So this was my submission for the Valentine's Day Countdown I took part in...last year. Don't know how it never got posted, but since it's being posted now, I'll tell you a hilarious story about. I was sitting here thinking about a particular scene in this one shot. I kept thinking...Damn I swear I wrote that, kept scanning through my posted stories wondering where it came from. Couldn't find it so I started going through literally all of my fanfic docs on my computer bc it was driving me crazy. And now here it is. The reason I couldn't remember anything else was because I haven't looked at it in a very long time and its not posted. Crazyballs. Okay enjoy LOL

I don't own Twilight. Rated M for language and light sexual innuendo just to cover my ass. : )

When I was six…he made me cry

"Mommy, Edward doesn't want me to go with him…" I pulled at my dress and glanced over at Edward's house. He lived next door with his parents, and he was six, just like me. I didn't think he liked me very much. Every time I asked him to play he'd stick his tongue out at me or tell me I had cooties. Everyone knows boys are the ones with those yucky things. At least that's what my best friend, Alice, says.

"Now sweetie, Mr. Cullen invited you to go fishing with them. I'm sure Edward is very excited that you're going." She pulled me close and laughed. I scrunched up my nose and looked back over at their house. Edward and his daddy stepped out onto the porch carrying fishing poles and one of those boxes with all the sharp things in them. Edward glared over at me and crossed his arms over his chest just like he always did when I said 'Hi' to him at school.

"Why does he always look like that Mommy?" I tugged at my mom's dress and nodded towards Edward.

"Like what, honey?"

"Like…this." I pretended I was Edward and looked up at her. She laughed and quickly covered her mouth.

She bent down and glanced over at the Cullen's before turning back to me. "You want to know the real truth," she whispered. I nodded. "It's because he likes you."

"That's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard," I said.

She gasped and stood straight up. "Isabella Marie, we do not say that word."

"Daddy says it all the time."

"Well Daddy is in for a time out." She cleared her throat as Mr. Cullen and Edward approached.

"Hello Renee," Mr. Cullen said.

"Carlisle." She nodded and pushed me forward a little. I glanced at Edward and quickly looked away. "Thank you so much for inviting Bella along."

"No problem. I'm happy to take her. I know you and Charlie had plans for the day. It is Valentine's Day."

I played with the hem of my dress while the grown-ups talked. The next thing I knew I was in Mr. Cullen's truck between him and Edward. Mr. Cullen kept trying to talk to me, but Edward just looked out the window and sighed.

"So have you ever been fishing Bella?" Mr. Cullen asked.

"I went with my daddy once but I didn't like the worms. They were too squishy."

"That they are," he laughed. "Don't tell anyone but Edward doesn't like them either."

"Dad!" Edward complained.

Mr. Cullen laughed and kept driving. When we got to the lake he pulled over and parked the truck. It was a long hop down to the ground and I fell forward on my hands and knees, dirtying up my dress.

I brushed myself off and adjusted my tiny backpack on my shoulder before starting after Edward and Mr. Cullen.

"Dad why did she have to come?" Edward snapped.

I cowered back a little and looked down at the ground.

"Edward…" Mr. Cullen scolded. "Be nice."

"Mr. Cullen why aren't you with Mrs. Cullen?" I'd never seen Edward's mommy before, but I thought they'd go do grown up stuff like my parents do. Like stay up late and eat junk food all alone in their room.

Mr. Cullen cleared his throat but didn't answer my question. "This looks like a good spot, huh?" He set down the box and fishing poles.

"Whatever," Edward said. He plopped down and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oh…pretty flowers." I skipped over to a small patch of purple flowers. I felt Edward's eyes watching me as I fingered through the petals, plucking one flower out and twirling it between my fingers.

I turned from side to side, catching small glimpses of Edward and Mr. Cullen. They spoke quietly together while Mr. Cullen played with the fishing poles.

"I forgot something in the car. I'll be right back." Mr. Cullen jogged the short distance to the car and started rummaging around in the back.

I bit down on my lip and took a deep breath. Maybe I should give it to him now. Mommy said that he would love it, so he would…right? She said he liked me. I think I liked him, even though he wasn't very nice to me and tried to trip me at school yesterday.

