A/N: Still with me? Here is the correct document. *facepalm* Please forgive me if you read the rough draft version! (You guys got to read my comments on the chapter to Tanya, haha!) Thankyou so much to Bower-of-Bliss & izziey for sending me a message to point this out!

Back to the point- Here is AcrossTheSkyInStars chapter. I can't express how thankful I am to have her as a partner on this story! She is an awesome writer and friend 3. Thanks also to the Beta of this chapter ClaireBloom!

"She wrapped her arms around me and she kissed me on the mouth

Said there's more where that came from

Oh baby, there's more

Like a lamb to the slaughter, I followed her home

To bed with a stranger; no one has to know"

-This Providence: Secret Love and the Fastest Way to Loneliness

e.p.o.v

I groaned in protest when my alarm went off early on Saturday morning. I reached out blindly, smacking my hand in the general direction of the annoyingly shrill sound until it stopped. When it finally did, I sighed in relief, rolling over so I could get back to sleep.

I usually always went for a run at Central Park on the weekends, before meeting Emmett and Jasper at the gym for an hour. But since I hadn't gotten home from Bella's until almost two last night, I decided against my morning jog.

I just didn't have it in me to get up. I had run a few times during the week already because I hadn't had a job until recently, so I figured it would have to do.

I woke up later on, dressed in shorts and an old t-shirt, and grabbed my gym bag with a change of clothes. I made my way down the stairs, not as tired as before, but still a little on the slow side. When I walked into the kitchen to make myself a much needed coffee, I was stopped short at what – or rather, who – was in there.

A slim girl with long, blonde hair was sitting on one of the bar stools, peeling an orange, wearing nothing but Jasper's shirt from the day before and a pair of underwear.

My eyes widened in surprise and I quickly looked away, scratching the back of my neck.

"Uh..." I began, unsure of where I planned on going with this.

"Oh!" she said, startled, "Um, I'm sorry...I didn't realize anyone was still here." I glanced back up at her, watching as she discreetly tried to cover her legs with her hands. "Jasper said I would be alone."

I laughed uneasily and replied, "Uh, yeah...I didn't go out this morning." She smiled sheepishly, tugging the dress shirt over her thighs. "I'm Edward, by the way," I said, awkwardly holding out my hand as I took a tentative step forward.

She leaned over the island, returning the gesture. "Lauren," she replied.

I nodded in response, finding that words escaped me as we both retracted our hands. The silence was uncomfortable, to say the least, so I shrugged, "Well-"

"So-"

We spoke at the same time, laughing apprehensively at the coincidence.

"I'm gonna go," I said hastily, jabbing my thumb toward the door. Lauren nodded quietly, and I hitched my gym bag higher on my shoulder. I quickly turned, slipping on my running shoes before I headed out to meet the guys.

.

.

"So, how was the date with the hussy?"

Emmett had been fairly quiet when I'd joined him on the treadmill at the gym, but as soon as he stepped off, he was back to his regular, charming self.

"Call her that again, and I'll knock your teeth out," I retorted with mock enthusiasm, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. I grabbed my towel, wiping the sweat from my forehead and neck as I walked over to the free weights.

"Ooh," he laughed, "someone's defensive. Did you get any?"

I sat down on a workout bench, throwing my head back in annoyance. "Emmett, I swear to God, I will punch you. Don't think I won't."

He snickered, sitting down next to me as he tossed his towel onto the bench. "I'm joking, man," he replied, "it's just funny to see you all out of whack." He paused, taking a long gulp from the water bottle he had brought with him. "In all seriousness though, how'd it go?"

I shrugged, raking my fingers through my hair. "It was good...really good." I glanced over at Emmett, recognizing the raised-eyebrow-look he was giving me. "And no," I continued reluctantly, "we didn't have sex."

"Speak for yourself," Jasper said with a grin, appearing out of nowhere.

I nearly snorted. "I wouldn't dream of speaking for you, considering I found evidence of your lay last night, in the kitchen this morning." Jasper simply smirked and I shook my head, "You're an asshole. I don't know why chicks sleep with you."

"'Cause I'm hot," he replied, and I rolled my eyes. I decided to forgo the free weights and instead focused on sit-ups. I did that for a while, alternating between sit-ups and push-ups. I regulated my breathing while I did my workout, listening to Emmett and Jasper as they talked about sex, girls, sports, and anything else they felt like mentioning.

