Bubba's Babe

you couldn't help the blush that crept onto your cheeks as you watched him jog towards his teammates, still smiling to himself after spotting you in the crowd.

"i think you're confusing obsessed with affectionate.” you replied, trying your best to sound nonchalant despite the warmth spreading through your chest.

"no, i'm definitely not." she teased back.

the music echoed around the stadium moments later, signalling for the players to make their way back onto the pitch, and soon the norwegian national anthem was ringing out around the packed stadium. you felt a familiar wave of pride wash over you whilst watching erling stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the norway squad, his eyes fixed ahead as he sang every word.

the first half seemed to fly by, the atmosphere inside the stadium unlike anything you had ever experienced before. the fans cheered every tackle, every save and every attack, leaving you barely sitting down for more than a few seconds at a time before you were back on your feet applauding another chance.

when the referee blew the whistle signalling half time, you followed the rest of the players' families and friends into the hospitality lounge beneath the stands, smiling politely at familiar faces as people chatted excitedly about the first half whilst helping themselves to coffee and snacks.

you made your way over to the refreshments table, and as you reached for one of the bottles of water , a voice beside you pulled your attention away.

"good game so far, isn't it?"

you turned your head and were met with an easy smile from a man who looked around your age. he didn’t look familiar and he was dressed very smartly, so you assumed he was probably one of the many guests invited into the hospitality suite for the afternoon. he wasn’t much taller than you with mousey brown hair, dark eyes and an american accent.

“yeah, it’s been really good.” you smiled politely. 

“my name’s liam.” he introduced himself before explaining that his father worked high up for one of the sponsors. it was very evident that he expected you to have been impressed by this which made you internally roll your eyes, but you did your best to remain polite. you didn’t want any rumours to circulate that erling’s girlfriend had been rude to the sponsors’ family.

liam effortlessly struck up a conversation as though the two of you had known each other for years, asking whether you had caught many of norway’s matches and if you were enjoying the world cup so far. 

despite giving off the impression of someone who had grown up getting everything they had ever asked for, the conversation was pleasant enough, and you answered politely, keeping your reponses short and sweet in the hope that it would naturally come to an end, not thinking too much of it until his questions gradually began to venture into more personal territory.

"so," he smiled, taking a sip of his own drink, "who've you come here with today?"

oh, now this could be fun, you thought.

"my boyfriend.” you answered confidently.

"oh yeah?" he asked, glancing around the room. "where is he then?"

you couldn't help but smile to yourself as you nodded towards the pitch beyond the glass windows.

"he's just warming back up."

liam followed the direction of your finger before looking back at you with an amused expression.

"no, seriously."

you laughed softly, almost a bit offended that he hadn’t immediately believed you.

"i am being serious.” you replied a matter of factly. 

liam frowned slightly. "which one is he?"

your smile widened as your eyes immediately found the familiar blond ponytail jogging across the pitch.

"number nine."

for a few seconds liam simply stared out towards the players before looking back at you with an expression somewhere between confusion and disbelief.

"you're telling me your boyfriend is erling haaland?"

you nodded, smugness filling your entire body. “that’s him.”

liam let out a surprised deep chuckle, quickly rubbing at the back of his neck.

“well... i have to be honest, i wasn't expecting that."

you smiled politely, assuming that would be the end of the conversation as you grabbed your water bottle. before you had the chance to excuse yourself, liam spoke up again.

"guess you can't blame me for trying, right?” his tone was light hearted enough that you simply laughed awkwardly.

you offered him a small smile out of pity, hoping the conversation would definitely be over now he knew you weren't only in a relationship, but that your boyfriend was currently out on the pitch preparing to play the second half of one of the biggest matches of his career.

noticing that people had already started making their way back towards the seating area as the players began to reappear from the tunnel, you tried to excuse yourself.

"i should probably head back out now.” you smiled politely, taking a small step backwards. 

"wait," he said quickly, taking a step after you. "there's a big event after the game for some of the sponsors and guests. you should come."

you offered him an apologetic smile. "that's kind of you, but i'll be spending the evening with erling."

"bring him then.” he suggested, and you couldn't help but laugh.

"i don't think he'll be too interested.” the last thing erling would want to do after kicking off his world cup tournament was hanging out with some wannabe schmoozers.

