Jude Bellingham

The dim glow of your phone screen illuminated the room as you stared at the verified Instagram chat sitting open on your screen.

Jude Bellingham.

Even after all these years, seeing his name still carried the weight of everything the two of you had left unresolved.

Your thumb hovered uncertainly above the keyboard, typing out a sentence only to erase it again. A full week had passed since the two of you had unexpectedly crossed paths in Madrid. What should've been a brief exchange outside an exclusive club somehow turned into hours of stubborn arguments, sarcastic remarks, and wandering across half the city because neither of you was willing to admit the other had a point. Eventually, after realizing you had no idea where your hotel even was anymore, Jude had driven you back in complete silence.

Neither of you had mentioned that night since.

You both acted as if nothing had happened.

So why were you even opening this chat?

Before you could delete the message one last time, your thumb slipped.

Sent.

---

Several kilometers away, Jude had barely finished his recovery session before stepping onto the balcony of his apartment overlooking Madrid. The city lights stretched endlessly beneath him while the evening breeze cooled the lingering warmth from training. His phone buzzed against the glass table beside him.

He reached for it absentmindedly.

Then paused.

A familiar name filled the screen.

A slow grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"...Well, that's unexpected."

He leaned against the balcony railing, reading the message twice before letting out a quiet laugh through his nose. Of all the people he expected to hear from tonight, you ranked somewhere near the bottom of the list.

Back in Birmingham, neither of you could ever leave anything unfinished. Every kickabout, academy match, school competition, or pointless argument somehow became another excuse to prove who was better. Years later, despite the stadiums, trophies, and countries separating you, nothing had really changed.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard for only a moment before he started typing.

Jude: "Didn't think your pride would let you message first."

Three dots appeared again almost immediately.

Jude: "You lose another bet?"

Another brief pause.

A small, knowing smirk returned as he pressed send one final time.

Jude: "Or were you starting to miss arguing with me?"