Second chance ~ Jude Bellingham

Chap 21

After the meal, Rodrygo serves up some dessert and passes a slice to Juliette. The rich aroma of his homemade tiramisu fills the room, making her mouth water in anticipation.
"Here you go, Juliette. Try some of my homemade tiramisu. I hope you like it," he says with a smile.

Juliette takes a bite, savoring the flavors. "That's really good!" she exclaims, then leans in to kiss Rodrygo on the cheek. "You're a great cook." She does this deliberately, hoping to provoke a reaction from Jude.

Rodrygo grins, clearly pleased with the compliment. He shoots a smug look at Jude, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Thanks, beautiful. I always knew you had good taste."

"Of course I have good taste," Juliette replies, smiling seductively at him, her eyes locking with his.

Rodrygo leans in closer, his voice dropping to a seductive murmur."I'm glad you do. Because I have some other skills that I'm sure you'll appreciate. Care to see for yourself?"

Juliette's heart races at the suggestion. "You mean in a private place?" she asks, biting her lip playfully.

Rodrygo grins mischievously and nods. "You read my mind, gorgeous. How about we take this somewhere more private? I've got some more 'surprises' for you." He glances at Jude, the smugness in his expression evident.

Jude clenches his jaw, feeling a mixture of jealousy and anger as he watches the interaction. His fists tighten under the table, his eyes burning with barely contained rage.

Juliette whispers in Rodrygo's ear, "I'll be pleased."

Rodrygo's smile widens, his hand moving to rest on Juliette's thigh. The touch is gentle yet possessive."Trust me, sweetheart. I'll make sure you're more than pleased. Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Jude's heart pounds as he watches Rodrygo's hand on Juliette's thigh, the possessiveness and jealousy almost overwhelming. He can't stand seeing them together, can't stand the thought of Rodrygo being the one to make her laugh, to make her smile.

"You're okay, mate?" Rodrygo asks, smirking provocatively.

Jude grits his teeth, his voice a low growl. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Rodrygo grins even wider. "Don't look too fine to me. You look pretty upset." He keeps his hand on Juliette's thigh, his touch lingering intentionally. Jude can barely contain his anger. "I said I'm fine. Drop it."

Rodrygo laughs, enjoying the effect he's having on Jude. "Oh come on, mate. You're not fooling anyone. I know you're jealous. And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

Juliette hides her smirk, pleased that her plan is working. She's closer to uncovering the truth.

Rodrygo squeezes Juliette's thigh affectionately, ensuring Jude sees every move. Jude's fists clench tighter, his knuckles white with tension. "You better stop touching her, Rodrygo. I'm warning you."

Rodrygo grins. "Or what, Jude? You'll punch me? Yeah right, you'd never do that. You're afraid of losing that pretty face of yours."

Jude's eyes narrow. The anger and jealousy boiling inside him are almost too much to bear. "You're overstepping, Rodrygo. Back off."

Rodrygo continues to touch Juliette's thigh, his touch becoming bolder. "Or you'll do what? You can't do anything, Jude. You're powerless. Just sit there and watch. Enjoy the show, enjoy me winning your money."

Juliette raises an eyebrow. "Money?"

Jude's eyes widen, realizing he's said too much. "Um, nothing. It's nothing." He shoots Rodrygo a warning look, silently pleading for him to keep quiet about the bet.

Rodrygo smirks. "Oh, I think the lady deserves to know what's going on here. Why don't you tell her, Jude?"

Juliette looks at Jude, taking Rodrygo's hand off her thigh. "Tell me, Jude."

Jude sighs, feeling defeated. "Fine. Rodrygo and I made a bet. Whoever sleeps with you first gets a thousand euros."

Juliette feels her world shatter as the truth sinks in. "What??"

Jude feels a pang of guilt and remorse as he sees the hurt and disappointment in Juliette's eyes. He looks down, his voice barely above a whisper. "It was just a stupid bet between friends. We didn't think it would get this far..."

Rodrygo, on the other hand, seems amused by the whole situation. The corner of his mouth curls into a smirk as he watches Juliette's reaction, clearly enjoying the chaos. He's indifferent to her feelings, focused solely on winning the bet and the money.

Juliette's voice trembles with a mix of anger and betrayal. "So all of this talk about saying you've changed... It was false? All of the things you said were to win a thousand euros?!"

Jude can't meet her gaze, his shame weighing heavily on him. "I was genuine," he admits softly. "But Rodrygo convinced me to take the bet. He said it would be easy money." He feels disgusted with himself, ashamed of his weak moment.

Juliette stands up silently, her face a mask of pain.

Jude watches her rise, a wave of sadness and guilt crashing over him. "Juliette, wait. I'm sorry. Please, can we talk about this?"

"Don't talk to me, Jude. Ever again. I thought you had changed," she says, her voice breaking as she quickly runs outside, tears welling in her eyes.

Jude remains frozen, the weight of his actions pressing down on him, as Rodrygo leans back with a satisfied grin, reveling in the chaos he's caused.