Where We Are

Tugging at the material of her knitted sweater, Maia let out a soft sigh, trying to pull the material so that it was a little looser around her pronounced bump. It had been a couple of days, after her latest moment with Iker, things between her and the keeper had been slightly more awkward than they had been previously, but Maia knew that that was her own fault.

She had come close, if it hadn’t have been for Unai’s appearance, she was confident that she would have said the three words which had been itching to fall out of her mouth for a while, and she felt a little awkward about it. She knew that it was no secret, both she and Iker had hinted that their feeling hadn’t changed, but still she couldn’t push the words out of her mouth, something which had led to her being a little shy around him.

Pulling at her sweater a little more, she adjusted it around her stomach before the sound of a light knock at the door reached her ears, causing her to turn her head, her eyes settling on Iker who had poked his head around the door tentatively. “You decent?” he posed.

Maia, who was still pulling at her jumper, nodded. “I was just trying to adjust my sweater so that it wasn’t so tight around my bump” she explained “I think I might need to buy a few things when I get home” she added, a faint smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Iker admired her smile briefly before he shook his head. “You look amazing, Maia” he noted “Especially with that bump. You’re glowing” he added, his voice warm and earnest.

Maia shook her head, preparing to respond, but was cut off as Iker stepped towards her, lightly placing his hand in hers. He knew what she was going to say, the shy expression she wore on her face confided it, and he didn’t want to offer her the opportunity to get shy on him. She had been quiet, after their moment alone together, she had been a little shy and tentative, and he wanted to encourage her to relax, not wanting them to take a step backwards.

“We’ve got some time” he noted “My parents and brother are distracted making calls to friends and family to wish them a merry Christmas and I thought we could make the most of it. I’ve got something for you” he added, offering her hand a light squeeze.

Maia tilted her head, a small frown on her face. “I thought we were waiting until after dinner to share presents?” she posed, following Iker as he guided her backwards towards the bed, encouraging her to perch at the foot of it.

Iker, who’d stepped around towards the end table, nodded. “We are” he noted “It’s a tradition that we’ve had since I was a child, but one present won’t hurt. Besides, I kind of want to give you this one in private” he added as he pulled the drawer open, quickly retrieving a neatly wrapped box from inside. Staring down at it for a moment, he quirked a small smile to himself before he padded back towards the foot of the bed, offering the present out to Maia.

Maia offered the small box a glance before she took it out of Iker’s hand, carefully pulling off the festive paper which had been wrapped around it. Pushing the paper to the side, she turned her attention towards the small box which sat in her hand before she gently pulled it open, a soft squeak falling out of her mouth. “Iker” she breathed softly “You...you chose this?” she babbled, her fingers lightly brushing over the necklace which was settled in the box. It was beautiful, the silver compass design was stunning, and Maia was a little amazed that Iker had chosen it, especially given how complicated things were between the two of them.

Iker smiled at the softness of her voice before he nodded. “I did” he noted “I saw it a while ago, maybe a month or so after you showed up to tell me about baba, and I thought it was perfect. You like it?” he posed.

Maia, who was still staring down at the necklace, blinked a couple of times before she shook her head, “I...I love it” she sniffled “It’s so beautiful, Iker” she added, sparing him a slightly tearful smile.

Iker admired her smile for a moment before he gently reached his hand out, brushing a few loose tears off of her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I didn’t mean to make you cry” he teased “I thought my choice of gift was pretty perfect” he added, tracing the line of her cheekbone with his thumb.

Maia let out a snuffly laugh at his teasing before she shook her head, something which caused Iker to lean towards her, carefully taking the necklace out of the box before he ducked behind her, gently clasping it behind her neck.

Maia allowed the necklace to fall against the front of her sweater before she turned her head, her blue eyes mirroring Iker’s darker ones for a fraction of a second before she leant towards, pressing a warm kiss against his lips. Iker startled, surprised by the sudden contact, but didn’t pull away, instead shifting his hand so that it cupped her cheek, something which caused Maia to smile against his lips before she pulled away, resting her forehead against his.

Iker stared at her for a couple of seconds, allowing a silence to hang over them, before he quirked an amused smile. “You kissed me” he quipped.

“You noticed that?” Maia countered playfully, her fingers smoothing out the collar of his shirt.

“It was kind of hard to miss” Iker teased “But I’m not complaining. I like kissing you, Maia” he added.

Maia smiled gently before she shook her head, dropping her stare down towards her feet. “I’m sorry for the last couple of days” she babbled “I’ve been shy, quiet, and that must have irked you” she added.

Iker shook his head, preparing to respond, but Maia cut him off, sneaking another soft kiss. “I...I love you” she babbled softly, tucking a few loose hairs behind her ear timidly.

Iker blinked a couple of times. “What?” he spluttered.

“I love you” Maia repeated timidly, chewing on her lip.

Iker stared at her, allowing her words to sink in for a moment, before he lightly shook his head, a boyish smile on his lips. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you saying that?” he asked, knotting their hands together.

Maia simply shook her head, something which made his smile widen before he leant towards her, resting their foreheads together. “I feel the same way” he murmured “I love you, Maia” he added before he ducked down, pressing another soft kiss against her lips.

Maia smiled into the kiss. She knew that they had to talk, admitting their feelings was one thing but figuring out what they wanted to do next was another, but for a moment she didn’t want to think about the conversation that they had to have. She simply wanted to enjoy the moment.