"Thank you for coming at such short notice, Jade."
Jade scratched the back of her neck at Leigh's sarcasm. She knows Leigh had been calling and texting her since yesterday, and she hasn't returned any of it. And instead of calling her back like a normal person would, she decided to pay her friend a visit instead.
"I'm really sorry, Lee-Lee. I've been...busy."
"Busy with what?" Leigh asks with a hand to the side of her hip.
Jade blinked rapidly at that. She didn't know what to tell her friend. Although she has mentioned to Leigh the night she played poker with Perrie, she hasn't sort of updated Leigh that the first of the ten nights has started.
"Or with who..." Leigh added. When Jade wasn't able to answer right away, Leigh continued, "Let me guess, the young Lady Edwards?"
It only takes one nod from Jade for Leigh to gasp at the newfound information.
"Oohhh! She finally showed up!!" Leigh squealed in delight.
"Uh-huh. So, what is it Lee? Why were you calling me nonstop?" Jade quickly changed the topic since she hasn't fully recovered from what happened minutes ago with the blonde. She wasn't ready to tell her friend the details yet.
Leigh, in turn, grabbed and pulled her into another room of her apartment. When they got there, bits and pieces of fabric were all over the place. There were mannequins wearing different kinds of costumes.
Jade was baffled at this and asked, "Are you going to a costume party and you want me to choose your costume for you?"
Leigh-Anne beamed at her. "Noooooo, silly! These are for you!"
"For me? Why?
"Pick a costume!" Leigh gestures to her creations. "Every superhero needs a costume to keep their identities hidden, you know."
Jade's mouth was agape. "Me? A superhero? Have you gone mad or what?"
Leigh shakes her head and holds her friend by the shoulders. "Jade...you saved me. And it wasn't the first time that you saved someone. You've been saving this city secretly for years. And not just in Vegas! But also New York and other major cities in the United States! Didn't you realize that only a superhero does that?"
"What? H–How did you know–"
Even before Jade could finish her question, Leigh pointed at a large white board on the side of the room where newspaper clippings and trimmings were pinned together with a red thread and marker. News that made it on the internet and tabloid papers about Jade saving the day.
Some of it wasn't as major as the others, but it was all Jade saving people from accidents and tragedies in the past years.There was a bus that was about to fall from a cliff, but Jade was quick to snatch the vehicle back to safety.
Another was of a passenger plane that was about to crash in one of New York's residential areas when Jade slightly lurched the plane to a different direction, making it fly at a higher altitude ultimately preventing what would be a catastrophic accident.
Another was of an old building catching fire. Jade was able to save those who were trapped inside the burning enclosure.
Jade did all of those things without anyone catching her. If there was, none of the survivors could make out her face, while most of the people involved couldn't form a possible explanation as to how they were saved. And that's all because Jade froze time so no one could see her.
"I see you've been busy...researching." Jade acknowledges what her friend has put together.
"Yes. You need me. And I'm here to help. Every superhero needs a sidekick. Just like Supergirl has Winn, Batman has Alfred – you have me. And you can't just fly out there wearing..." Leigh looks at Jade's outfit. She was so excited to show the brunette what she's been up to that she failed to notice what Jade was wearing. "...pajamas. You saved people in a burning building, what happened to your clothes? It got burned. So you came out of that building naked. No, that can't happen again. And you need to cover your face, if people recognize you, you're gonna lose your secrecy."
Jade blushed a little and realized she hasn't changed into decent clothes. She clears her throat and carries on, "You know I can stop time, right?" she reminds her. "Even before people could recognize me, I'm out of the scene already."
"Yeah, but you also told me yourself that you can only hold time for a maximum of thirty minutes or it will consume a large amount of your energy," Leigh countered. "You can't always stop time, Jade. What if you needed more time to save people? How are you gonna do that in just thirty minutes without getting drained?"
Jade wasn't able to answer right away. Leigh does have a point. There was an instance when she stopped time and took a while to save people that she almost didn't make it back to her apartment.
Leigh grabs her again and gently pushes her to the mannequins. "Anyway...these costumes are fire-proof with matching masks. Pick any of them that you like, or pick them all, I don't really mind because I made them all for you." She continues to beam as Jade inspects the fabric from the mannequins.
"Leigh–I don't think this is a good idea. I'm not really trying to be a superhero or something. I'm just helping people when they need it, and punishing those who do bad things."
