Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Author's Note: I am so sorry this took me a million years to get out. I blame the holidays and a bad spout of writer's block. I hope you're all still with me! 3

Also, these are overlapping POV's because I wanted to show how both Edward and Bella were feeling. Sorry for the redundancy!

BELLA

When I was younger, Jacob once dragged me to this stupid haunted house called "Castle of Darkness." It was the most unusual haunted house I had ever been to – no ghosts, no goblins, no men with chainsaws. Suddenly, though, you were routed through this tight rubber opening, nothing but pitch black on the other side. Your eyes never adjusted to the darkness, and you had to feel your way through the next series of rooms. The most unsettling thing about it, though, was the track that was playing obscenely loudly over the speakers: just the sound of a beating heart. It was so unnerving – being completely unaware of your surroundings while the thumping pulsed in your ears – that it had stuck with me for years.

That's exactly how I felt at that moment, my boyfriend and Edward both staring at me, waiting for an explanation that I didn't have. I was afraid. Afraid that Jacob would hit Edward; afraid that Edward would leave once again without a trace; afraid that Jacob would leave me…

Standing there between the two of them, I felt so conflicted. I couldn't lose Jake. He was my oldest friend, and all I had in Chicago. Life with Jacob was all I knew. On the other hand, I barely knew Edward but I knew I didn't want to lose him, either. He made me feel so alive. He had told me he wanted to share his life with me, and I found myself wanting that, too. There was so much I didn't know about Edward, but I yearned to know everything.

"Do you feel it, too?" he had asked. I'd admitted that I did, but he had no idea how much. When he was leaning in to kiss me, his green eyes so full of emotion, I truly felt as though I could spontaneously combust. I was weak, my stomach was in knots, my heart was pounding… no kiss had ever affected me that way, let alone an almost-kiss!

As the tears streamed down my face, reality set in. I couldn't have my cake and eat it, too. Without Jake, I couldn't remain in Chicago. There was no way I could afford to live on my own, to support myself. If Jake left me, I would have to stay with one of my parents and leave the city completely. With no Jacob, there was no Chicago. If there was no Chicago, there was no Edward. I was damned if I did, damned if I didn't.

"It's not what it looks like," I finally choked out. "We were just talking."

"Talking?!" Jacob spat back. "I don't know if I would call that talking."

"I can assure you that nothing happened," Edward interjected, his eyes fixed on mine. "She was just cold. I was trying to warm her up. What you saw was completely harmless."

I gaped at Edward, not quite believing that he was helping me lie to my boyfriend. He should have completely thrown me under the bus; I deserved it. I lied to him (by omission, I suppose, but it didn't make me feel any better about it) and I was going to let him kiss me despite being with Jacob. I was an awful person and deserved to have everything ripped out from under me. But as I looked into Edward's eyes, I didn't see anger, and I definitely didn't see hostility. I saw hurt, I saw confusion; that was a million times worse.

Edward finally lost our staring contest, stepping toward Jacob. "I'm Edward," he said, extending his hand. "Bella was just telling me all about you." I cringed as he lied to Jacob. He was a good liar, very convincing.

Jacob glared at him, not accepting his handshake. "I would appreciate if you didn't get so fucking close to my girlfriend," he sneered. He was drunk, making him ten times more obnoxious than usual.

"Edward!" a voice shrieked out from behind Jacob. I craned my neck and saw an inebriated Tanya stumbling out toward us, having trouble walking in her heels. I racked my brain, trying to figure out how Tanya would know who Edward was. "Edward!" she yelled again. "I've come to collect my midnight kiss! You promised!"

My jaw dropped, but I hurriedly tried to cover that fact up. Edward was at the party with Tanya. Of course Tanya is his date. Look at him, he's gorgeous. Why wouldn't he have the girl that everyone was drooling over on his arm?

"Tanya," he said quietly, "it's not really the best time for this."

"Why?" she slurred back. "Because you were too busy making out with Bella?"

"Nothing happened," he muttered, gritting his teeth. "How many times do I have to say that?"

"I know," she giggled. "I was just teasing you. I mean, you wouldn't even dance with me; why would you be out here making out with her?" Ouch. Drunken Tanya was a heinous bitch, apparently.

She turned her attention to Jacob. "Trust me; he wasn't putting the moves on her."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt my face get hotter. I wanted to scream at her that he was trying to put the moves on me, that I had a connection to him that she couldn't even begin to comprehend, but I couldn't. She was trying to make me feel inadequate, and I had to stand there and take her insults.

"Now where's that kiss?" she purred, turning back to Edward. I felt my chest tighten as she pressed her body to Edward's. "You promised me."