I grabbed my backpack and set it down in front of me. After I unzipped it I reached inside and pulled out the large, red crinkly heart. I knew I probably spelled 'Valentines' wrong but Mommy said it looked beautiful.

I shuffled over and sat down beside Edward.

"I made this for you." I handed him the heart. "My mommy had to help me cut it out because I'm not allowed to use scissors anymore. I used to have the kid's ones…until I gave my puppy Jake a haircut."

Edward took the heart in his hands and turned towards me. I scrunched my face up and wondered if Edward knew we were going to get married. I mean I gave him my heart. And he always sticks gum in my hair. It made perfect sense.

I tried to think of what mommy and daddy were like when they're together. They're married so I guess if I want to be married to Edward, I should start doing what they do. I smiled and leaned forward, kissing him quickly. On the lips.

"Ew!" Edward shot back. "What are you doing?" He wiped at his mouth and started yelling.

"I kissed you." I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes.

"That's gross." He spit into the grass next to him.

I turned away and started crying into my sweater just as Mr. Cullen returned.

"What's going on here?" His eyes danced between the two of us. "Isabella are you alright?"

"I'm okay Mr. Cullen." I wiped my eyes and turned back towards the lake. The rest of the afternoon I sat and watched them fish. Mr. Cullen let me cast one time out into the water, but it didn't go very far. We didn't catch anything so we packed up and started back.

"Finally," Edward huffed. He waited for me to get into the truck and hopped up after me.

I glared at him the whole way home. Why didn't he understand? He was just a stupid, snotty, jerk face and I decided that I was mad at him. This was our first fight as a couple and I didn't know how dramatic I was supposed to be. There's always crying and kicking on those shows Mommy watches.

By the time we got home my leg, was bouncing all over the place. I wanted to get out of this truck. Mr. Cullen hummed the whole way home to break the awkward silence but it only made it worse. And plus he wasn't that great of a singer.

"Edward will you walk Isabella over to her house please?" Mr. Cullen asked. Edward and I both started to protest, but Mr. Cullen insisted.

Edward shoved his hands into his pockets as we shuffled across the small patch of grass that separated our two houses.

"You good?" he asked as we arrived at my steps. When I didn't say anything he started walking away.

"No Edward. No I'm not good." I shook my head and tried to make my angry face. "One day you're gonna want to kiss me, and maybe next time I won't let you." I stomped my foot and paraded into my house, slamming the door roughly behind me.

I was already crying by the time I made it to my room. Mommy of course came rushing in asking me what was wrong. When I told her what happened she promised me we'd go out for ice cream later and that made me feel a little better. That Superman really knew what he was doing when he made his ice cream.

When I was fourteen…he got me suspended

My mother finally told me what happened with Edward's mom when I was old enough to understand. She was killed in a car accident when Edward was two. Mr. Cullen moved in next door a year after it happened and raised Edward on his own since then. It was a little shocking to me considering how nice Mr. Cullen was. He always waved to me on his way out to get the paper in the morning. Not Edward. He just stared at me every now and then like I was the latest freak show driving through town.

It got worse once we hit middle school. Edward started hanging around with these guys that were complete jerks and ignoring me more than usual, which I thought was impossible. It was like I didn't even exist to him. My mom always said it was just boys being boys, but I started to wonder if having a penis gave you a license to be a complete butthead.

My mom had sat me down and gave me the sex talk before the other girls at school ever started talking about it. She said there was nothing wrong with being socially conscious, but I had to wonder about the affect of her using my Barbie dolls to explain things was going to have on me. I ended up breaking Ken in two and throwing his lower half away because I was terrified of what he was doing to Barbie. It sounded terrible.

On Valentine's Day, I packed up my backpack and bounded down the steps so my dad could take me to school. I slipped into my sneakers and tucked my long brown hair behind my ear as I waited. I glanced in the mirror and felt an instant wave of disappointment. I was always left wondering if this was as good as it was going to get. Mom says its just an awkward phase that everyone goes through, but I've felt awkward my entire life. Is my entire life just a phase?

I didn't have the glowing skin that all the girls around me had and I definitely didn't have the boobs yet. The only thing that decided to rear its ugly head was Aunt Flo for the first time last month.

"Hey B," my dad said. He sipped on his coffee and twirled his keys on his finger. "You ready?"

