I was going to put this up sooner but I went home for the weekend and my poor laptop wasn't getting internet service. It was very, very frustrating. At least it's a long chapter.

I'm happy you all seem to like Edward's POV. This is a continuation of it, bringing us to the present. Next chapter will be more action.

Sorry if there are any errors or anything that doesn't make complete sense; I read this over and over and still wasn't 100% thrilled with it but I couldn't figure out why. Whatevs. Hope you all enjoy!

As Bella and I spoke in the kitchen, I tried my hardest not to remember how she looked naked. Something told me that those kinds of thoughts would be most unwelcome now.

She forgave me when I told her I had taken advantage of her and even tried to pin the blame on herself. Typical Bella. As we spoke about it, I noticed that she began to look sick. I felt horrible that she was so upset about the night before. I was upset, too, but I still counted it as one of my best nights ever. That proves how sick I am.

I called her a cab, thinking it was best for us at the moment to keep our distance. Though it seemed we had talked enough about the situation, I still didn't feel like it was resolved. The problem was that we would be seeing each other at Thanksgiving dinner. That was awkward enough; I didn't want to completely upset her beforehand.

Bella said she wanted to pretend like it never happened, which relieved me immensely. She didn't hate me and, though I was slightly disappointed that she seemed so opposed to the idea of me in general, I was grateful for it. I didn't want her to feel sorry for me or anything so I said something that would make one think Tanya and I were still an item. It was an immature thing to do but I didn't want her to think I was in love with her now or anything.

After she had left, I felt empty and confused. I shook my head at my absurdity. Bella Swan had never occupied my thoughts like this before. She had crossed my mind, no doubt, and I certainly found her attractive but since she was my sister's friend, I always considered her untouchable. It didn't matter how many times Alice tried to set us up; I always thought it felt wrong. Now that I'd had her and tasted her, I couldn't get her out of my head.

My phone rang, dragging me out of my wayward thoughts.

"Yeah," I answered, biting greedily into a bagel.

"Eddie," Tanya purred.

"Tanya," I sighed. This girl wasn't going to let go that easily.

"I remembered you said you might have band practice today… Could I come? We need to talk."

Damn it. I forgot I told her about that. I figured I should have her over. I owed a lot to her and I thought maybe after practice I could officially break things off with her.

I told her the necessary details and felt a little bit better for the first time that morning.

The calm I found in the morning was completely shattered when our new band member was unforgivably late to practice. The guy drove me crazy for multiple reasons but his tardiness was hands down the most frustrating.

"Relax, Edward, he'll show," Jasper said, trying his best to calm me down.

"I don't know why I even let him into the band," I growled. "I'm going to get coffee."

I figured a walk could do me good and coffee would certainly help me with my insufferable hangover. I took a few sips on my way back to the apartment and instantly felt at ease. Jacob was an ass who I'd deal with later.

As I walked into the apartment, my sanity was once again tested. Bella was sitting on my couch next to Alice, looking absolutely delicious. I tried my best to keep my face in a neutral mask as I walked over to greet them. When Jasper mentioned that Alice was coming over, the thought crossed my mind that she might bring Bella along since she was such a meddlesome wench sometimes. I wasn't entirely surprised but I wasn't pleased, either. I didn't want to see Bella so soon after the fact, especially since I was battling some kind of emotional war.

Alice asked me about Jacob, praising his abilities. Despite all of his fabulous abilities, he was a prick.

Then Jasper informed me that Jacob had texted him to tell him he was going to be a half hour late. This guy was unbelievable! Alice tried to keep talking about him but I quickly told everyone to get started. I certainly didn't feel like spending any time talking about him.

Before we could begin, my worst nightmare walked into the apartment.

"Eddie!" I looked up to see Tanya standing there, dressed in something shameful.

After I said hello, we began. I played her song for her, trying to butter her up. I hadn't technically written it for her but I played it for her whenever she was around. She stood up and started dancing just how I liked it. I knew I was ogling her but I couldn't help it; I'm a guy, after all.

Then Jacob walked in, once again acting as a wet blanket.

