A/N: Thank you to TwiSNFan and Astro2009. I don't own Twilight. M-ish rating ahead...and a longer A/N, too.

Weather With You

Chapter 6

Here's something I've learned over the last few days: I really, really like kissing Edward.

I've never really had somebody to kiss pretty much whenever I like. Not that I can whenever I like, because I like kissing him a lot. And it's not always an appropriate time...or place.

Anyway, the last few days have been pretty amazing. It's all so new to me because I've never really had a boyfriend before, but I have to say, Charlie's taking it quite well.

Edward and I, in the space of just a few days, have fallen into an easy routine. In the mornings, I go to work, then I go home and either have lunch with Charlie, or head straight over to Liz's. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about what Liz might say. I was super-embarrassed after being busted on the couch too, but Edward's casual touches and his gentlemanly behaviour when we're around other people mean that Liz and Charlie are okay leaving us alone. Charlie did lay down the law though, and said that Edward is not allowed in my bedroom.

When we're home alone, however, I've found the couch is actually quite comfortable. So is the lounger out the back, surprisingly. That's where we are now—under a canopy of grapevines and stars, and cocooned within a haze of heady citronella to keep the mozzies at bay.

"Bloody hell. Your skin, right here. It's just...so soft." Edward's lips are travelling somewhere below my ribs and above my hips. I'm pressed into the couch by his body, my back arched, as his mouth caresses every bit of skin he can reach without dipping below the boundary of my bathers.

My eyes roll back into my head as he moves back up my body and kisses my neck. "Damn, Edward." I gasp as his teeth graze my skin. "That feels so good."

"Mmm," he murmurs, covering my body with his but carrying most of his weight on his arms. He gives my neck one last nibble, and then we're face to face. With what feels like a couple of fingers, he brushes my hair away from my face and looks down at me, a look in his pure green eyes that I've become quite familiar with this past week or so. I didn't know what it meant inthose first few days...but I'm pretty sure I do now. He smiles. "I can't believe I found you. Here."

I grin back, my over-kissed lips tingling. "Me neither." When I say it, I know it's true. I expected my new life to begin once I left Forks Creek. I had no idea that it would start here, quite literally in my own backyard.

Pulling him down, I kiss him again. I can't help it—I pretty much want to kiss him all the time. Shifting my head a bit, I trail kisses below his jaw and onto his neck. He lifts his head to let me reach better, and I know I'm doing something right when his arms start to tremble and he presses himself into my hip with a deep groan.

"Should I stop?" I ask breathlessly. He stills, and his muscles tense.

"Just give me a minute."

"Oh," I say, shifting to give him more space, but he holds me still.

"Don't move." His voice is deep and husky, and that alone is enough to make my skin tingle, particularly beneath my bathers top.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be," he replies. "I just need a sec."

I know he said not to move, but he really looks uncomfortable. I shift my body away to give him a bit more space. "I might get some water," I say. "And then...um...do you want to watch some TV or something?"

"Yeah," he says, his voice still sounding strained. "Cold water would be really good."

After wiggling into a standing position, I straighten my singlet top. "'Kay. Come inside when you're ready?"

Edward rolls onto his back and throws an arm over his face. "I'm right behind you."

As I slide open the door, I throw him one last glance. What I see makes my eyes widen—the bulge in his board shorts is huge. Like...huge.

With my face again flaming, I hurriedly head to where the jug of water is in the fridge and grab two glasses out of the cupboard. I'm not sure how I have any blood left in my body to allow me to function—a large portion of it seems to be rushing to my face whenever Edward is around. The rest of it, well, it's elsewhere. It makes me want to squirm and roll my hips to try and stop myself from exploding.

"You want something to eat?" I call. Edward's still on the deck.

"Yeah, okay."

I wander into the pantry and start digging around for food and find a block of chocolate and the biscuit tin. I gather some stuff together on a tray and head into the lounge room, flicking on the TV and spreading the impromptu supper across the coffee table. I'm curled up on the couch flicking through TV channels when Edward wanders in.

"You okay?" I ask as he plonks down beside me.

He turns to look at me, and that same look is there, but it's toned down a bit. "Yeah." He smiles. "I'm fine." As quick as anything, he pulls me onto his lap. "I'm better now, though."

I grin, and touch my nose to his. "Good." I reach towards the coffee table, and Edward's hands firmly grip my hips. I pass Edward his glass of water and grab my own, and then watch his throat move as he drinks his down.

