A/N: Thanks to my first 5 reviewers for reviewing this story! I had trouble writing this chapter, and initially had a different idea for it, but after deleting it over and over the photography and stylist idea hit me. Hope you guys enjoy it and please, remember to review!

"Edward! You got a last minute booking for today. I wouldn't decline it if I were you, because guess who it was from?" Alice squealed in a way that made my insides lurch. I attempted to access her mind, only to my horror she was repeating 'I like kittens…" in Spanish. She was definitely keeping something from me, as usual. I had a strong suspicion that it was yet another girl. After all, Alice had been trying to find me my other half for the longest time, always forcing me to go to the blind dates she set up. Hadn't she learnt that I was happy this way? When I found someone, I would find her. I didn't need Alice setting me up on blind dates that just increased my burden instead lessening it.

The only question was who was the girl? She was probably some celebrity if I had gotten booked by her manager, because my clientele was usually very exclusive, and Alice knew that. Hell, Alice was more exclusive than I was, only accepting appointments from the top of the line. Just what I needed. Some snobby, up herself celebrity who Alice thought would be perfect for me.

"Just tell me, Alice." I sighed in defeat, and she grinned excitedly.

"You do know I'll be able to read everybody else's mind right? I'll find out eventually." I continued, now glaring at her. She really agitated me sometimes. No, that was a lie. Change that to most of the time. It didn't help when Jasper was around, growling or hissing at me everytime I insulted her or even glared at her. She nodded, practically bouncing on the spot, keys to her canary yellow Porsche in hand. Jasper had gotten it for her as a birthday present after he had seen her practically drooling over it one day.

It was ostentatious, as usual. I hated riding in it. It drew the attention of people from beggars to businessmen in suits.

"Just come on." She pleaded, and I sighed again. Alice was the one who had gotten me into photography a year ago, and the second I had that camera in hand, I immediately knew what to do. It had only been a hobby back then, and then unintentionally, someone had asked whether it was sold in a gallery. So I started to display in several galleries before I landed the real deal. A photographer that took pictures for magazines and ads- it didn't matter what kind. My work ranged from things from perfume advertisements to Nylon and even Vogue. However, I was allowed to accept and decline jobs as I pleased, since I did photography because it was my passion, and not because I needed the money.

I usually just accepted the job when Alice got hired as the stylist and begged me to come with her.

Like a dynamic duo, I thought sarcastically.

"Fine," I finally agreed, mostly because I knew she would continue bugging me, which endlessly managed to get on my nerves every single time. I followed her into her car and purposely slammed the door of the passenger seat. She scowled at me, and I grinned innocently back. Her cars, yes, plural, were like children to her, which was why I had slammed the door in the first place.

Alice screeched to a halt in front of a tall, white, building, which I presumed was the studio. She skipped towards the elevator energetically, ignoring the stares of everyone around us. Here came the part where I tried to block their thoughts out of my mind. Especially the vile, disgusting thoughts that some of the men got. Those were always the worst. I mean, I knew Alice could take them all down at once if she needed to, and not even break a sweat, but it was still disturbing because she was my sister.

The doors slid open to reveal a large white waiting room, with a leather couch and two smaller leather chairs. There was also a receptionist's desk, and several doors leading into other rooms. We walked up to the receptionist's desk, when one of the doors opened. A man around my height with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared.

"Hello. You must be Alice." He greeted her with a smile, and offered his hand, which she buoyantly shook.

"And you must be our photographer, Edward. I've heard so much about your work and I can't tell you how glad I am that you were able to make it today. You can set up your stuff in the room on the left." He motioned towards one of the doors, and I nodded.

"Are you the manager?" Alice piped up beside me.

The man slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Silly me. Yes, I am. I'm Mike Newton, Bella's manager." He stated, smiling mildly at the both of us. The name hit me like a slap on my face, and I glared at Alice, who just shrugged, her smile still intact. That certainly explained why she had refused to give anything away. I definitely wouldn't have come. Not even if she threatened to crash my car, or even worse, my beloved piano. I would have still said a straight out no.

Why? Well, it was difficult to elaborate, but... let's just say that Bella Swan was a piece of puzzle I couldn't quite finish, a puzzle that I didn't want any part of. For some odd, unidentified reason, her mind was inaccessible to me. That had never happened to me before and I recalled being extremely annoyed when I figured out that there was no way of me figuring out what she was thinking.

