Jerrie Oneshot Book

Safe Haven

Summary: Perrie hires an escort to keep her company at nights. What she doesn't expect is to fall in love.

It's Leigh-Anne who suggests the idea at first – clearly a joke, clearly not meant to be anything worth taking seriously, the words thrown out flippantly while they're sprawled across Perrie's sofa after an all-nighter. Perrie listens to her friend with her eyes heavy and the beginnings of dawn's blue haze creeping in through the open window.

"You know, you might as well just pay for a girl to spend the night with you, Pez. At least then you'll also be enjoying yourself."

Perrie had groaned and half-heartedly chucked a coaster off the coffee table at Leigh-Anne.

But now, it's a week later and Perrie can't stop playing the words over again in her head.

A part of her feels guilty for even just entertaining the thought; another part of her knows she wouldn't even be doing anything like that, that it wouldn't be the same situation at all. That still doesn't keep the guilt from scratching at the back of her mind when she eventually pulls up a site; one of the incredibly expensive ones, the list of girls and their specialties seemingly endless.

She ends up picking a girl who's listed as Jade, and sets up the appointment for the next night, registers her own name and hesitantly gives her address.

She winds up telling Leigh-Anne when she calls that day, and she's glad that her friend doesn't laugh at her when she tells her intentions, doesn't make any jokes; if anything, Leigh-Anne's words had reassured Perrie considerably.

"I mean, it probably wouldn't be the weirdest request she's gotten. Hell, she'll probably be thrilled."

Perrie knows this, knows that the opportunity to get paid to simply have to keep her company when her insomnia becomes unbearable – when she's gone over a week on only six hours of sleep, her eyes permanently bloodshot, dark bruises beneath them while she lays awake alone in her apartment, staring at the ceiling, nearly in tears as she listens to the grating ticking of the clock on her wall until she's taking it down and ripping the batteries out – is surely preferable to what would be a regular night with a client.

That doesn't stop the sour taste from settling on the back of her tongue.

----

Jade hits the buzzer to Perrie's apartment exactly on time, right down to the second. Perrie lets her up and opens the door to deep brown eyes and a soft smile. Jade has a black leather tote bag over one shoulder and matching pumps that she slips off at the door. Her clothes are tailored perfectly to her body; silky black blouse, top two buttons undone, and tight-fitting pants.

She could almost pass for any ordinary girl that Perrie could have run into anywhere, if she weren't disarmingly beautiful, in a way that's anything but ordinary – the picture on the site couldn't come close to how she actually looks now, standing before Perrie.

"Hi," Jade says brightly. "Are you Perrie?"

Perrie nods wordlessly, steps aside and watches Jade make her way to the island counter, depositing her bag atop the marble surface and pulling a seat up beneath herself. She crosses her legs and props one arm on the counter to her side, chin in hand while she all but examines Perrie.

"You look nervous," she eventually says. "Is this your first time?"

"First time for...?"

Jade shrugs. "You know, first time using an escort service, first time with a girl?"

"I'm not straight," Perrie immediately blurts out. Jade chokes on a laugh, and Perrie hopes the brunette doesn't notice as she wipes her suddenly sweaty palms on her sleeve.