He's built so differently to me. Everything about him says strength. His hands, his broad shoulders, his strong jaw. But where he's hard angles and firmness, I'm a bit squishier. The way his fingers flare around my hips, following the contours of slight curves that I've only really been aware of lately, makes me feel more like a woman than a girl. The reactions that my body has when he touches me, kisses me, definitely make me feel like a woman.

"So, what time do you want to head off tomorrow?" Edward asks, setting his glass down on the table beside the couch and reaching for the remote. He starts flicking, and frowns because there's nothing on.

"I finish work at one, so I s'pose after I have lunch?"

"Sounds good," he says. He finds a Twenty 20 cricket match on, and settles on that. The volume is down low, so we can still hear each other talk.

"So," I say, tracing the line on his bicep where one muscle meets the next. As simple as it is, this is one of my favourite parts on him. "Have you thought any more about where you'll live?"

He sighs. "Yeah. I think I'm going to take the place on campus. For my first year, at least." His thumb creeps below the line of my t-shirt and rubs my bare skin above my shorts. "It'll give me a chance to get settled." He takes a deep breath and lets it out again. "I told my dad about changing my preferences for uni."

"Oh?" I look at his face, where the lights of the TV cast shadows across his features. "What'd he say?"

A small, surprised smile appears on his lips and his eyebrows rise. "He was okay about it, actually. He said he just wants me to be happy." Edward's face relaxes, and he looks into my eyes. "It's a real load off."

"I bet," I say. The way his shoulders relax a bit tells me more than his words do. He's been really worried about it, and I know he and Liz have talked about it at length. "So you'll live in one of the colleges then?"

"Yep. Same one Dad lived at." He grins. "You'll visit?"

I smile. "Yeah. Ange is moving into the one next door."

"Really?" He squeezes me tighter. "You've got no excuse then."

"What about you?" I follow the path my finger is tracing with my eyes. "Will you visit me?"

"Are you kidding?" he says, nuzzling my neck. "Just you and me, uninterrupted?" He sucks gently below my ear. "Try and keep me away." I close my eyes and grip his arms tighter. He responds by pulling me closer, and it's awkward because I'm all twisted.

In an act of bravery on my part, I shift my weight and swing my leg over so that I'm straddling him. We both hesitate—while we've cuddled up together and we've kissed heaps, we've not yet been quite in this position; not close to each other like this.

"Should I hop off?" I ask, and Edward's eyes appear darker in the dim light of the television. He doesn't say anything, but he pulls my lips onto his mouth and our bodies closer together. And it feels like nothing—nothing—I've felt before.

There's lips, and sucking, and gasping. And then, there's pressure and friction. And this is not like anything else. I shift my hips, and the motion makes me gasp and him groan. And it feels so unbelievably, tummy-tighteningly amazing that I do it again.

"Fuck." Edward pulls his lips away, but he's breathing into my mouth. "Do that again."

I do, and something in my body starts to feel tightened and twisted, like newspaper is when it's scrunched into a ball. He pushes up against me, and I grind back. I kiss him again, open-mouthed like I want to trap every part of him in my body and let him live there. Or maybe I want to wiggle so much that our skin fuses together and we become the same body. I don't know what—but I need to keep moving.

"Oh, God," I say, and the words squeak on my breath. He moves, and I move, and our breaths come faster and noises come from deep in my lungs and burn my throat as they fall out of my mouth and into the air. He grunts, and the sound of him combined with me, makes me want to move faster, like I'm chasing a bus that I know I have to catch.

The feeling pushes stars behind my eyes, and I clench them shut to stop them falling out. With a long, low groan, he pushes against me, trying to still me, and with two more rolls of my hips, I cling to him as my body bursts, like the river hitting the bank after a boat passes, wave after wave.

Our skin sticks together with a sheen of sweat, and the sound of shallow breaths fill the lounge room.

"Oh," I say, because I don't have any other words. "Oh…"

Edward's steady breathing grounds me. "Bloody hell."

"What…I mean...what was…?" I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

Edward pulls back a bit so that his face becomes clearer. "Did you…?"

I blink. "Did I what?"

He's still breathing heavily, but his green eyes stare into mine. "Did you...come?"

My breath catches, and that knot in my tummy tightens again. "Um…" I think about it for a sec. "I think so." I smile, and it feels so lazy that I probably look drunk. "I feel all floaty."

A wide, equally-lazy smile spreads across Edward's face. "Cool." He gives me a lingering kiss. "Is that...I mean, was it the first time?"

My cheeks are already flushed, so there's probably no change. "Yeah."

"Even…" He clears his throat. "Even with yourself?"

I snuggle into him, hiding my face in his shirt. "Yeah." In a small voice, I ask, "You?"

