Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga series, neither books nor the movies.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to write from a guy's perspective. Anyways, thank you for waiting and here is chapter 4 of Romance 101.

Now: Edward

I pursed my lips as I took a right turn, checking the GPS on the car infotainment. The GPS woman told me I would reach my destination in ten minutes.

She would be waiting for me.

Bella Swan. My sister's best friend since they were twelve. The last time I saw her was during their high graduation and at the party, my mom had thrown for them. And also, at my law school party, as she reminded me on the phone earlier.

Which brought on another wave of disbelief. I spoke to her over the phone. She sounded nothing like the Bella I knew. The one with the soft voice who wasn't afraid to speak her mind around me. No, the girl yesterday sounded nervous and unsure. I frowned, it had been a few years since we'd last talked but I couldn't have become a complete stranger to her. Surely, Alice spoke to her about me.

She's also decided to live with you, I reminded myself. Contrary to what she thought, I wasn't annoyed at having to share my space with her for a year. Instead, I was elated by the prospect of getting to know her again. She was my sister. Not really, but I definitely liked to think that I was somewhat of a brotherly figure to her. I didn't realize until the phone call with Alice how much I'd lost touch with Bella. Not that I blamed either of us. I'd tried to keep up with the events in Bella's life passively through Alice. I knew that she was going to start her last year of med school. At Stanford no less. Undeniably, I was secretly proud that she had chosen my Alma Mater to get her medical degree.

As I turned down her street, I wondered what it would be like to live with her. I remembered the times I'd glanced through my window to see her childhood bedroom back when we were in Forks. Her room was usually cluttered with books, and clothes everywhere. I chuckled, I was curious to know if she was still as messy as before.

The GPS woman alerted me that I had reached her apartment when I drove my car through the basement gate. I immediately spotted Bella standing next to what I assumed to be her designated parking spot. I parked the car next to her and got out as I locked it.

I met her halfway in front of the trunk. I stood still, my eyes roaming down her frame as I took her in. This woman standing in front of me looked nothing like the Bella I knew. She wasn't the fair-skinned girl with skinny arms who was always seen in jeans and a sweatshirt. No, this woman was dressed in a t-shirt that said 'I'm staying at home today. I have mood poisoning.' that was tucked into whiteboard shorts that came mid-thigh, exposing her long legs.

She didn't look like a seventeen-year-old. Her body had grown and changed into that of a woman with curves. I finally moved my eyes up and glimpsed hers staring at me curiously. My cheeks slightly reddened at the thought of being caught blatantly ogling her.

I coughed as I put my hand out. "Long time no see."

Bella ducked her head shyly, shaking my hand. "Yeah. It's good to see you too." Her voice was husky. I suppressed a jolt at the first contact of her hand with mine.

I quickly dropped my hand and motioned to the elevator. As we walked towards it, I asked her, "I didn't realize you lived in this sort of neighborhood."

I didn't see how two college students could afford an apartment this fancy. The rent must have taken quite a chunk out of their part-time salaries.

She giggled softly. "Uh… I know what you mean." she tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the side of her face towards me. "I didn't have to pay any rent. My roommate's brother took care of it for us."

We got in the lift and Bella pressed the number 3 once the doors closed. We stayed quiet in the elevator not knowing anything more to say. Bella nervously fiddled with the strap of her purse while I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets. Once the elevator dinged that we'd reached the third floor, Bella got out leading me to her apartment.

She opened the main door and dropped the keys on the table in the entryway. I looked around as she led me to the living room. The brown couch was pushed against the wall and in front of it was an even darker brown coffee table.

"How many boxes do you have?"

Bella jumped, like she'd forgotten I was in the room with her. "Not many. Maybe around six or seven?"

"Great. My car is big enough to carry your stuff in the trunk and the back seats."

She looked surprised for a moment. "Sure. I also contacted this moving company who said they can come by at 3 to haul the furniture to your place."

I stared at her perplexed. Then it dawned on me. She didn't know that her room already had a bed and study table set up for her.

"You don't need to call them. The guest bedroom already has a bed and a table. Any other furniture you need besides that?" I cocked an eyebrow at her.

Bella shook her head. "No. I don't think so."

I clapped my hands. "So, where are the boxes?"

Bella gestured behind her. "Most of them are in my room. I have some kitchenware that I want to bring over as well." We walked toward her bedroom. "It's not much. Just some baking stuff I purchased throughout the years-"

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Bella, relax. You can bring whatever you like."

Bella turned towards me as she walked backward. She rolled her eyes, saying "Well, you did say that I couldn't get my furniture… just saying." She raised her arms innocently.