"Yeah." I shrugged as we headed outside. I slipped halfway down the steps and landed on my butt on the cold, wet concrete of our sidewalk.

"Whoa Bells did you oil up the stairs again?" my dad joked as he helped me up. I rolled my eyes at him and brushed myself off before hopping into his truck. I was pretty sure this piece of crap was going to be mine once I got my license. It didn't really help my image much that I rolled into school in a chipped red rust bucket.

"Have a good day at work Dad." I smiled and waved as I slammed the door and started towards the building.

I hated the hallways. They were always the worst. There were always people running into you, stepping on your shoes, and spilling your books everywhere. Besides that, it was like a parade of cliques. You had the goth kids, the nerds, the smarties, the outcasts and the jocks. Alice and I were in our own subgroup of outcasts along with her boyfriend Jasper. I use the word boyfriend lightly. They've been "going out for two weeks" and have already said 'I love you.' I'm sure in another two weeks they'll have a dramatic adult break up out in the courtyard just like everyone else does.

I kept my eyes on the floor as I walked quickly towards my locker until I heard his voice. Despite the fact that he was mean to me I still had a crush on Edward. The sound of his voice made my stomach do somersaults and I swore I felt my heart beating out of my chest. I chanced a look up at him and saw him standing with his friends around his locker. His best friend Emmett was munching on a stick of beef jerky and talking about some new video game.

"What's this Cullen?" Emmett reached for something in his locker and pulled out a crinkly red heart. I nearly passed out when I saw the scribbled handwriting on it.

"Oh crap..." I whispered.

"To Edward, Happy Valentine's Day From Bella. Aw that's adorable Cullen." Emmett threw the heart back in the locker and started laughing. My face felt hot, almost on fire. I felt like everyone was looking at me. Almost like in those movies where time completely stops. Edward's face was turning red in embarrassment as Emmett and his group of friends started teasing me.

"Edward and Bella sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…." They sang.

I glanced at Edward and wondered why he wasn't saying anything to them. Why wasn't he defending me? Why wasn't he defending himself? And most importantly, why did he still have my Valentine?

The whole hallway had joined in on Emmett's little song and I felt myself shrinking with each passing second.

"Edward?" my voice squeaked. I knew we weren't even close to being considered friends but I didn't think he was cruel…and this was cruel.

His eyes met mine and for the slightest moment they softened before he cleared his throat. "She's completely obsessed with me. I can't help it. She must have slipped it into my locker when I wasn't looking." He joined in on their laughter and ran his fingers through his hair. He closed his locker and they started down the hall, looking back at me and laughing every few steps.

I felt the tears welling behind my eyes as my fists balled up at my sides. I was mad. I was beyond mad. I was angry. How could he do that?

Before I knew it I dropped my books and started barreling down the hallway towards him. He turned towards me a moment before I tackled him to the ground.

The group backed away from us as we started rolling around on the floor. Edward brought his arms up to shield his face as I started punching away at him. I knew I couldn't be hurting him that badly but it sure felt good.

"You're such an asshole!" I screamed.

"Fight, fight, fight!" The students had gathered around and were egging us on. Well just me on. Edward was just sitting there and taking it. The most he tried to do was restrain my arms so I would stop hitting him.

As the principal pulled me off him I noticed I got him good once on the cheek. Hopefully it would leave a good enough bruise to get him teased for the next week or so. He just got the crap kicked out of him by a girl and he's the captain of the football team. These vultures will eat that up.

A half hour later I was parked in a chair in the principal's office still pissed off as ever. I crossed my arms in front of my face as he talked with my parents. My father glanced back at me and glared. This had to be embarrassing for him. He was the chief of police and he had to get called in because his daughter got caught fighting in school.

"I have no choice but to give her a 3 day suspension," the principal said. "She's never been in trouble before and I'll allow her to make up her homework that she'll miss. I trust this won't happen again." He narrowed his eyes at me and I rolled my eyes and nodded.

Edward Cullen was the devil. Pure and simple. And I hated him.

When I was seventeen…he asked me to dance

"Mom, for the fiftieth time, I'm not going…" I slammed my book shut and glanced at my doorway.

"Honey it's your senior year and you haven't gone to the Valentine's Day dance once. Don't you want to see who gets crowned King and Queen of Hearts?"

