We grabbed a cab to the hotel and checked in, dropping off our bags in the room, which turned out to be worth every star it was rated. After we oohed and ahhed for a few minutes over all the amenities, we left again in search of breakfast. Neither of us had eaten anything other than airplane peanuts for hours, since the plane had landed before our scheduled dinner.

The kitchen didn't officially open until six, so the concierge at the front desk recommended a twenty-four hour diner a few blocks down towards the end of the small island we were on. We didn't mind hoofing it for some immediate gratification, so we chatted lightly as we walked, falling easily into our comfort with each other.

When we arrived at the little fifties-style diner we were seated in a booth by the window. We were both starving, so I ordered an enormous Lumberjack platter with about three different kinds of pork, eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Bella, on the other hand, ordered a fruit plate with raisin toast, which I teased her about to no end.

"I thought you said you were starving?"

"I am! This is a big fruit plate."

"Do you want one of my sausage links or something?"

"Eww, yuck!" She scowled. "I don't see how you Americans can eat so much heavy, greasy food for breakfast. It weighs you down all day!"

"What are you, a vegetarian or something?" I asked as I chomped into a large piece of bacon.

"No, not at all. I was just raised eating much lighter meals in the morning. But give me a huge plate of Churrasco for dinner, and now we're talking!" She licked her lips at the thought of the barbeque dish, and I had to force myself to not stare at her mouth.

We were both distracted from our discussion a moment later when a bright bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a loud boom of thunder.

"Oh no!" Bella cried as the rain began to fall. "We'd better make a run for it if we want to avoid the worst."

I paid the check quickly and joined Bella at the door, offering her my suit jacket before we stepped out into the chilly storm. The light drizzle had rapidly become a downpour, so I held out my hand and smiled down at her as we both became drenched. "Shall we?"

She smiled brightly and grabbed my fingers in a death grip. "I'm ready if you are."

We took off running at a breakneck speed towards the hotel, our joined hands swinging between us.

"Oh God," I groaned after the first block.

"What's wrong?" she yelled over the rain.

"I never should have eaten that damn breakfast!"

"I told you! Now you've got a lead weight in your stomach, don't you?" When I nodded back at her, patting my middle with my free hand, she threw her head back and laughed. "Come on, old man, try to keep up!" As her infectious, musical laughter rang out around me, I realized that I had never felt happier in my entire life.

By the time we reached the hotel room we were a pair of giggling, soaking wet idiots. My dress shirt had stuck to my skin in multiple places and my hair was plastered down flat on my head. Bella's ponytail had suffered irreparable damage in our mad dash, and now it was hanging limply down the back of her head, with many stray pieces that had come loose stuck to her face. Her mascara had run slightly, and as she looked up at me with those huge brown eyes the color of chocolate, I thought that she was the most beautiful drowned rat that I had ever seen.

Seeing her like that, I was suddenly struck with another memory that I had tried not to think of in years.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, a look of concern on her face.

I walked slowly towards her until we were only a few inches apart. "Do you remember the last time we ever saw each other?" My voice was quiet and controlled, but the emotions rolling inside me were boiling close to the edge.

She thought for a moment before smiling. "When you gave me a ride in your car?"

"Yes." I was even closer to her now… so close that I could feel the heat radiating off her body. "You were walking in the rain when I found you." My voice had lowered until it was almost a whisper.

"That's right," she said, nodding slowly. "I remember now."

"You were soaked to the bone and crying your eyes out." I looked at her closely, willing her to understand me. "I'd never seen a more beautiful, fragile angel in my entire life."

13 years ago…

"Bella?" I called out. I had been driving back to my parents' house from the grocery store that afternoon, picking up a few things my mother needed for dinner. "Bella, is that you?" I yelled louder, thinking that perhaps she hadn't heard me over the rain. It had been storming on and off all day, and from the looks of it, she had gotten caught in the middle of it while walking over to our house.

Which was strange, once I started thinking about it, because she never walked to our house alone; usually her father or one of her overprotective brothers gave her a ride.

I pulled up to the curb next to her and leaned over further towards the passenger side window. "Do you need a ride?"

She finally stopped walking and turned to face me slowly. When I got a good look at her face, it was obvious that she had been sobbing; her eyes were red and puffy, and her shoulders were still shaking.

"Edward?" Her voice was so meek… and she seemed totally shocked to see me, as if she didn't fully understand where she was.

My heart truly broke for her in that moment.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I pushed the passenger door open towards her when she just stood there and looked at me. "Get in here out of that rain before I come over there and throw you in." That must have done the trick, because she finally climbed in the car. As soon as the door was shut I tried again. "Now… are you alright? Do you need help?"

"There is no help," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

So help me God, if Jasper knocked her up I'm going to beat the living shit out of him.