"No, when you're a guy, you can't really help it." He seems to struggle with what he wants to say, and he pauses before he continues. "I haven't really with anyone else. I mean, I had a girlfriend last year. The one I kissed?" He swallows heavily, and I shift so I can see his face. He looks down at a spot on my t-shirt. "We did...the same as we just did. But then she dumped me." He shakes his head, and he looks embarrassed. "She laughed."

I blanch. "Laughed? Why?"

He shrugs one shoulder. "She said I couldn't last 'til I at least got my gear off." He keeps his gaze down. "She said I got my rocks off before I even got my jocks off."

My first instinct is to hunt down the bitch that caused my boy to be so embarrassed. "I thought you were amazing. I thought that was pretty fucking amazing. I mean…" I grin, just a bit. "...hello."

"You liked it?" he asks, letting his eyes meet mine again.

I nod slowly. "When can we do it again?"

At that, Edward laughs out loud. "Not for a while. I mean, I have to go...clean up."

"Oh!" I clamber off his lap and onto the couch. "Okay. Um...do you need anything?"

"Nah," he says, standing awkwardly. "I have spare shorts in my bag." He hooks a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the laundry toilet. "I'll...um...I'll be back in a sec."

I smile at his retreating form. "Okay." When he's gone, I snag a piece of chocolate from the coffee table and pop it into my mouth. As I grab a cushion and cuddle it into me and savour the sweet taste on my tongue, a thought pops into my head, as clear as a bell. It makes me squeal into the pillow.

Nope. What Edward and I just did is definitely better than chocolate.

_._._._._

Extra bathers. Clean undies. Extra pair of shorts. Clean t-shirt. A pair of trackies for when it gets cold. Deodorant. Socks and runners, so the mozzies don't eat my feet.

I'm tossing things into my old schoolbag to get me through the overnight stay out the river. After being flat-out all morning at the shop, I can't wait to put my feet up—or in the river—and kick back with a beer. Or two. Or three.

"You about ready?" Charlie's voice from the doorway startles me.

"Yeah," I say, rolling my beach towel and stuffing it on top of everything else. "I think I'm done."

"Good." My dad shuffles his feet. "That's good."

I keep moving around the room, picking up things that are scattered about—bluetooth speakers, aloe vera—and I'm aware of Charlie's presence...he's still shuffling.

It's when he takes a deep breath, exhaling through his nose, that I stop. "What's up?"

He sucks in his bottom lip, making his moustache do funny things. He shrugs. "My little girl's growing up."

I roll my eyes. "I'm going for one night, Charlie. I'm not moving out. You're stuck with me a bit longer yet."

"I know, I know." He does that breathing thing again. "It's just that there'll be boys, Bella. And boys—"

"Ah!" I cut him off, scrunching up my face and blocking my ears. "You don't have to...I mean...I know about…" I shake my head to rid myself of unwanted visuals. "I know how...things work. I don't need you to…" I'm still spluttering, and I finally spit the words out. "Mum already did it."

"Good," Charlie says quickly. "That's good." He makes a hasty retreat, and as he walks down the hallway I hear him muttering something about hoping he's not called out to the river to bust up an orgy.

At that, I just about chuck into my backpack.

As I keep packing, thoughts swim through my head. Edward's taking his own tent, and I'm sharing with Ange, but I wonder what he expects. And if I end up in his tent, does it mean I have to…

I know we've done some...stuff. And although Ange suggested I should do more, my gut had said no. As I catch my own reflection in the full-length mirror on my wardrobe door, I know it—I'm not ready.

I feel like I'm a grown up, but I'm not quite there yet.

Scooping up my bag and grabbing my straw hat from its perch on the post of my bed-head, I walk into kitchen. As I pass the sliding door, I see Charlie sitting on the lounger on the deck under the shade of the grapevine, flipping the pages on a book too fast to be actually read them. I set my backpack and hat on the kitchen table. Charlie looks up when I open the sliding door, but his attention quickly goes back to the rapidly turning pages.

I drag one of the chairs at the table closer to him, feeling the light breeze that's blowing across the deck. The cool change came in last night, and the fire bans have been lifted. We've been lucky to make it through the week without any big fires, and the next few days are expected to be much more comfortable. This means we'll be able to have a campfire and sparklers tonight, and Charlie's duties will be limited to controlling drunk tourists rather than helping manage the emergency management centre.

Charlie doesn't look at me when I sit down.

"Um, Dad?" I say, my voice small. "You don't have to worry about me." Charlie starts to talk, but I put up a hand. "I'm not...like that. You raised me better than to be that kind of girl."

