Exactly What I've Been Waiting For

Chapter 1

Romance. It was one word that meant everything to Jade Thirlwall. Flowers, candy hearts, soft music, candles, not-so-subtle hints telling someone how much you loved them - romance. It was what she lived for, what she craved for, what she longed for.

Ever since she was a little girl, the image of romance has been imprinted into her brain. Long walks under the moonlit sky while hand-in-hand. The image was so real to her that she could smell that midnight air and feel the breeze whenever she closed her eyes and thought about it.

And it's what she was caught doing right now.

"Not again!" Perrie exasperated, catching her friend dreaming about some faraway land. She put a beer in front of Jade who jolted awake and smiled. "It's like every time I find you, you're off in a Jade-verse daydreaming about your one and only."

Jade shook her head and shrugged, "Not always. I occasionally drift off and dream," she said innocently, taking a sip. Her senses perking up when she felt someone eyeing her. But she can't see anyone entirely focused on her. "You ever feel like you're being watched?" her brown eyes momentarily scan the room again before focusing back on Perrie.

"All the time. When you look this good, you have to get used to it." The blonde smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulders.

"You're pretty arrogant." She scoffed.

"Thanks"

"Why are you thanking me? I just insulted you" The brunette furrowed hey eyebrows in confusion.

"All I heard was 'you're pretty'" She shrugged, seeing the disbelieving look on the brunette, she added, "I'm trying to focus on the positives in life." she gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

Jade only responded by rolling her eyes, letting go of the idea as a pigment of her imagination.

Perrie chuckled at her friend's reaction, her attention shifting across the bar when she noticed something. With a gleam of deviltry on her eyes paired with a smirk, she gave the brunette a quick kick under the table to get her attention.

"What?"

"I think I found who you're looking for."

"Where?" she asked, looking around.

"3 o'clock, by the window, the guy wearing a white shirt and black leather jacket." The blonde said, subtly nodding her head off to the direction, wiggling her eyebrows.

Jade scanned the room, her vision immediately focusing on whom the blonde meant. Indeed, the guy was checking her out, giving her a wink when he caught her eyes. The brunette replying with a tight smile, fueling the blonde's amusement. He didn't look bad from an objective perspective, his features were soft and delicate, and he looked nice and chivalrous, but with a hint of mystery in his eyes that could lure any girl he wants.

Too bad she wasn't into guys.

She turned her attention back to the blonde girl who was still wearing the same smirk. "You know I'm gay, Perrie." she said bluntly, as if it was the most obvious thing on earth.

"I know," she replied, her smirk turning into a mischievous grin, "it was just nice to see that you could still attract someone, even if it's the opposite sex. You know, with you being single for a long time."

"I hate you with every inch of my being." Jade rolled her eyes.

"That's not a lot of inches." the blonde teased, earning a glare from the other girl.

"I will kill you in your sleep." She threatened.

"Well, I hope you'll go for strangulation, always a slut for some choking but-" a smack landed on the blonde's cheek, "kink shamer..." she mumbled, her palm caressing the smacked area.

"You need to act your own age."

"How can I do that? I've never been this age before."

Jade groaned as if in pain, trying to remember the reason why Perrie even became one of her best friends. The two women knew each other since they met in kindergarten, together with their other two best friends. But unlike how gracefully they each met Leigh and Jesy, the two met in a not so pleasant game of house where they fought to be mommy, ever since that day, the two had been yin and yang. While Perrie was loud and expressive and likes to live in the moment, Jade was calm and reserved and likes to plan for the future. Yet each girl's presence in each other lives had kept them grounded. Jade helps the blonde keep her focus while the other girl reminds her to live her life. It's complicated yet it somehow still makes sense.

"You know what I find weird? You always dreamed of having that perfect love story and the fact that you were always the first one to get asked on a date back in high school made it so much easier, but you went out with all of these girls for you to dump them after a few weeks of dating because 'it just wasn't working out'." Perrie said, using air quotes. "How would you even manage to find someone to spend the rest of your life with if you have such high expectations on love?" she raised an eyebrow. "Besides, finding the right person is overrated, find a good dog instead."

"All I know is that I deserve a love that matches mine. A love that ignites fires, that lights fireworks, that grows and builds and sings like the radio with the dial turned loud. And when I do find my one and only, you guys are going to be so jealous that I have the best one ever. Every night, she'll walk through the door and greet me with a soft, passionate kiss. She'll be home early enough to make me dinner and surprise me with candles and bouquet of roses. Then we'll take a long walk on the beach and talk about our day. She'll give me a massage after a ten hour shift I just had to say to," her eyes drifted upwards, a dreamy look plastered on her face. "And then we'll be in the bedroom where we'll make love and she'll tell me she loves me more and more every day." Jade sighed at the vision.

Perrie happily mimicked her smushed up when she described her fantasy, earning a scoff and another shove on the face. "Yeah, sounds like one of your dreams." she laughed, taking out some bills from her wallet and placed it on the table then stood up while slipping into her parka. "Come on, let's get you home." she offered her hand which the other girl reluctantly accepted.

"Your hand is so sweaty."

"Deal with it, we are holding hands now."

Jade looked out across the room and saw an elderly couple. They looked up at her and waved. The brunette smiled back and lifted her hand in greeting. Now that's what she wanted - a romance that lasted a lifetime and more.