Somewhere Only We Know

13: You’re Just Like All Of The Others

Stowing away the last used glass, Iker smiled to himself, his brown eyes peeking over at Ariana who was helping Aaron set up the couch for the night. It had been a pleasant day, Iker had found himself getting along well with Aaron in particular and he was pleased that things were going so well. Ariana had been so worried before and Iker hoped that her fears had been put to one side. Her parents and brother had liked him and he knew that was a good sign.

“What are you smiling about?” Ariana posed as she padded into the kitchen, her blue eyes twinkling a little. She was pleased, everyone had seemed to like Iker and that pleased her. She had worried for a while that her parents would be like Lucia and tell her that he was too good for her, something she was already painfully aware of.

Iker shrugged. “Just smiling” he mused as he moved to set his hands on her hips. Ariana snuggled into his touch slightly and rested her on his shoulder, allowing a little contented sigh to slip past her lips. “We did well today” Iker mused as he held her close “I think your parents and Aaron like me” he added with a little laugh.

“They do like you, which is a relief, I don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t” Ariana mused as she peeked up at him slightly. It had scared her, the notion that her parents wouldn’t like Iker when they met him, but she was pleased that they did. She liked him a lot and didn’t want to have to give him up after only 3 weeks together.

Iker smiled gently at her admission and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’d have stayed with me Ari” he murmured, kissing the same spot again “I wouldn’t have just let you walk away from me” he added, his tone soft, yet at the same time, authoritative. Ariana smiled at the sound of it and reached up to kiss him, only to stop as Lucia padded into the room, an all too familiar glare fixed on her face.

“Luci?” Ariana prodded “Did you need something?” she asked.

“Mum wants to know where we keep the spare bedspreads. She and dad want to change your bed before they go to sleep” she explained.

“Your parents are taking your bed?” Iker prodded.

Ariana nodded. “They always do when they come to stay. They take my bed, Aaron the couch, and I sleep on the air mattress” Ariana noted.

“Air mattress?” Iker prodded “Ari, I don’t think I like that. Do you have a quilt, pillows?” he prodded.

Ariana shook her head. “I have an old knit blanket, but it is fine Iker. I am perfectly comfortable” she insisted with a smile.

Iker shook his head. “You’re not sleeping on an air mattress, not when I have a spare room that you could easily stay in. I know you don’t like the idea of staying with me yet, but it would be in an entirely separate room and I wouldn’t bother you” he insisted gently. He knew it was silly, Ariana was clearly happy sleeping on the air mattress, but Iker didn’t like it for a second. The January nights were cold and he didn’t want her getting sick.

“Iker, I will be fine here, I have done it tons of times before” Ariana mused with a smile. She liked it, his desire to look after her, but she was happy. She had spent many a night on the air mattress and didn’t mind for a second doing it again.

“Ari, please. It’s freezing and I don’t want you getting sick. Pack some pajamas and then come back to mine, at least for my piece of mind” he murmured, his hands pulling her into him. Ariana peeked up into his eyes before she nodded. “Alright Iker, I’ll stay with you” she murmured.

Iker flashed her a little smile and pecked her lips before he watched her out of the room, leaving him alone with Lucia.

“What is it that you see in her Iker?” the blonde muttered as she watched after her sister. She was irked, Ariana had never done anything to deserve Iker, and Lucia hated it. She had been looking for a man like Iker for as long as she could remember, yet it was her sister, her geeky and timid opposite, that had found him, something which irked Lucia greatly.

Iker startled at her comment. “What?” he muttered.

Lucia shook her head. “What is it about Ariana that makes you so hooked? Surely you must see that there are other girls, better girls, out there, vying for a chance to be the girlfriend of Iker Casillas?” she murmured flirtatiously as she stepped towards him.

Iker shook his head and stepped back. “I am not looking for another girl. I really care about you sister, Lucia. She’s wonderful and I couldn’t hurt her by looking elsewhere. Ari’s what I want” he insisted.

Lucia scoffed. “You really want my nerdy virgin sister?” she spat, stepping towards him still.

Iker nodded. “I love her” he admitted earnestly. It was the first time that he had said it aloud, but he was fairly sure that he had felt it from the start. Ariana was one of only two girls that had stirred butterflies in him.

