Chapter 175: Watching
"Damn, he really made it, didn’t he?"
Chloe heard the voice beside her and turned slightly to see her twin brother, Jason. He was sitting on the low coach, his eyes locked on the TV screen with an intensity that made him look almost statuesque. The usual mischievous spark was absent; instead, his brow was furrowed in concentration, his lips pressed into a thin, solemn line. He hadn’t moved his gaze for a solid minute, completely absorbed.
Chloe glanced at him for a moment, studying her twin’s unusual seriousness. Jason’s hair was tousled from an earlier jog around the room, strands sticking to his forehead, and his athletic frame leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together as if bracing for something. His whole posture spoke of someone bracing for impact — thoughtful, heavy-hearted.
She looked back to the screen, anticipation bubbling beneath her calm exterior.
Even before she glanced up, she knew exactly what Jason meant. The unmistakable walkout had begun.
One by one, the players emerged from the tunnel, the bright floodlights illuminating the immaculate green of the pitch beneath the grey, overcast sky. It was eerily silent — no roars, no cheers, just the faint echo of their cleats on the turf and the soft murmur of their breath in the cold air.
Then Chloe’s eyes caught him. Number 19.
David.
He looked younger than the rest of the squad — leaner, less filled out, the kind of rawness only a rising star carried. His face was fresh, a little more boy than man, but his eyes held something far older. Something weighty.
Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t been watching him for long — just a little over a year now — ever since that day she tuned in to watch her brother play and noticed him instead. Since then, she’d followed every match, every training clip, every triumph and stumble. And now, seeing him walk out there — the boy who had left the neighborhood club to chase a dream — felt almost surreal.
Jason broke the silence again, his voice low, almost a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the fragile atmosphere. "Seeing him now... starting for Manchester United... maybe I overreacted a bit when he left."