A/N: I think this is my favourite chapter so far - I hope you guys like it too.

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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.

Chapter 12

EDWARD CULLEN IS SITTING IN MY APARTMENT IN HIS BOXER SHORTS. LOL! ;-)

Bella pressed send on the text message to Alice. She found the whole situation so surreal and amusing that she had to tell someone. Poor Edward's jeans had been soaked in the rain, so he'd asked if he could take them off and dry them over Bella's radiator. It would have been rude to say 'no.' He was now sitting on her couch in his vintage Super-Man t-shirt and black boxers, cradling a mug of hot coffee.

His legs were long, lean and actually quite muscular, Bella had noticed. Probably all those tennis matches with Dr. Carlisle. She found herself rather enjoying the mental image of the two of them running round the court in their tennis whites.

For someone who usually seemed so dorky and awkward, Edward was surprisingly relaxed about the fact he was sitting around in his underwear. It was Bella – champion photographer and seducer of nude male models – who felt a little uncomfortable at the prospect of sitting next to him on her couch to look at the portfolio he had brought with him. She didn't know why.

She excused herself to change out of her own wet clothes and towel-dry her hair, then offered to make more coffee, as diversionary tactics. But eventually she had to bite the bullet and sit down next to Edward and his naked legs.

Edward opened his portfolio and started to flick through the pages of photos. They were made up of candid portraits of people taken around the city - a beautifully diverse range of ages, genders and ethnicities. They all had one thing in common. They were all smiling.

"The collection is called Happiness," explained Edward, as he leafed through the photographs. "I just go up to complete strangers on the street and ask them what makes them happy, or what their happiest memory was, then capture their expression as they tell me.

"This is Maggie. She's eighty-two years old," said Edward, pointing at a picture of a white-haired lady, her twinkling blue eyes almost lost beneath waves of laughter lines. "She told me how she first met her husband at a dance in the local town hall. He was a terrible dancer, but he made her laugh so much, she knew that night he was the man she would marry. He died three years ago, but as she was telling me that story, her face just lit up like she was seeing him again for the first time."

"She's beautiful," said Bella. "You've really captured her spirit, Edward."

He smiled, pleased at the compliment, and turned the page, showing a dark-skinned boy with a toothy white grin sitting on a red bicycle. "This little guy is called Ben. He said he was happiest when he was riding his new bike, that it made him feel like he was flying and nobody could catch him. That he was invincible." Bella looked at the pure glee beaming from Ben's eyes. She remembered when Charlie bought her a BMX for her sixth birthday, the feeling of absolute infinity as she freewheeled down the hill, the wind whipping at her hair. Edward had caught this feeling on film perfectly. She was impressed.

"This is Harry," said Edward, showing Bella the next photo. "Harry is living in sheltered accommodation at the moment. He's a heroin addict but he's trying to stay clean. He told me he doesn't remember much of anything, let alone many happy moments, but there was one memory that made him smile – when he found his dog, Axel. That's Axel there, curled around his feet. Cute dog."

"How can you remember everyone's names?" asked Bella.

"I feel I owe it to them to do that. They're all sharing a really special piece of their lives with me. The least I can do is know their names." Edward looked at Bella, a little too intensely for her liking. "Ah, here's a face you'll recognise." It was Leah, her pretty face split open in what looked like a loud and hearty laugh.

"Let me guess," said Bella, smirking. "She's remembering your awful karaoke from the other night?"

"Ha. Ha. Actually, I don't even know what she was laughing about here. I have hundreds of pictures of Leah like this. She's always cracking up about something. She makes a good test subject."

"She must be a fun person to be around," said Bella. "How long have you guys been dating?"

"Dating? Oh, no, we're just friends," explained Edward. "I'm not exactly Leah's type. We dated for a little while back in high school, nothing serious. I was her first – and last – boyfriend."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, Bella. I don't know what I did wrong, but I somehow turned her gay." Edward pulled a mock sad face and wiped away an imaginary tear. "She sure thought you were pretty cute though…"

"Shut up," said Bella, poking Edward in the ribs. He squirmed away from her, laughing. "Come on, I want to see more of your pictures."

