Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

I also don't own Dave Matthews, but will shamelessly plug his lyrics as much as I can.

Sorry for the delay everyone. Real life really kicked me in the ass these past few weeks with family sickness, funerals, and an international relocation! I am hoping to post again ni the next few days, but it might be a week or so after that. Please stay with me!

Thanks to my Twilighted Beta xrxdanixrx for her awesome skills.

Previously in Chapter 14:

Edward looks at me with a sad, gentle smile. "Bella, there's something that I need to tell you. Once you know, I will completely understand if you want me to leave. When I told you before that I don't have anything to offer you, it's not that I'm married, or gay, or anything else that you might think. I have a physical problem that prevents me from being intimate with a woman. I feel it's only right that I set your expectations that although I enjoy spending time with you, there is a limit to the extent of our relationship."

"What do you mean, Edward?" My mind starts to race with worry, wondering what disease he may be carrying.

Edward puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back so that he can look directly into my eyes.

"Bella, I'm impotent. "

BPOV

To say I am flabbergasted by this beautiful man in front of me would be the understatement of the century. I have known intuitively that he had some secret that he was hiding from me, but I never expected this man, who appears to be the picture of health, to be impotent. I have so many questions that I want to ask him, but my instincts tell me that my reaction over the next few minutes will define whether or not there is any "we" in our future, so I tread carefully.

My mind races as I try to think of the appropriate response to Edward's admission. I am afraid to ask him too many questions for fear that I will scare him away. So I decide that actions speak louder than words, and I do the only thing that makes sense at this moment.

I hug him.

At first, it is awkward as I reach my arms around him and hold him tightly. He stands very still, arms at his sides, not moving or responding to my touch. But once he realizes I am not going to say or do anything else, I feel his arms tentatively wrap around me until he is embracing me just as fiercely.

I'm not sure how long we are standing there, but I start to feel Sampson's nose gently nudging at my legs, trying to worm his head between us to get in on the hugging action. I look at Edward ruefully as I reach down to scratch Sampson's ear.

"It looks like someone might be a little jealous," I say to Edward as I bend down to give Sampson a little love. His tail is whacking impatiently against the cupboard doors, making the kitchen seem suddenly smaller than it was just a few minutes ago.

"Sampson has no reason to be jealous. There are no threats here." I can hear an edge of bitterness in his voice. Since he has reopened the topic, I decide to see if I can find out a bit more information. I walk back over to the sink where our wine glasses are drying and motion to him if he wants a refill. I breathe a sigh of relief when he nods.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, filling our wine glasses with a generous pour.

Edward takes a deep breath and I can see that he is putting up his wall before he answers. "I am sure you have a lot of questions, so let's see if I can spare you the trouble of asking them. Yes, all of my equipment is still intact. No, I did not have a horrible accident that rendered me impotent. Yes, I have been examined and no, there is no medical reason for my conditions. It's all up here," Edward says, tapping his head emphatically.

I hand Edward his glass of wine and take a sip of my own, trying to use the time to collect my thoughts. Finally, after the silence is nearly deafening, I realize that he's done his best to push me away, and I have heard nothing at all that has deterred me. I open one of my drawers and pull out a handful of take-out menus.

"Do you want to pick something or do you want me to surprise you?" I ask. Edward looks at me as though I have just sprouted horns.

"That's all you've got to say to me? Do I want to pick out a place for take-out? I pour my fucking heart out to you, and you're asking me about take-out?" Edward runs his fingers through his hair angrily, and although I feel my stomach doing somersaults, I stay with my original plan.

"Well, Edward, I appreciate you sharing this, but frankly, it doesn't matter at all to me. It doesn't change anything. I like you, and I think that the feeling is mutual. I would like to get to know you better. If you share my feelings, this doesn't have to be any more complicated than that."

It is now Edward's turn to sip his wine thoughtfully. "So Bella, are you telling me that you would be in a serious relationship with someone who could never make love to you? That you would marry a man that could not naturally give you children? I know that right now it may seem inconsequential, but these are things that you will eventually want, Bella, things that I can't give to you."