"I don't think it'll be that much of a surprise." It was pretty much guaranteed the quarterback of the football team and the head cheerleader won. Which meant Edward and his bitch of a girlfriend Tanya practically had it in the bag. It wasn't rocket science.

"Please Bella…for me." My mom held up the dress she'd bought for me last week and pouted her lip out. "Aren't Alice and Jasper going? You can just tag a long with them."

"Just what I've always wanted, the opportunity to be a third wheel on the most romantic day of the year!" I said sarcastically.

"Bella…" she pleaded again.

I sighed and glared at her. "Fine! I'll go for one hour if it will make you happy."

She squealed and started going on about how I should do my hair. I was fairly sure by agreeing to do this I'd just sold my soul to Satan.

After some pleading on my own part, my mom allowed me to get ready alone. I put my contacts in and swiped some of the makeup that I never used over my eyes. My hair fell in soft waves down my back. It wasn't that I didn't know how to do all this girly stuff. I just didn't care to do it. I didn't have anyone to impress in that school and in a few months I was going to be out of there forever.

My fingers grazed over the deep blue fabric of the dress as it hung on the back of my door. It really was a beautiful dress. It was cut fairly low in the front and back, elegant not trashy. I shed my shirt and pants before pulling it over my head and adjusting it over my body.

As I stepped in front of the mirror I did a double take, especially appreciating the affect this dress had on my boobs in the way that it actually gave me some. Alice was going to freak.

"Honey are you ready? I want to take some pictures." My mom peeked her head in and smiled. "You look beautiful…just beautiful." She snapped a picture when I wasn't ready. I'm sure that one will be a winner.

After she got a few more pictures, I climbed into my truck and started towards the school. Even though my mom suggested I go with Alice and Jasper I refused to intrude on them. I'm sure I'd see them there anyway.

I pulled into the parking lot a half hour late and had to park way in the back. I shivered as I attempted to run in high heels across the ice and snow. I was secretly proud of myself for not falling on my ass.

I bought my ticket at the door and rolled my eyes as soon as I heard the thumping of the music from the gym.

"Bella?" Alice screamed. I heard the little pitter patter of her heels as she ran down the hallway. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? You look gorgeous! Did you come with a date?"

"No…just me."

"Well once everyone takes a look at you I'm sure you won't be leaving alone." She winked and nudged my elbow as Jasper approached.

"Bella, you look lovely." He smiled and nodded. I never really thought they would last but he was genuinely a good guy and he treated Alice well. They were so adorable it almost made me want to vomit rainbows and puppies. "We're next for pictures sweetheart." He kissed Alice on the cheek and started leading her away.

"I'll catch up with you later…" I said, nodding for her to go.

I took a deep breath and took the last few steps to the gym. It was an explosion of pink and red hearts. There was an archway, cut outs on the walls, cut outs hanging from the ceiling, lights in the shapes of hearts…everything.

I noticed that I'd apparently missed the crowning of the King and Queen of Hearts, but my prediction had proved correct. Edward and Tanya were swaying slowly to a spotlight dance in the middle of the room adorned with cheap crowns. I scolded myself for feeling jealous of her. I hated Edward. Or I pretended to at least. I pushed back that crush I'd had on him all these years and told myself I'd get over it. But I never did. Even after he told me I had cooties and got me in trouble all those years ago. I swore I hated him but it was all a lie. I was a complete joke.

I pushed my way through the crowds of people and towards the refreshments table. I grabbed a cup of punch and sipped it as I watched the scene unfold before me. Edward and Tanya's spotlight dance ended and was promptly followed by the newest top 40 hit. Everyone paired off and started grinding on the dance floor as I watched in amusement. Tanya broke away from Edward and started taking kissy-face pictures with all of her friends in the corner. He completely disappeared.

A couple of songs later they started another slow one. I felt someone step up beside me. He smelled like vomit and body odor.

"What's your name?" He asked.

I turned in disgust towards Emmett and glared at him. "I've had classes with you since 1st grade Emmett."

"Little Bella Swan huh?" He leaned closer and I smelled the alcohol on his breath. He was drunk as all hell. He burped in my face and I took a step away. "So do you want to…"

"No." I turned away from him and watched the dancefloor again.

"Well…fine."

I sighed in relief when he left. I'm pretty sure he was going to ask me to dance but that wasn't happening. I could just see him puking down my dress and making me the laughing stock of the school…again.

