As planned, the next day I went to Jude's house for dinner. I surprisingly had no complaints when it came to Jude's cooking — it tasted delicious and was perfectly cooked. Jude grinned with satisfaction when I complimented his food, slightly surprised but glad to have proven that I was wrong to doubt him. Now we were seated in the living room of his house; Jude playing Fifa and me using this opportunity to update my socials. I did my best to pay no attention to the comments from people speculating that Jude and I were dating, the very thought making me want to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. It'd taken this long for me and Jude to learn how to tolerate one another, so there was just no way we'd ever get together.

It was odd how relaxed I felt in Jude's company, curled up on the sofa and just content to exist side by side with him without the urgency to utter a word. Usually I'd sit so rigidly around him, doing my best to pretend he didn't exist. I smiled, secretly admitting to myself that he did make good company and I'd enjoyed the time I'd spent with him tonight.

"How is that not a foul?" Jude exclaimed. I glanced upwards from my phone, laughing to myself when I saw the genuine outrage on his face. He shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening, treating the game as seriously as any real match. "That's so poor from the ref, that is!"

"It's just a game, Bellingham," I giggled.

"Excuse you, I'm playing in the Champions League Final."

"As Dortmund?"

"Mhm."

"Top ten things that will never happen. Number one: Dortmund reaching a Champions League Final."

Jude glared at me, and I laughed again.

"I'll have you know that we won it back in 1997," he quipped before passing the ball to himself in the game and completely missing the net with his shot.

"That was like twenty-six years ago," I reminded him. "And you weren't even born then."

"Yes I am well aware," he grumbled, huffing with annoyance when the corner he fired into the box was headed away. "Fuck's sake, man!"

"You are awful at this game. I could beat you easily."

"Sure you could," Jude said sarcastically.

"I could. Jobe and I play it together and I win like 99% of the time."

"Well, I'm better than Jobe." His comment was awfully timed as the opposing team scored a goal. "Oh my days."

"Mhm, you were saying?" I said.

Jude responded by launching one of the cushions at my head. I dodged it and laughed.

"I'll prove you wrong," he said, "as soon as this game is finished."

"I look forward to beating you, Bellingham," I retorted. He acknowledged my comment but chose to ignore it, focusing his attention back on the screen. He ended up going 2-0 down but somehow managed to make a comeback and win 3-2. Jude turned to me, smiling triumphantly. I rolled my eyes. There seemed to be an increasing pattern as of late — Jude was always proving me wrong and I hated it.

Jude passed me the other controller and moments later we were both yelling at the screen, head-to-head in an intense game of Fifa. Jude huffed with annoyance whenever I managed to intercept his pass or score a goal, growing increasingly annoyed when I took the lead with the minutes on the clock rapidly ticking down. It was a very close game, but I ended up beating him 4-3.

"Whatever," Jude muttered, placing his controller down with some force. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He frowned down at the screen as he read through the notification before letting out a heavy sigh. I noticed the sudden change in his mood, the playful twinkle gone from his eyes and a worried crease now residing on his forehead.

"Everything okay?" I asked him.

Jude met my gaze. "Yeah, it's just...Grace," he answered.

"What does she want?"

"For us to get back together. I already told her it's not going to happen but she won't take a hint."

"You should block her."

"I already tried that. Now she's DMing me on this new account she's made. We only went out on a few dates, I don't know why she's so obsessed."

"Tell her to leave you alone or you'll report her for harassment or something."

"I'll just block her again. Hopefully she'll get the message this time." Jude quickly changed the subject. "Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked.

I nodded. "Sure, why not?"

It was actually quite a pleasant evening outside, the streets significantly quieter than they had been earlier in the day. The sun was just beginning to set, giving a warm orange tinge to the sky. Jude had laughed when he'd seen me piling on the layers of clothing, telling me it wasn't that cold outside. He'd been proven wrong, though, and had to dash back into the house to retrieve his own hat and gloves.

"Trent keeps asking about you," Jude was saying as we began walking, deciding we'd head to a nearby park. "I think he's worried about you."

"I mean I did spontaneously up and leave without any real reason," I said. "I know I haven't even been here a week but I'll have to go and visit him and Hayley soon."

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately they didn't just go away within a matter of days."

"Nothing's ever that simple, is it?"

"Nope."

"Jadon was telling me he might be coming back to Dortmund on loan when the transfer window opens in January."

"Aw, I miss Jadon so much. It would be nice to see him wearing a Dortmund shirt again."

"Yeah...are you coming to the Bayern game next week?"

"Yeah, Chloe already got me tickets."

"And whose name will you be wearing on your shirt?"

I glanced up at him with a smile. "I haven't decided yet," I answered.

"Since we're such good friends now, I'll be honest and tell you that you'd look good with 'Bellingham' on your back."

"Is that so?" Jude nodded. "Are you nervous about the game?" I asked. "I mean Bayern versus Dortmund is a big deal, isn't it?"

"Yes, Hannah. Considering Bayern have won the league ten years in a row, it's a huge game. We're currently level on points but they're ahead by goal difference. If we win next Saturday we'll go three points clear."

"Ugh, I don't think I could stand to see Bayern lift the trophy again," I said.

"Well let's hope that doesn't happen."

We headed into the park, my eyes instantly drawn to the massive lake in the centre. There were a few people dotted about, dog walkers mainly and a few families on their way home. Jude and I took a seat on a nearby bench, watching the sun sink lower and lower in the sky.

Jude chuckled to himself. I turned to look at him. "What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Do you remember when we were kids and I convinced you that you'd been born with a tail but it fell off because you got it trapped in a door?" He said, reminiscing.

"Yes I do remember that — I was horrified. You were such an evil child."

Jude laughed again. "You weren't innocent either, Hannah. You told me that if I didn't sit still during a haircut, the barber would cut my ear off."

I giggled. "At least that lie was more believable than me having a tail."

"You still fell for it."

"Yeah whatever, Bellingham."

He looked at me, and for a split second I swore I felt my heart flutter. I immediately looked away from him, my cheeks growing warm. "Thank you for tonight," I said, "I've had a really good time."

"Me too," Jude said.

"We should do it more often."

Jude blinked in surprise. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah." It was still strange to think how quickly we'd managed to turn our relationship around.

"I'd like that," Jude grinned.

- - -
A/N: Writing this chapter after Bayern won again and feeling incredibly sad. I really hoped Dortmund would do it this year.