Leigh raised an eyebrow at her. "Hm...that's exactly what a superhero would do."
"I'm the Devil's daughter, Lee! I grew up in hell. My childhood playmates were demons! That doesn't sound like a superhero now, does it?"
"Supergirl is an alien. Black Widow was an undercover agent and assassin. Scarlet Witch was once a supervillain before she joined The Avengers."
Jade was speechless for a minute before she spoke. "I'm sorry...who are they?"
Leigh shakes her head and pinches the bride of her nose. "Look, they are superheroes, Jade. They didn't have a perfect life in their past. Most of them were broken and yet they found a reason to save people. But who they are and what they were in the past didn't matter. What's important is the things they do for people. Just like what you are doing and what you can continuously do for them in the future."
"I get it...you're comparing me to fictional characters – those who only exist in comic books."
"Fiction or not, somehow they are a reflection of reality." Leigh counters.
Jade sighs. It looks like she wouldn't win with Leigh-Anne. She catches a glimpse of the time and realizes that she has been gone from her room in Santorini for a couple of hours now. "Okay..."
"Okay?"
"Give me time to think about this, alright?"
Leigh lights up at that. "Okay! But...don't take too much time to think."
Jade playfully rolls her eyes at her friend. "I'll have to go, Leigh. I'll see you soon." She opens a portal to return to Greece and shakes her head at the ideas her friend has in mind for her.
☆
Second night...
The jet arrived at the Dubai International Airport.
This time, the distance from Santorini Greece was just short. And they arrived when the sun was about to set. Jade was left wondering how Perrie travelled to Dubai when she's using the jet. Could it be that the blonde has 2 private jets?
At the airport, it was the same routine. Jade was being escorted by two of Perrie's bodyguards to the venue where they would meet.
A Portofino Blue Range Rover Evoque Autobiography was waiting for her right outside at the airport.
This time, she was brought to the lavish, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, the luxurious hotel in Dubai – the world's only 7-star hotel.
The bodyguards dropped her off in front of the hotel where two other personnel escorted her up to her room but not before handing her a signature welcome drink upon her arrival. The Panoramic Suite was overlooking Dubai and its sparkling ocean. It offered space and privacy from one of the highest floors of the Burj Al Arab.
Her room had a king-sized bed with white sheets draped behind the bed's gold frame. A selection of 9 types of pillows, eiderdown duvets, exquisite Egyptian cotton linen and ultra-deluxe bed personalized to suit specific posture preferences.
Velvet red carpet and furniture accentuated the room with floor to ceiling windows. The master bathroom is complete with a full-size Jacuzzi and a separate five-head rain shower with Hermes bathroom amenities.
It was obvious that Perrie is indeed a billionaire. She could've booked Jade a nice and regular 5-star hotel, but instead, she chose the most fancy and luxurious hotel in Dubai even if they weren't going to stay long.
Jade laid on the bed and she can definitely see why royalties would want to spend a night or two at this hotel. Then, she heard a knock.
When she opened the door, a butler was waiting. "Good evening, Miss Thirlwall." He bows a little. "Miss Edwards has a package for you." The butler handed her a rather large paper bag.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Madam."
Jade closes the door and takes a peep at another outfit with a note.
When Jade pulled out the outfit and laid it on the bed. She finds out that it's a dark green Swift 4 wingsuit and a pair of UnderArmor boots.
An hour later, Jade finds herself outside of Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest building. The bodyguards escorted her there and was dropped off near the huge fountain outside of the building.
From there, Jade looked up at the majestic structure and thought, Why didn't I ever think of visiting the top of this building? She realized that she may be thousands of years old, there are just certain things that she hadn't experienced yet. Especially with someone.
"Do you want to fly?" Jade was brought back from her reverie when she heard a familiar voice. She spun around and found that Perrie was wearing the same outfit. And she's not sure if she heard the blonde right.
"What was that?'
"We're going base-jumping." Perrie grinned.
Jade raised a delicate brow. "Base jumping?"
Perrie's grin grew wide. She really likes it when she surprises the brunette. "Mm-hmm. I hope you're not afraid of heights. But if you are, don't worry. I won't let go of you until we land on the ground."
"Well...uhm..."
Perrie stood beside her and draped her arm over the brunette's shoulders. "I'm gonna hold you, like this the whole time. I promise."
