I got out and walked across the car to help her out. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She moved closer to me and leaned against her head against me. I smiled to myself. She unlocked the door without moving away from me and led me inside. Her house was small, cozy, and decorated minimally, yet it had a certain charm about it.

"I'm going to go change. You can sit down on the couch or whatever." She said. I nodded as she raced up the stairs. I couldn't help but let my mind wonder to thoughts of her changing. I quickly shook the thoughts from my head and sat down on the couch. She returned after five or so minutes. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she had changed into a pair of gray sweats and a white t-shirt from a high school from Phoenix. She looked sexy even in that. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure." I shrugged.

"What do you want to watch?"

"What do you have?"

She gestured a pretty good collection of movies that were stashed away in the cabinet under the TV. She sat down on the floor as I moved over to sit with her. We ended up choosing a comedy in hopes to lift her spirits some. We settled down on the couch side by side but not touching. After a few seconds, the space between us was driving me crazy. I moved into the corner of the couch and pulled her into me. She relaxed instantly. She didn't seem to mind the coldness of my body. She rested her head against my chest and put her legs up on the couch beside her. I let my arm drape around her. When I noticed her shiver a little, I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it out on top of her.

"Thank you." She murmured.

"You're welcome."

She giggled throughout the movie seemingly forgetting about her problems for a little while. By the time the movie was halfway over, she had repositioned herself so that she was lying on the couch with her head resting in my lap. I was mindlessly playing with her hair. I hardly paid any attention to the movie. I listened to her laughter committing it to memory in case there was a time I wouldn't hear it any longer. I hoped that would never be the case, but if I was completely honest, I knew it would be. I couldn't drag her into my life without her knowing what kind of life I live. And when she found out, she'd be gone like any sensible human would be. Even though she's kind, gentle, and understanding, no amount of understanding would keep her around. It wasn't human nature to trust a natural predator with their life. I was a predator and she was the prey. And while I vowed never to hurt her, she didn't belong in my world, and I shouldn't be selfish enough to introduce her to such a thing. Why couldn't I stop then? Why was I here unable to take my eyes off her or fathom the idea of not being able to see her every day? Why was I in love with her even though I should be turning away from her to keep her safe?

She looked up at me evidently feeling my stare on her. I smiled at her, which she returned.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She turned so she was facing the ceiling and looking up at me. "Thanks to you, yes, I'm okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She picked up my hand and moved it in front of her face studying it carefully obviously trying to distract herself. She traced the lines of my hand before intertwining her fingers with mine and letting our hands rest against her stomach. "You already are."

"I'm glad." She smiled at me before moving her eyes to the ceiling thinking about something. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"You can tell me anything you know. And I'll always be here for you."

"You shouldn't want to be." That should be something that I'm saying to her not the other way around. What could be so bad that would make me want to stay away from her? Such a beautiful, amazing, caring, gentle… the list goes on.

"Why do you say that?"

She sighed before smiling sadly at me. "I'm really damaged, Emmett. You shouldn't want to be around a train wreck like me."

"Nothing that you tell me could make me want to stay away from you." I looked at her trying to read her face. "Do you want to tell me?"

"I'm not ready to talk about it." She said so quietly that if I weren't a vampire I would have had to stain my ears to hear. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." With the hand that wasn't intertwined with hers, I stroked her cheek. "Okay?" She smiled and nodded. I should tell her that I like her more than a friend. That I want to be with her. I should tell her so many things, but I couldn't think of the right things to say.

"Thank you for staying with me." She whispered.

"There's no where I'd rather be."

"Still thank you." She smiled at me again. I would do anything to keep that smile there.

"You're welcome."

After another second, she turned her head without twisting her body to look at the TV again. She giggled at something on the screen, and I couldn't help but smile. She was just so damn perfect.

--

BPOV

I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me, but I just met him! I shouldn't be feeling this way about him. Besides, there is no way he felt the same way about me. As I constantly tell myself, there is no way someone like him would want someone like me. Yet here he was. My head was in his lap. My fingers intertwined with his. His perfect eyes staring down at me. Maybe it was just pity. But he seemed so sincere when he said he wanted to be here. I don't know. It was all too much to think about. Phil and this was just too much to think about at one time.