I smirked at her sarcasm, recognizing her sassy self. My amusement turned into alarm when Bella stumbled on a box, about to fall back and hit her head. I quickly moved forward to catch her fall. My arms wrapped around her waist of its own accord. Her hands came to rest on my shoulders as I pulled her flush against me.

We were both still. Waiting for the other to make the next move as we stared at each other. I took this time to note the changes in her since she was seventeen. She was still the same height, maybe an inch taller, head reaching halfway up my chest. We were connected from top to bottom. Her chest to mine, our thighs touching. Like an intimate hug.

"You're still clumsy as ever." The statement came out in a whisper. I also didn't realize that my arms had tightened around her waist just a tiny bit.

"Some things never change, I guess." Her voice was husky, as she stared up at me hazily. I stifled a shiver at her voice that sounded nothing like earlier and instead sounded like she'd been thoroughly kissed breathlessly.

Record screech.

Wait, a minute. Had I seriously thought of Bella being kissed? I instantly released my arms and let her go. The misty look disappeared from her eyes as she balanced her. Once she was done, she looked back at me, seeming to remember the earlier position we'd been in, and averted her eyes, her cheeks glowing pink.

I rubbed the back of my neck while I mentally slapped myself. What the hell were you thinking, you idiot? She's your sister's best friend, goddammit. You've known since she was a kid.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Where are the heaviest boxes?"

Bella quietly pointed to the boxes near her study table. There were four boxes there. Three out of these were labeled books and the last one labeled school. Besides the four boxes, there were also two large suitcases and two small boxes which didn't have any labels on them. I went to pick one of the larger boxes, grunting as I settled its weight in my arms.

"What's in these boxes?" I asked, wincing as the edges dug into my arms.

Bella turned red. I blinked, watching as the blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Huh, just like when she was a kid. Adorable.

Adorable? What the hell was going on with me? Must be because I'm seeing her after a long time, I reasoned with myself. I needed to get to work instead of analyzing her reactions.

"They're my books." I jerked. What were we talking about again? Oh, right. The content of the boxes.

I nodded. "Right."

Bella's eyes lit up. "I'll bring the suitcases."

"Let's get to work then."

She grabbed the two suitcases by the handles and followed me out of her flat, the suitcases trailing behind on their wheels.

"How's college been?"

I glanced at Bella, sitting in the passenger seat for a second, before turning back to the road.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her tuck the strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail, behind her ears.

"It's going well. Little hectic but not bad."

"Med, right?"

She flashed a smile before nodding. It wasn't that I'd forgotten. More often than not, our dad asked about her during our family group chats. It was safe to say no one had been more proud than Dr. Carlisle Cullen when Bella had announced her plans to become a doctor.

"What are you specializing in?"

Bella looked down for a moment. "Um… pediatrics."

I smiled at her. "That's great. Charlie must be proud."

"He is." She replied quietly.

The conversation went silent for a bit. I wondered if I should keep it going or not. She might not want to talk, I told myself. Bella was opposite Alice in almost every way. Introverted, preferred books over company, quiet over chaos. It came as a shock, initially, when the two had decided to be friends. But everyone could see how good they were for each other. Bella grounded Alice, and Alice helped Bella bloom into the person she is today. I was glad they had stayed friends this long. Alice might have been a social butterfly but she sometimes needed the caring touch of a friend too.

As I stewed in my thoughts, Bella spoke. "You're into financial law, right?"

Startled, I turned to her. She blushed and averted her eyes. "Yes. I work at Silver & Kline."

Bella nodded, a far-off look in her eyes. I turned back to the road, stopping the car once we neared a signal.

"How long until we're at your place?" Bella asked.

Bella was turned towards me, folding one leg under her thighs. Her shorts rode up from the movement, exposing even more of her thighs. I couldn't help but stare at the skin. There was a scar on one of her thighs, pale white and small. I also noticed that her skin wasn't pale like it had been in Forks, it glowed, likely from the tanning in the California sun.

"It should be another ten minutes or so."

"Okay."

Not wanting the conversation to dwindle, I motioned to the infotainment. "You wanna put on some music."

Bella shook her hands. "That's all right. You can play whatever you like."

Always trying to make the other person feel better. This trait hadn't changed yet. "Bella," I rolled my eyes, "I'm not gonna kill you for choosing the wrong song."

Bella hesitated, hand outstretched toward the screen. I stared. Finally, she shuffled through the already-created playlists and picked one that consisted of classical songs. I smiled as the notes of Clair De Lune began to play from the speakers.