Yet, some strange, stubborn, magnetic pull in me had wanted to see her again, and after that night she had remained a conscience in my head, and as for myself, I longed to figure out why I couldn't read her mind. But, choosing escape would be easier. See, I figured if I didn't see her again anytime soon, the pull would disappear and I would eventually lose interest.

Of course, putting myself in this industry came with a price. Everyone knew each other, and I knew I couldn't avoid her forever, seeing how she was everywhere these days. But not this soon. I didn't expect it to be this soon.

"Where is she?" Alice asked.

"She's in her dressing room, she just got a here a few minutes before you did. One of the few times she's actually early." Mike rolled his eyes, though there was an endearing expression on his face as he walked with Alice to the opposite direction, where Bella's dressing room was situated. I headed towards the room I was supposed to be in, quickly setting up my things while I was deep in thought.

After finding myself with nothing to do but wait, I took out my Blackberry, hoping to distract myself from the enigma who was called Bella. I pressed a few buttons leading to my inbox and found that I had 5 new messages, all from Jessica, a girl who seemed to have a massive crush on me. The perfect example of why blind dates should be banished. I clicked 'mark all' and hit delete, groaning. Then Alice's soprano voice came rushing into my head, alongside Bella's husky voice, and I knew that they were about to enter the room.

3…2….1…

Alice stepped in the room, Bella following in tow. I couldn't stop mouth from dropping open when I saw what Alice had done to Bella, and it wasn't of lust, but of shock. Her eyes were elaborately done up in glittery purple, blue, and hot pink eye shadow. Thick black eyeliner lined her sparkling blue eyes, which I presumed were contacts. Her pale skin was whiter than ever, with a faint pink blush that painted her cheeks, and ruby red lips. Her hair was up, with a few messy strands framing her heart shaped face, and she was outfitted in a red bikini top and low slung jeans, with matching red heels.

I couldn't deny that she was extremely attractive for a human, and for some reason my eyes refused to stray away from the thin shade of blush on her pale cheeks. I scolded myself silently and shot her a brilliant smile. She, however, frowned, and marched up to me.

"You didn't tell me you were a photographer." She barked, sounding surprisingly scary.

"That's because you never asked." I said smoothly, my eyebrow quirked upwards. Alice stepped in the middle of both of us and smiled innocently up at Bella.

"Your manager booked us this morning, and I forgot to mention that he would be shooting you today. I assure you, he is as baffled as you are." She commented cheerfully. Bella seemed to ease up at my pixie-like sister, since nobody I knew had ever gotten angry at her, and shot an apologetic smile at my direction.

"Well, I suppose we should just start this so I can get home early." I muttered, and Bella nodded in agreement.

We finished faster then I expected, Bella was better at these things then most of the other people I had shot. Unfortunately, I had learnt in the one and half hours we had spent together that she was also a klutz. She had tripped on her heels countless times, much to my entertainment.

"Well, that's a wrap. Bella, you were great." I assured her, and she wrapped a robe around her body, smiling tightly at me. Alice had gotten bored watching us shoot and had said she would be out 'making new friends.' The sudden tension between Bella and I unnerved me, especially when she inched closer to me to grab the bottle of water that was on the table I was leaning on.

"You're not stalking me, are you?" She questioned, a wry smile on her face. I had to admit, the girl had guts. She laid it all out there, didn't take anybody's shit, and you either liked her or not. I respected that. I couldn't stand girls who were all giggly and pretended to like whatever a guy did in hope that the guy would take interest in them. That was repulsive, and embarassing for them.

"No, Bella, I assure you I'm not stalking you. Alice dragged me out to this job." I replied, gingerly placing my camera into its bag, still sensing her eyes hovering over me.

"Good." She said, walking quickly out of the room, leaving me to myself. She perplexed me, in a way. She was just so… straightforward. Blunt. There was something about her that I felt wasn't quite right, not in a bad way. I didn't know what exactly, but the sadness in her eyes said it all. I was sure she was hiding something from the world, and she was trying to forget it herself so she could somehow be happy again.

She was broken, putting on a façade, just like I was.