"That was quite the brush off…" I shivered when I heard Edward's voice behind me and I tried to convince myself that he wasn't talking to me. Hell he probably didn't even recognize me. "Bella…"

"You're about to experience another one Edward." I turned to face him and was surprised to find him so close. He'd taken off his crown and loosened his tie around his neck. He smiled sadly and nodded his head as he walked away.

I backed up into the corner and bit on my lip as I watched him dancing with Tanya again. He kept stealing glances at me and he almost looked sad. Why? Why did he even bother talking to me? He had his perfect Barbie doll girlfriend. Why was he wasting his time with me? I didn't understand any of it and it didn't do me any favors. I was counting down the days until graduation. I was hoping that some distance would help me get over him. It had to be over. I couldn't feel like this anymore. As much as I hated to admit that it hurt me, it did. It was like I was one of those pathetic girls on the soap operas who pined after a guy she would never have.

"I can't do this…" I turned and started out of the gym just as another slow song started. I should have known this was going to be a sap fest.

"Going somewhere?" Someone grabbed my arm and I jumped at the shock that shot through my veins.

"I'm leaving." I fought back the tears and tried to pull away from Edward's grip.

"Please don't leave."

"Why?"

"Because I want to dance with you."

I spun back towards him and shook my head. "Who the hell do you think you are? Is this another trick to make fun of one of the little people King Cullen?"

"No," he mumbled. "I just want to dance with you. Will you dance with me Bella? I promise you can leave after and I won't bother you." He released my arm and held up his hands defensively before offering one out to me.

I eyed him suspiciously for a moment before my hand reached out and took his. He smiled a little and led me out onto the dance floor. I felt like everyone's eyes were on me again. Except this time they were in complete shock.

Edward twirled me around and pulled me close, securing his arm around my waist. He smelled divine. Almost like a fresh forest rain. I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

"Everyone's staring…" I whispered.

"Since when do you care what everyone thinks about you?" He laughed.

"I don't. You do. Aren't I ruining your reputation?" He pulled me closer and grazed his nose across the top of my head.

I felt wanted. I felt like he wanted me even though I knew it was all an illusion. I was making it more than it was. This was just a dance, nothing more. It didn't matter that my skin was on fire in every place he touched me or that my heart was beating in anticipation of his next move.

His thumb started tracing small circles on my lower back, slowly around and around across my skin. He nuzzled deeper into my hair and laced his fingers through mine as we swayed to the music.

My entire being was drawn to him and I didn't understand the betrayal. This was wrong. I was just setting myself up for a disappointment that I couldn't handle.

I pulled away slightly and looked up at him, ready to tell him off. I couldn't. As soon as I saw his emerald eyes staring back at mine I was lost to him. Totally and completely lost.

He smiled and glanced down at my lips, almost like guys always do right before they want to kiss you. His tongue peeked out and licked his lips before he slowly inched towards me.

"Edward," I breathed.

"Edward!" Tanya shrieked. I instantly jumped back and put some distance between Edward and I. "What the hell are you doing…with her?" She nodded towards me and scowled.

"Tanya…" he started.

"No! No she's nothing! You. Have. Me. Do you understand that? That piece of trash isn't worth a shit! You belong to me Edward." She glared at me and I cowered back.

"I…have to go." My eyes danced back and forth between them before I whipped around and started running out of the gym. I kicked off my shoes halfway across the parking lot and was able to hold in the tears as I drove home. I was a glutton for embarrassment in this damn school with that stupid boy.

I stomped past my parents who were watching the news in the living room and went right upstairs to my room. I cleaned off my face and slipped out of my dress, opting for my usual comfy sweats instead.

I dicked around on my computer for a little bit, just wanting to keep my mind off things. I ignored a few calls from Alice and told myself I'd call her back tomorrow. I'm sure she knew everything anyway. Gossip spread like wildfire on the hottest day of the year.

I unconsciously found myself looking out my window and across the yard to his waiting for him to come home. His light eventually turned on and I saw him walk into his room. He loosened his tie a little more and pulled it over his head before he started unbuttoning his shirt. As he reached the last button his eyes flitted over to my window. I didn't look away. He didn't look away. We just stared at each other for a few moments before he reached for something on his desk. He scribbled something on the pad of paper and held it up to the window.