He twists his mouth to the side, his gaze not leaving his book. "Is that Brandon girl going?"

"No," I reply quickly. "She wasn't invited."

"Just because she's not invited doesn't mean she won't turn up," he grumbles, and then he speaks louder. "Good. She's trouble. Her mother doesn't keep a tight enough rein on her. Leaves it to the rest of Forks Creek to watch her. I don't like you near her."

I smile, just a bit. "I don't like being near her, either."

Charlie's grin breaks through his cop-face facade for the briefest moment before he gets it under control.

"Look," I say, and he closes the book with a deep breath. "You really don't need to worry—"

"I'll always worry." The look in his eyes tells me this is true.

I sigh. "I know. But I won't do anything stupid. It's a small group of us, and we're keeping things low key. Promise."

He pauses a moment before he answers. "I know, Bells. But I'm your dad. I'm supposed to worry."

I stand up and put my hands on my hips. "Well, I worry about you too." I give him my sternest look. "Be careful tonight."

"I will. I've been doing this a long time." When I give him a raised eyebrow, he puts his book down and gets to his feet. "I promise I'll be careful. Now, c'mere." He spreads his arms, and I walk into them. "Love you, Bells. Happy New Year."

I bury my face into his chest. "Love you, too. Happy New Year, Dad."

_._._._._

The windows in my ute are down and I let my left arm fall out, catching and waving the air in the passing breeze. The browned paddocks of freshly-harvested wheat roll by, and a few fluffy puffs dot the blue that stretches from horizon to horizon. Far above us, a long white cloud streaks across the sky, showing the flight path of the Melbourne to Sydney plane that you only seem to see evidence of here every few days. I look across the bench seat at the strong hands gripping the steering wheel of my ute. Edward is concentrating on the road ahead, although he's much more relaxed than when we left Liz's. When I tossed him the keys and asked if he wanted to drive, he nearly died...but he didn't say no.

It's weird to see the world from this side of the cabin, but I can scroll through my phone and pick music without having to keep my eyes glued. I switch songs when I get sick of one, and skip through to find my faves.

Beside me, Edward chuckles.

"What?" I ask, scrolling.

"You always do that?" he asks.

"Do what?"

He taps on the steering wheel with each word. "Skip. Skip. Skip."

"Well, yeah," I say, shrugging. "That way I only have to hear the ones I like." I point up ahead. "Go down that road."

He hits the indicator—probably a bit early—and starts to slow down. The one-ton ute behind us overtakes us, a kelpie barking at us from the ute's tray as it passes. "If you don't like them, why are they on your phone?"

Shrugging, I try to explain. "''Cause they're all good for certain times. Aha!" I find a song in a playlist I made for my dad, and I tap the screen. My smile stretches wide when I look across the cabin at him. "Like this one."

The familiar, marching-style intro fills the cabin, and Edward's face turns pink at the snare drum's rhythm. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you."

I giggle. "Never."

"Change it," he says, cringing. "Please."

"Nooo," I say. "It's cute!"

"Farnsy isn't cute. He's old." Edward shakes his head. "Now change it."

"Okay," I mutter. "It's a classic though." I keep scrolling, and make another selection. I notice Edward grin as the sound of a single guitar plays above the wind whistling through the cabin. This song is more Charlie's vintage than mine, but I love it. "You like this one?" I ask, liking seeing Edward smile.

"It'd be un-Australian not to. And besides "—Edward's hand reaches for mine across the bench seat, and he weaves our fingers together—"I like it because it kinda reminds me of you."

"It does?" I ask, shifting in my seat with embarrassment. My legs stick a bit to the vinyl, and I pull my knees to my chest, perching my bare feet on the edge of the seat. "How?"

He answers quickly, confidently. "The way you hug me. It's just like he says. You pretty much throw your arms around me."

I don't know if he's trying to be romantic or something, but a warm feeling spreads from my chest throughout my body, and just like in the song, I want to shout it to the blue summer sky. Lifting his hand, I kiss his fingers. He gives my palm a squeeze, then rests our still-joined hands back on the seat.

We keep driving towards Tay's, the warm summer air flowing through the car, and Edward's voice singing softly along with Mark Seymour's.

Being anywhere with Edward is just like falling for him—he makes it really, really easy.

_._._._._

I lean back in one of the old deck chairs Tay keeps in the little shed his family has at this spot on the river, and hum contentedly.

For most of the time, 'here' is a cow paddock. But lucky for us, Tay's dad gets the jackaroos to move the cattle a few paddocks over so they don't trample our tents in the night. Although that doesn't mean walking around here isn't like avoiding landmines.