Jade turns her head at the blonde who is all smiles at her as she casually rests her arm over Jade's shoulder. Their faces were too close and Jade could feel the heat between their cheeks.
"That's..." Jade gulped. "...reassuring." She smiles at Perrie.
"Let's go!" Perrie said. Her arm, never letting go of the brunette even as they entered the elevator that will take them up to the top-most floor and into the tube where it leads to the pinnacle of the tower where a temporary platform awaits them. They were the only tourists who were booked for night base-jumping.
Ideally, base-jumping and bungee-jumping is only done during the day. But with Perrie being a charming billionaire, she managed to book a night base-jumping for her and Jade.
They were now at the temporary platform that was built especially for them when Jade was mesmerized by the view yet again.
Ever since she entered the world of the mortals, it has always been a habit of hers to dwell on top of every highest peak, building, tree or mountain just to get a good view of the entire place. And she likes it best at night.
Perrie noticed that the brunette was speechless ever since they reached the top. "Hey...it's alright," she cooed. "I'll be here with you." She holds her hand firmly. Jade glances at their intertwined hand and smiles at the blonde.
Of course, she isn't afraid of heights like what Perrie thought. Jade is just amazed at the view of Dubai at night. But she can't tell Perrie the truth, she's just going with the flow since she really likes what the blonde is doing.
Jade could hear her heartbeat slowing down a little. Perrie shook the brunette's Stream 2 container, in it was an Outlaw parachute for later use. She then held Jade's hand tightly and gave her a reassuring smile before jumping off the platform.
Both of them were screaming.
For Jade, the excitement is real. She's been flying her whole life, and this is the first time that she actually let herself fall. And for Perrie, even if she's done this a couple of times before, this one was different because she's doing it with someone as special as Jade, and because it's the first time she's gone base-jumping at night.
That was the longest twenty seconds of their lives. After deploying their parachutes, they finally reached the ground. And just like what Perrie promised, she never let go of Jade's hand the whole time even after they landed.
The adrenaline was still pumping in their system out of the thrill that they just experienced.
"WOOOH!!! That was really fun!!!" Perrie exclaimed. Because of her excitement, she engulfed Jade in a tight embrace. Neither of them seem to mind since both women were extremely happy with the experience they shared.
After their action-packed activity in Burj Khalifa, Perrie brought Jade to the Dubai Marina where they boarded the Lotus Mega Yacht for a Dhow Cruise.
Usually, the yacht's capacity is 500 guests for a cruise. But then again, when you're going on a rendezvous with a young billionaire such as Perrie Edwards, the Lotus is now an exclusive cruise just for the two of them.
The yacht left the dock at 30 minutes past seven in the evening. They had a grand and lavish dinner on board. For their appetizer, they were served Peach and Prosciutto Canapés. Then, their main course was an assortment of beef Biryani, butter chicken, Kofta Kebab, and Hummus with olive oil. They then had a wide assortment of desserts from fruit trifle, luqaimat, kunafa and baklava.
Entertainment wasn't short as well as they laughed and clapped at the Arabic Tanoura dance performance. There were lots of drinks to choose from as they looked at the spell-binding view of the Dubai Marina.
After they finished dinner, the luxurious mega yacht was slowly nearing the Jumeirah Beach Residences and the Palm Jumeirah when the musicians and dancers exited the stage.
Perrie and Jade then made their way to the front deck of the yacht.
"I always liked the night view," Jade admitted. "This is lovely."
"I love the night view, too." Perrie said, but she was staring at the brunette next to her.
Jade felt the blonde's stare, and one doesn't need to have super powers to feel the intensity of Perrie's gaze at her. Jade turns to her side to look at Perrie. There was something about the blonde's stare that made Jade's inside feel warm and fuzzy. So, this time, Jade leaned close to Perrie and initiated the kiss and their lips touched for the second time, flooding all their senses.
Definitely this is the most memorable kiss Perrie has ever had. It felt good to know that they shared so much in common. Jade's voice is like music to her ears. Jade touched her with her soothing words without using her hands like no one ever did before.
In between these moments, Perrie's hand would touch Jade's and it sent shivers down the brunette's spine. Perrie was so close to her. And she couldn't resist the blonde's charm even if she tried.
-
♫ Another Level - Oh The Larceny