Strangers No More || Jerrie

Chapter 13

“So I spoke to Doctor Jackson this morning after your appointment,” Karl spoke, sitting across from Jade in his office, slowly sipping a cup of coffee.

Jade awkwardly crossed her arms across her chest. “What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“You signed a waiver that would allow me to speak to him after each meeting,” Karl rolled his eyes. Jade knew this, of course, it had been a necessary evil considering Karl’s job, but it still put her on edge nevertheless.

“Alright, so get on with it,” Jade gestured to her manager to continue speaking.

“I don’t know why you’re in a pissy mood this morning,” Karl placed his mug on his desk. “Everything he said sounded very promising. And he approved of the recording schedule I sent him. And as long as we stick to making sure you’re never in the studio for more than two hours at a time and for maximum four hours a week, you should be fine. He even approved you performing on Good Morning America next month.”

“I know, he already told me that,” Jade retorted. Yes, she was happy about the good news, after having so many appointments with Doctor Jackson that hadn’t ended well; it was a nice change of pace. If she was being honest, the reason why she was acting pissy was that she wasn’t able to spend time with Perrie that day.

Between her doctor appointment and meeting with Karl, she didn’t have any time to see Perrie that day. They’d spent nearly every day together since the first day, and after her birthday two days earlier, Jade wasn’t fond of the idea of spending time away from her. Perrie was quickly becoming Jade’s best friend again. Even if this time, she was only just a friend.

“There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” Karl continued, only pausing briefly before getting right into it. “I’ve seen the paparazzi photos from your birthday. I’ll admit that it took me a minute to recognize her, so I understand why the media isn’t all over this yet, but since when are you seeing Perrie again?”

“It’s only been about two weeks,” Jade responded. “And we’re just friends.”

Karl scoffed so loudly that he snorted. “I find it hard to believe that you and Perrie can be just friends.”

“Well, it’s working so far,” Jade retorted.

After spending hours the night of her birthday, lying awake repeating the day in her head, Jade had come to the decision that she and Perrie were friends. That was it. She had been sure Perrie had been about to kiss her, or she about to kiss Perrie, at the Planetarium, but in retrospect decided she’d been imagining it. It was easier to think that way. Less complicated.

“What happens when one or both of you realize that being friends isn’t enough?” Karl asked.

The thought had crossed Jade’s mind on several occasions, but she’d tried not to dwell on it. She knew that there were still feelings between them, obviously. It was why they had agreed to see each other again in the first place. She was sure that those feelings could be translated to friendship. Exclusive friendship. Right?

“All I’m saying is that there was a reason you broke up in the first place and it wasn’t because you didn’t love each other,” Karl continued. “Whatever happens, you need to be able to take a step back and look at your relationship objectively. You need to decide if it’s worth the pain that will likely come with it.”

“I know,” Jade responded, all the while thinking to herself, Perrie is worth it.