"You were just going to leave without seeing me, huh?"

Tyler turned around and saw Jasmine standing a small distance away from him, crossing her hand with a teasing smile on her face.

"I was going to stop by your mum's restaurant". Tyler smiled back and started walking towards her. "I didn't expect you to wait that long".

Jasmine shrugged. "It wasn't that long".

When Tyler got to where Jasmine was standing, he pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his hands around her.

"You did good today". Jasmine said. Tyler had heard those words so many times after the match, but hearing it from Jasmine made it feel a lot more special. "Seriously, you were so cool whenever you had the ball. I could tell that the defenders wanted to kill you, and then..."

Tyler let Jasmine make a childish recap of the match, occasionally laughing, before smiling and thanking her for her assessment of his debut.

"Also, you stink". Jasmine scrunched up her nose, causing Tyler to burst into laughter once more.

"Nice try, but I definitely don't stink". Tyler said. The pair had already started walking down the road, back to what had already become their meeting place. "I took a shower before I left the locker room".

"You can smell bad even after a shower". Jasmine countered.

"I also made sure to spray an unholy amount of perfume before I left". Tyler said.

Jasmine smiled and raised her hand in mock surrender. "Fairs".

Tyler and Jasmine hadn't even walked very far, when they were stopped by a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He seemed very excited as he locked eyes with Tyler and came to him with a marker and a jersey.

"Hey man". The man said as soon as he got to where Tyler was. "Fantastic game today. Do you think you can sign on my jersey?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem". Tyler smiled and took the marker from the hands of the man. He heard his teammates complain about inconveniences like this a few times, but he didn't mind it. At least not yet. In fact, he was very excited about what was happen. So excited, that he was happier than the man who stumbled at him.

The man unfolded the jersey in his hand and Tyler saw that he had his number and name on it. The smile on his face became wider as soon as he noticed it and he signed it.

"Investing my stocks in you early. I know what I saw out there, you're going straight to the top". The man said before waving to Tyler and walking off.

"So.. you're famous now". Jasmine nudged Tyler playfully after the fan got his autograph.

"I guess I played a lot better than I thought". Tyler said.

"I don't even know how well you thought you played. You were the best player on your debut and even picked up the man of the match award. People are obviously going to recognize you". Jasmine said. "You have to find a way to deal with it".

After getting stopped a couple more times, Tyler started to find out why his teammates found situations like that annoying and went to get a facemask as well as a pair of sunglasses so that and Jasmine could walk the remaining distance to their destination.

When they got to Jasmine's mum's restaurant, they talked for a while. At first, they kept talking about the game, but then the conversation shifted to explore other topics. She asked him about how it felt playing in front of the fans and what Tyler thought about his new life in Monaco.

Tyer answered the questions as best as he could, there were some he couldn't put into words but their conversation continued nonetheless. Jasmine listened, vaguely responding to some loose answer.

The restaurant wasn't very busy at the moment, so the two of them had the table and a little bit of the restaurant all to themselves, making for a very peaceful and serene environment that they enjoyed.

"You'll get used to it soon". Jasmine said. "Everyone does eventually. After all, you're just playing in a stadium where there are thousands of people watching and waiting to criticize your every move. It's nothing".

"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence". Tyler smiled.

"My pleasure" Jasmine said, bowing slightly causing Tyler to chuckle lightly.

They spent the next half hour mixing small talk with longer silences that somehow felt comfortable. From time to time one of Jasmine's family members passed by their table, either bringing food to another customer or tidying up, and Jasmine made the introductions quickly. Her mother smiled at Tyler when Jasmine pointed at him, but she did not come over to speak.

Eventually it got late enough that Jasmine had to leave. She walked him out of the restaurant, and as they stood on the quiet street, she placed her hand on his arm.

"Alright, get some rest". Jasmine said. "You need it".

"I will". Tyler said. He wanted to say a lot more, he wanted to be with her for a lot longer but it was late, and he didn't want her mum to start having funny ideas. He already didn't like the way she stared at him. And they said dads were the scary ones.

The walk back to his apartment was short, but it seemed a lot longer because of his thoughts. He replayed bits from his conversation with Jasmine and also replayed some moments from the match that he played. The roar of the fans cheering him on, the way his name echoed from the stands.

He felt a bit scared. That same sound that he liked so much could just as much turn to his worst nightmare if he didn't keep up his good performances.

When he reached the apartment and pushed the door open, the sound of a video game filled his ears. He recognized the soundtrack. They were playing FC 26. Enzo and Tony were on the couch with their controllers in their hands. Their eyes darted up when Tyler stepped in.

"There he is," Enzo said, dropping his controller on the table. "The man of the match himself."

Tyler tried to act nonchalant and shrugged lightly but his face betrayed him. A smile formed despite his nonchalant gesture.

"Congratulations, bro," Tony said. "You looked sharp out there. I did not expect anything less though. Wilson does not play around."

"Thanks," Tyler said, sitting down next to them. "It was a good day."

"A good day? That was more than a good day," Enzo said, laughing. "You tore their defense apart. Every time you got the ball they were shaking."

Tyler shook his head. "It was not that serious."

"Yes it was," Tony said quickly. "You know it too. Do not be humble now. You even picked up the award. When was the last time any of us touched an award?"

Enzo clapped his hands. "Never. And it is not happening soon either. Unless they start giving out awards for sitting on the bench and looking handsome."

Tony shook his head and stared at Enzo with pity in his eyes. He then held Enzo's shoulder in the same manner someone would when he's about to convey bad news.

"I'm sorry my friend, but you wouldn't even sniff that one let alone win it".

Tyler burst into laughter when he heard what Tony said.

For a few minutes the three of them just joked around. He told them about what happened with the fan that he met and Tony and Enzo started joking about how Tyler was a celebrity now and he would get mobbed wherever he went.

After a long time, the game screen flickered and another one of Tony and Enzo's match finished.

"You fucking terrorist". Enzo said. "How the fuck did you even create a back six in this game. I would've beaten you if you didn't go ultra defensive".

"Winners celebrate. Losers explain". Tony shrugged. A smile was on his face though as he stared at the detail of his hard-fought one nil win against Enzo.

Tyler shook his head at both of them and slipped away to his room. Once inside, he closed the door gently behind him and sat on the edge of his bed. He let out a long breath. The room was quiet, a sharp contrast to the noise from the living room.

He reached for his phone and scrolled through the messages he had received. There were a lot of congratulations, some from people he had not spoken to in months. He replied to a few of them before putting the phone aside. Then he leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes.

He thought about how far he had come already. A few months ago he had been dreaming about getting this opportunity, and now he was living it. He had the system to thank for that. Without it, he doubted he would be here at all.

While he was thanking the system silently, he heard its notification again. He was about to break into a smile then he read the notification.

[Ding! Host has been given a Side Quest]

[New Side Quest Available]

[Objective: Finish in the top ten of the Golden Boy ranking by the end of the year]

[Reward: System Upgrade]

A/N:

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