Till There Was You

Steven sighed as the last of the boxes were brought inside, Luis grinning at him. "That is the last of the boxes, si? I still can't believe you want to live by yourself, Stevie, it's not good", he chided.

"I don't want to impose on you, Luis. You got a wife and two kids and I'm a divorced bachelor, the girls won't be here until Christmas", he replied.

"Verdad, pero no son bueno. If you want, come over for dinner and I am going to start the asado, mi hermana Aracelis is home from University and I am going to have plenty of beer. No puede ir solo todo su vida", said Luis.

"I don't speak Spanish, mate", he retorted, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth and his blue eyes teasing.

"Me gusto cuando se mira feliz, mi amigo Ingles. Just be there by six, hasta luego", said Luis, clapping him on the back before leaving.

Steven watched his friend leave as he sat down on the couch, looking the bare walls of the flat. I should hang up some pictures later, he mused.

Maybe Luis is right, I can't be moping about. The divorce has been final for six months and I'm in a new country with a new team, I ought to make the most of it, he mused.

Steven took a shower and changed into jeans and a burgundy polo shirt, smiling at his reflection in the mirror. I'm at least in Barca colors, that will make a good first impression, he thought.

Steven busied himself connecting the TV to the cable box and setting up his Wi-Fi. He looked down at his phone and grabbed his keys as he left, going downstairs to the parking garage and opening the doors to the rented black BMW. On the way to the house, he stopped at a supermarket and bought a bottle of wine and bouquet of pink roses. Lucky Xabi taught me Spanish hospitality, he thought with a chuckle.

Steven parked outside the Suarez house and exited the car with the flowers and the bottle of wine. Before he could knock, the door burst open and Sofia gave him a hug and kissed his cheeks before taking the gifts and leading him inside. "Hola y gracias, Steven. Luis is preparing the meat for the asado and Aracelis is minding los ninos", she said.

Steven nodded and walked towards the yard, pausing for a second at the sliding glass doors. Luis wore an apron as he placed the meat on the grill and the sounds of happy children filled the air, the sense of loss momentarily overpowering.

Luis waved him over and Steven opened the door, the other man fetching him a beer from a nearby cooler. "Hola, amigo. Glad you could make it, no puedes hacer asado sin cerveza, verdad?", he chuckled.

Steven nodded in agreement as he opened the can of beer and took a swallow. He smiled wistfully as Delfina tagged her younger brother Benjamin as the little boy squealed in delight, reminding him of his own daughters. "Hola, Senor Gerrard y bienvenidos", said a female voice.

Steven turned around and saw a young woman who had Benjamin clinging to her long Paisley skirt. "Hola, senorita. You are Aracelis, correct? I am Steven Gerrard", he said, extending his hand.

"Si, me llamo Aracelis, son la hermana de Luis. I hope you are liking Barcelona so far", she said in Spanish-accented English.

"I've liked what I've seen so far, Senorita Suarez", he replied.

"Maybe I can speak English as good as you, Senor Gerrard", she teased.

"I speak Scouse, many English people can't understand us. I can't get rid of me accent, maybe I'll speak Spanish like you do, Senorita Suarez", he joked.

"Verdad, senor Gerrard", she laughed.

Steven felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in a smile as he responded to her laughter, thinking how pretty she was. Aracelis was petite and slim with long straight black hair in a loose braid past her shoulders and an olive complexion, wearing the Paisley skirt and a simple pink tank top. She turned to face him and he was startled by her vivid blue eyes, a brilliant royal blue with tiny gold and green flecks that reminded him of the sun shining on a Cumbrian lake. Careful, Luis is your mate, he reminded himself.

Aracelis bent down and said something to the boy in Spanish as he ran off to join his sister. The black hair startled coming loose from its braid and he had to fight the urge to run his fingers through the dark mass, hastily taking a sip of beer. "The appetizers are ready, I was telling him to wash his hands", she explained.

"Kids like you, my youngest daughter is his age", he said.

"How many daughters you have?", she asked.

