the school that we were both absent, but who really cares? 'Okay,' I nodded. 'How about the meadow? We could spend the day there, if you'd like.' His face erupted into a knee-buckling grin and he threw his arms around me in a massive hug. 'Thank you so much Bella! I could kiss you!' He sat back into his seat and started the ignition. Then we set off for what was becoming, essentially, our meadow. As Edward drove at a speed that was at least twice the limit, I couldn't help wondering about his final sentence. Why didn't he?

We got as far as we could by car, then set out on foot. But we weren't in any real hurry. We had the whole day to ourselves. Edward took my hand and we strolled at a leisurely pace. It was absolutely preposterous, but where Edward's skin was touching my own, I could feel sparks igniting. When Edward shuffled closer, so that we were walking shoulder to shoulder, the sparks grew in intensity. A fire seemed to well up inside me, bubbling in refusal of being ignored. I was afraid that I would suddenly lose control and pounce on him so I suggested that we race to the meadow. Hopefully that would distract me from what was going on inside me. Whatever it happened to be.

When we reached the meadow, we each fell to the ground, laughing. Edward had, of course, won. He had always been the fastest. I looked at Edward closely. Already, he was beginning to loosen up. Already he was beginning to revert back to the carefree and happy man I knew and loved. I hadn't realised just how much stress he had been under lately. The addition of his power to the draining task of dealing with the humans must be a heavy burden to carry.

He was now lying down in the grass with his eyes closed, taking in the fresh air and nature around us. It wasn't sunny by any stretch of the imagination. The sky was overcast and it would most likely begin raining at some stage. He looked perfect, completely perfect. I sat down beside him. I wanted to talk to him, really talk to him. It seemed that it had been a while since we had really spoken. However, I didn't want to disturb him either. He seemed to sense my gaze on him and sat up, alert. 'Are you okay?' he asked, concerned. 'That's funny,' I replied. 'I was just going to ask you the exact same thing.' 'I'm quite fine,' he said. Though I didn't believe him. I moved closer to him. So close that I was practically sitting in his lap. 'That's just the thing, Edward. I don't believe you. I want you to talk to me. That's what I'm here for. I want you to tell me what's wrong. Please!' I pleaded with him. I didn't want to see him suffering when I could help. He let the façade drop. His face fell and all the hurt and pain that he had been bottling up showed on his face. The sight nearly broke my heart. But his voice was worse. Broken…was the only way to describe it. 'I'm just so scared.' He whispered. I leaned forward and cradled his face in my hands. 'Why are scared, Edward?' I asked gently. How long had he been hiding this from me? How long had this been eating away at him?

'I'm scared, scared of losing you. One day, you'll go off and fall in love. Leaving me on my own. And me, being the selfish man that I am, I don't want that to happen. Please Bella, please don't leave me! Please!' He was dry sobbing now. This was all my fault. He was curled into a ball. 'Edward, I would never leave you, do you hear me? Do you?! Never! I'm so sorry that you would ever think it.' I climbed on top of him and began to attempt to soothe him. Stroking his arm, his back.

His body was wracking violently, 'Edward, please!' I felt like crying. 'Please! I'm so sorry! Please! Please! Please!' I was begging and pleading. What was wrong with Edward?! I began to stroke his forearm, his face, his chin, his back. Wherever I could reach. I had to calm him down. The shaking gradually stilled. He wouldn't look at me. When he finally looked up, his expression was ashamed. 'I'm so sorry.' He still couldn't meet my eye. 'Their thoughts, they get to me sometimes. They make me think that you'll run away and our friendship will have meant nothing to you. I need you, Bella.' At this, he surprised me by gathering me in his strong arms, his arms which felt so nice around my body. Concentrate, Bella! 'You need to promise me,' he said, holding my gaze completely, 'that you'll never leave me. That you'll stay with me forever. Can you promise me that, Bella? You're the most important person in the world to me. Can you promise me forever?' He gazed at me, our faces just a breath apart. His eyes held all his hopes and dreams, laid out before me like an open book. They shone with love and adoration, for me. I was losing myself in the golden pools that were his eyes when I realised I still hadn't answered. 'Forever', I breathed. Happiness personified erupted on his face and he hugged me tight enough to give Emmett a run for his money.

Edward lay back down and became still. He clutched me to him tightly; afraid I would somehow slip away. He was gazing into my eyes and I once again found myself becoming lost in those golden orbs. I didn't notice our gravitating towards one another until our lips were so close a simple breath would connect them. Would he kiss me? Had our family been right all along? Had he meant his love in the friendly, platonic fashion, or something deeper, more profound? His eyelids closed and in the milliseconds it took for my mind to think these things, his lips connected with my own. Suddenly, the sparks that had simply been igniting earlier at our touch, were now transforming into a full-blown inferno inside of me. The flames were spreading out across my body, reaching the top of my head and the very tips of my toes. Edward was on top of me now. He was pressing his body into my every available crevice. I was pressing myself against as hard as physically possible. My fingers had knotted themselves in his lustrous hair of their own accord. My leg wrapped itself around his waist and I let out a long, embarrassing moan. This was met by a deep groan of his own a he let out a strangled, 'Bella.' His tongue slipped into my mouth and fought my own for dominance. This could continue forever. I wanted it to, the pleasure was immense. Somewhere, deep down, I knew that what I was doing was wrong. Edward was my best friend in the entire world. I shouldn't be doing this unless I loved him, really, really, loved him. Unless I was in love with him. Unless I was absolutely certain. But I wasn't certain. I should pull away, now. But it was too late, the damage had been done. Forever, that's what I had promised him, forever. The question was: Could I keep that promise?

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Xxx

Kate