Julian's gaze sharpened, cutting through David as if to peel him open.
"So why me? You said you're staking your career, even changing your path. What exactly do you see?"
For a moment, David didn't answer. He lifted his cup, took a slow sip of coffee, then set it down with a steady hand. His eyes, sharp beneath the casual sweatpants and trainer's hoodie, fixed on Julian.
"I see potential," David said at last. His voice was calm, almost too calm. "I've spent years studying people—movement, bodies, patterns. And when I watched you? I didn't see a high school kid. I saw limitless potential. The things you do on the pitch…" He leaned forward, lowering his tone. "…should be impossible. And yet you do them. Again and again, like breaking limits is simply another habit you've mastered."
Julian's jaw tightened. Inside, something stirred.
Did he notice?
