Straight From the Textbooks

[weartheseshorts]

Fandom: Twilight
Rating: Definitely MATURE; this is GRAPHIC
Pairings: Canon
Comments: Ugh, this had taken forever. The people at FFN probably hated me for it. However, life is just a bitch, and I can't help it. This story isn't going to be long, nor is it going to be good either, especially on LiveJournal, since it's in its unedited glory. Go to FFN for the better story, but I don't guarantee anything much better.

Straight from the Textbooks
By ahhelga

Read Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Friends

When I had started off my day, in no way had I imagined it was going to end up like this. By God, I the luckiest man alive; I had actually gotten the girl I always wanted... without breaking any law. Yeah, I know, that sounds terrible, even to me. Well, that's what you get when you end up having feelings for a girl who's in your class... the class you're teaching. But of course, that was in the past now.

What was the present was this beautifully blossomed young woman. Of course, it was still difficult to get it into her head that she was fully grown up now, but I understood why she wouldn't like to think of herself as an adult... More often than not, adulthood turned someone into someone much worse, someone without their innocence and purity, someone changed. I didn't like to think of her being changed. But I seemed to have been proven wrong.

After seeing who knocked me over this morning, immediately one word started reeling in my mind: Bella. She looked as beautiful as she did on graduation day, the last day I had seen her, yet she had an older look in her eyes and a glow that made her seem much livelier than when I had known her in high school. In school, she seemed so distant, shielded, and, above all, shy. Though she would be the one to come to me during lunch time repeatedly, I was the one to normally initiate conversations, and I only followed her her lead from what she'd reveal to me. This wasn't much. Bella had always been so difficult to read. She was an enigma. And that was what initially sparked my interest in my student.

I hadn't always been interested in her romantically. Yes, I admit I had been drawn to her immediately by her beauty, but I didn't think anything of it, since she was a lot younger than me. After all, by the time I was in college, she was still in middle school; the idea of anything with her would have originally repulsed me. It still made me wary of subjecting her to a romance with someone so much older than her, though I wasn't too worried about it now that I knew she had reciprocated my feelings.

Yes, Bella Swan, the girl I knew who was unlike any other, the student destined for a great journey in life, the one who had captivated me in spite of all other pretenses when I very well knew that I couldn't have her, actually felt the same way about me. My whole year of teaching was full of obsessing over what she thought about me and how I should approach her so that she would so much as appreciate my teaching. I never would have thought in a million years she liked me in any way beyond that. Yet I was proven wrong this afternoon approximately three times: when she kissed me back, when she let me feel her, and when she had let me in her.

This was a side of Bella I had never encountered before; not just the sexual prowess hidden in her, but a bold and mature woman. That was when I fully realized she had matured, but for the better. Of course, she was still the young, outwardly timid, determined woman I knew her to be, as I had seen in her shyness about our act of intimacy. When she wanted to cover up her (spectacular) naked body, and when neither of us wanted to confront our friends' discovery, and when she turned beet red as I invited her to coffee, I knew it was the shy Bella I grew to love still within her. So now as I sat here with her, it felt surreal, yet comforting, to know that this was like our old lunch time conversations.

Immediately after walking out of the library, I had asked Bella to coffee, which she agreed to with an adorable shyness, and we walked a block to the closest coffee shop. She had tripped along the way, and instinctively I went to catch her. I remembered her being clumsy in school, but I never had had the opportunity to catch her from falling. If I had, then I surely would have had her then and there at school, because she fit so perfectly in my arms that it had taken all my self-control to not ravish her in only the street. Instead, I held her stiffly, reveling in the feel of her in my arms. This brought me to my last, and favorite, memory of Bella before she left to college.

It was just a week after graduation, and I was already speculating when I should resign from my teaching post. Most of my college-bound students were going to stay most of the summer before moving away, but I knew my favorite student Bella was leaving the next day. I had regretted not saying a better good bye on her graduation day, and that I would probably never get a chance to see her again, but luck would have it that on that very day, she would be grocery shopping when I was. She looked almost as ecstatic as I felt that she would see me before she left, but not nearly as sad as I had been about it. We had gone grocery shopping and chatted similarly to our lunch time conversations, but it was after exiting the store that I remember most. I had just unloaded Bella's groceries into her beaten truck (after much of my insisting), when she had gone completely silent. This was a different quiet from the awkward, shy moments she had before; instead, a somber, heavy quiet. I knew our good bye was coming. I remember saying her name just before she wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug. I was so floored that I could hardly register her saying "I'll miss you... so much, Mr. Cullen" before distancing away from me completely. Though I missed the feel of her entire body pressed against me, I would look back to that hug from then on with an old-man-pervert grin.

Only now do I have an even better memory of her. I never thought I'd be so close to her again, even as we walked to the coffee shop with my arm was wrapped around her waist. I couldn't help myself. Now that I had already gotten a feel of her, I couldn't pull away. I still thought about how wrong this was, but she didn't seem to complain. In fact, she leaned into me as I did so.

But in the shop, we simply kept our distance as we lightly chatted over coffee in comfy chairs across from each other. Neither of us would touch the subject of what just happened in the study room, but we still talked nonetheless, and I asked a lot about her life in the past three years. She was currently blushing as she recalled meeting her current roommate Alice. The two apparently had mistakenly went to a "Vampire Lovers" meeting in freshman year of college--and neither had an interest in vampires. The two of them hit it off, having a common thread of that lack of interest, and eventually went back to the meetings just for the heck of it. By the end of the semester, they were both coordinating "Vampire Lovers" events and being the club's main promoters.

"Then at the end of the year, we had this huge all-costume vampire gala," Bella said, "and Alice makes me wear this ridiculously gaudy outfit, corset and all. I swear she thought of the vampire party for the sake of getting me in a goth outfit."

I laughed, ignoring the pictures of Bella in a corset playing my mind. I stashed the thought in the back of my mind; I was praying we'd get to a point where she'd wear the costume for me. "Sounds like Alice likes to play Bella Barbie."

"I'll say," Bella replied exasperatedly. "I'm happy wearing jeans and t-shirts--the way you probably remember me in high school. If I could, I'd hardly stray from that style, but Alice won't allow that. Actually, I'm dressed like this today because of her."

