The Sacrifices We Make

Chapter Seven - Present Day

Present Day- London

It was the growling in her stomach that finally made Madison look at her watch.

"Oh shit." She mumbled to herself. They had been in the conference room for a good four hours without any food. She grabbed a couple of menus from the side table and had each of the girls pick out what they wanted from the hotel restaurant, then she called in the order to be delivered to them. Fifteen minutes later their food had arrived and the girls ate as they continued their discussion.

"I know this has gone on much longer than we all anticipated, but I hope you understand the importance of what we're doing." Madison explained sympathetically.

"Well we haven't left, have we? Clearly we see some benefit to it." Jesy pointed out.

"Right. Good." Madison was relieved to know her clients were on the same page, "So what are we going to do about this?" She asked the whole group, but was really directing the question at Jade and Perrie.

Perrie spoke first, "Well first off, Leigh mentioned we resented each other now. But that's not true, at least not on my end. I don't resent Jade." She looked like a child as she said it, and sunk deeper into her chair.

Everyone in the room looked to Jade.

"I don't resent Perrie." Jade echoed.

Madison was encouraged, even by this. "Alright, good. So we've established—"

"Well then what the hell is wrong with you two then?" Jesy cut it. Madison winced at Jesy's aggressive tone and almost interfered, but then thought better of it. Having their best friends lead this "intervention" was most likely the best course of action anyhow.

Leigh-Anne took a bit more of a compassionate approach. "You're both in happy relationships with Alex and Jed now – we figured you'd have moved on from each other with no hard feelings – just like we planned. Did something else happen between you two?"

Perrie and Jade both glanced at each other quickly, then looked away before either Jesy or Leigh-Anne could notice. But Madison had seen.

"No, nothing else happened." Perrie said, frustrated.

"Then WHAT, Perrie, on heavens earth has you both acting like moody teenagers around each other?" Jesy practically shouted.

Finally, Perrie snapped.

"She moved on Jes!" Perrie had leapt up from her chair and was pointing at Jade. Jade had straightened in her chair at Perrie's outburst, but still remained silent. She seemed transfixed by the blonde and at what she would say next.

Perrie slowly sat down, defeated. "She's in love with Jed. And she's moved on from us. And I'm hurt. It hurts to see them together, happy." Perrie was looking down at the table, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

Jade, on the other hand, sat wide-eyed. Her gaze never leaving Perrie. Shocked at what her bandmate had just revealed.

"Babe, why would you be hurt by that if you're dating Alex? You can't be upset that Jade has moved on when you've done the same." Leigh-Anne reasoned.

Madison couldn't help but interject. "I have to agree with Leigh-Anne. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this."

"Have you ever been in love with two people?"

Once again, everyone in the room turned to look at Jade. Who was starting at her own hands and not looking up.

Perrie seemed shocked at what Jade had just revealed.

"No, Jade. I have not been in love with two people," Madison spoke, careful with her choice of words. She wanted the brunette to continue, "What is that like?"

Jade took a deep breathe. "I am happy with Jed. I love him, I really do. But I never stopped loving Perrie either. Imagine seeing the person you're in love with happily dating someone else. Regardless of the circumstances in your life, it still hurts. Even though I understand that it's for the better, and that it has to be this way, I still doesn't make me happy to see her in love with someone else."

Madison didn't know what to say to that. So she kept silent.

"That's exactly how I feel," interjected Perrie.

Madison was glad they were getting somewhere. But was still a bit confused. "So you both are in love with each other, but also your boyfriends. But are upset the other is happy with their respective boyfriends? Am I understanding this correctly?"

Madison did not want to come off as condescending. But she found the situation a bit preposterous.

"You both have been stomping around, pouting, because the other is happy and in love with their beaus, when you yourself are happy and in love with your beau?" Jesy, also very confused, was trying to wrap her head around the concept as well. Madison was glad she was not alone in her confusion.

"It appears that is the case," proclaimed Perrie, who seemed a bit more energetic at this point.

Madison's brain was hurting and she needed some rest. "Alright, I think we should take a break and resume this discussion in the morning. A good night's sleep may help us to sort this out with a clearer mind." She yawned as she got up from her seat and distributed the key cards. "I've booked us hotel rooms for the night. Get some rest and we'll continue in the morning."

The girls all mumbled their agreement as they reached for their key cards and the group stumbled their way to the elevator. The ride up to the seventh floor was quiet and as the group got off the elevator, both Jade and Perrie staggered a bit behind.

"'Night," they all said to each other and Jesy, Leigh-Anne, and Madison entered their respective rooms without paying much attention to Perrie and Jade who were still at the end of the hall by the elevator.

"Can we talk?" asked Perrie, timidly.

"Yeah, I think we should."