I tried to drown them and their idiocy out, but when Emmett asked me a question about the 'hussy', I'd had enough.

"All right, I'm out," I said pointedly. I snatched up my towel and bottle of water before I headed to the change room. I quickly showered, trying to disregard the sounds of Emmett and Jasper when they yelled at me from our lockers. I ignored their apologies and stalked past them, grabbing my clothes and dressing without casting a glance at the tactless assholes.

"Come on, man, we're sorry," Emmett said with contrition, "I'm a jerk, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," I snapped, "and you do a damn good job of being one."

Jasper clapped his hand on my back as I started pulling on my shoes. "Look, we're sorry," he said seriously, "it's just different to see you so hung up on a girl. You've barely dated in the last year, we're joking around."

I sighed, lowering the bottom of my jeans down over my socks. "Whatever," I replied, "it's fine." I stood up to move around them, but Jasper blocked me. He was of the same build as me, only a tiny bit shorter. "Jas give it up," I said in irritation.

"No can do," he replied with a shrug.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want you to forgive us," he said simply.

I sighed. "Fine, I forgive you."

"Convincing," he scoffed, "now take the hostility out of your ass and try again." I couldn't help but to laugh at his quip. "Come on," he hedged, "we'll even make it up to you."

Jasper turned to nod at Emmett and he jumped up, clapping his hands together. "Of course!" he said joyously, "We'll make it up. Man's night."

His tone was full of pride and I frowned. "Man's night?"

"Yeah," he replied, "beer, pizza, porn...man's night." I chuckled at his explanation and he continued, "We'll even buy everything. You just show up. No ribbing about the hu-Bella," he quickly corrected, "we'll just have fun."

I did something between a sigh and a laugh. "Okay," I relented, "okay, man's night or whatever." I grabbed my bag and zipped it before slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll see yah guys later then," I said as I started heading for the doors.

"Where are you going?" Jasper asked casually.

"To get a coffee," I replied with a sarcastic smirk, "there was a strange woman in my kitchen this morning."

.

.

I hit up a Starbucks a few blocks away from the gym, waiting impatiently in the long line of customers who were itching to get their morning fix. I ordered a Venti when I reached the counter, shooting a quick head nod at Jake, my usual server.

"When you gonna give me a call, handsome?" he asked, greeting me with a smile and his typical pick up line.

"If I ever start batting for your team, you'll be the first I call," I said, offering him a playful wink. He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly in response and sighed, continuing the string of banter we exchanged every day.

Even if he was flamboyantly gay, I thought he seemed like a cool guy.

I went to the grocery store afterward, figuring neither of my, oh so reliable roommates, would think to grab the necessities such as milk and bread. I picked up a few things, more than I had bargained for, and loaded my car before I headed home. I awkwardly made my way up the flight of stairs to the loft, and when I wrestled open the door with full hands, Emmett was roaming around the kitchen, scrounging for food.

"Sustenance!" he mock cried as he lunged for a bag, "Good thinking, Ed."

I glared at him when he helped me with the bags. "What's that now?"

He rolled his eyes as he tore through the cardboard of a frozen pizza and pre-heated the oven. "Sorry, Edward," he said snootily, "I see you're still on your rag." I chuckled and set the rest of the bags on the counter while Emmett took a place on one of the bar stools.

"Man, listen to this one," he laughed, picking up his phone. "'New policy: when a woman uses the word blowjob in a sentence within five minutes of meeting her, you buy her a drink.' Amen to that!" Emmett tittered. "Ah, some of these are classic," he mused.

"You really need to stop reading texts from last night." I retorted. "You're losing brain cells."

"But they're epic," he countered. "You have to agree, that one was funny."

I smirked, because it was true. "Okay, that was a good one. Read me some more."

Emmett scrolled through his phone, reading random texts from last night, while I put away the groceries. I laughed at some of them and shook my head at others, and the more he read, the more I felt like texting Bella. I hadn't really thought about her since this morning, but I kind of had this impulsive need to send her a text, something simple.

How's it going?

Too...casual?

I had a great time last night

Too...weird?

When can I see you again?

Too...needy?

Yeah, too needy. I was stuck; I wanted to talk to her, even just a little, but I had no idea what to say. What was I supposed to say? I had no protocol for this kind of thing, no way to safely approach the whole 'we rounded third base within minutes of meeting each other and are now trying to build a relationship' thing.

