"it's four AM," Perrie says with a quiet, hoarse voice of sleep. She feels the mattress slightly tilting as Jade's weight is lifted off of it. Perrie pulls the blanket over her head without even bothering to open her eyes. She has a long day ahead, but all she wants right now is to stay in bed with Jade by her side.

Jade kneels by Perrie's side of the bed as she smiles to herself. She is exhausted as well, since Perrie and her only went to sleep two hours ago after watching Titanic regardless of their jet lagged state. Mornings with Perrie are not easy, but she would not change a thing about them. This is just one of the many things Jade finds so oddly lovable in Perrie.

"Babe," Jade starts. She grips the blanket that Perrie has covered herself with down a bit, so Perrie's face is revealed. "Wake up. We've got so much to do today," Jade continues and places a soft kiss on Perrie's forehead. Perrie cannot hold back the smile that forms on her lips as Jade strokes her blonde hair down to her shoulders.

"It's too fucking early," Perrie replies with the same small smile. She hates getting out of bed in the morning, but has to admit that Jade makes this experience much more enjoyable than it usually is.

"We're leaving at five thirty, so you got to get ready, alright? Today's going to be a good day," Jade says, then playfully kisses Perrie's temple before standing up. She walks over to the bathroom, washes her face and brushes her teeth. She watches herself in the mirror as she applies different lotions to her face and thinks about the day ahead.

Upon arriving to Australia, Perrie and her have decided to go with Jesy's PR strategy. They have talked about it with Leigh-Anne and Jesy, and they both agreed that this would be the best option right now. Jade was tired and stressed out of having to avoid Perrie's gaze in interviews and hiding how closer they have gotten over the past few months. She thought that now that Perrie and her are allowed to be as real with each other as they want to, even when the cameras are on, everything is going to happen naturally. However, it seems like that is not the case. Perrie and her are not completely ready to show everyone what they have become. They turn quite shy in front of the cameras, and are careful not to do anything too revealing, but with every day that passes, they are getting more and more comfortable with the situation. Today, Jade feels truly ready to finally stop hiding how badly she wants Perrie by her side at all times.

Jade exits the bathroom, and walks over to the bed again. Perrie is still laying in it, though by now, she is more awake. A knock is heard on the door, and Jade goes to welcome Aaron in. He is not as lively as he usually is, considering how early it is, but remembers to pull Jade into a short embrace. After letting go, he turns the light in the room on, an action which makes Perrie forcefully shut her eyes.

"Jeed!" Perrie calls, even though she knows that she had already lost this battle and must get out of bed.

"Sorry, Pez," Aaron says as he stands behind Jade, who sits at the vanity. Aaron is spraying and brushing different products into Jade's long, brown hair as Perrie sits up on the bed. It takes a few moments for her to fully open her eyes and stand up, but after doing so, she goes to the bathroom and gets ready for the day.

When she is done, she sees that Aaron is almost done working on Jade's hair, which means that she has a bit of free time. Perrie says quick good mornings to her girlfriend and hairstylist, then exits the hotel room. She knocks on the door in front of hers, and soon hears Jesy's voice, welcoming her inside. Perrie has only got a minute or two, but believes that it is enough to ask Jesy about how Jake took Jade's confession the other night, about 'Jerrie' being real. She does not think that Jake saw it as more than a drunken joke, but needs to make sure.

"Jes, can I ask you something real quick?" Perrie asks, stepping inside the room but leaving the door open behind her.

"Yeah, what is it?" Jesy replies. She is sitting cross legged on the bed, facing the TV on the wall, which is on but is not playing any sound. Next to her on the bed are the TV remote, her phone and a few clothing items, probably possible outfits for today she has to choose from.

"Jade and I, we got a little drunk the other night in London, and Jade was just laughing and saying some random stuff. So Jake called us when we got home-"

"Pez, now really isn't the best ti-"

"No, it's super short! Just a yes or no question," Perrie is quick to reply. "Jade told him that jerrie is real, and-"

"Perrie, I'm-" Jesy worriedly says, but Perrie chooses to ignore her tone.

"Let me finish! I just want to ask if Jake actually believed that. You know I trust him, but Jade and I don't really want anyone to know about us, and every person who knows could potentially mean trouble." Jesy is quiet as she presses her lips together, looks at Perrie and slowly blinks. "What?" Perrie impatiently asks.

There are a few more confusing seconds of silence.

"Hi Perrie," Jake's voice is heard through Jesy's phone. Perrie is only now realizing that Jesy has tried to warn her that she is on the phone with Jake as soon as his name was mentioned, and the call must be on speaker. Then, she is hit with the understanding that he heard everything, and now knows just what she had feared he would find out.

"Hi, Jake," Perrie manages to say. "I, um, I think Aaron's calling me. I got to go back to my room," she lies and leaves. Her heart is racing, both from embarrassment and nervousness, as she is silently standing in front of the closed door of her hotel room.