I hadn't heard anything about them having sex yet, but they'd been inseparable for three years; anything was possible.

"Is there someone I can call for you? Or do you want me to take you home?"

"No!" she snapped, showing me the first sign of life since I'd pulled up.

"Okaaaay," I replied slowly, holding my hands up in surrender. "Then where were you headed?"

"Your house," she whispered.

"Well, you happen to be in luck." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It turns out that I know the way. Buckle up." I drove off through the rain, taking us both the next few blocks to my parents' home in silence. She didn't say another word, and I wasn't going to force her. I hated to think of how long she'd been walking out there in the cold, focusing instead on my good luck at finding her when I did.

I parked in the driveway and let her in the side door by the kitchen. Although it was only around four, the entire house was dark inside from the gloominess of the storm.

"Isn't anyone home?" she asked quietly, following it with a sniffle.

"I think Mom's meeting lasts until five," I said, setting my bag of groceries on the counter. "Here, let me take your coat." I helped her out of the sodden jacket, draping it over the basement doorknob to let it drip dry. "Do you want a towel or anything?"

"No, thank you." Bella looked around the room slowly, not quite willing to look directly at me yet. "It's so dark in here."

"Oh, sorry about that." I reached over and flicked the switch next to me. Nothing happened. "Shit, the power must be out. Why don't we go into the living room? I think there are some candles out there." I opened the top drawer and grabbed a box of matches before heading into the other room.

There were a few little votive candles scattered across the table behind the couch, so I lit them quickly, barely avoiding burning my fingertips as I did so. They cast off a soft glow, but it didn't reach much farther than the couch.

"Here, why don't you sit down?" I gestured to the couch. Once she was settled, I sat down beside her, turning towards her so that I could try to get her to look at me.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking at the ground.

"Emmett's probably in the weight room at school. He goes there most nights after class."

"And… Jasper?" Her voice wavered, as if it was hurting her to say his name.

"I think he was going over to Pete's house to practice before dinner."

"Ugh, that stupid band!" She huffed, dropping her head in her hands. After a few seconds she whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just angry with myself for forgetting he would be gone."

"Hey, no need to apologize. If it's worth anything, I think his band is a piece of crap, too."

A giggle broke free from her lips, causing her to cover her mouth in shock. When she finally lifted her head to look at me, there was fire in her eyes. "I never said they were crap! He's very talented."

There's the Bella I know.

"Oh relax, he's not even here. I promise, you can badmouth him all you want and it won't go any further than me."

"That's horrible!"

I loved getting a rise out of her whenever I could, and if it helped her to calm down then it was twice as great. "Alright, I'll admit that he's getting pretty good… if you admit that Pete is a shitty drummer and Jasper is wasting his time with him."

She thought for a moment before chuckling. "Okay, I think you called that one."

"I knew you thought they were crap."

Bella laughed louder then, allowing herself to let go, and it sounded glorious to my ears until I realized that her chuckles had been replaced with violent sobs. Before I knew it, she had launched herself at my chest, burying her face in my neck as she cried, the force of it shaking us both.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, stroking her hair as I rocked her. Pushing aside the thought that her hair felt like wet silk, I tried to focus on the situation at hand. "Shhh… Hey now, don't cry." I kept rocking her slowly, whispering against her hair.

Hair that smelled like coconuts… and some kind of flower I couldn't recognize.

Focus, Cullen!

"Bella… can't you tell me what's wrong? I know I'm not Jasper, but my ears work just as good, I swear."

She hiccupped a few times before resting her head against my shoulder. After almost a full minute of silence, when I was starting to think I might have to try something different, I finally felt her soft breath on the skin of my neck as she spoke.

"My father told us today." Sniffle "We're moving back to Brazil."

"Is that all?" I asked, a huge wave of relief washing over me.

"What do you mean, is that all?" she huffed, leaning back to look up at me. "I'm so happy here! I'm supposed to be a senior soon, and I have so many new friends. Now I have to just throw that all away!"

"Okay, you're right," I said quickly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound like it wasn't a big deal. You just looked so devastated that my mind was imagining the most horrible possibilities."

"What could be more horrible than this?" she sobbed, leaning her head back down on my shoulder.

"Lots of things, Bella," I answered, wrapping my arm back around her shoulder and holding her to me. "You could have been sick… like, really sick. Cancer or something. You could have just been told that a family member had died. Hell, you could have just found out you were pregnant, for all I knew."

"Pregnant? How could you even think that?"

"Hey, shit happens. I don't know what goes on here when I'm not around. I know it's not my business, but you can't blame a guy for jumping to the worst conclusions when you act like your whole world just ended."

"It feels like it just did," she pouted. "I understand you're just trying to put it all in perspective for me, and I appreciate it, but right now I just really need to be upset and get over it in my own time."

