Football preferences

Sparks- Kevin De Bruyne

It was a quite evening for you. As you started getting used to the life in Manchester, with the sheet quiteness it possessed, home back in India, was something you immensely missed.
It's been a week since you've come here, as you will be the head of the marketing operations for Manchester City FC. It was very unexpected for you as it was your first real job, since you're 24. Maybe all those internships and uni assignments made up for it.
You were gearing up for tomorrow as it would be your first day tomorrow meeting the team and Pep. You'd be in direct contact with him all throughout. You didn't have a lot of expectations of gelling along with the footballers and you hoped things would be as professional as possible.

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"I am Sabrina Kapoor, nice to meet you!", Alright this one was better than the previous one. I sat in front of the mirror, anxious for my first day tomorrow. I already triple-checked to ensure my outfit for tomorrow was perfect and I had everything I needed ready. There was a growing panic phase which happens whenever I am clueless.
Why am I clueless though? I had everything I needed to and practiced over the presentation over and over again.
"Sleep will do me good", I said to my self as I combed my hair and ensured I had my bed ready. There were times when I wished I could just call my mother and hear her voice calm me down. Stupid time difference. She already must be dozing off or busy. Whew! It's getting late and I shall sleep and I set my alarm and dozed off.

[6:00 AM] alarm goes off:
Beep
Beep
Beep
Beep
"UGH!", I groan as I get up and stare at my phone groggily, if only I could sleep more. But I am someone who takes ages to dress up and even though I live only twenty minutes from the MCFC HQ, I need to be on time. I was supposed to reach there at 8 am.

"Perfect!  Okay Sabz you can do this", I encouraged myself and dressed into a pencil skirt and a formal blazer and button down shirt. I sighed and quickly put my heels on and ensured there is decent makeup on my face to make me look less like a 'morning monster'.
I quickly put some eyeliner on to complement my green eyes and hurried down. "All I need now is for my cab to come quickly". I keep saying to myself, until it showed up five minutes late. Oh did I forget to mention I am a freak when it comes to reaching a place on time. I ensure I do it. I am a minor punctuality freak!
I reach the MCFC HQ at 7:50am.

Little cheers of celebration for me!
I quickly go inside to find myself ever so confused and shy to speak up.
I suddenly see a guy approaching in formals towards me.
"Great!" I said to myself, I bet he is a fellow worker, since his glares hid his face, which was rather too blushed for a gloomy rainy  day.
I approached him with a slight hand raise not to look rude.
"Excuse me, hello, can you tell me where the arena conference room is? It's my first day here and I need to ensure I am there on time to meet Pep.". I said, rather hurriedly
"Hello, to you too! Sure I'll show you the way," he said, with a rather foreign accent, pleasing to hear and so calming, as he guided me towards the elevator.

"I am Kevin, by the way..." He said smiling.
"Hello, I am Sabrina, lovely to meet you", I said, ensuring I am on the same level of enthusiasm as him. I almost mentally slap myself for not recognizing Kevin de Bruyne right away. Maybe he doesn't know me yet so he is probably not judging me for not knowing the people I work with. I am not an avid football watcher, so I did my homework on everything I felt I  needed to know about it. 
The elevator hit the 2nd floor, ending our short journey. He smiled in a friendly manner and led me to a room marked " conference room 1".

Inside Conference Room 1:

There is a man sitting in a chair faced back to me. As soon as I enter with Kevin, the man quickly turns his chair around. And it is none other than Pep Guardiola.

" Hello Sabrina, it is pleasure to meet you!" he greeted with a friendly smile as I accepted his handshake. " Ah Kevin, you're an early bird chap! Always the first one to show up in the practice as well. Sabrina, we may have to wait sometime as  the other team mates aren't so punctual, sadly,  but you can set the things up, if you have prepared something for today", he said as he walked out of the room to attend a phone call. I was awkwardly leaning to the  wall, till I realized that Kevin is still in the room and busy on his phone  now, so I better get my laptop out and do a quick revision. It was then when in a hurry, I suddenly dropped my mobile phone on the ground and let out a little cuss in Hindi, when Kevin looked up with an amused face. 