Lucia laughed. “You love her?” she spat “You really have deluded yourself haven’t you? Ariana’s nothing, she’s nowhere near enough for you and I cannot believe that you haven’t figure it out yet” she snapped, backing him into the kitchen counter that existed behind them.

Iker scoffed. “There’s nothing to figure out. I am in love with Ariana, I have been since the second I saw her, and I don’t need you telling me otherwise or putting your sister down so much that she tries and breaks things off with me. She’s an amazing girl, perfect to me, and that isn’t going to change, no matter how hard you try to make it. I love her” he spat, his dark eyes fixed on Lucia.

The blonde girl offered him a crooked smile. “I think I can fix this” she mused as Ariana’s voice drew closer towards them. Iker frowned and moved to step away, only to have Lucia grab hold of his face, forcing him into a kiss. He tried to fight her off, his hands tried intently to push her pack, but Lucia merely grabbed a hold of his hair, causing him to groan.

“Iker?”

Iker forced his head back and pushed Lucia off of him, his dark eyes peeking at Ariana who stood ahead of them, tears already in her blue eyes. “Nena, it wasn’t what it looked like” he insisted as he sped towards her, his hands trying to grab hold of hers.

Ariana moved her hands away from him and dropped her head. “Iker, please go” she murmured softly.

Iker shook his head. “It wasn’t what it looked like Ari. She jumped me, I swear to you” he breathed, panic forming a lump in his throat.

Ariana just shook her head. “Iker, please, I just want you to go” she whimpered, a small sniffle falling out of her mouth.

Iker’s heart dropped at the sound of it. “Nena, please, just look at me and you will see that I am not lying to you. Ari, she jumped me” he breathed out, tears growing in his brown eyes.

“He’s lying Ari” Lucia quipped, ducking to her sister’s side “He made a move on me as soon as you left the room. He’s a good for nothing cheat” she spat.

Iker glared at the blonde girl. “She’s lying Ari. She jumped me” he repeated.

“I did not” Lucia shot back.

“You bloody well did. I would never do that to her” Iker returned.

“Well you clearly would because you did” Lucia snapped.

“Shut up” Ariana squeaked “The pair of you, just shut up. I don’t care who did what and who is what, I want you both out of here” she announced.

Lucia’s jaw fell slack. “You’re kidding. You can’t kick me out” she hissed.

“Yes she can” Aaron mused as he moved to stand behind his baby sister “She can throw the pair of you out and I will help. Lucia, couldn’t you just let her have this one?” he muttered with a glare towards his other sister.

Lucia scoffed. “Fine. I will go, but you lot won’t be invited when I marry my prince charming” she spat with a look towards Iker.

“In your dreams” he spat.

Lucia rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room, leaving Iker, Aaron and Ariana stood in silence.

“Ari” the keeper breathed “Hermosa, please look at me” he begged.

“Iker just go” Aaron muttered.

“But I….” Iker’s voice trailed off as Ariana’s hand struck his cheek, filling the air with an audible clap.

“Ari” Aaron noted as he tried to restrain her.

“I believed you” the brunette whimpered, her tearful blue eyes fixed on the keeper “I believed every single word you said and it turns out that you lied. You didn’t see me first, you saw her, just like all of the others. You’re not the special guy I thought you were, you’re just another lost puppy trying to get close to Lucia and I can’t believe that I didn’t see it. I thought, for the first time in my life, someone liked me Iker, someone wanted to be with me, but clearly I was wrong. You, just like all of the rest, wanted her and I can’t believe I didn’t see it” she whimpered before she turned and walked out of the room.

Iker made a move to follow her, his cheek stinging, but was stopped by Aaron. “You should leave her alone Iker” he murmured, a half kind, half angry look on his face. “She’s hurting and she will be for a while. If you want my advice, I would just leave her to it” he mused.

Iker nodded weakly, allowing Aaron to follow after his baby sister.

“I love you” he whispered softly to himself. “Ari, I love you” he repeated gently.

He had blown it, more specifically, Lucia had blown it for him, and Iker didn’t know what to do next. Ariana was the girl he loved and he couldn’t handle the notion that she hated him, especially for something he hadn’t even done wrong in the first place.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 and Ladyfiaran for the comments :)