Jude and Jobe Bellingham

The air conditioning in Jude's mansion barely alleviated the Madrid heat. You entered with the shopping bags, and the living room fell silent. Jobe and Jude were sitting on the sofa; the PlayStation was paused, and their usually playful faces looked stiff and serious.

You put down your shopping and sat down across from them, puzzled by the tension. Who had lost?

Jobe, your best friend for life, didn't mince words. He put down the remote and stared at you.

“We weren’t playing games, we were waiting for you,” she said with unusual firmness. “Jude and I have been talking this vacation. We’re both in love with you. And since we don’t intend to fight over this, we came to an agreement.”

You looked at Jude, but he just nodded, completely serious.

“We want to be a three-person team,” Jobe continued bluntly. “Since we play for different teams and in different cities, the plan is for you to spend two weeks with each of us. That way we alternate with the football schedule, we don’t compete against each other, and we have you.”

Silence filled the room once more. The two brothers leaned forward, their eyes devouring you, waiting to see if you would accept the pact they had planned under the Spanish sun.