WOSO Imagines 2.0

Interview (Jill Roord)

Let's just quickly pretend that Jill still plays at Arsenal :,)

Interviews and social anxiety were definitely not the best combo. Even worse was being a professional, popular footballer with anxiety because of the many interviews you had to do. Mostly after the games but also for magazines, YouTube and sometimes even TV. I had always struggled with social anxiety particularly when I had to speak in front of many people. And yet I felt more confident on the pitch, while playing in front of thousands of people who could see every mistake I made and cameras, than I did anywhere else. I never figured out why, I just accepted it. My popularity increased over the years but with that did the interviews. That's why I was so incredibly happy to have met Jill. She was a person I always felt safe with, she knew how to calm me down, stayed by me no matter what and was overall the perfect girlfriend.

***

I was sitting on the bus, next to Jill and we were on our way back to London with the entire team. We were coming back from a victory against Manchester City and obviously very happy about that. Viv and Beth couldn't stop talking about the great match, Leah and Jordan were arguing about who would play which song. It was a beautiful mess.

The moment the final whistle blew, I felt excited and anxious at the same time. Of course I celebrated it with my teammates but in my mind, I was already preparing for the incoming questions. We won 7:0 and I scored 4 of those goals so I was going to be bombarded with questions.

"Hey you alright?" I snapped out of my daze and looked at Jill. "Yeah just.. thinking." She knew me way too well to let that lie slip. Taking both of my hands in hers, she looked in my eyes. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm your girlfriend remember?" She smiled at me reassuringly and I couldn't help but smile back. "How in the world could I forget that?" Now it was her turn to laugh. "So, do you wanna talk about it?" I didn't have to tell her what was bothering me, she was one of the few people who could read me like a book. I sighed, lowering my gaze so that I wasn't looking in her eyes anymore. Although they were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, they always made me admit everything. And I didn't want that, I honestly felt a bit ashamed about my anxiety. I mean I was a famous football player and couldn't even last one interview without taking Jill's hand, fidgeting with my rings or wobbling my leg. 

"y/n, liefde (my love) I don't judge you because of your anxiety. No one on the team does. Those who do are absolute idiots. It's a medical condition that you can't change ok? It has been and always will be a part of you although it will sometimes be more and sometimes less present. I will stay by your side all the time and we're going to get through this together liefje (darling)." Tears clouded my vision and I felt one running down my cheek a second later. Jill cupped my cheeks with her hands and wiped the tear away with her thumb. She leaned forward and kissed me on the tip of my nose. "You're going to rock those interviews liefde, trust me. And if you need any help, I'm just beside you." I looked at her, eyes full of thankfulness and love and nodded. 

***

The bus stopped a while later and everyone got out. Paparazzi were waiting for us and once Leah stepped out (she was the first one), the flashes started and didn't stop until we were inside of the building. "God these cameras are making me crazy!" Katie plopped down next to me and kept complaining about the paparazzi until she realized that I wasn't even paying attention to her. My gaze was resting on Jill, who was standing some meters in front of me, talking to Viv. I couldn't take my eyes away from her even though I was only able to see her from the side. I was admiring the way her nose scrunched every time she laughed, the way her eyes lit up when Viv complimented her on her goal, the way she started talking about my goals and how proud she was of me, the way she just couldn't stop herself from looking at me from time to time, the way she blushed when she noticed that I was already looking at her, the way she gestured when she talked about how great the game was. I was admiring her being her perfect self. 

"Could you stop staring at Jill for a sec and actually listen to me? I know she's your girlfriend and I'm very aware of the fact that you love her to bits but I'm still your best friend. So, if you don't listen to me now I'm gonna have to force you and trust me you do not want that." She sounded serious but I knew that deep down she admired mine and Jill's relationship. She once even told me that she dreamed of a relationship like ours. She doesn't know that I know that though 'cause she thought I was asleep that time. Well I wasn't and now I was just waiting for the perfect moment to tease her about it. "Yeah sorry McCabe, I'm all ears now." I took my eyes off Jill and turned to face Katie.

***

"So Jill, Leah and-" The media guy looked on his list and I silently prayed that the last one wasn't me. "y/n. Please come with me, I'll guide you to the room where you'll be doing the interview." I stood up with shaky legs and immediately felt Jill intertwining our fingers. I squeezed her hand and we followed the guy. In the room were many chairs and just as many interviewers waiting for us to take a seat. I sat down on the right chair, Jill sat down next to me and Leah took the last seat. "You can start with the questions now." That was the sign for at least a hundred hands to be raised. A woman was chosen and she stood up. "Hello, I'm here for World Soccer. I have a question for y/n y/l/n, which is: how did you feel after scoring the fourth goal this match which was also your 50th goal for Arsenal?" All eyes were on me, waiting for an answer. "I was obviously very happy about the goal. It wasn't an easy one to score but I made it. I'm very proud of my performance for this club and I'm looking forward to scoring more goals for Arsenal." I was satisfied with my answer and the woman seemingly was too as she sat down and wrote it in her notebook. Next was a man who came from 'She kicks'.  His question was for Leah which gave me a bit time to calm down. Jill looked at me, smiled and reached for my hand under the table. I gladly held hers and mentally thanked her when she began stroking the back of my hand with her thumb. The interview ended 20 minutes later. I was only asked 4 questions after Leah's so I wasn't as nervous at the end. "Hey liefje, you did great in there!" Jill hugged me tight when we left the room. "Thanks schatje (little treasure). Couldn't have done it without you." I placed a kiss on her cheek, took her hand and lead her back to the others.

That's it with the second one shot. I hope you liked it and if you have any requests/ ideas let me know :)

Don't forget to eat, drink, sleep, etc. <3

Byeee <3