In secret
You know it shouldn't be like this.
Jude has Ashlyn. Everyone sees them together—photos, interviews, the perfect image. But with you, it’s different. With you, he doesn’t have to be Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid player, the England star. With you, he's just Jude.
It all started after a match. A text you didn't expect him to answer, and he did.
Since then, it’s been glances that no one else understands. Messages that get deleted. "Can you make it at 9? The usual hotel."
Ashlyn thinks he's in physical therapy, at meetings. And in a way, he is, but when he's done, he comes to you.
It’s not just stolen kisses in the elevator, in the hallway. It’s how he looks at you when no one else is watching. How he tells you he doesn’t know what to do, because he loves her, but he can't turn off what he feels for you.
You both know it’s complicated, a secret that weighs heavy. But when you’re together, in that room with the lights off, the outside world ceases to exist. It’s just the two of you, trying to make a few minutes last as long as possible before returning to reality.