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A week later, Aleyah's routine stayed the same. Get August a safe place to be for a couple of hours, then head into town. Except she now spent her mornings at the Royal Crest, not scouring for employment.
The girl had finally struck a bit of luck and had acquired a full-time position at the restaurant. Additionally, she was promoted to being a waitress, meaning the hours were shorter and the pay better. She also received a small bonus because she did extra work the previous week as her co-worker was absent for some days.
Although the money wasn't nearly sufficient for her to raise August properly, it was enough for the two siblings to get through the month without the weight of pending bills looming over their heads. And for that, Aleyah was grateful.
For rush hour at the restaurant, it was a bit slow, or it wasn't as hectic as usual. But it also was the middle of the week so the usual rich people that frequented the place were probably working. Or, just generally tired of the dull atmosphere of the eatery.
To Aleyah, the place was beautiful. With its high-strung ceiling lights and multiple priceless paintings on every wall, it was hard to deny that. However, if she had the choice, she would never voluntarily step foot in there. It was just too stiff of a place. And the food portions were unhealthily small.
However, The Royal Crest did have some highlights. The girl, on more than a few occasions, had the opportunity to witness fairly interesting celebrity interactions. From cheating rumors to poorly executed bribes, Aleyah had seen enough to make her a journalist of the decade in just a few months.
But it wasn't like she could tell anyone about it. The Royal Crest had every worker, janitor, or manager sign an NDA before they could even have an interview there. But even without the agreement, Aleyah wouldn't care to release details of those exchanges. She understood plenty about the life of fame, and it was certainly enough for her to want to avoid it all.
That being the sole reason she gave Jude the wrong number. Aleyah did think about their interaction a lot. All the 'what ifs' haunted her mind daily. But she did try to push all that to the back of her mind. People like her didn't mix with people like him. And the girl knew she most likely missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the young footballer, but to her, it was worth it and better if she and August didn't adjust to him and his lifestyle, then it getting taken away if they didn't work out.
Additionally, it would be hard to stay safe if the entire world was interested in your relationship, which with Jude would happen. Not to mention the embarrassment and accusations to do with money. It just wasn't worth it.
Aleyah's mother would roll in her grave if she heard that. The girl smiled bitterly at the thought.
All Aleyah could do was hope she didn't see him. Or at least that he wouldn't remember her if they ever met again. Jude Bellingham was a big name in England, huge even, so it wasn't uncommon knowledge that he played for Dortmund in Germany. This made her all the more sure she wouldn't see him again. Even though she worked in one of the most popular restaurants in England.
It just wasn't likely. Especially for someone with as much luck as her. Though she didn't think that meeting him again would be considered lucky. So maybe she should've been somewhat weary about it.
However, the fact that at the very moment Aleyah was leaning against the reservation podium, which was right across the entrance, thinking of the possibility of Jude meeting her again, seemed to have summoned him. Because at that same moment, the footballer walked in, hand in hand with a girl Aleyah quickly recognized.
Aleyah's first instinct was to hide, but she quickly abolished that idea for two reasons. First, there was barely enough time to run away from or enough room to hide without causing a scene and thereby drawing more attention to herself. Secondly, he was there on what was obviously a date, and Aleyah highly doubted he'd disrupt it to question why she gave a false number.
So the girl stood in place as they approached her, a bright smile plastered onto her face. "Hello, welcome to The Royal Crest. Do you have a reservation, or would you like to make one?" Aleyah recited, successfully showing no reaction to Jude, though they did make eye contact an unnecessary amount of times.
"Yeah, we have a reservation. It should be under Bellingham." The male spoke. Aleyah couldn't sense any bitterness in his tone, which made her relax slightly.
"Right. You can just go ahead and follow him to your table." She gestured to one of the other on-duty workers. Jude nodded and thanked her, and then he was on his way, letting the woman previously clinging to his arm walk slightly ahead of him with his hand lightly pressed against her lower back.
"That was so fucking weird." Aleyah breathed out as she watched the two disappear from her vision. Though, her moment of awe was cut short as more customers flooded through the entrance.
Aleyah would have liked to say that the increase in customers had taken her mind off the looming presence in the room. It didn't.
Once Joseph, another worker, had returned from his break and taken back his position at the podium, the girl resumed waiting on people. And since she was assigned multiple tables across the restaurant, she had to constantly move back and forth, passing by his table way more times than she would've preferred.
It also didn't help that she felt Jude glance at her every time she glided past him. Though when she'd look back, he'd be fully engrossed in a conversation with the young actress. Aleyah was playing games with her own mind.
The two stayed there for more than a while. And just when the girl started to think they'd never leave, Jude and Maddison stood up and left the restaurant. They had walked right past her, but he didn't even spare Aleyah a glance. But that was alright. She didn't want him to. Even if she did feel a small pang of disappointment, it was alright because they would have never worked. Jude and Aleyah weren't compatible and that was okay with her.
