A/N: Hi and welcome back! I can't thank you all enough for your support of my story. I try to answer every review, but if I should forget one, please know I sure didn't do it on purpose.

Unfortunately, I can't answer guest reviews. So, if you're a guest who reviewed, please know that I cherish your thoughts as much as everyone else's.

I want to shout out a loud and clear thank you to my brilliant betas evelyn-shaye and EdwardsMate4ever. I can't imagine doing this without you, ladies. I also want to thank my friend, supporter and prereader Vampgirl79 for just being there and so much more.

Now, as I promised you last week, Edward will be back this chapter. But be prepared for a bumpy ride. Enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing but I love it non the less.

******POMH******

Chapter 24 – The Distance Between Us

Saturday at noon, I was at my studio, absentmindedly organizing some stuff. The hours until I would finally see Edward again seemed to drag on at an extremely slow pace. My intention had been to kill the time until Edward would pick me up for our evening with Alice and Jasper.

I was humming Elvis tunes when I came across the pictures of Edward that I'd taken for the company website a few weeks ago. Smiling from ear to ear at the sight of his crooked grin, my skin started to tingle with arousal at the memories of what had followed that shoot.

I sat up with a start when I heard Sexmachine sounding from my pocket. Smiling happily, I pushed the "accept" button.

"Hey, handsome. What's up? Couldn't you wait until tonight?" I teased.

"Hi, Bella." It felt so good to hear his voice again. We hadn't talked to each other since Wednesday, and I missed him terribly. "I just wanted to let you know that my flight is delayed, and we won't be landing before eight. You should go to McKinney's with Alice and Jasper, and I'll join you later, okay?"

My heart sank a little at the prospect of even more hours ahead without him, but I pulled myself together, reminding myself that I'd be with him tonight.

"That's too bad. You're sure you'll make it?" I asked, afraid that he'd be too late or too tired to meet us there.

"Yes, I definitely want to see you tonight. I'll be there, even if I have to walk all the way from the airport." He sounded determined, and my stomach fluttered when I noticed the longing in his voice.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, beautiful."

****POMH****

I couldn't get Alice on the phone all day, so I decided to take a taxi to McKinney's and meet her and Jasper there.

Usually, people had to wait for me. Not that I was always overly late, but I mostly showed up a few minutes after the agreed time. Tonight was one of the very rare occasions when I was the one to arrive first.

I chose a booth and sat patiently, going over my text conversation with Edward again while I was waiting. At about 8:15, there was a tap on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Alice.

"Hey, you're late," I said as I stood up and hugged her hello.

"Hello, Bella. Sorry, but we had to make a little detour," Jasper told me in a strange tone of voice when he wrapped his arm around me to greet me.

When he released me, he took a step aside, and my eyes settled on a shyly smiling Jacob.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I asked, a little confused before I gave him a short, friendly hug.

"I called Jasper, and he invited me to come. I hope that's okay with you?" Jacob looked me in the eye to make sure I didn't mind him being there.

What could I say? It was definitely too late to uninvite him. And we had decided we wanted to be friends again. So I shrugged my shoulders and answered, "No, it's okay. Remember, I told you to call Jasper to make plans."

I sat down again, Jasper and Alice taking seats across from me, before Jacob, after a short hesitation, sat down beside me.

"Bella, where's Edward?" Alice asked as soon as she was comfortable.

"His flight is delayed. He'll come here as soon as he can." I couldn't hide the disappointment I was feeling, but for once, Alice didn't seem to pick up on it, or at least, she didn't say a word about it.

"That's a shame. But as long as he's still going to join us, it's okay. Let's go ahead and order some drinks."

Although I was staring at the entrance most of the time, we still had a lot of fun.

I wasn't sure what Jasper and Jacob's friendship had been like over the last years. I knew that it had taken some strain after what happened when Alice and I visited New York, but I had assured Jazz that I didn't want him to be forced to choose between Jacob and me. I knew they'd stayed in contact even after Jasper moved to Seattle. But since no one ever really mentioned Jake in my presence, I didn't know any details.

