It began with a staring contest.

Jade was sure of it.

Her attraction towards the blonde, her infatuation, her crush, they all derived from this contest that was supposed to be innocent and harmless. It all started when Perrie boasted about her 'trophy of the staring contest' that was fabricated and probably unimaginable, when Jade thought the blonde was too self-aggrandizing that she decided to bet with her on who'll win between the two of them.

One thing lead to another as both Geordies peered at each other and before Jade knows it, her eyes seemed to be holding their gazes.

For the first time in Jade's life had she seen such attractive and enticing, mesmerizing and oceanic blue eyes. It was as if her whole world has finally found its source of heaven with waters that could be more than sufficient for Jade's thirst for love and affection.

It felt like it was just yesterday when Jade just looked at the blonde in the most platonic way possible and now today the brunette is looking at her as if Perrie is the most ravishing and impeccable human being her eyes have ever rested upon. Every movement Perrie makes, every noise that the blonde emits, it will only deposit itself in the "Reasons Why I Love Perrie Edwards" bank. And boy did Jade's contumacious heart prosper from them. Every smallest detail that lay across Perrie's face will only prompt the brunette to fall even harder and amain.

And it was all beyond the brunette's volition.

Jade couldn't help but gawk at her best friend, who was apparently plastered whilst gyrating on the dance floor with a stranger whom Jade believes she did not even know the name of. They were both dancing as if it's the end of the world for the both of them. The jealousy was there, of course, when Jade just coveted a dance with the blonde, but the wantonness and lasciviousness of Perrie's dance moves never ceased to fuel Jade's animosity towards the stranger.

"Mind grabbing a bucket of water and pour it on yourself, Jade?" Jesy swooped in beside Jade as she laid her hand on the girl's tensed shoulder.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Didn't you see yourself? You're basically a fire ball of jealousy," Jesy jested, taking a swig of her tequila and making a disgusted face afterwards making the other girl roll her eyes.

"I'm not jealous, okay," Jade defended almost forcefully.

Jesy smirked, "Sure."

"When are we going home anyway?" Jade asked, frustrated when her eyes accidentally caught Perrie unexpectedly being pulled to meet the man's lips, and another fire of jealousy has been ignited when Jade saw how in-the-moment her blonde best friend must be as she sees Perrie kissing back with the same force. It took all Jade's might to avert her stare and look back at her older best friend whose eyes seemed to manifest amusement. Jade rolled her eyes. "Don't, Jesy. I know what you're thinking."

"And what is that?" Jesy amusedly replied, her eyebrows bouncing in a mocking manner.

"I am not jealous."

A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of the older brunette's lips. "Well, that's just too bad now, is it?"

"Will you please just stop that!"

"Nope. At least not until you admit that you are, indeed, jealous," Jesy teased, poking Jade's nose in a sportive manner as if to emphasize her playful threat.

Jade rolled her eyes at that one. She wasn't one of those kids who succumb to these threats — playful or not. But just to get her best friend to shut up, it wouldn't stain her ego if she did. And so she finally says, "Fine. I admit my jealousy. But that doesn't mean that you could tease me about it."

"So . . . Does that mean that you like her?"

Jade thought about it for a few moments, before inferring that she was indeed smitten. She nodded, "I guess you could say that. I mean it made perfect sense and it was rational as to why I . . . was jealous of the dude. But don't tell this to anyone alright?"

Jesy rolled her eyes at the brunette and shoved the girl's shoulder playfully. "Are you seriously not going to tell her?"

"Nope," Jade replied without hesitation.

"You know — you could just at least imply to her that you do," Jesy suggested. And her words made Jade's curious eyebrow raise.

"What are you suggesting I should do?" the girl asked.

"Easy. You stare at her."

"What?"

Jesy smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Stare at her. And if she stares back, don't hesitate to hold your stare. Just . . . stare at her."

"Where the heck did you get that from?" Jade asks incredulously.

"I don't know," Jesy shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably because Liam got me there."

"Through staring? Seriously?"

"Come on, Jade. Just try it," Jesy prodded, joggling the brunette's shoulders.

Jade raised an incredulous eyebrow. Out of all the conventional things that her parents and friends had advised her — although leading her to just confess — she had never even heard the word 'stare' come out and utilized as an advice. Her initial impression towards this aberrant idea is freaked out, but Jesy is known for being true to her hunches and Jade did not want to ruin that repute. And besides, it wouldn't really do anything harmful if she did, right?

~•~•~

It began with a staring contest.

Perrie was sure of it as well.

The pair now found themselves peering deeply into each other's eyes, completely immersed in this contest that not even a blink was initiated from the two.

Jade thought about what Jesy advised her. And she made sure her emotions were channelled and manifested through her fervent stare. She wanted to witness the melting of Perrie's stare, she wanted her blonde friend to feel her emotions, as if Perrie would be feeling it too.

And Perrie kind of did feel it too.

Perrie espied the way that Jade's eyes were looking at her own. She espied how for some reason, Jade's eyes suddenly have this hazel nut color that then shifted to milk chocolate, to dark chocolate brown. Perrie saw it, and in some way she could virtually feel it too. It was like she had never seen true beauty of chocolate, never seen true beauty of the grounds of the earth and that was exactly what Jade's eyes were conveying to her.

Perrie reluctantly blinked slowly.

And Jade imitated her, not for the same reason but because the blonde's eyes were too attractive that Jade just couldn't tear her eyes away to the point that her eyes were already burning.

"Uhm . . . Perrie, you blinked." Jade's voice sounded timid and shy. But Perrie admired it, for the first time.

She smiled. "I . . . I guess you're the winner now."

"Y-yeah."

"Yeah," Perrie reiterated, her eyelashes still fluttering from the long burning of the eyes. But the thought of Jade's brown orbs just had to entrench itself in the blonde's head. Perrie blinked again. "I love your eyes, by the way. I'm sorry if it was out of the blue, I just — God, your eyes are just mesmerizing."

A red tint of blush that had profusely darkened had appeared on the other girl's cheekbones once she heard Perrie's remark. Jade felt enamoured. She smiled back at the blonde who was apparently still mesmerized and nodded her head. "Thank you, Perrie."

Perrie didn't respond for a few seconds, and Jade thought the blonde had nothing to say anymore. But that was until Perrie questioned her, "Why haven't I noticed you, Jade? Why haven't I noticed your eyes? They look wonderful."

Now this had took Jade pretty much in a deeper level of blushing. Jade had swore her eyes, her face, her lips, they are practically conflagrant as if she's been staying inside the oven for too long. And her knees felt like jelly for she couldn't even balance herself. Jade couldn't conduct herself anymore, she felt the urge to wrap her arms around the blonde and kiss her.

But her thoughts were burned to ashes once her lips had collided with Perrie's soft ones.

It began with a staring contest.

Jade and Perrie's relationship started with a staring contest.