"Debbie."
"Jade."
"You look lovely."
Debbie squinted her eyes playfully. "Alright. What do you want?"
"What?" Jade laughed.
"Complimenting me as Perrie's mother equivalents to you wanting to ask something," Debbie noted as she rubbed her chin as if she's pondering over something. "I remember there's this one time when you told me I look pretty but then when you already have my approval you ask me if you could take Perrie-berrie to prom. And then there's another time when you told me I lost a ton of weight and then ask me if you could borrow my car because you told Perrie you'd fetch her from her uni. I'm quite observant if you ask me."
Jade let out a giggle. "Dang it. You know me too well."
The pair fell into peals of laughter before composing themselves as Debbie awaits for Jade to eventually tell her why she wanted to meet with her today. And Jade, seeing the woman's eyes convey expectancy and anticipation, knew it was time to inform Perrie's mother about what she wants to happen. But just when the words were lying on the tip of her tongue, all the determination and resolve had wafted away. Jade opened her mouth to force the words to spew out automatically, but it seemed like apprehension had been hauling them back in.
Jade tried to say something intelligible though. "A - as you can see, I . . . I really . . . I - your daughter - I love her very much -"
"Jade," Debbie cuts in, showing the younger woman a reassuring smile that in some way assuaged Jade's uptight disposition.
"I was hoping you won't tell Perrie about our meeting," Jade tells her and Debbie raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"What's the matter?"
"I . . . ," Jade paused for a moment, and then realized that it was now or never. So she sat straight on her stool and let her mind and heart preside over this. "Well, I want Perrie to add Thirlwall to her name."
Jade has been conjuring up so many scenarios, and mostly all of them conveys the anger and disapproval in Debbie's eyes once she tells her that she wanted to marry Perrie. Which is why seeing Debbie still wearing a smile is honestly the last thing that Jade figured she'll see after talking about it.
And then Debbie cupped both her cheeks and squealed like a child. And Jade blew a heavy breath of relief and freedom.
"I'm so excited for the wedding."
"I feel like seventeen all over again," Jade says.
"Seventeen?"
"You know . . . When I asked you if I could have Perrie as my girlfriend. The one when we had dinner together for the first time?"
"Ahh," Debbie remembered, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah. I felt like I'm gonna explode," Jade tells her. And then she laughed nervously, "You looked genuinely intimidating that day, almost to the point wherein I literally pondered whether if I should ask for your permission or beg Perrie to just be with me in secret."
Debbie lets out a giggle. "Jade, don't you ever think twice about me. Obviously as a mother, I look out for my daughter more than I look out for myself because I love her."
"You see - that is the reason why I'm scared of you. Because I'm afraid you'd take her away from me because you love her too much to let go."
"Sweetie, I'm not letting go of her completely. I'm merely letting her be."
"And that is the reason why I think you're the second best woman I've ever met."
"Second?" Debbie says teasingly, and Jade's cheeks were growing a deep hue of red.
Jade cleared her throat and smiled sheepishly. "Your daughter is the best woman I've ever met, just to clarify."
"And you're personally the best girlfriend my daughter has met as well."
"You approve of me?" Jade asks her, and Debbie gives her a look of pride.
"Sweetie, I have vouched for you ever since Perrie brought you home."
xxx
A smile rested on Perrie's face when she sees her girlfriend plopped down on the sofa in pyjamas with a bowl of popcorn - a beautiful sight she sees everyday. A warm fuzzy feeling had coarsed through her whole being every time she sees Jade seated there. It was heartwarming to have someone wait for you to come home.
"It's basically noon already," Perrie says, announcing her presence as she slings her clutch bag on the nearby desk before dropping herself down on the coach with a flump.
"Indeed, it is, Edwards," Jade clad in pyjamas replied, still not acknowledging the blonde's presence by looking back which made Perrie to roll her eyes at that one.
"And yet I still find my lovely girlfriend in the same spot where I left her."
"Sometimes I'd like to wait and see if you'd come back, you get me?" Jade replied in a tone that made her seem abstracted, her eyes still immersed in the television screen. And Perrie couldn't help but smile in awe at how unqualifiedly gorgeous Jade is even in just childish clothing.
"I always come back, you know that," Perrie breathed out. She noticed the other woman smiling somewhat in relief, and found herself imitating it. "Jade, sweetie?"
"Yes, Pez?"
"I'm already home . . . ," Perrie drawled out, obviously hinting at something for the other woman.
Jade nodded. "And I am glad to witness that, babe."
"Don't I get a kiss now that I'm home?"
Jade turned her head and smiled at Perrie, briefly leaning into the blonde to give her girlfriend a peck on the lips. She heaved a sigh of contentment as she leans back to her old position, only this time her upper half is facing the blonde.
"Welcome home," the ombre haired woman greeted softly, inducing Perrie's smile to widen almost to the point where her cheeks are starting to burn.
"I love hearing you say that."
"Good," Jade said, her tone somewhat teasing. "Because I love saying that."
It was a moment of silence between the two. The kind of silence that wasn't clandestinely building up a latent tension but the kind of silence that Perrie recognizes as the best kind of one. And although it was the kind of moment where Perrie let her eyes roam over the beauty her eyes rested upon, it was a moment where the blonde finds herself perpending over things as well.
And that's when she thought of something.
"You know - I heard Michaela's engaged now," said Perrie whose eyes widened at what she blurted out.
And Jade seemed unfazed still as her smile spreads. "Really? That's good. Did she invite us to her wedding?"
"She hates me, Jade," Perrie reminds her girlfriend, chuckling and shrugging and shaking her head simultaneously.
"And . . . ?"
"Nothing. She just hates me."
The older woman giggled. "If that's the case, why bother telling me she's getting married? Unless you would want to sneak in and shove her wedding cake up on her beautiful face - if her face is even beautiful . . . ?"
Perrie threw her head back and couldn't stop the chortle escaping her lips. She shook her head this time and let out a contented sigh.
"It's not that at all. Although that is up for consideration," Perrie drawled out.
A smile stretched upon Jade's facial features as she tilts her head. "A penny for your thoughts?"
Perrie wanted to tell Jade she wanted to get married, she seriously does. So she tries to make it subtle as best as she could.
"Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you're okay with marriage."
Perrie scoffed internally. That is so not subtle at all.
Jade merely nodded, but her eyes conveying curiosity were just looking at the blonde still. Perrie rolled her eyes, leaned forward to peck her girlfriend in the lips before settling herself back on the comfortable settee.
Jade smiled and spoke up, "I mean, I went to a wedding with you, didn't I? I think that accounts as something. "
Perrie contemplated. "Do you want to get married, Jade? With me?"
Jade wore a sheepish smile and meekly shrugged. "Well, I love you so... Yeah. "