Jasper and Jake told us lots of funny stories about their college years, and it really was like old times — before all the hurt and pain. The only difference was that I was no longer in love with Jake.

We ate, and we had some drinks, and after some time, Jacob excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"I wasn't sure if it was really okay to bring him," Alice said quietly as soon as Jacob was out of earshot. "I think it's not, but Jazz didn't ask for my opinion before the fact." She frowned at her boyfriend who just looked a little uncomfortable.

"No, it's alright. I forgave him. I'll never be able to forget, but I'm happy where I am now. There's no use in holding old grudges." She looked at me to make sure I was telling the truth, when suddenly, someone slumped down next to me.

"Hey, baby. I'm so glad I'm finally here." Edward sighed, flashing me a brilliant crooked smile. My heart did a happy jump at the sight of him, while my whole body began to hum from being close to his.

"Hi, Ed. Good to see you," Jasper greeted him, but Edward paid attention only to me.

"I missed you," I whispered, and only a split second later, his lips were on mine.

They felt warm and tasted wonderful. All the tension of the last few days left me when I melted in his arms. As his tongue carefully traced my lower lip, I opened my mouth and invited him in, while my hands moved up and wove through the hair at the back of his neck. It took everything in me to keep sitting down instead of moving over to sit on his lap, straddling his legs. Very quickly, our kiss grew too intense for public eyes, and we heard someone clear their throat.

Jasper laughed as we broke away from each other, breathless. "You two should get a room."

"Later," Edward answered, his tone laced with amusement and unmistakable promise. "I'm starving. The food on the plane really sucked."

I had forgotten all about Jacob when he returned to the table to find Edward, who was studying the menu, sitting in the seat Jake had vacated only minutes ago. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I hadn't told Edward about Jake's reappearance in my life. I'd thought about it, but then I decided that it was not something to tell over the phone while he was away across the country. I'd been sure that we'd have time enough to talk about that and everything else before the two of them would eventually meet. But I wasn't that lucky.

Jacob stood next to the table looking at Edward, waiting for me to say something. I realized that I would have to introduce the two.

"Uhm, Edward." He looked up from the menu and noticed Jake standing next to him. "This is Jacob Black. Jake, Edward Cullen." I held my breath for a second, deliberating how to explain the presence of the man I knew Edward despised for what he'd done to me in the past. "Jake is in town for a week and we thought we could catch up a little."

Edward's face fell, and he looked like he was either about to vomit or punch Jacob's face.

"Jacob. You want to catch up with Jacob," he ground out. He looked at me flabbergasted, completely ignoring the man standing next to him.

I shifted my weight, feeling insecure and afraid. "Yes. We met yesterday, on the street, and we talked things through. We're okay." He stared at me intently, and I added, "Can we talk about it later, please?" My eyes were pleading for him to not make a scene.

Edward turned back to look at Jacob, who seemed to feel really uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"Hello, Edward. I'm Jake," Jacob muttered hoarsely before extending a hand to Edward.

"Ed, Jake called me, and I suggested that he should come tonight," Jasper chimed in, trying to ease the tension.

After another moment of trying to stare him down, Edward finally shook Jacob's hand. I could see Jake's shoulders relax, and after releasing Edward's hand, he grabbed a chair and sat down at the side of the table.

"So, Bells, is Edward here your boyfriend?" Jake asked the very worst question in the world in a light, conversational tone.

I felt my mouth open, but nothing came out. What could I answer? I wanted him to be, but I didn't know what he wanted. If I said yes, he might think I was clingy and forcing him into something. So the only true answer was, "Uhm, no. We're friends."

I couldn't bring myself to look at Edward to see his reaction, too afraid of what I might find. I felt like I was betraying him although what I'd said was the only truth there was at this point.

When I didn't hear him say anything for a while, I mustered the courage to lift my gaze from my glass and peek at him. If he'd shown any reaction, it was gone already. His expression was blank, and his eyes were fixed on the menu.

