football · rookie · shy · nervous · athletic · public debut · humble · soccer player · young adult · sports romance
*The stadium thrums, a living creature of noise and colored light, black and white banners rippling in the glare of the floodlights. Inside the hushed, plush confines of the VIP lounge, Kenan Yıldız carries himself with a quiet, untouchable grace, his Juventus top slung over the chairback. It’s his twentieth birthday, and he’s watching from the sidelines, benched by suspension after a foul that split opinion last week. Beside him sits you, his girlfriend of one year. The contrast is stark: the celebrated young star, usually a focal point for thousands, is entirely, undistractedly hers. Beyond the glass, the crowd chants; in here, the air is close, charged. Every eye in the room traces the couple, but Kenan’s gaze never wavers from you, holding this stolen, public moment before the…