I looked her over from my seat to her outfit, raking her body with my eyes. Currently her blouse was untucked; she didn't care so much about appearance when we were putting our clothes on. But the blouse was so loose that I could see her bra peeking above. And then there was her tight skirt that hugged her ass perfectly. I felt myself getting turned on once more. I knew that I'd have to thank Alice for having Bella wear this on the day we'd meet.

She blushed under my gaze. "Okay, well, not exactly like this; this mess was your doing, I believe," she said, turning even redder with every word. "I guess that means I'll have to fix myself, 'cause later on tonight she's taking me out. I'm going to finally meet this guy Alice has been dating. I've been hearing nonstop about this Jasper, after all."

Well this was a coincidence. What were the chances that there was an Alice and a Jasper out there as well as my friend Jasper and his girlfriend--wait a minute.

"Is your Alice by any chance Alice Brandon?" I had to ask. That was just too much of a coincidence. If she was the same Alice as Bella's Alice, then everything Alice had said to me made sense... My heart rate doubled as I waited for the answer.

Bella blinked back in response. I had to ignore my thoughts of how cute she was with that confused look on her face. She looked utterly confused and shocked. I took her shock as a yes, and she confirmed it by giving a slow, small nod.

"How did you know that?" Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape, and again I reveled in how cute she was. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I met her," I chuckled, terribly amused by this whole situation. "The boyfriend of hers you're meeting? That's Jasper Whitlock, a coworker of my roommate Emmett. I was actually there when he met Alice a couple weeks ago. We were at this diner out in the boondocks, and your friend just bounced right up to him and said--"

"--'You've kept me waiting,' thinking he was her client," Bella finished for me. She had this glazed look as she stared blankly at me. "Wow. I can't believe this. The Alice I've been talking about this whole time, you already met! This is surreal; I think my brain's spinning because of it."

"Don't worry, Bella, I'm pretty much in shock as well," I said, laughing at her reaction. "It's so odd how we were already connected to each other. We probably would have met up again anyway."

"Not to mention the fact that your Emmett is with my Rosalie right now," she mused.

"Oh I almost forgot about that..." I muttered, remembering what Emmett yelled in the library. I groaned at the thought. Great, Bella probably found out that I've been completely frustrated in the past few years. I wondered if she made the connection to the fact that it was because of her. In the past few years, I tried to get her out of the back of my head, trust me, I did. But no girl could compare to the young vixen, and it took a lot more than it should have with other women to get off.

"Ugh, I'm sorry for Rose," she grumbled, pulling me from my thoughts. "She's going to be prying me for information for a long time now..."

"What? No, I'm sorry for Emmett's stupid big mouth," I said. "Everyone in that library probably knew what we were doing in that room because of him." I thought out loud, "I wish he didn't have to say all of that though."

A deep silence fell upon us. I took advantage of this moment by watching her movements. I saw her suck in a breath as if to speak, but she closed her mouth after a few moments. Instinctively, I licked my lips at the sight of her luscious lips, though I was trying desperately to stop the perverted thoughts from invading my mind. I knew that she, luckily, hadn't noticed my internal battle, because her eyes were safely closed.

Finally, she took in a breath, but didn't close her mouth. She whispered, "This is really happening, right?"

"If it isn't, I don't want to wake up," I said in just as low a voice. "And if it is, then I'm all for this if you want it as much as I do". Oh Bella, I hope you say you do. I knew now I would give her the sun and the moon after realizing how much I enjoyed her company infinitely more than I had with any other, but I'd understand if it would just be too weird for her.

"You are just too good to be true," she said with a small smile, "which is why I'm so afraid this isn't real. And that you only used me to get with an old student."

"What? How can you even think that?" I asked, my voice raising a tad too high. "Was our previous relationship all for naught that you would think I was that type of guy? How about the fact that I haven't even felt so much as a connection sexually with anyone after knowing what you do to me? After seeing you today, I think I--"

Suddenly the light tune of "Clair De Lune" filled the air; apparently, it was Bella's ring tone since she had taken out her cell phone. As she answered her phone with an irritated sigh, I was thrown back into my memories. I distinctly remembered our lunches with Debussy playing in the background... Since it was my favorite, I always put it on in the classroom. Bella had admitted to it being a favorite of hers as well, even after familiarizing it with our lunches together. And she had that ring tone after all these years? Was it because she remembered our time together? Had she simply grown to love it? Was there even a significance to it? I started to dwell on the possibilities, but I heard something to peak my interest.

"No, Alice, I'm--" she said, exasperatedly. "Yes, I'll have to. And no, I can't go home to change right this instant... Actually, I'm--no... well, yeah, but ...what? Are you sure about that?" Bella's rich brown eyes glanced up at me. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, I--He might not want to! ...Fine. I'll see. Okay, yeah, I'll see you then. Bye." She hung up, and sighed heavily.

"What was that all about?" I already knew who it was, and I already could tell what the conversation was of.

"That was just Alice," she said, her eyes not deciding what to land on: her coffee or my face. "She had a feeling that I'd need to change, and she pretty much figured out that I'm out with someone... So she invited this 'someone' -- you -- to hang out with her and Jasper for dinner tonight."

I couldn't stop the grin growing on my face as I thought of Jasper and Alice. "Bella, you have to admit, this is a funny situation."

It was obvious that she was fighting a smile, trying to maintain a stoic façade. She certainly couldn't be a good actress. Finally, her smile broke through, and she replied, "Yeah, this is. So are you in for making their heads spin? Jasper and Alice will probably get a kick out of this."

"Count me in," I nodded.

After that, we had fallen to an even more comfortable pace, having smooth conversation and throwing questions back and forth. Somehow, this felt different than our old conversations, since there was some sort of charge of attraction surrounding us. She was leaning over her arm rest, to get as close as possible to me, and my hand kept going to her hair, to touch some part of her. It felt like we were the only two people in the world that mattered, and even as we walked out, I had to be connected to her. My arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, and this time, she wrapped an arm back.

We were going back to her place so that she could get cleaned up and redress herself. I wouldn't be meeting Alice just yet, since she'd be at Jasper's all day, but this still felt like a big thing. From what Bella told me, neither Alice nor her brought many people to their home, other than their closest friends and Jasper... and now, me. I felt both relief and disappointment; relief from knowing that she wasn't promiscuous or that she figured me close enough to invite her home; disappointment from knowing that after just a day she'd risk her regularity for me.