Finally, Jasper began to get a conversation going again, trying to dispel the awkwardness. All the time, Jacob eyed Edward with caution while Edward did his best to ignore Jake altogether.

When about half an hour later Jake left the table to take a call on his cell, Edward turned toward me with a fierce expression on his face. "Is now later?" he prompted in a clipped tone.

"Edward, I met Jake yesterday. We talked. He explained what happened back then, and I decided to forgive him. To hold on to my anger only hurts me. After all, I've known him all my life. Maybe I have a chance to get my friend back, at least kind of." I said the last words in a small voice, hoping with all my heart that Edward could understand. But his expression was hard and unreadable.

"I don't want you to get hurt again," he said softly after a moment, although the tension in him was unmistakable.

My voice sounded sincere when I answered, "I won't. He's just a friend." I felt a stab in my gut when I realized that I'd just granted Jacob the same status that I'd granted Edward earlier. It felt very wrong when Edward was so much more to me.

I didn't get the chance to correct my mistake because, just then, Jacob returned to the table.

"Bells, that was my dad," he started when he sat down again. "I'm going to La Push tomorrow. Do you want to come with me to see Charlie?"

I was startled by his unexpected invitation. "I don't know," I began, unsure how to respond to it. I'd been hoping to spend Sunday in bed with Edward. I looked at him questioningly as he was eating the food the waitress had served him a minute ago. When he noticed that I wasn't continuing, he turned his head to look at me. His expression gave nothing away. What could I do? I could hardly just invite myself to his apartment. "Are there any plans for tomorrow?" I finally asked shyly.

"I'll have to work," Edward said, obviously getting my insecurity. "If you want to, go see your dad." He sounded kind of cold and detached.

My heart sank, and I got the impression that something was wrong. But now was neither the time nor the place to ask about it.

I tried to sound cheerful but was sure I was doing an awful job, because the disappointment at Edward dismissing me weighed too heavily on me. "Okay then. I'll drive. When did you want to leave?"

"I wanted to be there for lunch. Charlie will be at my dad's, too. It will be just like old times." Jacob smiled, and Edward growled quietly but didn't say another word.

Shortly after he was done eating, Edward announced that he was tired and needed to head home. Naturally, I stood up to leave with him — as was normal for us — but he stopped me.

"Bella, why don't you stay? You're having fun, and I'm really tired." His voice was firm, and I didn't dare to object. I looked at him pleadingly, but he didn't seem to falter.

"Then let me at least walk you to your car," I insisted, needing a few moments alone with him. Fortunately, he didn't stop me this time.

After saying goodbye to Alice and Jasper and stiffly nodding at Jake, Edward left the bar, followed by me. His Volvo was parked directly in front of the exit.

"Edward, is everything okay? Did I do anything to upset you?" I asked, my heart racing with fear because of his coldness.

"No, no you didn't. I'm just tired." His voice was softer now, but it still sounded distant and strange.

He bent down and kissed my lips, fiercely and with a feeling of desperation. My arms flew around his neck, locking him to me when it felt like he was slipping through my fingers. After a moment, he pulled away, unlocking my arms from around him.

He placed a long kiss on my forehead that burned my skin with the emotion in it.

"Good night, Bella," he whispered when he turned around, and without looking at me again, he entered the car and drove off, leaving me with a lingering feeling of unease.

********POMH********

A/N: And there it begins. Don't say I didn't warn you. Okay, I already know that most of you will tell me that Bella and Edward need to talk. I can assure you that you're preaching to the choir, but I can't make any promises about it.

How did you like Edward's reaction to Jacob? I know some of you wanted him to punch Jake's face. I don't want to tell you too much otherwise I'll run of things to use in my replies to your reviews ;).

Would you like a teaser for next week? Well, here it goes:

… "Why did Charlie ask about Edward earlier? Have they met?" …

Who's asking and what will the answer be? You can tell me what you think here or on my FB group Payton79's Fanfiction. There will be some longer teasers, too.

Have a good week. I'll see you on Tuesday.