"Three, they live with their mum in Liverpool", he said, taking out his phone and scrolling through the pics.

"Ellas son lindas", she cooed.

"Uh, gracias. They're spending Christmas here, it's something Alex and I worked out", he replied.

"You are divorced?", she asked.

"Yeah, it's been final for six months. It was hard, Alex and I were together for ten years, I'm so out of the dating loop it's ridiculous", he chuckled weakly.

"Vas a encontrar una mujer buena, Senor Gerrard", she said reassuringly.

"Please call me Steven, Senor Gerrard makes me sound like a dirty old man", he chuckled.

"Verdad, y usted puede llamarme Aracelis", she replied.

"All right, Aracelis", he agreed.

"Steven, I see you have met my sister. Aracelis is a good girl, ella esta estudiando en el Universidad de Barcelona", he said proudly.

"What are you studying?", he asked.

"Teaching, voy hacer una maestra", she said.

"That's good, very practical degree", he said approvingly.

Aracelis raised an eyebrow but she was distracted when Sofia brought out the bread and salad. I like Steven, he is a kind man and he clearly loves his daughters. Too bad he is Luis' teammate and divorced, she thought.

Steven sat at the long wooden table and took a scoop of salad before passing it over to Sofia as she placed some on the childrens' plates. He took a sip of his beer and sighed, his heart constricting a little. Luis and Sofia sat next to each other and he laughed at something she said, his fingertips brushing her arm. Alex and I used to be like that, he thought sadly.

"When training camp starts, no more asados, si? Gracias para comida, mi amor", said Luis gallantly, kissing his wife.

"De nada, mi esposo guapo. Y nos ninos tienen sueno", said Sofia, seeing how drowsy the children were.

"No tengo sueno, mami. Quiero mirar television", said Delfina, stifling a yawn.

"Si, tienes suenos, mi princessa", teased Luis.

Steven watched as Luis held his daughter by the hand and cradled Benjamin as he led them inside, the idea of going back to his empty flat depressing him. "Hasta luego y gracias for dinner, Sofia", he said, giving her a quick hug.

"Hasta luego y buenos noches, Steven", said Sofia graciously.

Steven smiled sadly as he walked towards his car, reaching into his pocket for the keys. He sat in his car for a minute before turning on the engine, the radio tuned to a pop station playing a song in Spanish. I ought to get satellite or hook up my Ipod, he thought in distaste.

He drove back towards his building and parked in the lot downstairs, locking the doors and heading upstairs to his flat. Steven turned on the lights and sighed at the bareness, looking out the window at the lights of the city below. The condo building across the street was illuminated and he imagined it as a beehive full of activity: people getting ready for work, watching TV, eating supper, kids doing homework. And I'm all alone with my Scouser self, he thought sardonically.

Steven peered inside his fridge and saw it was empty except for a bottle of milk and another bottle of water. He just shrugged and went downstairs to the mall supermarket and grabbed a cart and walked down the aisles. The PA overhead played more Spanish pop music and he grimaced, wondering if all Spanish music was that bad. At least Xabi has good taste, too bad he plays for Bayern now, he mused.

Steven added a bottle of Famous Grouse and another of Dewar's before paying, the teenage girl at the register barely noticing him. He brought the bags upstairs to the flat and put away the groceries before turning on the TV and pouring himself a generous measure of Grouse, flipping through the channels until he came across to a sports channel showing a replay of a Barca Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain. They're in the same group and a bloody good club, he mused.

Steven sipped his Scotch and watched the game, making mental notes of how his future teammates played. I'm going to meet them tomorrow, he thought.

The game ended and he finished the Scotch, rinsing the glass in the sink and then brushing his teeth before stripping down to his boxers. The bed in his room had been brought in earlier today but the sheets were neatly folded in the closet as he took out a pillow case and a few blankets. The alcohol suddenly started to affect him as he yawned and got in bed, sending a good night text to his daughters. I'll Skype them on the weekend, just hold on until Christmas, he thought before turning off the light.