"You listen to this too?" I couldn't imagine it. I'd assumed she'd listened to pop and country as I assumed most girls listened to.

"I got used to it when I listened to you play it on your record and the keyboard." She shyly admitted.

I didn't know why, but I was secretly pleased that she hadn't forgotten me. I knew it was silly to think of that considering she was Alice's best friend and she probably heard about me from her. Looking at her, I remembered those times too, over the weekends in the mornings when I'd choose to stay at home, I would play the songs on the keyboard. I remembered looking out my window and seeing Bella. She would smile at me and sit down at her study table to read her novel. It had almost become a sort of routine for us until it was usually interrupted by Alice wanting to hang out with her.

Bella looked at me, her eyes glazed over. I wondered if she was thinking about those days too. Before I could comment on it, a honk sounded from the back. The light had turned green.

Without saying anything, I drove us to my place.

As we entered the complex, I noticed Bella staring out the window. I pondered what it must have looked like to her. I lived in a pretty good apartment, full of a gym and a swimming pool on the rooftop. The entrance to the complex was decorated with lush green plants that glowed in the early evening light. I checked the infotainment screen and confirmed that it was indeed 6:05. It had taken us a while to haul the boxes and cram them in my car. My SUV was pretty much bursting at the seams.

"Time to do it all again." Bella groaned as she got out of the car. I laughed as I unlocked the trunk.

Before Bella could do it, I hauled out her two suitcases and rolled them to her. I fished my pockets for my keys and threw them to her. Bella startled, jumping to catch the keys.

"I see your coordination hasn't gotten any better." I observed dryly.

She must have been feeling comfortable around me since she glared at me and stalked towards the elevator.

"My apartment's on the eighth floor." I shouted behind her.

Bella ignored me, not stopping. She got in the lift and looked at me. She lifted her hand in the air, the one clutching my keys. "Which one unlocks the door?" She shouted back at me.

"The metal one." The other key belonged to my silver Aston Martin. That key had a black head.

Bella nodded as the doors closed.

I went to the mail room and grabbed one of the moving trolleys.

I dumped two boxes on it and took it up. The front door was unlocked. I pushed the trolley in and almost ran into Bella. She'd put up her hair into a bun on the top of her head and her face was covered in droplets of water.

"Sorry." She said, pointing her thumb behind her. "I cleaned up a little. I also left my suitcases in the guest bedroom."

I chuckled. "It's fine. This is now your place too."

"I guess." She rubbed her arm awkwardly. She looked down. "Wow, I should have thought of fetching the trolley at my apartment too. Would have saved us so much time."

"Well, no one can be as smart as me."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure." She slipped her feet into her slippers near the doorway. "Can you keep the boxes in the room? I'll get more boxes."

"Wait, I'll come with you. The boxes might be too heavy to carry." I strolled the trolley to her room and moved the boxes to the floor.

"Let's go."

As we walked to the elevator, Bella asked, "Aren't you worried someone's gonna enter your place?" We left the door open.

"It's still day time. What do you think is gonna happen?"

"Uh… someone could steal something."

"Well, if anything happens, I know a good lawyer who can help us." I smirked.

Bella shook her head, huffing out a laugh.

"Let's focus on moving all the boxes soon."

"Phew! I'm so glad we got that over with. Now I just have to unpack my stuff."

I smiled as Bella threw herself on the couch.

"Do you wanna go out for dinner? I know a great diner nearby. They serve the best cheeseburger."

Bella propped her head on the backrest and looked at me. "I have to unpack." Her eyes moved past my shoulders, widening. "Damn! The kitchen stuff. I doubt you want it ly-"

"Bella, calm down. You still have tomorrow. And I'll help you unpack."

Her eyes softened. "You don't have to do that. You already helped me so much."

I ignored her words. "I don't even know how you have the energy to argue right now. Aren't you hungry?"

On cue, her stomach growled and I stifled my laugh as I watched her go red and wrap her arms around her stomach as if it would help conceal the sound.

She looked at me mortified. "Yeah. I'll just go wash up." She frantically ran to her room and slammed the door shut behind her.

I let out a laugh as I made my way to my room.

15 minutes later, we were seated inside the diner. Both of us opted for the cheeseburger mine with a strawberry smoothie and hers with a Coke. We were seated in a booth instead of the counter. I was all too self-aware of the way my knees brushed hers.

When our order arrived, it was brought to our table by Melissa, one of the waitresses I knew due to my frequent visits here. About ten years older than me, she was a good person to talk to and made me feel better every time I came here.

"Edward. How long has it been since you were here?" She exclaimed as she placed our plates on the table.

I smiled at her. "I've been working late the past few days."