Though, I still used this opportunity to take in her lifestyle. Her home was neat, yet cluttered at the same time. There were many modern fixtures, like some funky lamps hanging on the walls and the bright colored plastic chairs, but there was a homey feel in certain areas like the coffee table by the window (with papers littered on it) and the long couch. These comfy parts screamed Bella, so I figured the modernity was all Alice.

I took a seat at the couch and leaned back comfortably. Somehow, this felt right, like I fit here, but that could just be wishful thinking. I looked over at Bella, who was standing in the bathroom doorway, with a calculating look on her face as she bit her lip. I mentally groaned at the sight. She certainly couldn't understand how much of a vixen she was.

"It's taking every bit of my self control to not attack you right on that couch, Edward," she said, blushing profusely while she locked eyes with me.

My cock jumped up. Though I tried to hide my erection, she immediately zoned in on it, licking her lips. Before I knew what was going on, she was on top of me, straddling my legs. Her mouth made quick work on my own and I unabashedly kissed her back fiercely. My hands were already tugging her shirt off and tearing off her bra. In the back of my mind, I felt guilty for taking things way too fast once more, but I simply couldn't stop my hands from working on their own.

Her breasts were now exposed to the fresh air, but my sweaty hands immediately palmed them up. They fit perfectly, and were so soft against my long fingers. While one hand continued to play with them, my other went to lifting up her skirt. God, I loved this skirt; it enhanced her curves and was easy to take off.

However, as soon as my hand started to reach her panties, Bella immediately grabbed my hands to still them. Our kiss stopped, and she pulled back to look in my eyes.

"As much... as much as I'm loving this here, I really have to shower and get ready..." she said sincerely, however her heavy breath monopolized her words.

Not wanting her to feel pressured or uncomfortable in any way, I let her get off of me easily. I tried not to gaze too long at her exposed breasts as she made her way to the bathroom. At the doorway, though, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at me, hesitantly at first, but she locked that sexy stare again.

"Well, I am in desperate need of washing myself, so that must mean you are too." She added a wink. A fucking wink.

Immediately, I jumped up after her, yet however fast I was, she was already in the shower by the time I reached the bathroom. I noticed her clothes scattered all over the floor, indicative that she was in a hurry to get in. I was too. Stripping myself bare, I roughly pulled back the shower curtain to reveal Bella standing there with a seductive grin and a loofah slowly dragging down the middle of her chest. I growled as I took over, stepping into the hot water.

I worked the loofah on her, washing off the sweat she most likely built up in the last few hours. Then she started to wash me off, soaping every inch of my waist and above. The feel of her hands were so sensual and tender over every crevice of my skin that it felt as if she was saying something with her hands. This touch sent my body in overdrive, and it made my erection almost painful. Then the soap slipped out of her hand.

At first I thought our sensual groove was broken, but as she bent over to pick up the soap, I couldn't stop myself from taking in her perfect, smooth back to her glistening ass. I was so absorbed in this sight that I was taken off guard when I felt hands crawling up my legs. She was now eye level to my dick, and her hands were moving slowly up over my knees and onto my thighs. I licked my lips instinctively as her fingers were now inches away from my aching part.

"Bella, you don't have to--"

But I was cut off by her mouth. I let out a desperate sounding groan as I pushed my dick farther into her mouth. I couldn't help it; she felt so good. Her lips were wrapped tightly around me as her head started to bob. I felt her fingers again trailing along my upper thighs, and her right hand started following the movements of her bobbing, rubbing the parts she couldn't fit in her mouth. Her left hand snaked its way around to my ass, pushing me closer in. Her sucking continued on, which elicited all kinds of moans from me.

"Mm, Bella..." I couldn't take it; it was too much. "Oh, God, I--I'm about to--"

I tried to pull back, but she pushed in again. Suddenly, my spunk had released and I tried to pull back once more as I did so. Coming out half-way, she managed to swallow what landed in her mouth, and the rest exploded on her chin and neck. Immediately I felt guilty, but the catlike grin on her face told me she enjoyed it. I grinned at the thought. Bella was so amazing.

I brought my face to her as I leaned in to give her a tender kiss. I tasted my own cum, but it was mixed in with her delicious taste. I had to show her how much I enjoyed what she gave me. I had to give her the same pleasure she did with me. So, I let my hands roam down to her inner thighs, and then went to palm her heat.

Suddenly she broke the kiss. "No, Edward, that was for you. You don't need to give anything in return." I was about to argue, but she continued quickly. "You didn't get as much as I did this afternoon. I want you and I to be even..."

Somehow, I thought there was an underlying meaning in being "even", but I understood what she meant by the fact that she had three orgasms, while I had one, but that was how it's supposed to work. She deserved more. I was still going to keep going, however, but her arm reached behind, and suddenly, the scalding hot water turned to a freezing temperature. All heat had been washed away, and it was as if my ever present arousal had suddenly turned off.

With a grin, she laughed, "I was serious about pleasuring you, but I really do have to shower seriously, and if that means it'll have to be cold, so be it."

Her laughter was contagious. I helped her up, and just held her in my arms when we were standing up, trying to convey all the happiness and gratitude I felt. She seemed to take the hint, and hugged me back with as much compassion. We both pulled back at the same time. After that, our shower was fun, yet more productive at the same time. She washed my hair with that delicious smelling strawberry shampoo she had, while I was spreading some facial scrub on her cheeks, then vice versa, only with us laughing at the fact that I was using the scrub to make my "skin glow".

When we were done, there was more heavy petting, as we got dressed. Bella opted for a similar outfit to her original, so that Alice wouldn't complain so much. Unfortunately for me, the skirt she chose was just a bit longer than the one she had earlier, but luckily it was just as form fitting. Seeing as how I had no clothes, and she had no guy clothes (thank God), I had to wear what I wore earlier. I was fine with this, but I was sure that Alice wouldn't be too happy about that if she found out.

At this point, it seemed natural that we should be going back to my place right now. There was the fact that I really did have to change for the dinner tonight, but I couldn't deny that I was also hoping for something similar to our shower rendezvous. Just knowing that Bella would be standing in my living room was enough to send a shiver of excitement down my spine. I relayed my thoughts to her, minus my little thrill's ideas, and she readily agreed to seeing my home.

