Where We Are

Gently passing her hand over the front of her shirt, Maia quirked a small smile, marveling at the feel of her bump beneath her fingertips. It had gotten bigger, with her having reached the halfway mark in her pregnancy, the bump that she carried was more pronounced and obvious, and whilst she was slightly self-conscious about it, a small part of her couldn’t help but smile whenever her stare landed on it. It had been a surprise, the positive pregnancy tests had come more than a little out of the blue, but she was excited about the prospect of the baby’s arrival, even if it was still a few months away. She was already counting down the days until the little boy or girl put in their first appearance.

Lightly tracing her thumb back and forth over her bump, she moved to shuffle her phone out of her pocket before the sound of someone settling into the seat at her side caught her attention, causing her to quirk a small half-smile. It had been a few weeks, after she and Iker had talked, things had settled down slightly between the two of them, but still Maia was under no illusions about where they stood.

Things were better, with a few things out in the open, both she and Iker had been able to relax a little more around one another, but Maia knew that there was still work to be done before they considered themselves back together. Things were still very much a work in progress and Maia had little doubt that they’d remain that way for a while.

“You’re cutting it pretty fine” she quipped, peeking at Iker out of the corner of her eye.

Iker, who’d moved to lean back into his seat slightly, caught her look before he shook his head. “Training overran” he noted “But I made it. You know I wouldn’t miss this one, Maia” he added, offering a quick glance down towards her pronounced bump as a faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. It was his first one, with Maia having waited until after her twelve week scan to tell him that she was expecting, he hadn’t been present at her ultrasounds, and he was looking forwards to it, wanting to see their baby on the screen for himself.

Maia noted the small smile on his face before she gently shifted her arm, nudging his ribs gently. “You excited?” she posed.

Iker spared her a look before he nodded. “I know you’ve shown me the other scans, and that I’ve got copies of them at home, but this is different. I can’t wait to see them, Maia” he enthused warmly.

Maia smiled at the warmth in his voice before she gently passed her hand over her bump once more. “Have you thought about finding out the sex?” she posed.

Iker, who’d been watching her hand, nodded his head before he tentatively reached his hand out, placing it on top of hers. “I’d like to know” he noted “I mean, I know that you love a surprise, but I am pretty curious. What about you?” he asked, peeking up at her.

Maia smiled a little at the feel of his hand against hers, before she looked down, her blue eyes meeting his darker ones. “I do love a surprise” she noted “But I have to admit that I am pretty curious too” she added.

Iker tilted his head. “You want to know?” he posed.

Maia nodded. “I think so” she replied “Is that alright with you?” she added, her voice caught between cautious and teasing.

Iker noticed the slight hint of caution in her voice, but didn’t comment on it, instead offering her a small grin. It wasn’t unfamiliar, with things still up in the air between the two of them, moments where they appeared to be walking eggshells around one another were common and familiar, but Iker was sure that they’d pass in time. They were settling into things, they were getting more comfortable around one another, and he was sure that they just needed a little more time to feel less awkward around one another. “I think that that sounds good” he noted.

Maia offered him a look before the sound of footsteps reached her ears, causing her to look up, her eyes settling on Lola who stood ahead of her, a familiar warm grin on her face. “Maia, Iker” she greeted “It is good to see the two of you again. Would you like to come through?” she posed.

Maia offered her a small nod before she moved to push herself up to her feet, following after the midwife with Iker in close pursuit. Padding into the small cubicle, she quickly hopped up onto the bed before she lightly pulled her shirt up, showing off her bump to Iker who was quick to grin at the sight of it before he offered his hand out, wordlessly asking if Maia wanted to hold it. Maia hesitated briefly before she placed her hand into his, allowing him to slot their fingers together comfortably.

“Are we going to be finding out the sex today?” Lola posed as she scooted towards the bed, lightly nudging Maia’s shirt up a little more.

Maia shared a look with Iker, asking if he was sure, before she smiled at the midwife. “If we can” she noted.

Lola, who’d moved to squeeze some gel over Maia’s bump, nodded her head gently before she collected the scanner, carefully running it over Maia’s stomach.

Iker watched the scanner intently for a few seconds before he lifted his head, his eyes softening at the sight of the image which had appeared on the screen.

“This is your first scan, Iker?” Lola posed, not missing the look on his face.

Iker simply nodded his head, something which made Maia offer his hand a tender squeeze. “You OK?” she asked, a soft smile on her face.

Iker shifted a little in his seat before he nodded, offering her a bashful smile. “A little overwhelmed” he noted “I mean...that’s our baba” he breathed out, gesturing towards the screen.

Maia admired the awed sound of his voice before she let out a soft giggle, squeezing his hand gently. “That’s baba” she enthused.

“Your little girl” Lola revealed, a warm grin on her face.

Iker and Maia, who’d been smiling at one another, started at the sound of the midwife’s voice before they turned their heads, their eyes wide in surprise. “What?” Iker squeaked.

Lola smiled. “Your little girl” she repeated “You’re having a daughter” she added.

Iker blinked a couple of times before he flicked his attention back towards Maia, his brown eyes mirroring her blues which were equally wide in surprise. “Daughter” he repeated softly “We’re going to have daughter” he added.

Maia stared at him for a couple of seconds, allowing the news to settle in, before she let out a soft awed laugh, something Iker mirrored, his hand squeezing hers tightly.

“I am going to give the two of you a couple of minutes” Lola noted “When I come back, we can talk about your next appointment, Maia” she added before she stepped out of the room.

Iker briefly watched her out of the door before he turned his attention back to Maia, pulling her hand towards his lips so that he could press a soft kiss against the warm skin. “It’s a girl” he murmured, pressing another kiss to her hand.

Maia’s cheeks warmed a little at the feel of his lips against her hand before she carefully shifted her spare hand, pushing it gently through his dark hair. “It’s a girl” she replied, a shy smile on her face.

Iker leant into her hand, allowing her to mess with his hair for a couple of moments before he pushed himself up slightly, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, something which made Maia’s smile widen a fraction, wanting to enjoy the moment. She knew that it wouldn’t last for long, with them still attempting to figure things out, they were careful about showing any romantic affection, and Maia wanted to make the most of it, knowing that they were still a way away from making it a more common occurrence.