Hear Your Heart

Staring up at the house ahead of her, Olivia swallowed, trying not to freak out at the mere sight of it. She didn’t want to be there, the idea of being even close to a house that held so many memories for her made her feel slightly nauseous, but she knew she had to get over it. It was the beginning of August, a couple of week before the start of the new season, and Iker, in his role as captain, had opted to host a small party for his teammates and their families, something that he had been quick to invite Olivia to. They weren’t family, after the last conversation they had had, Olivia didn’t quite know what they were, but she wasn’t going to put Thiago in the middle of it. The little boy loved spending time with his father and whilst Olivia didn’t particularly want to be near the keeper, she wasn’t going to make her son suffer for it.

Sparing her frame a little look, she took another deep breath and padded up the path, knocking on the door tentatively. “Olivia” Pilar noted as she pulled the door back “You actually came” she added, peeking at the other brunette.

Olivia nodded. “Of course I did” she replied softly “Iker asked for him to be here” she added with a little look towards Thiago who sat in his mother’s arms, his big blue eyes looking around in amazement. Pilar smiled at the sight of the little boy, he was a beautiful baby and she could see how proud both of his parents where to have him around. Both Olivia and Iker lit up at the mere mention of the little boy. “Were people not expecting me?” Olivia posed, slightly perturbed by the shock that Pilar had on her face.

“It isn’t that” Pilar replied “It’s just after what Iker told us about your last conversation, we didn’t expect you to come here. He said you were quite upset” she explained gently. She felt for the keeper, even if she did hate what he had done to what at the time had been his pregnant girlfriend, and she wanted to help him make things right. It was clear to almost anyone who knew the keeper that he still wanted Olivia and, as much as she tried to hide it, it was obvious that Olivia still wanted him too.

Olivia sighed. “He told you about that?” she mused as she stepped into the house.

“He told Sergio, Sergio relayed it to me. How are you bearing up?” Pilar replied softly.

Olivia shrugged. “I’m pissed” she muttered “Not that he cheated, I could have got over the sex, but that he didn’t trust me Pilar. He told me that he did it because he thought that I deserved better and I hate him for that. I didn’t want anything but him and I would have thought that of all people, he knew that” she explained, gently shifting Thiago who had become a little fussy.

Pilar sighed. “Oli, Iker’s kicked himself every day since you two split up” she noted gently.

“I know” Olivia replied “But I just can’t seem to rationalize forgiving him. Every time I picture it, forgiving him and trying to make a go of things again, I get drawn back to that picture, to way my stomach dropped when I saw it and I get mad all over again. I don’t know if I can ever stop feeling that way, Pilar, and I don’t want to pretend I can. I don’t want to hurt him anymore than I already have” she murmured before she moved to pad away into the kitchen in search of the keeper. Pilar watched the brunette go and sighed, wishing for a spark that would make Olivia see that Iker was the one she was supposed to end up with.

~#~
“I didn’t know you invited Oli” Sergio commented thoughtfully as he padded over to Iker, placing a bottle of water in the keeper’s hand “I thought you would have just had her drop him off” he added with a look towards Thiago who had started to drift off in Iker’s arms.

“She doesn’t like leaving him alone with me” Iker murmured, his dark eyes watching as Olivia spoke to Cristiano, an irritating grin on her face. Iker hated it, the notion she could smile at anyone but him, and watching her with Cristiano made the keeper’s blood boil. She should have been smiling for him, no one else, and Iker hated watching it.

“He’s not doing anything, you know” Sergio commented, making Iker turn and look at him “Cristiano. He’s just talking to her about his son and about what being at Madrid has been like for the last year. It’s completely harmless” he explained.

Iker sighed. “I know that” he muttered “I just…I hate seeing her smile at every one else and knowing that it won’t be because of me” he murmured, adjusting Thiago’s sun hat on the sleeping baby’s head.

“Iker…”

“I want her, Sergio” Iker interjected “More than ever before and it sucks because I know, deep down, that I am probably never going to get her back” he mused, his dark eyes moving back to Olivia and Cristiano, noting just how close they stood to one another.

“Iker, she probably just needs time” Sergio suggested.

“She’s had 14 months” Iker replied sharply as he moved to his feet, placing Thiago into Sergio’s arms as he watched Cristiano murmur something to Olivia, evoking a laugh that made Iker snarl. Sergio noted the expression on his friend’s face and attempted to reach for him, but was prevented by the little boy who snuffled slightly in his sleep. “Iker” he yelled. Iker heard the defender call his name, but ignored it, instead making a beeline for the Portuguese man who was still muttering to Olivia.

“Iker, what are you…?” Olivia’s voice drifted off as Iker came to a halt ahead of the forward, his fist hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him back off of his feet. Olivia made a small sound in shock and moved to reach for his arms, quickly pulling him away.

“What the hell was that?” she yelled as she pulled him into the house, away from everyone else.

Iker tensed his jaw and shook his head, something which made Olivia roll her eyes. “You’re an idiot” she muttered “How could you hit him? He’s your teammate, Iker, your friend and…” Olivia’s words trailed off as Iker stepped towards her, trapping her in a kiss that made her stumble slightly. Iker set his hands on her hips and pulled her closer for a few moments before she willed herself away, her hands pushing his chest. “You’re an ass” she spat “You cannot behave like that then come in here and do that to me. Why did you hit him?” she muttered.

“He was making you smile” Iker returned sharply “And I hate that he can do it, but I can’t” he added.

Olivia scoffed. “I can smile when I feel like it Iker. It is not my fault that when I am around you, I don’t want to” she muttered.

“Why? I answered you questions, Oli, I have listened to you yell. What is it that is keeping us apart right now? I know you have feelings for me, you’d have stopped crying about it if you didn’t, and I know I have feelings for you, so why are we not together?” he pressed.

Olivia shook her head. “Do you honestly think I can be with you again?” she whispered.

“I don’t see why not” he replied “Oli, what happened, happened. We can’t change it, but we can try again” he whispered, stepping a little closer to her.

Olivia shook her head. “No, we can’t” she murmured.

“Why not?” he posed gently “Oli, I love you” he added.

“But I don’t know if I love you” Olivia murmured, her blue eyes peeking up at him as his face fell “I know I did, and I know I still feel something Iker, but I don’t know if I am still in love with you. I appreciate that you were honest with me, I know that that took a lot, but I can’t stand here and say that I love you, because I don’t know that I do” she whispered “And I don’t know if you only love me because I ended things” she added.

Iker shook his head. “I love you because you’re the best person for me. You’re my best friend, the only person capable of telling me what I should do and the only person capable of giving me butterflies. Oli, I want you” he whispered.

“I know” she murmured “But I can’t say the same back to you. I don’t want to give you any sort of false hope” she murmured before she stood up on her toes, gently kissing his cheek. “Lo siento, Iker” she added before she walked away, leaving him silently devastated behind her.