Luce di Stella • Kenan Yildiz

Chapter 37: Christmas Party Showdown with Uncle John

🎶 Glasgow Love Theme — Craig Armstrong 🎶

Kenan POV

"Do we really have to go to this?" Dilara whined.
"Yeah, it's kinda my office Christmas party" I huffed, not really in a mood to re-visit Uncle John and his house, but it was what it was.
"We could just stay in and cuddle" she pouted, making a cute face and I smiled at her before pinching her cheek.
"Just an hour or so, we'll say hi to the important people and then we can go" I told her as I caressed her cheek.

"I don't like you talking to her" she mumbled, looking at the floor.
"I thought you wanted to be her friend?" I teased her, not really understanding why she wanted that in the first place. Girls were mean to each other all the time, imagine wanting to be friends with your guy's ex?! I was never going to understand women.
"Of course. Who wouldn't want to be friends with her? She's rich and has all the connections" she huffed and I raised my eyebrows.

"That sounds a bit shallow" I commented but she shrugged.
"It's you who leaves me alone all the time and you're also the reason she doesn't want to be friends, so just... leave me alone while I'm trying to navigate this life" she said a bit harshly.
"You knew what you were getting into. I told you when we met" I snapped.
"Yes. But still... it's not easy, you should at least acknowledge that" she murmured and I sighed. With Bibi it was so easy. There were no big goodbyes or tears when I would leave for a game. And she would also understand when I'd spend a day off with some friends instead of her. She always understood. She was always there.

"Ok, I'm ready, let's go?" Dilara asked, snapping me out of my thoughts and I looked up at her. She looked nice, she was wearing a modest black dress that went below her knees and was covering her elbows. I liked that she didn't dress half-naked as most of the WAGs nowadays do, but then again, she was nothing like Bibi. It was unfair that my brain compared them with each other but Bibi, man... she was class. Money could and would never buy elegance. She had that inside and that was worth so much more than just dressing modestly.

Shit, I was drifting away with my thoughts again.
"Yes, let's go!" I said and smiled at her before pressing a kiss onto her temple and taking her hand. We walked downstairs to my Jeep and we drove the - to me - very familiar road to Uncle John's house.
"You think we'll ever live in a house like that?" Dilara chuckled and I laughed.
"No, I'll never be that rich. But we can buy a nice house by the sea, near your parents in Turkey when I retire" I said and smiled softly at her.
"That sounds nice" she replied happily and nodded.

We arrived at the mansion and the first people we ran into were the coach and his girlfriend, which was a good start. As my eyes wandered through the room, I saw the familiar faces of a bunch of Bibi's relatives and even if they tried to hide it, I felt them all eyeing me up and down with unappreciative looks.
"You want something to drink?" I asked Dilara, feeling the urge to move.
"Just some sparkling water, thanks" she said quietly and I saw her get approached by some other WAGs, so I felt ok about leaving her side.

"...and I'm telling you, she didn't eat for weeks! Thank the Heavens she had Dean... And now he shows up as if nothing happened with that plain Turkish girl..." I heard an old aunt whisper as I passed by. I started to feel sick, the walls were closing in on me and I felt just like the first time I was here. I took a few turns in the hallways, moving away from the people and stumbled into a room.

I took a few deep breaths before looking around to check out my surroundings - great, I had landed in Uncle John's study. On his wall across from his desk, I saw Charles Leclerc's racing suit next to... my jersey, which I had signed with a special dedication to him a few years ago.

For Uncle John
In you, I found guidance and wisdom, an uncle by choice, not by law. My gratitude for you is boundless.
Yours truly,
Kenan Yildiz

Fuck, I had let him down so badly.
"Well, hello there" I heard a familiar voice and I shuddered when I saw him. "What are you doing here?" Uncle John asked as he walked over to his mini bar and poured himself a glass of sherry.
"I... got lost" I mumbled.
"You? Got lost? You know your way around here better than 98% of the guests tonight" he chuckled and I tried to stay calm.

"You still have it..." I said and nodded at my framed jersey on his wall.
"Of course. You see... when I look up from my desk across there..." he said and pointed at his huge mahogany desk - "I'm reminded what happens when you trust people. It either rewards you with joy and happiness..." he said and pointed at Leclerc's fiery red racing suit. "But this..." he continued and pointed at my jersey. "This serves a reminder for getting betrayed and stabbed into your back by someone you thought was... family" he said calmly, but deadly, as he stared me down.

"Uncle John, I'm so sorry-" I started, but he cut me off.
"Oh, shove your apologies up your ass!" he yelled and my eyes widened, as I had never heard him raise his voice. "You asked me for my blessing to propose and next time I get a call from her, it's to tell me you left her!" he shouted.
"It was too much for me, I started to feel trapped! You should have known that a 21-year-old guy isn't ready to get married!" I argued back angrily.
"You were more than ready or do you think I would have given you my blessing if you hadn't been? No, you were just a coward!" he shouted.

"YES! YES I WAS! And she deserves better than that!" I yelled now and we looked at each other furiously, but I was the first to crack.
"Don't think I don't regret it. I was ready for her, for everything. I was even ready to convert - not for her, but out of conviction. But I started to panic, and it was my fault for not seeking help or talking to someone. If I could turn back time, I would, trust me. But I can't and that's why she deserves to move on." I said defeatedly.

We stood there in silence for a few minutes and I felt the tears burning in my eyes, I couldn't even move away, because I felt so guilty.
"You owe me a whole lot, so I want you to answer just one question, and I want you to be honest. To me, but more than that, to yourself" he said calmly. I nodded and buried my head in my hands, shaking it defeatedly.
"Why did you come back?" he asked and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

What should I say? There were so many reasons: Juve being my dream club, Italy being my favourite country, the quality of life, the salary I got offered, the prospect of playing in every major competition, and of course, her. I was a pretty good player and she deserved for her club to win everything possible in her first season as President. She had worked hard and she should be the one to earn the laurels and glory for that. If I could help to do that, I was going to do it, for her. And...

"I needed to be sure. Before getting married, I needed to be sure she moved on and there was nothing left between us" I replied, but Uncle John continued to stare straight into my eyes.
"And what is your conclusion?" he asked. I sighed and raised my eyebrows before giving him a look that said more than a thousand words.