At first they had another performance of Black Magic on the Late Late show, to which the crowd seemed really enthusiastic. Jade couldn't help but wonder if it was true that their fanbase was rising within America but there was a lot of hope – for some reason she hated blaming it on the fact that she and Perrie were a couple to everyone now.
Their interview with James Corden was just as relaxed as Jade had thought –he was easygoing and didn't ask them any questions they felt uncomfortable with answering and even when he asked Perrie about Zayn he did it in a humorous way and congratulated her to the marriage afterwards. "D'you know what? I'm good," Perrie replied and the whole crowd erupted in cheers. "I just wake up every day and I thank my lucky stars for these three girls." She leant into Jade when everyone aw'd and the brunette felt her heart racing. She knew how grateful Perrie was that they were supporting her through her breakup but hearing her put it like that in front of thousands of viewers was a whole different story. It made her heart swell with pride and her face burst into a grin.
He then proceeded to talk about their concert with Taylor Swift and the attention shifted to their music once again, for which Perrie seemed grateful. It was true that she wasn't as devastated as she had been in the very beginning – that is the first three days – but it still hurt her to talk about her cancelled engagement. After all had they been in a relationship for more than three years and now it was suddenly over.
It was one of the best interviews they had done in a long time and unlike all the other times when they had to do interviews in the past few weeks, they didn't feel exhausted or drained but cheerful and light. Perrie seemed to be in a very cuddly mood and although Jade didn't want to get herself too much into this whole thing, she couldn't mind one but when the blonde's fingers kept tracing patterns on her upper arm.
The four of them all went to chill in Jesy's hotel room that night for a few hours, just having a few laughs and watching movies on the big TV screen, all cuddled up on the bed in the oldest woman's room. It was a bit cramped because it was a big bed but they were four people after all, but none of them minded.
As weird as it was, Jade loved it when the four of them were cuddled up like this even if it meant that she couldn't move her right arm or someone was lying on her hair. The funny thing was, neither of the other girls complained either. Maybe it was just that they had been such close friends for so long now that they didn't mind being so physically close anymore either.
"I think I'm going to call it a night," Perrie yawned at about three in the morning. They knew they would hate themselves in the morning because they had to get up quite early to get ready for all the stuff that was to come tomorrow- it was the nineteenth of August, which meant their four year anniversary.
Perrie didn't let go of Jade's hand as she got up. The brunette felt a tug at her heart at how normal it seemed to Perrie by now that they spent every second together and even went to bed at the same time.
"Nanite," Jade muttered and avoided Leigh's heavy gaze as Perrie dragged her out of the room and into their own. Their walk was silent except for the one time where the blonde yawned and tugged on Jade's hand for a second to cover her mouth before she smiled and brought up her left hand to cover her lips as another yawn broke out.
As Jade sat on the edge of the bed and changed into her pyjamas, Perrie was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and once more the brunette had an image flickering through her mind: a vision of the two of them, actually being married and being happily in love with one another, going to bed together after a tough day and just falling asleep cuddling.
The thing was that this was partly her reality right now – except for the fact that it was only one of them who was happily in love.
No, Jade scolded herself mentally, I'm not in fucking love, I can't be. Perrie was leaning in the door frame between the living room/bedroom and the bathroom, watching Jade. It was strange that they were like this now because every little thing Perrie did made her now over-think.
For a second she was panicking because she knew it wasn't true but what if Perrie could read minds? It was like one of those freaky things you knew weren't true but you couldn't help wondering becausewhat if and what if Perrie just knew?
But then the blonde turned around into the bathroom and Jade could hear her spit in the sink before washing out her mouth and coming to the bed. "I wanted to talk to you before Taylor's concert, remember?" She muttered as she pulled on her short sweats, her back facing Jade. "Do you think we can talk now?"
Jade's heart was beating in her throat and feeling herself unable to say anything she only nodded despite knowing that the blonde couldn't see her.
"Could it be you were mad at me that day? Or was there any other reason why you were avoiding me?"
Jade shrugged and sighed, flopping into the pillow on the bed. "I was... I don't know how to explain it. It was all so weird. Our marriage, y'know." A lump in her throat stopped her from going on and she gulped it down but it didn't seem to help much. She was scared she was going to cry again if she kept on talking and that's not something she wanted right now. It had been a nice evening and she didn't want to ruin it for Perrie.
The blonde had finally turned to her again and before she said anything she lie down next to Jade and wrapped her arm around her waist, putting her head on Jade's shoulder. "Hey, it's fine, you know," Perrie muttered against her chest and started drawing patterns again, this time on Jade's clothed stomach. "We're in this together, remember? We both have the same problems to face in this situation. And I know it's weird – the lines of friendship and romance are so weirdly shifted that sometimes I'm really confused as well. So how about that – we'll just go with whatever feels right. If you're not comfortable with something I'm doing you tell me and if you do something I'll tell you, alright?"