"Why don't you take a break, anyway?" Tanya whispered in my ear. "We really need to talk."

I decided to take her advice and she led me into her a bedroom. For a moment, I considered what the action must look like, especially to Bella, but when her lips found mine I put it out of my mind. I needed a distraction. I still found my thoughts reverting back to Bella, involuntarily comparing her soft, plump lips to Tanya's rough and small ones.

We made out for five minutes before I pushed her away gently. "Tanya-"

"We need to talk, Edward," she said firmly, cutting me off.

I nodded. We certainly did. I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me to the chase, again.

"What we have is really something special. I adore you. But… I've found someone, someone who I feel completes me. His name is Tyler and you'd really like him if you met him."

I was confused at first. This was unusual. We hadn't hung out for a week or so but this was certainly unexpected.

"Look at his picture," she cooed, taking out a small photo of a decent-looking guy. "He's good to me."

I felt very happy for her. She wasn't really a bad girl… She just wasn't for me. Smiling, I stroked her face. "I'm glad."

She laughed and then her face sobered somewhat as she took a step towards me. "I really could have loved you, you know?"

"Yes," I sighed.

"You really can be a piece of shit sometimes, Eddie."

I inhaled deeply. "I know that, too."

With a sad smile, she touched my cheek. "But you are a good kisser. One day you're going to meet a girl that's going to smack down all the walls you've built up. I only hope you're ready for her when she comes, otherwise you're going to fuck everything up."

"That was eloquently stated, Tanya," I chuckled.

"I'm serious. I don't think you realize the effect you have on women. Without meaning to, you lead them on."

Jesus. I felt worse enough already. This made me feel like dirt. "I'm sorry for that."

She shrugged. "You don't mean it. I just hope you'll come to your senses soon."

"So what were those kisses for?" I asked playfully, trying to change the subject. I hated it when girls started giving me the 'you're a dog' lecture.

"Eddie, darling, you can't possibly think I could resist one last chance to get one of your smooches."

She kissed me again and then held my hand and brought me back outside. I saw my sister's disgusted face and realized that I was right in my presumptions before; everyone probably thought we'd had a quickie. I knew I had a lot of girlfriends in the past but that didn't mean I'd have sex with my friends and family in the next room!

Bella's face confused me. She looked hurt or sick or something. Before I could spend any more time thinking about it, Tanya gave me a goodbye kiss and walked out.

I was beyond relieved that was over. It certainly worked out better than I thought it would. I smiled, thinking about how incredibly fickle Tanya was. A few weeks ago, she was permanently attached to my arm. Now she was carrying around some guy's photo.

Practice continued smoothly. When it was over, I walked over to Alice and Bella and smiled.

"What did you guys think?"

"You're not that bad, Eddie," Alice laughed. Her eyes twinkled mischievously; she knew how much I hated being called Eddie. In a moment of weakness I'd confessed to her that Tanya called me it all the time and it drove me insane.

I looked over at Bella and she blushed. "What did you think, Bella?" Anxiety pooled in my stomach as I suddenly realized how much her opinion mattered to me. I wanted her to like it. I wanted her to like me.

Where were these thoughts coming from?

"You were good." She looked extremely uncomfortable and I immediately felt guilty for talking to her. She wasn't ready to talk to me yet.

"Thank you." I looked up and saw Jacob leaning against the back of the couch. I'd been so caught up with Bella that I hadn't noticed him sneak up.

My jaw clenched immediately. I knew what he was thinking; Jacob was infamous for his exploits. He had more girls than me and from what I heard, he treated them like crap. I was certainly no saint but I always made an attempt to be a gentleman. There was no way in hell I was going to let him take advantage of Bella.

I ignored the crushing feeling in my chest when I remembered that I had just taken advantage of Bella less than twelve hours before.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to these fine ladies, Edward?" Jacob asked.

I resisted the urge to punch him in the nose. I tried my best to sound nonchalant as I introduced Bella and Alice.

My stomach turned as I saw Bella's appraising look that ended with a small, satisfied smile. She couldn't possibly think he was attractive… Could she?