I'm sorry.

I slowly grabbed my own notebook and a marker.

For what?

He tore the page out and wrote another.

Everything.

I didn't know what that meant. For tonight? For the last couple years? For every asshole things he'd ever done to me? I sighed and flipped off my light, leaving him alone in his window.

I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over my head, wishing that sleep would take me away from all this. Less than ten minutes later I heard something outside my window. I was convinced I was about to become a victim of a notorious serial killer because I watched way too many crime shows. Our house was the perfect target. It was inconspicuous. Plus we had a false sense of security because my dad was a cop. I was as good as dead.

I crept out of bed and grabbed my baseball bat that had never been used from the corner. As I inched towards the window there was a commotion outside and I jumped. I reached forward and counted to three before whipping open the window and preparing to swing.

"Whoa!" Edward said.

"What the hell are you doing? I almost killed you." I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my weapon.

"I needed to talk to you. Can I come in?"

I stepped aside and crossed my arms in front of my chest, suddenly a little self conscious at the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra. "Talk." I tapped my foot.

"I'm sorry about Tanya. She's a bitch and I broke up with her."

"Okay. Is that all?"

"And you looked really beautiful tonight…"

"Okay." I cocked my eyebrow and waited for him to finish.

"And…" He took a step towards me and started stumbling over his words. "Remember….remember when we were five and you tried to kiss me?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"You told me that one day I was going to want to kiss you." He inched closer. "I want to kiss you."

I stood frozen as he reached for my face, caressing his hand down my jaw until it rested in the crook of my neck.

"Well I don't know if I want you to," I whispered. That was a lie. But this didn't take away everything else he'd done. "Why are you doing this now? What about before?"

"When I was a little kid who genuinely thought girls had cooties? Like really."

"And before I kicked the shit out of you?"

"I panicked and I was an asshole. I took months of teasing for that if it makes you feel any better."

"What were you doing with my Valentine in your locker?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Bella, you gave me your heart when you were six years old. And I've been trying for years just to give mine back to you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the same crinkled heart I'd given him twelve years ago. I read my writing as he handed it to me and noticed some lines of marker seeping through from the back. I flipped it over and felt the tears creep into my eyes.

Bella,

I never wanted to admit it but I've been in love with you since that day at the lake. Happy Valentine's Day.

Edward

"You don't…" I shook my head as the tears started falling down my cheeks. "You can't love me Edward, you've lived next door to me for practically my whole life and you still know nothing about me."

"I know that you like ranch dressing on your pizza. And your favorite pair of shoes is a dirty old pair of sneakers. And I know…" He brushed his fingers over my neck. "That the little freckle on the back of your neck is sexy as hell. My favorite expression of yours is when something genuinely surprises you. You cut your sandwich into three parts before you eat them. And you have no idea how beautiful you are."

Well shit. That about covered it. "You can kiss me now," I whispered.

He leaned forward and pressed his soft lips against mine. I reached forward and lightly grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer to me. His hands rested on my hips as he slowly backed us up towards my bed. As soon as my knees hit I collapsed back and pulled him with me.

"You have no idea how long I wanted this. I'm so sorry I was such an asshole," he mumbled against my lips.

"Just kiss me Edward." I reached up and pushed his dress shirt off his shoulders. He smiled and placed soft kisses down my jaw before nipping and sucking on my neck. His tongue swiped gently across my freckle and I moaned softly at the feeling of him.

I thought I was dreaming. Or maybe a serial killer really did come in here and do me in because this couldn't be real. Edward was in my room, kissing me like he loved me. He loved me. Every look, every word he ever said to me before was a lie. It was wrong.

His hand grazed up, pulling my shirt up slightly as he made his way to my breast. I arched my body into him as he massaged my skin through the thin fabric of my shirt. He smirked, staring up at me from my stomach. He dipped his tongue across my skin and continued working his way north, pulling my shirt up along with him. As soon as his lips reached my bra, I held my breath in anticipation. He was going to see my boobs. No boy had ever seen my boobs before. What if they were weird? God I wanted his mouth on them.

"Bella I don't want to mess this up…" he sighed. He shook his head and kissed me quickly.

"You won't."

"Maybe I should go."

