Excitement and anticipation hung in the air as the match approached the last minute of added time. I peered out at the sea of yellow and black, barely able to watch as Karim quickly retrieved the ball for a throw in. The score was currently 1-1, and whilst the team had had a great performance tonight, we all knew that a draw would not be enough if they wanted to take advantage of the unanticipated chance to top the table once again. I searched for Jude, who'd performed extremely well tonight. He was whispering something to Marco Reus, and I found myself wondering what he had up his sleeve.
Beside me, Chloe gripped my hand tightly. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," she said, referring to the tension we both felt and the desire to see Dortmund secure three points tonight. I responded by squeezing her hand, unable to say a word as the ball came back into play and Gio booted it up the pitch. Marco and Jude began sprinting after it, and Marco just about managed to reach it before anyone on the opposing team could win back possession. Around us, fans clapped their hands at the brilliant effort, and I held my breath as Marco passed the ball to Jude who had made a run into the box.
"I can't watch," Chloe said, covering her eyes.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I held my breath as Jude looked up towards the goal before taking his shot. I was so sure his shot was going wide, but fortunately to my surprise, it ended up curling into the goal. Chloe and I leaped to our feet and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, proud of our boys for managing to grasp a last minute win. The team ran to celebrate, surrounding Jude before he managed to break free. He gazed out at the crowd before he spotted me, blowing a kiss in my direction. I felt myself blushing and a few people turned to look at me, curious to see who Jude had singled out.
After the match, I went to congratulate Jude. "Told you I needed my good luck charm," he smiled as he pecked my lips. "That's you, by the way."
"I'm so proud of you," I told him.
"Well I'm going to go take a quick shower, and then how about we go out for dinner? Just me and you. Our first official date?"
I nodded my head eagerly.
"Oi, Bellingham!" Karim yelled. "The coach wants to talk to you."
"Alright, I'll be right there," Jude told him. He turned back to me. "I shall see you later."
"Okay," I smiled as I watched him go, bursting with pride.
* * *
A couple of months passed and I was soon living back in Dortmund. I'd stayed with Chloe and Gio for a little while but ended up moving in with Jude a lot sooner than anticipated. We both didn't mind, though — it just felt right. Denise had moved back to England, bestowing me custody of Jude and trusting me to make sure her son didn't do anything stupid. The minute she'd found out that Jude and I were together, she'd given me the biggest hug and taken me out to dinner that same night, telling me that deep down, she'd always hoped I'd get with Jude. "I always thought that you were so suited for each other," she told me with a smile.
Now we were all currently seated in the dining room of mine and Jude's house. It was one of those rare occasions where we were all able to be gathered together — me, Jude, Chloe, Gio, Hayley, Trent, Jadon, Jobe, my parents, and Mark and Denise. Even Erling Haaland had found the time to travel to see us. I'd cooked dinner for everyone (with a little help from Jude) and it had been an amazing evening being able to spend time with my friends and family.
As I got up to grab my sister a drink, I heard Jude enter the kitchen behind me, dropping the dirty plates into the sink. I felt his hands on my waist moments later. "How you doing baby?" He asked.
"I'm doing good," I answered, "how 'bout you?"
"Can't stop staring at you. Who gave you the right to be so pretty?"
I laughed and turned around. "Have you seen yourself?" I asked him.
He smiled down at me. "You know, I've been doing a lot of thinking recently," he said, brushing my hair behind my ear.
"Makes a change," I teased.
"Babe, come on, I'm tryna be nice here."
I giggled. "Sorry, carry on. What have you been thinking about?"
"About us...about the future."
My heart fluttered. "Really?"
"Mhm. I was thinking marriage, a few kids, a dog —"
"Can we get a couple of cats, too?"
He smiled. "Sure we can, if that makes you happy."
"It would make me very happy," I told him.
"It's obviously too soon for any of that, but I just want you to know that I do think about those things. Like I said, unfortunately you're stuck with me in the long run."
"That is unfortunate," I grinned.
Jude gently titled my chin upwards and kissed me, just as my sister strolled into the kitchen. "How long does it take to grab a glass of water?" Hayley asked. Jude pulled away and we both turned to see her standing in the doorway with a face like thunder. She'd been extra grumpy lately which I put down to her pregnancy hormones. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"
"Yes, actually," Jude said.
Hayley cracked a smile. "You know, it's good to see you two happy after the emotional turmoil you put us all through."
I jokingly rolled my eyes. "Thanks Hayley," I said.
Hayley laughed and I handed her the glass of water I was supposed to be fetching for her. "You two are wanted in the dining room, by the way. Mark is about to make one of his toasts," she explained.
"Oh god."
We headed back into the other room and took our seats at the table. Jude placed his hand over mine. Across the table, Jadon and Jobe looked at each other and started making gagging noises. "Wow, very mature you guys," I said.
"Jobe!" Denise scolded her youngest son, sending him a glare. Him and Jadon soon clamped their mouths shut, much to the satisfaction of Jude.
Mark tapped his class and our conversations soon died down. He stood up as we all diverted our attention towards him. "If you all don't mind, I'd like to make a toast," he announced. We all groaned in unison and I bit back a laugh at the look on Mark's face. "I promise to make it quick," he added. "First of all, I'd like to say a huge congratulations and best of luck to Hayley and Trent. I know that becoming a parent is going to be a life-changing experience for you. It's definitely not always easy, but it's so worth it." He smiled at his wife and both of his sons. "I also want to thank Hannah and Jude for organising dinner for us this evening, it was delicious. And finally, I'd like to raise a glass to good health and prosperity, and want to thank all you wonderful people for being so...wonderful. Cheers!" We raised our glasses in sync.
"Phew, thank god he kept it brief," Denise mumbled.
I took a moment to look around the room at the people who meant the most to me. I smiled, wondering how on earth I got so lucky to be able to surround myself with so many amazing people. Finally, I looked to Jude who I was just so enamoured with it was crazy. I'd been wrong about him in so many ways; had been too quick to judge him before I got to see his sweet interior. I found myself questioning how I could've ever hated this guy.
Jude turned to catch me staring. "What?" He said.
"Nothing," I answered, "I just really love you."
His lips curled into a smile. "I really love you too."
- - -
A/N: And there we have it — the end. Huge thank you to everyone who made it this far and thank you for keeping me entertained with your comments. I had so much fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'm honestly a little sad that it's over but I hope to work on some other stories soon :)