EPOV.

Never before had I returned from a run so full of energy and satisfaction. Bella had agreed to be my girlfriend!

Her sparkling image in the golden rays of the sun almost knocked me off my feet. She was like a forest nymph who came from my wildest fantasies. My body moved automatically, and I simply couldn't hold back the desire to touch her any longer. I almost physically felt how the atmosphere between us changed. The air seemed to become denser and more charged, I was drawn to her like a magnet. I couldn't take my hands off her. I was overwhelmed by a desire that I couldn't follow. I wanted to run my hands through her hair, take off all the clothes that were in the way, and continue to explore her body. The kiss didn't come as a surprise to me, but how much it affected me was almost embarrassing. All my sensations resulted in a groan that I couldn't hold back. And at that moment Bella pulled away from me. I had begun chastising myself for my lack of restraint. Surely, this old freak from Italy didn't moan like an inexperienced virgin during a simple kiss. But my embarrassment earned me the recognition that I gave her the best kiss. So, get this freak from Italy. It turns out Bella and I have some kind of mystical vampire connection, but you don't.

My euphoric state didn't go unnoticed by my parents. Mom raised her eyebrows in surprise at my wide smile. My father also couldn't ignore my mood.

"Son, I hope you found at least a chest full of gold, otherwise I can't even imagine what made you so happy in that forest."

"Can't I just be in a good mood?" I tried to suppress my smile. "Okay, I'll go to my room. I don't want you to ruin my day with your sour faces." I kissed my mother on the cheek and ran up the stairs.

Part of me hoped that Bella was already inside, but I definitely remembered that I closed the window before running. I went to the window and frowned. Visually, Bella was nowhere to be found. I turned the handle and leaned halfway out of the window. I felt slightly disappointed. I had to admit that Bella didn't promise to come right away as I open the window. I turned around and went to my closet. Perhaps it was good that Bella didn't come immediately. This gave me time to wash off all the sweat. Considering that I knew Bella had superhuman senses, I probably smelled utterly repulsive to her. This situation needed to be changed urgently. I collected all the clean clothes in my hands and was about to go to the bath, when a silhouette on my bed scared me. I screamed and dropped some of my things on the floor. The quiet feminine laughter immediately relaxed me. Bella sat on my bed and could barely contain her laughter.

"Bella!" I managed to sound both joyful and judgmental. "I thought you'd come later. God, I think my heart is about to jump out of my chest."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I saw that you were looking for me in the window, but I couldn't jump straight at you. And standing under the window was not an option, your parents have cameras everywhere."

Right, cameras. Cameras that I didn't even know existed until yesterday.

"I didn't even think about them. I still can't get used to their existence."

"No more drunken parties and crowds of girls when parents are not home."

I laughed at the thought that I might want to host the party at my house. I went to some in Chicago and it was terrible. Not a single party passed without damage to the property where they took place. Broken doors, broken vases, I even remembered my friend's broken toilet. Definitely a big no.

"No parties at my house. I don't want to have to clean up all this trash and collect all the broken furniture later."

"A smart decision. I don't hear similar arguments about crowds of girls." Bella narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

I smirked at her reaction. It seemed to me or I heard notes of jealousy in Bella's voice.

"I don't know, it doesn't sound that bad. There definitely won't be as much damage as from parties, and I can only think of positives. And maybe I won't have to hide my girls. My ex-girlfriend was even allowed to stay overnight with me." I didn't mention the fact that we slept in separate rooms and mom probably didn't sleep all night that day. But the reaction was worth it.

As soon as the word "ex-girlfriend" came out of my mouth, Bella's eyes narrowed even more.

"Ex, you say. I don't remember you talking about your girlfriends before."

"Really?" I tried to sound as innocent as possible. "I guess I actually forgot to mention this." I smiled slyly. "We should probably save this conversation until after the shower. I want to wash off all the sweat already." I slowly turned towards the bathroom.

"You forgot your boxers."

"What?" I looked at Bella in surprise.

She silently pointed her eyes at the floor near me and a smile began to appear on her face again, which she tried to restrain. As soon as I saw what she was pointing at, I almost groaned out loud. If before I had been able to contain my blush, now it was definitely spreading all over my face. At my feet lay my boxers, which a friend gave me as a joke for my eighteenth birthday. These were ordinary black boxers with a large inscription "Release the Kraken". It was a funny gift at that moment, I laughed and put them away in the closet. They were sitting with all my remaining undergarments on the shelf, but in fact I never even wore them. This time I was so immersed in thoughts about Bella that I didn't even notice what I had taken.