I froze and allowed my hands to drop from his hair. "Oh." My heart completely sank. "Okay."

He slowly sat up and crawled off the bed, pulling his shirt on along the way.

"Edward…" I shot up and ran my fingers through my hair. Maybe he was lying now. Maybe he was realizing this was all a mistake. Maybe I was nothing to him and he just wanted an easy out. "Don't you want to stay here a little while….with me?"

"Do you want me to? I didn't think…I wasn't sure…"

"I want you to." I swallowed hard and waited for his response. I hadn't been this forward with him since I had bows in my hair and baby teeth. "I want you to stay."

"I want to stay."

I smiled and pulled back the covers for him. He shrugged out of his shirt again and hung it on the back of my chair before crawling into bed with me. I was a little surprised when he pulled me close to him and started rubbing my back. Once I told my mind to shut off and just enjoy it, I fell asleep right away. I expected to wake up to an empty bed. I was wrong again.

"Good morning," he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Good morning." I was a little self conscious about how I looked in the morning. I was almost waiting for him to run away screaming.

"Okay I really have to go now." He hopped up and started towards the window. "Can I drive you to school?"

"Are you sure you want to be seen with me? I mean I fly my freak flag pretty high these days."

"I'll pick you up at 7:30." He smiled once more before disappearing out the window.

I eventually rolled out of bed and showered. I debated putting my contacts in, but went with my glasses instead. I pulled on my dad's flannel shirt and brushed my teeth before running down the stairs at 7:25. I think despite everything that happened last night I expected him not to show. Maybe all of his friends were just sitting inside his house waiting to see the look on my face when he drove off without me.

I held my breath as his front door opened and he stepped outside…in a Star Wars tee shirt and thick-rimmed glasses.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself. I took a tentative step outside and waited for him to cross the yard.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah…" I said slowly. I'm sure I probably looked like an idiot the way I was looking at him, but it was just too weird. This wasn't him. He was the jock. The football player. The guy who wore Polos and aviator sunglasses.

We jumped into his Volvo and sped towards the school. I stared at him the whole way, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I felt like I was in the fricking Twilight Zone.

He pulled into the parking lot and quickly found a spot before turning off his car. He jumped out and walked around to open my door for me.

"You coming?" he asked. I shook my head. He moved closer to me, positioning himself between my legs. "What's going on?"

"I think I could ask you the same question." I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms.

"What do you mean?"

"What's with all this? This isn't you."

"It is me, Bella. I'm tired of hiding it. You say you're flying your freak flag. I just want to fly mine with yours."

"You really like Star Wars?" I asked.

"Waited in line for three hours when they re-released the originals."

"And you really need glasses?" I reached up and took his glasses off his face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Twelve," he joked. "I'm blind as a fucking bat. Can we go inside now?" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. "Bella, can we go inside now?"

"Yes." He took my hand and pulled me from his car. There were gasps and whispers as we walked past a few groups of students. I couldn't tell if it was because they were seeing Edward like that or just the simple fact that his fingers were laced through mine.

Tanya watched us closely as Edward dropped me off at my first class.

"She's lucky I don't carry a lightsaber in my pants," I mumbled, glaring at her over Edward's shoulder.

"That's funny because I have a big…huge lightsaber in my pants."

I rolled my eyes at him and started into my class.

"Hey I have weight training after school but can I take you out to dinner tonight?" He asked.

"Yes you can."

He smiled and started down the hallway. I watched as he walked right up to his regular group of friends. I expected them to tease him or mock him, but they didn't. They sure seemed a little shocked at first, but Emmett was the first one to pat him on the back. It made me think that maybe deep down people weren't as evil as they seemed. This school made people that way. It molded and formed us into this totally unnecessary hierarchy full of name calling and lies and drama.

I ducked into my class and sat down to pull out all my notes. As I opened my folder I spotted our Valentine and smiled. He must have slipped it in there when I wasn't looking. I wanted to say this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, but that would be a lie. This thing that's been going on with us is way past its beginning. And I had a feeling it was a long way from ending. The rest is history.

When I was eighteen, we went off to college together. He majored in biology and lived in the dorm beside mine. At twenty-two, we backpacked through Europe before we started our real world jobs. It took all the money we'd saved up working shit jobs all through college. And when I was twenty-four, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes.