Somewhere Only We Know

Tossing onto his side, Iker let out a little sigh, his stomach churning at the thought of Ariana’s words. He knew that she hadn’t meant it, she was upset and confused, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. Hearing her say that she regretted being with him had been like a dagger through his chest and Iker couldn’t ignore it. He hated the idea that Ariana could still have doubts about them, he’d thought he’d put them all to rest, but clearly he had been wrong. Ariana still doubted him slightly and that didn’t sit well with the keeper. He just wanted them to be happy.

Grumbling slightly, he turned and peeked at the clock, his eyes closing as he read the time. It was barely past midnight, but already Iker could tell that he wasn’t going to be sleeping. It was silly, he had slept perfectly well before he had met Ariana and even in the early stages of their relationship, but ever since they had spent their first night in the same bed together, Iker had found it hard to sleep without her. Ariana was like a security blanket to him and not knowing where she was or whether or not she was crying still made him feel awful.

Part of him just wanted to tell her that it was all alright.

Sighing gently, he rolled back over onto his back and shook his head, his good hand quickly locating his phone on the dresser. He felt bad, he had promised to call her, but thanks to a strange mix of anger and hurt, he hadn’t found the courage to, something he knew was likely to have made things worse. It had been a momentary lapse, Ariana had said something that Iker knew she didn’t really mean, but it had been enough to upset him. He got upset every time she doubted herself or him.

Pulling the phone into him, he quickly found Ariana’s number before he pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone for a moment before the shrill call of her ringtone echoed in the still air around him. Frowning, he quickly pushed himself to his feet and padded through his house, pulling the front door back to reveal his girlfriend’s shivering frame. “Ari” he breathed “Nena, how long have you been out here?” he added, his hand gently taking hers and leading her into the living room.

Ariana shrugged. “A little while. I thought about knocking, but then I thought you would yell at me, so I just sat there” she murmured, her blue eyes fixed on her feet.

Iker sighed. “Nena, I wouldn’t have yelled” he murmured.

Ariana nodded her head gently. “I was worried you would be mad at me. What I said Iker, I didn’t mean it. I was in a state of shock, seeing her like that knocked me for six and I didn’t know what I was talking about” she explained, her usual pink hue etched onto her cheeks. She felt terrible about what she had said, she hadn’t meant a word of it, and she hated the idea that Iker thought she had. She regretted nothing about their relationship and she wanted to make that perfectly clear.

Iker smiled and stepped towards her, his hand gently cupping her cheek. “It’s ok Ari. I shouldn’t have been so sensitive” he cooed.

Ariana shook her head. “What I said was wrong Iker. I basically told you that I regretted being with you and that isn’t true. You’re the best thing that I have ever done, you’re the best friend I have ever had, the only boyfriend, and what I said to you was just plain stupid. Of course I don’t regret being with you and to even suggest that I did was idiotic” she murmured, an authority in her voice that Iker had never heard before.

Iker smiled and guided her eyes to look at him. “You’re my idiot Ari” he breathed out softly.

Ariana blushed gently. “I am sorry” she whimpered.

Iker shook his head and pressed a little kiss to her lips. “It is ok Ari” he mused between soft and shy kisses “I was about call and apologize myself. I overreacted, your sister is in hospital and I acted like a hormonal teenager. I should have stayed, I should have held you close and made you feel better” he murmured, his forehead gently resting against hers. He had acted poorly, Ariana had needed him and he had run away, something which made him feel terrible. Her sister was in hospital and Ariana needed him more than ever just to hold her and tell her things were going to be alright.

Ariana smiled. “So we’re ok?” she breathed out, hope in her voice.

Iker chuckled and nodded. “We’re ok Ari” he confirmed.

~#~
“How was Lucia doing when you left?” Iker posed as he pulled the blankets up over them. It had been a little while since their talk and, after deciding she would stay the night, Ariana had settled in Iker’s bed, something with brought a wide smile to his face. She was wearing an old shirt of his and he loved the sight of her in it.

Ariana shrugged and lifted her head, resting it against his chest as he folded his arms around her waist. “She was stable. Dad was sitting with her whilst Mum and Aaron went home to get some rest. I told them to call if anything changed” she murmured, her blue eyes resting heavily on her eyelids.

Iker sighed and ran his hand up her back, evoking a little shiver from her. “Don’t you want to be there with her?” he posed softly. He was pleased that she had come to see him, he felt a lot better with her beside him, but he didn’t want to keep her away from her sister. Whether he liked Lucia or not, she was still Ariana’s sister and he didn’t want to stop her from being there for her.

Ariana sighed and shook her head. “There is nothing I can do for her Iker by sitting there. Whether she wakes up or not will not be determined by me being there and so I came here. I wanted to apologize to you and make sure that I hadn’t ruined this again” she murmured, her lips kissing his chest softly.

Iker smiled and dropped his head, stealing a soft kiss. “You’ve not ruined anything. It is going to take something a lot more major for me to let you go any time soon” he insisted with a gentle smile.

Ariana returned it gently before she snuggled closer to him, her blue eyes closing as the emotion of the day began to catch up with her. Iker smiled as her gentle little snores filled the air, they were adorable and certainly one of the things he loved most about her. “Buenos noches Ari” he whispered as he kissed the top her head gently “Te amo” he added, resting his head back on the pillow and closing his dark eyes.

Ariana shifted slightly in his arms before she murmured a soft ‘I love you’ that made Iker smile.

He doubted he could ever get tired of hearing her say those words to him.