Bella POV

Edward opened the gate for me and I stepped through cautiously. With my luck, I managed to trip on the last step. Edward caught me in his arms and set me on my feet, while smiling. I could feel my blush forming, waiting for him to make fun of me, but he did not. Edward swiped his hand through his hair, pushing it back down in first-class formality.

“We may be rich but we don’t bite,” He smiled at my nervousness, “Well, most of us don’t.” Edward held out his arm and I wrapped mine through his. We began to stroll along the deck. He was always smiling at me. I loved his smile, because it made me feel happy. When he was upset, I felt upset. It was like we were one.

“I know that first-class people aren’t mean,” I whispered while we were walking. Edward raised his eyebrows at me, like he could sense the sweat forming off of my head.

“How, may I ask, do you know first-class people are not mean?”

“Well, you are a nice person. You glared at a second-class woman and hunted her down until you found her just to apologize. The rich people I have met in my life would never do such a thing. They wouldn’t care for that woman at all,” I could feel him tense and then he relaxed.

“Well,” he sighed, “Maybe that isn’t the only reason I searched for you.”

I felt my heart stop and so did my feet. He turned and smiled at me, making it hard to breathe.

“Breathe Bella,” he whispered. I did but it didn’t stop my heart from pounding like crazy. We began to walk again. Edward smiled and put his hand in mine, rubbing calming circles, but the fact we were touching was too exhilarating to stop my heart.

“We’re here,” he whispered at the door on his side of the hallway. Edward opened the door and pulled me inside with him. Is this what he meant by ‘not the only reason’? I went rigid as he shut the door.

“Bella, calm down, please,” he whispered, walking over to me. “I promise, I will not ever hurt you or do anything you do not want to do.” He laid his hand on my cheek and gently caressed it. “I just saw you yesterday, so why do I feel like I have known you forever?” He whispered to himself. He dropped his hand and walked over to the balcony, probably needing a moment to think.