Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the lovely characters. Rated M.

Bella was curled up on her side staring up at him. She held his hand in hers, slowly stroking his radiant skin from his palm to his wrist and back again. She'd never seen someone so beautiful. And, for some unknown reason, he'd singled her out, taken her with him, chosen to spend the day with her. She was at a loss for words but continued to stare, drinking him in as if she were waiting to wake up from a dream.

Tentatively, he moved his free hand to her face, cupping her chin and tilting her head up to his. His honey colored eyes gazed down at her intently, memorizing her every feature. Bella couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Her stomach knotted and her heart raced. Edward Cullen was touching her.

He leaned down to press his nose, his mouth into her hair. She trembled slightly, and her breath caught in her throat. Gently, he positioned her head so that it rested on his knee. He continued kissing her hair, and then she felt his cold lips on her forehead, her temple, her cheek. Her heartbeat quickened, and she felt a rush of warmth through her body.

She heard him chuckle, a smile on his lips. "Do I frighten you?"

"No," she managed. But he certainly did other things to her. And she desperately wanted to ask what was happening between them.

She'd had crushes on boys before. She'd gone out with a few, even fooled around with one – Grant, who had sat behind her in history back in Phoenix. He'd been madly in "love" with her all semester before finally working up the nerve to ask her out.

But she'd never felt anything like this before.

She barely knew Edward, but she already felt as if she couldn't stand to be without him. A part of her, deep down, felt intrinsically connected to this beautiful boy. Her rational side knew that they could not be together. She did not belong in his world. But then, why was he holding her so intimately, stroking her hair, trailing his lips along her jawbone, and kissing her skin? Could he possibly feel anything close to what she was feeling now?