A/N:

Well, well, well…Bella seems to be a bit flustered, doesn't she? *cheeky grin*

Think Edward will be able to get through to her?

Let's find out…shall we?

Much love to my co-conspirator/partner in crime/heterosexual lifemate Emmy415 and our beta-love Sweek539.

As always, we don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does.

Chapter 4 (EPOV)

Finally.

Finally I was able to crack Bella's tough exterior; even if it was only a little bit. She had agreed for us to sit down and talk about the distance that had grown between us over the last year, and as I said to her, that was all I could ask. I knew she wouldn't easily forgive me for just suddenly disappearing out of her life, but in all honesty, I knew I wasn't entirely to blame.

It was just as easy for her to pick up a phone or shoot me an e-mail, but she never did. Personally, I thought Bella was overreacting a little bit. But I would never tell her that. I mean, after all, it had only been a year, not even that, since we spoke to each other. I'm sure there were people out there who went longer than that; if they even ever spoke again. I, however, would be damned if that happened to me and my Bella. We were going to find what we had lost.

Whoa, back the truck up. 'My' Bella? No. Just Bella.

Although, when I saw her walk into Starbucks, I had to remind myself that she was still the same girl I knew when I was 4 when we took baths together; that she was still the same girl I knew when I was 10 and we played flag football together. She was a goddess. There was no other way to describe what was sitting across that small table from me.

When I had seen her at the restaurant, I thought my reaction was only due to the fact that I hadn't seen her in so long. I couldn't have been more wrong. Bella didn't have the normal "awkward" phase like normal teenagers; she had always been beautiful, but she had definately grown up. She exuded grace, and confidence...something that she lacked during her younger years. She had always been a bit klutzy and shy, never outgoing except with me and her family. I could see though after two brief encounters with her, that New York had changed her. New York made her into the woman I just sat across from; the woman who spoke her mind, who wore heels and makeup, and who apparently took her job VERY seriously.

It was...sexy.

Ummmm...what? You're losing it, Edward. Maybe you need to get laid...it HAS been a while.

Trying to get my mind off of the topic, I switched to thinking about our upcoming dinner. What should I make her? It would feel like old times, except I wouldn't be making her things like grilled cheese, frozen pizzas, and macaroni and cheese from the box. I could make her something that would really 'wow' her, show her that I still cared for her. I had always believed that you could express so many emotions with food. Something as simple as making someone chicken noodle soup when they're sick showed them that you care. I would have to think of something fabulous to make Bella. With a smile on my face, I headed towards Masen's.

I swung open the doors to the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks. Jasper was there, as I knew he would be, smiling and laughing with MY SISTER, who was perched on the counter next to him. They both turned to look at me, eyes wide, and Alice jumped off the counter in a hurry.

"Aren't you supposed to be at your hotel packing, Alice? Your flight leaves in 6 hours." I clenched my hands into fists at my sides, trying to keep my emotions under control. I shot a 'what the hell do you think your doing?' look to Jasper, and he replied by winking at me.

He fucking winked.

"Oh relax, Edward. We're just talking. We were discussing the movie we saw last night," Alice chirped, smiling up at me all innocent-like.

"What movie?" I said, through clenched teeth. I could feel my blood pressure shooting through the roof. Yes, my sister was in her 20's, but she was still my baby sister, and I knew Jasper was never one for relationships. I didn't want to see her get attached.

"We went to see Avatar. I thought it was kind of weird, but Jasper liked it, didn't you Jazz?"

Jasper, who still hadn't said a word, just looked at Alice and smiled. He was looking at her like she was the only thing in his world.

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Not happening.

Alice grabbed her purse, which was almost bigger than she was, and pulled me into a hug.

"Bye boys, I'm going to go pack. I'll be back later with mom and dad. Maybe we can go grab a late lunch before you take us to the airport."

She skipped through the door with a wave over her shoulder, and I turned back to Jasper, who was grinning at me.

"Jasper!" I barked. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh chill out, Eddie. I talked to your sister the night of the opening, and we got along really well. We just went out to a movie last night. That's it. There was no kissing, groping, or banging done. Geez."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, silently threatening him to talk about manhandling my sister again. Then, I remembered that she lived ALL the way across the country in Seattle. I chuckled loudly, and strolled over to the walk-in refrigerator to check on our stock.

