Jerrie Short Stories

august (pt. 5)

"We can make it work if we want to," Jade is quick to say. Her only wish is to make this trip happen, and she is willing to give up on some time at home if that's a sacrifice she is going to have to make. Hopefully, Perrie sees it the same way, and will make an effort to execute this trip as well.

"I'll figure something out and let you know," Perrie warmly replies and lays another kiss to Jade's head. It is all Jade can ask for, and she is quite satisfied with that answer. All she has left to do now is hope she gets a definite answer from Perrie sooner rather than later. "I love the idea of going on a trip together, but can I ask why is this anniversary so important to you? Because it's not our anniversary, like, it hasn't been a year since we got together. It's only since the day we met, and God knows we've been through a lot in that year, and a big part of it wasn't positive at all."

"You're right. Leigh-Anne asked me the same thing when I told her I was looking forward to August," Jade begins to explain patiently. "I guess it means so much to me because I've never gotten that far with someone. Obviously not with the boys I dated, but also not with any of the girls. We were always such different people, all I cared about was that they were gay, and I was too, so it felt like we had to date. Needless to say, nothing really worked out. It was more about experimenting and trying out new things than being actually emotionally involved. We always ended up growing apart before we got to any major milestone. And to answer your question about why specifically the anniversary of the day we met, I'm just honestly grateful to have you in my life. Don't even get me started about how many reasons I have to celebrate that."

"You're cute," Perrie softly tells Jade. Lately, they have been getting more and more honest and open with each other, and saying things like this doesn't feel awkward at all. All it does is make them both shy on the outside, but very happy inside. "And I understand now why this anniversary is so important to you. I guess for me it's a little different. I was with my ex for almost two years, actually. We used to celebrate anniversaries, and Valentine's and stuff like that, but it never felt genuine. It was the same with all the boys I've dated, they all had such big egos and most of the things they would do for me were actually done just so they could brag about it to their friends. I'll never forget how I felt after I slept with him and found out that he told his friends about it like it was some kind of achievement. That's the difference with dating girls, I think. They don't feel like they constantly need to prove with themselves to others. They will do amazing things for you just because they like you."

"Well, I don't that's how all the girls are, just like there are boys who don't let their egos get the best of them, but yeah," Jade says and decides to take Perrie's words as a compliment. "Girls can have big egos too, and they can break your heart just because they're feeling like it. When you date a woman, there are so many emotions involved and so much talking and communicating because most women are just more verbal than most men. That's why I always thought that dating a guy would be much more simple."

"It is. In many ways," Perrie confirms, and she sounds more awake now. While she speaks, she runs her fingers through Jade's hair, and Jade wishes they could stay in bed all day long. "Most times you don't have to face scrutiny or anything like that, so you know, it's much easier without having to hide everything all the time. But it's like, a different standard. I feel like, with a guy, if you have okay communication and great sex, that's enough for a relationship to last, and even work well. With a girl you can expect so much more. I never thought I would even have a conversation like this with a partner, ever. it's like the emotional connection is so much deeper with women." Before Jade can reply, Perrie's alarm goes off and she sits up so she can reach her phone and turn it off. "Right. I need to get ready, Alex and I said we were going to go for lunch today, remember?"

"Yeah," is Jade's only reply, and Perrie soon leaves the bed and walks into the bathroom. Jade wants to ask Perrie how she could forget something like that, because it has been on her mind for days now, ever since Perrie told her it is happening. When she first heard that Alex proposed this idea, Jade told Perrie that Alex must think this is a date. On the other hand, Perrie argued that she knows it isn't a date so it doesn't matter what he's thinking. Honestly, all these talks about Alex have become this back and forth thing, and Jade is tired of it. He is not worth so much of her time, and she decided she was going to drop it if it's ever brought up again. What she did right now was staying true to her promise to herself, so at least there is comfort in the pride of that. Fifteen minutes later, when Jade is already after her daily phone call to her mom in which she updates Norma on everything but the thing that matters the most, Perrie, the bathroom door is opened and Perrie steps into the room. It is impossible to be Perrie's girlfriend and forget how lucky you are, even for one moment only, and Jade tells her how beautiful she is and earns a bright smile and a shy 'thank you'. Then, Jade notices that Perrie isn't wearing the necklace that Jade gave her, and it is not something Jade can ignore, because she herself rarely takes it off, only if she is going for a swim at the beach, which doesn't happen often at all. "I think you forgot your...?" Jade's voice is heard as she touches the pendant on her own neck with her fingers.