Tonight, it's the place I'm going to ring in the new year with my best mates and my...whatever Edward is.

There's a drop-dunny down a track away from the water—well, it's better than digging a hole behind a tree—and Tay and his dad hooked up this contraption with a twenty gallon drum and a copper coil in the campfire. Combine that with a bucket and a bilge pump, and we've got hot running water for showers if we want.

The boys went fishing and yabbying earlier and, as luck would have it, they actually caught a few, and a couple of medium-sized yellowbelly too. As tea was cooking, there was the inevitable big discussion about the two-foot cod Sambo reckons he caught last year, although nobody ever saw it so we're pretty sure it never happened.

"How nice was that?" Edward sits in the chair next to me. "Tay's not a bad cook." He leans closer to me, tipping the chair sideways onto two legs. "Not as good as you, but." After giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, he sets the chair upright and stretches his legs out in front of him. He's still in shorts, just like the other boys, whereas the girls and I put on trackie pants when the mozzies started eating our ankles. I tried to find a jumper, but came up empty-handed when I looked through my bag.

"Ta," I tell him. He's already told me my cooking's good a couple of times tonight, although he complimented Rosie on the chocolate pudding she made in the camp oven. She smiled shyly, blushing like crazy when Emmett started mucking around, teasing her about how she's come a long way since she burned the toasted sandwiches we had to make in Home Ec in year seven. Edward bragged a bit about my pavlova to the other boys, and then he made me promise to make it for him again when we go to uni.

When we go to uni.

Ange was there, and raised an eyebrow sky-high after that comment. I had to look away so I didn't get caught smiling my face off.

The atmosphere around the campfire started off pretty chilled out, but everyone's getting a bit more excited as the minutes tick by and more drinks are consumed. The music coming from Rick's Falcon has gotten louder, and I give it about an hour before the inevitable playlist containing Cold Chisel is broken out. Although I'm pretty sure it's not Rick who'll put it on—he hasn't moved since Ange sat on his lap.

I listen to everybody chat, joining in every now and then, and I shiver when a cool breeze passes through the campsite. After dragging my bum out of my chair, I head for my ute, hoping that I've got a jumper stashed in there somewhere. I should've known there wouldn't be one there, though—I haven't needed a jumper in months.

"Cold?" asks Edward when I shift my chair a bit closer to the fire.

"Yeah," I say. "I forgot my jumper. Charlie distracted me when I was packing, and I s'pose I just forgot."

"Come for a walk? I think I have a spare in my bag."

He rises to his feet and holds out a hand, helping me up when I take it. I follow him to his tent, and am thankful when nobody says anything about us wandering off in this direction.

He crawls in, and lifts the flap. "Come in for a bit?" His tone is more questioning, like he's asking if I want to. Like I'm able to say no if I want to...but I don't. Dropping to my knees, I follow him into the cramped space. His sleeping bag, already laid out, is warm from the tent sitting in the sun all afternoon.

"Hi," he says, drawing me close.

"Hi," I reply, and I close my eyes as our lips touch.

We kiss for a bit, ending up lying down on top of the sleeping bag. I don't really need the jumper now—in the tent, the air is warm from the day's sun and our breathing. I shiver when Edward's fingers creep beneath my t-shirt, but it's not from the cold. When he traces the wire of my bra, I freeze.

"Hey," he says, stopping and pulling back. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say. "I...um…"

He props himself up on one elbow. "What is it?"

My face flushes, and I'm sure it's flame-red like the campfire. "I'm...I'm not ready."

"For…" In the barely-there light, I see Edward's forehead wrinkle. "Oh!"

"Yeah," I say. I repeat it again. "I'm not ready."

"Oh, Bella," he says, tracing my hairline. "Me neither. I mean…"—his voice is strained—"...I want to, believe me I do." He clears his throat. "But...later. I mean, not tonight," he adds hurriedly. "Later, when we're both ready."

I exhale and feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest. "You're okay with that?"

"Yeah," he says quickly. "And there's still other stuff we can do."

I smile, and I pull him closer. "Yeah. Other stuff's good."

"Yeah." He leans down, kissing me soundly and sending my heart flying again. "Other stuff's really good."

My hair was a mess before I went into Edward's tent, so it probably doesn't look any worse when I emerge. I tuck my hands into the sleeves of Edward's Port Mary Seagulls jumper—it's big and warm, and it smells like him. I try not to grin stupidly as we walk back towards the others.

Yeah. Kissing Edward is one of my new favourite things.

