Seeing the truly towering bonfire in the middle of this secluded side of the beach that Perrie drags me into, I now know why the last remaining streetlights lining the pathway weren't switched on. The light that it emanates could potentially light up the whole world if one could exaggerate.
I have never seen a bonfire before, but this was probably taller than I had imagined. Probably six feet or higher, the scorching flames seemed to be reaching towards the sky. Several people were encompassing the source of light when Perrie and I walked in. It didn't take long for me to come to the realization that they were hauling stuffs at it as we pass by.
Some were throwing their wallets, some were throwing pictures - or at least that's what I can deduce from the ripped pieces that they were holding. Some were even throwing clothes.
"What were they doing?" I ask the woman beside me as we plow through the sand with our bare feet, our sandals safely kept in our hands. "Is this some sort of ritual or something?"
Perrie bursts into giggles for a second before replying, "I guess you can call it that."
I waited for Perrie to further elaborate, but all she did was smile innocently at me as if there's no need to explain, and lead me further into the crowd.
As we plow on, I check out the surroundings. There was a small bar station at the far end near the shoreline, a circular stage beside it with people literally sliding their bodies against each other to the clamorous beats of the music as we pass by, and Leigh was one of them when we saw her.
"Leigh!" Perrie calls out to her.
The curly headed woman whips her head and beams at the sight of us before she jumps down from the platform and make her way toward us.
"Hey, Pez!" Leigh wraps an arm around the blonde, pulling her close in a tight embrace.
"Hey, who's the guy, hmm?" Perrie asks teasingly, discreetly gesturing towards the dude awhile ago.
I pursed my lips, trying to stifle my laughter when the dude in question kept glancing over at us, or more specifically, at Leigh.
Leigh rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Nobody, of course. I have a boyfriend, you know. Anyway, Jade, nice to see you again."
I smile at her. "Nice to see you, too."
"How many days you stayin' here?"
"Two months, actually," I answer her.
"Just two months?" Perrie chimes in.
When I faced her, she was wearing a weird expression on her face. I chalk it up to mere curiosity, but the way she sounded incredulous makes me think there's more to it than meets the eye.
I let it go, though. "Mhmm."
She didn't reply after that.
"So," Leigh starts, "What's the verdict, Jade? You planning on staying for another month, hmm?"
I open my mouth to reply, but Perrie beats me to it. "Jade Thirlwall's a busy body, Leigh. I doubt she'll extend her vacation."
What the hell is her problem?
"Actually," I interject, slightly glaring at the blonde. "If my job isn't too demanding anymore, I might even move in here. It's peaceful."
"And what is your job?" Leigh tilts her head.
"Just someone in the entertainment industry," I say casually like it's no big deal. When I take a gander at Perrie, she's just gazing at me. Her facial expression is unreadable, but she's chewing on the inside of her cheek.
"Anywho," Leigh says, her eyes trained on the blonde woman beside me with a glint in her eyes I could not once again pinpoint, "Perrie, mind if I introduce the lady to some of the lads?"
Perrie just stares at me as she replies, "She already met Liam and Harry."
"What about Niall?"
"Who's Niall?" I questioned, looking back at Leigh.
"A friend," Perrie deadpans. "You'll be gone before you know it. No need to introduce you to anyone."
Hearing those last words come out of her mouth is like unexpectedly ramming into a brick wall, knocking the breath out of you. Just the way Perrie said that statement so casually twisted something within me.
Stunned, I just stare at her. Perrie visibly gulps probably at the realization of what she just said. She refuses to meet my eyes, and thankfully Leigh speaks up after the dreadful silence despite the noise from the party.
"Come on, now, Pezza, no need to be keeping this beautiful lady all to yourself. Share her. Meeting new people doesn't hurt, does it?" The curly headed woman teases, and I was grateful of her trying to ease whatever tension arises out of the blue. She looks at me expectantly. "Jade, what do you say?"
I risk another glance at the blonde, who suddenly looked like a tomato about to burst as she looks everywhere but me. Her words remained fresh inside my mind and suddenly, I have this desire to hurt her back.
