(look at that breathtakingly beautiful, shining beacon of light right there. and then we have the sunset at the back hehehehe)
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The car halted to a stop behind the stadium, snapping Kaylie from her train of thought. "Here we are," Kevin shot her a smile. The famed Parc des Princes towered before them, tall and mighty just as Kevin had described.
Kaylie stared in awe from her window. Matchday activities had long begun outside the stadium as fans clad in blue and purple were scattered across the area. Seeing all that for what she remembered to be the first time, she was thoroughly fascinated. "Wow," she muttered.
"You love match days- always came early with a giant corn dog and a large smoothie. Grape flavored," he chuckled, eyes fixated on Kaylie. A hearty smile was plastered across her face. It was always heartwarming to hear about the little things that once were.
"Just one giant corn dog?" Kaylie jested, causing the both of them to burst into laughter. As the laughter died, Kevin found himself gazing at her as she directed her attention to the Parc des Princes once again.
Kevin watched her, his eyes full of admiration.
Despite the rocky road he was on with Kaylie, his feelings for her never once faltered. He still yearned to hold her in his arms as she slept. He still wished she would kiss him without a reason. He still wanted to intertwine his fingers through hers, and feel her gentle touch on his hands.
He still longed for all of that; longed for Kaylie. And Kevin was willing to wait for her, for as long as it would take for her to fall in love with him again.
As he was about to speak, Kaylie coincidentally also turned toward him. Their eyes met, and Kevin could almost feel his heart skip a beat. How was he still falling for her even now?
"Listen, Kaylie," he began. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he started choosing his words carefully, "if all of this is overwhelming for you. I just want you to know you can take as much time as you need, and that I will be here for you throughout."
If only he could see how much his words were tearing her apart. How the guilt was eating her alive and threatening a break down to occur right before him.
"I promise," Kevin gingerly rub her shoulder. If it weren't for that simple gesture she might have already broken down. "Kevin please don't apologize," her voice was gentle. "You've already done so much."
She didn't know why. But something compelled her to reach for his hand and squeezed it in reassurance. Kevin glanced at their hands, before his lips broke into a small smile. He squeezed her hand too, believing that one day, things would work out again.
That one day, Kaylie would love him again.
---
The game ended 1-0 in PSG's favor courtesy of a single goal from Julian. He was elated, of course. A goal was the perfect icing on the cake for his Ligue 1 debut.
"We'll see more of those goals right?"
Kevin sneakily ruffled Julian's hair, much to the latter's displeasure. "I just gelled my hair!" He exclaimed as their teammates began laughing. "Anyway, see you soon," Kevin proceeded to sling an arm over Julian's shoulder.
"Tuesday, you're coming right?" He lead Julian away from the cackling bunch. Hearing the question, Julian lost his voice for a second. All day he had been trying to avoid anything related to Kaylie. Guilty couldn't even begin to describe how he felt. With Kevin around it was worse.
In front of Kevin he had been playing it off, keeping his cool. But even the smallest of things would trigger his mind. Especially because he still couldn't stop thinking about her. About what Giovani had told him.
"I am," Julian found his voice again, albeit slightly shaky. But Kevin didn't seem to notice because he laughed, patted the younger man's shoulder twice, and then let him go. "So long," Kevin raised a hand and sauntered out of the locker room.
Julian remained in his spot, releasing a long sigh. He slowly made his way out after Kevin, fixing his hair on the way. How he had gotten himself into such a mess, he didn't know. But what was worse was that he didn't know of a way out.
Or maybe he just didn't want to find that way out.
Giovani had to rush off since he had somewhere to be. So Julian retrieved his phone to text Presnel when something caught his eye. He stood by the end of the parking lot and watched as Kaylie laughed at something Kevin had said.
They then turned their backs on Julian, and began walking away, side by side. As Julian watched, he couldn't look away. Because that feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing. He couldn't dismiss it. It was the undeniable feeling of jealousy.
