The Fifth Member (Little Mix/Perrie Edwards gxg) Part 2

Chapter 56

Beth's POV:

"I told you I don't know anything!" Noah laughed while getting the popcorn out.

Josie raised her eyebrow, and I pointed at her, "Even Josie doesn't believe you."

He looked at her, and there was some silent conversation going on that I didn't have the privilege to be a part of. Whatever Noah conveyed, though, made Josie totally switch up, "I don't think he knows anything, to be honest."

I groaned, "I'm not dense. Don't try to cover for him." I crossed my arms.

Josie chuckled, and Noah plumped down next to me and ruffled up my hair, "You are way too paranoid, baby sis."

"And you are a terrible liar, big bro." I said back sarcastically.

I looked at the time and decided it was probably time to go. So I stood up and said, "I think I better head back home now."

Noah stood abruptly and said, "No."

I looked at him confused and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean no?"

He pointed to the TV, "No one does a Marvel Movie Marathon and then leaves right before Endgame. Are you insane?"

"We skipped other movies anyway, so I wouldn't count it as a marathon." I shrugged.

"Yeah, well, no sane person watches the Hulk willingly, and let's be honest, Guardians of the Galaxy was never that good." Noah said.

Josie immediately protested about Guardians of the Galaxy, so I simply sat down, knowing they would never let me leave before watching the movie.

I just wonder what the hell Noah was grinning about.

*************

"And the music video is online in one minute." Leigh said excitedly.

We were assembled in mine and Perrie's house, celebrating our first single release.

"I can not believe we finally are dropping our first single." I said, leaning back against the couch and smiling. It felt so good to finally be releasing music again.

"And it's also an absolute banger, not some tasteless stuff that the label pushed." Jade said, throwing a cracker in her mouth.

"Period." Jesy said in an American accent.

We all chuckled, and my eyes once again found Perrie, as they so naturally do. We put up candles to have this homey vibe, and the light reflecting in her eyes was absolutely mesmerising. The way her teeth were on display from her stunning smile.

How can a woman like her exist?

I felt a nudge in my side, and Jesy grinned at me teasingly, "Bit hypnotised, weren't you?" She whispered to me.

I felt heat rushing to my cheeks and nudged her back, "Not true."

She chuckled quietly, and I hoped the others wouldn't ask what that was about.

Finally, we watched the live release of our new single, Between Us, along with fans, and their reactions were heavily positive.

The girls ended up sleeping over, and honestly, I couldn't help but feel as if no time had passed. Sadly, that's not true.

Once again, I looked at Perrie before she entered our former room. I wonder if she has rearranged it, I certainly wouldn't be able to live in a room that is a constant reminder of our relationship.

We both do seem to cope differently, though. I try to distance myself from the problem as much as possible. She seems to like reminiscing.

God, I'd give anything to be with her again.

********

Perrie's POV:

Sam and I conversed for quite some time after I got her blessing. Being at good terms with her again made me feel amazing.

Noah, however, soon texted that he couldn't stall her any longer, so Sam and I had to bid our goodbyes to each other.

After I parted my ways with Beth and the girls again to go to sleep, instead of actually sleeping, I started researching.

Beth's ideal date isn't that much different than mine, but I do want to make it a bit more grand.

I can't overdo it, though, because Beth certainly isn't really a fan of grand gestures. Honestly, if I'd think it'd go over well, I'd just propose on the spot, but we have to go slow and steady.

I learned that my impatience will only bring me pain.

Beth's first date attempt went over perfectly, I don't want to copy what she did, so I have to get really creative.

Let's just hope I won't mess up because I would certainly be extremely depressed afterwards.

***********

"Well, you certainly picked a date idea, didn't ya?" Noah chuckled, looking around.

"You think she'll like it?" I asked, biting my lip in anxiety.

He looked at me incredulously, "Are you kidding? She'll love it. It'll remind her of old times, especially of Beca, Alexis, and Caleb. The four of them used to be inseparable."

I smiled and once again wished I got to meet the people whom Beth loved so deeply.

"You know, even though we all had money troubles, the four of them would save up enough money every few months and put it all together, just to have a fun time here. Though I didn't know it then, I now know it was also a place people from Beth's school rarely occupied, so it was also always a time where she didn't have to see anyone of them in public." He said, with a fond smile gracing his face.

I smiled at him and said, "You know, I never really asked you about how you felt for most of your family members. Of course, I heard a lot from Beth, but how did you interact with them?"

He chuckled, "Well, though I hate to say it, I believe Beth did a better job at keeping up with all of them. We had a large family, and I found it difficult to keep up with everyone's life. Beth did that, almost with a passion." He turned a little more serious, "I don't really like admitting it, but the truth is, I do believe she loved them more than I did." He closed his eyes, "God that sounds like I'm a horrible person."

I quickly shook my head, "Not at all. Even though I wasn't there to witness it, just seeing how much Beth loves them currently, I can't imagine how amplified that was when they were actually here."

He pursed his lips and gave me a tight smile, "Thanks, but it still doesn't really change that even admitting something like that feels horrible. This will sound like an excuse, but I also think her predicament at school made her hold onto our family tighter. I had friends, and I had something other than family to busy myself with."

I shot him a compassionate smile, "Don't feel bad, I have some family members I don't really check up on either. It's not a crime. Plus, I'm certain you still saw most of your family more often than the average person."

He smiled back and got the emotion out of the conversation immediately by saying, "So! When are you proposing?" He asked, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I choked on air, and he laughed, patting my back, "Just kidding, Perrie."

"If I didn't know that we need time to get back into our rhythm, I'd propose right now, Noah." I said honestly after calming down.

He raised his eyebrow, "Well, I look forward to officially being able to call you my sister."

I simply smiled at the sentiment. A blessing in his own cryptic way.