I was torn between two options: change my choice or hide in the bathroom as quickly as possible and perhaps never leave it. The last option outweighed me and I silently lifted my boxers and, raising my head, went into the bath with muffled laughter behind me.

Already standing in the bathroom, I banged my head against the tiled wall as quietly as possible.

Why was it with Bella that I felt lost like an insecure boy when I needed to be the complete opposite? How did it happen that at one moment I was enjoying the first manifestations of jealousy on Bella's part, and after a couple of seconds I was blushing with embarrassment. Having calmed down a little and completely washed away the traces of running, I got out of the shower. I suppressed the urge to groan when I remembered that I had decided not to change my boxers, and now I would have to wear them. Of course, I could go commando, but it would cause even more unneeded embarrassment than already existed.

Returning to the room, I found Bella looking at the rare photographs that my mother had placed on my shelf in an attempt to make the new room a little cozier.

"You were a very sweet child." Bella smiled over her shoulder. "And you're just a copy of your dad."

"I have my mother's eyes and hair." I smiled looking at the photo where my parents stood. "It was my fifth birthday, and my mom decided that it would be very photogenic to capture my first anniversary with a sandy beach in the background. We were going on our first family trip, but my dad was not allowed to leave work and he decided to bring us to Indiana Dunes. We were delighted with even such a small trip, however at that moment dad came up with an idea to start his own firm." My smile faded from my face as soon as I connected all the facts in my head. "Perhaps if dad had simply been allowed to go on vacation, then we would never have found ourselves in this dangerous situation."

In an instant, Bella was next to me.

"I hope you didn't blame yourself for this situation all this time."

"I had forgotten why Dad had opted to leave work at the time. Mom and I definitely became the motivation for changing his occupation. It's our fault in a roundabout way."

"Edward, you were five. How could it be your fault? I think your father was already thinking of starting his own law firm, you just became the last catalyst. But that certainly doesn't make you guilty. All the blame lies entirely with the Hill family. If it weren't for them, you would have continued your happy life in Chicago, your dad would still be working with his company, your mom would be enjoying her piano concerts, and you'd still go to parties with all your ex-girlfriends that I don't know anything about."

The last sentence was clearly said as a joke, to distract me from unnecessary thoughts. But the hint of jealousy in Bella's voice made me laugh.

"Well, now you know and you can ask me if you're so interested. For your information, I like that I'm not the only jealous one in this relationship."

Bella narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. I waited for her to refute my words, but this did not happen. I knew that some people think jealousy is a bad emotion, but I was incredibly pleased that Bella felt some kind of possessiveness. This gave me back my self-confidence. This showed that perhaps Bella could have at least half the feelings that I had for her.

"I'm all ears, Mr. Mason. Tell me all about your love affairs."

I pretended to be deep in thought. Although I didn't really have much to say.

"So, well, my first serious relationship was in kindergarten, we had a small wedding where our closest friends were present, we had children almost immediately. A doll, a teddy bear and perhaps someone else, I was a terrible father. But to be honest, I didn't want children, my wife wanted them." Bella pressed her lips firmly together. I wasn't sure whether she was trying not to laugh or was simply dissatisfied with my answer. "Then I had a small relationship when I was fourteen, Katie and I didn't get along, she wanted a more serious relationship, and I spent too much time with my friends on the basketball court." I saw how Bella was starting to lose patience, so I moved on to what she was really interested in. "But if you're wondering about my last relationship, my last relationship ended the day I found out I was moving from Chicago. Olivia and I dated for about half a year. We met through friends at one of the parties. We studied at different schools, so we didn't see each other very often."

I just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Olivia was a pretty girl with light brown hair, she was of average height and in general her appearance paled in comparison to Bella. However, Bella's beauty overshadowed everyone in my book.

"You can ask me anything you want."

Bella didn't think twice.

"Was it difficult for you to break up with her?"

"To some extent, it was too easy. My head was filled with other problems. I had to pack all the most necessary things in a couple of hours, realizing that I might never be in Chicago again. I was full of panic for the life of my family, therefore, there was simply no time for other worries. My life was a complete mess those last 24 hours in Chicago."

"It sounds like you haven't even had time to get used to all the changes."

"It was true then, but don't forget that we spent a lot of time on the run after. At first, we left the city on regular intercity buses, the tickets were not personalized so it was difficult to track us. It was very hard, but it also gave us time to lay low. So, I had a lot of time to come to terms with the situation."

"If none of this had happened and you were still living your old life... you think. Do you think you would have continued dating Olivia?"

