Edward

I looked over my notepad, trying to make sense of everything I wrote down of my session with Irina. Not that my handwriting was that horrible – although my mother certainly would claim it was – but the woman just kept rambling on, so I did my best to keep up with her. Let's also pretend the doodles I made had any significant psychological meaning. Right now I could use any patient I could get.

"Wait- You can't just walk in there." My head snapped up when I suddenly heard Kate's voice. Not hard to see why, since suddenly a young, brown-haired woman made her way into my office, regardless the pleas of my new secretary.

"Apparently I need a shrink," she simply announced, her brown eyes locked onto mine.

"Ehr. I-" I managed to get out, obviously being thrown off by her sudden entrance. The woman was out of her damn mind.

She simply raised her eyebrows at me. "You are a psychologist, right? Or did I just enter a random house again?" she asked. "Damn."

"I am." This was simply ridiculous.

"Good," she sat down and crossed her legs, "Do your shrinking."

"You really should make an appointment first," I inform her calmly, though she doesn't budge.

She smiled crookedly and nodded. "I know. I took your very empty waiting room as an invitation."

Auwtch. And unfortunately true. Having only graduated only a few months ago, I still had to make a name for myself. However that's beside the point. For all she knows I could have a ton of patients today. Who does she think she is?

I sighed. "You may not have an appointment, but you do plan on paying, right?" I asked her. I had to make sure. Who knows what's happening in her mind.

"Yes, sir," she nodded with a satisfied smile. She played me, she played me damn well, and she knew it.

I ripped off one of the pages of my notepad, only to make my way to the other leather chair and take a seat. For several minutes I asked her all different kinds of questions, but she never gave an answer exceeding two words – or sometimes didn't answer at all. It didn't make any sense. First she just barged in here, only to stay quiet afterwards.

"It's been over fifteen minutes. Isn't there anything you'd like to talk about?" I asked, while tapping my empty notepad with my pen.

Finally she again smiled, though I could see the sarcasm in her eyes. "There's lots of things I would enjoy talking about, such as: the weather, nice places to travel to and your surprisingly good decorating-skills." Suddenly she stood up and walked towards my diploma hanging on the wall. Can't deny I'm pretty damn proud of it.

"Are these things you would like to talk about?" she asked me, shortly glancing over her shoulder.

I couldn't help but softly chuckle. "If that's what you'd like," I calmly respond. At this point I'd do almost anything to make her talk to me, although I would… You know, prefer talking about her.

"You're a liar," she mumbled smiling. "I thought trust was of the essence in situations like these?"

Who's graduated as therapist here, her of me? "Yes," I replied with a smile. "My apologies."

"Tell me, dr. Cullen. How am I supposed to trust someone, who expects me to tell them so many personal things, without getting anything in return?"

I.. Well. God damn it. "Ehr," I mumbled.

"I thought so. You haven't been doing for very long, have you?"

Now she's mocking me too? "No, I have not. But I can assure I'm just as capable of helping you than as any of the others," I responded slightly frustrated. "Although most of my patients tell me what's bothering them to begin with and don't simply walk in and take a seat."

She laughed, surprising me – and it was a beautiful laugh at that. Finally she took a seat again. "Sorry," she said, and I believe her. "Don't feel too bad. I've had several shrinks in my lifetime and haven't seen any of them more than one time. Well, not willingly at least."

"May I ask why?" I asked honestly intrigued.

"You may ask anything you'd like, I just try not to promise answers of any kind," she stated smugly and looked at her watch. "I've been here long enough to inform my father that I gave it an honest try, so if you don't mind: I'll be going now."

She calmly stood up and put some money on the table, making her way to the door.

"Wait!" I yelled, without even realizing it.

Slowly she turned around. "Something wrong?" she asked completely unimpressed.

I didn't even realize I had said it. I just wanted to learn more about her, about this completely interesting, crazy woman. "I have an idea," I said, already regretting it.

"Let's make a deal," I said and obviously caught her attention, seeing her crooked smile appear once more. "Yet only if you decide to return."

"Hmn. What do you propose?" she asked cautiously, taking a few steps towards me.

"For every honest question you answer, I'll do the same. Honesty for honesty. Deal?" Bloody brilliant idea, Eddie. You just broke every important rule they ever taught you. Shit.

She smiled, giving it some thought. "And thus breaking my tradition of never visiting a therapist more than once?"

"Well, yeah. But I'm pretty awesome," I said as charming as possible.

She raised her eyebrow in an undeniably skeptical way, but I could see her trying to hide away a smile. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"Try me," I continued.

She looked around again, glancing around the entire room. "I don't believe you decorated this yourself. You don't really come across as an interior designer." Is that another insult? I'm not even sure anymore. "Who did?"

I let out a chuckle. "My mother and sister-in-law did."

The answer seemed to satisfy her.

"What's your name?" I asked in return. Question for a question, honesty for honesty.

She pondered for a while, leaving us both in silence.

"C'mon," I begged.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Bella Swan," she eventually admitted, giving me a strange feeling of joy. I did it. She answered. And even though I only knew her name, it was the best bloody moment of the day.

"So, miss Swan. Do we have deal?"

Again she laughed, turning around again. "I'll think about it," she sang. "Just remember I prefer not to make appointments."

"You'll be the only person whom I allow to barge in without an appointment," I pledge, crossing my heart. "Though it would be appreciated if you'd wait, when I'm in another session."

"Noted." And with that, she left the room.