Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story.

A/N: So this was my submission to the, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words, contest- Valentine's Day edition. The goal was to use a picture as a prompt and write 1,000 words or less telling a story based on your photo. I'll be honest, for a wordy-b like me, this turned out to be a ridiculously hard challenge but I was determined to conquer it... And now I'm in shock because this little story won first place in the public vote, which has absolutely blown me away. The photo I used was a manip I made, showing Bella sitting all alone at a table in the middle of a nice restaurant. In the photo, she appears to be deep in thought, looking slightly depressed. I've since written a second part, also under 1,000 words, from Bella's POV, which picks up right where this first half leaves off. I'll post it to FFN soon but please let me know what you think once you've reached the end! Many thanks to the girls who put the contest together! That was no easy task I'm sure, and they did an amazing job running it.

Table for Two, Party of One

By: xXTailoredDreamsXx

...Edward...

It's official.

She's alone.

My shift is about to get all kinds of awkward, but I have nowhere to run.

It's Valentine's Day, our busiest night of the year, and our foyer is packed with guests waiting to be seated.

The moment she'd walked in I'd felt a jolt of electricity rush over me.

When she'd smiled my way, I swear time stood still.

Upon giving me the name her reservation was under I instantly knew, Jacob Black was a goddamn lucky man.

Plot twist… I was wrong.

Jacob Black, whomever he is, is an absolute potato that deserves to rot in the fiery pits of hell.

Why else would someone stand up a woman like her on a day like today?

Zero excuses.

And now, because of him, I'm the one who will have to embarrass her further by cleaning up his mess.

She's been sitting alone, sipping nothing but water for the last thirty minutes, checking her phone as if it were a source of oxygen while taking up space we desperately need.

As the maitre d' on duty, I've been tapped to handle the… situation… and I've been instructed to do so without making a scene.

Mission Impossible music begins playing inside my head.

I near her table holding my breath.

"Hello, Miss,"

Slowly, she turns her head, locking her own anxious eyes with my nervous stare.

Her bottom lip begins to quiver.

I'm in go-mode to get my job done so before I can stop myself, I ask her the question I already know the answer to, but I hope for the best.

"Are you ready to order?"

"I um… he's supposed to be here. He promised he would be here. I-I feel so stupid."

Tears begin to fall from her bottom lashes.

She doesn't look away.

On impulse, I grab a handkerchief from my pocket and offer it without saying a word.

"I'd order… bu-but… I didn't bring my wallet." She huffs, dabbing my handkerchief under her eyes and then across the bottom of her nose, "I-I feel s-s-so unbelievably stu-stupid."

This is exactly what I was afraid of.

It's also what I'd hoped to avoid.

"Please don't cry. He's a dick who doesn't deserve your tears. What can I get for you? Don't worry about the check, I'll take care of it… personally."

She blinks hard.

"Wha- wait… no! Not you! That's too kind…. You don't even know me! I could never—"

"My name is Edward. Now you know me, and I could use some good karma in my life."

Her returned smile erases everything else that's going on around us.

For a moment its as if we're the only two people in the room.

"Thank you, Edward, but I really can't accept your generosity. I'm not deserving of it."

"I won't let you say no, so accept it and tell me what you're craving, or I'll just have to choose for you."

She hesitates for a few seconds then softly orders the mushroom ravioli with a glass of Pinot.

As I walk away feeling victorious, I can feel her eyes watching me.

This is good.

I've done a good thing.

I helped someone smile by showing her there are still decent people in the world, regardless of the asshole she came here to meet.

That's bound to count for something.

The rest of the staff taunts me while she eats, insisting I've been pussy-whipped by a stranger, but I don't even care.

I'll leave here feeling accomplished tonight, knowing I helped someone feel better, rather than ruining their day even more.

For me, in this world, that's what matters most.

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At the end of my shift, I head outside to start my walk home.

I'd missed my chance to say goodbye to the jilted woman who had taken over my every thought with her heartbroken smile and hope-filled stare.

That had been a letdown, but everything happens for a reason so I'd accepted my loss and moved on, hoping our paths might someday cross again.

I make it two blocks when something catches my eye, stopping me dead in my tracks.

It's her.

The woman from the restaurant, but she's no longer wearing her little black dress.

Her make-up has also been cleaned from her face and her hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail.

She literally looks like she's ready for bed.

When our eyes meet I can't help but notice the way she's holding her breath.

"You again?" I smile.

"Ye-yeah," she stammers, "I was hoping to catch you after your shift."

I watch silently as she pulls some cash from her pocket then offers it my way.

"Absolutely not! Tonight was on me."

She shakes her head, forcing the money into my hands, "You don't understand. I… it was… what I did... it's a con I pull on certain holidays. Usually, the restaurant will just comp my meal to avoid a scene… and usually, I don't feel so bad… but you… you paid my bill… personally... with zero hesitation. That's a level of guilt I can't accept."

My jaw drops as I process what she's telling me.

"Wait… so it was an act? All of it? But… why?"

"Let's just say I have to live a pretty creative life in order to get by sometimes."

Now I need to know more.

"And do you usually live this creative life of yours around here?"

"Sometimes." She laughs, but it's forced. "I'm stuck in a constant state of temporary, but you showed me unrequited kindness tonight, and it's been a while since I've experienced that. So thank you, Edward. What you did for me, I won't forget it."

All I'd done was buy her a nice meal with no strings attached.

Hardly anything at all, but to her, it meant much more.

"I'm Bells by the way."

"Bells?"

"Just, Bells."

"How about a coffee, just Bells? From there, we can see where your creative life takes us next."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the little twist.

Please let me know if you're interested in reading more from these two, *wink* because I've got some ideas.

Side Note: If you're waiting for a R0ADiES update, I am actively working on it and it's almost complete. Please be patient with me. Wrapping up a story is hardddddd and I want Birdie and Cullen to get the ending they deserve, not something that was rushed.