So we headed out to my apartment (which wasn't too far, I noted eagerly), and we were there in no time. Well, it felt like no time to me, because I had Bella in my arm once more, and our conversation had taken up my whole attention. I honestly had never been so engrossed in anyone, nor had I had such a fun time with anyone as I had since our reuniting. I hadn't even had this comfortable when we would have lunch together, but that was because she was, of course, my student. Back then, I was restraining myself constantly to be around her, which was almost a bittersweet pain, knowing she was too young and too innocent to be doing something wrong. Though, I noticed now she hated the fact that I referred to her as young, since she constantly reminded me that she was not that much younger than me. While it was true that our age gap wasn't that large,

As we reached my home, I was suddenly very worried. What if it wasn't up to par with what she imagined about me? What if this was going to be the sudden realization that I had been her teacher and that I was too old for her? What if Emmett hadn't cleaned this morning since I left and there was a mess? What if Emmett was there himself? Another horror came to my mind: what if Emmett was in there with Bella's friend Rosalie making a mess?

With Bella still in my arm, I did a quick scan around the living room. Luckily, there was no sign of either of them, judging from the complete silence and the cleanliness of our home. The apartment was nearly empty anyway, with only the essential furniture, just the way Emmett and I liked it. Really, there wasn't much to see, yet I found Bella with her eyes scanning around eagerly. I would have given her a tour, but all there was to see was my room and Emmett's room... and neither were the interesting.

"Well, I'm going to go change," I told her. "Feel free to take anything from the fridge."

I went and changed. I took a little more time than normal to decide what I was going to wear, though I eventually threw on a long sleeved shirt and some sort of hoodie blazer. I contemplated running out to get a fresh pair of boxers in my underwear drawer in the bathroom, but I decided it was too much of a hassle, so I nixed the idea of undergarments completely. I forced myself to not think of what kind of benefits that would entail.

I was beginning to hate the fact that I was acting uncontrollable around Bella. She brought out such sexual feelings in me that I never had with anyone, including my high school girlfriend Tanya, who had to deal with all my growing hormones. I guess I was just a naturally hormonal guy, even now... But that still didn't make it right. In fact, that made me even more of a monster, or at the very least, creepy. I didn't want to make this all about sex, nor did I want it to lose our passion... I wanted this connection, but I was willing to slow down.

Just as I had decided to not be such an animal around Bella, I found her at my refrigerator, bent down and her curves emphasized. A tremble went through me, but I shook it off. I looked away, but I called out to her. Her reply was muffled since she still hadn't taken her head out of the fridge.

"What are you doing?" I croaked. I hoped she hadn't noticed.

"I was going to prepare something quick for Alice and Jasper, but everything you have in here is expired!" she exclaimed, standing up now. I let out a sigh of relief. She was holding up a carton of half finished milk and a jar of jelly. "These two have expired a month ago! How have you lived?"

I shrugged, unsure how to answer, "We never really needed the stuff... It seems lately we've been going out to eat. And besides, Emmett and I don't cook. I attempted to learn when I moved away from Esme, but that was a disaster."

"How is Esme?" she asked, biting her lip.

I was almost taken aback. I had almost forgotten she knew of my mother. Then again, Bella would practically know Esme by now, since she had come up in conversation many times in our lunches. I always thought Bella reminded me of my mother, just not in that creepy way, but in a way that made me want to impress her. Plus, they were both beautiful and kindhearted.

"She's been good," I said, leaning on my refrigerator next to Bella. "Carlisle bought her an island about a couple weeks ago, and they've been vacationing there ever since."

Bella's eyes practically bugged out as a heavy blush flooded to her cheeks. "Wow. That must have been a lot... I mean... I knew you were rich, but..."

I shrugged at her, but inwardly I cringed. I wasn't ever comfortable with telling people how well off exactly I was. It wasn't that I was keeping it a secret, but I didn't want to feel like I was flaunting it. Plus, people's opinions changed when they find out exactly how much you're worth. However, with Bella, her reaction was not so awestruck as it was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to make of it.

I didn't have a chance to make anything of it because she changed the subject, but I knew this conversation would come up later. Eventually we were back to the fact that I had nothing to offer Alice and Jasper, when I realized that we were probably meeting up at a restaurant, so it was okay not to bring anything. Besides, it was Bella's friend and my friend; they would understand. She insisted that it was rude, and we argued on about it.

Then our little argument became a heavy make-out session in my kitchen. Just as I was picking her up to sit on the counter, the flashing numbers on my microwave caught my attention. The time read five o'clock... We should have been on our way by now! Bella seemed to catch on to what I was staring at, and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I guess this means we have to go, huh?" she grumbled.

"Yes, I guess so," I said with as much enthusiasm as she had.

"I want... I want you to know that I'd rather be here, kissing you like this," she said, looking straight in my eyes, but the blush gave away the embarrassment she had from her words. "I just... want to make up for our separation..."

Grinning, I nuzzled into her neck before looking into her eyes. "And we weren't even together. But you're right. I'd much rather be with you alone. I feel like... I have to compensate for every time I couldn't get to you." I thought about that infamous seat in the back she would sit at in class... "You were just out of my reach..."

"Oh Edward..." Her voice was tender... sweet... And I found myself nuzzling into her neck once more. I didn't want the moment to be over, but I knew we had to go.

As we walked over to the car, we agreed on simply paying for our parts of the meal instead of having to bring anything. However, all conversation stopped when we reached my car, though I wasn't exactly sure why she had stopped talking when she saw my car. It was this simple, sleek Volvo. I've always been partial to silver Volvos, especially if they looked good without revealing how much it was worth. Then she broke into a beautiful giggling fit, and I was confused.

"What? Why are you laughing?" I tried to not sound so defensive, but I couldn't help myself from protecting my pride in my car.

"It's just--just..." She calmed herself from her giggly high, but she still held a lingering smile. "This car looks almost identical to the Volvo you used to have. I just find it... comforting and at the same time amusing that you're still the same Mr. Cullen I used to know."

I tried to smile back. It wasn't far from the truth, yet at the same time, I felt like I had grown since this very afternoon. "Well, I can't say the same for you, Bella. I feel like you just grew up."

"Then why are you still worried about how 'young' I am?" she coyly shot back.