This was the not first time I had seen Bella so insecure, but it was almost unnatural, especially knowing that I was the cause of this self-doubt. I quickly realized my mistake.

"I'll be honest, I can't say what would have happened if I had stayed there. Maybe we would have stayed in the relationship, maybe we would have broken up. Bella, I wasn't in love with Olivia." I put my hand on her cold cheek. "I've only known you for two months, but I can say with confidence that I feel much stronger emotions for you. Sometimes so strong that I feel like I'm ready to burst."

Bella smiled from the corner of her mouth and put her hand on my cheek in response. Within a second, we were kissing each other. And just like in the forest, it was absolutely incredible. We didn't kiss like some new couple who were just getting used to each other. We kissed as if it was our thousandth kiss, there were no awkward movements or doubts. I didn't even notice when we approached my bed, I just felt myself fall on it and within a second Bella was towering over me. Our bodies touched and I moaned again. And just like the first time, Bella pulled away first, and I let out a second groan, only this time out of disappointment.

"Don't tell me you thought I was hurt again."

Bella smiled at my whining.

"Now I was more than sure of the reason for this moan. Very hot, by the way." Bella left a quick kiss and just as quickly sat back down before I could react.

"Then why did you stop?"

Maybe I was the only one who enjoyed this kiss?

"Because any more and you would actually have to moan in pain. I started to lose my control and this is unacceptable."

"What do you mean?" Did Bella want to hurt me or was she talking about her thirst and its consequences? "Is it my blood? You said you don't thirst as much as other vampires."

"Edward, first of all, even if my thirst is not as strong as others, it doesn't mean that it's not there, but that was not the problem." Bella bit her lip and looked at me pointedly. "Usually, I can easily control my strength, typically only newborn vampires have this problem. But I got too immersed in the emotions of the kiss, my focus was lost and I forgot that I need to control myself."

I shouldn't have felt elated at Bella's words, perhaps a little trepidation would have been more appropriate, but I couldn't help but feel glad that those kisses had just as much of an effect on Bella as they did on me.

"Perhaps a little more practice will help you." I raised my frame to sit next to Bella. "And before you refuse, if we don't test this theory, we won't know for sure."

"Aren't you a man of science, Mr. Mason." Bella brought her face closer to me and smiled looking at my lips. "Perhaps I will agree to this experiment, but not now."

"And what's stopping you?"

"Like your parents. Your mom has an almost otherworldly talent for recognizing when something is wrong."

I pulled away and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"She noticed that you have been acting somewhat unnaturally for the last few days. Your dad thinks that it has something to do with the girl in the white car, with me, but your mother thinks that this is not all and there is something other." Bella fell silent for a few minutes, listening with her super hearing to what was happening below. "She wants to come up to you and discuss this, but your dad is trying to persuade her to give you time. He still believes that you are just hiding our relationship."

I ran my hand through my hair, wondering what to do with my mother and her intuition.

"Bella, my mother may be a witch. In the good sense of the word. When I was a child, she always understood when I was lying, no matter how insignificant my lie was. At first, I thought that I was just a bad liar, but then it turned out that only my mom can see this. And not just mine lies. I don't know how we are going to lie to them, I nearly forgot how difficult it is. She will definitely notice that something is wrong." I could feel myself becoming nervous.

Bella just nodded thoughtfully.

"We'll try to stick to our original plan, just try to tell as much truth as possible. For example, I think you should tell them about us as soon as feasible. It might distract them at least temporarily."

"Then I'll tell them this after school tomorrow. So that they don't have any unnecessary questions about where exactly I was over the weekend."

"Sounds logical, but don't forget that you wanted to go to my house tomorrow. Or have you already changed your mind?"

"No, I still want to attend this family meeting. I hope Alice and Jasper can find out as much as they can about the Hills."

"Alice had a pretty good feeling about this meeting, so I think everything will go well and, most importantly, productively."

Bella fell silent, and I realized that she was again trying to eavesdrop on my parents.

"It looks like your dad finally talked her into not interrogating you today. They've started preparing for work tomorrow, so we're safe for now."

"Looks like we can get back to our experiment." I added with a sly smile.

Bella laughed at my eagerness. Then suddenly she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pushed us down onto the pillow.

"And I was hoping to talk a little more about your past relationships. I had one question, but you distracted me with your kisses."

"If I answer it, do you promise that we will continue these very distracting kisses of mine?"

"Mmmm, okey." Bella smiled slyly. "I agree, but first I wanted to know one small detail." Bella paused before her question. "I suddenly wondered if Olivia had seen the Kraken."

I groaned and covered my face with a nearby pillow. I'll never live it down!