A/N Special thanks to the great people at PTB. And just like the rest of us in ficdom, I don't own Twilight. I just got my two permanent betas through PTB so hopefully my updates will be more frequent now! Yay!

Chapter Five: Coffee and....

BPOV

I squeezed Anthony's -no, Edward's- hand encouragingly as he looked down at me with fear in his eyes. When I didn't call him out, he smiled making his eyes crinkle in the corners.

Edward clenched his hand around my waist and pulled me closer to him. That same shock that struck me when we first touched the broom handle at the same time was back and it spread from his hand all through my body.

It all made sense now. The feeling I had that he was trying to hide something; his reaction to the news and his song... and of course, his appearance. Now that I knew who he was, it was so easy to see.

But why is he trying to hide? What is he running from?

As the song ended, we returned to the bar. My waist still throbbed pleasantly where he held me. I could feel his green eyes follow me as I worked. We didn't speak much for the next couple of hours as I made my rounds at the bar. Occasionally we would lock gazes and the fire would blaze anew. Both of us would smile, a little unsure, and look away. It seemed we were both content to bide our time to be able to talk more privately later.

Eventually I announced last call to the few stragglers left in the bar. Needing a break before I shut the bar down, I sat next to Edward. He smiled crookedly at me and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. I had to strongly resist the urge to bury my hands in his hair again.

"Hi."

"Hi." His voice, while soft, had a husky undertone.

"Come here often?" I laughed softly.

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I'm a regular here."

I laughed louder now, pleased that he was playing along with my joke.

He turned towards me, his expression serious, but curious.

"What made you want to buy this place?"

I wasn't used to someone taking such an interest in me. I blushed again.

"I've wanted my own bar since I was in high school. I had this vision of a cool, hip place with live music every night. Well, at least almost every night." I laughed as I looked up at the empty stage.

"When this place went up for sale, I jumped at the opportunity. I was scared out of my mind and a little overwhelmed, but I think I've been successful so far." It was difficult to hide the pride in my voice.

"I would say so, if the crowd you had here when I walked in was any indication."

"We have a lot of regulars. Small towns like this hardly ever have surprises."

Edward nodded. "This town reminds me of where I grew up... everybody knowing everyone else."

Now I was the curious one. Would he open up about his past, if not his present?

"Where did you grow up?"

"I was born in Chicago, but I grew up in Forks, Washington."

"Where is Forks?"

"It's near the Hoh National Forest in the Olympic Peninsula. It is breathtaking out there." There was wistfulness to his voice. It sounded like he missed being there.

"You haven't been there recently?" I asked matter-of-factly.

He sighed, the sadness coming through, confirming my thoughts.

"No, my work keeps me away a lot."

"What do you do?" The question was out of my mouth before I even realized it. His breath caught but he regained his composure quickly.

"I..." he hesitated, "I'm in between jobs right now. I do mostly contract work."

Nice cover, I thought to myself. And yet, it is still the truth. He is not lying to me... just being generic.

"Is the work steady?" I had a feeling I knew the answer to that question too, if the tabloid shows about him were any indication.

"Yeah. Sometimes there's a little too much, and I wonder if I can handle it all. It can be quite overwhelming." The lost, frustrated, and almost angry look crept into his eyes again.

Before I could ask him another question, he turned the tables around and asked about me.

"Have you always been from around here?"

Sensing that he was trying to get off the topic of himself, I decided to elaborate a bit instead of giving him the cliff notes version.

"I was born in Phoenix, but my parents got a divorce when I was very young. I stayed there with my mom until high school, when I decided I needed a change of scenery. My dad had come up here to Ohio when he was offered a job, so I thought I'd try it out. It was definitely a change; the first winter here was brutal. It was far from the Arizona desert heat I had been accustomed to."

I felt very comfortable talking to him; like I've known him for years instead of just hours. I was more at ease with him already than with most of the people I knew.

"After I graduated from college, I stayed up here with my dad for a while. When my mom died, her life insurance policy gave me enough to buy the bar and even my own place." He nodded for me to continue, and his eyes never left my face.

"My house isn't spectacular, but it's mine. I bought it out of foreclosure, and it needed a lot of work. It had been abandoned for a while, and slowly over the past two years I have been fixing it up. I spend a good portion of my time here, so the house is only about half finished. It's livable, just not finished. What I love the most is the view. It's right on the lakeshore. I can sit in my back yard and watch the storms roll in off the lake from Canada. There's even a small dock below the house on the bit of beach I have."

