No Time For Us - Jerrie Fanfiction AU ✅

27th May 1950

Chapter 15

"I love you" I told her unable to hold it back again, I needed to tell her, I needed her to know, I didn't know what to expect next, I was terrified that she would run away like the day I confessed to her that I had fallen in love with her.

She said nothing and the seconds seemed like years as our eyes remained fixed in each other's, I lowered my gaze already feeling tears burning my eyes, she brushed my chin with her index finger and lifted my face, I felt her thumb touch the line of my lips.

Her eyes much darker than I had ever seen and known them, her gaze so intense that it could move an entire nation.

"I love you too"

I was speechless, a smile full of love and hope spread across my face and I felt happy tears stream down my face, I saw Jade's face reciprocate my own expression and a smile pulled her lips from ear to ear showing me her pearly teeth.

"Say it again" I begged her.

"I love you. I love you, Perrie Louise Edwards" she said still smiling like a child on her birthday, I took her face caressing her rosy cheeks and drew her to me for a long kiss full of unspoken emotions.

"I love you, Jade Amelia Thirlwall" I said brushing her lips and moulding my body to hers relaxing into the warmth her skin on mine gave off.

Jade took me in her arms and walked me to the bed, she settled me under the sheet and lay behind me hugging me and caressing my belly as she left soft kisses on my shoulder, I rested my hands on hers and let the slow sound of her breathing lull me down.

"I love you, Perrie" she repeated and with those words I fell asleep feeling at peace and safe.

A few days later I resumed my study of photography and finished setting up Chris's studio to become my darkroom, I finally made my first test and of course the 12-pack of film was ruined, I got the dosage or timing wrong with the result that the negatives were completely unusable.

I bought new film and went out a lot during my lonely days to take more photographs, I decided not to try to develop the film I had photographed Jade with until I was sure of my abilities and how it worked, because if I lost that photo I would hate myself forever.

After a few weeks of unsuccessful trials, one Tuesday in May I was finally able to develop my first roll of film.

I analysed all the exposure mistakes I had made at the time of the shoot and also the improvements I could have made during development, but I was extremely happy and proud of myself for having finally managed to produce my first photographs.

In my enthusiasm I decided to try to develop two more rolls of film, trying to improve my developing technique, in both cases the result was better and so I was able to understand little by little how I could continue to improve.

On Friday of the same week I was finally ready to show the world, or rather just myself, the photo I took of Jade the night we declared our love for each other.

The satisfaction when I saw that photo for the first time was indescribable and incomparable to any gratification I had felt before. I stared at the photo and admired it probably for hours, losing myself looking at the perfect face of the woman who had stolen my heart.

I lost myself remembering that exact moment, what we had done just before and what happened shortly after.

I thought that there was no better way to preserve that memory forever, I knew that wherever I went I would always have that picture with me, reminding me of where I would always want to come back to.