the alchemy, jude bellingham

chapter twenty one

THE ALCHEMY chapter twenty one
jude bellingham.
june 2023

THE NEXT MORNING

OLLIE woke up with a pounding headache, the events of the previous night coming back to her in a jumbled blur. she groaned and sat up, rubbing her temples. iris and willow were already awake, sitting on the edge of her bed with worried expressions.

"morning," iris said softly, handing ollie a glass of water and some painkillers. "you look like you need these."

"thanks," ollie mumbled, taking the pills and swallowing them quickly. she sighed heavily, looking at her friends. "last night was a nightmare, wasn't it?"

"that's an understatement," willow said, giving her a sympathetic smile. "you and jude really went at it."

"i know," ollie said, her voice tinged with regret. "it was so stupid. we were both so drunk and just... ugh."

"what's going on between you two?" iris asked gently. "it seems like there's more to it than just the competition."

ollie hesitated, looking down at her hands. "i don't know," she admitted. "it's like, we have this playful thing going on, but then it just escalates. and last night, i don't even know why we were so angry."

"maybe it's because there's more than just playfulness," willow suggested. "you both seem pretty invested in each other."

"you think?" ollie asked, looking up at her friends.

"definitely," iris said firmly. "i mean, you guys have always had this chemistry. and last night, it felt like there were a lot of unresolved feelings coming out."

"but he was being so frustrating," ollie said, her voice rising slightly. "kissing all those girls right in front of me, like he was trying to prove a point."

"and you were doing the same," willow pointed out gently. "it was like you were both trying to make each other jealous."

"i don't know what to do. i don't want to keep fighting with him, but i don't know how to fix this either."

"maybe you both need to talk it out when you're sober," iris suggested. "really talk about what's going on and what you're feeling."

"no way," ollie said, shaking her head. "i'm still too pissed off to talk to him. he can go kiss all the girls he wants, i don't care."

"you sure about that?" willow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"yes," ollie insisted, though her voice wavered slightly. "i'm done trying to figure him out. he can be mad all he wants."

"we're here for you, ollie," willow said, squeezing her hand. "whatever happens, we've got your back."

"thanks, guys," ollie said, managing a small smile. "i just hope you can get through the rest of this trip without killing each other." iris said, causing the other girls to laugh.

MEANWHILE, in another part of the villa, jude was sitting on the balcony with mason and trent. he had a cup of coffee in his hands, trying to shake off the remnants of his hangover. the tension from the previous night still lingered in the air.

"you okay, mate?" mason asked, breaking the silence.

jude sighed, running a hand through his hair. "not really. last night was a disaster."