_._._._._

"How much longer?" asks Jake for the billionth time.

"Forty-five minutes, I told you already, like three minutes ago," replies Sambo. He nudges Jake in the arm.

Jake whacks him back, grinning. "Fuck off. I was only asking."

I laugh at them, and something tells me to pinch my nose—which is going numb. Maybe it's since I switched to UDLs, but I'm feeling pretty tipsy. Not drunk-tipsy, just a bit giggly-tipsy. And as I look around at my friends, I'm starting to feel nostalgic...and I only hope that doesn't lead to sooky-tipsy.

"What are you doing?" asks Emmett. He stands in front of me, back to the fire, and I hope he doesn't get close enough to singe the leg hairs on his calves.

"Pinching my nose," I reply. "What are you doing?"

"Toasting my arse," he answers, like it's obvious.

"Heh." I suppose it is obvious.

"So, bitty-Bella." Emmett takes a swig from his can. It's wrapped in the commemorative stubby holders his year had made for finishing year twelve. We got t-shirts. They're shit—I'll probably only ever use mine for sleeping. "It's nearly the new year. Making any resolutions?"

"Yeah," I reply, wriggling my nose. I still can't feel it. "Change my phone number so you can't find me."

Emmett clutches his chest. "Oh, right through the heart!" He grins, and takes another swig. "You really don't want to stay in touch?"

"Ha," I say. "Nah, you're right. You're one of the people I probably actually do want to stay in touch with." I tilt my head to see him better. "You finally gonna start that course?"

Emmett tilts his nose up, like he's snooty. "It's called a Bachelor of Engineering, Bella. It's not like it's, oh, I don't know..."—he pretends to think about it—"Arts, or writing or some shit."

I laugh. "Fuck off, idiot. Media and Comms isn't just writing."

"You think you'll get in?" he asks, suddenly serious.

I take a sip of my drink, and the bubbles tingle my tongue. At least that's not numb. "I hope so. I mean, my marks were high enough. But I s'pose it comes down to how many people apply." I sigh deeply. "I really hope I get in. It's what I've always wanted to do." I chuckle. "At least you already know you're in."

"Yeah." He nudges my leg with his foot. "You'll be right, Bells."

"Ta," I say, sticking my finger down in between my can and stubby holder. "What about you? Any New Year's resolutions?"

His eyes look in the direction of where Rosie is sitting away from the group on a log. "Yeah," he says absently. "I'm gonna ask Rosie out."

I laugh. "'Bout bloody time." I follow his gaze, and when he starts to walk towards her, I get out of my chair. "Easy, tiger. I'm not sure she looks like she's in the mood right now." I nod at my empty chair. "Mind my spot. I'll be back in a minnie."

He doesn't bother sitting, but takes a sip and wanders over to where Tay and Rick are deep in conversation about something. I head off towards Rosie and sit down next to her.

"What's up, Buttercup?"

Rosie gazes across the still surface of the river. It's so smooth that it's like a mirror, the moon making light dance off the water. She takes a deep, deep breath. "Did you know Alice tried picking up Emmett?"

"What?" I say, tucking one foot under me and balancing my beer on my knee. "When?"

"Boxing Day," she replies. "She met them out at Sambo's. I guess she knew I was going to be away and took advantage of the situation."

I blanch. Rosie has been nothing but totally loyal to Alice for her whole life. They were in kindergarten together, and have been best friends ever since. Even as they grew older, and Alice discovered boys and made it her personal mission to chase each one of them, Rosie was always right with her. And when the rumours started about the kind of girl Alice was growing up to be, Rosie defended her. Every single time.

"You're kidding, right?" I look to see any hint of humour, but Rosie remains stone-faced. "Oh my God, you're not. What a fucking bitch!"

Rosie and I sit for a minute, quiet and still against the rowdiness that's going on over near the campfire.

"Why would she do that?" Rosie doesn't even sound upset. Her tone is more...disappointed. "I mean, I thought we were supposed to be best friends." She sighs, like the weight of fourteen years of friendship just fell from her shoulders. "I knew what she was like. I knew what she did to everyone else. I just didn't think she'd do it to me."

A cool breeze blows gently in from the river, rustling the leaves in the gum trees high above. Listening to the goodnight song of the crickets, I debate whether I should ask her, and then I figure that if Alice is her closest friend, Rosie has probably rarely had anyone ask after her. "Did you really believe that?"

Blowing out a breath, she shakes her head. "I wanted to. But, no. Now that I think about it, I s'pose not." She looks down at her feet, and her voice grows small. "You must think I'm a real idiot, huh."

