Bella scanned the fourth page of the manuscript before her. She'd read that third paragraph three times already, but she couldn't focus. The wood of her desk was not visible beneath the piles of manuscripts, mail, and receipts she'd not been able to get to. Not when she had Edward's card leaning up against the base of her computer screen. When Bella asked how Alice had gotten it and pressed for details, her friend told her it didn't matter.

Now, it was Bella's move.

She'd had about a hundred other things to do since she arrived home, her suitcase still lay closed on her overstuffed loveseat. Shoes had been left cluttered by her unmade bed in her hurry to get out on time, and she didn't even want to think about the dishes in the sink from over 6 weeks ago. And with the sour smell coming from the kitchen trash can—which she'd forgotten to take out beforehand—she was grateful that they'd gone to Knoxville if only for that reason.

She set down the manuscript and picked the card up and held it in her hands as her phone buzzed again. How many times today had she already done this? About 8. About a gazillion texts had flooded her phone, including some from Jacob, which she ignored along with all the others. Bella couldn't bring herself to care about what he had to say. No, not when she had a business card and invitation to call Edward. She even entered his phone number into her contacts list and assigned his name to it. What she hadn't had the courage to do yet was to actually call him. How could she? What would she even say? She wished that Alice had given Edward Bella's phone number instead, but then again, unless Alice had grilled him, she didn't know whether Edward knew she wanted her to call or even text him.

Did you call him?

Bella jumped as Alice's text came through. She sent back a retort. You're supposed to be the one who knows things.

Smart ass. Call him…or text him at the very least. Stop being chicken. Don't make me go over there and hijack your phone.

Bella pursed her lips. Alice and Jasper lived about 25 minutes away, and she wouldn't put it past her.

CALL HIM!

In shouty caps, no less.

She texted back: And what do I say?

I don't know. Tell him you've been thinking about him. Tell him that you want to get together. Tell him that your friend had a vision that the two of you are getting married, so you two might as well get together sooner than later…

She'd typed that so fast. Bella shook her head. It had been so much easier when they were in person. Right there where she could look into his eyes, be encouraged by that perfect smile… Yeah. Not that easy.

What's not easy? Come on, Bella! You can do this. He opened it up for you. Now, it's your turn.

Why didn't you just give him my number?

Because he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. After all this, he doesn't know how you feel about him. Christ, you two are making me crazy!

And then a few seconds later: At least text him, please?

Little had Alice known that Bella was pondering that at that same moment. Some intuitive she turned out to be.

Will you please…just let me do this on my own?

NO. You are taking too long.

But, we only just got home today, and I'm swamped. My mom's been texting me nonstop since after the decision, threatening to come stay with me. My dad keeps telling me to go see him in Washington, and I've got a pile of manuscripts still to go through for work.

No more excuses.

Alice had always known how to see through the crap. Even, when to Bella they all seemed like perfectly good reasons. She was grateful she could use Alice as an excuse—she'd already insisted to her mom that Alice and Jasper were there with her taking care of her. Bella didn't need any last minute surprises. Especially when she knew she'd be just fine on her own.

Fine. I'll do it. I don't know what I'm going to say… but…I will.

Okay. Good. I'm going to keep texting you until you do. YOU KNOW THAT I WILL.

Bella blew out a breath. She didn't bother to tell Alice that she could just block her or turn her phone off. Alice was trying to push Bella into something she didn't know she was ready for. Was Bella ready?

They'd just watched the premiere and she'd gained so many insights into each of their lives. The cameras had captured moments that couldn't be conveyed, feelings that would never have been revealed in words. And now, she wondered with all that she'd been through with Emmett if Edward would still like her enough. For that matter, would she still like Edward, after living through the screen what he'd been through with Rosalie?

What about that kiss?

Looked like it was going to be a number of weeks before she got to learn more about what happened.

A text burst through, and she blinked at the unfamiliar number. Hi, Bella. It's Emmett. Just checking on you. How's it going?

I'm fine. And you?

Trying to wrap my head around everything that happened these past 6 weeks. Still feels surreal.

No kidding!

So…

So…?