I turned away from them, quickly heading toward the door. I couldn't stand out there and watch Edward kiss Tanya. That was supposed to be my kiss. Before I could make it to the doorway, though, Jacob grabbed my arm. "You fucking swear nothing was going on out here?" he spat, his face inches away from mine. "Because I'm not afraid to beat Pretty Boy's ass over there."

"I swear," I whispered as the tears threatened to spill over. Jacob was gripping my arm a bit too tightly, adding to my anxiety. I hated when he got this drunk; he was twice my size and the alcohol made him more rough than usual.

"Then what are you crying for," he demanded, shaking my arm a bit.

"Because you're hurting me, Jacob," I whispered, trying to pry his hand off of my arm.

Rather than loosen his grip on my arm, he pulled me closer to him. He brought his free hand to the back of my head, crushing his lips into mine. He kissed me hard, almost violently. There was no love, no passion behind it. It was painfully obvious that he was kissing me to prove a point, to make sure Edward could see. As I stood there, shaking and crying as his lips were on mine, all I could think of was whether or not Edward and Tanya were doing the same thing, if they were enjoying it.

When Jacob released me from his death grip, I wordlessly headed for the door again. I tried to regain my composure, but it was futile. I couldn't stop the tears, the trembling, the feeling that my world was crashing down around me. I wanted to sneak another look back at Edward, but I couldn't muster up the energy to even turn my head. It was fine, though, I told myself, as I didn't want the last image of him to be of him kissing Tanya.

I quickly made my way through the house and up the stairs, trying to find the location of my jacket. I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. I wanted to go home and cry myself to sleep and forget that any of the night's events had happened.

I finally found the jackets on a bed in one of the guest bedrooms. I was digging through the pile of coats when a black leather jacket caught my eye. My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Edward's. "Top Gun," I whispered to myself, slightly smiling through my tears.

Suddenly getting an idea, I dug through my purse, looking for a little notepad I kept with me. Against my better judgment, I scrawled a quick note and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

Before I could change my mind, I hurriedly grabbed my coat, as well as Jacob's, and bounded down the stairs. It was going to be a long ride home.

EDWARD

As I stood there, my mind reeling, I became angry. I wasn't angry at Bella, though, oddly enough. I didn't really have any reason to be mad at her. She had no commitment to me. She was an amazing girl – of course she would be taken. I was angry, though, about the fact that her boyfriend was in fact the same guy who had stated that his girlfriend was "nothing compared to that" while ogling Tanya. Bella could run circles around that bimbo.

Ignoring my urge to punch him in the face, I assured her boyfriend that we were simply talking. I made it a point to keep my eyes locked on Bella, though, because I knew that would help me keep my temper in check.

As I looked at her, my heart felt like it was being twisted inside of my chest. She looked so lost, so upset; I just wanted to run to her and hold her and tell her that everything was fine. I wanted to sweep her up into my arms and run away with her and give her everything she needed. I wanted her to be mine. I knew I had to leave that choice to her, though. If she wanted me, it was up to her to tell her boyfriend.

Finally feeling calm enough to look at the bastard, I stepped toward him, offering my hand in a truce. He opted to snub me, though, spitting veiled, drunken threats my way.

I opened my mouth to try the whole truce thing again, but I was cut off by Tanya. She yelled my name, sloppily traipsing her way to me.

I snuck a glance at Bella, worried about how she would receive the fact that Tanya was my date. Why should I even care? She's here with her boyfriend; why wouldn't I be here with a date?

I did care, though. As pathetic as it was, I wanted Bella to know that I was here for her if she needed me, if she wanted me.

"Tanya," I whispered, "it's not really the best time for this."

"Why? Because you were too busy making out with Bella?"

"Nothing happened," I reiterated, annoyed. "How many times do I have to say that?"

"I know! I was just teasing you. I mean, you wouldn't even dance with me; why would you be out here making out with her?"

Because she's prettier than you, even without seventeen pounds of makeup. Because she's capable of holding an intelligent conversation. Because she's smart, clever, funny, kind…

She looked at Jacob. "Trust me; he wasn't putting the moves on her."

It was all I could do to keep from telling Tanya how I really felt. I knew she was drunk, but she was intentionally trying to hurt Bella. I bit my tongue, though, so as not to blow Bella's cover. I couldn't believe her boyfriend wasn't interjecting, though.

"Now where's that kiss?" Tanya slurred, pressing herself up against me. "You promised me."

I hesitated, looking over at Bella, who was now heading for the door. I truly had no desire to kiss Tanya, especially after she attacked Bella. Before I could answer, though, Tanya's mouth was on mine. Her lips felt gritty, most likely a result of the gobs of glittery lipstick she had piled on.

I kept my lips closed and my eyes open as Tanya kissed me, watching Bella intently, praying that she wouldn't look back and see this. Before she had a chance to make it through the door, though, I saw her boyfriend grab her arm roughly.