And for some reason, I really didn't want to fuck it up. I wanted it to work, however that may be.

So after minutes of contemplating a conversation with Bella, I decided against it. I had to think about it first, because I didn't want to come off sounding desperate. Wasn't there some sort of forty-eight hour rule after the first date? Did that even apply to us?

I had no idea, but either way, I wanted to be sincere, not an idiot.

"Are you even listening?" Emmett asked, interrupting my internal dispute.

"Yeah," I lied, "sure."

He knew when I was lying, and he knew I hadn't heard a word he'd said, so he leaned over and punched me on the arm. "You're full of shit," he quipped with a grin. "Come on," he nodded toward the living room, "let me kick your ass at Modern Warfare."

We spent the day like that: glued to the Xbox, eating pizza, yelling obscenities at the television when one of us didn't like the way we died. Emmett kicked my ass, like he usually did, and when I was fed up with getting killed, we decided to do a campaign.

Jasper walked in the door when we were half-way through a level.

"I have beer," he announced.

"Fucking right," Emmett replied, and then he abandoned his controller, leaving my character to fend for himself in the game. "It's about time."

I tried to make it through the rest of the level, but when Emmett's character died, I knew there was no chance. "Screw it," I muttered. With that, I turned off the Xbox and followed Emmett to the kitchen to grab a beer.

.

.

By nine o'clock, Emmett was hammered. Jasper was pretty buzzed and rambling like there was no tomorrow, and me...I was as well as sober. I'd only had a few beers since we started drinking because I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to text to Bella. I ran through countless scenarios in my head, figuring I'd come off stupid, saying any number of things to her, but wanting to say something. Drinking a lot might have seemed like a solution to my problem, but I certainly wasn't about to get drunk and text her something completely moronic.

God...that would have been disastrous.

Instead, I sat on the reclining chair in the living room, aimlessly watching the soft-core porn Emmett insisted on (the star was a blonde this time, thank God) and listening to Jasper as he tried to offer me advice on Bella. Some of it was...interesting, that was for sure, but mostly, Jasper was trying to encourage me to go for it.

"But what if I screw it up?" I asked, glancing over at him. He was sitting on the couch beside Em, nursing a beer. "I barely know the girl, but I really like her, Jas, and the potential for this to go downhill is better than us actually working things out."

He looked back at me, his usually jovial face completely serious. "You can't think like that," he replied honestly, "dude, just go for it. She obviously likes you, too. You're being a pussy if you chicken out before you can start anything with her."

I chuckled at his drunken ramblings, knowing he was, in fact, right. I had to tough it out, and if I wanted to make it work with Bella, it would, because I would do my best to make sure it would.

After heeding Jasper's advice and strapping on a pair, I pulled out my phone and finally decided to text her. It was short, and maybe a little odd, but I thought it was meaningful:

Is it weird to say that I miss you?

I set my phone on my thigh once I sent it, taking small sips from my beer. I tried not to think about her reaction to what I had said, and hoped to God it was the right thing. I listened to Jasper while I waited, because even though Emmett was completely engrossed in the movie, Jasper was still as talkative as the town gossip.

But it was good, because it kept me distracted.

Although I was nervous for her response, a few minutes later I breathed a sigh of relief, because my phone went off – she missed me too.

We texted for a while; talking about our nights with our drunken friends, deciding Emmett and Rose were pretty much made for each other because of their parallel personalities. And after a fairly light conversation, I bit the bullet – I asked when I could see her again, because I really wanted to see her, as soon as possible.

She responded casually, jokingly, but I was completely serious, so kept up with the boldness.

Imagine my surprise when she told me she was going to kick the girls out.

I stared at my phone, chugging the rest of my beer as my heart began to beat faster in my chest. I tucked it away in my pocket and stood up, chuckling at how Emmett was passed out over the arm of the couch and Jasper was mumbling to himself.

"Jas," I said, leaning down to shake him out of his stupor, "dude, I'm going to Bella's."

His eyes snapped up to mine and he grinned. "Eddie boy grew some balls," he jibed, playfully patting my forearm, "I'm so proud." I snorted at his sarcasm and he scrambled off the couch. "But…take a cab," he nearly slurred, "that way she has to drive you back."

I frowned. "What?"

"Take a cab," he repeated, snatching my keys off the table and sticking them in his pocket, "so you'll have to stay the night."

