Things felt different after Cat's statement, though not in the way anyone had expected. The secrecy that had once defined so much of her relationship with Jade was gone, but the irony of it all wasn't lost on them. Back when they were together, their relationship had been invisible to the public, shielded behind closed doors and half-truths. Now, over a year since it ended, the whole world had caught wind of them—and yet, hilariously, it came at a time when there was no romance to speak of.
It was absurd, really. Anytime they were seen in public together—whether it was grabbing coffee, heading into a venue, or even just walking down the street—rumours would swirl. 'Are Caterina and her ex rekindling their romance?' tabloids would speculate, their headlines practically writing themselves. At first, the attention had annoyed Jade. She'd worked hard to keep her life private, and the idea of the world dissecting their every interaction felt invasive.
But after a while, even Jade had to admit it was kind of funny.
One afternoon, during a rare day break between shows, they were sitting in the lobby of their hotel, scrolling through their phones. Cat burst into laughter, showing Jade a particularly ridiculous article titled "Former Flames? Caterina and Ex-Girlfriend Spotted in Cozy Lunch Date—What Does It Mean?"
"Oh, yeah," Jade deadpanned, taking the phone to read it closer. "I always wear hoodies and sunglasses on dates. Nothing screams romance like me ordering a black coffee and glaring at the waiter."
"It's so dumb!" Cat giggled, leaning against Jade's shoulder. "You'd think we were writing their articles for them."
"Well," Jade said, smirking, "maybe we should."
From then on, the two decided to lean into the ridiculousness of it all. At their next public outing, they exaggerated their interactions just to mess with the cameras. Cat looped her arm through Jade's dramatically, grinning like a lovesick fool. Jade, in turn, made a show of holding the door open for Cat, bowing slightly as she said, "After you, my darling."
The paparazzi ate it up, and by the next morning, the headlines were even more ludicrous.
The silliness brought a lightness to the tour, one Cat hadn't felt in years. She wasn't letting the pressures of fame—or the aftermath of her breakup with Austin—ruin her mood. If anything, the newfound attention felt liberating. She wasn't hiding anymore, and it made her rediscover the joy of performing, of connecting with fans, of just being herself.
Jade found herself relaxing too. She hadn't realised how much of her relationship with Cat had been weighed down by secrecy, by the constant fear of being found out. Now, she could just be Cat's friend—her snarky, supportive, slightly overprotective friend. And if the world wanted to read too much into it, so be it. It was harmless fun.
One night after a particularly good show, Cat flopped down next to Jade on the couch in the green room, still buzzing from the crowd's energy. "You know," Cat said, her voice light, "I think I'm finally starting to like this whole touring thing."
Jade raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh yeah? What changed?"
Cat grinned, leaning her head back against the couch. "Maybe it's the company."
Jade rolled her eyes, but there was a warmth behind it. "Don't get too sappy on me, Valentine."
"Too late," Cat teased, nudging Jade's side. "You're stuck with me and my sappiness."
And for the first time in a long time, that didn't feel like a burden to either of them. It felt easy, natural—like they were finally back to being themselves.
Cat's PR team, for once, didn't know what to do with her. The playful games she and Jade had started playing with the media weren't exactly part of their carefully curated plan for her brand. At first, they tried to rein it in, sending gentle reminders about how "perception is everything" and warning against "potential backlash." But as time went on, and nothing but good press rolled in, they let it go. Maybe, they figured, letting Cat lean into her authenticity wasn't the worst thing.
That was how Cat ended up dragging Jade into yet another scheme—this time for her London show. The team tried to veto it outright, but Cat, now confident in choosing her own moments, waved them off. "It'll be great," she said, grinning like she was already imagining it.
Jade was a much harder sell.
"Absolutely not," Jade had said, arms crossed as Cat bounced around the hotel room, excitement radiating off her.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Cat pleaded. "We'll do 'Give It Up'—like the old days at Karaoke Dokie! You've still got that killer voice, Jade. People will love it!"
"Cat, this isn't some student hangout spot," Jade argued. "This is your tour. Your fans didn't buy tickets to hear me butcher my way through a duet—"
"You wouldn't butcher anything!" Cat interrupted, pouting in that way she knew Jade couldn't resist. "Please? For me? For us? It'll be like old times!"
Jade groaned. "One song. One. And if it goes horribly, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so.'"
Now, standing backstage at O2 Arena, Jade was deeply regretting her life choices.
The deafening roar of nearly 40,000 people shook the walls, and her stomach twisted into knots. She paced anxiously, running her hands over the tight black outfit Cat's stylist had found for her. She looked hot, if she did say so herself, all dolled up like this. But it didn't relax her nerves at all. "This is insane," she muttered. "Why the hell did I agree to this?"
Cat, as usual, was the picture of confidence, beaming proudly at Jade. She'd already done half of her set but had come backstage to bring Jade on with her. "Because you secretly love performing," she teased, flashing Jade a wink.
"Not in front of this many people, I don't," Jade shot back, glaring at the curtains separating her from the overwhelming crowd.
"Relax," Cat said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "It's just like old times. We've done this song a million times before. You're gonna kill it."
"Yeah, at a karaoke bar," Jade muttered. "Not in front of the population of a small country."
"You'll be great," Cat assured her, her grin so wide and genuine that Jade couldn't help but feel the tiniest flicker of reassurance.
Before she could overthink it any further, a stagehand waved them forward. "You're on in 30 seconds, Cat. And Jade."
Cat led the way, pulling Jade behind her as the lights dimmed and the crowd erupted into cheers. Jade hovered nervously in the shadows while Cat took centre stage, her energy electric as always.
