.vierzehn.
Bastian stayed with Grace until she told him that Jude would be returning soon from the bakery. As much as he was curious to find out who Jude really was, he preferred to prevent a conflict between them. He thought Jude was probably still mad that he had made Grace upset. If Jude had been capable of throwing a rock at him, Bastian didn't want to think what else Jude would be capable of.
Instead of staying, he said goodbye to Grace and told her he would be back to visit her soon.
Jude finally returned home a while after Bastian had left. Since she didn't have Grace to help her at the bakery, she had been closing early and only selling pastries rather than preparing full meals for people. She opened the front door to see her mother out of bed and looking better than she had in weeks. She was smiling, and that was the first thing the twenty year old noticed. Jude cut the distance between herself and her mother and gave her a warm hug. "Hey mum," She smiled at Grace. "You look like you're having a good day."
Grace nodded her head with a bright smile still present on her lips. "Bastian came to visit me." She informed her daughter matter-of-factly.
That was when Jude's smile dropped.
"And he told me what you did to his car." Grace narrowed her eyes at Jude.
Crinkling up her nose in embarrassment, Jude said, "Yeah. I actually feel pretty bad about that. Marco told me that Bastian sent him the bill for the window replacement."
"Oh, sweetie." Her mother sighed. Though in the back of her mind, she actually thought the whole situation funny. Bastian was a thirty year old man, who was afraid of a twenty year old girl. "You shouldn't have done that." Grace scolded.
"I know. I was just really upset."
"You know, he came here with a shield." Grace laughed, remembering the way Bastian had shown up at her house.
Jude rolled her eyes playfully. "He's ridiculous."
"He apologized, we talked, and now I feel much better." Grace said. "I'm ready to return to the bakery tomorrow morning. I'm so sorry you had to do that all on your own, sweetie."
With a smile on her face, Jude spoke, "Well now you can help me pick out a dress at the mall."
"A dress?" Grace raised an eyebrow at her. She knew her daughter well and knew that Jude didn't like wearing dresses or skirts. She preferred to dress in jeans. Her daughter's sudden request for help picking out a dress was surprising for the thirty five year old mother.
Her daughter nodded. "Marco said there's going to be a dinner for the whole team and their loved ones. Its going to be a really fancy event. I don't have dresses, so I need you to help me..."
Grace shot up from her seat on the couch and rushed to hug her daughter tightly. "I always dreamed you would ask for help picking out a dress. I'm so happy, Jude."
"Mom," Jude pleaded, "I'm suffocating."
But Grace wasn't listening. She was already busy in her own imagination, thinking of the pretty dresses she would get for her daughter and how lovely she would look in them.
-
Just as she had promised, Grace finally returned to work the next day. She and her daughter went to their small shop and opened up together, as they normally did. Then Grace assured Jude that she could take over the register for the day, while Jude did the cooking.
Grace almost felt her heart stop when she saw two footballers enter the bakery.
They looked slightly out of place walking into the bakery in their Borussia Dortmund training uniforms. But Grace also thought they looked as though they were looking for something or someone. She guessed Marco had sent them, since they were his team mates, and two of his closest friends.
It was getting late in the afternoon, most people had gone home for the day, which was beneficial for the BVB players. Had there been more people in the bakery, the two may have been surrounded by mob of football fans. But Mats and Erik had followed Marco right after football practice. Then they waited for him to leave so that they could meet Jude without him whining about it. Grace Wopschall tried her best not to freak out as they approached the register.
"Hello." Mats said politely with a grin on his lips. He was ready to use his charm on the woman at the register to get information out of her, if needed. Erik, on the other hand, was rather nervous, and could already feel his cheeks turning red.
"Hi." Grace was barely able to get the word out.
"You must be Jude's mother." Mats guessed. He remembered what Marco said about Jude and his mother owning a bakery. "We've heard so much about you."
"Did Marco send you?" Grace smiled at them.
"Yes," Erik gave a nervous nod of his head, "He said we were all going out together tonight. Mats, Marco, Jude, and I." Mats turned to Erik, impressed. Erik wasn't keen on lying, and wasn't very good at it. But the lie he had just told sounding convincing enough.
Now there was confusion on Grace's face. "Oh, well Jude didn't mention anything to me about it."
"We just planned it a few minutes ago." Mats continued the lie.
"Just give me a moment. Marco is in the kitchen with Jude, I'll go ask them to come out here." With that, she turned and headed for a door that led to the kitchen. Mats and Erik followed behind her and peeked past the entrance of the kitchen when she opened it. But there was no one there.
The beautiful woman with long jet black hair was even more confused now by the whole situation. If Mats and Erik were going out with Jude and Marco, then why did they leave without them?
She got her cellphone out of her pocket and saw a text from her daughter.
jude: mum, close up early bc marco and i are gonna go play football. x -j
"They're gone." Grace commented to the two footballers. Looking at the time on the message from her daughter, she added, "They left ten minutes ago."
"Fuck." Mats muttered under his breath.
They were trying so hard to meet Jude and it was impossible. Jude Wopschall was living a very secretive relationship with Marco Reus, and it was what caused people to be more curious about it. It was the fact that no one knew anything about Marco's new relationship.
"But..." Grace said, trying to get their attention. "Since you're already here, how about some pastries on the house? I told Marco his cute footballer friends they were always welcome here."
Mats' and Erik's faces lit up at the mention of free pastries.
"Who can say no to that?" Mats grinned. "I'll have two of the custard ones please."
"I'll have the hazelnut one." Erik told her.
Grace nodded and went to get their pastries for them. She handed them each a small wax paper bag with their pastries in them, and told them with a bright smile, "Let me know if you need anything, boys."
Then she walked away to the back room to check on the other pastries in the oven.
Mats looked into the little white bag and a grin formed on his lips, at the sight of oven fresh pastries that smelled delicious.
"At least this trip wasn't completely in vain." He commented.
For free pastries, Mats thought anything was worth it.
-
another update.
i think the next one is where they finally meet jude, so dont worry guys. the time for revelations is upon the bvb boys.
thank you so much for reading, and voting, and commenting. it really means a lot. i love reading your messages and just talking with you.
blessings, clary xx
