❝but then you call me,
and it's not so bad.❞
AUG 20,
three months and twenty
days after the funeral.
ALMOST
a month had gone by, one match after another for jude as nisha prepared to have another date with thomas, much to the footballer's dismay. he was in such a bad mood that every ball he kicked seemed to take its toll. his eyebrows so furrowed, the boy concentrated on pouring out his hatred through this morning's training session. even the sun reigning over dortmund didn't seem able to soothe his torment.
"can i ask why you're so annoying today, or should i keep guessing?" gio asked jude once the latter had finished harassing the poor balls. he had never seen his friend like this. usually, he was always laughing, singing and having fun, but today it was difficult to get a smile out of him.
"i'm normal," jude retorted, glaring at him, his eyes frowning as the sun's rays blinded him.
"karim, do you think jude is normal today?" added gio, addressing borussia dortmund's number 27.
"sorry bro, but i've never seen you laugh so little," he replied before running towards the goal to retrieve the ball he had just shot.
"don't tell me it's because of nisha again," sighed reyna.
"no," denied jude, shaking his head, and gio gave him a look that made it clear it was the other way round.
"is this about her boyfriend again?" tried the american.
jude had finally explained to gio the reason for his bad mood recently with this thomas who was taking up too much of his best friend's time for his liking, but today, the footballer didn't feel like admitting that it was still playing on his emotions.
"he's not her boyfriend," jude stopped him. "he invited her to dinner tomorrow, and i'm not too happy about it."
"he's not yet," gio paused before resuming, "but probably soon..."
with a dark look in his eyes and a frown automatically drawn across his face, jude shook his head sharply from side to side. no, he didn't agree. thomas had no right to ask her to be his girlfriend. he had no right to think that she would ever be his girlfriend. no right.
"how long has it been?" the american asked again, putting a hand on his teammate's shoulder.
"they've only just started, they can't—"
"that you have feelings for her," gio stopped him.
jude stopped dead in his tracks and glared at his friend, was he that obvious? he hated the feeling of being an open book with every word written in it so clearly visible, but surely that was what being in love was —really in love. he hated the vulnerability that came with the feeling, the pain intertwined with it that had been keeping him half alive for some time now. yet jude wouldn't want to love anyone else but nisha, even if it was unrequited; a one-way love.
taking a deep breath, the boy began to play with the ball under his feet again, ready to confess to gio what he had confessed to himself only a short while ago. after firing his shot into the top corner, he mumbled a few brief words, "two months ago, something like that."
astonishment could be read on the american's face, not expecting so much transparency from the englishman, who often remained very secretive about his best friend. then, a small smile took place on his mouth, satisfied with his answer.