I had no response. All I did was motion for her to get in the car, and soon enough we were on our way to the restaurant to meet up with Jasper and Alice. Though it was quiet in our car ride, it wasn't awkward. Maybe it was just like that to me, since I was still thinking about what she had just said. Why was I still bent on hovering over Bella as my junior? She had certainly matured, and just as in high school, she was maturer than most women my age. Why did I think it was so wrong for us to be together? After all, Jasper was only a year younger than me, and Alice was Bella's age. Jasper and Alice were completely happy together.

Soon we were at the restaurant, which was this tiny Italian place that Bella mentioned Alice and Jasper went to on their first date. I wondered if this outing would constitute as a date with Bella, because technically I was her date for this. But the first date would have to be the coffee shop then. No, that was coffee-and-catch-up, not a date. So did that make this a date? ...Were we even going out?

I had no idea what to call Bella and I. We hardly got reunited, yet we had sex and more all within the afternoon. But I didn't want to her to be some sort of friend with benefits. No, this felt too passionate, these feelings too powerful, to consider her a fuck buddy. I was treading dangerous waters with these feelings, but if you think about it, I've been treading dangerous waters.

Though, I tried not to make that publicly known, obviously. Emmett may have noticed sexual frustration through not finding a decent girl to help me release, but he never knew of Bella. I never told a soul about my relationship to her, much less my lingering feelings from when I was her teacher. Everyone would warn their children to stay away... or at the very least, find me creepy. Which was the reason why I was starting to feel nervous about announcing our relationship to Alice and Jasper.

As much as I wanted to hold her in my arms forever, and show off to the world that Bella was mine, there were others to consider. And even if these were just our friends, I didn't want Bella to be subjected to being the butt of scandal. I opened the car door for her, and I opened the door to the restaurant for her as well, but I forced myself to keep my distance. I didn't want her uncomfortable, after all. But then I noticed that listless look in her face and I wanted to wipe the look off her face completely.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly. I couldn't deny that my palm was burning with a wonderful fire where I was touching her, but I ignored it, focusing on her only. Her eyes glanced over to me, and I stared straight into her. "Are you okay, Bella?"

She opened her mouth slightly as if to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she gave a small inclination with her head, the tiniest nod. I wasn't sure what to make of her response, but we were interrupted.

"Bella!"

Our heads snapped over to where the bright voice came from, and my hand fell from her shoulder. We were met by Alice waving up at us from Jasper's side. The table was much bigger than I imagined, and since Alice and Jasper were so squished together, it gave even more room for others to sit. But I wouldn't be separating from Bella anytime soon.

I noticed Bella's melancholy expression was gone and replaced by cheerfulness. She made a bee line toward the table and hurried herself over there, while I walked much slower than her. Alice jumped up to Bella and gave her a quick hug; the two of them were so into each other that I felt left out. As soon as Alice released Bella, I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist to make myself known. So much for giving the news lightly.

Bella looked up at me, with a spark in her eye this time, and leaned into my body. I nearly forgot Alice was there as I relished the now familiar feel of her. Of course, the little completely pixie couldn't help but bounce in her spot, so it was impossible to forget her. Her expression was attention grabbing as she brightened at the two of us.

"I'm glad I didn't have to do all the work," she simply said, with a grin eating up her whole face. "So, when did you and the ol' teach hook up?"

I found that Bella's expression matched my own: shocked, and confused. Alice continued on smiling, and after a beat, Bella broke off from me and immediately started smacking Alice's tiny upper arm.

"Alice! I can't believe you!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "You knew he was my teacher? How? And you planned for us to meet up? Did you know he was going to be with me?"

Alice just laughed heartily in response, "Oh Bella, of course I was going to have you two meet up again--though I wasn't expecting for you guys to do it on your own accord. This makes it tons easier for me, because I thought I was going to have to fend off a new boyfriend to make room for Mr. Cullen here."

"That still doesn't answer how you knew who he was," Bella huffed.

"Well, at that diner, I immediately recognized who he was," she shrugged. "It was just so surreal not to see him with purple ink hearts around his profile." She paused dramatically, and grinned similarly to a cat. "Your senior yearbook did have them circling his face in every picture, after all."

Bella froze and I froze. Bella was surely frozen from embarrassment, but I was frozen from feeling flattered. It was one thing to be told that she had had these feelings in high school, but another to have Alice confirm it. I felt like soaring. On the other hand, Bella turned beet red. I couldn't help but chuckle and bring her into my arms once more. When she was stiffly pressed up again me, I leaned in to whisper, "Oh, don't worry, Bella... You know, I had cut out that picture of us in the opening page... I've had it ever since..."

"Really?" She turned to me with wide eyes. I nodded solemnly. We both stared into each other for what could have been hours.

"Okay, guys, I know you're having a moment, but the food's gonna be here soon, and I'm hungry," Alice quipped. She practically skipped over to the table and plopped next to Jasper, who had been quiet and observant.

"Hey Jasper," I said, feeling a little guilty for almost forgetting him.

"Hey," he replied with a smile as if to show that he understood my feelings, and brought in Alice under his arm. The two of them contrasted so much physically, yet, they completely complemented each other. His eyes flickered between me and Bella before settling back onto me again. "So Alice was right. You really were her teacher crush."

Alice laughed, and said, "You know better than to think otherwise, Jasper. And Jasper, meet my all time best friend, Bella Swan. Bella, meet my all time lover, Jasper Whitlock."

I couldn't help but laugh at the introduction, and neither could Bella, as she reached out to shake his hand. After their introductions, we went to sit in the booth across Alice and Jasper. We mirrored them by squishing together, even if there was no reason to.

"Hm, I wonder where Rose is," Alice noted absently. "She said she had to take care of something and quickly be on her way."

At that, both Bella and I erupted in laughter. Alice looked at us crazily, but Jasper started laughing along, our laughter contagious probably. Both Bella and I knew where Rosalie was. And who she was with.

"Oh yeah, from what she's doing, she's going to take a while getting here," Bella wisecracked. Alice immediately started shaking her head in shock.

"Oh goodness, she went out with a guy when she knew we were having dinner?" Alice sighed.

"You let me go on a date," Bella remarked. "Hey, you even welcomed it. Why can't Rosalie?"

"It was for your own good that you went out," she said, winking at me. "And I didn't say Rose couldn't; I just know how carried away she gets. I really wanted her to meet Jasper with a clearer mind." Alice turned to the blonde at her side, and they shared a moment with their eyes. "But not to worry, I know she'll be here any minute now. And knowing her, with the guy."

