End Game | Jude Bellingham

008

Jude's POV:

I followed Leah into the center of the room where some of the other guests were already dancing. She hesitated just at the edge of the crowd, glancing at me uncertainly. "I don't think I really thought this through," she admitted, "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Well, neither am I," I replied with a soft chuckle, taking her hand in mine. "Don't worry, just follow my lead."

Leah's eyes crinkled at the corner as she smiled at me, and I felt my heart leap. She really was so breathtaking, and I don't think she was even aware of the effect she had on me.

We began moving in sync to the music. I'm sure we must've looked really awkward, neither of us really knowing what we were doing, but we didn't pay any attention to anyone or anything around us, we were just having fun. My eyes stayed locked with Leah's, and she giggled as I twirled her around. I didn't care about anything else in that moment, too focused on Leah's beauty.

Suddenly, Leah tripped forwards, arms outstretched in an attempt to regain her balance. I managed to catch her before she could tumble towards the ground, my hands firmly gripping her waist. "Careful, darling," I said, "we don't need you getting hurt. You okay?"

"I-I...yes. Thanks," Leah stammered. I could tell she was getting visibly flustered, and I grinned at the adorableness of it all.

Eventually, we left the dance floor, our smiles still lingering as we caught our breath. I left Leah chatting with my teammate Brahim Díaz and headed off to find the bathroom. When I returned, though, Brahim had moved on, now standing with Vini and Talia whilst Leah was deep in conversation with someone else. As I got closer and recognised who it was, my heart sank, and a frown tugged at my lips. "What's he doing here?" I asked, unable to keep the edge of jealousy from creeping into my voice.

Brahim shrugged. "Don't ask me," he answered.

"He's a friend of Jamie's," Talia piped up, "I thought it'd be nice to invite him."

"Since when do they know each other?" I questioned.

"I dunno...I think they met at some photoshoot they did for Adidas." Talia looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Do you have a problem with Gavi?"

"No..." It wasn't that I had a problem with Pablo Gavi. In fact, I had a lot of respect for him-both as a player and as someone who had been genuinely friendly when we talked after Real Madrid's preseason friendly against Barcelona. But what I did have a problem with was the fact that he was the one making Leah laugh right now, the two of them seated a little too close together on the sofa.

"Should've asked her out when you had the chance," Vini muttered. I glared at him.

Talia rolled her eyes. "Oh will you relax, Jude, Leah's just being friendly," she said.

"Are you sure? They do look a little cosy," Brahim noted, earning a nudge in the ribs from Talia.

Just then, Gavi turned and caught me staring, offering a casual wave to beckon me over. I sighed, muttering, "wish me luck," before heading over to join him.

"Jude, it's good to see you," Gavi greeted me with a friendly smile. "I was just saying to Leah that I'm looking forward to the next El Clásico."

"Yeah, me too," I forced myself to be pleasant, although every part of me wanted to tell him to get the hell away from Leah. I didn't have the right to be jealous, it's not like Leah was my girlfriend, but I couldn't help the frustration burning up in my chest. And after everything she'd been through with her ex, I just wanted Leah to be with someone who would treat her right, and I wanted that person to be me.

"May the best man win," Gavi smirked. I stared at him, unsure what to think of his statement.

"How many weeks away is that match, now? Like three?" Leah asked. I wasn't sure if she was unaware of the sudden tension between Gavi and I, or if she had noticed and was trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Yes that's right," Gavi said, turning toward her. "I don't suppose there's any chance of me convincing you to wear a Barcelona shirt?"

"Absolutely not!" Leah laughed. "I will be supporting Real Madrid, thank you very much."

"Aw, that's a shame. I think you'd look good in a Barca shirt, especially one with my name on it."

"Well sorry Pablo, but a lot of my friends play for Madrid. I can't exactly go supporting the enemy now, can I?" She giggled. "There's no way I'm going to wear your shirt."

"Yeah, she's going to be wearing mine instead," I butted in, not enjoying feeling like the third wheel.

Leah looked at me and smirked. "Oh I am, am I?"

Gavi laughed. "Don't let him tell you what to do, Leah," he said as he stood up, giving her a playful wink.

"What makes you think I tell her what to do?" I questioned, getting defensive.

"He's only joking, Jude," Leah told me.

"Exactly," Gavi agreed. "What's gotten into you, Bellingham? I thought you had a sense of humour."

I fell silent, realising that I was just making myself look like an idiot.

"It was nice meeting you, Leah," Gavi smiled before turning back to me. "And I shall see you on the pitch."

And with that he walked off, weaving through the small crowd of people gathered in the room.

"What was all that about?" Leah asked me as I sat down beside her.

"Hm?" I replied, figuring I'd try and play dumb.

"I don't know, you just seemed...defensive. Do you and Pablo not like each other or something?"

"No, no...Gavi's cool."

"So what's with the attitude?"

"I'm just looking out for you, Leah."

"There was no need to act like a dick, Gavi was really nice. He was actually praising you, saying how much he admired you as a player. And I talked about how good a friend you've been to me -"

"Friend?" I echoed, my eyebrows knitting together. "Is that what you see me as?"

Leah looked at me, puzzled. "Is there something wrong with that?" She asked.

"Well, no, but I just thought... never mind." Had I completely misread the situation? Did Leah only see me platonically whilst I'd started to develop deeper feelings for her? Or was I just overthinking everything, being too dramatic?

Of course she wouldn't want to go out with me. She'd just broken up with Nathan, and it was clear she probably wasn't ready to think about a new relationship. And hadn't I originally told Vini that I wasn't even sure if I wanted to ask her out because I wanted to focus on my football? I should've seen this as a positive-that she didn't want to pursue anything with me. After all, it was the very distraction I said I'd wanted to avoid.

I heard Leah sigh. "Well, I'm going to talk to Talia and Bukayo," she said. "Let me know when you've gotten out of this mood that you're in."

I watched her walk away, cursing myself for letting my jealousy show and get the better of me. She hadn't done anything wrong, she'd only been friendly with Gavi. But even if Leah had been flirting with him, I had no right to have an issue with this, especially when I hadn't exactly made any effort to let Leah know how I felt about her.

I let out a heavy sigh, leaning back on the sofa and wishing the earth could just swallow me whole.