For the second time tonight, I can feel myself starting to seethe. "Edward, please don't take this the wrong way, but seriously? Not every first date leads to marriage and children. I appreciate that you have extenuating circumstances and you want to make sure I know what I'm getting into, but I am telling you that it changes nothing. Let's not worry about all of this romance stuff. Let's just be friends and get to know each other. Frankly, I am starting to wonder if you're using this as a way to let me down easy. So if you're not interested in what I have to offer, just say the word and we can move on."

Edward walks up to me and puts his hand on my face, stroking my cheek. He kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear. "I'm interested". I feel a shiver run involuntarily down my spine and hope that he didn't notice. But the half smile he offers when he steps away leads me to believe that he did.

As I sit down in class, I can feel my stomach churning as I prepare to take my midterm exam in Finance. After my study session on Saturday, I spent a few hours Sunday reviewing the materials again, and I feel that there is no more that I could have done to prepare. I fidget nervously waiting for Edward to arrive.

Ten minutes before class begins, Edward strides into the room with a box full of test materials. Typically a teaching assistant would administer the exam, but Edward does not have any assistants for his class so he's here, dressed casually in jeans and a button down shirt, looking delicious as ever. I mentally chastise myself for having these types of thoughts. Edward and I are firmly in the "friend zone" based on our conversation Saturday.

I think about what Edward told me about his impotency problem and wonder what could possibly be the reason. He said there was nothing medically wrong with him, but I can't help but wonder if he's examined all options. I make a mental note to do some research this week to see if I can find anything.

Edward passes out the tests, handing each of us our test personally. When he hands me my test, I notice there is a sticky note poking out from the second page of mine. I arch my eyebrow at him quizzically and he responds with a wink.

"Alright, I think that everyone has an exam now. You may now begin. You will have exactly two hours to complete the exam. Good luck!"

I open up my test, more interested to see what is on the sticky note than the exam itself. I peel away the note and tuck it close to myself, making sure that no one else can see my private message from the Professor. I carefully look to see what Edward has written to me.

Bella,

Are you looking for answers, to questions under the stars?

If along the way you are growing weary, you can rest with me until a brighter day.

EAC

I try to keep my cheeks from exploding with a smile. Edward found what might be the perfect Dave Matthews Band lyrics for this moment and shared them with me. I carefully look up to see Edward staring intently at me. This time, it's my turn to wink at him.

Feeling a rush of adrenaline, I plow into my test. Overall, I feel well prepared as I skim through the questions, and finish with thirty minutes to spare. I turn in my test to Edward and try not to make any eye contact with him as I walk out of the room. I didn't think that drooling and blushing would be a normal student reaction to handing in an exam.

After driving home, I take Sampson on a brief walk and decide to settle in early to relax after taking the exam. I check my Blackberry and see that I have a message from Edward.

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT: Exam

Bella,

I just wanted to see if you're upset with me, and apologize if you are. It felt like you couldn't even look at me as you left class. I hope you weren't upset that I gave you that note. I thought you may enjoy getting a little smile before the exam. If I have overstepped any boundaries, accept my apologies.

Best,

Edward

I decide to write a response before I go to sleep so he knows that I am not upset. I am feeling a little bit brazen so I decide to flirt a little bit. Friend zone be damned!

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT: RE: Exam

Edward,

I most certainly am not upset with you. I avoided eye contact with you because I didn't want to make any of the other students jealous if I launched myself at you after the exam. Thank you for the note; it was really sweet of you. I didn't realize you were a DMB fan.

Thanks again for studying with me on Saturday. I hope that my grade reflects the amount of preparation for the exam.

Have a good night,

Bella

I take Sampson out one last time before bed and then get my pajamas on. I can't resist checking my phone to see if Edward responded. He didn't disappoint.

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT: RE: Exam

Bella,

"I didn't want to make any of the other students jealous if I launched myself at you after the exam." Launch yourself? Hmm…my intellectual curiosity is getting the best of me tonight. I may want a demonstration of this the next time we get together.

Speaking of which, would you like to have dinner this week? Maybe we could try going out this time?

Sweet dreams,

Edward

Edward wants a demonstration? I may have to oblige, in the name of intellectual curiosity, of course.