"Hey." I twist in my chair to face her. "I don't think you're an idiot. Nobody thinks you're an idiot." I place my hand on her arm and she looks up at me like a girl lost. "She's an absolute dickhead for treating you like that—for treating everybody like that."

"We were going to get a flat together," she says with a shrug. "You know, in Melbourne?" I nod. I did know this—they've been talking about it each lunch time all year. "But I think she's going to stay in town. I think it was all bullshit. She's never going to leave Forks Creek."

"What about you?" I ask. "Are you still going?"

From the campfire, I hear Emmett laugh heartily. Instinctively, like she doesn't realise she's doing it, her gaze follows the direction of the sound and a smile creeps onto her face for a fleeting moment. "Yeah. I am." Just as quickly as her smile appeared, it's replaced with a frown. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, though. I don't have family in Melbs that I can stay with. I s'pose I'll just have to find a sharehouse or something."

"Good," I say, grinning back. "I'm glad you're going. You won't be alone—I'm moving to Melbs, so's Ange...and Emmett." I give her a wink. "And yeah. Fuck Alice."

Rosie's face screws up. "Not me," she says, wrinkling her nose. "Everybody else's already been there."

I throw my head back, the laughter coming from deep within my chest, and after a minute, Rosie does the same. We're pretty much in hysterics when Edward finds us.

"G'day," he says sidling up to us, his cheeks pinked by the sun and a couple of beers. "What's cracked you two up?"

"Ah," I say. "Just talking about the town bike."

"That Alice girl?" Edward says, scratching the skin below the stubby holder around his wrist.

"You know what she's like?" Rosie says, a bit incredulous. "You don't even live here."

He shrugs, like it doesn't matter. And I know it doesn't. "Yeah. I wasn't buyin' what she was sellin'. Or, in her case, giving away free to a good home—free to any home."

Rosie giggles, and glances at me. "He's cute," she says.

I stand up, and Edward comes to wrap his hands around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. I lean back against him. "Yeah," I say, grinning. "He is."

Getting to her feet, Rosie is already scanning the group by the campfire. "Well, I'll leave you two kids to it." When she wanders off, I notice there's a bit of a spring in her step. I see her walk up beside Emmett, and he wraps an arm around her and kisses the top of her head, quickly, naturally. She's smiling, and he keeps talking to Tay as he holds Rosie close, like it's the way it's supposed to be.

"Finally," I say, letting the word come out with my breath.

"What's that?" Edward says against my neck. It gives me tingles.

"Those two." I nod my head in their direction.

"Long time coming?" he asks, kissing me softly.

I nod, and then move my head so he can reach more of my neck. "Yeah."

He kisses me once more, and then sighs deeply, releasing me from his grasp. "She's a nice girl."

"She is," I say, already missing the feeling of his arms around me.

"Maybe she could be your flatmate," he says, taking my hand. We walk slowly back over to the campfire, heading for the side where the smoke isn't blowing.

"Hmm." That's definitely something I hadn't thought of, but maybe…I resolve to think about it and talk to Charlie to see what he thinks.

_._._._._

"Four minutes!" says Jake, handing Sambo a beer out of the esky and grabbing one for himself. "Put the radio on."

Ange grabs my hand and squeals, before releasing it and dancing off to put the radio on so we can hear the countdown. I start to follow her, but Edward's arms wrap around me. "G'day," he says in my ear.

"Where ya been?" I ask, because I haven't seen him in about five minutes and it's kind of hard to lose people in such a small group.

"Behind a tree, seeing a man about a dog," he replies, and I'm sorry I asked. "It's nearly time."

"It is," I say. "I bet this isn't where you imagined you'd be when you came to Liz's for Christmas."

"It's not," he admits, and he's smiling. "But I'm bloody happy to be here."

Rosie appears beside us. "Here," she says, handing me a sparkler then drawing out a couple for Ange and Jess. "You need a lighter?"

"I'll use the fire," I tell her, and she giggles as she runs off. As I watch her go, I hope this year signifies new things for her, too. A life free of the claws of Bitchy Brandon, and in the arms of the boy who's loved her since forever.

"You look happy," says Edward, nuzzling my shoulder.

"I am happy," I tell him, and I feel it everywhere—and it's not just because of the vodka and oranges I've been drinking. "I've got heaps to be happy about. New year, new start."

"You're beautiful when you're happy," he says, grinning. In the light of the fire, his face glows a bit rosy.

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "I'm cutting you off."

"I'm not that drunk," he adds quickly. "I switched to softies earlier. One of us needs to drive home in the morning."

