Toby let go of his aunt and headed towards me. “Will you play football with me again?” He looked hopeful, and it killed me, because I couldn’t right now.
But I could do something. “I haven’t brought my trainers, and I’m a bit dressed up, but how about we go in the garden for five minutes and you can show me how many keepy-uppies you can do?”
He beamed at me, that wide smile which was the same as his aunt’s most genuine one, the one that didn’t hide how she was really feeling. “Cool. Can you practice headers with me too?”
“Sure. But we have five minutes. That’s it.” I looked at Dee. “Is that okay?”
She nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“Course.” I got that she was worried about leaving him tonight. She’d sent me a few messages about how he’d been when I’d asked, and that she didn’t want him to worry that she would leave like her sister had. Going out for a kick-about, even if it wasn’t a proper one, gave him something.
I knew I was being watched from the kitchen window while I showed Toby how to do a keepy-uppy in Dee’s small garden. When I glanced round, two pairs of eyes tried to look away quickly, leaving me shaking my head at their poor attempt at hiding.
Five minutes turned to ten, and then I had to call it a day. Toby followed me back in, asking questions about what football boots I wore and what size, then another twenty questions without giving me any chance at all to answer.
“Tobes, Auntie Dee needs to go.” Genny pulled him onto her knee. “You need to have a bath and read to me.”
He pulled his tongue at her. She just pretended to cut it off.
Dee leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning.”
“Are you coming back here tonight?” Toby flung his arms around Dee’s neck. “Can I wait up for you?”
“Absolutely not. Auntie Dee’s going to stay at Rowan’s and be home for breakfast. If she comes back here late, she’ll wake you up.” Genny gave me a look that said I could thank her later.
Dee turned her head and mouthed ‘sorry.’ I wasn’t sorry, so I just smirked.
“Have a great time. And I hope Dee’s time’s better than yours, Rowan.”
I was starting to think Genevieve was an evil genius.
“That was amazing.” Dee folded her napkin and placed it on the table. She’d just polished off a huge fillet steak and veggies, and made it look like an art form. “I could probably eat that again.”
It was good to hear and see. The women I’d been out with recently had all been of the plain chicken and salad variety. I liked my food, and I’d always felt awkward when I’d been demolishing a big dinner, and the woman I was with just picked at hers before claiming that she wasn’t hungry.
That hadn’t happened with Dee. She’d almost eaten as much as me, apart from I’d had two starters to her one.
“I’ll go halves with you with another steak.” Happily.
She shook her head. “I actually think I’ll have dessert.”
I’d seen her eyeing up another couple’s dessert before. “What do you fancy?”
“The chocolate bombe. We have fitness training tomorrow so the sugar will help.” Her eyes were full of naughtiness because we both knew that Neva would not be recommending dessert for either of us, but Neva wasn’t here.
Her eyes stayed full of naughtiness as she looked at me, her leg brushing against mine under the table. She was wearing a dress that was fitted, showing off her slight curves and tits I hadn’t noticed properly before. She was stunning; her hair was down and curled, and her make-up was light, meaning she still looked like her, the Dee I knew from training.
We’d talked about all sorts during the night so far. Toby, her sister, training, Genny and some of the other staff at the club. She’d asked about Ryan, and we’d come to the conclusion that he was in fact a spy for MI5, and the whole footballer thing was just a disguise. I’d told her bits about my family, including my sister and my snooker-playing brother.
I watched her devour dessert, licking the chocolate mousse off her spoon, unaware of the effect that was having on me until she saw and understood why I was staring. Then she’d giggled, the sound so playful and just a tad dirty, and that had sent a jolt to my dick.
“Do you want to go for a drink after this?” We’d been light on the alcohol so far. It was too close to the season now to have more than a glass of wine, or weak beer, but Manchester City centre had a good vibe to it, and if she wanted more of that, we could stay for as long as she wanted.
Dee finished the last bit of chocolate on her plate and shook her head. “I think I’m okay with what we’ve had. How about we go for a walk through town?”
Calling the city centre ‘town’ had amused me since I moved to Manchester. It was a proper Mancunianism, with ‘town’ usually meaning a smaller centre.
“Have you ever wanted to leave Manchester?” I gestured to the waiter for the bill. “You grew up here, right?”
