We Could Be Something

“Do you think I could come inside?”

Iker, who’d been staring at Clarissa for a couple of seconds, jumped a little at the sound of her voice before he lifted his head, his expression soft and uncertain.

He knew that it was a sore point, whenever he brought up the topic of Adriana’s mother, the blonde tended to change the subject or shy away from it, but he knew that he couldn’t just turn the older woman away, even if he did run the risk of upsetting Adriana by inviting her inside, he knew that he had to at least give Adriana the chance to speak to the older woman.

Pausing for a second, he briefly contemplated turning the older woman away, before he stepped out of the doorway, offering her a small nod. “Uhm…Of course” he babbled uncertainly “Adriana’s just upstairs but she should be down in a few minutes” he added, leading the older woman towards the living room.

Clarissa, who’d followed after him into the living room, nodded her head, moving to take a seat on the couch. “I am sorry for catching you off guard” she mused, breaking the slightly tense silence which had settled around them.

Iker, who still stood in the doorway, startled a little at the sound of her voice before turned his head, offering her a slightly wary look. “I hope you don’t mind me asking” he noted softly “But what are you doing here? I mean, I’ve been dating your daughter for a little over 2 years now and this is the first time we’re meeting. Why’ve you come here, Ms Gomes?” he posed, his tone soft and inquisitive. He didn’t want to pry, whatever the issue was between Clarissa and Adriana was between the two of them, but he was a little curious about why the older woman had shown up with little to no warning.

Clarissa mulled his words over for a couple of seconds before she let out a small sigh, her fingers tugging nervously at the hem of the dress she wore. “It has been a while since I saw Adriana” she admitted gently, her blue eyes peeking up at Iker “After I left her padre, we’ve not had the best relationship, but I heard from my sister, Adriana’s aunt, that she was engaged to be married and I thought…I thought that she would allow me to be a part of that” she added gently.

Iker frowned a little. “Ms Gomes…”

“Clarissa” the older woman interjected softly “And I know what you’re going to say, but I am not expecting to walk in and play the mother of the bride. I know that that isn’t something that Adriana is going to want to happen, but I would like to be involved, even if it is simply an invitation to the ceremony. She’s my daughter, Iker, and I would like to be there” she added gently.

She knew that it was sudden, for years, the occasions on which she and Adriana had spoken had been few and far between, but when she had heard that Adriana was getting married, she hadn’t been able to resist visiting, even if she knew that it was likely to be a little unwelcome, part of her wanted to be involved with her daughter’s wedding day.

Iker offered her a soft look, mulling over her words for a couple of seconds, before he nodded his head softly. “You should talk to her about it” he mused softly “But, I am going to say one thing. If she tells that she doesn’t want you there, then that is it. I don’t want her to be upset” he added, his tone slightly firm.

Clarissa quirked a small smile at the protective tone of his voice before she nodded her head. “I promise, I won’t push her” she agreed softly.

Iker offered her a slightly dubious look before he nodded his head. “I’ll go and get her” he noted softly “If you wait here, I’ll be back in a few minutes” he added before he padded out of the room.

~#~
Sparing a small look towards the door which stood ahead of him, Iker spared a small sigh, his stomach twitching slightly at the thought of telling Adriana that her mother had arrived. He knew that it was likely to upset her, since he had known Adriana, she had been particularly evasive when it came to the topic of her mother, but he knew that he had to let her know that Clarissa had arrived, even if it did have the potential to upset her. He knew that he couldn’t just let her walk into the room without any warning.

Admiring the door for a couple of seconds, he briefly contemplated walking back down the stairs, before he carefully knocked it open, his dark eyes settling on Adriana who sat in the seat beside Luca’s crib, cooing gently to the little boy who sat in her arms, babbling softly.

“Did you get rid of whoever was at the door?”

Iker, who’d been quietly watching Adriana and Luca, startled a little at the sound of her voice before he lifted his head, shaking it a little. “Not exactly” he noted softly.

Adriana tilted her head. “Not exactly?” she quipped, a teasing smile on her face.

Iker let a small sigh fall out of his mouth before he shook his head, something which made Adriana frown. “Iker, is everything Ok?” she posed softly.

Iker offered her another soft look before he stepped towards her, shaking his head a little. “The door” he noted softly “The person on the other side of it isn’t someone you’re going to be particularly pleased to see” he babbled softly.

Adriana quirked an eyebrow. “Who was it?” she posed softly.

Iker spared her a small look before he let out another side, his hand gently moving to take a hold of hers. “Your mother” he noted softly “She’s sat downstairs in the living room and she wants to talk to you, but if you don’t want to…”

“It’s fine” Adriana interjected, her tone caught between irked and surprised.

Iker offered her a slightly dubious look, wordlessly enquiring if she was sure, before he nodded his head, offering her hand a small reassuring squeeze. He knew that it was likely to be tense, the tone of Adriana's voice confided that she was a little irked by the idea of talking with her mother, but he was pleased that she was going through with it, even if it did have the potential to upset her.