The movie ended. I leaned out of his lap to pick up the remote off the coffee table and turned the TV off. I sighed and returned to my former spot.

"What do you want to do?" I asked. He shrugged. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"I want to." He said. I could see the sincerity in his eyes again.

"It won't cause a problem with your family, will it? I mean you're already skipping school for me."

"No, it's no problem. I spoke to them last night and explained to them how much I cared about you." Cared about me? This could mean a variety of things. Don't get your hopes up, Bella. "I do care about you, you know that right?" I nodded giving him a small smile. But how much? The way friends cared about each other? The way more than friends cared about each other? This isn't healthy. "Good."

"I care about you too, Emmett." I admitted quietly. "If you ever need me for anything, you know where to find me."

He smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. I absently rubbed circles on his hand as he played with the ends of my hair. I almost wanted to ask him what we were to one another, but I was afraid of the answer. So I kept my mouth shut. Why ruin the moment?

"Do you want me to put in another movie?" I asked even though I didn't really want to get out of my place with my head on his lap. It might be awkward to get back in it.

"Sure." He shrugged.

"What do you want to watch?"

"You pick."

I found another comedy since I figured a romance would be awkward and I wasn't really up for a tearjerker, drama, or scary movie. "Are you hungry?" I asked.

"I'm fine." I nodded and walked back to the couch. Now I was at an impasse. Do I go back to my position with my head in his lap? Or do I just sit down? He chuckled noticing my dilemma which only made me blush. "Come on." He grabbed my arm and pulled me down beside him. He lifted my legs with ease and set them out on the couch and pushed my head back into his lap. I laughed softly rolling my eyes at him. My cheeks were still in flames though. I got comfortable as he pulled the blanket over me.

I could hardly focus on the movie this time. I mindlessly played with his fingers wondering why his body always seemed so cold. Maybe he had poor circulation. But still, his torso should at least be warm. It wasn't though. No human should have such a low body temperature. I pushed the thought out of my head laughing at my idiocy in my head.

By the time I refocused myself on the movie, it was halfway over and I had no idea about what was going on. Sighing, I rolled over so that I was on my back again. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Bored of the movie?"

I shrugged before changing the subject. I didn't want him to know that thoughts of him were distracting me from paying any attention to the movie whatsoever. "So what are you doing this weekend other than going to Port Angeles?"

"Nothing really. Jazz and I usually end up playing video games or something. Nothing exciting."

"Was Alice really inviting me to Port Angeles or just being nice?"

He chuckled. "She was really inviting you, and you should go."

"Why?"

"Because then you get to hang out with me." A big goofy grin appeared on his face as he said that. I giggled.

"You mean your sister won't drag me away to go shopping with her and Rosalie?"

He chuckled. "Okay, probably. But we'll still get to hang out some. Come on, please." He pouted, and I knew I'd give him whatever he wanted.

Laughing, I swatted his chest. "Don't pout. You're too hard to refuse when you pout."

"Really?" His eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Shut up. Fine, I'll go." I playfully scowled at him.

"Thank you." He brought our intertwined fingers up to his lips and kissed my hand. I couldn't help but smile as our hands fell back to my stomach.

"How long are you going to stay?"

"As long as you need me to."

"You're a really sweet guy, Emmett." I told him. He smiled at me making my heart flutter in the slightest. I wasn't just falling for him anymore. No, I was in love with him. I sighed contentedly.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked me after another minute or so of silence.

"Nothing." I gave him a reassuring smile. "We should really do something instead of just sitting here, huh?"

"I'm perfectly content just sitting here."

"Really? You aren't bored of me yet?"

"Nope. I'm sorry but you'll have to try harder to get rid of me."

"Well, if you insist on being here even though I'm damaged, I guess I can survive with your company."

"You really don't see yourself clearly."

"No, I see myself just fine. You just don't know all the facts."

"Then tell me."

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm not ready yet, Emmett."

"And I'll be here for you when you are."

"That means a lot."