Right Place to Say "I Love You" - Kenan Yildiz

9: A Game of Frustration

The next morning, Isabella went into work early. She needed a distraction, something to clear her head. She was appointed to Juventus training grounds, working on some video segments for the club's social media. She kept her head down, trying to stay out of Kenan's sight, though she knew that couldn't last forever.

And sure enough, at one point during the day, as she was packing up her equipment, she heard his voice from behind.

"Isabella."

She froze for a moment before turning to face him. Kenan stood there, a smile on his face.

"I didn't know you were working over here today" He said, with the kind of tone that indicated he'd expect Isabella to let him know she was going to be there, or try to go see him at least.

She swallowed hard and felt a tinge of guilt, she wanted to look for him and speak to him the moment she'd arrived that morning, but she just wasn't ready for the conversation she had to have with him.

"Yeah, I've been asked to get some content filmed here today," she responded, her facial expression unreadable as she figured out how she was going to tell him about what her boss said.

"Well, you can film me any time." Kenan said cheerfully.

Isabella let out a small chuckle at his comment before straightening herself up. "Actually Kenan, if you have a minute, I need to talk to you. In private."

He seemed to be caught off guard but nodded. "Okay sure..."

Isabella led him to the empty dressing rooms just off the training pitch. She needed a quiet spot where they wouldn't be disturbed. She stopped just at steps of the entrance. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension between them hung heavy in the air.

"Is everything okay?" Kenan finally asked, his voice steady but tinged with concern.

Isabella sighed, shrugging slightly. "Basically..." she thought carefully before continuing, "I had a conversation with Antonio yesterday. You know, my boss."

Kenan nodded along, clueless as to what she was about to tell her.

"He... he gave me some advice, if you could call it that. It felt like more of a warning to be honest."

Kenan's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "What did he say?"

"It was about us. Me and you. He knows we've been spending time with each other outside of work, somehow. That we've been spotted more than once. He advised me to keep my distance from you."

Kenan goes to speak but Isabella continues.

"He thinks it's bad for the club's reputation if it got into the wrong hands and people started talking. He thinks it could seriously affect my career here—and... yours."

Kenan let out a frustrated breath, shaking his head. "What?!" He rubbed his forehead as he took in the information. "What does anything between us have to do with him or the club reputation? Wait, is this why you've been avoiding me?"

Isabella took a deep breath as the questions came. Kenan was obviously not happy with this whatsoever. And he'd noticed how I'd been with him over the past day. Connected the dots.

"I think we need some space." It cost her to say it. But she just let it out.

Kenan sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to stay calm. He composed himself after a second and reached for her hand, looking straight into her eyes.

"Isabella. Fans, the press—they're always watching, waiting for something to tear apart. But I don't care about any of that. I care about you."

She hated this conversation, and his face of disappointment at her words. But she had to go through with it.