Edward turned his attention back to his portfolio. Bella found herself engrossed in his subjects' stories, caught up in the passion with which Edward told them. She really hadn't expected him to be such a talented photographer. If she was being honest, she had half thought he was one of those spoilt rich kids playing at photography because they were too lazy to do a 'proper' job. But his photos had a magic about them, a vitality that couldn't be captured by just any old amateur. This guy was good.

All too soon, they reached the end of the photographs. Bella found herself feeling a little disappointed. She wanted more.

"This space here," said Edward, pointing to one of the blank pages at the back of his portfolio. "I'm saving this for your smile."

"You want to take my picture?" asked Bella, equally surprised and flattered.

"Uh-huh," nodded Edward. "But only when I can get you to smile."

"I smile," Bella protested.

"Yeah, you move the corners of your mouth up. But it's never a real smile. It never reaches your eyes. You're not really happy."

"What do you know about my happiness, Edward? You barely know me." She'd felt herself warming to Edward over the past couple of hours but now she was prickling again. How dare he presume to know anything about her happiness?

"Bella, I can tell from your work. The photos on your blog used to be so full of life. You always found the beauty in small things. That's what I love about them. More recently they seem lonely, wistful, like something's missing. I don't know what's changed, but there's a sadness that wasn't there before." He looked at her intently, waiting for her to respond.

Bella swallowed and looked away from his enquiring stare. She wasn't about to pour her heart out to her nosey assistant. Was she?

She found the words spill out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Maybe it was the look of empathy in Edward's golden eyes, or maybe it was the way he'd been so genuinely interested in the people in his photographs – but something suddenly made Bella want to confide in him, to tell him everything. She took a deep breath.

"I split up from my fiancé a few months ago. That's what changed."

"Bella, I'm sorry." Edward put a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be. You're not the one who starting screwing around with your personal assistant just nanoseconds after asking me to spend the rest of my life with you. He was my high school sweetheart, you know? I thought it was going to be forever. Pretty stupid, huh?" she laughed bitterly.

"At least he didn't turn out gay…" Edward gave a gentle smile.

"Somehow that would have been less painful, I think. We'd even sent out 'Save the Date' cards, for fuck's sake. Alice had helped me pick out the most beautiful wedding dress. I just couldn't wait to have all our friends and family around us, sharing our special day, sharing our love.

"My dad was so proud – he couldn't wait to walk me down the aisle, was already writing his speech. He's not one for public speaking, but he wanted to do it right, for me." Bella smiled weakly at the thought of her father. "That was the hardest, telling my dad it was over. He'd always thought Mike was such a stand-up guy, couldn't wait to have him for a son-in-law. They used to hang out together all the time, fishing, watching the game, sinking some beers. I think my dad's heart was broken just as much as mine when he found out Mike had been cheating on me."

Bella could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks as she dredged up the painful memories. She'd spent countless hours sobbing to Alice and Rosalie, picking over the tattered remnants of her relationship with Mike to try and discover where things had gone wrong. Her friends had been amazing, painstakingly putting Bella back together piece by shattered piece. But there was something cathartic about telling her story to someone new, someone who didn't already know the hurt she'd been through. Someone like Edward.

He reached his arms around Bella and pulled her into a gentle hug. She let her head rest against his chest, her tears dampening his cotton t-shirt. He didn't try to offer her consoling words. He just held her.

Bella let her tears flow, let herself be soothed by the steady beat of Edward's heart. "I didn't tell you the worst part," she said into his chest.

"What's that?" he asked, quietly, the two words brushing through her hair.

"I caught them. Mike and that slut Jessica." She was glad Edward couldn't see her face, as she flushed at the memory. "I'd called round to Mike's office with some samples of wedding cake for him to try. I'd thought it would be a nice surprise. He really loved cake. He clearly hadn't been expecting me. I walked in to find him bent over his desk, his pants round his ankles, with Jessica fucking him from behind with a bright pink strap-on."

Edward remained quiet. I've probably shocked him into silence, thought Bella, horrified. Maybe this was TMI.

She suddenly started to feel his chest shaking underneath her head, a choking sound coming from his throat. She sat up and pulled out of his embrace. "Edward?" she asked, her voice full of concern. He clamped a hand over his mouth, too late to cover his wide grin. The little dork was laughing!

"Edward!" she hurled a sofa cushion at him. "I'm so glad you find my heartbreak so fucking funny!"

