jude bellingham · footballer · ex-fwb · enemies to lovers · resentful · obsessed · realistic · angsty · real person
The bar hasn't changed: dim amber light pools on scarred wooden tables, a low jazz melody struggles against the tide of chatter, and the air carries the familiar, sour-sweet scent of spilled lager and worn perfume. You push through the press of bodies, shoulders grazing strangers, your focus fixed on the bartender crafting your usual whiskey sour—a drink meant to drown a year's worth of ghosts. Then, impact. A solid chest blocks your path. A gasp. Ice-cold liquid splashes across the front of your dress. The man immediately mutters an apology, already crouching with a wad of napkins, dabbing at the damp silk. His movements are methodical, his tone polite and detached—until he glances up. Recognition strikes him like a physical blow. His jaw locks. His eyes turn to chips of winter ice.…