Not that it necessarily mattered. Bella was her own woman, after all. But I had to warn her about Jacob at some point- it was the least I could do.

I tried to get him out of there but the bastard wouldn't budge. When I once again tried to drop a not-so-subtle hint, Bella thought I was talking to her. Truth be told, I didn't want her to go anywhere.

It horrified me that she thought I meant her. "I didn't mean that you had to leave, Bella. I just-"

"Wanted me to leave," Jacob finished. Damn right.

Bella said she had to get ready, anyway, and before I knew what happened, Bella was leaving with Jacob. The scoundrel was taking her home. I freaked out as all the possible scenarios ran through my head. I was about to race after them and stop the madness when Jasper stopped me.

"Dude… You know I love you like a brother but you're acting like a major ass right now."

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

He rolled his eyes and snorted. "I know you and Bella did something last night. I can see it all over you."

Shit. "Is it that obvious?" I asked in a small voice.

He shrugged. "To me but you know I'm an excellent observer."

"Did you tell Alice?"

"Honestly, man, I think she already knows," he told me sheepishly. "You know Alice knows everything."

My eyes clenched shut and I rubbed my face. I was beyond tired.

"I have to tell you that having sex with Tanya while we were all here probably wasn't the best move. I think you really hurt her."

My eyes popped open at that. "I didn't have sex with Tanya," I told him gravely.

"Oh. Okay."

"Seriously, Jasper." He nodded at me but I wasn't so sure he believed me.

"Whatever, man, I'm just telling you what it looked like. Bella seemed upset."

I ran my hand through my hair and tried desperately to come up with some sort of solution.

"Did you sleep with Bella?"

I met his eyes and nodded slowly, extremely ashamed. I thought he was going to punch me or tell me what an asshole I was. Instead, he grinned.

"What's with you?" I asked.

"It's about time, is all. The two of you are meant to be."

"That's ridiculous."

He shrugged again. "It's the truth. Look at you; you're a mess. No girl has ever made you act like this."

I tensed. "I'm not acting like anything."

"So what happened to the girl you made out with last night?" I could tell Jasper was trying to change the subject.

"Oh, Jesus. She practically pounced on me and I was too drunk to say no. I got rid of her when I saw how upset Bella was at the bar."

Jasper just stared at me. "What?" I asked, a little pissed off. I think I was mainly paranoid.

"What are you going to do about Bella?"

"Nothing," I sighed.

He raised his eyebrows. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," I repeated. "We talked a little this morning and I made it clear that it would go nowhere."

He stared at me again. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's your problem?" He was getting on my nerves.

"Edward, when are you going to grow up? You never have a serious girlfriend, you drift through life, and you dodge all real possibilities with girls… It's not so amusing anymore. All your friends have girlfriends, now. Look at how happy Ben and Angela are. Look at me and Alice."

"I'm not ready for commitment," I said firmly. "I have enough on my plate. And even if I were looking for a girlfriend, it wouldn't be Bella."

"Why not?"

"She's my sister's best friend! That would be wrong on so many levels."

He looked at me like I had fifty heads. "You're a moron, Edward. Alice practically throws Bella at you every chance she gets. That's not a legitimate excuse."

"Just because Alice is too immature to see the difficulties doesn't mean I have to be."

"Edward," Jasper groaned, "will you ever see the light?"

"There's also the matter of Bella being way out of my league."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I can't disagree with you there. But I have a feeling she wouldn't be opposed to you, Edward."

"I don't deserve her," I said quietly, staring out the window.

"Probably not," Jasper agreed. "That doesn't mean she won't want you."

"Jasper!" Alice called from across the apartment, "your parents are expecting us any minute."

"Be right there," he yelled back. He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "I wish I didn't have to spend any time at my parents."

I laughed half-heartedly. He took a step to walk away but then turned back.

