Under Your Skin | Jude Bellingham

007

The moment my plane landed in Dortmund, I breathed a sigh of relief. I always got so nervous to fly, but alas, I had made it in one piece. I took the time to message Jobe and and my parents, letting them know that I'd landed safely. Jobe hadn't taken the news of me moving away very well, but when I insisted that it was just a temporary thing, he'd cheered up a little.

Chloe was waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers cradled in her arms. I rushed to embrace her, suddenly overcome with excitement after what had been a nerve wracking few hours. "You're here!" Chloe exclaimed. "You're actually here!"

"I can't believe it myself," I laughed. Rash decisions weren't usually my thing; I preferred to take my time and carefully plan out every single detail. Not this time, though. I'd been desperate for a chance to get away from home for a little while, and now here I was, standing in an airport in Dortmund next to one of my best friends, a huge smile plastered across her face. I'd been afraid that I was going to regret it, but now that I'd actually arrived, I knew I'd made the right decision.

She handed me the flowers. "They're a little squashed now, but I bought these for you."

I took the flowers from her, smiling appreciatively. "Lilies? My favourite. Thank you so much, Chlo. And thanks again for letting me stay."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh it's nothing, I'm just happy to have you here."

As Chloe led me back to her car, she gave me a quick rundown of all the things she had planned for us, including a trip to Munich to watch Borussia Dortmund play. "You'll get to meet Gio's teammates!" Chloe explained. "They're all so lovely, especially Karim."

"I can't wait to meet them," I grinned.

"Gio can't wait to see you either. I think he's more excited than me." She laughed, taking my suitcase from my hands and lifting it into the back of her car.

"How's he been lately?" I asked her. "I heard he injured his knee?"

"A lot better now," Chloe said as she started the engine. "It was his first match back the other week, and he scored within three minutes of being on the pitch."

"Bloody hell," I exclaimed. Chloe giggled.

"Oh by the way, I warned Jude that you were coming," she told me. "He took it quite well."

"Did he now?" I said, slightly intrigued. I still didn't know what to make of the last conversation we'd had, the way he'd admitted that he missed our silly arguments.

"Mhm. If I knew any better, I'd say there was a little smile on his face when I told him."

"Strange."

"Yeah, you're telling me."

When we got to the house, Chloe gave me a tour, guiding me from room to room. It was a massive house, but I hadn't expected much different considering Gio's salary as a footballer. There was a massive pool in the back garden, and I was a little disappointed to realise I wouldn't be able to go for a swim outside considering it was now October and I'd probably catch hypothermia stepping out into the plummeting temperatures.

"There'll be plenty of time for that when summer rolls around," Chloe laughed.

"If I stay here that long," I pointed out.

"How long are you planning to stay?"

"I'm not sure. Until I feel like it's possible to head home, I suppose."

"Well listen, Gio and I both said you can stay as long as you need to, we don't mind." Chloe gestured at a door to her right. "And this will be your bedroom."