Till There Was You

Luis dropped off Steven at his building and he went straight to his condo, closing the door behind him and pouring himself a Scotch. I feel like this is back in school and i'm terrified to ask Nicole Mason out on a date, he thought.

Steven plugged in his phone and dialed Jamie's number. "Oy, Stevie. Has the Spanish sun drove you barmy yet? Any luck with sexy Spanish birds?", teased his ex-teammate.

"I'm fine, Carra. I just need some advice", he said.

"If it's about a bird, remember I'm just an old married man and I don't know about that", he joked.

"It is about a girl", he mumbled.

"Good to see you try and move on, Stevie. And who is the lucky Spanish bird?", he laughed.

"Luis' younger sister Aracelis, she's a unversity student and she lives with them. I met her when he invited me to dinner and it was, like, barmy. I sound like a schoolboy", he muttered.

"Bloody hell, Stevie. Of all the birds in Spain you have to get with Suarez's sister. He's super-protective, he's going to be same way with her. South American blokes are worse than Spanish guys, you have better be careful", warned Jamie.

"Fucking hell, don't you think I know that, Carra? I've already taken one big risk, another one can't hurt. I wanted advice, not a lecture", he retorted.

"Aye, I know. Just be careful, you'd have to take it slowly and don't let him know you're shagging his sister", teased Jamie.

"How would you know that, Carra?", he asked.

"One of me mates dated an Argentine girl whose brother played for Leeds when they was in the top flight. The brother didn't like his sis dating an Englishman, especially cuz he wasn't Catholic. They were shagging and they couldn't let Pablo know or else he'd kick his arse and send Josefa back to Argentina with their gran", said Jamie.

"What happened?", he asked.

"Jimmy asked Pablo for permission to marry her, but he only agreed on the condition he become Catholic. Pablo had no idea his sister and Jimmy were shagging before they got married", said Jamie dryly.

"That isn't much help, we're both Catholic and Luis is my mate. He did invite me to go to church with his family", said Steven.

Jamie burst into laughter. "Ha Ha! You are sounding old, Stevie. Going to church to get close to your mate's sister", he laughed.

"Very funny, you big ugly Irish Scouse bastard", he retorted.

"I mean it, you should be careful and don't get caught shagging your new GF. And try not to get your arse kicked", said Jamie.

"More like getting meself bitten, Luis bites when he's mad. Talk to you later, Carra", he said.

"Talk to you later, Stevie", he replied.

Maybe I ought to get some real advice, he thought as he dialed another number. "Hej, Stevie", answered Daniel, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Were you at practice?", he asked.

"Nej, I'm off so me and the missus were having fun time now that the boys are at their gran's. How's Spain treating you, meet any sexy Spanish girls yet?", he teased.

"I didn't need to hear that, Agger. I do need advice but Carra wasn't much help", he replied.

"Us Danes aren't shy about shagging, it's a natural thing to do. And what do you need advice for?", asked Daniel.

Steven told him what he had told Jamie as the big Danish defender listened. "At least you're showing interest in a girl, that's good. But don't get your ass kicked or worse, the Spanish guys are all protective like that. I would be on my best behavior around Luis when you start dating and around the family, and don't even think about letting him know you are shagging each other", he said.

"That sounds about right, I suppose this is how I'm going to feel when the girls start dating", Steven chuckled.

"Lucky I don't have that problem, I have only boys. Farvel and good luck, Stevie", said Daniel.

"Thanks, Dan. Say hello to Sofie and the boys for me", he said.

Aracelis listened to the client as she carefully painted the woman's nails with a thin bottom coat. "And Pedro says I have attend this function with him, his wife never wants to go anywhere", sighed the blond.

"Si, Senora Alvarado", she replied.

"His wife is fat and old, I am never going to let myself go like that. If I have a kid with Pedro, I'm going to keep skinny so he won't look for another woman", she vowed.

Aracelis nodded as she used a tiny fan to dry the paint, getting out another bottle of polish. "Do you have uno novio, Aracelis? Pedro has friends who like young women, some of them need a girlfriend because their wives are ugly and fat. You are a pretty girl and exotic, you are from South America, verdad? Men here like South American girls, they are so pretty and exotic", said the blond.

"No gracias, Senora Alvarado. I'm going to university and working, I'm busy", she relied.

"Surely your cousin knows cute guys on his team, that Gerard Pique is one fine man. Too bad he's with Shakira, what does he see in her?", sighed the blond dramatically.

"They are happy and their son is adorable, sometimes love works in mysterious ways", she said philosophically.

Aracelis opeend the bottle and carefully added a top layer of red nail polish, using the tiny fan to dry the paint and then add a top cloat. "I love it, you do such a good job", she gushed.

"Gracias, Senora Alvarado", she repiled, using the fan to dry the nails.

"Gracias, Aracelis. This is for you", she said, handing a fifty note.

"Gracias, Senora Alvarado", she said.

Aracelis sighed with relief after the blond left, putting the money inside her purse. She is a great tipper, but I wish she would shut up, she thought.

She got a cup of coffee from the machine and went back to her desk. This is probably how bartenders feel, hearing all sorts of mierda loca. And I don't want to be some old man's mistress, Pedro is probably ugly and old, she thought with a shudder.

Aracelis sipped her coffee and thought back to meeting Steven the night before, her lips turning up at the corners. He is a kind and gracious man, I can see why Luis likes him. And el son guapo tambien, she mused as she tried not to giggle. Steven was considerably taller than her own 5'2 and muscular, his brown hair framing a rugged face and his blue eyes kindly. I don't think Luis would like it if we dated, he's older and English and probably not even Catholic, she thought with a sigh.

"Did Senora Alvarado talk too much today?", teased Sofia as they prepared dinner.

"Si, all she talked about was her rich novio and his ugly wife. She even offered to set me up with his friend, he is probably an ugly old man", she said with a shudder.

"Aye, que malo. Those viejos gustan South American girls, they think we are all whores. When I first moved to Barcelona when I was a teenager, those viejos sucios were at my school supposedly to see their daughters but they kept asking out the South American girls. Pensados que nosotros estamas putas pobres, bastardos. If you do date, don't date any old men", said Sofia.

Aracelis nodded as she went to wash her hands. I don't think Sofia would like me dating Steven either, he's an older man. But he's not a dirty old man, she thought.