Bella glanced at me almost worriedly before turning to Alice, "But you know she doesn't really... invite her boy toys to meet us. She only did that with Royce, and you know how that turned out."

Alice faced darkened for a split second, but soon a smirk graced her features. "Oh, I just know she's going to share this one."

Conversation then became lighter, and better, especially when the food arrived, though no one began to eat until Rosalie came. We were all hungry, but luckily we didn't have to wait long because Rosalie showed up at the entrance within moments.

"Alice! Sorry I took so long!" she called from the entrance. There was no Emmett in tow. "I hope you don't mind, I'll be back in a second still. I have someone for you to meet as well."

As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared. Alice looked at us, at first openmouthed, then she started laughing. "I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting dinner... Rosalie seems preoccupied. This boy must be good."

"Oh, he is," I couldn't help but interject. "Jasper can back me up on this one too."

He looked at me curiously, but before anyone could question what I meant, Rosalie came sauntering back in. This time, Emmett's huge profile came right behind her; he had his hand on firmly planted on her waist as he walked in. I couldn't help but notice the light sheen on his forehead and the look of frustration in his face. Classic horny Emmett face. I had to hold back my laughter; it was evident that he was thinking of all kinds of ways to stop his arousal. Luckily his expression sobered as he spotted us at the table.

"Jasper! Edward!" he yelled out, loosening his grip on the blonde. "What are you doing here?" Then his eyes snapped to Bella. "Library girl! Rose was just telling me all about you!"

Alice and Jasper looked at us curiously, to which I shrugged and Bella blushed at. Rosalie lightly slapped Emmett on the arm while she exasperatedly cried, "Emmett, you said you were going to behave."

"Yeah, Emmett, behave," I laughed, while Jasper said, "God knows how long you've needed to learn how to."

Rosalie's eyes narrowed in on Jasper and I. There was a delicate crease between her brows, the only line evident on her flawlessly unblemished face. She ignored Alice and Bella as she inspected us with narrowed eyes, but I just knew that she was more curious than anything. Jasper detached himself from Alice to stand up and shake hands with Rosalie.

"Hello, Rosalie," Jasper said cordially, which seemed to make Rosalie relax. "I'm Alice's boyfriend, Jasper. I have to congratulate you for keeping Emmett in his place. He's just been so... untamed for all the years I've known him."

Rosalie laughed and was about to comment back, but Alice interrupted, "Okay, am I the only one who doesn't seem to know Rose's new guy?"

"It seems we all have to get acquainted with all of each other's new guys," Rosalie grinned cattily as her eyes darted between Bella and I.

"Yeah, I suppose we do," Bella laughed, beautifully might I add.

Bella and I scooted over so that Emmett and Rosalie could sit down. There was still plenty of room left, even though we were in between Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett. Alice piped up from beside Bella, "Well, we all know how Jasper and I are together now, so how about we start with you, Rose? How'd you and Emmett come to be?" It was amusing how formal the pixie-like girl sounded.

"Well," Rosalie started, jumping right on it. I could tell she lived off of this attention and would have no problem sharing things about herself. "I was driving and I got a simple flat. No biggie, so I pulled aside, took out my jack and lug wrench, and got to work. At this point, I was swiftly getting done, so I started on jacking up my car. As I got started, this big oaf comes asking if I need any help leaning on my car while I'm jacking it up, and the car bounces--"

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm a big guy!" Emmett interrupted. Rosalie raised a perfectly plucked brow at him.

"Anyway, I tell him off, because quite frankly, he deserved it," she said disinterestedly. "I was getting it done, quite efficiently, and better than any man could do so for me might I add--"

"I don't know if that theory works in all accounts, Rosie," Emmett purred in her ear, but his voice was crystal clear to all of us.

"You have such a one-track mind, Emmie," she shot back just as sweetly. This was terribly amusing. While Rosalie was seemingly getting irritated by my roommate, I could tell she was enjoying this much more than she let on. I could only imagine what they were like in bed, with all that charged energy. Whoa, thinking like that now, are you, Edward? Well I suppose this is what happens now that Bella came into my life.

She continued, "In short, I became slightly irritated with him--"

Emmett interjected, "--more like, she blew a fuse on me."

"And he had the nerve to touch me--"

"--I only wanted her to stop flailing her arms around. We were making a scene--"

"Oh you call it a scene? I was only trying to get it through your thick skull that I didn't need your help, which, might I add, you were still trying to impose on me..."

"...Well, you stopped doing what you were doing and you were in high heels, so I didn't think you were willing to--"

"I'll have you know that I've done that plenty of times with my heels on--"

"I understand that now, baby, it's just that, then--"

"Anyway, so we're arguing there, and then, we just stop."

"And have this heavy make-out session right there!"

There was a slight silence. Then, Jasper started laughing, which caused a chain reaction. Everyone was howling in their seats, as they let the scene unfold in their minds. Bella shook from underneath my arm, which made a shiver run through me. It only fueled my good feeling. As everyone was coming from their high, Alice wiped a tear in her eye, and giggled, "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Rosalie nodded. She smirked at Emmett. "So we're making out there, while we're still arguing, might I add, when things get a little heated."

"I'll say," Emmett smirked back at her. "We coulda warmed up a whole Eskimo village."

"So we're making our way to the closest building to get outta the public, which happens to be a library," she continues.

"And I remember that my dear friend Edward," Emmett grins at me, "always goes there to study in one of the rooms. And I tell her about it, and pretty much she agrees to the thing. So we sign our names on that little roster."

"Then we go to the room and we're waiting there for so long," at this, she grins at Bella. "Finally, in the midst of our making out, our impatience gets the best of us, and we knock. And what do you know! We find a haggard Bella and a protective Edward coming out of the room."

"Bella and Edward?" Alice questioned, looking between the two of us.

"Rose, please continue with your story," Bella asks pleadingly, shooting an apologetic look at me. She's too cute.

"Right," Rosalie smiles, "So, we're in the room, and though we're still making out, it doesn't feel as rushed, or heated. But, more like slow, and passionate. So instead of fucking, we talk."

Emmett let out a small groan. "Baby..."

Jasper smirks at me, and I smirk back. Then I turn to Rosalie. "So you're saying that all Emmett did was talk, instead of attacking you?"

