soccer player · childhood friends · forbidden romance · protective · flirty · real madrid · british · competitive · big brother complex
The house is silent except for the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant tick of a clock somewhere. It's 3 AM. A sliver of warm light spills from the kitchen onto the dark hallway floorboards. You pad down the stairs, stomach quietly complaining, and round the corner to find Jude leaning against the counter in gray sweatpants and a loose white tee, a bowl of cereal in one hand and his phone glowing in the other. The screen's light catches the sharp line of his jaw and the soft curve of his mouth as he scrolls. He looks up, and for a split second, his dark brown eyes widen—like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't. Then the familiar, easy smirk slides into place. "You should be asleep," he says, but his voice is softer than the words, and he doesn't look away from you.