My body stiffened as I pushed Tanya away gently. I didn't like how he was touching Bella.

Tanya sighed, exasperated. "What's your deal?" she sighed, turning around to observe Bella and Jacob as well. "You know, they've been together for, like, ever. They're practically married. I wouldn't waste your time."

"Tanya," I said, trying to remain calm. "This really doesn't concern you." I held my breath as my eyes remained fixed on Bella. When Jacob shook her arm, I reacted reflexively, taking a step toward them, ready to put myself in the middle.

I stopped short, though, as he kissed her. I stood there, staring at them, feeling as if I had been punched in the gut. It was literally painful for me to watch. If I were a more sadistic man, I would have taken solace in the fact that Bella did not seem to be enjoying it, but I couldn't. Bella deserved to be kissed with passion, with love, and, at the very least, with respect.

When Jacob finally let her go, she ran to the door without so much as a look back at me. He turned toward me, a disgusting smirk on his face. "Stay the fuck away from her, pretty boy," he sneered one last time before heading back inside.

I flopped down on the ground below me. "Edward," Tanya slurred, reminding me of her presence in the first place, "forget about her." She placed her hand on my shoulder in what I assume was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"Please just go inside and leave me alone," I said, trying to control the volume of my voice. I still had to ride home with her, so I had to remain as civil as possible. "I just need to be alone right now."

Tanya huffed at my request, but she turned on her heel and headed inside. Before she opened the door, though, she made it a point to let me know exactly what I was missing out on. Cringing, I acknowledged her declaration with a wave of my hand.

When I was finally alone again, I rested my head in my hands, reflecting on the night's events. What a shitty fucking night. I had finally found the girl who had been haunting my dreams for months, and she was unavailable to me in every sense of the word. We would never be what I wanted us to be. Hell, we could never even be friends so long as she was dating Jacob.

My eyes narrowed as I thought about Jacob. I couldn't comprehend why Bella would want to be with someone like him. He had insulted her, hurt her, and belittled her and that was all in the ten minutes that I had known him! I had a fleeting urge to run in after them and save her from him, but she obviously didn't want to be saved. She'd had her chance. It's an absurd concept considering that I had known her for such a short period of time, but I would've taken her home with me that night if she wanted. All she had to do was say the word.

She hadn't, though. Instead, she opted to go home with vile Jacob, walking out of my life for good this time.

With a resigned sigh, I picked myself up from off of the ground, dusted myself off, and headed back into the party, ready to forget about Bella and, after three months of obsessing, finally move on with my life.

The ride home was excruciatingly awkward. I was elected to drive the stupid Hummer as my super awesome night had proven to be rather sobering. Emmett and Rosalie were drunkenly bickering about ridiculous things while Tanya shot venomous glares my way the entire time.

When I pulled up to my building, I practically leapt out of the car, eager to escape. As I passed Rosalie, who was on her way to the driver's seat, she gave me an icy glare, declaring, "We will talk about this." I rolled my eyes and yelled my goodbye before bolting to the door.

As I pulled my keys out of my jacket pocket, a folded-up piece of paper fell to the floor, landing beside my foot. I reached for it, wondering how Tanya had managed to slip her phone number in there without me noticing. When I opened it up, though, my heart leapt into my throat.

Top Gun,

That wasn't quite the reunion that I had planned out in my head. Meet me at our bar tomorrow, 9:00. Let me explain.

Please don't hate me,
Bella

I read and re-read the note about twenty times before finally unlocking my door and letting myself into my apartment. I threw myself onto the couch, Bella's note filling my thoughts.

Let me explain. Explain what? Why should I even bother putting myself out there again? Was it worth the pain it would no doubt rehash? What if I met her at the bar and she proceeded to tell me about how amazing Jacob was and listed all the reasons she wanted to be with him over me? I truly didn't think I could do it. I wanted to push Bella out of my mind once and for all, and seeing her again was obviously not a good way to go about that.

Please don't hate me. Did she really think I hated her? I didn't hate her. I couldn't hate her. Maybe I should meet up with her, simply to tell her exactly that. I mean, I didn't want the poor girl thinking that I hated her now, did I?

No. I couldn't meet up with her. I need to progress with my life, not regress.

I fell asleep on the couch that night, shoes and all, my dreams about Bella turning into nightmares.

Author's note: Again, I am so sorry that it took me so long to update! This chapter still wasn't finished, but I decided to put this part of it up because I wanted to give you guys something! My life has been unbelievably hectic these past few weeks, but everything is turning back to normal now, so the next chapter should be posted on time. Thank you guys so much for your PM's and reviews. You keep me going & I hope you enjoyed this little chapter…

Up next: the bar scene… will he be a no-show? *cue dramatic music*