Well, have you hit up Edward yet? You two hook up?

What? NO!

Well, why not?

Because, well… I don't know.

Wait. How did Emmett know she was supposed to contact Edward? A moment later, his text revealed her answer.

I overheard Alice talking to Edward at the banquet, and she told him to give her his card. So, you haven't called him yet?

Smirking, Bella was amused by Emmett's eavesdropping. She hoped he harbored no hard feelings towards Edward. No.

Why not?

Because…what if he doesn't like me like that?

Why would you think he wouldn't? He gave her the card with his number. You're being crazy. Call him already.

Emmett was as bad as Alice.

Now, she needed to turn this around. What about you and Rosalie? Are you going to hit her up?

Honestly, I want to, but I'm not sure of the timing just yet. Remember, I just told the experts I wasn't ready for marriage?

You don't have to marry her right now, Emmett. Just reach out to her. I'm sure she's interested.

Have you been on Twitter? If you haven't, then don't. Anyway, I'm just being cool right now, Bella. If I'm going to be seen as the playboy, I need to just let it play out, for her sake. Rosalie has a following, and she doesn't need the stigma that will come with it.

He was being cool. Hmmm okay. Bella didn't have a Twitter account and stayed away from the socials like the producer advised, and she hoped their suspicions of him being portrayed that way were not true. Emmett was such a good man, and she wished America would get to see the soft and fuzzy side she'd gotten to know. Any woman would be lucky to have him.

Alright, Emmett…I'll let you be cool then.

Alright, Bella. Now, I want you to man up and call him. I'm sure he's waiting to hear from you.

Thank you, Emmett. It was already past 9pm in Tennessee. What was he doing texting her right now?

Maybe he was just the motivation she needed. Though a swarm of doubts flooded her mind. What if she and Edward became a couple and were seen together, and then it got back to the show…and then on the after show it would be portrayed that she was the one who was unfaithful…or something?

And stop overthinking. He can't read your mind. Tell him what you want. Just do it.

She chuckled. Yes, Emmett. Thank you. Good night.

He sent a good night emoji to her, and she looked at Edward's business card again. Dr. Edward Masen. MD, specializing in internal medicine. Then it gave the address of the hospital where he worked. She imagined going to that hospital. What would that be like? Her track record of broken bones and sprains would've landed her there anyway if she was in the area long enough.

She was about to text the word Hi when she stopped, second-guessing herself. She grabbed the open bottle of Merlot from the fridge and poured herself a glass. After a couple of gulps, she hobbled to her phone. She took a breath, then hurriedly typed it out and then sent it before she lost her nerve.

Hi, Edward. It's Bella.

Less than twenty seconds later, a reply came back.

Hi, Bella!

Her heart began to pound. Should she have called him? Noooo. She could hardly type. What made her think she could possibly speak to him right now?

She began typing out how are you when a text shot back quickly. How are you? How's that ankle?

Oh. Was he in doctor mode, more concerned about her health and wellness?

It's healing. Still sore. Thanks for asking.

Is it elevated?

Of course it wasn't, but she moved away from her desk and pushed aside the suitcase on the loveseat, causing it to drop onto the floor. Since she'd gotten home, the crutches lay abandoned by the front door beside the hook that held her coat. She'd been limping around without the crutches and carrying her wine glass. She lifted her leg onto the table.

It is now.

Lol. Should I make a housecall to make sure you're taking good care of it?

The thrumming of her heart started to match the breaths that were now coming out from her exhalations. Yes, she wanted to say. Come right now. Get on a plane and I'll send you an UBER.

Haha.

She hit send and then panicked because she couldn't think of what else to say to him. He didn't text back again until she sent him another. She figured she should hurry because what if he either didn't respond…or what if he called her instead?

What I mean is…yeah, too bad you're not closer.

Who says I'm not?

Her heart pounded in her ears. Are you in Arizona?

No. That was just a hypothetical. That's not to say I wouldn't. I haven't returned to work yet.

Omg. Thump thump. Thump thump. Wouldn't that be weird?

Three dots appeared and then disappeared. Then reappeared. Then stopped.