"That is correct," she grins at him. "But, Emmett, am I correct in saying that that hour and a half in there was just as good as having sex?"

"Rose, baby, it was so much better," he said, pulling her in.

"Good answer, but you won't be saying that once we get to the real action," she replied as she pressed herself up to him completely, licking her lips. The two of them were creating such a charged energy, I didn't know whether to be absolutely horrified or inclined to do the same to Bella.

"Okay, I think we got it," Alice said, "I wouldn't want you guys to jump each other's bones before getting to Bella and Edward's story."

"Right, so how did this happen?" Rosalie asked, raising her brows at the two of us.

Both Bella and I stiffened as Bella's face lit up in a blush. "Well, you see, Rose... Today I was kinda in a hurry to reach my study time, and I basically was tripping my way over to the library in those damn heels Alice forced me to wear today, when I eventually bumped into Edward. And, yes, I mean that quite literally, Alice; I told you I don't work well with heels. Of course, I'm apologizing profusely; and um, by this time, I had missed my time for my room, so Edward offered that I study in his room, so that we could catch up with each other--"

"Wait, what do you mean 'catch up with each other'? Did you guys know each other before?" Rose asked. Next to her, Emmett's brows were furrowed.

Another blush lit up Bella's face. "Actually, uhh..."

"Yeah," I said quickly, knowing we were defeated. I hesitantly shot Bella an apologetic glance. I knew we both were unsure as to how to approach this, so I decided to take the band-aid approach. Luckily, her eyes were telling me it was going to be okay, so I drew in a deep breath. "Remember how I was a teacher one year, Emmett?"

"Of course," he said. "I always wondered why you'd quit. You loved that job; you came home everyday with a grin."

I blushed, knowing that Bella knew now what the true reason for that was. "Right. Well. I guess I'll just tell you now." I paused, glancing at Bella once more. I was doing that a lot tonight, glancing. I wondered if I came across as paranoid or deranged. "The reason I left that job was because I, err, had a, um, crush... on one of the students."

"Whoa! You sly, rebellious criminal, you," Emmett practically shouted. He grinned suggestively, with a quick lift of his brows. "Was she hot? I bet she was, if she got that reaction from you." I didn't even have to look at Bella to know she was blushing fire engine red now; I could practically feel the heat growing from her.

"You know, Emmett's right, Edward," Rose interjected. "That is a crime. How could you let that happen?"

"I couldn't help it, Rosalie." I winced internally. It was the same accusation I told myself everyday three years ago, and the same one I told myself earlier this afternoon. "But, I did quit, because I couldn't handle it. Anyway, it didn't matter regardless; I didn't see her for another three years after graduation."

"Oh God, Edward," Emmett said, his eyes bugging out. Had he figured it out? I braced myself. "Are you telling me that for the last few years of not finding anyone to please you was because of this girl you crushed on as a teacher?"

He didn't catch onto Bella, but, well, that sounded just about right. Though he just made me realize how pathetic it seemed.

"Man, Bella, you must really remind Edward of this student he had for him to still like you," Emmett said in a cross between teasingly and incredulously.

Again, Bella's face flushed. She bit her lip as she looked down at her plate. "Emmett... I am that student."

My eyes glanced around again to take in everyone's reactions. Bella kept on biting her lip as she ducked her head lower. Alice from beside Bella was bouncing in her seat. Jasper just seemed amused, whereas Rosalie looked completely shocked. She mirrored Emmett, only he looked much more incredulous. In fact, I was afraid Emmett's eyes would come out of their sockets, they were popping out so much. I was sure his mind was a blank slate, seeing as how he wasn't able to say anything.

"Just... how big is your age difference?" Rosalie asked warily.

"Rose, it's only six years!" Bella exclaimed back.

"You do realize that he was in high school when you were still in elementary, right?" Rosalie said almost monotonously.

Bella blushed right back. She opened her mouth, but instead looked back down at her plate of food. I could tell she was struggling with this, so I wrapped my arm around her tighter. She leaned into me more, but she still didn't look up from her plate. I glanced up at Rosalie, annoyed, but all I saw in her eyes was worry for her friend. I couldn't fault her for being worried about Bella; after all, it was better if I wasn't with her. I was much too old for her. I had been her teacher. Still, I was too selfish to not revel in the feel of her body pressed against me, and the beautiful way she blushed, and the way she was so shy, yet so independent, and the way she was just... she.

"Hush, Rosalie," Alice said to the blonde. "When was the last time you saw Bella so happy with someone. With Jacob?"

"Jacob?" I couldn't help but ask. I felt like I should have known that name, especially considering what Alice said... Apparently, he was some sort of ex-boyfriend... Then something clicked. "Jacob Black? The one your father tried to push on you?"

"Oh God, you remember that?" Bella groaned. "It was so long ago that my dad set us up on that stupid date."

"So what happened?" I said, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice, but it was useless; my very bloodstream was flowing with envy.

"I think that's a story for another time, Edward," Alice interrupted. "Now, we get to the matter at hand: you two. Finish how you got together! And don't leave out a single detail!"

Yet again, Bella's face reddened, and I knew exactly why. I wondered if I should take over, or she should. Then, in her shaky breath, she continued, "Well, we simply went in the room and caught up a bit. Then we studied. Nothing much more until later." She looked down again.

"Bella, you're hiding something," Alice grinned, actually scooting closer to her, Jasper immediately scooting in line next to Alice. "And you better continue soon, or else I'll tell Edward here about every single embarrassing ex-boyfriend you've had!"

Bella rolled her eyes. "It's not as if that list is very long, Alice."

"Oh? So you're willing to let me share with everyone of Mike?" Alice said with a smirk. At this, Bella flared into yet another blush and Rosalie started howling in laughter.

"Wait. Mike Newton?" Bile had started to rise up in the back of my throat. I hadn't thought of the little cretin in years, and now that I have, I couldn't help but deny the intense annoyance I remembered. I couldn't believe someone so... perfect as Bella would be with Mike Newton, of all people.

"Oh God," Bella groaned, burying her reddened face in her hands. "I think I'd rather take a bath in cockroaches than have to listen to Mikey Mike butcher my love for Mark Wahlberg." Now Emmett started laughing.