"Good call," I say, just as Jake yells, "One minute!" The announcer on the radio echoes him.

There's scurrying, and time seems to go so slowly, but then everyone's counting down from twenty. I can hear the faint echoes of another group further down the river doing the same thing.

"Happy New Year," Edward murmurs, just as everybody else yells the same thing at the top of their voices.

"Happy New Year," I tell him, and he captures my mouth with his. I melt into him, my sparkler hanging limply from my fingers, and let myself get swept away. I pull back when Ange squeals at me.

"This year's gonna be the best!" she says, hugging me and sandwiching me between her and Edward. "Look after her, Eddie!"

"I will," he tells her, and then she's gone and throwing herself at Rick. I laugh.

"Does this mean I'm stuck with you?" I ask, peering up at him.

"Fuck yeah," he says, holding me tight. "Because this, what we have, is something special. And now I've found you, I want to stay with you."

In the background, the others run around, shouting "Happy New Year" and kissing and hugging and high-fiving and shaking hands. Edward wraps me closer, beneath a canopy of river red gum branches and a star-filled sky.

This is a new year, and it feels like it's the beginning of my new life. A life where I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm going to be out on my own.

Edward said he'll be there, and I really hope he is.

Maybe what we have is forever. Maybe this is just for this summer. Maybe this is a story I'll want to tell more people than just myself in the years to come. All I know is that Edward has helped my last summer here as a kid be filled with feelings that make me feel like I'm definitely starting to be a grown up, and that I'm maybe ready to start taking on the world.

He hugs me tighter and kisses my forehead. "I meant it, Bella," he says, his lips slipping to whisper in my ear. His breath tickles, but I welcome it because it means he's close. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

I burrow deeper in the cocoon of our blanket and stare up at him. I look into his eyes, and I know it.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, too."

He smiles, and it's like the sun has risen already although it's hours away. Whatever we decide to do, we're going to be in the same city, and we're going to see more of each other. We're going to see where this goes. And that gives me a warm, bubbly, happy feeling that I want to stay with me.

I snuggle in. He tilts my chin up so our lips meet, and the kiss is deep and full of promise. I lose myself in it, and I'm perfectly happy to be right where I am for now. I don't have to worry about finding a flatmate, or a part-time job, or making sure I get myself to class on time. I don't have to worry about essays, or exams, or handbrake starts on big hills, or hook turns in the city. Right now, I'm perfectly content to be kissed senseless by this boy.

I'll worry about the rest later. I have Edward, and hope, and the early flutterings of love. And together we have nothing to conquer but blue skies of possibilities ahead of us.

A/N: That's it! Thank you so much for indulging me. This story is basically a love letter: it's dedicated to the way of life I know, and to the readers out there for whom Christmas is about summertime and scorching heat. For my readers down under—this is for you.

I'll say it again: thank you to TwiSNFan who takes a chance on everything I write. She's a special kind of friend...and not just because she comes to help me paint my house when I'm freaking out that I don't have enough hours in the day.

And to Astro2009 for your beta work—I've so enjoyed working with you. You make me think, and the snippets you suggest help take my brain to places. It's one thing to fix commas, but it's another to be a true sounding board. So thank you for that.

I've absolutely loved writing this story, and I kinda don't want to say goodbye to this mob. Maybe I won't. Never say never, right? But for now, as far as Christmas in Forks Creek goes, that's it. Thank you so much for reading—I've so loved your thoughts in your reviews for this one (hint, hint) :)

Mags xx

Aussie definitions:

Softies- Soft drink. Aka soda, pop, coke.

Trackies - Also known as trackie dacks. Or tracksuit pants. Or sweats.

Drop-dunny - A long drop toilet.

Yabbying - Yabbies are freshwater shellfish.

Ta - Thanks

Finishing a sentence with but - It's common in informal (and usually spoken) Australian English to tack "but" on at the end of a sentence. Think of it as a substitute for 'though' eg. "Not as good as you, but." = "Not as good as you, though."

Stubby holder - A beer holder (a stubby is a short-necked beer bottle. Wait, did we cover this already?). Known as a beer koozie in some parts of the world.

Flat mate - A room mate. A flat is an apartment.

Falcon - A type of Australian (for now) car made by Ford.

Sooky - I have no idea how to explain this. Whiny? Yeah. Let's go with that.

Jumper - Sweater or pullover.

UDL - This stands for United Distillers Limited. It's an Australian brand of pre-mixed drinks. They come in mixtures like vodka and either raspberry, orange, pineapple, passionfruit, or lime, or scotch and coke.