Unknown: You haven't been answering my calls since awhile ago, nor responding to my texts as well. Not trying to sound conceited, but I suppose you must be really astonished to hear my voice considering you hung up on me. Was my voice one of the few things that you had missed so much or am I being delusional?

I once again found myself poring over her somehow flirtatious text message. I ruminated whether or not I should reply but why the hell do I feel impelled to respond to her message? It's not like I wanted her to know that I'm more than happy to have her back in my life. It's not like I even wanted her back, at least not remotely close to being okay with it.

"Is it me or does it seemed like my best friend has immersed herself in her phone?" Jesy had once again diverted my attention towards her, gesturing towards my phone and glanced at the screen as if she wanted to see who or what has gotten my attention.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," I dismissed her inference. But Jesy's the type of girl who deems my answer invalid.

She craned her body forward and tried to take a quick glimpse of my phone but I knew better and placed my phone at an appropriate distance from her, pressing the off button quickly as to turn it off. I didn't want Jesy to know about Jade's private messages, even though she was the first to know about Jade's arrival. As much as I would like to divulge everything that has happened to my best friend, I'd primarily prefer savvying on why it happened first.

A frown had crept up onto Jesy's face as she sees my doing. She raised a curious eyebrow as she slowly leaned her back against her chair, crossing her arms in front of her in the process. She sighed, "I don't like the idea of my best friend keeping secrets from me."

"Then it's a good thing that there are no skeletons in my closet," I said, wanting her to consider my reassurance that this isn't anything to fret over even when I know that I meant the exact antipode of what I just said.

"Is it because Jade's back?" Jesy prodded.

I immediately shook my head. "What? Of course not!"

"Why so defensive?"

"I'm not being defensive, I'm merely stating the fact."

Jesy opened her mouth, ready to counter my statement when I hear my phone's ringtone blaring for the third time tonight. My eyes widened as I see Jade's number once again appearing on the screen saying that she'd sent another message and I quickly fumbled to open it.

Unknown: I see that you had read my previous message and yet I didn't recieve any response. Are you ignoring me, love?

I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth and closed my phone. Seeing as though I have read her message and did not respond yet, Jade must have grasped the thought that maybe I was, indeed, ignoring her after all.

My phone blared once again, but this time a message was not being sent, but rather a phone call from the woman.

"Fuck," I muttered as I wasted no time in diverting the call to voicemail. Maybe I should've texted Jade to at least text me later, not during dinner. But then I remembered not even trying to contact Jade at all, which would obviously indicate that the woman knows absolutely nothing about my agendas for today. Damn it.

My phone began to light up again, attracting my eyes' attention. I inwardly groaned when I see that there was no message but a voicemail from my ex lover. Why does Jade Thirlwall always have to persist?

"Who's calling you repeatedly? You could've just answered the call, Pez," Jesy said, her hand grasping the spoon as she feeds herself with her indulging dessert for the night, totally forgetting the reason why she's perturbed in the first place.

I rolled my eyes and stood up from my seat, glancing at Jesy who seemed to be staring at me questioningly. I waved her off and grabbed my phone as I shove it inside my back pocket. "I'm gonna go to the restroom. Please don't eat my dessert. I'll be right back."

I hastily galumphed across the restaurant until I reached the restroom, not wasting any second before walking briskly towards a vacant cubicle. I immediately locked the door before I slumped down the toilet bowl and fished for my phone to open Jade's voicemail, bringing it closely to my ear.

The line was silent for a few moments, before I heard Jade's angelic voice talking. I leaned my cheek upon my hand as I sighed deeply, knowing my heart's quick response to the stimulus of the timbre of Jade's voice.

"I must say that I am indeed hurt when you suddenly hung up awhile ago. And not even close to five minutes ago, you declined my call and had diverted it to your voicemail. I didn't have to think twice to conclude that you didn't wanna talk to me at all. However, I'm actually glad to hear your voice after a long time of no contact with you. I hope you realize that I have clearly made a decision, which is to come back to you. I'm sure that Jesy had informed you about me coming back for good. I'm currently staying at a hotel near Rusto's. Meet me at the restaurant at 10 and I'll know I've been given a chance. Okay then. I have to go now. I . . . I love you."