"Wh-that makes absolutely no sense," I retorted, "I could stay the night either way." Jasper stood stubbornly and I held out my hand. "Give me my keys, Jas, I wanna go."

He shook his head. "No," he replied, "take a cab."

The next half hour consisted of me trying to wrestle my keys from Jasper's pocket. He eluded me, darting behind the couch, drunkenly insisting I take a cab because apparently, it made more sense. I didn't understand his reasoning one bit, and when it neared eleven, I grew more agitated than I could express because I just want to go.

I took a break from coaxing my keys out of him to use the bathroom and went back to the living room with a new resolve. But when I opened my mouth to argue with Jasper, I found he had conveniently passed out at the island in the kitchen.

"Drunk-ass," I muttered. I maneuvered my hand into his pocket, wrapped my fingers around my keys, and carefully extracted them. I left him there on the island, shaking my head at his absurdity, before I put on my shoes and jacket and rushed down the steps to go to Bella's.

.

.

I drove as fast as I could, encountering traffic, cursing under my breath because I was outrageously late no thanks to Jasper's antics. I impatiently tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, hoping to God she didn't think I was blowing her off. I parked in the lot around the back of her building when I finally got there and jogged to the front, buzzing her apartment.

Her voice was groggy and thick when she answered, making me feel even worse about the whole thing. But she told me to come up anyway, and I took that as a good sign.

I ascended the stairs two at a time to her floor and headed down the hall to her apartment. I was in mid-knock when she appeared before me, perfectly adorable. It looked like she had been sleeping with the haphazard state of her hair, but for some reason, it made her seem even more beautiful.

I grinned at her, whispering a small, "Hello."

She didn't even have time to respond, because when she took that soft bottom lip of hers between her teeth, I lost it. I went insane with lust and remembrance, of having that lip between mine.

I'm not sure what happened, but before I knew it, we were stumbling around the inside of her apartment, attached at the lips. I awkwardly kicked off my shoes and struggled out of my jacket while Bella helped, pushing the fabric out of her way and onto the floor. Her soft hands travelled my shoulders, gripping me tightly and holding me close to her as we tried to stay on our feet.

The back of my thighs eventually hit the arm of her couch and I reached out behind me with one hand, bracing myself while I sat down and circled my other arm around her waist. She stood between my legs, her lips and tongue zealously moving with mine as she errantly combed her fingers through my hair.

"Hi," she murmured against my mouth.

I smiled, taking a second to stop and breathe. "Hi back," I replied amusedly. I peppered her jaw with tiny kisses, bringing her hips closer to mine, and her breaths tickled my ear. I slowly trailed my lips down her throat, and she let out a sexy, little moan, leaning further into me as I moved my lips over her skin.

"W-what took you so long?" she whispered.

I rolled my eyes at Jasper's indolence, placing a sweet kiss to her collarbone. "Sorry about that," I apologized, "Jasper was being a complete idiot."

She giggled quietly and leaned down, tugging the fabric of my shirt over so her lips had access to my neck and shoulder. "It's okay," she replied softly, "I was just worried I'd have to start without you."

I groaned as I lulled my head back, giving Bella the opportunity to kiss and suck on my throat. I shivered at the light pecks and skimmed my hands down her sides until they were resting on her hips. I slipped my fingers under her shirt, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin. She sighed quietly at my touch and pushed herself onto me, causing us to fall into a heap over the arm of the couch.

I chuckled, "Happy to see me?"

"You have no idea," she murmured with a tint of color to her cheeks. "Sorry."

I wrapped my arms around her back and leaned up to kiss her. "I'm not complaining," I replied with a grin, "feel free to stay here as long as you want." She snuggled further into my side and hummed softly in contentment. "How was your girls' night?" I asked with a note of amusement.

She laughed, "Fine. How was your guys' night?"

I rolled my eyes. "Same. Emmett passed out and Jasper got all deep and emotional. Sorry again that I was late, he just kept going on and on, and then he took my keys-"

"It's okay," she cut me off, "really. But...will you stay? Tonight, I mean."

I smiled into her hair. "Sure," I agreed, "I'd like that." She tightened her arms around me, and although I was positive I wanted to stay the night, I was curious as to her sudden change of mind. "Can I just...ask something?" I wondered. She tilted her head up to me and I continued, "What happened to all that stuff yesterday? You know, not that I'm opposing anything..."