The brunette felt herself nodding. Her eyes were focused on the ceiling so she wouldn't cry but her arms were almost automatically wrapped around Perrie's torso. "Even- even if it's stuff that usually couples do?" She could slap herself for asking that question but what if Perrie was actually okay with kissing, maybe? Maybe Jade could sneak a kiss from her every now and then, possibly, probably?
"Sure," Perrie murmured nonchalantly. "If it feels right."
When Jade finally felt like she was able to speak properly again, she noticed how Perrie's breath had evened out and the arm around her waist was just loosely draped there.
***
When Jade woke up the next morning there was a heavy weight on top of her and her face was covered in hair that didn't feel like her own. She blinked vividly and pushed the blonde hair out of her eyes, examining the body that lie on top of her. The second she had gained conscious she had known it was Perrie but still her stomach fluttered excitedly.
The blonde's breathing was quiet but Jade could feel it on her collarbones, the warmth of it causing the hair on her entire body to rise – it wasn't an unpleasant feeling at all, though. Quite the opposite if Jade was being honest with herself. She knew she wouldn't mind waking up like this every day.
After a few minutes of watching her, Perrie finally stirred and muttered a, "good morning." She didn't budge for a few more moments and then attempted to roll off, probably to let Jade breath, but the brunette quickly wrapped her arms around her and held her in place,
"Stay. I like this."
Perrie giggled and then snuggled closer, pressing her nose into the crook of Jade's neck. She wondered what would happen if the blonde kissed her there, maybe sucked a little and bit on her skin. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought and hoped Perrie wouldn't notice.
"How'd you sleep?" the blonde muttered into her shoulder. "I don't think I've slept this comfortable in like... forever."
Jade felt her cheeks blush and was glad that she couldn't see her face. "Yeah, same." It was the truth – sleeping and cuddling with Perrie always made her sleep a little better and she hoped they could stay like this for some more time.
A knock on the door almost the second she had dared to think this thought caused them both to lift their heads. Nobody came in which meant that it was neither Leigh-Anne or Jesy, except if they had suddenly stopped coming into their room. "Who's that?" Perrie whispered into Jade's neck. It took her by surprise that she was so close once again and she couldn't suppress the giggle that escape her mouth.
"You're tickling me," she whispered back, kind of hoping that whoever was standing outside the room would just leave them be again.
"Yeah?" Perrie breathed back and looked up at Jade challengingly. Their faces were in extremely close proximity so that Jade could count the specks in the blonde eyes that were looking into her own. She noticed them flicker down to her lips for a second and wondered if she was going to kiss her.
After all, they had agreed to just go with whatever felt right, didn't they? And a kiss would definitely feel right in this very moment, so very right...
Jade felt herself lean forward when another knock on the door caused her to snap her head to the side where the door was stood. She could feel Perrie's breath on her skin still and knew that the blonde hadn't moved her attention away from her face. It caused her stomach to tingle in excitement ever so lightly and her cheeks to turn a sheepish red.
"We should maybe check who's at the door," Jade murmured and with a disappointed sigh Perrie rolled off of her so that the older female could get up. She slowly walked towards the door, her feet filling the silent room with tiny sounds.
Jade grabbed the door handle and let the door click open. Her head peeked out through the gap between the door and the door frame and with raised eyebrows she looked outside. "Hello?"
It was indeed Leigh-Anne standing in the door and confused Jade frowned. "Since when do you knock and not immediately come in?"
She shrugged and walked into the room after Jade had opened the door. "Jesy sent me to tell you two to get up already and get ready," she laughed at the sight of the sleepy Perrie on the bed. "It's our anniversary today and we've got a lot of stuff on our plate."
"I wanna sleep, though," Perrie murmured into the pillow.
Jade giggled and walked over to the bed. She gripped the sheets with both her hands without Perrie noticing and within a second she had pulled them off the bed. "Get up, Pezza," she sang and Leigh chuckled a few metres away from them.
"Well, I see she's in good hands," she laughed and walked out of the room, leaving the married couple alone again. The door clicked behind her when it fell shut and Jade sat down on the bed next to Perrie.
"Come on, baby, get up now," Jade told her and reached out. Her hand danced over Perrie's back and she felt goose bumps rise under her finger tips. She couldn't repress the smile that brightened her face when she noticed. "We need to get showered, do our hair and stuff. I don't think Aaron and Adam will do it when it's only a livestream and an interview."
Perrie turned her head around and studied Jade's face for a few seconds before she yawned and reached her hand out to grab Jade's. She entwined her fingers and in that moment Jade wondered if she was only dreaming. "Can't we cuddle just for a few more minutes?"
Jade hummed and didn't care if it was a dream. She lay down in the bed again and felt Perrie snuggle up to her almost instantly. "Why do we have to get up again?" The blonde breathed against her neck.
"It's our anniversary," Jade yawned and felt tiredness lull her in once more but she wouldn't give in because she knew they had stuff to deal with today. "Four years of Little Mix."
"Right," Perrie smiled. "Can you believe we didn't know each other yesterday four years ago?"
Jade giggled and shook her head. "I can't imagine my life without you."
"Neither can I."