I whined loudly, crossed my arms on my lap and buried my face in it. What the hell am I supposed to do? Give in to Jade's request? I'm not habituated to these dilemmas, I have never made such difficult choices yet the universe decided to give me one, and it just has to be with my ex. My fucking ex girlfriend.

"Is there any reason why Jade texted me a few minutes ago while you were at the restroom?" Jesy inquired as I sluggishly sank down on my seat. I furrowed my eyebrows as she pushed the phone incredibly close to my face and I leaned my head back as I try to encrypt the message.

Perrie's Jade: Tell Perrie I need to see her.

"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned loudly and raked my hand through my blonde waves. Just when I thought I could evade this turmoil, Jade just had to make sure I'm cornered in the ring and push me off the brink to agree to meet with her. Hell she even had the audacity to message my best friend.

"Is there anything going on between you two before Jade arrived at our apartment this afternoon?" Jesy questioned, her eyes waiting for genuine answers from me. I was about to answer when she butted in again, "Because it seemed like I'm the only person who cares for you and your only best friend whom you tell everything yet ironically the only person who doesn't know shit about your love life."

"Jesy . . ."

"Are you two back together now? Why wasn't I informed about this?"

I despised interrogations. But I have to consider Jesy as an exception. She's my best friend and I knew she just so happens to be inquisitive and has the tendency to ask questions that seemed very nosy of her despite her perception of it being innocent and derived from curiosity. But I also knew that she wanted to listen to me, she wanted to know what was roaming around my head because obviously that's what best friends are supposed to do. So therefore I didn't have any right to even reprimand her for asking me bunch of questions.

"Trust me, Jes, there isn't anything going on between us. She just started texting me this afternoon as well, during my date with Michelle," I divulged to her truthfully, almost feeling my hitched breath release itself as those words flow freely from my trembling lips. I watched as Jesy struggled to process what I'd just said but I continued to accommodate her with this whole shenanigan. "And by the way, she was also the reason why my phone kept blaring up and sort of disturbing our dinner."

"And the one when you left to go to the bathroom, I caught you staring at your phone awhile ago. Was that also Jade?"

Reluctantly, I nodded. There is no egress from this one anymore. Jesy won't allow it.

Jesy imitated my action and sighed, "I'm your best friend, Perrie. I know it may sound nosy to you, but I just need to know what's going on."

"Believe me, Jes, I'm confused as well."

~•~•~

The night went by treacherously slow as I waited for the clock to strike at 10. My eyes were a little droopy but I fought to keep myself awake for the whole hour. I so desperately needed to see Jade and assess what she must've looked like at this time. Would she still be wearing the charm bracelet I made for her last Christmas? Is her hair still dyed brunette? Or did she dye her hair back to ombré? Would she be surprised to see me all mature and sophisticated? Or would she react in a completely different way?

And then my phone lit up, illuminating almost half the living room as I reached for it.

Unknown: I'm here now. Tell me through text right now if waiting for you would be worth it or not because I'm sort of getting a little apprehensive to see your lovely face again.

I heaved a heavy sigh and cogitated about this. Jade was willing to give me a chance to think this through, thankfully. My mind began to conjure up various implications resulting from this. It was either ending with an 'I want you back' or an 'I'm done with this'. Was this what I want? To meet with my ex lover again after everything she's done? After all the travails that I had experienced and couldn't extricate myself from all because of Jade's infidelity? After having indented wounds embedded in my heart due to plentiful sacrifices? Was this really what I want?

I shook my head and mentally scolded myself for these thoughts. I mean she asked for us to meet again, that isn't something to worry about knowing that Jade must have a justification poised and ready in her mind. Jade already made a decision to come back. Now it's my turn.

Me: It's worth it.