And it's like I can't feel a thing

Without you around

And don't mind me

If I go weak in the knees

Cause you have that effect on me, you do

Everything you say

Every time we kiss, I can't think straight

But I'm okay

And I can't think of anybody else

Who I hate to miss

As much as I hate missing you

Saturday! Thank you God! I thought as I woke up the next morning. Weekends hadn't been a big deal to me since I got out of school. Now, they seemed to hold me together. For this is when it appears I would be able to lay eyes on my beautiful Bella.

Tonight we decided to just do dinner and a movie. I know it's pretty typical but that's what she said she wanted. Who was I to tell her that wasn't good enough? Since Forks is really bare, Port Angeles was our best option, and I certainly wasn't going to mind spending half an hour alone in the car with her. More time for us to get to know each other.

I felt like I already knew Bella so well though. We talked on the phone so much that I knew about her family, or lack of one, her favorite foods, that she liked baseball, she was klutz, her dreams of a family, and everything in between. The only thing I didn't know about was the ass that hurt her before I came along. I could tell he screwed her up pretty bad but she had never offered information on it. I didn't want to prod but I was really nosey. And really, how do you even bring something like that up without it all getting awkward. Maybe she would be comfortable enough someday to tell me.

I started writing after breakfast because work had to be done eventually. My publisher was starting to get antsy and I was not holding up my end of the bargain. The last time I tried to do this, my thoughts had been so flooded with Bella that I wasn't capable of anything decent. Not that I didn't still feel that way, but it was worth a try.

Much to my surprise, new ideas flowed from my fingers like a river and I couldn't stop. My stomach was growling around noon but my hand stayed glued to the keyboard, not willing to stop, demanding to be heard. Finally, my thoughts rested enough for the typing to slow and then cease.

I was rubbing the back of my neck with my hand when I looked at the clock…..shit. It was 5 o'clock, leaving me 45 minutes to get ready. I guess that wasn't so bad. How long can it take when you are a guy, right?

I popped in the shower and let my muscles relax under the hot water, steam swirling around the bathroom. The nerves were still raging, every time I thought of Bella, and I wondered how long it would keep up. Sure, I'd been nervous around girls before; women did that to a guy. But it had never lasted this long, and it wasn't lightening up either.

I shook my head and turned off the water before wrapping myself in a towel. I had wasted a solid twenty minutes in the shower and rushed through the rest of my routine; brushing teeth, drying hair, styling hair, getting dressed. I sometimes wondered if my life would be easier if I just cut off all my hair but it was kind of my signature.

By 5:45 I was strolling out the door, IPod in hand, ready to be in Bella's intoxicating presence. Lost in my thoughts of her lips on mine and my hands in her hair, on her hips, all over her, I arrived at Bella's house before I really even knew I was driving.

Bella's door flew open and her bright smile greeted me. "Hey," she said, before throwing the front door closed. She seemed very confident this evening, and I liked it. Bella was sexier than ever.

"Hey," I smiled, slipping my hand around hers. We stood and smiled at each other before moving on towards the car. Once inside, I pressed play on the IPod and Jason Mraz quietly emitted from the speakers. I took her hand again and squeezed gently before beginning our journey.

So please, give me a hand

Give me a lesson

A lesson on how to steal

Steal a heart

As fast as you stole mine

"There are a couple of movies out right now that look decent and I have times for a few so I thought you could pick one."

"Sounds great!" she enthused. Bella was beaming tonight and I was captivated. "What are my choices?"

"Angels and Demons, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Night at the Museum. Anything sound good to you?"

"Ooooo. I don't know…..I want to laugh, but which one to pick. How about Night at the Museum?"

"Good choice," I smiled. "So, what has you in such a wonderful mood, I've never seen you this exuberant."

"Well, I was going to wait until dinner to share my good news, but sense you are more perceptive than is necessary, I guess I'll spill the beans now." Her laughter echoed in the small space of the car, music to my ears.

"You can wait if you want. I don't want to ruin your surprise or anything," I grinned at her in my usual lopsided way.

"No you aren't ruining it!"she told me. "Actually now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever mentioned him to you, which is so weird…." She trailed off in thought.

He? What does she mean 'he'? I wasn't sure I liked the sound of her surprise. I could feel my smile falter a little but I didn't want to put her off so I slid it back into place and silently waited for her to continue.

"Anyway! That doesn't matter. What does matter, is that you get to meet my best friend! He's coming home from college for Spring Break and I haven't seen him in forever! I really can't believe I've never told you about him! I guess it just never came up. He knows about you though. Oh listen to me ramble!" She finally took a breath and her cheeks were flushed at her accidental admission.

So much for thinking I knew almost everything there was to know. I laughed at her lightly and though I couldn't help the jealousy bubbling up in my chest, it was nice to see Bella this happy.

