Run Away With My Heart

Staring down at the latest text on his phone, Iker let out a small sigh, his brown eyes re-reading the words which were splayed across the screen. It wasn’t the first text of its sort, in the last five years, he had many texts along the lines of the one that lit up his phone’s screen, but it still didn’t make it any easier to take. He’d thought that they were in a good place, that they were happy and that things were working, but the text in his hand disproved it. According to the message, they weren’t happy. According to her, they weren’t working out and they were over, something which drew a small sigh from the keeper.

“Iker?”

Iker looked up a little and smiled, stowing his phone in his pocket. “Olivia” he returned, padding up to the bar where the pretty brunette sat “What can I get you now?” he added, gesturing to the glass which sat empty on the bar.

“You can get me a coke and then you can sit your ass in the chair and talk to me. You were staring moodily at that phone for a good ten minutes” Olivia replied, offering him a smile.

Iker sighed, “How about I do half of that? I’ll get you a drink and then we can pretend that everything is fine” he quipped.

Olivia shook her head. “Not a chance” she commented “You were all smiley when we got here and now look at you, you’ve got your grumpy face on” she commented.

Iker rolled his eyes. “I do not have a grumpy face” he muttered.

Olivia smirked. “You’re deflecting” she commented knowingly.

Iker sighed. Sometimes, he hated that Olivia knew him like she did.

It hadn’t been planned, their friendship had sparked up out of circumstance, but Iker knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t have traded their friendship for the world. Olivia was someone he could talk to, someone he could express his emotions to, and it made a nice change from his other friends who would mostly tease him for showing any sign of emotion.

“Come on, San Iker” Olivia teased “Talk to me” she added.

Iker sighed gently before he slipped his phone onto the bar, simultaneously motioning to the bartender. “Sara texted” he mumbled, unlocking the phone “Apparently, she’s left my key on the coffee table” he added before he relayed his order to the bartender.

Olivia shook her head. “I am sorry, Iker” she murmured gently, her blue eyes reading the text that Iker still had up on the screen “I know that you liked her” she added.

Iker scoffed. “I thought she liked me. Clearly, I was wrong” he mumbled, stowing the phone back in his pocket.

“She didn’t say much in the message” Olivia pointed out, taking her drink from the server who had returned to them, taking the payment that Iker held out to him “Perhaps, she will change her mind” she added, trying encourage a little optimism in her friend. She hated it, too often, she had seen Iker get his heart trampled on, and she wished there was something she could do for him. He was a lovely man, anyone who spent more than five minutes with him knew it, and she was amazed that the same thing kept happening to him over and over. If she had been anyone other than his friend, she knew she would have been with him in a heartbeat.

Iker snorted. “What else does a break up text have to say other than ‘I’m breaking up with you’?” he posed, his brown eyes peeking over at her.

Olivia sighed. “I’m still sorry” she noted.

Iker waved his hand. Olivia wasn’t the one whose apology he wanted to hear. “I just don’t understand it” he mumbled, swirling his drink in his bottle “Am I a horrid person?” he posed, his eyes briefly looking up at Olivia who stared back at him softly.

“No” Olivia returned, shaking her head.

“Then why does this keep happening?” he mumbled “Clearly there is something the matter with me” he added.

Olivia shook her head. “You’re great and you know it too. The girls you choose to date are clearly idiots if they don’t see it” she noted firmly, her hand reaching out and taking his. She didn’t like it, the doubting look on his face, and she wanted to get rid of it. Iker was a good man, a sweet one who was caring and kind, and she didn’t want him to doubt himself. Whatever was wrong with his relationships, she could have put money on it not being him.

“There must be something” Iker mumbled “It’s happened too often for it to be coincidence” he added.

“It isn’t you” Olivia replied firmly “And I am not going to listen to you say that it is. Drink up, hombre, we’re going to get ice cream and then we are going to have a movie night at my place” she noted.

Iker shook his head. “I am not a girl” he muttered.

“I know that” Olivia smiled “But I also know that you have a particular love of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a particular weakness for the Harry Potter Films” she commented as she moved to her feet, pulling Iker’s rather unwilling frame up with her.

“Oli, I am a grown man” he protested.

“I know” Olivia smiled “But you’re also sad and I don’t like that, so come on. I will even let you pick the ice cream toppings” she announced, pulling him from the bar and out into the street. Iker followed her and shook his head, sometimes a little amazed by his friend.

“It’s her loss, Iker” Olivia smiled as she pulled her jacket around her shoulders “She’s lost a great guy and one day, when you’re all married with little Ikers, she will see it” she added as she linked her arm with his.

Iker shook his head. “I hope you are right” he commented, zipping up his own coat to ward off the cool evening breeze.

Olivia smiled. “I normally am about this sort of thing Iker” she boasted playfully.

Iker rolled his eyes. She normally was right.