Far from the tense atmosphere of yesterday's press conference and the football fields, Steven, in a stylish suit, reached for the wine glass on the table. As he slowly held the glass, he looked around. The wedding hall was filled with cheerful laughter, lively conversations, and romantic music playing in the background. Dominated by white and gold tones, this enchanting venue, specially prepared for the bride and groom, resembled a fairytale land. Although Steven tried to immerse himself in this warm and sincere atmosphere, he once again felt that he didn't belong in such places.
"Everyone is so happy and friendly, how lovely," he thought. With a slightly somber expression on his face, he added, "But I'm really not a man for these environments." The crowds, the noise, and the artificial pleasantries were the exact opposite of the disciplined and harsh world of football he had been used to for years. He was like a wall in the middle of the field, trying to stop the opponents' attack all by himself. Here, he was expected to be a part of this crowd.
Just as he was lost in these thoughts, a hand took his arm. When he turned his head, he found himself facing Carmen, Grant's sister. Carmen was wearing a bright dress, and she looked at Steven with a cheerful and energetic demeanor. In her eyes, instead of the marks of yesterday's match and sadness, there was the excitement of the wedding. "You never had a girlfriend because of that stern look of yours," Carmen said in a playful tone. She smiled with tiny wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes and added: "Would it kill you to try and smile a little?"
Carmen's sudden closeness made Steven uncomfortable. For years, he had learned to suppress his emotions, to be tough and unapproachable. Such intimacy was an unusual situation for him. He immediately stepped back: "Don't just take my arm, people will get the wrong idea." Carmen, ignoring this reaction, tilted her head with an innocent expression: "So what if they do?" Then, with a mischievous look, she put her hand over her mouth: "Or is it because you like me that you never got a girlfriend?" And she lightly tapped Steven's shoulder: "You're quite a flirt yourself."
Steven's face turned red. He felt more nervous than taking a penalty shot in front of thousands of fans on the football field. "Will you stop talking nonsense? Everyone is looking at us because of you."
This time, Carmen replied in a calmer voice: "Since when do you care about the people around you?" This question touched Steven's inner world. For years, he had lived by his own rules, not caring what others thought. But now, next to this young girl, he felt the weight of the people's stares. Steven smiled involuntarily. "I pay attention to them, especially when you are next to me."
This answer made Carmen's cheeks flush. "If you always smiled like that, you would have had a girlfriend a long time ago," she muttered to herself. Steven, unable to understand her silence, asked: "What happened?" Carmen, composing herself, replied calmly: "Nothing." She turned her head to the left to change the subject: "Forget about that, tell me what happened at yesterday's press conference."
Carmen turned back to Steven and smirked mischievously: "I heard that if people hadn't held you back, you would have beaten up one of the reporters, is that true?"
Steven took a sip of his wine and replied calmly: "That's a complete lie."
Carmen didn't believe the answer. She held her stomach and laughed out loud: "Yeah, right, it's definitely a lie. The footage was even on TV."
Steven looked at her sternly but in a funny way: "If you know, why are you asking?"
Carmen replied with a smile: "Because I love bothering you."
After this sentence, Steven looked at Carmen with a normal expression and thought, "What is this girl's problem with me?"
Just then, the wedding hall doors opened with a loud noise, and the groom and bride entered. Grant's face, showing no trace of the sadness from yesterday's final, was filled with the excitement of a man living the happiest moment of his life. Hand in hand, they began to walk through the hall with loving gazes. Everyone stood up and started applauding. As Steven looked at Grant, he thought, "This is how you should smile. If yesterday was our saddest day, today should be our happiest day."
Carmen shouted while applauding: "Here's the second most handsome man in the world!"
Steven turned to her in surprise: "Who's the first?"
Carmen looked across and replied: "Of course, it's my b-... Of course, it's my brother, I'm just kidding."
Steven was surprised by this sudden change of answer. "What's going on?" he thought, a question mark appearing in his mind. This girl was really hard to deal with.
At that moment, a little girl was pulling on Steven's pants. Only her voice was heard: "Autograph, autograph."
Steven looked at the child. She had a football with autographs on it. The admiration in the little girl's eyes touched the weary man inside Steven. Steven bent down and asked calmly: "Tell me, how did you get in here?"
The little girl replied innocently: "Since I'm small, nobody noticed."