"I am so glad you all are going to meet though. He's very important to me and so I'd like to see what you all think of each other." She smiled at me, turned towards me in her seat, and held my hand in both of hers. "So, what do you say?"

"Sounds good to me," I told her. "It will be nice to meet someone who is so important to you. What is his name?"

"Stupid me, I've been going on about him and can't even mention his name. Jacob Black. We grew up together. He's the one who helped me get over……"

Bella became suddenly distant and her eyes were downcast. I could only assume the nameless creature, monster, from her not-so-distant past was trying to emerge.

"Hey," I said softly. Her eyes darted up to mine and they were shadowed with pain and hurt. I hated this guy for the look that he caused on her face and the brokenness that I knew was behind the look.

"We don't have to talk about any of that unless you want to. Okay?" I reassured her, gently brushing my fingers across her cheek.

She nodded but stayed silent for a while. We sat and listened to the music as my car sped down the highway. When the lights of Port Angeles came into view, I finally broke the stillness inside the car.

"So, do you like Asian food? I thought we could try this Japanese place I read about online. It sounded really good."

She seemed startled at my sudden speech but smiled at me anyway. "I love Japanese food. I think it is actually my favorite. Have you been spying on me?" She squinted her eyes at me playfully.

I chuckled. "No but apparently I guess really lucky when it comes to you! But I'm glad you said that because I love it too. This place is a hibachi grill so they cook in front of you." I smiled broadly at her before taking off from the light we had been stopped at.

"Oh how fun! I've never been to one of those before."

"Score another point for me then," I said as I brought her hand up to mine to kiss the back of it. She laughed at my comment but stopped abruptly and closed her eyes when my lips made contact with her skin. I smiled to myself. It was so nice to know I wasn't the only one with those kinds of reactions when we were together.

I parked quickly and opened her door before helping Bella step out of the car. "Thank you," she said as she straightened her shirt. "I hope I'm dressed ok, I don't know if this is too casual or not." She looked self-conscious and my heart warmed. Bella had no idea how gorgeous she was.

"You look absolutely beautiful," I promised as I kissed her cheek. "Let's get inside so we aren't late for our reservation." I shut the car door and she closed in on my hand this time. Her blush was back but I just smiled at her.

"Hello and welcome to Jin Beh. How many this evening?" our hostess asked.

"Oh I have a reservation for 2 at 6:30 under Cullen."

"Let me see…..yes sir. It will be just one moment." The hostess left her stand for a moment and Bella and I waited patiently, stealing glances at one another. "Alright Mr. Cullen, right this way please."

We sat down at a table with two other couples who were chatting with each other animatedly.

"Good evening. What can I get you all to drink?" The waiter had appeared out of nowhere and Bella and I both jumped a little. We had been too busy in our own little world to notice anyone else.

"I think I'll have a tea," said Bella.

"Coke for me please," I told the waiter. He slipped away from the table with a promise of being back soon and we went back to each other.

"Tell me more about Jacob. What did you all used to do together?" I wanted to know exactly how involved they had ever been, if I had reason to worry about this guy but I didn't want to scare her off with those kinds of questions.

"Well, Jacob grew up on the reservation just outside of Forks. He's Quileute Indian, and he's huge. I swear, when we were in high school, the kid was bigger every time I saw him. He's a year younger than me. We met because our dads were friends. Jacob and I ran around together as kids, playing in the mud and riding our bikes. The usual stuff. I'm very blessed to have him in my life though. Besides my dad, he's the only person I've ever know who's stuck around through everything."

She smiled broadly and I was glad she had Jacob. Bella deserved to be taken care of and it was nice to know that she had such a good friend to help her through life.

"We tried dating once," Bella continued and I could feel myself tensing. "It just wasn't us though. Jake is a good guy, but it was like kissing my brother." Her face had an adorable scrunch plastered on it and I couldn't help but laugh, relaxing into my chair.

"Sounds wonderful," I joked. My arm draped on the back of Bella's chair and waiter placed our drinks down in front of us. "Thank you," we said together and the waiter gave us a funny look and we both yelled "Jinks!"

"Wow, aren't we mature?" Bella said.

"Hey," I replied, leaning up next to her. "At least we know how to have fun," I whispered in her ear. I saw Bella shudder and I smiled to myself. I could get used to this.

Dinner continued with our fun banter and stories of her and Jacob's childhood. We laughed and enjoyed our meals. By the time the check came, we were practically on top of each other. I hadn't noticed us scooting closer together but apparently one, or both, of us couldn't get enough of the other. I was happier thinking that it was both of us scooting into each other.

"It's 8 now, and the movie is at 8:15 so we should probably get moving if we want to see the previews." I stood up and helped her get out of her chair.

"The previews are my favorite part!" Bella smiled and looked like a kid on Christmas. Who knew anyone would get that excited about previews?

We hopped into the car and she directed me to the lowly theatre in Port Angeles. While walking up to the window to get tickets, I took Bella's hand in mine, noticing how comfortably our hands fit together. She smiled and pulled in a little closer to me.

"Two for Night at the Museum please," I told the attendant. The kid behind the Plexiglas looked bored out of his mind and I couldn't help but pity him. He slid me the tickets and told us to enjoy the show in perhaps the most bored tone I've ever heard. Bella and I gave each other a knowing look, moved inside the doors, and laughed quietly.

"Do you want anything from the snack bar?" I asked.

"Heck no! I'm stuffed from dinner." She smiled at me and then blushed deeply. "Well doesn't that make me sound attractive?"

I pulled Bella in as close to my side as possible and leaned down next to her ear. "You're always unbelievably attractive so please don't put yourself down." I kissed her hair and led us past the guy tearing tickets.

Inside the theatre, I let her choose again. "Where do you like to sit at the movies?"

"In the seats that have the rails in front of them or the top row."

"We are in luck then. Those two seats have our names on them," I said, pointing. I led her to the front row of the upper section of seats.

The lights went down slightly as we took our seats and Bella noticeably perked up in anticipation. She "oooed" and "ahhed" through the previews before settling in for the movie. I watched her intently the whole time and I couldn't even tell you the previews we saw.

I was still holding Bella's hand but I felt electricity surge between us as we were engulfed in the darkness. Drawing lazy circles on the back of her hand with my thumb, I fell into a trance sitting there with her. I looked over at Bella and saw her looking back. I smiled at her and she turned back to the movie. Even in the darkness there was a hint of a blush.

Thirty-five minutes into the movie I had no idea what was going on and I suddenly felt a nudge on my shoulder. Then a small weight settled in there and I looked down to see Bella's head on my shoulder. A huge smile crept across my face and I leapt for joy in my head. Bella was finally starting to feel more comfortable with me.

A few minutes later I abandoned her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Bella snuggled in closer to me and I inhaled her beautiful scent as I kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me with a quick smile before turning her attention forward again. I had no idea how she was paying attention to the movie because she was all I could concentrate on.

My hand glided mindlessly up and down the side of her arm while my thoughts drifted off to places they shouldn't have been. I couldn't help myself though, Bella was just so damn irresistible, and she had no idea how taken I was with her. Besides, the surrounding intimate darkness alluded to so many other wonderful things.

I had no intention of corrupting our previous arrangement to take taking things slow, but I was only human, and a male at that. All I really needed was a good make-out session. I wanted a whole lot more, but that would be on her terms, not mine.

Someone coughed next to me, bringing me back to the harsh reality of the theatre and all I had to cling to was how desperately amazing Bella felt cradled against my side. I glanced down at my watch, silently wondering how much longer I was going to have to sit here like this. Only 30 minutes to go.

Finally, as I thought I was about to bust, the credits started rolling and Bella began to stir by my side. I grudgingly removed my arm from her shoulders and looked over to meet her gaze.

"So, did you like it?" she asked, a smile lighting her features.

"It was alright, I think the first one was better." I made up an answer because I really didn't know what I had just watched.

"Yeah I think I do too, but this one had its own moments. "

I stood up and held my hand out to her. "Let's get out of here. I'm thinking ice cream sounds like a perfect thing to do right now."

"I agree," she said with a huge grin.

We talked idly through ice cream and the car ride home. I didn't want the night to be over when we got to her house, but I definitely couldn't invite myself in.

I pulled up to her curb and I heard Bella take a deep breath. "What was that for?" I asked with a smile.

Her small smile was nervous as she glanced at me, then down to her folded hands in her lap. "Do you maybe want to come in for a bit?"

Is she crazy, I thought to myself. "Of course. That sounds wonderful," I told her.

She looked visibly relieved and I went to help her out of the car. We walked to the door, hand-in-hand, and I waited patiently as she unlocked the door. "Sorry about the mess…." Bella rattled on about the state of her living space but I could barely focus on what she was saying.

What am I going to do with myself? How am I going to handle this much more time around her, all alone, and still remain a gentleman? My thoughts were a furry as I crossed the threshold into her home and prayed for and small bit of strength to help me make it through tonight.

When day is through

I will come to you

And tell you of

Your many charms

Girl you look at me

With eyes that see

And we'll melt into

Each other's eyes

You'll be my queen

I'll be your king

And I'll be your lover too

***************************

The songs for this chapter are "6 Months" by Hey Monday and "I'll Be Your Lover Too" by Van Morrison. Hope you liked it! Please for the love of Pete review. I get really excited when I see people have reviewed! Constructive criticism is appreciated. Lemon coming soon. Probably chapter 8!