Opposite me Bella was quiet as she sipped her coke, watching the exchange between us.

"There's someone I'd like to introduce you to." I gestured to Bella. "This is Bella Swan. She's currently living with me for the year while she completes her med school."

Melissa looked at Bella, eyes roaming her frame and she smiled. "Glad to see you've taken my advice. But I admit, I didn't think you were going to be this forward."

My brows furrowed in confusion, the same look mirrored on Bella's face as we looked at our waitress. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

She laughed breezily. "To date someone. I'm glad you've taken my advice. You need someone to come home to in that lonely apartment of yours. And I'm glad it's this one." She turned to Bella. "You're so beautiful. No wonder he fell for you."

Bella choked on her coke, looking alarmed. I rushed to correct Melissa. "It's not like that. She's my sister's best friend. Practically my sister. I'm just doing her a favor."

Her laughter died down as she looked between us, searching for the lie she wouldn't find. Once she realized it was the truth, all she did was smile at us knowingly. "Okay. My bad." She didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

Bella blushed and looked down at the table, avoiding our eyes.

"It's fine." I said gruffly. Melissa smiled once again before she walked away.

"Don't mind her. She just likes to look out for me. Being alone and all." I shrugged.

Bella finally gave me a weak smile. "That's nice."

I exhaled. "Okay, then. Let's dig in."

Bella picked up her burger, squeezing it to take a bite. She groaned, eyes rolling back. I tried not to linger too long on her expression. It looked too… sexual. My cock stirred in my pants as I adjusted myself to sit more comfortably. I needed to get laid, pronto. That was all it was. Just a need for release.

"You were right. One of the best I've had." She said, giving me a wide smile. My breath hitched. I took a bite of my burger to avoid talking.

The rest of dinner just followed the same way, inhaling our burgers and drinks.

Later, when we were back at my place, I stopped Bella from entering the kitchen, no doubt wanting to sort through her kitchen stuff.

"Get some rest. You can do it."

Bella gave up, probably knowing I wouldn't budge. She went to her room and a minute later the sound of the shower started. I went to take a shower as well.

Once I settled on the couch, I waited for Bella. She came out of her room, and I wanted to groan at the sight. Her face was dewy, dressed in pajama shorts that ended mid-thigh and a tank top with one of the sleeves sliding off. She wasn't wearing a bra. I forced myself to keep my eyes on her face. She looked at me, noticing the lack of the t-shirt. I was only dressed in my sweatpants.

She smiled at me shyly. Lifting her water bottle. "I'm gonna fill this for when I wake in the middle of the night."

I laid one hand on the back of the couch and used the other to rub across my face. Why did she have to look like that? Even with the lack of makeup, she looked pretty, like a porcelain doll.

"You can get up in the middle of the night. I won't get disturbed."

Bella shook her head. "It's fine. You're a light sleeper aren't you? You'll probably wake up with the smallest of sounds."

I peeled my hand off my face to look at her. What a peculiar thing to remember about me.

Bella, seeing the look on my face, added, "You used to wake up in the middle of the night sometimes in Forks."

Huh. "You used to stalk me?" I teased.

She flushed. The color enhanced after her shower. "No." She said, indignant. "I used to stay awake to read and I just happened to notice."

I laughed. "I wouldn't fault you if you were stalking me. I know how handsome I look." My arrogant tone wasn't lost on either of us.

Bella just rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen. After filling her bottle she came back to the living room.

"I'm gonna go and read for sometime."

I nodded. "Mind if I put on the TV?"

One shake of her head. No.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night Edward. Thanks for helping me out with all this." She gestured around her.

I waved her off. "You're family. I don't mind."

Bella bobbed her head. "Okay. See you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night."

As she walked to her room, I couldn't help but let my gaze linger on her ass, swaying in those shorts. Once her door closed, I rubbed my face again. This was so wrong. Staring at Isabella Swan. She was my sister's best friend. I shouldn't be thinking about her this way.

It's only because you're seeing me after a long time, I reasoned. It'll wear as you constantly spend time around each other. Yeah, that was it. I needed to be around. I'd get used to it and not feel this way anymore. This was my body's sign of telling me I needed to get laid and the only woman who happened to be around was Bella. My stupid dick. What would he know? He was just reacting to being this close to a woman after such a long time. This is going to fade away soon. There was no way I'd ever feel this way for Bella Swan. My sister. A sister whose ass I'd just ogled. I hoped this feeling would go away sooner rather than later.

Author's note: Again, I'd like to apologize for the delay. There might me delay again in posting the next chapter. I need to map it out first. But thank you for reading.