"So, London!" Cat said into the mic, her voice playful and bright. "I thought I'd do something a little different tonight. Bring someone onstage to help me out."
The crowd screamed louder as Jade stepped out onto the stage, the lights blinding her for a moment. She froze, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all, but Cat wrapped an arm around her shoulder, grounding her.
"I used to sing this a load back in Highschool. With this wonderful person," Cat said with a grin, signalling the band to start. "You might know it- sing along!"
The moment the opening chords of 'Give It Up' blared through the stadium, Jade's brain short-circuited. Her fingers tightened around the microphone as she stared out at the sea of faces, lights flashing and camera phones capturing every moment. When she opened her mouth to sing her first line, her voice came out shaky but strong enough to carry through the arena.
It was a total blur after that.
Jade's senses were completely overwhelmed—the blinding lights, the deafening roar of the crowd, the vibrations of the bass coursing through her entire body. She couldn't tell if she sounded good or if she was butchering the song entirely. There was no perception of anything but the noise, the energy, and the sheer panic of performing for an audience this massive.
"How does Cat do this every day?" She thought, barely catching her breath as she powered through her lines.
Cat was in her element, bounding across the stage with effortless charisma, her voice as clear and pitch-perfect as always. Jade struggled to keep up, stumbling slightly as she tried to match Cat's energy.
At one point, Cat shot her a reassuring smile and nudged her lightly with her hip, a silent 'You're doing great.' Jade could barely manage a weak grin in return as she pushed through the pre-chorus, her lungs already burning from the effort.
Cat, ever the showwoman, started dancing around her, pulling her along like they were back at Karaoke Dokie. Every time Jade looked like she might freeze up, Cat would subtly guide her, gesturing for her to move to the left or step forward. Jade followed her lead, hoping she didn't look as clueless as she felt.
The crowd seemed to be loving it, though. Jade could see the glow of phones lighting up the audience as fans waved their arms and screamed along to the lyrics. Squinting through the bright lights, she caught glimpses of smiling faces, people cheering and jumping with excitement. The energy was infectious, even if it felt like chaos to her.
By the time they hit the chorus, Jade was fully out of breath. The song was so much quicker than she remembered and could barley keep up, but the crowd didn't seem to notice—or care. They were too busy screaming their approval, and Cat quickly covered the slip-up with a flawless ad-lib, tossing Jade a playful grin that screamed, I've got your back.
Somehow, Jade made it to the bridge, her voice steadier now as she started to find her rhythm. The haze in her mind began to clear just enough for her to catch Cat's infectious energy. She even managed to throw in a small dance move, earning a delighted cheer from the crowd and an approving laugh from Cat.
When the final note rang out, Jade was drenched in sweat, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Cat grabbed her hand and held it high, the crowd roaring louder than ever.
"That was insane," Jade muttered under her breath, her voice shaky but exhilarated.
"You were amazing!" Cat whispered back, her face glowing with pride as she pulled Jade into a quick side hug.
As they walked offstage, Jade's legs felt like jelly, and her ears were ringing from the noise. She could still barely process what had just happened. The performance had been a blur of lights, sound, and adrenaline, and she wasn't sure if she'd nailed it or bombed it entirely.
But when she glanced at Cat, who was grinning from ear to ear, and heard the echoes of the crowd still chanting their names, she couldn't help but feel a rush of satisfaction.
"I don't know how you do this every day," Jade said, shaking her head as they stepped backstage.
Cat laughed, her arm slung over Jade's shoulders. "You just did it, Jade. And you killed it."
As soon as Cat finished pulling Jade into a celebratory hug, one of her crew members tapped her shoulder, gesturing toward the stage. Cat nodded, her eyes sparkling with adrenaline.
"Go to the greenroom okay? I'll finish up, then we can celebrate properly!" she said, giving Jade's hand a squeeze before dashing back out into the spotlight.
The roar of the crowd erupted anew as Cat reappeared, her energy somehow even higher than before. Jade, however, could barely keep her eyes open. She leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to catch her breath, when Cat's team suddenly surrounded her.
"That was incredible!" one of them said, still half in disbelief.
"I didn't know she could actually sing like that," another muttered, a bit quieter, as if Jade wasn't standing right there.
"I mean, yeah, obviously Cat carried the whole performance, but Jade didn't totally crash and burn!" a younger assistant chimed in, her tone oddly cheerful.
Jade raised an eyebrow but didn't bother responding. Her exhaustion outweighed her irritation, and honestly, she wasn't entirely sure she disagreed.
"Still, it's good optics for her," the PR rep added. "It humanises her—makes her more relatable."
"Cat really doesn't need us to make these decisions for her, does she?" someone else mused, half-laughing.
Jade rubbed her temples, tuning them out. She couldn't decide if they were praising her, insulting her, or just marveling at the fact that Cat had made it all work seamlessly. Either way, she didn't have the energy to decipher their corporate doublespeak.
"I'm grabbing some air," she mumbled, not waiting for a response as she turned and headed toward Cat's greenroom.
The room was blissfully quiet when she entered, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. Jade collapsed onto the couch, her muscles aching from the sheer effort of keeping up with Cat onstage.
"Never again," she muttered to herself, though there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the muffled sound of Cat's voice filtering through the walls wash over her. The crowd's cheers were still deafening, even from backstage.
"She really is something else," Jade murmured, shaking her head. She was too tired to even figure out whether she was proud of herself, but one thing was clear—she was definitely proud of Cat.
A/N - I wanted another silly chapter. Also if you haven't seen - this rly happened with Ariana and Liz so PLEASE look up the live Give It Up performance