She sighed and bit her lip when she leaned up on her elbow. "I don't know," she started out quietly, "I wanted to wait, well, because...I'm not that kind of girl – one-night stands..."

"And I'm not like that either," I interrupted.

She gave me a small nod. "I know," she replied, "I guess I was being careful or something. And today, I started thinking about everything, what it could mean for my job." She paused before she said, "I wanted to go slowly, but...I don't care now, because I really like you. I think whatever happens is worth it to see where this goes. Waiting is just prolonging the inevitable."

"The inevitable, huh?" I said with a cocky grin.

She playfully rolled her eyes. "All of that and that's what you get out of it?"

I chuckled. "I'm kidding," I replied. "But I get it. I told you we could wait, Bella. It's not a big deal because, even though we just met, I really like you too," I said quietly, "I don't want you to do something you're uncomfortable with."

I felt a soft kiss on the side of my throat before she whispered, "See...that makes you so much sexier."

She shifted her weight so she was snugly on top of me, causing her lips to line up perfectly with mine and our legs to tangle. She kissed me deeply, winding her fingers into my hair, anchoring herself to me. I crossed my arms over her back, pressing our chests together as I curled the fabric of her shirt in my hands and tugged it up.

Bella leaned up on her elbows, wriggling the shirt over her head. She tossed it aside before she slid her hands under the hem of my shirt and helped me take it off. I skimmed my fingers over her ribs when we laid back down, outlining the raised lines of her tattoo as her lips moved slowly with mine. I felt her smooth skin, touching the tips of my fingers to her curvy sides and the two small dimples that punctuated her lower back.

Her hands explored me in return, gripping my hair and my shoulders, cradling my face, trailing down my chest. I was uncomfortably hard by the time Bella's warm hand cupped the front of my jeans and rubbed slow, tantalizing circles over the strained denim. I lifted my hips toward her touch, urging her closer, to feel her skin-to-skin, when a strangled whimper fell from my lips.

She broke away from the kiss – her breaths labored – and her sweet, brown eyes found mine. I looked at her, lips parted; watching her lustful expression as her thin fingers gently stroked my length, curling slightly around the head before she travelled back upward. I moaned quietly, slipping one hand underneath the stretchy fabric of her pants and using the other to bring our mouths back together.

I kissed her hard, darting my tongue into her mouth, roughly kneading her bare ass. She squirmed on top of me, pressing more firmly against my cock through my jeans, causing my hips to buck into hers. I slid my hand further, drawing down her skin-tight pants until they were bunched around her thighs. She leaned off me for a moment, tugging them from her legs in less time than I had to undo the button and zipper on my jeans.

When Bella had stripped down to her bra and underwear, she climbed back on top of me, reclaiming her place. She snaked her hand into my jeans, beneath my briefs, ghosting her fingers over the trail of hair that ran from my naval to my groin. She teased me, grazing the base of my erection, rubbing the tip of her thumb up my shaft, brushing her soft lips against my neck and ear.

It was almost too much to handle.

"Bella," I whispered in mild warning, "you're not playing very nice."

She slipped her hand further inside my jeans in response, gripping me in her hand. I moaned at how warm she was and she chuckled softly, "Someone's eager." I simply nodded in agreement and she kissed me, murmuring, "I couldn't stop thinking about you last night – how much I wanted to kiss you...and touch you." I clutched her thong in my fingers and she continued, "The first thing I thought when I saw you yesterday was...wow."

Her eyes were honest and sincere, and full to the brim with lust as she slowly pumped me in her hand, squeezing the hard flesh. I lowered her thong, taking controlled breaths as she obligingly lifted her hips and slid them from her legs.

"When we met," I said as she resituated herself, "all I could think about was how beautiful you were – sexy...and flustered. I thought I was crazy for wanting to kiss a complete stranger." I opened my mouth to say more, but she distracted me. She deftly pulled my cock from my jeans, swiping her thumb across the moist, swollen head, skewing my train of thought.

"Oh, fuck," I said instead, "that's..."

I couldn't think of a word to accurately describe what I felt, so I decided zipping it was my best option.

I tipped my head back, losing myself in the sensations and groaning when she quickened her pace. I reached between us, sweeping my fingers over her smooth, hairless skin. She pressed her hips into my hand in response, resting her forehead against mine when my fingers felt how warm and wet she was. Her sweet breath – a mixture of vanilla and alcohol – assaulted me, and I nipped at her bottom lip, listening to her wanton whimper as I slowly circled my fingers around her entrance and slipped them inside her.

