lover boy

Chapter 22

Jude Bellingham

This morning, I knew the day would start differently. No training, no exercises on the pitch. Instead, Real Madrid's social media team had asked Vinícius Júnior and me to participate in an interview where we would answer questions from various cards.

When I arrived in the media room, Vinícius was already there, grinning widely. "Ready for a little change of pace, bro?" he asked, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Absolutely, bro," I replied as I sat down next to him. In front of us were several stacks of cards with questions we would take turns drawing and answering.

The cameras were rolling, and the team gave us the signal to start. I reached for the first card.

"What's your favorite food?" I read aloud. Vinícius burst out laughing. "Oh, that's easy! Pão de queijo! And yours?"

I thought for a moment. "Probably a good English breakfast. Nothing beats bacon, eggs, and beans in the morning."

Vinícius nodded in agreement and drew the next card. "If you weren't a footballer, what would you be doing now?"

"Good question," I answered. "Maybe I'd focus on my studies or become a sports journalist. And you?"

"I think I'd still be doing something related to football, maybe a coach or scout. But I wouldn't be bad as a cook either," he said thoughtfully.

The questions got more personal and sometimes funnier. "Tell us about your most embarrassing moment on the pitch," I read out. Vinícius groaned playfully. "Oh man, that was when I slipped and fell while celebrating a goal. That was really embarrassing."

"I know that feeling too well," I laughed. "For me, it was when I missed a penalty and then ran straight into a camera. Not my finest hour."

Just as we thought we were done, Vinícius pulled out one last card. "Okay, one more: Who do you have a crush on or do you have a celebrity crush?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my face flush. I can't say Cecilia's name, nor that she and I are dating. We have expressly agreed to keep it private and apart from the issue with the ad, I don't want to cause her any further problems.

Vinícius grinned mischievously, eagerly waiting for my answer. "Uh, well, that's a tough question," I began hesitantly. "I mean, there are a lot of impressive women out there... but I think I'll keep that to myself." I tried to stay cool and hoped Vinícius wouldn't push further.

Fortunately, he let it go and just laughed. "Okay, okay, I get it. Some secrets have to stay secrets. So my crush is definitely Madison Beer."

We continued like this, laughing a lot and learning new things about each other. The social media team was thrilled, and we had a great time. After the last stack of cards, they thanked us and turned off the cameras.

"That was a welcome change," Vinícius said as we stood up.

"Definitely," I agreed. "But it's back to the field tomorrow. The final will be in two days and we have to put our best foot forward."

We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It had been an unusual but very entertaining morning, and I was already looking forward to seeing the finished video and the fans' reactions. I could only hope that Cecilia would understand why I had reacted the way I did. Keeping our relationship a secret was important, but it didn't make things any easier.

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After the interview, I decided to drive over to Cecilia's place. The final match was coming up, and I wanted her there with me at any cost. My friend Nico Rose had previously sent her tickets and a jersey, but I wanted to deliver them personally.