Disclaimer: I own everything but their names.

August 13, 2001 – Santa Cruz, California

The weekend without Edward was long and confusing. Not to mention upsetting.

Heading in to work that morning, my stomach was a mass of butterflies. Only they weren't the good kind.

I was worried about how we'd left things on Friday before saying a tense goodbye. After the fight, I had been…reluctant, to say more than a few words to him. Could you blame me, though? He had to have known how upset I was after everything that happened with Jasper.

He'd slipped easily into "quiet Edward" who didn't speak to anyone before leaving to pick up Lisle, and when he came back, it was only to close up the store. Before we said goodbye, he kissed me on the cheek and said we would talk soon.

Over the weekend I half expected him to call, or to show up at my house. Maybe come into the shop. I kept hoping for it, but he never did.

As Saturday came to a close, I tried to forget that he wasn't around. I also tried to forget that I'd made plans with Jasper, because it was clear we were no longer friends. I had hurt him. I had been stupid. I hadn't thought of anything but getting what I wanted.

Most of all, what sucked was that I was hurting too. I wasn't just hurt, though. I was angry – with myself for allowing Edward to distract me, and angry at him for not telling me the truth about Makenna.

We were supposed to be partners. He was supposed to trust me.

The fact that he hadn't mentioned a word of it, and the fact that he'd skirted around the issue every time I asked, made me believe that he didn't trust me at all. His lackluster goodbye at the shop made me wonder if he was done with me now, if maybe I was only ever a distraction to him that had run its course.

Without him there to refute me, I let my mind wander down the deepest, darkest paths.

And so when I walked in that morning, the butterflies weren't surprising at all. I had every reason to be nervous.

The store was dark when I walked up, and I was glad that Edward had given me my own set of keys even if I rarely ever had reason to use them. I didn't want to be standing outside as if I was waiting for him when he arrived. I wanted to be inside where I could busy myself with something that didn't make me look half as sad as I felt.

The sound of his Jeep was unmistakable and I braced myself with a deep breath as I heard the door slam. He walked in slowly, his face apprehensive as he looked me over. There were deep, dark circles beneath his eyes and a purple bruise coloring his sharp jaw. His hair was a riot and, as the door shut behind him, he winced.

I knew I probably looked similar. I hadn't gotten much sleep, either.

Burying his hands in his pockets, he stepped toward me. "You all right?" he asked, voice soft and deep.

I crossed my arms over my chest and dug my fingernails into the skin of my biceps. I didn't say anything, but I did nod ever so subtly. It was enough.

He lifted his hand to his hair and sighed. "I went to talk to Jasper."

He said it so flatly, and I knew whatever had happened between them hadn't gone as planned. It explained the bruise on his cheek. I hated knowing he'd been hurt, but I couldn't deny we both deserved it.

"It didn't go well."

I nodded again as I looked down.

Edward took a step closer and lifted his hand toward me, but he didn't touch me. "Will you please talk to me?" he begged. His voice sounded so broken, and I lifted my eyes back to his.

"I don't know what to say," I responded.

He blew out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry."

I stared into his sad eyes, wondering if he even knew what he was apologizing to me for. If he knew me at all, he had to have known that it wasn't just us not telling Jasper about our relationship that was bothering me.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

He looked away, closing his eyes tight as he grimaced. "I don't know. I didn't know how to tell you what she wanted. I didn't think it even mattered, because she's not what I want, Bel. She hasn't been for a long time. And I thought that if I just avoided it, everything would go away."

"You should have trusted me."

He looked shocked. "It wasn't you I didn't trust. It was her. I didn't want to hurt you for no reason."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I may be younger than you, but I'm not a child? You should have been honest with me. You should have trusted me enough to know that I would have rather known than be left out of the loop."

He stepped around the counter and leaned next to me, mimicking my position as he crossed his arms over his chest. He kicked at the carpet. "I know that now. I'm sorry… I just didn't think."

"No, you didn't."

He turned and looked at me, and I kept my eyes forward. He slowly lowered his forehead to my temple and his warm breath washed over my cheek. "Please don't leave me."

My heart swelled and I turned into him, nestling myself into his arms. His warmth, his scent, everything made me feel like we could fix this. Like we could make it, no matter what happened to us next.

Half of you totally understood Jasper, and half of you didn't. I've said it before and I promise you, Jasper has absolutely no romantic feelings for Bella. He was hurt because his brother and someone he considers a good friend kept something from him that, if he'd been told sooner, he would have been completely supportive of. He felt a little bit betrayed that he gave up a lot to help Edward with the shop, and that neither of them put enough trust in him to think he could handle them being together. So, yes, his reaction was a tad dramatic… but he's young and he was hurt. And since you can't see his point of view, I thought I'd give you a little insight into his mind at this point in the story.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and tweeting! I'm still in awe every single day with how much love these characters have received.

Reviews are love!

Until tomorrow…
(There will be a teaser for Chapter 31 posted on The Fictionators this afternoon)

xx