Somewhere Only We Know

Nibbling on the corner of his lip, Iker allowed his dark eyes to survey the hotel lobby, a sense of anticipation filling him. It had been a rough tournament, Spain had struggled in a lot of their games, but Iker was pleased with the results. A series of scrappy results had seen them make it to the final at the Stade De France and he was confident that they would go on to win it, Germany had already been knocked out by Italy and France had been knocked out by England on penalties in the quarter finals, something which cleared the way for Spain to reach the final where they would play Italy again, a game Iker was confident about winning.

“Someone looks excited” Sergio teased as he watched his friend. He knew that Iker was excited, he had been since Ariana had texted him to say that she and Violeta had made it off of the train that they had taken instead of the plane, but Sergio doubted he had ever seen the keeper so made up before. He was grinning already and Violeta and Ariana weren’t even in the building as of yet.

Iker shrugged the defender’s comment off slightly before he turned back towards the doorway, watching as a procession of women and babies made their way inside. Iker scanned the crowd quickly before he smiled to himself, watching his wife and daughter step towards the front desk. “She looks good” Sergio mused as he too watched Ariana. It hadn’t been a surprise, Ariana’s second pregnancy had been half expected by the defender, but he was pleased for them. At last, after 18 months of trouble, things finally looked settled for the pair and he knew how happy that made Iker. Ariana and Violeta meant more than a lot to him and he didn’t want anything more to come between them.

Iker smiled. “She’s glowing” he breathed gently.

Sergio chuckled and slapped his friend’s shoulder. “Go and get them Iker” he encouraged before he padded away towards Pilar and Junior.

Iker shook his head a little before he padded towards the front desk, his hands gently covering Ariana’s eyes. “Guess who?” he breathed.

Ariana giggled and turned in his arms, greeting him with a soft smile, one Iker was quick to cover with a soft kiss. It was a little silly, Iker had been able to cope without kissing her for almost four weeks, but the moment he had seen her, he hadn’t been able to resist. Four weeks was a long time. Ariana smiled into the contact and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. “Hola” she breathed as she pulled back for breath.

Iker chuckled and pecked her nose. “Hola” he replied.

Ariana marveled at him for a moment before someone moved to push past her, causing her to grip hold of Violeta’s pram, moving them aside slightly. “This city is crazy” she mused as she watched the French woman pad past her, offering her nothing but a slightly rude glance.

“Si, it is, but we are only here for a couple more days before I can take you and our little girl away on holiday. Two weeks of nothing but rest and relaxation” he mused with a little smile. It had been a long season, too long for the keeper who had played every game for both Spain and Real Madrid, and he couldn’t wait to get away. He had a two week vacation before he was due back in Madrid to start up pre-season training later that the rest of the squad.

“You have a final to play before you can start thinking about the beach, senor” Ariana teased as she turned to face Violeta who had started to whimper slightly. Iker watched her softly and leant down ahead of her, collecting the sniffling little girl. “She has missed you” Ariana mused as she watched them.

“I have missed you two more” Iker mused with a little smile that made Ariana shake her head.

He always had to go one-up on her.

~#~
“Look at you, all pregnant and smiley” Sergio beamed as he embraced Ariana.

“Iker told you then?” Ariana posed as she spared a little look over towards her husband who was sitting with Violeta, murmuring to the little girl softly.

“He’s been grinning like a fool for the last three weeks Ari. It wasn’t hard to figure out” the defender teased, sipping at his water.

“He didn’t tell you?” Ariana pressed.

“Nope, I guessed about two days after you told him. Why? Was I not supposed to know?” he quipped.

“No, I don’t have a problem with you knowing, it was just Iker said he told a friend about it and I just assumed it was you. He didn’t ask for advice or anything?” she posed

Sergio shook his head. “Not me” he quipped “It might have been Sara though. They’ve been talking recently” the defender suggested.

“Sara?” Ariana squeaked.

“He didn’t mention it?” Sergio pressed.

Ariana shook her head. “He did not” she mused.

Sergio’s dark eyes widened a little. “Ari, please don’t be mad at him” he murmured. He didn’t want to get his friend in trouble, Iker had done nothing wrong and didn’t deserve to have Ariana mad at him. Talking to Sara wasn’t a crime and Iker didn’t deserve to be made to feel as though it was. The reporter had been the one to offer him the advice that had seen him make amends with his wife.

Ariana sighed. “She’s his ex Sergio, his pretty and lovely ex” she murmured.

“Iker doesn’t see that Ari” the defender insisted as he watched the keeper with his daughter. He hadn’t looked happier in weeks and Sergio wasn’t about to let it slip away from him. Iker talking to Sara wasn’t a big deal and it posed absolutely no threat to Ariana. Iker worshipped the ground that the doctor walked on and wasn’t about to mess up again, especially with their second baby on the way.

Ariana sighed. “I am not comfortable with it Sergio” she murmured, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip.

“I know, but it will only upset him if you kick up a fuss. Stay calm Ari and I will talk to him Ok? I will make sure he is aware of how you feel. I don’t want the pair of you fighting again ok?” he stressed softly.

Ariana offered him a slightly dubious look before she nodded her head, padding back towards Iker and Violeta who smiled up at her. Sergio watched them and smiled a little to himself. He was going to make sure that they remained happy, even if it did mean getting involved in things he didn’t want to be, he wasn’t about to let things get away from his friends again