Simon relished the peace and quiet as he stood in the small bathroom connected to the guest room. The water splashing against the tiles blocked out the rest of the noise as he stood in the shower.

It was now their second day in Florida, and they had spent most of it outside on the beach. Bella and Renee had spent most of the time lounging on towels, trying to bask in the warmth of the sun as much as they could. The boys had spent the majority of their time in the water, using it as a way to stay out of sight when the sun peaked out from behind the clouds.

Around halfway through their time outside, Simon had left the water and joined Renee and Bella in the sand. Edward had gone inside to call and check in with their family, but Simon paid him no mind.

The sand had been a struggle to get off, so the shower was useful in ridding himself of the rest of it. He kept the shower quick, getting out after he was done washing up. He needed to get ready, as the girls had wanted to leave for dinner in an hour. Phil had arrived home from work, and Renee thought it would be good for them to eat out somewhere nice.

He wrapped a towel around his waist after drying off, looking at the shelf for his clothes. He sighed in irritation as he realized he had left them in the room. He opened the door, moving back into the connected room to quickly grab them. He briefly waved at Bella as he saw her getting ready before he moved back into the bathroom.

He almost had the door closed, before someone stopped it from closing the rest of the way. He shot Edward a small glare, but he stepped to the side as he knew Renee was getting ready in the only other bathroom. Simon closed the door after him, missing the confused look Bella had sent him.

He set his clothes down on the counter, about to start getting dressed before he hesitated as he remembered Edward was in the room with him.

Edward rolled his eyes as he saw Simon hesitate, looking away from him as he fixed his tie with the use of the mirror.

"Relax," He said, "It's not like I haven't seen anything before."

He suddenly stumbled a bit, caught off guard by the force of the towel that Simon had chucked at his head.

"Shut up," The brunet mumbled half-heartedly as he pulled on a pair of tight boxers, "I'm still mad at you, remember?"

"Well, yeah," Edward spoke, turning to face the younger male, "I just don't fully understand why. I thought we got past the whole me turning you thing. I know I took that choice away from you, but that's over now. So, if you're going to continue to hate me, could you at least tell me why?"

"Being upset with you and hating you are two different things," Simon said as he pulled his trousers up over his hips, "Thankfully, for you, it's both. I hate you because you snapped my neck and then decided to turn me despite my explicit wish. I'm upset with you because of how things turned out for us. You moved on so early, and I hadn't. When I finally found someone worth moving on for, I found out that you had gotten to her first."

"I'm sorry, what?" Edward found himself asking, "You're the one that left, remember? You left me, not the other way around. You pushed me away first."

Simon's eyes snapped up to his, his gaze narrowed into a sharp glare.

"You. Weren't. There. When I woke up, after two days stuck in my mind, drowning in the venom that you put into my veins, you weren't there. None of you were. I tried my best to look past that. I tried my best to fit in with every one of you. You wouldn't even look at me. Esme couldn't even bare to be near me without crying. Carlisle couldn't have cared less about whether I stayed or left. Eight years. That was how long I stayed with them the first time around. You had left to go on your bad guy rampage by then. Carlisle turned Rosalie against her wishes, and I couldn't deal with the reminder that none of you listened to anything I had to say. I left, and you weren't even there for me to say goodbye to."

"I know. I messed up, and I'm sorry," Edward found himself saying as he moved closer to Simon, stopping in front of the shorter male. "And I promise you, I will spend the rest of our lives trying to make that up to you. Just let me try. Please, Simon."

"Prove it to me," Simon said after a moment of silence. "Prove to me that you aren't doing this to trick me. Prove to me that I can trust you."

Edward's eyes met his, gold clashing with burgundy. He raised his hand, resting it against Simon's face. He watched as Simon subtly leaned into his touch, and he made his decision. His hand slid away from Simon's face, moving round to cup the back of his neck. He tugged, dragging Simon forward with the sudden movement. The motion must have surprised the younger male, as he shoved Edward against the wall in a swift movement. His hand was wrapped tightly around Edward's throat, cracks faintly appearing under his grip.