We took our time, feeling each other, touching, trying to decipher what the other liked and didn't like. The rest of our clothes came off in the exploration, skin on skin, the warmth of our bodies building the raw tension between us. Bella came first, clenching around my fingers, her lips parted in a sultry moan and her gorgeous face contorted in ecstasy.

I wanted so badly to last forever, to spend the entire night with Bella on her couch, but my orgasm threatened me much too soon. I quickly halted her movements, murmuring lowly, "Bella, I'm going to cum if you keep doing that."

Her eyes met mine, the lust and satisfaction apparent in her gaze. "That's the point," she replied breathlessly.

I gave her a lazy smile and said, "But, don't you want to..." I trailed off suggestively, and when she bit her lip, averting her eyes, I knew she was hesitant. "Hey, look at me," I commanded softly, "we don't have to."

When she did as I asked, she responded, "Are you sure? I mean, I thought I was ready, and I do want to, believe me, but...I just...I don't know. Maybe we should wait."

I shook my head, gently cupping her cheek in my hand as I kissed her. "Bella, whatever you want," I told her honestly, "we can wait. But, just...please...do something about that." I nodded to my cock, insistently pressing against her stomach, and she chuckled.

"I guess I can take care of that," she said with a seductive smirk.

And then she sat up on her knees, pushed me back onto the couch, and took me in her mouth. I gasped at her audacity, threading her hair through my fingers as her head bobbed up and down. I couldn't think of anything but how her mouth felt around me, and when dark, brown eyes looked up at me from under long lashes, I lost control. I came, feeling the tensing of muscles and the twitching of limbs, and Bella slowed her movements, swallowing each spurt as she slowly raked her fingernails over my abs and hips.

I smoothed her hair from her face, angling my head so I was looking down at her. She returned my gaze, releasing me from her mouth as she licked her lips and used her fingers to wipe off a little excess saliva. She crawled back up to me, lightly pecking me on the cheek and giving me a cute smile.

"Bella, you didn't have to do that," I said with gratitude, "but..."

"You liked it," she retorted playfully.

I chuckled, "I think that's...an understatement." A yawn interrupted me, and Bella yawned as well, covering her mouth with her hand. "Tired?" I asked. When she nodded, I sat up slightly. "Well, let's go to bed then," I suggested with a shrug.

She seemed to contemplate it for a second before she sighed, "Okay."

Bella clambered off me and gathered her clothes, holding them tightly to her chest as she bounded off the couch and disappeared behind the closed curtain. I smirked at her retreating form (not to mention her sexy, petite ass), and slipped on my briefs before I headed to the bathroom. I relieved myself and then washed my hands, and since I was staying the night and hadn't brought a toothbrush, I made use of the mouthwash sitting on the countertop.

The curtain to Bella's room was pulled back when I was done. She had changed her clothes and was sitting on her bed, wearing a turquoise pair of boy shorts and a white t-shirt. Her hair was wavy and slightly disheveled, but it only made me want to kiss her again.

I padded over to her, smiling as I approached. She smiled back, motioning to the bed, "Make yourself comfortable, okay, I just have to lock up and use the bathroom."

Bella returned a few minutes later. I was already cozy in her bed, and she closed the curtain before she climbed in next to me. She pulled the blankets up around her waist, snuggling into my side as I curled my arm around her shoulder, allowing her to lay her head on my chest.

"You're so warm," she said sleepily.

I chuckled, rubbing my hand over her arm. "So are you," I replied, "want me to turn off the light?"

She did nothing but yawn in response, so I figured that was more or less a 'yes'. I leaned over, flicking off the bedside lamp, submerging us in almost total darkness. A dull glow of moonlight shone through the drapes, not enough to brighten the room, but enough for me to be able to make out the form of Bella beside me.

I slumped down further, feeling the movement on the bed as Bella shifted with me.

"Goodnight, Edward," she said into my chest.

I pressed a kiss to her hair, murmuring, "Goodnight, Bella."

A/N: I hope you guys don't mind the slow pace we have for the updates. We both have a whole lot of RL business going on lately so we're moving at a slow but steady pace. In trade, we promise to keep the angst at a bare minimum and the fluffy lemons coming! Outfits are on my profile.