Good job, Bella. You're scaring him off. Her fingers flew across the small letters.

It's just that we don't know each other, really. It's not like we can just pick up where we left off.

Oh, I see. You're right.

More dots appeared, but then disappeared again. Until he finally sent the next text.

I guess the question then is…

She waited for his question, sucking in a breath as she read what followed.

Are you interested in getting to know me better?

A blush crawled its way up from her neck. Oh God yes. Absolutely.

That's good. A relief, actually.

A relief? That was too darn adorable. Her heart began melting.

Good.

Good.

Now what? How in the heck were they supposed to navigate out of this awkward position? She formulated her idea.

How about we continue this way for a while? Maybe we can meet on Zoom when they air the next episodes? And then talk in between?

The dots! They appeared…and disappeared. Oh God, Bella thought. Was he taking this as a rejection? She wanted to see him more than anything, but she didn't want to rush into something that might hurt them both. That kiss between Edward and Rosalie — what did that mean?

We could do that. Sure. Whatever you're comfortable with.

She was most afraid that she built Edward up in her mind. That incredible, amazing night. What if they could never get back to the magic of what they had? Now, they were both tainted by marriages, and God only knew what each other had been through. Their integrity was being aired for the nation to see.

But then there was Alice. Her vision. But she'd been wrong before, hadn't she? They hadn't matched her up with Edward to begin with. Why had she had to marry Emmett? Did that even matter?

Okay, next week they air the weddings. So, you want to Zoom for that?

She really wanted him to be there with her in person but was too chicken for that. Yes. Let's see how that goes.

Okay. Definitely better than nothing.

Hope blossomed in her chest. Definitely better than nothing.

I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you sooner.

You and I both. Or, actually, I think it was just better that way.

I really wanted to.

Me too, Edward. I think it's just best this way for now. Once the show is over, we are free to do whatever we want.

The whole time, she'd convinced herself that once they divorced she was free, but the producer had warned at the premiere that once the show picked up momentum, the more likely she and Edward and the rest of them were to be recognized, which sat with her like a monkey on her shoulders. They were committed to the after show in five weeks, and with the way technology worked, it was very likely that someone could capture her and Edward together. If that got back to the show… whereas afterward, nobody would have anything to say about it. Alice had not been impressed. She told her there was no harm in meeting privately, but Bella was determined her friend was not going to bully her into something she wasn't ready for.

For the following week, they texted back and forth, and her heart fluttered whenever she received his texts.

You ready to watch? He asked, minutes before the show was about to begin, and she had popcorn popping in the microwave, the smell saturating the room. How are you feeling?

So nervous. It's like I'm going through it all again.

Not to worry.

She clicked on the Zoom link five minutes before it was about to begin, already having the show set up on her television screen. But, the show was starting and he hadn't joined her yet.

Edward?

She waited a moment but he didn't respond. Then she texted him again, asking if he was going to join her on Zoom. She was already nervous about seeing him on a screen. But her excitement at seeing him again outweighed it.

The show had begun; they were showing a recap, and she drummed her fingers on the table, waiting. This didn't seem like him. Should she text him again?

A knock at the door stole her attention. Who the heck was that? She hadn't been expecting anyone. Alice knew that Edward was joining her on Zoom.

Bella looked through the peephole and gasped as she saw him. There he was on the other side of her door, reddish tousled hair, broad shoulders, and that smile...

Her cheeks flamed as she fumbled with the doorknob and finally opened the door. "Edward! Omygod! I thought…"

"I know. Forgive me, Bella, for showing up like this."

Alice, holding a paper bag, and Jasper, bottle of wine in hands, appeared behind Edward. "We're all here!" Alice said, pushing her way inside past Bella. "Let's get this party started."

A/N: Hey, aren't you happy we got to this place—at last?! :) A belated thanks to my beta Anakinsrealmom, who's been keeping up better than me! Anyway, I've had a busy past few days and hope to catch up a bit. Thanks, as always for your feedback—I apologize if I haven't responded and will try to catch you the next round, as I always enjoy your feedback and theories. :)