"Edward, I'll personally hurt you if you let go of this one," he laughed at me. "I like her. She's amusing. Plus she's got amazing friends." He laughed at Alice, but then he gave a long meaningful look at Rosalie, who was staring back at him with just as much passion.

Alice bounced in her seat. "Why thank you, Emmett. Now, Bella, continue!"

"Okay, okay," Bella sighed, giving in. "Well, he finished studying, but I was still troubled with my work, so he decided to help..." She trailed off, and I laughed internally. I never got around to actually helping, but leave it to Bella to say so just to stall. "And, uh, I guess in that moment something just changed and we ended up telling each other about our, uh, attraction... and we ended up... getting together..."

"Getting together how?" Alice pushed, as if genuinely clueless, but the glint in her eye showed that her mind was squealing with the realization. Bella groaned.

Bella looked to me, her apology clear in her eyes. It was almost as if she knew she was going to cave, as much as she didn't want to, and knowing this, she thought I'd be opposed. As much as this was going to be awkward, I only wanted to do what Bella wanted to do, and if she was willing to tell about our activities, I'd be fine, as long as she wanted to. Okay, maybe she didn't want to do this, but Alice wasn't going to back down any time soon.

"Then, we got around to making out, then we, uh, got around to pushing our reunion further," she glanced at me, before blushing. "Do I really have to say it?"

"Well, no..." Alice admitted. "But..."

"It'd just be more hilarious if you said it aloud, anyway!" Emmett interrupted, which earned him a smack on the arm from Rosalie. "Hey, baby, it's the truth! I mean, getting her to admit it that they shagged like animals in that room? Priceless." He paused, as his jaw dropped slightly. "Christ, Rose, imagine if we did it there! Our bodily fluids would be mixed up with their bodily fluids! We'd've done it in the same place..."

"It still makes you feel any better about us even sitting in the very spot that they had sex in?" Rosalie raised her brow at him.

Emmett paused. "Well. No. Still."

Rosalie pointedly ignored Emmett. "Is there anything more that happened to your, err, reunion?"

Bella blushed profusely. "After we were done, you guys came in. Sorry about that, by the way, if we intruded on your making out."

The blonde woman scoffed. "You're apologizing for you seeing us kissing; please, Bella, you know me better than that. I'm sorry for interrupting on your heavy petting session, or whatever you guys were doing in there. Now what did you guys do afterward?"

"Afterwards, we had a pseudo-date," Bella said lightly. "Catching up, you know. Alice called around that time, so we went to each other's homes to get ready for this dinner... Which reminds me." She whipped her head up to me, almost knocking our noses together, since we were so close to each other. I almost lost my breath at our close proximity; I knew I'd never get over this. "Would you call this a date? Are we dating?" Her voice became wistful. "Because... I know you said you wanted more, and I know I want more, but are you my boyfriend... or something?"

She looked away from me now. And I mentally cringed, knowing that this questioning was because of her confusions and insecurities... But I had been thinking about this very thing this afternoon. Of course I wanted a relationship, I was just wary of what she would think. And here she was, asking me if I wanted to continue this. My heart could have burst from my chest.

I cupped my hands around her warm, fleshy skin... It was as if I was holding silk over glass... So soft, so delicate. I stared straight into her eyes, thinking of only her, surrounded by her presence. "Bella... I said I've always wanted this, and I meant it. I wasn't sure whether to call this a date either, but I sure as hell want it to be. And I want us to be. If you want me to be your boyfriend, I'd love to, but if you'd rather keep this platonic, I'd be fine with that too... I'd have you in any way, Bella."

"I don't think I couldn't not want to be with you," she whispered, her moist eyes looking straight into mine. "As juvenile as this sounds, I want to be your girlfriend... I want you."

Still holding onto her face, I lean in to give her a slow, sensual kiss. Her lips, soft; her tongue, graceful along my own. My right hand started to trail lower, down her neck, then stroking her collarbone. Her own hands found their way in my hair, entangling the fingers in the knots I couldn't get out of from our shower. She deepened the kiss, creating a fire all throughout my bloodstream. I couldn't help myself, these feelings was creating a chain reaction in my body--first my mouth, then my hands, and now my--

"Whew!" I heard Emmett loudly proclaim. "That sure got heated quick!"

In an instant, Bella and I were off of each other. I crossed my arms, my fingernails digging into my palms as I fisted my hands. I looked over to her, and amusingly found her paralleling me in the same position. Only, her face was completely red in embarrassment. She was avoiding her friends' eyes.

I on the other hand wanted to look right at my own friends. Emmett was stifling his laughter as Rosalie raised her brows at us, almost in slight disappointment. I guess she, as well as I, still wasn't sure what to make of our relationship. Glancing over at Jasper and Alice, I found myself a little surprised. Jasper held onto Alice tightly, her body flush against his. He had a fire in his eyes, almost as if witnessing Bella and I had put him in the mood, whereas Alice was grinning cattily, holding onto Jasper's long arms wrapping around her.

"Now, now, guys, it's cute," Alice giggled. Well, it sounded more like a tinkling, something that reminded me of a pixie. Fitting. "You don't have to feel embarrassed on account of us being here. 'Sides, I don't think I've ever seen you this worked up, Bella."

"And I sure ask fuck haven't seen Edward this worked up, ever," Emmett boomed in laughter. I blanched.

Suddenly Bella's position changed. She stood up straighter, then looked both Alice and Rosalie square in the eye. "Now, I know this is some weird occurrence; trust me, I know how rare this is for me. But can we all get over it and let us eat?"

"Well, I am famished," Jasper said. It was one of the only things he had said all night so far. And I found it appropriate that it was about food; he always had this huge appetite.

Emmett obviously agreed. He was a hulk of a man that needed sustenance. Alice heartily agreed and so did Rosalie. From that point, the six of us fell into playful banter and conversation. We all just seemed to... fit, as if this is where we all belonged. And I couldn't help but marvel what a coincidence that all of us had found each other. All of us friends had found lovers in each others friends.

I looked to Bella every few moments as we ate. She would laugh at something either Emmett or Alice said, then look warmly at Jasper, the ever great conversationalist when he wasn't silent, and she'd smirk alongside Rosalie as they'd kid and joke. She looked so beautiful, and I felt emotion well up inside of me.

It was only hours since I was last reunited with her, but I knew something was for certain: my feelings for her were growing with every moment.