"Oh god, Bella, I'm sorry!" he said, dodging the flying cushion. "I know I shouldn't be laughing, but you have to admit… a pink strap-on? Really? A fucking pink strap-on?" Despite herself, Bella found his crooked smile infectious. She grinned. It was ridiculous. She didn't know why she hadn't thought about it like this before. A reluctant giggle escaped her.

"That's better," said Edward, tenderly wiping away Bella's leftover tears. "You need to forget about this jerk and his pink dildo and start learning to smile again. I'll do anything I can to help you do that."

Bella managed a weak smile. "Thanks Edward, really."

A comfortable silence fell between them.

Only to be broken by Edward jumping up off the couch. "Oh shit, is that the time? Bella, I'm sorry, I've got to go. Family dinner. I'm gonna be so late, Mom is going to kill me! Thanks for looking at my photos!" He pulled on his jacket, grabbed his portfolio and bolted for the door.

"Erm, Edward?" Bella called after him. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He looked at her blankly, halfway out the door. "Your jeans?"

"Ah," he said, realisation dawning on him. "They would be useful." Bella took the jeans off the radiator and tossed them over to Edward, who hastily tried to pulled them on over his sneakers, tripping himself up in the process. Bella laughed. Oh my god, this guy is more of a klutz than I am!

oOo

Almost as soon as Edward left the apartment, Bella's phone rang. She looked at the screen. Rosalie. Bella sighed. Her little chat with Edward had left her feeling more willing to forgive and forget. She pressed 'Answer.' "Hey Rose."

"Bella! Please tell me you're not still mad at me! I am so, so sorry!" Typical Rosalie, thought Bella. Quick to make a mistake, but even quicker to issue a grovelling apology.

"It's okay, Rose. I was really pissed at you, but it's not like I was really interested in Emmett."

"Oh, really?" A pause. "In that case… would you mind if I went on a second date with him? I actually really, really like this guy." Bella could feel her mouth drop open in shock. Was Rosalie for real? She sighed. What was the point in objecting? Rose liked her men like subway trains – fast and frequent. If she wanted another date with Emmett she must be pretty serious about him.

"Fine. Go for it. I'm happy for you, Rose." Bella could hear her friend whispering 'she said yes' to someone at the other end of the line. "Wait a minute. Rose, is Emmett there with you now? You said second date!"

"Well, technically it would be a second date. I mean, he hasn't left my apartment since the other night, so we're still on our first." Rose giggled.

"Oh my god, Rose! You are unbelievable!" Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. She couldn't stay mad at her friend for long.

"So anyway, enough about me. How did it go with Paul? Give me all the deets! Did you notice how Cock-blocker Cullen was nowhere to be seen?" Bella could almost hear the smugness of Rosalie's grin down the phone line.

"You didn't pass on the message about the hotel." It was a statement, not a question. "Rose, you know the poor guy spent hours freezing in the rain outside the studio waiting for me to turn up?"

"Oh come on, Bella, the little dweeb deserved it! Maybe he'll quit and do us all a favour."

"Rosalie, that's not fair. He's lucky he didn't catch hypothermia. And I don't think Aunt Esme would be pleased to find out her darling nephew got punked by you."

"Ugh, whatevs. So come on Bells, tell me what happened with Paul!"

"Oh, it was a knock-out," deadpanned Bella, rubbing her still-sore head at the memory.

"I knew it!" squealed Rosalie. "Paul and I go way back. Now, don't be mad, Bella, but I may have given him a little push in the right direction."

"What are you talking about, Rose?" asked Bella, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, after the telephone interview I let Paul know that you might be, you know, interested in a little optional extra after the shoot. Don't worry, Paul's cool. I knew he'd be up for it. Consider it an apology for leaving with Emmett the other night."

"You told him I wanted to sleep with him? Rose! How could you?" Bella was furious.

"What? It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, only until I slipped in the shower and knocked myself out! And now I find out I was only there in the first place because you told Paul I'd be an easy lay! Thanks for nothing, Rose!" Bella hung up the phone, fuming. She didn't know what made her more angry – the fact that Rose had pimped her out like some kind of cheap hooker or that she hadn't seduced Paul with her own merits. Well, she'd show her friend she could do this without her – and land a guy hotter than Mr. January in the process.

Game on, Rosalie. Game on.

A/N: Thoughts, people? Let me know in in a review! :) And don't forget to vote for Calendar Guys at tehlemonadestand. net!