Where We Are

09: I’ve Always Kind Of Liked It

Bouncing her leg nervously, Maia spared a quiet look around the waiting room, subtly checking for any sign of Iker. It had been a little while, after Iker had attempted to talk to her and she had pushed him back, they’d taken to avoiding each other for a couple of days, but still Maia was sure that he’d show up, even if things between the two of them had deteriorated slightly. She had little doubt that he would make it to her appointment. It wasn’t the biggest one, with Lola slightly worried about her blood pressure, she had arranged for Maia to have a checkup, but the brunette knew that Iker was looking forwards to it, even if it wasn’t their next scan, he was simply excited about being involved.

Chewing on her lip quietly, she spared another quick glance around the room before she moved to shuffle her phone out of her pocket, her blue eyes perusing the text from her mother which lit up the screen. It wasn’t unfamiliar, since her mother had guessed that she was expecting, she developed a habit of texting to check up on her, and Maia appreciated it, even if her mother did have the potential to get slightly too involved. She was glad that her parents had taken the news of her pregnancy well.

Quirking a small smile, she typed a quick reply before the sound of someone sitting down beside her caught her attention, causing her to tilt her head slightly, her blue eyes shyly peeking up at Iker who’d sat down beside her. “Hola” she squeaked awkwardly, stuck for anything else to say.

Iker noted the awkwardness in her voice, but opted not to comment, instead offering her a half-hearted smile. “Hola” he greeted “I’m not late, am I?” he posed, checking the time on his watch.

Maia shook her head. “I think I am probably the next one up” she noted quietly.

Iker simply nodded his head, diverting his stare down towards his feet.

Maia watched him avoid looking at her before she shook her head, a soft sigh falling out of her mouth. “Iker...”

“Maia?” Lola’s voice interrupted “Are you ready to get started?” she added, stepping towards the pair.

Maia blinked, surprised by Lola’s voice, before she nodded, offering her a small smile. “Of course” she mused “Iker?” she posed.

Iker nodded before he pushed himself up to his feet, offering his hand out towards Lola. “You must be Maia’s midwife” he greeted “I’m Iker, Maia’s...the baby’s papa” he corrected himself.

Lola offered him a small smile before she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Iker” she greeted “You must be pretty excited” she added, leading the two of them towards a cubicle.

Iker flashed her a polite smile before he moved to take a seat, allowing Maia to situate herself on the side of the examination bed. “This should be pretty quick” Lola mused “I just want to make a couple of checks, most notably your blood pressure. It was pretty good the last time that you were here, but it was pretty erratic when you first visited, and I want to make sure that it’s still under control” she added, moving to wrap the blood pressure cuff around Maia’s arm.

Maia nodded her head, watching quietly as Lola measured her blood pressure.

“Have you two thought about whether you want to find out the sex at the next scan?” Lola posed, breaking the quiet which had settled over them.

Maia spared a quick look towards Iker before she shook her head. “It’s something we’ve got to talk about it” she noted.

Lola, who’d moved to check Maia’s blood pressure, nodded. “It’s OK” she noted “But you’ll have to let me know before the scan. I’d hate to spoil the surprise for the two of you if you do decided to wait” she added with a pleasant smile.

Maia returned it half-heartedly.

“Your blood pressure is looking pretty good, Maia” Lola mused “It’s seemed to have levelled out and that’s a good thing. I’ve got to send you for a blood test, but I think we can probably switch to fortnightly appointments from here on out. I’d like to do a quick measurement of your bump before you go, though” she added.

Maia spared her a quick nod before she pushed herself up to her feet, quickly lifting up the bottom of her shirt to show off the small bump that she carried.

Iker, who was sat a little away from them, lifted his head slightly at the mention of her bump before he shifted his gaze, marveling at the small round bump which was just about noticeable.

“Is that a smile?” Maia posed, her voice awkward, yet still teasing.

Iker startled slightly at the sound of her voice before he lifted his head, not missing the shy smile she wore. “Is that a problem?” he posed, playing along tentatively.

Maia bit her lip before she shook her head. “Not at all” she quipped “If I could choose one thing for baba to inherit from you, it would be that smile” she added, shyly messing with her hair.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “My smile?” he posed.

Maia nodded. “I’ve always kind of liked it” she enthused timidly “It’s pretty adorable” she added.

Iker opened his mouth, preparing to retort, only to be cut off by Lola who had stepped away from Maia’s stomach. “You’re growing at the right sort of rate” she mused “Your bump is making good progress, and I am sure that I will be able to tell you more when you come back for your 20-week scan. You’ve already got an appointment for that?” she asked.

Maia nodded. “I have” she confirmed.

“Good” Lola noted “I will see the two of you then?” she posed.

Iker offered her a nod. “We’ll see you then” he enthused.

Lola offered the two of them a polite smile before she ushered them out of the room, encouraging them to step out into the corridor.

“What have you got planned for the rest of the day?” Iker posed, breaking the quiet which had settled over them.

Maia, who’d moved to wrap her jacket around her shoulders, startled at the sound of his voice before she turned, looking up at him. “Not too much” she replied “I mean, I’m still working on my latest chapter, so I planned on heading home and working on that, but other than that, I don’t have many plans. I think my mother’s going to end up video calling me tonight, though. She’s very excited about baba” she added, a slightly fond smile on her lips.

Iker admired her smile briefly, before he shook his head, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “I know the other day was a mess” he mumbled.

“Iker” Maia murmured.

“I shouldn’t have shown up unannounced” Iker continued “It was a lot to just drop on you, Maia, but we can’t just shy away from it. You know that, right?” he pressed, his expression soft and uncertain. He knew that it had been a mistake, showing up unannounced and dropping a conversation about their complicated relationship on Maia hadn’t been fair, but he didn’t want to let the subject slide, even if their first conversation had faltered. It was still something that he knew they needed.

Maia glanced up at him before she nodded. “I know that” she confirmed.

“Then let’s talk” Iker insisted “I could come over to yours later, I could bring dinner, and we could make a start on trying to figure this...this mess out” he added.

Maia hesitated, something which made Iker sigh before he took a pace towards her, his hand gently finding hers. “Please?” he posed “I’m not promising that we’ll figure it out instantly, and I can’t promise that it will be the nicest, most pleasant conversation, but it is important, Maia. We need to know what we’re doing, for us and for baba” he added, his spare hand subtly passing over her shirt.

Maia glanced down at his hand, chewing on her lip thoughtfully, before she nodded her head. “OK” she breathed.

Iker allowed her word to hang in the air before he offered her hand a little squeeze, something which made Maia’s cheeks warm slightly before she detached their hands, musing about seeing him later as she stepped away from him. Iker watched her go before he nodded to himself, knowing that that night was one that they needed to make count.
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Thanks to FootieJo, mslou1 and Twisted;;Symphony for the comments :)