"Look, Edward, all I'm trying to say is you have an opportunity here. Even if you don't deserve it, even if you think you don't want it right now, you shouldn't waste it. If you ignore these feelings you have for Bella, which I know for a fact are there, you're going to come to regret it someday. You can see what a prize she is. She's not going to be available for long and you have the capacity to really break her. You're already on the path to doing that. Man up and stop ignoring her, at least. You had sex with her. That changes everything."

I shut my eyes. "I know."

After they left, I got ready quickly and raced back to my parents' house. I wanted to talk to Bella before everyone got there. I was shocked to find she hadn't arrived yet. It had been at least twenty minutes since they left. What were they up to? If Jacob tried anything on her…

I paced around the house and ignored my mother who was shooting me amused looks from the kitchen. After what seemed like ages, which was in reality five minutes, Jacob's piece of crap pulled up. I glared out of the window, trying to communicate to him with my eyes that this was certainly not okay.

Bella clumsily got out of the car and looked back at me anxiously. I could tell her face was flushed and my fists clenched at the various things the two of them could have been doing all this time. My rational side knew Bella wasn't that kind of girl but the primitive animal inside of me wasn't so sure.

When she came into the house, I ran up to her and demanded to know where she had been. Not the most tactful think to do, I know, but I was angry. I was taking my anger out on the wrong person, but that couldn't stop me.

After Emmett came in to see what the ruckus was about, I realized how horrible my actions were. It didn't take away my anger but it immediately made me feel remorseful. Alice pranced in, home early from Jasper's, and shot me another disgusted look. Bella's hurt and frightened expression broke my heart as Alice brought her upstairs.

"What's with you, dude?" Emmett asked, shaking his head in astonishment. "You're acting like a jealous boyfriend."

"I am not," I ground out through clenched teeth. "Bella got a ride home with that Jacob guy I was telling you about the other day."

He looked at me and blinked in confusion. "So?"

"So he's a mongrel! God knows what he tried on her."

He shook his head at me again. "First of all, dude, no one in respectable society ever says the word "mongrel". Just so you know. Second of all, you're a tool. He just gave her a ride home. What's the big deal?"

I exhaled in frustration but said no more. Sometimes Emmett was so dense.

As I waited impatiently for Bella to come back downstairs, my actions since this morning replayed in my head. I couldn't believe I was such a complete ass. Everything I had done was unforgivable. Even if Bella had hated me and thought I was despicable for taking advantage of her, I shouldn't have treated her the way I did. I practically tossed her aside after we had sex, even though that wasn't what I intended.

By the time she came down for dinner, I felt sick. I met her eyes, desperately trying to convey my apologies but she looked away. Alice organized the seats so I couldn't look at her without craning my neck and for the first time in my life, I wish Alice had meddled.

Then the little devil asked me about Tanya. Alice pissed me off frequently but I never, ever wanted to inflict any kind of bodily harm… Until now.

"We're not together, Alice," I managed to say. She was lucky I wasn't screaming.

Thankfully the topic of conversation moved away from me but I frowned when I realized it was just as upsetting. I learned that Bella was going to London for an internship.

"Why do you want to go to London?" I asked, genuinely curious about what the city held for her. The tone of my voice was harsh from surprise. Jasper shook his head at me.

Alice immediately jumped to her defense, however. Before I could help myself, I dug a bigger hole.

"I don't think Bella's going to like it there."

When Carlisle attempted to correct me, I got annoyed. Bella didn't belong in London.

"I'm just being honest," I told him. "Bella is… how shall I put it? Fragile. She's going to be off on her own in a foreign country for a long period of time. That's a lot to take in."

Okay, I was being a douche but I couldn't help it. I was getting a panicky feeling in my stomach that was making me act irrationally.

Rosalie intercepted me, agitating me further. My family just didn't know when to stop.

"You're going to be home in a week, Bella," I continued on. Apparently I didn't either.

I didn't know what got into me. Words were just flying out of my mouth .My only justification is the jumble of emotions raging through my body.

I was stunned, despite my acknowledgement of my behavior, when my father banged his fist on the table in order to stop me. I would have been grateful for the interruption had he not embarrassed me. Again, I acted out without thinking and started to get up rather than just apologize to everyone.