His eyes looked softly at me with a warm smile on his face, like he was picturing my house in his head.

"That sounds really nice," he said, finally.

"It is. I wouldn't trade my half-finished house for anything in the world." I desperately wanted to learn more about him. As much as he would tell me.

"How was it growing up in Forks?" I asked.

"It was quiet... and sheltered, but good. My parents made sure we never went without, but also made sure we didn't grow up spoiled. My father made us three kids do community service at his hospital every summer. He is a doctor at the hospital out there. My mother also had us help her with restoration projects, too. It was neat to see how she could restore a house that looked like it should just be bulldozed back into its glory."

"We?" I prompted. 'We' must mean he has siblings.

"Yeah, I'm the oldest of the three of us. I have a brother, Emmett, and a sister, Alice."

He was interrupted by Jacob, who walked over to remind me it was time to shut the bar down. Thankfully, everyone except Edward had left, so it was easy to shut everything down.

He insisted on helping us, and Jacob glared at him the entire time. I wanted to smack him and tell him to cut it out, but it was kind of funny at the same time. I've never seen him react this way to anyone before.

Edward and I walked out of the bar slowly. Neither one of us wanted the night to end. He turned to me first.

"Bella... is there some place around here we can get some coffee? That is, if you would like to get some."

A thrill shot through me. I don't think I could say no even if I had to get up first thing in the morning and perform brain surgery.

"Sure. There is a place down the street. Do you want to follow me?"

"That's fine, unless you want to ride together."

Another nervous thrill shot through me when I thought about being alone in the car with him. I wasn't afraid of him at all. It was the proximity to him... I felt a hum build through my body already just from the thought.

"Yours or mine?"

He stood by a Volvo that had to be his, as it was the only other car in the lot besides mine. Jacob had left right before we did.

"How about mine? I promise I won't kidnap you," he joked.

I laughed, and got bold in my nervousness.

"What if I want to be kidnapped?" I blushed instantly. I was shocked at myself. Shy Bella did not normally say those kinds of things.

His eyebrows shot up and his face split into that crooked smile that dazzled me so easily.

"Well... um... wow. Maybe arrangements could be made." He unlocked the passenger side of the door for me and closed the door after I was in. He piled his long, lean frame into the driver's seat and pulled smoothly out of the parking lot.

The entire way to the coffee shop, I was acutely aware of how close our bodies were to each other. The only words spoken were my directions to the coffee shop. It was as if an electrical charge was building right there, like a thunderstorm rolling in off the lake, just between us. It was exciting, but scary at the same time. I couldn't hope for anything to happen out of this, whatever this was. I wasn't a part of his world and he wasn't a part of mine.

This train of thought was bringing my mood down. I tried to banish those thoughts so I could enjoy myself with this man I felt so strangely drawn to. It had nothing to do with what he was, a celebrity, an actor, or a musician. It had everything to do with WHO he was. There was a part of him, deep down, buried under all the craziness of his life right now, that drew me to him. It came out in bits and pieces when he spoke about his home and family. He didn't look so lost then. Back when he was at home, he knew who he was. Now, it looked like he was losing himself to the Hollywood machine. I wanted to tell him that I knew who he was so badly so that he didn't have to pretend anymore. I didn't care what he was, but he seemed so afraid that I would figure out his secret. I decided to hold my tongue. After all, he probably wasn't going to be here long so what did it matter? I'm sure he had another show to do some where else and his time here will fade to just a pleasant memory for him.

We reached the coffee shop in just a few short minutes. It didn't take long to get anywhere in town. After we got out of the car, he held the door to the shop open for me. As I walked by, my arm grazed his stomach. The thunderstorm that brewed during the car ride erupted. We both gasped and looked at each other in shock. I wasn't the only one who blushed this time.

I nervously apologized for bumping into him.

"No, it's okay. Really." His voice was light but strained, and his face was confused. He looked about as confused as I felt at that moment.

We sat down in a little corner booth in the back of the cafe. It seemed much more intimate then it looked like when we first walked in. Edward sat next to me, only inches from my body. My fingers twitched, wanting to twine themselves with his hand. We looked at each other with questions in our eyes, both completely unprepared for what was happening between us.

He spoke first, his voice truly husky for the first time. "How do you have this effect on me?"

It felt like my heart had stopped. When it restarted it was going a mile a minute.

"I would ask you the same thing," I whispered.

