You sat waiting on the sofa, bundled under blankets, wearing one of Kylian's sweatshirts with grey pajama shorts and fluffy socks, surrounded by tissue boxes, empty Pot Noodle boxes and the kitchen bin, filled with used tissues. You were waiting for him to get back, to comfort him from his loss. You'd watched his expression on the TV and knew how frustrated he was. You were ill but still wanted to attend, but Kylian had insisted you remain at home.
You still had around an hour before he was expected to return, so you begrudgingly got up, cleaned up the living room and prepared him some pasta to eat when he returned. You'd just returned to the sofa, wrapping yourself back into the blanket, when you heard the front door open and shut. You got up and saw Kylian walking towards you, his head low, wearing a black hoodie and jeans. He looked up and saw you and you opened his arms for him. He burrowed himself into your neck as you held him.
You stayed there for what felt like a long time as you stood there, stroking his back, stroking his head, kissing his forehead. After around 5 minutes, you felt your shirt get wet and you felt your eyes well up. "Kylian, bébé, it's okay." He pulled himself out of your arms and wiped his eyes, avoiding yours. When he spoke, his voice was deep and cracked.
"I know mon amour but I let everybody down." He wandered over to the sofa and collapsed into it, his hands over his face. You wandered over and knelt down beside him, rubbing his hand. He was often like this. He hated disappointing his team and his fans. He felt like he let you down and he hated that the most.
You gently sat beside him and uncovered his face, wiping his tears with your thumb. "Chéri, you could never let me down. I will always be proud of you. Your team will always be proud of you. The fans will always love you, you are their saving grace." He sat up and nodded, but stayed silent. You sighed and went to give him a kiss on his forehead. You lingered there for a second and his arms wrapped around the back of your thighs, bringing you even closer to him, his head pressed into your stomach.
You pulled away and bundled your blanket around him. "Wait mon amour. I will be back." You wandered into the kitchen, grabbed the bowl of pasta and a fork and returned to find him in the same position. He smelt the pasta and looked up, a glint in his eyes.
"Merci mon amour." You handed him the food and then he patted his knee. You lay on the sofa and lay your head on his knee and he covered you in the throw. As he finished eating and came back from washing the bowl, you stared at the TV as a replay of the match highlights came on. You shot up as he returned and stood in front of the TV.
He came into eye-line and looked at you and chuckled. "Chéri, it's fine. I can handle it." You smiled sadly and rolled your eyes playfully, before sneezing. He laughed at your sneeze and walked towards you and picked you up bridal-style. He draped the blanket on you and you snuggled into his chest. "You were looking after me when I was supposed to watch you. Je suis désolé bébé."
You nodded absentmindedly, as you were already falling asleep in his arms. You heard him murmur "Je t'aime", before you fell asleep.