"Fair enough. You go ahead and get it all out of your system, okay? I'm nothing but a pair of ears from now on; consider me officially shutting up."

"Thank you," she whispered.

We sat there for a while, listening to the rain fall outside as I stroked her drying hair in silence. While she sniffled and sobbed against me, I couldn't help thinking my own selfish thoughts about her announcement.

In all honesty, I didn't want her to leave, but I was torn. She had become such a bright ray of sunshine in our household, always spreading her warmth and laughter, and I would hate to see that end. However, it was also becoming more and more uncomfortable to watch her and Jasper together whenever I was home. Who knew how long they would stay together if they weren't forced apart?

Perhaps her moving came at the perfect time.

It didn't help that I had been having trouble in my own dating life lately. No matter what type of girl I took out, I kept finding them lacking something. It took me a few tries before I realized with a dawning horror that I had been comparing them all to Bella in the back of my mind.

My kid brother's seventeen year old girlfriend.

I'd been trying to keep my distance from her since then, but she had some kind of magnetic pull on me. Whenever she would talk about her family and how beautiful it was in Brazil, I would have to force myself to act like I wasn't paying attention, when in reality I was hanging on every word. She absolutely fascinated me.

And whenever she'd break into Portuguese? Fucking forget it. I'd have to leave the room to avoid groaning out loud.

Yeah… maybe this move was for the best.

Her small, sad voice nearly startled me when she spoke again a few moments later. "I just thought it was going to be different this time. I've had to move around before, but I thought I might actually get to finish school here. I hate this! I hate getting close to people, only to feel like I'll be forgotten the moment I leave."

"Bella, I really don't think that's possible."

"I thought you were shutting up," she mumbled.

"I know, but you can't possibly believe that this entire family wouldn't miss you terribly."

"I've had it happen before, Edward." She shifted until she was propping herself on her elbows against my chest and looking up at me. "People say they will write and stay in touch… maybe they even do for a couple months. But it never lasts. Everyone eventually moves on and gets wrapped up in whatever is going on in their lives."

"True, that may happen. You guys may never even speak again, but I can tell you one thing for certain."

"What's that?"

I looked deep into her hypnotic eyes, feeling the truth squeezing at my heart inside my chest. "You will absolutely never be forgotten."

Our eyes stayed locked together for a beat too long, and so help me God, I nearly kissed her.

Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to cover her mouth with my own… to finally taste her forbidden lips before I would lose the chance forever.

She was so close.

She smelled so good.

And she felt so fucking right in my arms that I wanted to cry.

Just as I was about to surrender and bend my head those last final inches, she finally spoke up. "Thank you for being such a good friend, Edward. It really means a lot to me."

Shit.

"Of… of course," I stammered, my head swimming with fading desire. I stood up abruptly, causing her to look at me in confusion. "Sorry, I uh… better go check the fuse box. You know, just to make sure the power really is out."

I shot out of the room before she could even reply, throwing open the basement door and running down the stairs. When I reached the bottom I sat down on the steps, holding my head in my hands. It didn't even faze me that I was sitting in the cold, black basement without a flashlight to guide me.

What did bother me was what I had almost just done.

If she hadn't spoken up when she did, I would have thoroughly embarrassed us both by now. I had been drawn in by her, possessed by my body's reaction to her. Not one rational thought had been going through my brain from the second she looked up at me with those huge brown eyes.

I had only wanted. I had wanted her, with a need more intense than I had ever felt before.

In that moment, it hadn't mattered to me that she was only seventeen and I was twenty-five. How could it matter when nothing had ever felt so right to me before? I hadn't even given a second thought to the fact that she was with Jasper. I had been mere seconds away from making a pass at my brother's girlfriend.

What had mattered to me was my reaction when she mentioned us being friends. I hadn't been relieved when she reminded me of my place, saving me from making an ass of myself. I had been fucking hurt. Somehow in my twisted mind, my kneejerk reaction was to feel rejected. As if she was telling me that she would never want me that way… that I wasn't good enough… that I never would be.

And the most disturbing thing of all was the fact that if I had chanced it and she had actually been receptive, I knew nothing in the world could have stopped me. I would still be up there at that very moment, pinning her to the couch with my body, grinding myself against her as I plundered her soft mouth with my own.

Just then I heard the kitchen door open upstairs, Jasper's voice ringing out in the darkness. "Hello? Is anyone here? Why are all the lights out?"

"Oh, thank God you're home!" cried Bella's voice from the front room. I heard her footsteps stomping above my head as she ran to him, followed by her sobbing as he stepped in and comforted her in my place.

Great. Two seconds earlier and he could have walked right in on us to find his brother drooling all over his girl.

I sighed loudly in the darkness, already trying to force myself to forget her… even though I had just promised her that I never would.