"then just come for one drink. by yourself.” liam suggested and at this point, you were getting a little fed up of how persistent he was being.

you did your very best to remain calm. "i'm alright, thank you.”

he nodded, although it was clear from the expression on his face that he wasn't quite ready to leave it there.

"another time then.” he spoke confidently, not willing to just admit defeat. that would’ve clearly damaged his ego too much.

you gave a small shake of your head. "i don't think so."

"why not?” he asked and his arrogance was beginning to outstand you.

you blinked slightly, surprised that he had asked the question so openly. "because i've got a boyfriend." you reminded him.

"yeah," he replied with a grin, "but surely you're allowed friends."

you shifted your weight slightly, your smile becoming a little more forced than before.

"i don't really think erling would appreciate me going out for drinks with another man."

he laughed as though you'd made a joke.

"he never has to know.” your heart sank ever so slightly as his suggestion. from your first date with erling, he treated you with the upmost respect. he was a true modern day gentlemen; opening car doors for you, ensuring you always had what you wanted, looking after you when you were ill, but also loving how you were able to speak up and stick up for yourself when needed. it was evident early on in your relationship that he was the one for you, and the idea of so much as looking at another man quite frankly repulsed you.

"i'm going to go and find my friends before the second half starts.” you simply replied, ready to walk away now even if it did mean you were called rude.

"hey," he called after you as you began to turn away.

you glanced back over your shoulder.

"if you ever change your mind..."

you simply smiled politely.

"i won't."

without waiting for another response, you made your way across the hospitality suite towards a couple of your girl friends, feeling yourself breathe out a quiet sigh of relief as soon as you reached your familiar group.

you mumbled a quick hello to them as you settled back into your padded seat. you couldn't help yourself from glancing down towards the pitch as erling emerged from the tunnel alongside his teammates, completely unaware of what had happened during the break as he jogged back into position, and the second his eyes found yours amongst the crowd once again, he offered you that same boyish smile from before kick-off along with a small wave, making your heart soften despite everything.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

the final whistle was met with an eruption of cheers as norway secured a deserved 3-1 victory, two goals curtosey of erling.

by the time you and erling had had some dinner and finally made it back to the hotel, it was several hours later and both of you were exhausted.  

you quietly closed the bedroom door behind you before slipping your shoes off by the entrance, letting out a content sigh as the silence of the hotel room replaced the constant noise that had surrounded you for the entire afternoon and evening.

“do you want me to run you a bath, baby?” erling asked and you smiled, your routine from home following you to america. 

you disappeared into the bathroom, having some time to think about the day’s events, but mostly how proud you were of erling for performing so well in such an important game. he hadn’t let the pressure get to him, and you were sure you were the prouder girlfriend to ever exist in that moment.

after a while of relaxing and soaking in the bubble bath that erling had prepared for you, you reappeared wearing one of your favourite t-shirts that was previously erling’s but had long been claimed by yourself. you padded barefoot across the room towards the bed where he was already lying against the headboard, wearing nothing but a pair of black sweats signalling he was ready for bed. he was scrolling absent-mindedly through messages from teammates and family congratulating him on the result.

he instantly smiled seeing you join him on the bed, his heart beaming as he took in your appearance, makeup removed, natural damp hair and wearing only his clothes. he would never tire of the sight.

you got settled onto the mattress beside him, pulling the duvet up to cover both of your legs as you picked up the tv remote and flicked through the channels. after just a few moments you found yourself glancing across at erling.

"you'll never guess what happened at half-time."

he looked up immediately, an intrigued look on his face. “what, baby?”

“this guy was trying to chat me up at half time.” you sniggered a little at the memory, as though the idea of another man trying to chat you up was laughable. you were so committed to erling.

erling immediately locked his phone and placed it onto the bedside table, his eyebrows furrowing and a stern look appearing on his face at the mention of a guy bothering you.

"he was fine to begin with," you continued, absent-mindedly playing with one of the loose threads on the duvet. "then he started asking who i'd come with."

erling's expression became a little amused, already picturing the look on this loser’s face when his beautiful girlfriend told him she was taken, let alone who by.