"You may be faster, but I'm stronger than you now. Don't try that again–"

"Or what?" Edward said with a smug grin as he switched their positions, pinning Simon up against the wall. His hand gripped Simon's jaw, forcing the brunet to look at him. "You're forgetting that I know you, Simon. You may not allow me to see into your mind anymore, but I know how you think. I know what sets you off. I know how much your emotions rule you. I know that, sometimes, you don't want to have to think at all. So let me do it for you."

Simon opened his mouth to retaliate, but he was cut short as Edward's lips smashed into his. It was different than he was used to. Much unlike Bella's soft and sweet kisses. This kiss was dangerous. It was rough, and Simon found that it burned as he pulled Edward closer. Their fangs cut their lips, and Simon remembered just how addictive Edward used to be.

Edward's head dropped down the second their kiss broke, trailing his way down Simon's throat. Simon's hands found Edward's waist, and he lifted the bigger male up with ease. He pinned Edward's back to the wall, baring his throat to him as Edward bit into his neck. He let out a hiss of pain, not used to the sensation of fangs sinking beneath his porcelain skin.

They found themselves breaking apart as Bella knocked on the door. Simon yanked his shirt on, getting dressed completely before he opened the door.

"You both need to be ready within the next five minutes, Mom wants to leave soon. We're waiting on you two and Phil."

Simon nodded as Edward left the room, and as he finished getting ready, he could have sworn he died of embarrassment as he saw the new marks that littered his neck. He hiked his collar up higher, tightening his tie before he left the bathroom. He picked his suit jacket up off the bed, and he met Bella by the door where she was quick to fix his uneven tie.

They made their way to the restaurant, and Simon tried his best to avoid meeting Edward's eyes as he held a smug grin.

***

So far, the evening had been rather uneventful. The older couple had sat on one side of the booth with Bella, as Simon and Edward sat on the other side. Renee and Phil were quietly conversing with themselves as Bella and Edward talked across the table. Simon's attention had drifted over to the soccer game the restaurant had playing on one of the flatscreens.

If he had to admit it, Simon was feeling a little sick. Unlike Edward, he had forced himself to eat the food they had ordered. Edward had made an excuse for himself, claiming it had to do with his strict diet. Simon slouched a bit against the back of the booth, loosening his tie as his throat started to burn. It was a side effect that often appeared after he forced himself to eat human food, so he didn't do it often.

"So, Simon," Renee began, regaining his attention as she changed the conversation. "Do you have someone special waiting for you back in Forks?"

Simon hesitated, his dark eyes briefly flickering over to Bella.

"Uh, kind of," He said after clearing his throat, "It's a bit complicated, at the moment."

"I'll say," Renee absent-mindedly spoke as her eyes drifted down to the marks peeking out from the collar of his shirt. "Who's the lucky lady– or is it a gent?"

Simon had never been more thankful for his inability to blush. A smug smirk made its way onto his face though as he leaned forward, resting his arms against the edge of the table.

"What kind of man would it make me if I were to kiss and tell, Mrs. Dwyer?" He asked as he held her gaze.

The rest of their table had gone silent, listening to the interaction between the two. Renee remained silent for a few seconds as she sat back, taking a sip out of her glass of wine.

"You seem like you're a smart man, Simon. And a gentleman. I'm sure whoever seems to have stolen your heart considers themselves very lucky."

He sent her a sheepish grin, and he seemed to relax as the conversation was switched again. He moved into a conversation with Phil, though he was momentarily distracted as he became aware of the hand resting on his thigh. He glanced up at Edward, though didn't question him as he was talking to Renee and Bella. He rested his hand on top of Edward's, lightly gripping onto it as he allowed himself to enjoy their night out.