Chapter Twenty-Two

It filled Kylian with excitement and affection when he entered Sapphie's office; they were now a couple. It still filled him with wonder whenever he thought about it. When he walked in, he noticed Sapphie's solemn expression with a phone to her ear, her belongings partially packed and at her desk. She had been crying. Her shoulders were slumped. Kylian's heart sank at the sight, and he immediately went over to her, sitting down on the corner of her desk right in front of her and drawing her into his arms just as she ended the call.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft.

Sapphie looked down at him, her face downcast.

"Work is just frustrating me, Kylian." She said, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

Her words had him frowning.

"What?" she asked.

"That's it?" He asked.

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" When he saw the expression on hr face change, Kylian was quick to clarify.

"It's just that it wasn't what I was expecting you to say. I just heard that my mother came around and I thought..." he shrugged then gestured at her.

"Ah, that." She let out a little laugh, then pecked his cheek before going back to packing up her stuff. "That was a good chat, actually."

"Really?" He asked, sceptically.

"Really." She nodded as she finished up and pulled him along so they could start leaving. But Kylian pulled her back to stand between his legs and trapped her by winding his arms around her waist.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yeah, what do you want me to say?" she laughed.

"I don't know, something like what did you actually talk about?"

"I can't do that. I'd be breaking the girl code."

"The last time you two saw each other, you had an entirely different reaction to having 'a chat' with her. I'm curious to know what changed?"

Kylian was referring to the night they had dinner with his family. After he took her back home, he remembered the look in her eyes when he mentioned his mother. He knows she'd had a good time with his family, but it wasn't a secret to him that mom had intimidated the heck out of Sapphie.

"Since when do you have 'a code' with my mom?"

"Since today," she smiled with a roll of her eyes, "if you wanted to know so much about what we talked about, why didn't you join?"

"You're not telling me, are you?"

Sapphie shook her head. "Not a chance in this life." She patted his shoulder with a life.

"What if I..." he lifted his hands, his fingers wiggling in the air.

"Tickling me won't help you either, Kylian." She laughed with a shake of her head.

"Darn, I guess I was going to lose that battle anyway," he said, then cupped her face in his hands. "Will you at least tell me what was bothering you when I came in? That looked like some conversation."

He nodded his head in the general direction of her office landline.

"Things are going wrong, and Pierre is being hard on me for it. I just need one thing to go right." Kylian's heart went out to her, and he hugged her tighter.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"As much as I'd appreciate that, I have to figure this out on my own. I wouldn't be any good at my job if I had some sort of get out of jail free card at every speed bump I hit. I have to prove it to my boss and myself that I am capable, which is just..." she shook her head and laid it on Kylian's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Saph," he said.

All Kylian could do was allow the silence between them to remain as he caressed her back. The only thing he could do now to comfort her. As he allowed the comfortable silence to stretch between them, his mind raced a mile a minute, trying to come up with something that could cheer her up then...

Kylian got up from where he was sitting, walked behind her chair and motioned for her to take a seat.

"I know exactly what you need," He said as he started kneading her shoulders. Like butter, Sapphie instantly melted as Kylian massaged the knots away.

"What?" she asked.

"You need to relax and watch the game tomorrow night."

Sapphie sighed, turning to look up at him, "Kylian, I watch your games every time. Literally!"

"No, I don't mean as an employee. Either way, you never really watch the game. Half the time you're always watching and waiting for our kit to give up on us."

He added, "I never mentioned it before, but I have noticed that you're a little more stressed about work—speaking of which are these grey hairs?" he touched her hair.

"What?!" Sapphie jolted from the chair the same instant her hands went up to touch her hair, her eyes wide with shock.

"Relax, I'm only kidding." He chuckled.

"That's not funny Kylian." She punched him in the arm.

"Maybe, but your face was." He said, but when she continued pouting at him, he pulled her into his arms.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. The point was, I saw how work was stressing you more than usual and I thought that maybe it would be a good idea for you to join my family in the box... and just enjoy the game."

He was talking about her taking a day off and joining his family in the VIP box. The iconic box.

"Really?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I had been thinking about it for a while and I suppose this is a great time to do it."

"Not going to lie, it sounds so tempting, an entire game I can watch while I'm off my feet." She moaned as he resumed massaging her after returning to her seat.

"Apart from celebrating our goals, yes. Then later we can go out with the guys to celebrate. I think it would be a great way for you to unwind and relax."

"Celebrate? What if you lose and miss your chance at the quarter finals?"

"Wow, what I know for sure is you're going to lose the 'most supportive girlfriend trophy' with that attitude."

"Sorry," she turned in her seat to look up at him, "I promise I wasn't trying to be pessimistic. I just meant what if... you know?"

"Fine. Let's just say I have a feeling we'll win. After all, I have a new lucky charm." He kissed her cheek.

"Yeah right," she rolled her eyes.

"I know! I have an idea that might help you forget about work for a little while. How about we go to a party together tonight? A couple of the guys are going to celebrate us getting into the quarterfinals, and."

Sapphie pulled back to look at him, her eyes widening in surprise.

Game night, Sapphie sat between Kylian's mother and his sister-in-law, her eyes glued to the football pitch below. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the stadium. The crowd was electric, cheering and chanting as the players ran back and forth across the field.

So, this is what it felt like to root for someone you were close to in the UCL? She thought. Sapphie understood why football fans cherished the atmosphere of a stadium. It was amazing.

Sapphie couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as she watched Kylian play. She knew how hard he'd worked to get to where he was and it was moments like these that made it all worth it. As the match progresses, Sapphie once more found it easy and enjoyable to chat with his family. They talked about everything, from their families to her dreams after completing school.

The final whistle marked PSG's victory and a spot in the UCL quarter finals, causing ecstatic cheers at Parc des Princes. Kylian, with a huge smile, joined his team, which was forming a victory circle near their benches. He looked up at their box and waved before blowing a kiss in their general direction. While his mother and Melissa reciprocated the gesture, all Sapphie could do in case the cameras were on their trio waved and raised her thumbs up. She couldn't help but smile like a kid in a cany store.

After the match, she and Kylian joined the rest of the team at an exclusive party to celebrate their victory. As expected, the team was in high spirits, drinking and dancing together. Though they'd gotten so much closer before, they celebrated as if it was the first time PSG had ever got this close to winning the UCL. They mingled with Kylian's teammates, enjoying the food and drinks as they chatted and laughed the night away. It was just what Sapphie needed.

For a few hours, she forgot about all her worries and just enjoyed herself. Kylian was by her side the whole time, holding her hand and making her laugh with his silly jokes and terrible dancing. Kylian spun Sapphie on the dance floor, their bodies moving in time to the music. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

"See? You're my lucky charm, Sapphie. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Sapphie blushed and giggled, feeling a rush of excitement at Kylian's words. "But I was just in the stands."

"Knowing that you were in the stands, cheering for me like that, helped more than you know."

"Well then, in that case, you're welcome. Besides, I'm also lucky to have you, too."

Kylian pulled her even closer, his hands roaming over her back, "Then I guess we make a great couple."

Sapphie felt a shiver run down her spine at his words. "And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us," she said.

Kylian grinned, his heart swelling again for Sapphie, "Me neither. I just know it's going to be amazing," he replied.

They danced together, lost in the music and the moment that they didn't see the flash of a camera as it took a picture of them.