"i told him my boyfriend had brought me and he asked where you were."

that made the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. "what did you say?” he asked, leaning back slightly agains the headboard more amused than before.

"i pointed out onto the pitch.” 

erling grinned at that, chuckling lowly. "and?"

"he thought i was joking.” you said, your voice showing that you weren’t sure if you should’ve been offended.

a little laugh escaped erling. "did he?"

“mhm." you couldn't help smiling as you remembered the look on the young man's face. “i did enjoy the look on his face when i pointed to you.” you laughed recalling the memory.

erling let out a proper laugh at that, shaking his head to himself. "i wish i'd seen his face."

you giggled, "it was priceless."

his smile lingered as he reached across to gently tuck a damp strand of hair behind your ear. "bet that shut him up."

you hesitated ever so slightly, debating whether to just leave it there, but you decided not to. you and erling had no secrets.

"...not exactly."

the smile slowly faded from his face. "what do you mean?” his bright eyes searched yours.

you shrugged. "he asked me if id like to go for a drink with him even after i told him about you.”

erling frowned, and the room seemed noticeably quieter now.

“i obviously said no.”

erling was looking at you properly now, his heart breaking at this loser potentially making his girl feel uncomfortable whilst he oblivious to this going on.

"he said it was only a drink and that you didn't have to know.” you continued and for a second, erling didn't say anything at all.

he simply looked at you, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.

“he knew you were my boyfriend. i told him twice.”

erling paused before speaking up, trying to keep his anger at bay. he wanted to direct it to this guy, and he didn’t want you to think he was getting angry with you.

"should've been enough the first time.” he mumbled angrily and your heart melted.

you reached over, resting your hand against his forearm.

"erl, honestly, it's okay."

he looked down at where your fingers rested against his skin before meeting your eyes again.

"was he making you uncomfortable?"

you thought about it for a moment. "a little."

that was all it took.

without saying another word, erling reached for you, his hands settling gently around your waist as he guided you across the mattress until you were sitting sideways on his lap, his arms wrapping around you almost instinctively before pulling you firmly against his bare chest.

"erling..." you laughed softly.

he simply buried his face into your shoulder. “don't say it’s fine when it’s not.”

you smiled to yourself, your arms naturally finding their way around his neck as you stroked your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"i'm okay, i promise. he was just so persistent it was annoying.”

he tightened his arms around you ever so slightly, the embrace somehow becoming even more secure as though every protective instinct inside him had quietly taken over, leaving you almost completely cocooned against his broad chest.

after a few moments, he shifted the two of you further up the bed until he was lying back against the pillows with you tucked comfortably into his side, one of his arms beneath your shoulders whilst the other remained firmly around your waist, keeping you so close that there wasn't even the smallest gap between your bodies.

"comfortable?" you teased, smiling to yourself as you realised there was absolutely no chance of escaping his grip.

he simply hummed. “very."

you laughed quietly, attempting to readjust your body slightly. "i can't move."

"good." he replied.

"you're squashing me." you half complained but really, you loved it. you never felt safer than being all wrapped up in his arms, even if that did mean struggling to breathe.

he loosened his hold by the tiniest amount before immediately pulling you straight back against him again, pressing a kiss into the top of your head as he intertwined his fingers with yours beneath the duvet.

"better?"

"not really." you spoke, sarcasm clear in your voice as you exaggerated a little sigh.

"good."

you couldn't help but laugh as you felt him smile into your hair, his fingers absent mindedly rubbing slow circles against your side whilst the steady rise and fall of his chest gradually lulled the room into a comfortable silence.

"you're being very clingy."

he shrugged against you. “i’m allowed."

"are you?" you glanced up at him, his eyes now closed. he just mumbled in agreement. “why?"

he was quiet for a moment before kissing your forehead. “because i spent ninety minutes on a football pitch today."

you looked up at him. “and?"

"and whilst i was out there..." he murmured, gently brushing his thumb across your waist, "...some idiot wouldn't take no for an answer."

you smiled softly before nestling yourself impossibly closer, earning another content little squeeze from the giant norwegian wrapped around you.

"i only want you.” you replied and he tutted, hating the idea of you thinking you had to defend yourself to him all because some guy wouldn’t leave you alone.

“i know baby, and i only want you. forever.”