My mother and Bella soothed us and we went back to an awkward dinner. The peace did not last long, however. The topic of relationships and settling down was brought up and I couldn't help but get a little aggravated. I thought back to what Jasper told me about my inability to commit and how I should consider pursuing a serious relationship. When Jacob was brought up in relation to Bella, I could no longer control myself.

When Emmett made a comment about Bella moving on fast, I muttered in agreement. It wasn't fair but my filter had disappeared sometime during the afternoon. Then I added on to my horrible comment, saying something about Bella going after the worst kinds of guys. When I looked over at her, my stomach dropped. She looked really upset. Jasper looked at me like I was some sort of sick animal and I couldn't blame him. Even if she went after the wrong kinds of guys, she certainly had enough sense to stay away from me. Except for last night, anyway.

My parents went into the kitchen for a bit and then Jasper had to go and bring up Tanya. Was he trying to drive me insane?

I couldn't figure out why he was bringing her up, especially in regards to the cabin, after making such a point about Bella being upset about her before. Then his grin gave him away; the bastard was trying to coax me out. I wouldn't play into his hands. It blew up in his face when Alice asked if Bella could come along. I could tell he wasn't expecting that. He had to admit that the cabin belonged to Tanya, which of course enraged Alice and made Bella blush. Alice vehemently protested going. I quickly set things, straight, however, and made it clear to Bella and to a revolted Alice that Tanya and I were over. Alice didn't buy it.

"I think it's funny," she hissed, "that you claim to not be with this girl and yet she's coming over for afternoon sex while we're all out in the living room and inviting you to her cabin on the weekends."

Now that pissed me off. "I didn't have sex with her this afternoon."

She scoffed at me. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down, but my composure was lost when she referred to the girls I hung out with as "sluts". That hurt, mainly because it inferred something not so nice about me. Plus, I was still a gentleman, despite my recent behavior. I didn't think of them as sluts and I didn't think it was very becoming of Alice to call them that.

It made me mad that she painting me out to be some disgusting man-whore, especially in front of Bella who looked absolutely horrified. Alice was belittling me and seriously ticking me off.

Before I could reach over and strangle her little neck, our parents walked in. My mother immediately assumed that the tension in the room was because of me. It wasn't an unfair observation, of course. But, because I was embarrassed, annoyed, frustrated, etc., I blew up.

"Why do you automatically assume it's me? What is this, attack Edward day?"

Emmett shushed me up and I sat down, brooding. I looked over at Bella and her expression devastated me. She looked ill. I scowled, thoroughly pissed off with my family's antics.

The night only got worse from there. Bella stood and excused herself to go to bed, obviously lying through her teeth. Everyone glared at me menacingly, knowing I was the cause. My mother stared at me questioningly and I knew she was trying to figure out why I was behaving this way.

Alice and Rose got up to go into the living room and chat, but not before sending me some more disapproving looks. I felt something cold and gooey hit my neck as Alice walked past. When I pulled off the offending gunk and examined it, I realized it was cranberry sauce. Well, I guess I deserved that.

Jasper pulled me aside and all but tore me apart.

"I'm not going to stand by and let you treat Bella this way."

I snorted. "What's it to you?"

Wow, I was on a roll tonight. The words were just falling out of my mouth. I didn't mean any of them.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Alice is the most important thing in the world to me and Bella is one of the most important things to her. Bella is my friend, too, and you're being a major dick. Cut the shit, Edward. If you don't want her, fine, but stop acting like this. You're making things a million times worse."

"You don't know anything," I sneered.

"I know when you're being a shit. You're being a shit, Edward."

I looked down and my body relaxed. "I know."

"I think you should apologize to her."

Sighing, I nodded. "I think so, too. She probably wants nothing to do with me."

Jasper looked at me curiously. "What do you want from her?"

"I just want Bella to be happy," I mumbled.

He sighed and started to walk away. "I hope you figure things out before it's too late. Bella won't wait forever. She has a long line of guys begging to be with her."

I was about to find out how right he was.