Till There Was You

"Ese estaba una cena mas bueno, Sofia", said Steven in careful English.

"Gracias, Steven", said Sofia as she and Aracelis cleared the table.

Steven tried not to look while Aracelis helped clear the dishes and place them in the dishwasher, her slim body and shapely backside an irresistable temptation. Luis went over to the cupboard and took out a bottle of brandy and two tumblers, pouring them each a generous amount.

"Salud!", he toasted as they clinked glasses and drank.

Steven took a large swallow of brandy to give himself courage as he took a deep breath. "Que tal, mi amigo Ingles?", asked Luis, concerned at the look on his face.

Steven said a silent prayer and looked the other man straight in the eyes. "Luis, I want your permission to date Aracelis", he said.

Luis said nothing, taking a sip of brandy and lightly swirling the dark amber liquid in the glass, his dark eyes serious and thoughtful. "Es verdad, amigo? You do know she is thirteen years younger than you and a good Catholic girl, si? You are lucky I've known you for three years and played together at Anfield, otherwise te mataría y divertirse al hacerlo", he said, giving him a smile that a predator gives to a defenseless animal.

Steven got the feeling his friend was toying with him, as though he were a cat toying with a mouse. "Aracelis, ven aca", he ordered.

Arecelis wiped her hands on a towel and went to the parlor, her heart pounding furiously when she saw the men. "Aracelis, te gustas Steven? Dice que quiere salir contigo", said Luis.

''Si, me gusta Steven y quiero salir con él", she replied.

"Steven, you have my permission to date her. Y Aracelis, hace algo mal en ti, me lo dices y lo mataré por ti", he said, a feral smile on his lips.

"Gracias, Luis", said Steven, sinking back in his chair with a relieved smile.

"Luis, no digo que", she chided.

"Es verdad, Ari. I promised Mami I would look after you and I don't want you to get hurt, especially if you are lviing in Spain and you have never had a boyfriend. Steven, if you hurt Ari or cheat on her, voy hacer una liquida mierda, comprende?", he said, looking the Englishman in the eye.

Steven didn't look away from the other man's dark, intense gaze. "I know, I don't doubt it for a moment", he said.

"Bueno, Steven. Go take her out and don't bring her back late", said Luis.

Steven couldn't help the grin on his face when he took her by the hand and led her out the door, feeling as though he had fired a winning penalty kick. "I haven't been this excited since I asked out Nicole Mason when I was fourteen", he laughed.

"You were scared of Luis, verdad? He does that, but he is a softie underneath", she chided.

"This is the first time I've asked out a girl since me divorce, I'm rusty", he said.

"There's this place I like, Musical Maria, it's a bar with a good jukebox playing rock music", she said, leading him towards the nearest TMB station.

Steven took a sip of his beer and nodded in agreement as the jukebox played some early Coldplay. The bar was small and packed with mostly students and hipster types drinking beer, most of the lighting provided by Christmas lights strewn above the bar and a few dim bulbs. The jukebox in the corner played mostly British rock while a few people danced on the tiny dance floor either singly or in groups.

"I don't like clubs, too noisy", she explained.

"I haven't been to a big club since we won our last FA cup, the music was too loud and the younger lads were practically humping girls on the dance floor. I'm getting bloody old", he chuckled.

"That is why I don't like clubs, the music is terrible and I don't like seeing people dance like that. You aren't getting old, what music do you like?", she asked.

"I'm Scouse born and bred, so of course I like the Beatles, my Mum is a fan. I got into Oasis when I was about to graduate primary school, all me mates liked them so did the girls. I've seen them live ten times, they're bloody great. Too bad they broke up and the brothers canna get along, they were great", he said.

"Oasis are good, but I really like the Arctic Monkeys, I have not been able to see them yet", she said.

"I've heard some of their songs, they're all right but the younger lads like them more. I think Dan and Martin saw them, they usually like heavier stuff", he said.

"Are those the guys with the tattoos?", she asked.

Steven had to laugh at her descriptoin as he took another swallow of beer. "That's a good way to put it, Ari. Yeah, Dan and Martin are so inked up, I'm too old for that meself. Dan is a licensed tattoo artist, he does tattooing back in Denmark during his free time. He actually did some of Martin's tattoos, he may look scary but he's a good lad with a lovely wife and two sons", he said.

"I want to get a tattoo, but Luis would freak out", said Aracelis.

"Why not? You're old enough", he exclaimed.

"Nice girls don't get tattoos, that is what Mami says", she retorted.

"If you want, get one. If I get one, you can get one, we can get matching ones", he said.

"What would you get?", she asked.

"I would get an English flag and a coat of arms, the Liverpool coat of arms. Years ago I would have gotten a Liverpool FC club badge tattoo but I'm not with them anymore", he chuckled.

Aracelis ordered another beer and looked through her phone, scrolling through the pictures and showing one to him. "Why St. Cecelia?", he asked.

Aracelis gave him a challenging look. "What is she the patron saint of?", she asked.

"I'm trying to think, my Nan liked that song. Was she the one on the wheel?", he asked.

"No, that was Santa Catherine. She's the patron saint of musicians and singers, that is also the name of our church back in Uruguay. I'm learning to play guitar, I started last year. I try to practice every day, since I don't have classes tomorrow I can practice in the morning", she replied.

"Aye, I haven't remembered much from Sunday school as a lad. What kind do you play?", he asked.

"This is my baby", she said proudly, showing him a picture on her phone of a black Taylor acoustic.

"Nice, I don't know anything about guitars. I just listen to music, I knew a bloke back at Melwood who played and he used to have issues of Guitar World lying about. I tried reading them but they made no sense at all, I canna understand that lingo", he chuckled.

"Guitar jargon is like when footballers get together and talk footy, it makes no sense to outsiders", she said.

Steven nodded in understanding and ordered two shots of Scotch, handing one to her. "Ese para ti, my bonny black-haired girl", he said, touching the rim of her glass with his and then downing the shot.

Aracelis drank her shot and raised an eyebrow. "Am I your girl?", she asked.

"If you want to be, Ari. I know I'm divorced and you've never had a boyfriend before, so we can take our time", he said.

"What are your daughter and ex-wife going to think?", she asked.

"I'm sure the girls are going to like you, by Christmas our relationship should be solid. Alex already has a new boyfriend, she wants him to move in. He's younger than her and I'm concerned about the girls, you never know how that is going to turn out", he said.

"Do they like him?", she asked.

"Lilly and Lexie don't, they think their Mum dating is gross. He's an Evertonian too, some wanker they got on a transfer from Napoli", he said in dismay.

"No me diges, de veras? Just look out for your girls", she warned.

"I know, she was about to start dating again sometime, but just not that Italian wanker", he said.

"I will be your girl, Steven", she said.

Steven gave her a wistful smile and took her hand, lightly kissing the knuckles. "And I will be your man, my bonny black-haired girl", he vowed.