A/N: I love all my readers! Blossom is getting such a huge response! I am very happy. I am soon going to repost 'Kidnapped for Revenge' and 'The Moment Worth Cherishing.' Hopefully I have the time. It is stressful right now, what with exams around the corner and problems at home, but after that big break I took, when I didn't update for a month, I spent time thinking about where the story is going and what will the content in my chapters be. I have taken some time to look at the story again and will keep writing. Honestly, it is hard to even write a thousand words, which is my average word limit per chapter. Please wish me luck, and I would like my followers and readers to check out those stories when they are reposted.

I thank my beta 'Beautiful Romance Queen and my pre-readers MetHimInMyDreams and Twifansam. There was some problem in uploading this document so I had to use the copy-n-paste option. I apologize for any mistakes caused by that.

Disclaimer: 'Twilight' is owned by Stephenie Meyer. No profit is made from this work of fiction. It is solely for the purpose of entertainment. The story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to names, incidences, personalities, locations, etc. Is purely coincidental.

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14: BELLA
Third Person POV

In the little time that Bella and Edward spent together in the dimly lit kitchen, Bella learnt a lot about him. Simple things, like his love for dark chocolate, his favorite piano composition, his favorite movie and book, all made her heart warm. She knew that like Rosalie, even Edward had a troubled past. But she didn't dwell upon it. She realized that even with such pain, Edward had found himself. He had learnt to live with it, embrace it, accept it and even find little things that made him happy.

She didn't know if she could do this, but she had decided to try. After all, the Cullens were doing so much for her, they deserved to see her try. When she voiced this to Edward, his face lit up. He appreciated that she had realized this and was trying.

"I know you don't believe us all yet, but Esme and Carlisle only want to see you happy. I know that you feel like you owe them something, but the only thing you owe them is a smile. They are not bad, no one is. They really want you to be happy. I know how afraid you are, and I can understand. But please, just try. I can help you," he said.

Bella looked down, playing with the hem of her sweater. "I want to get better, you know? I don't want to be disgusted with my own fear. I try very hard not to, but that fear is the same thing that wakes Carlisle and Esme up every night, forcing them to comfort me. I am nothing but a disturbance to them," Bella said, feeling ashamed and sad.

She looked down and tried to hide the tears that had returned. It seemed that now that she had cried, she couldn't stop. She felt like a pregnant woman whose emotions had gone haywire.

"Silly Isabella," Edward said, chuckling lightly. "They did all that because they care for you. They don't want you to suffer. They want you to live here in peace- happily. So they woke up every night when you had nightmares. Do you think they would've bothered if they thought you were a disturbance? They probably would have yelled at you to stop shouting. But they didn't. Doesn't that mean something?" Edward said.

"I-I…guess. But this is so different. Being cared for, or even knowing that someone cares about you…it's a foreign feeling to me. I have never experienced it before."

"I know you haven't, Isabella. I know. But just don't experience it. Feel it completely. Make that moment count. And embrace their love. Or at least try to embrace it," he said. She nodded and looked up at him. He was really handsome. Bella blushed at that thought and ducked her head.

"Tomorrow, we all have decided to spend some time together- watch a movie and eat takeout Chinese. Basically just chill. Do you want to join us? You will have fun," Edward said.

"A-All of…all of you…will be there?" Bella stuttered, suddenly afraid and nervous.

"Hey, its okay if you don't want to come. But you haven't met those guys, I mean really met them, so I just thought that I could invite you to hang out with us," Edward said, his voice not so confident anymore.

"I will come," Bella said hesitantly. She looked up at him for the briefest of moments before getting up. "I…I am going to go now," she said softly, looking at him. Edward nodded at her as they parted ways.

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Bella felt nervous. She didn't know what to wear, what to do, or how to behave at her movie date with all the teenagers in the house. She didn't trust any of them, except Rosalie, and maybe Edward. But she wanted to get better. She wanted to get to know them. Also, though she tried to deny it, she knew that she really wanted to see Edward's face.

Bella chose a pair of dark-washed jeans and a full-sleeved black T-shirt. She paired that with blue flip flops.

As she walked down the stairs, she second-guessed herself. Eventhough Edward had invited her to see a movie with him and his siblings, what if they didn't want her there? She didn't want to be the thrid wheel, or in their case, the fifth.

She took the last hesitant step, reaching the drawing room, where the TV was. She slowly peeked into the room and saw everyone gathered there, talking and laughing. The cheerful atmosphere lifted Bella's spirits a little.

The playful bickering of the siblings gave her the confidence needed to enter the room.

As she stepped inside, everyone stared at her. Emmett and Jasper, whom she hadn't met personally before, looked tall and intimidating. Without letting anyone notice, Bella stepped away from them. Alice and Rosalie had soft smiles on their faces. Bella looked at them and smiled hesitantly.

There was a recliner in one corner of the room. Bella curled up on it, drawing her knees to her chest. Being a little away from the others gave her room to relax and calm her fears. She saw Edward smiling encouragingly at her. She acknowledged it with a blush.

She was relieved to find that no one forced her to talk, or answer or choose the movie. Of course, they tried their best to include Bella in their jokes and laughter, but she wasn't afraid anymore. Just nervous and intimidated. It was the girls' chance to choose a movie, and much to the boys' dissapointment, they chose a romantic comedy- '27 Dresses.' As Edward had promised her, they had a Chinese dinner later. Bella kept her distance from everyone, her guard up, but she smiled politely and even initiated a conversation.

Though they didn't tell her, everyone was proud that she was trying. "She'll come around soon," Carlisle whispered to Esme at dinner.

"I hope so," she replied.

Bella had never experienced the joy that lay in just relaxing, watching a movie and eating Chinese. She was nervous and frightened. But she didn't show it to them. Instead, as Edward said, she embraced the moment. For the better part of the evening, she was left to her own thoughts. She liked watching the movie, spending some quality time with herself and forgetting about the nightmares.

She was exhausted when everyone called it a night. When everyone left, she was the only one there, except for Edward.

"Did you like it?" he asked her.

"Yes, I did," she said.

"That's good. You see? They only want to help you and get to know you better."

"I know, Edward. But…after all that has happened, I still don't feel comfortable around strangers," Bella said.

"I hoe you get better at it. We all really want to know more about you."

"But why? Why do you want to get to know me? After J…his case is sorted out, I will be gone. Why do you want to know about me?" Bella asked, taking a step closer to him.

"Because you are family," he said as he turned to go to his room. He was on the last stair when he heard Bella's soft voice call his name.

"Edward?" she said.

"Yes Isabella?" he asked.

She looked hesitant, as if debating whether or not to tell him now. "Promise me you won't tell this to anyone," she said, trying to sound threatening. He nodded at her words. She looked down, and taking a deep breath, spoke again.

"Call me Bella," she whispered.

A/N: Please let me know whether you like it or not. This cant be exactly called an E/B chapter because there were others present as well, but don't worry, they will get some alone-time. Reviews, wishes, constructive criticism is all welcome. Please let me know how the chapter was, or in general, how the story is progressing.