"What?? Why are you laughing?" he asked, following me across the kitchen.

"Oh, nothing Jazz. Absolutely nothing. Let's start getting stuff ready for tonight, alright?"

We worked in tandem for a good hour, dicing and chopping vegetables for the dinner shift.

"So Edward, what's going on with that girl I saw you talking to on Saturday? Bella, was it?" Jasper said, breaking the silence that we had been working in for close to a half hour.

I placed the knife that I had in my hand down on the countertop, and looked down at my feet.

"Bella and I grew up together. We met when we were just toddlers, and we were best friends until we left for college. I came to New York, and she stayed in Washington. Well, eventually we lost touch; I had no idea that she even moved to New York. Saturday was the first time I had talked to her in about a year. Needless to say, we were both pretty shocked. She works for the New York Times, and is writing a review on Masen's. She's angry with me, because she thinks that I'm the one that abandoned her, when in reality, it was probably both of our faults. Anyway, we met this morning, so she could interview me, and after turning on my charm and persuading her, she agreed to meet me at my place for dinner on Thursday to listen to my side of the story. Now that I have her back in my life, I am NOT going to lose her again."

I finally raised my head and looked at Jasper, who had a the start of a smile tugging on his lips. It finally turned into a grin, and I scowled at him.

"Dude, you're so into her. It's gone way past wanting to be just friends. You don't want to just be friends with her, do you?" He had moved on from helping me chop, and was now happily unpacking boxes and restocking shelves. It made me sick and green with envy all at once. It was nice to see him so happy, not that he was ever upset, but he was happier than normal. I made a point to quiz him about my sister some more later.

Don't think you're getting off the hook THAT easily, buddy.

I groaned out loud and dropped my face into my hands. "I don't know. I've never had any sort of romantic feelings for her, but when I saw her, and saw how much she has changed, I felt something stir inside of me. I want to fix our friendship first, and then see what happens. I wouldn't be opposed to something more, but I think it's going to take a while for her to forgive me."

He laughed out loud. "What EXACTLY stirred inside of you, bro? I'm curious."

"Shut the fuck up, asshole. I'm going through a crisis."

"Crisis? Just because a girl doesn't fawn all over you, it's a crisis? Jesus, Edward. You do know that other men have it much worse than you, right? You could walk out that door, and probably get some woman to sleep with you within 5 minutes, guaranteed. Just have her over, cook her something awesome, and charm your way into her pants."

I smacked him on the back of the head. "I don't want to get in her pants, perv. I just want to re-kindle our friendship, for now. I just want her to be able to talk to me for 10 minutes without wanting to murder me, and throw the remains in a dumpster, that's all."

He chuckled, and started moving our used dishes to the sink. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you know what you're going to make her?"

"Nope, I have no clue. I'll think of something before Thursday, though."

He patted me on the back as he walked past me. "I'm sure you will. If anything, you know how to cook. Serve her oysters...I hear they're an aphrodisiac."

I flipped him the bird over my shoulder, and finished cleaning up.

*****

I eyed up the white taper candles on my table, wondering if they were too much. I had already taken them off and put them back on the table 3 different times. I wasn't sure if I should go with the 'romantic' vibe, or keep things on the casual side. I had been a nervous wreck for most of the day, anticipating my night ahead with Bella. I just wanted everything to be perfect for her, but cooking was my forte, not table decorating. I was no Sandra Lee; that woman could make a 'tablescape' out of anything. I suppose I could've just piled a bunch of stuff on the table, and called it a tablescape, but I was going for the simpler approach.

Focus Edward.

"No. No candles." I said to myself, snatching them off the table for the fourth and final time. "It's not technically a 'date'. We're just catching up with each other. That's all."

I straightened the plates and silverware that were already placed at our seats, and made my way back into my tiny kitchen to check on dinner. I lifted the lid off of the sauce that was simmering, and the hints of basil and garlic filled my nose. When Bella and I were younger, she used to love my mom's spaghetti sauce, so I called her and asked for the recipe. All week I tried to think of complicated dishes to make her, but I knew this would mean much more to her than something elaborate and flashy. I looked at the clock up on the wall and noticed that it was a little after 6:30, so I started boiling the water for pasta, and went into my bedroom to change. I threw on some jeans and a button up, and then went into the bathroom to freshen up. My hair was in its usual disarray, and a little bit of stubble was gracing my face from not shaving. No time to shave. Oh well.

The water in the pot was boiling vigorously when I got back to the kitchen, so I salted the water and added the pasta, then checked once more on the sauce. Grabbing some vegetables from the refrigerator, I cut them up, and put a salad together. As I was setting the salad bowl on the table, there was a soft knock at the door. Bella. I wiped my hands on a towel, and went to the door. Bella stood behind it, smiling softly, yet looking terrified.

I could feel the smile on my face getting bigger and bigger as I took in the girl standing on the other side of the threshold. She looked beautiful. A little more casual then the two other times I'd seen her, but still breathtakingly beautiful.

"Bella" I greeted her, "come in, please." I stood to the side as she walked through the door, looking tentatively around my living room as she entered.

"Your place is nice, Edward." she said quietly, turning her head to look up at me. As I looked down at her, I could still see the apprehension in her eyes. She was still doubting me, and harboring a grudge. I hoped that tonight would make some of her uncertainty go away. I didn't like looking at her and seeing the cloudiness in her eyes. I wanted them to be bright and shining, like I always remembered.

I swept out my arm and smiled at her. "Let me give you the grand tour of my palace."

She nodded and followed me as I showed her the living room, my bedroom, office, bathroom, and finally the kitchen.

"Can I get you some wine?" I asked, pulling wine glasses down from the cabinet next to the refrigerator. "I have red or white. It's your choice."

"Red, please." she said softly, playing with her fingers. I knew that habit; She was nervous. I didn't want her to feel that way in my presence. Hopefully the wine would help her relax.

I poured us both a glass, and motioned for her to follow me into the dining room. "Have a seat, Bells, I'm just going to go grab our dinner."

Her eyes lit up a bit when I set our plates down on the table. "Is that..." she paused, "Esme's spaghetti?"

"The one and only." I said, through a chuckle. "I called her and got the recipe. I remembered how much you used to like it. Consider it a peace offering of sorts."

She smiled a little, and put the wine glass up to her lips, taking a small sip. "Thank you, Edward. It's nice to have a small reminder of home. You'll tell Esme thank you for me?"

I grinned at her. "Of course. Now dig in, before it gets cold."

We ate in relative silence, making small talk about our jobs, how Masen's was fairing, and some upcoming events that Bella was going to write about. We eventually finished, and I cleared the table, bringing our dishes to the kitchen, and depositing them into the sink.

Bella followed me into the kitchen as I was taking the last of the dishes in.

"Want me to help with those?" she asked, walking over to the sink.

"No, Bella. I'll do them later. Let's go have a seat in the living room, alright?" I said, cocking my head towards the couch. Her brows furrowed together and she grimaced. Possibly unaware that I was watching her. I knew she was trying to put off the inevitable, but we needed to talk about everything before it got worse. Dancing around the issue was killing me, and we needed to get it out in the open, before I exploded.

Her feet shuffled along as she made her way to the couch, sitting on the far right end. I put a little distance between us, and sat down, placing my refilled wine glass on the coffee table in front of us. I angled my body towards hers, and gently touched her on the forearm.

"Bella" I started, all of a sudden feeling quite nervous. I wanted to rush and say everything, but I didn't want to make her run away. I knew I had to be gentle about it, and take my time. "I just want to start off by apologizing to you. I'm extremely sorry for what has happened between us. I never meant for us to grow apart."

She didn't say anything. The look in her eyes urged me on. "At school, it was just one thing after another. The professors there thought I was 'something special' and gave me project after project, in order to prove myself. Eventually, I started student teaching, and then I got classes of my own. I was so busy that I barely called my parents. I had no free time for friends except for Jasper every now and then. You were always in the back of my mind, Bella. I ALWAYS wondered what you were doing, but thought maybe you'd be too angry to talk to me. I was selfish and scared. I know I should've contacted you, but I didn't want to take five minutes out of my day to do it. I was wrong. There were a million times that I wanted to pick up the phone and call you when I was having a particularly stressful day, or when I decided to open my own restaurant. After a while, I thought maybe you moved on so I didn't call. It sounds stupid in retrospect...we should've just picked up the phone. It's all been a silly communication mistake."

Her eyes narrowed. "Silly, Edward? You think this has all been silly? I thought I did something wrong. I thought that maybe you just didn't want me in your life anymore. I had no idea why you never called."

"You have a phone, Bella! YOU could've called ME! Ever think of that? THAT is why this is silly. Because we BOTH could've called EACH OTHER." I didn't want to raise my voice; I told myself I wouldn't, but I had to make her understand.

I regained composure, and lowered my voice. "Bella, I know what happened hurt you. It hurt me too. Not having my best friend while I was going through such major changes in my life was hard. But it's done now. We're both here now and we can be friends again. Whether or not you believe it, we need each other, just like we used to. I need you, Bella. I need you to make me laugh, tell me when I'm being a dumbass, and to make new memories with. We're in this huge city, Bella. What are the chances of us running into each other? This was supposed to happen; It was SUPPOSED to bring us together again. Let's not waste it...please. I've apologized, I've made my peace with it, now we just need to try and move on."

During my speech, her head was hung, but when I finished, she raised her eyes to mine. I could see the cloudiness starting to fade away, and her eyes were glassy with wetness.

She exhaled loudly, and touched her fingertips to my hand. "I- I need you too, Edward. I can't say that I'm completely over it, but you're right. I played some part in this, and I'm sorry too. I want to be friends again." Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, and I reached out and brushed them away with my fingers. She smiled softly at me, and let out a little chuckle.

"I'm such a sap," she joked, wiping another errant tear away.

I grinned and scooted closer to her on the couch, holding out my arms to her. I gave her my best puppy dog eyes and stuck out my bottom lip. "Hug, friend?"

She let out a little giggle, and fell into my embrace, wrapping her arms around my chest, and laying her head on my shoulder. I reveled in her warmth. I leaned my head against hers and breathed in the scent of her hair. It was all surreal; her being here with me. I felt her shake a little bit with her quiet sobs, and I squeezed her tighter, rubbing my hands up and down her back.

I consoled her for a bit, not saying anything, just comforting her with my touch. I turned my head to whisper in her ear.

"Bella?" I was greeted with a sniffle. I knew she was listening to me though.

"Bells? I have...Tiramisu," I whispered in her ear, and her head shot up, almost knocking me out in the process.

"Are you serious?! Where? You've been holding out on me," she chastised, nudging my shoulder. I grabbed a tissue from the table next to us, and handed it to her so she could wipe away the rest of her tears. Her brown eyes were now framed in red, and her eyelashes were stuck together from the moisture, but she smiled up at me, bouncing slightly in her seat.

I hoisted myself up off the couch, and offered my hand to her, pulling her to her feet. "In the kitchen. If I would've known you'd get this excited over dessert, I would've just started with that. Maybe it would've gotten me into your good graces a bit sooner."

She giggled, a high-pitched giggle that made me beam at her. I loved seeing her this way. This was so much like the Bella I remembered.

"What can I say, Edward? Chocolate is the light into my soul."

I dished us both out some dessert, and we headed back to the couch. Bella sat down first, tucking her legs underneath her.

"You want to watch a movie?" I asked, motioning towards the tower of DVD's I had next to the TV. She shook her head, and patted the spot next to her on the couch.

"No Edward. Come sit. We need to catch up some more."

"Alright," I said, sitting on the couch, and leaning back into the cushions next to her. I smirked. "This is off the record, right?"

She laughed. "Eddie, with me, nothing's off the record." She brought her hand up and tapped the side of her head. "Steel trap, remember? Or do I need to remind you about that time in high school when you tried to kiss me?"

What? Kiss her? I'm sure I would remember that.

I looked at her, confused, as she continued.

"It was during our freshman year and you were desperately trying to convince some upperclassmen that you weren't gay."

My eyes grew so large I was afraid they were going to pop out of my skull. "Oh my God! I completely forgot all about that! I DO remember!" I was suddenly wishing for the couch to swallow me whole. Her mind really was a steel trap and I was scared of what else was running around in her head. I started racking my brain, trying to think of something that I remembered about her. Something that would make her equally embarrassed as I was.

A-ha! I remember...

"Bella?" I crooned, smiling crookedly at her. "Do you remember our sophomore year...when we went on that camping trip?"

She nodded, her eyes getting wide.

"And you were scared of the bears getting you, so you crawled into my sleeping bag?"

She nodded again, her eyes now looking like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Well...when I woke up the next morning, you had your hand...on my ass. It wasn't just resting there either. You had a pretty firm grip on it, like you were holding on for dear life. I had to pry your little fingers away."

Her face was crimson now. "I did not! You're making that up, jackass."

I scooted closer to her, leaning in slightly, and chuckled softly. "Bella...would I make something like that up? Just admit it...you wanted a piece of me."

I leaned back again, smiling smugly, and noticed the embarrassed look on her face.

"Whatever, Edward. We're not here to make fun of each other. I truly want to know what you've been doing over the past few years. Do you have a girlfriend, or are you a man-whore now?"

I frowned at her words. "Bella...I assure you, if I had a girlfriend, I would have had time to call you. I would've made time for you before I made time for any other woman."

"Oh, so you ARE a man-whore then? Just a fuck 'em and leave 'em kinda guy?"

I gaped at her. "Bella! Why would you think that of me? You know me. I admit, I've had a few dates, but my mama would have me strung up by my toes if I was less than gentlemanly towards women."

She laughed loudly. "You're right about that. She may be small, but your mom is vicious when she's mad."

I took another sip of my wine, and put my hand on hers. "So how about you? Boyfriend? How's your brother?"

She flipped my hand over, and started drawing tiny circles on it. "Emmett is fine. He's married, still lives here in the city. He was actually with me at the opening of your restaurant. He wants to kick your ass, by the way. And no, I don't have a boyfriend. I've had a few dates, but nothing of consequence. I'm just enjoying the single life. Plus, I work a lot. My dates have normally consisted of going out to a work event."

I scoffed. "Why does he want to kick my ass? He didn't even see me."

"Because I was hurt Edward, and he thought it was all your fault. But I guess I did kind of tell him what was going on, and I should've told him that it was partly my fault too."

I nodded, and she looked up at me thoughtfully.

"I really am sorry, Edward. I feel horrible for not being here for all of this. Your promotions, your restaurant. God Edward, this is such a big deal! You own one of the nicest resturaunts in New York City." Her eyes were wide with excitement now, and I could see how happy she was for me. It made my heart swell.

I smiled at her, and pulled on her arm, until I had enveloped her into another hug.

"You're here now, Bella, and that's all that matters. Now that we're back on speaking terms, we can be here for each others' big milestones." It felt...nice, hugging her; Like home. Our chests were pressed together, her head pressed into the crook of my neck.

She pulled back from me, and took a sip of her wine. "How's Alice? Still the energizer bunny?"

I laughed. "Oh yes. If it wasn't for her, though, I probably would have never gotten Masen's off the ground. She helped me immensely. So did Jasper. He's a good friend of mine, and my Assistant Manager. Actually, I think there's something definately interesting happening between the two of them. It doesn't sit well with me, but she's going to be on the other side of the country, so it won't really matter. He'll move on to the next girl by next week."

She chuckled, and yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Her shirt rode up slightly, exposing her toned stomach. I couldn't help but stare. "This wine is making me sleepy. It's getting late, I should probably head home."

I frowned. I didn't want the evening to be over, but we both needed to get up for work in the morning.

"You're right. I need to be at Masen's early tomorrow morning anyways."

We both stood up, Bella grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I'm glad we talked. I'll call you, or you can call me. We'll get together soon, okay?"

I squeezed her, and nodded against her head. I pulled away slightly, and kissed her on the cheek, before opening the door.

"Bye Bells."

She waved at me over her head, and I watched her walk away. It still astonished me how different she was. She was so confident. Alluring. And it scared the shit out of me. I shut the door, and sunk down onto the floor, putting my head in my hands.

I am SO fucked.

A/N:

Eddie's got a bit of a crush. Think he can charm the pants off of her?

We'll hear from Bella next. Thanks for sticking with us!

We love reviews! *hint hint*