Where We Are

Chewing on her lip thoughtfully, Maia stared at the screen of her laptop, re-reading the words that she had typed. She had been at it for a while, with her deadline approaching, she had spent hours attempting to edit and finish her latest chapter, but she found herself slightly frustrated, unable to focus on the task ahead of her.

She knew that she had to get it finished, with her due date approaching, it wouldn’t be much longer before she redirected attentions towards getting things in place for when the baby arrived, and she wanted to get it done, not wanting to let it linger. She knew that things would change, with things between her and Iker getting better, and the baby due in the near future, she knew that her job was going to have to take the backseat, and she wanted to leave it finished, even if it was only for a matter of time, she wanted to make a clean break.

Nibbling on her lip briefly, she mouthed the words to herself before the sound of the doorbell reached her ears, causing her to let a soft sigh before she pushed herself up to her feet. Ensuring that she had saved the document, she padded through the apartment before she pulled the door open, her lips curving into a tender smile at the sight of Iker.

It had been a little while, after they’d agreed to give their relationship another shot, a couple of weeks had passed, and whilst their dates had been fleeting, Maia had to admit that she was pleased with how things were going, even if it was only early days. She was under no illusions, the practicality of restarting their relationship so close to the arrival of their little girl was questionable, but she was cautiously optimistic. They were settled, after a couple of awkward months, they were at ease around one another, and Maia liked it, even if she knew that they still had a way to go. She liked the idea that they were trying to make things work.

Iker, who was stood in the doorway, admired her tender smile for a moment before he shook his head, his expression slightly sheepish. “Hola” he greeted “I know that I’ve shown up with little warning, but are you busy?” he added, his tone slightly apprehensive.

Maia smiled, slightly amused by the tone of his voice, before she shook her head. “I was finishing off some edits” she noted “But it can wait. I’m guessing that you’ve shown up for a reason. Care to share it?” she added, her voice warm and teasing as she stepped out of the doorway, allowing him to duck into the apartment.

“I have the morning off” Iker noted, nudging the door closed behind him “And I thought I would drop by, but if you’re busy...”

“It’s fine, Iker” Maia interrupted with a small laugh.

Iker’s cheeks tinted a soft shade of pink before he shook his head, offering her a small glance. “I’ve been doing a little thinking” he noted.

Maia simply lifted an eyebrow, wordlessly encouraging Iker to keep talking. “You’re nearly seven months pregnant, Maia” he pointed out “And in a couple of months, our little girl is going to be here and it occurred to me that we’ve got a lot to do, so I thought I’d come and see if you were free for a couple of hours. I was thinking that we could start to look at things” he babbled.

He knew that they had to do it, with Maia’s due date approaching quickly, they couldn’t afford to put it off for too much longer, but still he was a little anxious about broaching the subject. It hadn’t been their focus, for a few weeks, patching up their relationship had been at the centre of their thoughts, and he wanted to shift the focus, wanting to start thinking about the new arrival that both her and Maia were more than excited about.

Maia offered him a soft look, not missing the tentative tone of his voice, before she quirked a light smile. “You want to go baby shopping?” she posed, her voice caught between curious and teasing.

Iker shrugged. “I’d like to” he noted “But if you’d prefer to do it with someone else, that’s Ok. I just want us to start getting things ready. She’ll be here before we know it” he added, his stare settling on her bump as a familiar smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. It was still a strange thought, even despite the months that had passed, the idea that he and Maia were going to have a baby was one which still felt unfamiliar to him, but he was looking forwards to it, even if he was nervous about how and Maia would cope with the baby around. He couldn’t wait to meet their little girl.

Maia followed the line of his stare, not missing the smile which tugged at the corner of his mouth, before she shook her head. “I’d like to go with you, Iker” she mused “If you give me a few minutes, I’ll get changed and I’ll meet you back here?” she posed.

Iker flashed her a small smile before he nodded, something which encouraged Maia to step away from him, heading towards her bedroom.

~#~
Sipping on the cup of coffee which sat in his hand, Iker quirked a small smile, his brown eye settled on Maia who stood a little away from him, flicking through a rack of baby clothes. It had been a good morning, even despite the fact that they didn’t really know what they were looking for, he and Maia had had a good time looking at things for the baby, and Iker was pleased that they done it, even if they’d disagreed over the odd thing, he was pleased that they were making some kind of progress.

Taking another sip of his drink, he moved to spare a glance down towards his phone before the sound of Maia clearing her throat reached his ears, causing him to lift his head, his dark eyes softening at the sight of the tiny dress which she held in her hands. Blinking a couple of times, he gently reached out and took it into his hands, his fingers gently brushing over the soft material as a soft smile appeared on his lips.

“I am going to take the mushy smile as a way of saying you like it” Maia mused gently, sitting down at his side.

Iker nodded his head gently. “It’s adorable” he fussed softly.

Maia simply smiled. She had grown to like the awe that filled his voice whenever they spoke about the baby.

Iker, who’d been admiring the dress, turned his head slightly before he shook his head, a timid laugh falling out of his mouth. “You’re not going to make a comment?” he posed.

Maia shook her head. “No” she noted “If anything, I like the way you get a little overwhelmed when it comes to baba, it’s a good look on you, although, I have no idea how you’re going to cope when she’s actually born. You’re going to cry more than me” she added, her fingers gently straightening out the tiny dress which he held in his hands.

Iker let out another soft laugh before he shook his head. “I can’t promise that I won’t cry” he noted “But I will try and keep it to a minimum” he added.

Maia offered him a small smile, allowing a beat of silence to pass over them, before she shook her head. “If you want to cry, I won’t stop you” she mused “I mean, I am likely to do my fair share. We’re going to have a baby, Iker, a little girl, and it’s a lot to get your head around” she added, her voice slightly nervous.

Iker noted the tone of her voice before he shifted his spare hand, offering hers a gentle squeeze. “It is” he agreed “But I think we’ll be Ok. Are you nervous?” he asked.

“You’re not?” Maia countered “It’s a baby, Iker, our baby” she added.

“It is” Iker agreed “But we’ll learn as we go and we’ll figure it out. It’s going to be different, with baba around, things are going to be strange for a while, but I have no doubt that we’ll get used to it. Besides, I’m sure that you’re going to be great at this” he added, offering her hand a light squeeze.

Maia shook her head. “You really think so?” she posed, nibbling on her lip shyly.

Iker nodded. “You’re warm” he noted “You’re kind and intuitive, and I am sure that you’ll make a wonderful madre. Baba’s going to be lucky to have you” he insisted, a warm encouraging smile on his face. He knew that she was nervous, even if she did try and hide it, he knew that she was a little worried about the baby’s arrival, and he wanted to buoy her confidence, even if it was likely to fall on deaf ears. He wanted to reassure her that they would cope.

Maia stared at him, admiring his smile briefly, before she shook her head, something which made Iker press a soft kiss against her cheek. “Come on” he murmured “Let’s pick up a few more things and then we can find somewhere to get some lunch. Does that work for you?” he posed, gently helping her up to her feet.

Maia quirked a small smile before she nodded. “It sounds like a plan” she enthused warmly.

Iker returned her smile before he squeezed her hand lightly once more, something which made Maia’s smile widen, more than slightly glad that he was around.