My eyes held his in wonder. Those green eyes of his were like magnets, piercing into my soul. I felt completely naked and exposed in front of him, like he could see all of who I was completely.

He took a shuddering breath trying to collect himself. At that moment, the waitress came and poured our coffee, effectively dispelling the mood. It was a welcome relief from the intensity of the emotions. I gladly sipped my coffee and was rewarded by scalding my mouth. I winced in pain and put the coffee back down.

"Imagine that, hot coffee," I said disparagingly.

He smiled at me again, his brilliant green eyes softening. He reached his hand towards me and touched the side of my face with his fingertips. I closed my eyes in spite of myself and sighed. The fire was different this time, sweeter and not as urgent. When I opened my eyes, all I saw were his green eyes as they enveloped me. I couldn't even tell you when his hand moved from my face to my hand. I was completely entranced.

We stayed there for a few hours, talking and sitting together, enjoying each other's company. We talked about our lives, even exchanging embarrassing childhood stories that had us both laughing. We talked about authors and books we both liked, favorite foods and places. We both avoided asking about music or movies.

Our waitress refilled our coffee a few times before I finally had enough. If I drank anymore coffee I wouldn't sleep for a week. Despite the jolt of caffeine, my body betrayed the lateness of the evening -- or based on the light in the sky outside the café window, the earliness of the morning -- with a yawn. I tried to cover it the best I could but it had been a long day.

"I should get you home. I didn't realize how late it was." His eyes still held mine, his thumb lightly stroking my hand.

"Me either." I didn't want to leave. But sleep would come whether I liked it or not. And it would be too embarrassing to fall asleep in the booth. "Where are you staying?"

He cocked his head to the side, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "I don't know actually. I hadn't thought that far ahead before I pulled into the bar."

My brain whirled as I came up with an idea. It was crazy. It was risky. And I would probably end up regretting it in the end. But that desire to help him was stronger than ever. What am I doing? This is not going to end well. You are going to get your hopes up and be hurt in the end. Don't do it! I didn't listen to myself. I jumped in with both feet and my eyes closed.

"Um... I have an extra room at my house. I know it sounds crazy but you are welcome to stay there if you like. It's on the other end of the house from my room so you'll have all the privacy you want. If you want to, anyway... kinda weird I know..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling very foolish. I was blushing from the crown of my head to the bottoms of my feet. I must've looked like a freshly boiled lobster. I stared at my hand and slowly started to pull my other hand from his.

He held on to my hand as he looked down at me with grave eyes. "Are you sure? I can easily find a place around here."

I laughed. "You don't know your way around here. And there aren't any hotels in Vermilion anyway."

"I see. If that's the case, I don't want you to feel obligated."

My head shot up. "Obligated? No! Not in the least. I just thought..." I couldn't finish the sentence. I just thought maybe you'd like to stay… with me. I sighed. I am in so much trouble.

He squeezed my hand reassuringly. "It's okay, just as long as you are sure. Whatever you want in compensation just let me know."

"No, I don't want your money. It's okay. It's only one night after all, right?"

His eyes clouded over again, that look that he had when he first walked in to Midnight Sun. "Yeah...I suppose so. But giving you something would only be fair for you opening your home to me."

I didn't respond as we got up and he paid the bill. We both were silent as we walked out and climbed into his car. He took me back to the bar so I could get my truck. My mind was spinning with what I had just done. What are you doing, Bella? Asking some guy you barely know to stay at your house?

Back in the parking lot of Midnight Sun, he walked me over to my derelict truck. It was a piece of crap but I loved it and it ran better then it looked. He suddenly looked like the shy one.

"You sure about this Bella? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." He looked apprehensive.

"It's fine E-Anthony" Jeez.... watch what you are doing Bella! "Just follow me. My house is only a few miles down the road." I tried not to look at him as I climbed into my truck. I still couldn't believe what I was doing.

"It's only for one night," I said to myself as I drove down the road. "Then he'll go back to his real life." I shook my head. I can't believe I'm talking to myself. I can't believe I invited him to stay.

Despite my fear, and it wasn't fear of him necessarily but a different kind of fear, one I wasn't familiar with, I still wanted him there. I wanted to get to know him better. I wanted him to feel safe enough around me to tell me who he really was. I wanted to see more of the man Edward Cullen really was, under all the craziness of the singer and actor. Yes, he was drop dead gorgeous, but there was so much more to him than that.

A/N Thank you for reading! Please review! :)