A/N – Yes I realize this has taken forever so here you go! It is somewhat long at least so hope that helps.
Thanks to Tiggrmommi…couldn't do it without you!
I do not own.
After we got back to my room we stayed up all night talking. We talked about everything, our first few months at college, our families, what we had been up to. It still didn't seem real so in between words we would steal kisses and our hands had to constantly be in contact with some part or another of each other's body. Sometimes taking what seemed like hours to get back to our conversation. The sun was coming up and I could no longer stop my yawns from coming. Edward stood up as if he was going to leave.
"Please stay." I didn't want to ever have to say goodbye again. He didn't put a fight, just crawled into bed next to me. As the sun came up he wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep peaceful sleep.
I awoke to the feeling of soft kisses covering my face. At first I thought I was dreaming and then I opened my eyes and it all came back to me. He was really here still.
"Good morning," he whispered to me. His warm breath covering my face. I had missed the way his body felt next to mine, the weight of him pressed against me.
"Good morning. I thought it was all a dream." I moved my head up and kissed his lips, moving down along the stubble at his jaw and down his neck where I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent that was unique to him. In the harsh light of day I wondered where we would go from here.
He sighed as my lips explored his neck and moved back to his face. He moved his hands to my face and held my face in place as his lips found mine again. It started off as a soft kiss, exploring each other again but it quickly escalated into more as soon as my mouth opened underneath his. His tongue plunged into my mouth and I moaned as I pressed my body against his. His hands slid from my face and wrapped around my body and down my back as he pulled me closer.
When we broke for air he nuzzled into my neck, a sound of pleasure escaping him. I wasn't sure how far I wanted this to go. In Greece we had existed in a bubble, where real life had ceased to have meaning. Now that we were back together in different circumstances I wanted to take the time to establish a real relationship, to see if we could maintain this on a day to day basis.
"I never thought I would have you in my arms again." He kissed the sensitive skin under my ear and I closed my eyes. His touch brought everything back. That time in Greece that I thought was a once in a lifetime experience. I didn't open my eyes again until his kisses stopped.
"Look at me Bella." I looked into his eyes and was amazed by the tenderness there. "I don't expect to pick up where we left off. I want the chance to do this right. I want to take this slow like we would have done under normal circumstances." He leaned down and kissed me, his lips pressing lightly against mine.
After he pulled his lips away from mine he lifted my hand to his lips. He kissed my open palm and closed his fingers around mine. He leaned against our joined hands and as he lifted his head he noticed the bracelet that he had gotten me that was still on my wrist. He moved my hand around gently as he studied it.
"You still wear it?" He asked. His voice was thick with emotion.
"Of course, it is a reminder of the best time of my life." He kissed me again, a little more forcefully than the time before and we both protested when he pulled away. He kissed the wrist that held the charm bracelet and squeezed me to him, both of us too overwhelmed to say anything else so we just stayed there, holding each other.
We reluctantly got out of bed later in the afternoon. Hand in hand we headed to his room, neither of us looking forward to what awaited us there. We were going to have to deal with Jacob sooner or later though. I felt horrible about the way things had turned out but secure in the fact that I had never led him on. When we got to Edward's place it was empty. Jacob was nowhere to be found.
It was eerily quiet as we went to Edward's room. At my insistence he packed up some stuff. We both agreed that it would be easier on Jacob if he came to stay with me until a different arrangement could be figured out. I looked around the room and was surprised at how sparse it was. We had been at school for a few months and I would have thought he would have done something to make it look more like a home.
He must have noticed me looking around because he felt the need to comment.
"I went to class, I studied, I went to bed. That has been the extent of my life lately. I haven't bothered to take the time to make this my home." He finished packing up a bag and came over to me, wrapping his hands around mine. "Now I feel at home."
We walked hand in hand across campus to my place. I knew that this was only a temporary solution but I wasn't sure I would be able to let him go when he found a new living arrangement. It was getting late by the time we got back to my dorm. He put his bag on my bed and we stood there looking at each other.
"Bella, will you go to dinner with me? I'd like to take you on a date." He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it lightly.
"I'd love that." We both moved around the room, getting ready. It felt odd to have him there with me as we got ready for our date. I picked a dress out of my closet and turned my back to him as I slipped it over my head. I was self conscious with him in the room but didn't want to leave. It seemed odd to be shy around him but our time in Greece seemed a lifetime ago and almost as if it weren't real.
I tried to reach down behind me to zip up my dress but even with my body contorted at various angles I couldn't seem to make it work. Edward seemed to notice my plight and he came up behind me.
"Can I help?" I felt his breath against the back of my neck and I nodded. He kissed the bare skin of my back before he moved the zipper slowly up. I was a shivering mass by the time his hands left my body.
"Are you ready?" I turned towards him and he took my hand in his and led me out the door.
We walked to the parking garage where his car was. He opened my door for me and drove away from campus. He drove to a small Chinese restaurant that I wasn't aware existed and as we sat across from each other I felt my nervousness disappear. We picked up where we had left off in Greece. Our conversation flowed and when we weren't eating we were holding hands as we talked.