Perrie cannot think of a way of breaking the news to Jade. Jade is going to get nervous, she will not be able to control it. Perrie and her decided that Australia is going to be the best trip they will experience in this lifetime, and Perrie is sure such information about Jake will ruin this trip for Jade. So she decides to postpone telling Jade until they are back home, in order to not sadden her while they are still here. Perrie puts a smile on her face and opens the door.

"Pez! Great!" Aaron says as she steps inside. "I was just about to call you here. Jade's done, so come sit," he continues and puts his hand on the back of the chair Jade is on. She stands up, and Perrie takes her place.

An hour later, all four women are ready for the day. They seem much more awake now, thanks to the makeup on their faces, but are all still very tired. They are waiting for their van to arrive at the hotel while messing around and posting silly, sleep deprived videos on Instagram. Perrie is getting progressively tired, and at some point, right before the van finally arrives, she lies on one of the long seats in the hotel lobby. She hopes to get some sleep, even it is just a short, light nap.

"You look really hot," Jade's quiet voice says. Perrie’s heart begins to heart race at these words, and a shy smile spreads on her face.

"Thank you," Perrie replies, unsure of how to answer.

"Wait, let me take a picture," Jade tells Perrie and grabs her phone.

"You dirty little-" Perrie starts with a laugh, but is soon cut off by Jade.

"I didn't mean it like that," Jade replies as she laughs with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

Soon afterwards, the girls finally head out. They are quick to arrive at their first destination for today, where they will be doing a few interviews. They sit down at a wooden table, and a blonde interviewer walks in.

"Let's get weird with Little Mix!" the interviewer says after introducing herself and the girls. "What do you think the weirdest experience you've had with a fan was?"

"I had a fan, like, hug me," Jade is quick to answer. She puts her hand on the back of Perrie’s neck and pulls Perrie close, as if imitating the fan. It feels natural for Perrie, and she does not pull herself back. Their faces are only inches apart, Jade's lips almost touch Perrie’s cheek. Perrie is looking down, careful not to lift her gaze, because she knows that the needy way she is going to look at Jade will be obvious to everyone. She leans in closer. "And then really, sultry like, she like kissed my neck." Jade continues and lets go of Perrie, because she had just realized that despite their PR strategy, this might be too much.

"She kissed your neck?!" The interviewer asks in disbelief.

"Wow," Perrie slowly says as she stares at Jade. She asks herself when did this happen, and how come she did not know about it?

"Oh, she smooched your face! It was like..." Jesy tells Jade and pulls Jade towards her, so she is almost kissing her cheek. "But it was long, wasn't it?" She asks as they break apart.

"It was uncomfortably long," Jade explains.

The rest of the interview passes by very quickly, and so is the next interview. The four women then go back to the vehicle they have arrived in. Jade sits by the window, and Perrie is quick to slide in the seat next to her.

Jade looks through the window, scans the views of Sydney with her eyes. She has always been fascinated by unfamiliar places, and her thoughts drift away.

"Jade?" Perrie asks, looking down at her hands, which are nervously playing with the fabric of her dress. "You told this story about this fan, and I um... When did it happen?"

"I don't really remember," Jade replies after a moment of silence. She turns to Perrie, and sees how uncomfortable her girlfriend seems.

"Was it like, recently?" Perrie questions. She is still avoiding Jade's gaze, and is trying hard to prevent her cheeks from redding now that she can feel Jade's eyes on her.

"No, it was a while ago. Maybe last year? I don't really know," Jade replies, then a smile spreads on her face as she sees the obvious relief on Perrie's face. "Pez, are you jealous?" She teases with a short laugh. Perrie's redding cheeks speak for her, and she just lays her head on Jade's shoulder.

The vehicle comes to a stop, and everyone enters the iHeartRadio building. Perrie is the first one to enter the room, and Jade is the last. As a result of that, Perrie sits on the far right while Jade sits on the far left, and they begin another interview. It goes well, but Jade is not focused. She thinks back to the short exchange Perrie and her had in the car. There is no reason for Perrie to feel intimidated by the interaction Jade described earlier. It was a fan, and it was long before Perrie and her became a thing. Jade does allow herself to feel a bit happy because of Perrie’s behavior. This is a good sign, better than she would have ever expected just two weeks ago. Jade needs to remind Perrie that she is hers, and no one else's.

When the interviewer asks another question, Jade uses her feet to roll the wheels of her chair backwards. She continues to drag her feet against the floor, and is passing Leigh-Anne and Jesy.

"What is she doing?" Leigh-Anne asks.

"I'm too far away," Jade quietly replies as she makes her way towards Perrie.

"Babe, you haven't got a microphone now, you have to squeeze in," Perrie tells Jade. Jade positions her chair right next to Perrie, as close as she possibly can. "Did you see that? She was like, ten feet away from me and she's having withdrawal syndrome! She can't be away from me, jerrie is real," Perrie says in one of her accents. It feels undeniably great to hear those words come out so openly out of Perrie's lips. They sound like a simple tease, but there is so much more behind the scenes. Jade smiles widely as she realizes that this is exactly what she wants. This is exactly what she had wished for, and beyond. She has got Perrie.

