lover boy

Chapter 44

Jude Bellingham

I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind still replaying every moment from last night with Cecilia. The city lights had cast a soft glow over the rooftop bar, and the way she looked at me, the way she smiled—it was all I could think about. The tension, the words, the closeness... it was like everything between us was hanging in the balance.

But even with all that, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still unresolved. And now, lying here in the early morning light, I needed to talk to someone about it—someone who knew me, but wasn't in the middle of everything. I grabbed my phone and called Jobe. My little brother had always been a good listener, and despite the age difference, we were close.

The phone rang a couple of times before he picked up.

"Hey, big bro! What's up?" Jobe's voice came through the speaker, sounding bright and energetic as always.

"Hey, mate," I said, trying to sound casual, but he could probably hear the slight tension in my voice. "Not much, just needed to talk. You got a minute?"

"Of course," Jobe replied, his tone shifting to something more serious. "What's going on? How's the EM prep?"

I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Prep's going fine. Team's in good shape, and the next match is coming up fast. But that's not really what I wanted to talk about."

"Is this about a girl?" Jobe asked, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. He knew me too well.

"Yeah," I admitted, chuckling a little. "It's about Cecilia."

"Cecilia? Wait, THE CECILIA? The one you talked day and night and also the one who broked your heart? "

"Yeah, her," I said, and I could feel my heart skip a beat just thinking about her. "We ran into each other at the club a couple of nights ago. Total surprise. And then... last night, we went out."

Jobe let out a low whistle. "Okay, okay, tell me everything. How'd it go?"

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain the mix of emotions I was feeling. "It was... intense. We went to this rooftop bar. The view was incredible, but honestly, I barely noticed. All I could focus on was her. She looked... Jobe, she looked amazing. Even better than I remembered."

"And?" he prompted, clearly eager to hear more.

"And... it wasn't just how she looked. We talked. Like, really talked. I apologized for everything that went wrong before. She apologized too, for just disappearing. But there was this... tension, man. Like, we both wanted to just let go of everything and start over, but at the same time, we're both still carrying all this baggage."

"Sounds complicated," Jobe said thoughtfully. "But it also sounds like there's still something between you two."

"Yeah," I said, staring up at the ceiling again. "That's the thing. There is. I could feel it. But I don't know if it's enough. I mean, last night was good, but I can't help thinking... what if it's not enough to fix everything?"

Jobe was quiet for a moment, letting my words sink in. Then he said, "Look, Jude, I'm no relationship expert, but from what you've told me, it sounds like both of you still care. Maybe it's not about fixing everything all at once. Maybe it's about taking it slow, figuring out if you can make it work this time. And if you can, then great. If not... at least you'll know you tried."

"Yeah," I muttered, appreciating his words, even though it still didn't ease all the doubt in my mind. "I guess you're right. It's just... complicated, you know?"

"Nothing worth having is ever easy," Jobe said with a laugh. "You always tell me that when it comes to football. Maybe the same goes for this."

I smiled at that, grateful for his perspective. "Thanks, mate. I needed to hear that."

"No problem, bro. Just keep me posted, yeah? And good luck with the next match. I'll be watching."

"Oh, speaking of that," Jobe added quickly, "I forgot to tell you—I'm coming to Germany tomorrow. I'll be there for the next game, so we can catch up properly after. Can't wait to see you play live again."

That brought a genuine smile to my face. "That's awesome, Jobe. It'll be great to have you here. See you tomorrow, then."

"Definitely. Take care, Jude."

We ended the call, and I sat there for a moment, just letting everything settle in. Jobe was right—it wasn't going to be easy. But if there was even a chance that Cecilia and I could figure things out, I knew I had to try.

With a deep breath, I got up and started getting ready for the day. Whatever was coming next, both on and off the pitch, I had to face it head-on.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After hanging up the phone with Jobe, I leaned back against the headboard of my hotel bed, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. Jobe was coming to the next game, which meant a lot to me. Having him there in the stands always gave me an extra boost. But as much as I tried to focus on that, my thoughts kept drifting back to last night with Cecilia.

Her smile, the way she looked at me when I apologized, and how we both felt that pull toward each other again. It was surreal. I hadn't expected us to fall back into conversation so easily, and yet, here we were, something unspoken still lingering between us. I had no idea where this was going, but I knew I wanted to see her again. And soon.

But right now, it was time to put that on hold and shift back into game mode.

I threw on my training gear, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. Today wasn't just any regular training day—it was also content day. That meant social media shoots, interviews, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff that our fans loved. I didn't mind it, but it could get exhausting trying to switch between focusing on the game and playing up to the cameras.

When I got to the training facility, the rest of the team was already there, joking around with the media crew who had set up around the field. The air was buzzing with energy, not just because of the upcoming match, but because these content days had a way of loosening everyone up. We were in the spotlight, and it was all about balancing that with staying sharp for the game.

"Yo, Jude!" one of the guys called out as I walked onto the field. "Ready to be a movie star today?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Nah, man, just here to score goals."

But as I jogged over to join them, I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to Cecilia. Would she be watching this content when it went live? Would she see me on her screen and think about last night the way I was thinking about it now?

"Alright, lads!" one of the social media coordinators clapped his hands, calling us over. "We're gonna start with some short interviews, then move on to the skill challenges for the cameras."

We lined up for our turn in front of the camera. When my time came, I threw on a smile, answering the usual questions about the upcoming match, the atmosphere in the squad, and how I was feeling ahead of the game. It was all routine, but my mind was only half there.

After the interviews, it was time for some of the more playful content—trick shots, crossbar challenges, that sort of thing. The guys were hyped, showing off their skills while the cameras rolled. I joined in, but even as I hit a perfect shot that landed just under the crossbar, my thoughts were elsewhere.

It was only when we finally wrapped up that I felt myself snap back into reality. Content day was done, and now it was back to serious training. The match was tomorrow, and I needed to focus.

Tomorrow was about football, but after that? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I wasn't ready to let things with Cecilia fade away again.