"what did you just say?" he asked in a friendly inquiring manner. "Nothing, just a little something in Hindi, no point explaining it since it is not relevant", I say a little hesitant as I gaze at my phone and smile, seeing it is all in one piece. "Ohh, you're from India, that is why you have such a beautiful exotic accent", he said now smiling with cheekily. "well you're no less in the exotic accent game, very pleasing to hear, I must say!" I tease him along. Both of us blushing unaware about the reason why.

"Well, do you require any help at all?" he asked sweetly. "No", I politely declined. It was 8:25 when almost everyone of the players and the other staff were finally there.

"everyone, this is Sabrina Kapoor", Pep enthusiastically introduced me, as I waved and went forward to give my introduction myself.

"Hello everyone. My name is Sabrina and I will be the head of your marketing operations for this season, and most likely the coming others, if we get along well. After doing some extensive research, i have figured out some of the ways, to improve the current status of our social media structure and have also created individual strategies for each one of your profiles, which I will explain in a while.", I said as I sensed that it would be better to have a little ice-breaker rather than just dropping out statistical data in front of them.

Since you have nothing else planned for today, I felt it better to try and know each one of you individually and hold one to one sessions with you all. there was a little chuckle in the audience and i realized in what way my statement was taken. Boys! I say to myself and resume.

So I have prepared this sheet,and it has a list of who all will be going when. David, you're up first so let's get going. We sat in this tiny cubicle and we discussed the briefings for over ten minutes.

After David, were Sergio, Leroy, Kyle and then finally Kevin.

[Enter Kevin]

"Hello, I think we have met before", he says as he walks inside, with that cheeky grin on his face. 

"Have we?,I suppose you're simply mistaken" I shoot back to him. "You're one sassy girl, he says arms up in defeat.

"Ah you don't even know me for a proper day and already a psychoanlysis is presumed by MR. de Bruyne, I say with a smirk.

"Can I sit down?", he asks like a little school boy. "Yes surely, " I say. The first five minutes go about talking on how to improve his audience engagement on instagram, when he suddeny pops up the question, "so, I have a doubt in my mind. I plan to put an instagram story, but the query is solved upon your answer to it.." he says, thinking if it made enough sense. "And what would that query /question be.." I asked, genuinely pleased, someone was asking me questions regarding the plans I bestowed for them. 

"The question is, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?",he says as his cheeks start transitioning from a pink to a bright red. He almost regrets what he just says, as my expression is someone who is dumstruck. "Leave it, I should have not brought it up, I only know you for some time, now, and as you said not even a day..." he said, shyly, now getting embarrased, having already thought I would say no.

"Well, Kevin, now instagram stories are quite a wonder concept. And I feel that it would be better if the picture is clicked of the famous spaghetti of the Auburn hues restraunt, if that is where you would be willing to take me," I say and add a wink to it, lighting his face up.

"Are you serious about it? Would you like to go on a date... umm.. I meant dinner with me?" Kevin asked now like an eager teen. "Yes, I'd love to, I am already thinking of the '87 merlot that is the exclusivity there," i say looking straight at him, teasingly. "Well, Sabrina, I think my conversations would interest you more, I dare to challenge you now", he said with a hint of naughtiness in his eyes. "Ah! we'll see about that!", I say as I notice it's about time the next player ought to come. He took out his phone as we exchanged numbers.

"My, my , its my first day here and I am already going or planning dinners, kudos to professional me, I stand up as I aid him to the door", he looks at me deeply, and says "Let me call you soon," and he quickly escaped.

I just looked at the door and with an open jaw, re-living the past five minutes, till there was a slight wave in front of my face. "Can I come in?" said John Stones. I regained my composure and said, " yes, yes, sorry about that, please do sit", as I closed the door behind him, smiling.

It's hard to imagine that the whole 'sparks fly instantly' quote can be realistic when it has to be. Who would've thought I'd gone on a dinner and maybe even more potential ones with KDB. I smiled and smiled.

I'll be happy here. I say to myself.