"Well, if Perrie doesn't want me to meet Niall," I say as I cross my arms over my chest, eyes still trained on her, willing them to burn a hole through her thick skull. "Then I would like to meet him. She doesn't get to dictate who I should meet, anyway."
Perrie darts her gaze towards me, eyes a bit wide. Her facial expression transfigured into one of shock and it only fueled the compulsion to push through with whatever I'm trying to do here.
"Alright, then." Leigh tips her head to the side and spins around. "Follow me, sweetie."
I merely took a step after her before I felt Perrie's hand grip my wrist tightly, hauling me back to her. I yelped when we're inches away and instinctively backed away. But Perrie seemed like she's not having it and just took a step closer.
"What the hell, Jade Thirlwall?" She hisses.
I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly. "What do you mean? I just wanted to meet Niall."
She opens her mouth to speak up, but hesitates as she tries to find the right words. Then she settles for, "Why do you insist on meeting all the people who mean so much to me?"
"Excuse me?" I scoff and dislodge my wrist from her clutch. "You don't own them, Perrie."
Perrie remained unbothered by the force and started shooting questions in quick succession that felt like I was being interrogated. "Don't you have a lot of friends back in LA? Why do you need more? Why do you keep forcing yourself in my life?"
Every question was a blow up to my face, and I couldn't take it anymore. What the hell possessed this woman? Why is she suddenly acting this way?
"Where the hell is this coming from!?" I snap.
"You're leaving next month, Jade Thirlwall!" She barks back.
We were basically shouting our lungs out in the party, and I was glad that nobody heard us for we were ensconced farther away from the crowd. But Leigh noticed that I wasn't with her, and she hurriedly came back when she sees the both of us in a screaming match.
"What the hell is going on here?" She demands, peering at the both of alternately before settling her gaze at the woman in front of me.
Perrie and I didn't dignify Leigh's question with a response. We were just throwing daggers at each other with our eyes. I clenched and unclenched my fists, too furious to muster up a reply for Leigh. Perrie's gaze was unwavering as she stared me down, and my pride could not afford to be wounded so I challenge it.
"Perrie, hey, calm down, girl," Leigh tries to appease, shaking the blonde lightly on the shoulder, thankfully pulling Perrie back to her normal self. She places a hand on my shoulder as well. "Jade, you, too. What's going on with you two?"
"Nothing," Perrie responds, shrugging Leigh's hand off her shoulder and once again avoiding my gaze. "I don't even remember why I'm mad in the first place."
I shake my head at her lie. She's clearly still frustrated by the way her jaw is clenching right now; she clearly remembers why.
"You guys just came here and the first thing you did was argue," Leigh tuts, "Pez, you need a drink? Jade?"
I shake my head wordlessly.
Perrie heaves a sigh. "I'm gonna hit the bar myself."
She didn't wait for us to respond and quickly walked away from the scene. She was basically dragging her feet as she ambled her way to the bar, and I feel a wave of guilt wash over me.
Leigh clears her throat, catching my attention for a moment. She gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Perrie can be . . ."
Leigh makes a gesture, and I chuckle.
"Melodramatic?" I venture.
"For a valid reason," Leigh concurs, her smile devolving into a tight-lipped one as she scratches the back of her neck. "But that's normal, I guess. You still wanna meet my boo?"
I look over her shoulder and find Perrie plopped down on one of the bar stools, nursing a beer, one leg crossed over the other. She removed her see-through blouse now and her neon green bikini literally stands out in the crowd.
And all I could think about as of this moment is: how can a woman like Perrie Edwards unknowingly make me feel like shit after being the shitty one in the first place? And why the hell do I still wanna be around her right now?
Perrie has been acting weird ever since I revealed that I'd be staying for only two months. And I'd like to assume that it's because she'll miss me, but hearing her say that I've been practically forcing myself into her life makes me think otherwise.
It's insane how her words felt like bullets tearing through my skin.
And it's also insane how she instantly forgets about what happened as she talks to the woman that sat beside her not long after, but not before making eye contact with me.
Unknowingly clenching my jaw, I forcefully tear my eyes away from them and look back at Leigh.
"Sure."