Steven smiled and replied: "You're so clever. Isn't your family here too?"
The girl held the ball up to her face and insisted: "Autograph, autograph."
Steven took the ball and said: "I'll sign it, but after that, you'll go straight to your family. Okay?"
The girl nodded. Steven took his pen out of his jacket's inner pocket and signed the ball. Under his signature, he wrote a note for the little girl: "Never give up."
He handed the ball to the girl. The girl held the ball and spoke again: "Will you marry me?"
Steven burst into laughter at this innocent and unexpected proposal. For years, he had thought he was only married to football. But now, this little girl's proposal reminded him of the other beauties of life. He put his hand on the girl's head and replied with a smile: "If you're still a fan of me after you've grown up, then yes, is it a deal?"
The girl nodded her head. Steven took his hand away and spoke again: "Now it's time to go to your family."
The girl turned her back and ran away. The pure joy on that little girl's face made Steven forget the weight of yesterday's defeat for a moment.
From a distance, the priest could be heard having the bride and groom exchange their wedding vows. Afterwards, the bride and groom were on the dance floor for their first dance. Steven sat on a chair, out of breath. "I thought it was going to be a short ceremony?" he thought. "I'm completely exhausted."
The thoughts that summarized Steven's situation were conveyed to the reader like a note: "He hates crowded places. He doesn't like to talk to people much." These two sentences reflected the most fundamental characteristics of Steven's character. He was not an outgoing person; social interactions wore him out.
Suddenly, Grant came over with a glass in his hand and spoke: "Drink some water, you'll feel better."
Steven took the glass and drank without even asking what it was. But the taste was very different from the water he knew. He immediately spat it out and yelled at Grant: "This is wine!"
Grant laughed at this funny situation: "I can't believe you fell for that."
Steven shrugged and said: "You and your sister, you're both crazy."
Grant was still laughing: "You're the one who's friends with these two crazy people."
Steven, with a smile on his face, spoke calmly: "Why are you here? You should be with your wife."
Grant spoke in a panic: "Um... I have a favor to ask. You know I don't know how to drive, could you drive us home in the wedding car?"
Steven got up and said: "I thought you were going to ask for something difficult." He looked at Grant and held out his hand: "Let me have the keys."
Grant took the keys out of his pocket and handed them over, replying happily: "What would I do without you?"
Steven said nothing and started walking. He left the hall. The cold air outside felt good, unlike the heat inside. As he walked down the stairs, he looked at the road. He saw the little girl. "Strange," he thought. "Why is the little girl still here? Is she lost?"
Just then, one of the people walking on the road carelessly bumped into the girl. Her ball flew into the street, and the girl ran after it.
Steven shouted: "Stop!"
A car was coming fast from the girl's left. Steven did not hesitate for a moment. Like a defender trying to stop a ball from going out of bounds, he began to run with all his might. The girl picked up the ball from the ground and smiled. At that moment, the horn of the car coming from her left echoed throughout the street. The girl looked to her left. The car was about to hit her.
At the last moment, Steven, with one final move, pushed the girl to the other side. The car hit Steven. Steven's body, like in a movie scene, flew through the air and fell about 2 meters away. Due to the noise, the people from the wedding also ran outside.
Grant saw Steven and spoke in astonishment: "No, it can't be."
He immediately started running. He saw Steven on the ground. More than the pain in his body, he began to tremble with the shock of witnessing his best friend's situation. Tears streamed down his face. Carmen had also arrived from behind, looking at Steven in shock.
Grant slowly approached Steven, bent down, and started to speak through sobs: "I knew I wouldn't be on the same field as you one day. But I don't want it to be like this. Don't even think about dying. Do you know how many team offers I rejected just to play football and win trophies with you? So please don't die, my friend, please."
Steven, with a heavy and weak voice, held Grant's arm and said: "I knew about all of this. But I didn't know you rejected them for me... I'm sorry."
Grant held Steven's arm and said: "Don't be sorr-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Steven spoke: "Don't think about me anymore and go to the team you want. But no matter what, win trophies. Promise?"
Grant covered his face with his other hand and spoke through sobs: "I promise, I'll win no matter what."
After that sentence, Steven let go of his arm and his eyes closed. He had said his last words, and he would keep his last promise. The legendary defender Steven Fox had played his last match at his best friend's wedding. And this time, instead of saving a penalty, he had saved a life.