×××

Two days later, Jade can barely keep her eyes open as her three bandmates and her step out of a iHeartRadio studio, where they were just interviewed. Jet lag has completely taken over her, and she just could not stop laughing a few minutes ago, when the producers brought in four young girls to act as human microphone stands. Very soon, the girls will head out to the airport and begin their journey back home, but right now they have a scheduled call with Elizabeth, their creative director.

All four women enter a nicely decorated conference room. Before they leave, they are going to have to sign copies of Get Weird that will be shipped to Australian fans next month, and there are boxes of Little Mix pictures and pens already waiting for them on the table. The sound of an incoming Skype call is heard, and Perrie calls Jade's name so she comes to sit by her side. Elizabeth appears on the screen, and due to the time differences between Australia and the UK, she seems just as tired as the four women she is talking to.

"We don't have much time, so I'm just going to go right to it," Elizabeth says after quick greetings. "I looked over your schedule, I talked to your management team and the label about making Secret Love Song Part Two a single. And I'm sorry to say this - I really am, I think it could be beautiful - but we don't have time to shoot another video in addition to the one with Derulo. You know how it is - a lot of money is invested in every video, which definitely was a factor for the decision, and a lot of time you girls don't have. Your schedule is packed. You have so much to do before tour starts, and we won't be filming anything during tour because that would be insanely hard. So I'm sorry, but this is not going to happen."

There are a few moments of silence, in which the four women take in what they have just been told. Jesy, Perrie and Leigh-Anne are definitely disappointed, but Jade is beyond that - she is furious. This video represented a lot to her; she had spoken about this with Perrie before, and it feels extremely awful to hear these news. If there is one thing Jade has learnt over the years, it is to fight for the things that matter to her. This is exactly why she is not going to give up easily.

"When are we filming the video with Jason?" She asks.

"December seventeenth," Elizabeth quickly replies.

"We can cancel the shoot with him and film the video for Part Two that day. That's going to be so much more meaningful to our fans, compared to a girl who cheats on her man," Jade tries convincing.

"Jade, I'm sorry, but you guys could only benefit from this collaboration. And, like I said, it all comes down to money and time. It's not anything personal, so don't take it like that. I really am sorry it has to be this way," Elizabeth apologizes. Jade cannot be truly mad at her, because Elizabeth's words are nothing but the truth. A collaboration with Jason Derulo probably means more sales and more money, and that is what it all comes down to.

When the call ends, all Jade has left to do is to laugh at the irony of the situation. She fakes an exaggerated laugh, because this is the only response her tired mind can possibly come up with right now. She cannot be angry, but at the same time, she is painfully disappointed. This video meant a lot to her, and it feels unfair. Every chance, even the slightest, Perrie and her had of publicly coming out, is now ruined. Jade is laughing, but what she truly wants is to burst into tears right now.

"Babe, are you okay?" Perrie asks Jade, and is unable to control the laughter in between her words.

"This sucks," Jade replies, her mood shifting into a dark one. She is not laughing anymore, not even smiling. All she can think of is how all of her hopes were just ruined. "I just want to go home," she continues.

"We'll be home tomorrow," Leigh-Anne tells her with a warm smile. "But if we want to make it to our flight on time, we better start working of these," she says and opens the carton packages on the table.

Through disappointment and jet lag, the four women finish their work an hour later and head out to the airport.

×××

Jade is struggling to get her suitcase inside of her mother's house. Going to South Shields right after landing from Australia was a last minute decision. Danielle texted her earlier, saying that she is working and will be back soon, and Jade did not feel like coming to a empty house, so she decided to come here. After she finally succeeds in bringing her suitcase inside, Jade locks the door behind her and turns the living room light on. She had arrived earlier than she told her mother she will, and Norma is probably still out, shopping for ingredients to make Jade's favorite foods in such a short notice.

Jade leaves her suitcase as she enters the bathroom, then steps into the shower. She showers quickly like always, then gets dressed and remembers that she had promised to stop by her brother's house. Jade grabs something quick to eat, exits the house and walks to her brother's house, which is just a few minutes away.

This is the first time today that she really feels like she is home. She is walking on the pavements she used to ride on as a little kid with her bicycle, she is taking in the same smells and sounds she grew up with. She cannot help but wonder if Perrie notices these things, too, when she comes here.

Jade arrives at her destination, and one short knock on the door is enough for it to be opened. Little Karl is standing inside with a smile almost too big for his small face.

"Jade!" He calls out and hugs Jade's legs. Jade picks him up and pulls him into a proper hug as she matches his smile. She would never be able to pick a favorite from Karl's two children, but can definitely say that she is the closest to little Karl.

"Did you miss me?" Jade asks as she brings Karl back down so he is standing on his feet.