Under Your Skin | Jude Bellingham

022

Excitement and anticipation hung in the air as the match approached the last minute of added time. I peered out at the sea of yellow and black, barely able to watch as Karim quickly retrieved the ball for a throw in. The score was currently 1-1, and whilst the team had had a great performance tonight, we all knew that a draw would not be enough if they wanted to take advantage of the unanticipated chance to top the table once again. I searched for Jude, who'd performed extremely well tonight. He was whispering something to Marco Reus, and I found myself wondering what he had up his sleeve.

Beside me, Chloe gripped my hand tightly. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," she said, referring to the tension we both felt and the desire to see Dortmund secure three points tonight. I responded by squeezing her hand, unable to say a word as the ball came back into play and Gio booted it up the pitch. Marco and Jude began sprinting after it, and Marco just about managed to reach it before anyone on the opposing team could win back possession. Around us, fans clapped their hands at the brilliant effort, and I held my breath as Marco passed the ball to Jude who had made a run into the box.

"I can't watch," Chloe said, covering her eyes.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I held my breath as Jude looked up towards the goal before taking his shot. I was so sure his shot was going wide, but fortunately to my surprise, it ended up curling into the goal. Chloe and I leaped to our feet and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, proud of our boys for managing to grasp a last minute win. The team ran to celebrate, surrounding Jude before he managed to break free. He gazed out at the crowd before he spotted me, blowing a kiss in my direction. I felt myself blushing and a few people turned to look at me, curious to see who Jude had singled out.

After the match, I went to congratulate Jude. "Told you I needed my good luck charm," he smiled as he pecked my lips. "That's you, by the way."

"I'm so proud of you," I told him.

"Well I'm going to go take a quick shower, and then how about we go out for dinner? Just me and you. Our first official date?"

I nodded my head eagerly.

"Oi, Bellingham!" Karim yelled. "The coach wants to talk to you."

"Alright, I'll be right there," Jude told him. He turned back to me. "I shall see you later."

"Okay," I smiled as I watched him go, bursting with pride.

* * *

A couple of months passed and I was soon living back in Dortmund. I'd stayed with Chloe and Gio for a little while but ended up moving in with Jude a lot sooner than anticipated. We both didn't mind, though — it just felt right. Denise had moved back to England, bestowing me custody of Jude and trusting me to make sure her son didn't do anything stupid. The minute she'd found out that Jude and I were together, she'd given me the biggest hug and taken me out to dinner that same night, telling me that deep down, she'd always hoped I'd get with Jude. "I always thought that you were so suited for each other," she told me with a smile.

Now we were all currently seated in the dining room of mine and Jude's house. It was one of those rare occasions where we were all able to be gathered together — me, Jude, Chloe, Gio, Hayley, Trent, Jadon, Jobe, my parents, and Mark and Denise. Even Erling Haaland had found the time to travel to see us. I'd cooked dinner for everyone (with a little help from Jude) and it had been an amazing evening being able to spend time with my friends and family.

As I got up to grab my sister a drink, I heard Jude enter the kitchen behind me, dropping the dirty plates into the sink. I felt his hands on my waist moments later. "How you doing baby?" He asked.