At the end of the night we decided against doing anything else. It had been a long draining weekend and we were both exhausted. We walked together to my door and he took the key from my hands and unlocked it for me, holding it open while I walked through.
He closed the door and we stood in the middle of the room staring at each other. The feeling of uncertainty returned.
"Thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time." He moved closer to me, his hand reaching out to touch my cheek. I leaned into his hand, relishing the fact that he was really here.
"I did too. Thank you for taking…" I didn't get to finish as his lips found mine. I fell into his body as his lips moved insistently against mine. We moved backwards together, only stopping as we hit the bed. I sat down on the bed and pulled him down next to me. We lay side by side; kissing until we were breathless but even when we were forced to pull away he trailed his lips up and down my neck, across my cheeks and up to my nose.
"You have no idea how much I missed you. I never thought I would have the chance to see you again." He moved his lips down my collarbone and I could feel my skin flush with warmth at the path he left across me.
His lips came back to mine and I opened my mouth beneath his and savored the taste and feeling of his tongue inside my mouth. I moaned as I moved closer to him, my hands moving along his back trying to bring him closer than was even possible. We pulled away from each other and he leaned his forehead against mine, each of us trying to regain our breath.
"Why don't you get ready for bed?" He said the words but didn't release me from his arms. It was as if we were both worried that if we let go we might be letting go forever. Eventually he let me wiggle out of his grasp and I rushed to the bathroom down the hall and brushed my teeth and washed my face. When I returned to the room I found that he had changed into a white t shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. I felt overdressed since I was still in my dress.
"Here let me help you get that off." He walked over to me and pushed my hair aside to get to my zipper. I shivered as his hands moved it slowly down. His hands moved under the fabric and caressed my shoulders as he pushed the dress down to the floor. He stood back, admiring my body, taking everything in. I felt self conscious but I didn't try to cover myself. "Beautiful," he whispered.
He found my pajamas at the end of my bed and handed them to me. I was confused and my eyes searched his.
"I promised you we would take this slow and I meant it. I want nothing more than to get in that bed with you and never get out but I want more than that with you. You deserve more than that." My mind knew that what he said made sense but my body was in denial.
Taking a deep breath I pulled my pajamas on and got into bed. Edward crawled in after me and pulled me to him. I turned to face him and gave him a goodnight kiss. He used his hands to pull me closer as our lips met. We both pulled away before things got out of hand and I turned back around, curling into his body. His arms held me tightly and we both drifted off to sleep.
The next morning I knew it was time to face reality. We both had classes to get to and I had Jacob to contend with. I wasn't sure if he would even show up to class, I knew that I didn't even want to be there, didn't want to face him but it wasn't something that could be avoided. He deserved some answers; regardless of how he had reacted on Saturday night he was still my friend, even if he didn't see that.
Edward walked me to my first class and kissed me lightly before bidding me farewell. He offered to meet me before Chemistry but this was something I had to face alone.
"I'll be okay. I just hope that he shows up." He squeezed my hand one last time before walking away. I watched him for as long as I could before heading to class. The first part of my day was uneventful and I found it difficult to concentrate. My mind kept drifting back to Edward and Jacob. How could one person make me so happy while destroying someone who I cared a great deal about? I tried to think of a way in which I could have them both in my life but it seemed impossible to me and if pressed I knew who I couldn't live without.
I was a mass of nerves by the time I walked into chemistry class. Jacob was already waiting there but didn't look up as I sat down next to him.
"Jacob?" He didn't even acknowledge me as I sat down and tried to talk to him. I put my hand on his shoulder and he flinched away as if my touch had burnt him.
Class started and he ignored me completely, walking away quickly as soon as it was over. I had to run to catch up with him but finally I did, holding on tightly to his arm I begged him to stop and talk to me.
"What could you possibly want Bella?" I was taken aback by the hurt and anger in his eyes, he was always so happy that to see him like this was out of place and sad.
"I never meant to hurt you Jacob. I want to be friends still." He threw his head back and laughed.
"Well wouldn't that be convenient for you? You get the best of both worlds don't you? Two men who love you, if he leaves you again you have a backup." His angry words from Saturday came back to me. I had hoped that time would lessen his anger but I was wrong.
"He didn't leave me and I don't want you as a back up, I want you as a friend. That was all I had ever wanted Jacob and I am sorry if I led you to believe otherwise. I was hoping that we could find a way to still be friends." He shook his head.
"You betrayed my friendship Bella. I can't believe you would be stupid enough to believe that you could have it all." He shook his head, as if amazed at my stupidity.
"I am stupid Jacob. Stupid for ever thinking that you cared about me enough to want me happy. You're so angry over some perceived slight. Even if Edward hadn't showed up, even if I had never seen him again I would have been settling if I chose you and that wouldn't have been fair to either of us. You deserve better than that Jacob."
"Maybe I would have been okay with that Bella." He looked so sad that I reached out and touched his cheek.
