I'm starting to suck at this update schedule thing, aren't I? You're gonna have to bear with me because I have finals until Christmas Eve, and while the chapters are all written, I still have to re-read and edit them. Anyway, Enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think.
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THEN - Perrie
I'm still standing in the same place, staring at Tiffany's bag, when Jade walks out of the shower. Without thinking, I blurt out, "If you get down on one knee in that towel, you'll flash your vagina."
Her face creases in confusion. "Well... that's a strange thing to say." She walks over and kisses me quickly, like she always does when I come home. Laughing, she says, "And why exactly am I getting down on one knee?" Uh oh. Oh no. Oh god. She's not going— "Don't people only do that when they're about to propo..."She trails off when she spies the bag on the kitchen table.
But instead of going into shock-freak out mode like I have, she just laughs again. "That? Those are the wedding rings. Chris asked me to hold onto them since I'm the best man." I don't say anything and she snaps in front of my face twice. "Wedding rings, Perrie. Jesy and Chris's. Which means not yours and mine."
I wish I could just say something coherent, but my brain is going a million miles a minute. I'm supposed to be relieved that she's not proposing; I'm me, Perrie Edwards, so commitment-phobic that I got skittish when I joined Netflix.
"So it's not an engagement ring?" I say, slowly.
She keeps one hand on the knot on her towel and cups my cheek with the other. "No, it's not. I'm not proposing. I know you have reservations about marriage; I am not going to push you into anything."
"Okay," I say, still completely bewildered and caught off guard. Because yes, I used to be really scared of settling down... until Jade. I'm not that girl anymore; I'm the one who spilled the beans about us dating to our friends; I'm the one who suggested moving in together and I'm the one moved my stuff in here. I'm still an idiot, of course, because I balked when Leigh suggested that she might propose, and somehow didn't even realized that in the last few days, I've started looking forward to her proposal. Jade has changed me for the better without even trying. Maybe because she wasn't trying.
"So no proposal, okay? I'm not even going there yet. We're good," she announces and then frowns. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I reply but it's totally without feeling. Because I suddenly am aware of this completely new person that I've just realized I am, but it doesn't seem like Jade has noticed. And I'm not quite sure how to exist in a world where Jade doesn't know me better than myself.
She must notice that I'm a little off because his brow creases in concern. "Look at how freaked out you are with just the suggestion of it."
I don't want to blurt that I'm totally ready to get married, especially when she's making it so clear she's not even thinking about it.
It's kind of a blow to my ego, really.
So I nod and she kisses me on my cheek, heading into the bedroom to change. I watch her back, muscled from years of playing racquetball and tennis. My eyes travel down to those damn dimples on her lower back that I love so much and then I force myself to snap out of my haze. I'm being stupid. We were fine before this—better than fine. And now that I'm not waiting on pins and needles for her to propose, we can go back to the way we've always been.
Except... if that whole weird episode with Chris wasn't her planning a proposal or choosing a ring, what was it?
I follow her into the bedroom. The way she looks right now—hair wet and dark, barefoot in just a pair of dress pants hanging so low I can see her thong—makes me irrationally angry. How dare she not propose? How dare she not tell me whatever it is she's up to? And how dare she look so good while not doing these things she really should be doing?
