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not beta'd.

Word Prompt: Laugh

Dialogue Flex: "Did you do this?" he asked.

He'd left the pink boxers.

Whether he'd done it on purpose or by mistake, I didn't know, but it hurt all the same.

I supposed I'd known it was coming to this. Things hadn't been right for awhile. When he said he'd been offered a position a couple of states away, I knew then that it was the end for us.

It would've been convenient had my feelings mirrored his on this, but they just didn't. Being in an unhealthy relationship with Edward was rough, but not having him at all was almost impossible.

He hadn't even allowed me to drive him to the airport. Jasper had come at six this morning, throwing apologetic glances my way as he'd loaded the trunk with Edward's suitcases. We'd already forwarded the other boxes and things to Edward's new address. I didn't allow myself to even see them to the door. We said goodbye in the kitchen, while I cooked eggs in denial.

Technically, we were already broken up.

Broken up and living together. We'd been dating since high school, so it wasn't all that weird to share space with him even under such circumstances. Yeah, my heart was broken, but at least he was still around. I knew he still loved me, even if it was no longer enough. I guessed I was still hoping he'd change his mind and stay.

Stay in town. Stay with me.

I didn't know how to fix our broken, but I was willing to try. Edward was tired of trying.

I blinked, realizing I'd been standing in the same place for twenty minutes, holding those stupid boxers.

They hadn't always been pink.

I was sitting in bed, clicking away on my laptop, when Edward walked in.

"Did you do this?" he asked, holding up a pair of pink boxers.

It took me a minute, but then I realized a pair of his white ones must have made it in to the same load of laundry as the red sheets. Covering my mouth, I choked back a laugh.

"I thought so," he said, chucking them at me.

"I'm sorry!" I gasped, wondering what else had been in that load.

"Yeah, you'll be sorry all right," he said, taking the computer from my lap.

Tickling turned in to kissing, which turned in to other things.

The phone rang, snapping me out of my daze.

I tossed Edward's boxers back in to the drawer and crossed the room to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella. Um… I got in a couple of hours ago. I'm still settling in. Just wanted to call and let you know."

My heart sank. Hearing his voice just… hurt.

"Okay," I said brightly.

He knew me, though, because he sighed. "Are you all right?"

No, I wanted to say. How can I be all right when you're there and I'm here?

"I'm fine," I said quietly, giving up on sounding fine. It took too much energy, and he could obviously tell when I was faking.

The only thing worse than silence between two people is silence over the phone.

"Bella?"

"Yeah."

"I'll um, I'll call tomorrow."

"Don't."

"Bella."

"Just… go settle in, Edward. I'll talk to you later."

I hung up without waiting for him to answer.