The show must go on

Chapter 17 - facing reality

Jade POV

When I wake up, the bed next to me is empty. I blink a few times against the sunlight shining through the window and look around in confusion, trying to form a clear thought. When I see my hand lying in a cast propped up on a pillow, I startle before the events of last night come back to mind. I guess last night I reached the nadir of overtiredness, which is why any memory after a certain point tends to be foggy. What I do remember is that I was in a hospital after falling to the ground following a terribly long flight. And with a glance at my hand, I can imagine what happened. I lift it up a little too quickly and immediately groan loudly when I feel a sharp pain. Gradually I wonder what else my body can take until it eventually gives up.

Slowly I sit up, obviously still a little sore from yesterday's fall, and go looking for Perrie. Because what I'm pretty sure is still in my head from last night is that I fell asleep next to her.

I don't have to look long before I see her standing in the kitchen, already in normal clothes, while I probably look like a scarecrow straight after getting up. What quickly catches my eye, however, is the state of my flat. If I remember correctly, last night everything still looked as awful as I left it before leaving for LA. There were clothes, wrappers and some dishes everywhere. The flat looked as neglected as I felt. But now, suddenly, everything is tidy. Not a single thing is lying around, everything seems to be in its place. The floor is shiny and it smells of cleaning products. Confused, I look at Perrie, who hasn't even noticed me yet. It was her. She tidied the entire flat, while I was asleep. I don't know if I'm grateful or embarrassed. I'm not usually untidy, in fact quite the opposite. But I simply lacked the strength to keep things in order.

"Pez," I greet her softly. When she sees me, she suddenly beams all over her face, which also makes me grin narrowly.

"J'adore!" she says euphorically and walks towards me to press a kiss on my lips. "Come sit down," she prompts me, literally pushing me onto the chair. Amazed, I see that she has already prepared a large cup of tea for me and apparently got breakfast for both of us from Starbucks, which is waiting for us at the table.

"When did you wake up?" I ask, aghast, and look her up and down, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and her tired face, which makes me suspect the worst.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she says and takes a big sip of coffee.

"Perrie, be honest," I ask her. "You cleaned the whole flat tonight, didn't you? Then you got breakfast and whatnot. How much sleep did you get?"

"It doesn't matter," she evades my question. "I couldn't sleep because the night was too upsetting and I worried too much, so I wanted to get everything nice and ready and make sure you eat something proper for once," she replies with a smile. "So please sit down and eat."

"You don't have to do all this for me," I whisper, extremely embarrassed that I seem to be such a nursing case already.

"I don't have to do anything, but I want to. So please let me," she says before giving me a kiss on the cheek and sitting down across from me to eat her own breakfast. Though I still had no appetite whatsoever, for her sake I try to pull myself together and actually manage to eat the entire breakfast she bought me. I see her smile in satisfaction before she asks, "How's your hand?"