Smoke Rings in the Dark

"Cassie luv, that bloke has been staring at you", teased Maggie Callahan.

Cassandra Beckett turned her head and saw two men sitting at a round table drinking beer. "Which one of 'em?", she asked in her Southern drawl.

"Don't you know those chaps? They play for Man City", said Maggie in a stage whisper.

"I don't watch soccer, is that the team in the red shirts?', she asked, taking a sip of beer.

Maggie pretended to look shocked, her blue eyes open wide. "Bloody hell, don't let them hear you say that, Cassie. That's the team in blue, last year's champs. You haven't lived in Manchester long enough", she chided.

"I'm from Tennessee and I only been here two weeks, I'm gonna be here for a year so by then I reckon I'll get the teams straight", laughed Cassandra.

"Our footy is nothing like yours, luv. Living here in Manchester, you have to know footy. Don't like meself, but I know", laughed Maggie.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and took another sip of beer. She glanced up and saw one of the men at the table wink at her and smile, quickly drinking a hasty sip of beer as a blush formed on her cheeks. Cassandra had to admit he was quite good-looking with straight black hair in a fauxhawk and cheerful dark eyes in a tanned face, his broad shoulders and muscular torso revealed by his tight black t-shirt. If he's a soccer player, he's way out of my league. Those guys go for the model-type girls, she thought.

"Kun, tu has estado mirando a esa chica desde que llegamos aquí", said Pablo, drinking his beer.

"Verdad, amigo. Ella son muy bonita", replied Sergio. He took a sip of beer and looked over at the girl, a grin on his face. She was average height and slim with straight auburn hair past her shoulders, wearing a denim jacket over a black band shirt and a brown suede skirt that revealed some leg, low brown suede boots on her feet. The girl drank from a glass of beer and laughed at something her friend said, her green eyes merry. When he caught her eye, she turned away and he could see the blush on her cheeks as he grinned.

Pablo handed a note to the waiter as Sergio gave his fellow Argentine a smile. "Su Ingles es una mierda, voy a ayudarle a", he said cheerfully.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow when the waiter handed her a note along with her second beer. She looked over and saw the black-haired man wave to her as Maggie gave her a nudge. "Go for it, luv. It's not every day you catch a hot footy player's eye", she giggled.

Cassandra took her beer and walked over to the table, the black-haired man getting up to pull out her chair. "Thank you", she said.

The older man with a shaved head raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of beer. "Are you American, senorita?", he asked with a Spanish accent.

"Yes, from Tennessee. And Maggie mentioned you fellas played for Manchester City, I don't follow soccer", said Cassandra.

"It is football here, senorita. I am Sergio Aguero and this is my friend and teammate Pablo Zabaleta", said the black-haired man with a heavier accent.

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Aguero and Mr. Zabaleta. Are you Spanish?", she asked.

"Sort of, I played in Madrid and y yo vivia en Madrid, but I am from Argentina y Pablo tambien. Perdon, but my English is not good", said Sergio.

"Verdad, I have to help you out all the time, Kun", said Pablo cheerfully.

"Don't think I ever met anyone from Argentina before, not many people from that part of the world in Tennessee", she said with a chuckle.

"I have never met anyone from Tennesse before tambien, senorita", laughed Sergio.

"My name is Cassandra Beckett, everyone calls me Cassie", she said.

"Cassie, son un nombre muy bonita, para una chica muy bonita", teased Sergio, bringing her hand to his lips and placing a light kiss on the knuckles.

Cassandra blushed prettily. "Uh, gracias", she mumbled.

"Es verdad, son muy bonita, Cassie. And what are you doing in Manchester?", he asked.

"I am studying Biology and Education at the University of Manchester, I am working on my Graduate degree. I already graduated from Vanderbilt, I chose Manchester because my grandma is from here, I live with her in Didsbury", she replied.

"Madre Dios, tu son muy intelligente, Cassie. I only went to one year of segunda before I turned pro, para Indepediente", said Sergio.

"You only went to one year of secondary?", she asked.

"Si, I signed a contract with Indepediente and I got a big bonus, I bought my family a house. Being a futbol player en Argentina is a very big deal", he replied.

"I see, it's a big deal here too", she quipped.

Sergio felt his heart do a flip flop when she smiled, the freckles on her nose and her green eyes dancing with amusement. Pablo smiled knowingly as he sent a text to his wife, getting up from the table. "Me voy a casa, mi esposa me envio un mensaje. Hasta luego", he said, leaving behind a tip for the waitress.

"He has to go home, his wife sent him text", said Sergio.

Cassandra nodded and took a sip of beer, noticing the tattoos on his arms. "This one is my name in Tengwar, the alphabet in Lord of the Rings, it says Kun Aguero. And this is my son's name", he said, a shadow on his face.

Cassandra wordlessly put a hand on his arm as he smiled sadly. "I am divorced, he lives with his madre in Madrid", he said, showing her a picture on his phone. Sergio held a young boy about four or five years old as they both grinned at the camera, the boy with straight black hair in a Beatles cut and his father's cheerful brown eyes. "His name is Benjamin and he is four, he loves futbol and loves to play", he said proudly.

"He's a cute little guy", she chuckled.

"Verdad, gracias. I see him after the season when I go to Spain and then we fly to Argentina so he can see mis padres y lose tios y tias y primos. He is coming over to Manchester for Christmas, he wants to see snow y Papa Noel at the mall", he said eagerly.

"That's wonderful, reckon he's gonna have a good time", she said

"Verdad, we do both, Father Christmas y los Reyes. And Americans have Santa Claus", he teased.

"Yeah, Santa at the mall", she laughed.

"We have off day tomorrow, tiene classes?", he asked.

"No, I'm off tomorrow. And I can pay for myself", she said.

"That is not gentleman thing, men always pay, mi mami dice eso, Cassie", he replied, leaving behind a twenty pound tip.

Cassandra liked the way her name sounded with his Spanish accent as he led her out the door and hailed a cab. "Vivo en Didsbury tambien, I live in the same building with Pablo and some of the other guys. Donde vive?", he asked.

Cassandra gave him the address as he told the driver. "Give me your phone", he said abruptly. She handed him the phone and Sergio added his number to her contacts before handing it back. "I like you, Cassie. Espero qu tu abuela me gusta a mi", he chuckled.

"You can charm the hide off a snake, Mr. Aguero", she teased.

"Verdad, ese son bueno? Us Argentines have much swag", he boasted as Cassandra giggled.

Sergio just laughed as he took her hand and pulled her closer, his thumb rubbing light circles on her palm. Cassandra blushed and she inhaled his scent of cologne and beer which seemed soothing as he pulled her close. They rode together in a comfortable silence as the cab made its way towards the suburbs of Manchester, Sergio conscious of how her long hair tickled his arm and the dark red highlighs among the deep brown. "Son muy bonita, Cassie", he murmured.

The cab stopped outside of her grandmother's building as Sergio opened the door for her, paying the driver. "Buenas noches y dulces suenos, Cassie", he said, leaning over and gently kissing her lips.