"That isn't fair to you though Jacob. One day you will understand." He looked at me as if he would never understand, would never get over this.
"I doubt it. Tell Edward to be out of his room by the end of the day. I will stay away and you two can begin your happy life together." With that he turned and walked away. I watched him, sad at what had transpired but I felt better knowing that I had tried. One day he would be happy and I would just be a distant memory.
He never returned to class after that day. Edward and I had gone back to their place later on that day and packed everything up. Jacob was true to his word and we didn't see him at all. Edward found an apartment the following week and on his first night there he invited me over for dinner.
He looked frazzled as he answered the door, a kitchen towel flung over his shoulder. He kissed me quickly on the forehead and ran back to the kitchen. I could hear pots and pans clanging around and I followed him inside.
There was sauce splattered across the counter, a noodle stuck to the wall and what smelled like garlic bread burning in the oven.
"Not used to cooking?" I tried to hide my laughter as he threw another noodle against the wall, trying to test the doneness of it.
"Is it that obvious?" The pot containing the spaghetti sauce bubbled violently and I came to his side and turned it down while searching for a spoon with which to stir it. I opened up the oven after I had the sauce under control and removed what used to be bread. The smoking loaf set off the smoke detector and Edward stood underneath it waving a towel around frantically while I moved the pan outside to cool down.
Amid the shrieking of the detector, the smoke filled apartment and the mess of the kitchen we both broke out in laughter.
When we regained composure Edward turned off all the burners and headed to the front room. He had just one couch and we went to it and sat down together.
"Well that didn't go as planned. I intended to dazzle you with my cooking skills." He looked disappointed and I started laughing again.
"Oh you dazzled me alright. Thanks for the thought though. Take out?" He smiled at me and shook his head.
"Nope, tonight was supposed to be special. I'm taking you out to dinner. " He went to the kitchen and double checked that everything was off and I put my jacket back on. We sidestepped the still smoking bread and went to his car.
Dinner was wonderful. Neither of us was in the mood for Italian anymore so we went to a small steakhouse and ate. After dinner we walked hand in hand up to his apartment. We went back to the couch and cuddled together as we watched television.
"Will you stay tonight? I've gotten used to falling asleep next to you." He asked as he ran his fingers through my hair. I was about to fall asleep on the couch and I knew that it was unlikely that I would be able to fall asleep without him by my side so I agreed. He led me to his room and I couldn't help but notice the large bed that dominated the room.
He said nothing as I looked around the room. He just held my hand and waited for my reaction. I turned to him and got on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. I pulled my hand from his and wrapped my arms around his back. He immediately did the same and pulled me closer into his body. I moaned into his mouth as our kiss deepened.
I slid my hands up under his shirt, wanting and needing to feel more of him. Without moving his lips from mine he lifted me up effortlessly and moved me to the bed. He pulled away from me and moved to my side.
"Bella." His voice was barely a whisper. "I want to take things slow. I want to show you the respect that you deserve." He moved his hand slowly to my hip, rubbing it back and forth. Moving his lips back to mine he continued to trace my body with his hand as he kissed me. He moved his hand behind my leg and brought it up over his thigh.
My heart raced as I moved my hands to his hair, pulling him closer to me. I understood and even appreciated his desire to take things slow but if he thought that I might change my mind about wanting him now that we lived in close proximity to each other he was wrong. Nothing had changed my feelings for him and in fact I felt even more drawn to him now. I couldn't imagine my life being complete without him in it.
"I think that we should stop." His voice sounded pained as once again pulled away.
"I think that you need to stop thinking. I want you Edward. I've missed you and I know that you aren't using me." As I spoke I kissed his face, moving back and forth across it before moving down his neck. I began to unbutton his shirt, he tried to stop me but I pushed his hands away. "Please Edward, stop thinking, just feel."
He didn't question me again. He helped to get his shirt off and took his time as I raised my arms in removing mine. Moving slowly he kissed his way down my bare skin. He reached behind my back and unhooked my bra, slowly moving it down my arms.
My body shivered in anticipation. Would it be everything that I had remembered? Would there be pain again? I wanted him so much that none of it mattered. All that mattered was that he was here with me and I never planned on letting him go again.
His lips closed around my breast and my body arched into his. My hands blindly searched for his pants as my body needed more of him immediately. He moved his hands to mine and pushed them away.
"We have nothing but time Bella. For once there are no planes to catch, no family to meet, we have the whole weekend." He pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed every finger, lingering over each one. We may have had all the time in the world but I wasn't sure how long I could actually wait.
We spent the night relearning each other's bodies. It was everything that I had remembered but even better now because I knew that I wasn't going to have to say goodbye anytime soon. As we ended the night wrapped in each other's arms I could barely keep my eyes open. As I cuddled in closer to him he kissed the top of my head and I could have sworn I heard him whisper the words I love you as I fell asleep.
Thanks for reading and letting me know what you think. I promise to not take so long with the next chapter.
Jaime