Where We Are

Pulling a sweatshirt over his head, Iker let out a soft yawn, his dark eyes peeking towards the clock which sat on the wall. It had been a while, after Ella had arrived, a few weeks passed, and whilst it wasn’t the first time that he had departed for match since her arrival, it still made him slightly uncomfortable, something which wasn’t aided by the late kick off which meant that he would spend the night in his own home.

It was infrequent, since the baby had arrived, he was sure that he could count on one hand the amount of nights that he had spent in his own home, but still he hated it, even if he knew that it was likely to be necessary for a while yet. Sleeping in his own home bore little to no comparison to sleeping in Maia’s apartment with her and Ella around.

Yawning again, he pushed a hand back through his hair before he moved to collect his bag from beside the foot of the bed.

“You have to get going?”

Iker, who’d moved to lift his bag up onto his shoulder, looked up at the sound of Maia’s voice before he nodded, his dark eyes settling on where she stood in the doorway, a sleeping Ella settled in her arms. “I do” he noted “We’ve got a meeting before the warmup and I am sure that my coach would like me to be on time. Are you going to settle her down for a nap?” he posed, sparing a soft look towards Ella who cooed softly in her sleep.

Maia smiled, not missing the doting look in his eyes, before she nodded. “She fell asleep on me during her feed” she noted “I thought I’d settle her down for a while given how little sleep she got last night” she added as she stepped across the room, carefully settling the little girl down into her crib.

Iker watched her settle Ella down before he stepped up towards her, his arms settling comfortably around her waist as he ducked his head, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder. Maia, who’d been ensuring that Ella didn’t stir, smiled at the feel of his lips against her shoulder before she tilted her head, offering him a look over her shoulder. “You know that it’s only a night, right?” she posed quietly.

Iker nodded. “I know” he noted “And we both know that I’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning, but I still hate it. I’ve sort of grown used to waking up every two hours just to soothe her back to sleep” he added, his eyes not shifting away from Ella who let out a small snuffle, her feet kicking quietly.

Maia admired Ella’s small movements before she moved her hand, squeezing Iker’s which was wrapped around her waist. “I know you do” she murmured “But it’s still too soon, amor” she added, knowing where his mind had gone.

It was a thought that had crossed her mind, with Iker barely straying from her apartment for longer than a few hours at a time, it had occurred to her that they could simply bite the bullet and move in together on a more permanent basis, but still she wanted to put it off, even if they were practically living together. The notion of making it official made her nervous. She knew that they’d get there, with the way that their relationship had been since Ella had been born, she was confident that they’d get there sooner rather than later, but still she wanted to hesitate slightly, not wanting to push things forwards so soon after the little girl had arrived.

Iker, who’d flicked his attention down towards their hands, mulled her words over quietly for a couple of moments before he let out a soft sigh, nodding his head. “I know” he murmured “And I don’t want to push you on it. We’ll find the right moment eventually” he added quietly.

Maia noted the tone of his voice before she turned around, her blue eyes looking up into his darker ones. “I know it seems silly” she noted “I mean, how many nights have you actually spent in your apartment since Ella was born? But I just don’t want to push forwards too soon. I know it’s just a technicality, in every sense bar the official, we’re living together, but I just want to take a little more time before we bite bullet and move your stuff in here. You understand that, don’t you?” she posed, her expression soft and timid.

She didn’t want to frustrate him, after the way their relationship had ended previously, the last thing she wanted to do was appear to be dragging her feet, but she still wanted cautious. Their relationship was new, they had Ella to think about, and she didn’t want to put too much pressure on them.

Iker held her stare for a moment, his dark eyes scanning her blues, before he lifted a hand, tucking a loose strand of dark hair off of her face. “I get that” he noted gently “And as I said, I am not going to push you on it. This is new, and we can take some time, just as long as I get your word that eventually, I am going to be your live-in boyfriend” he added, his face creasing into a familiar warm smile which was designed to comfort her slightly. He knew why she was being tentative, with Ella around, the consequences of their relationship faltering didn’t just affect the two of them anymore, and he didn’t want to push her, wanting to ensure that they were both comfortable with the pace at which their relationship was moving.

Maia returned his smile before she offered her hand out towards him, something which made Iker chuckle before he placed her hand in his. “You’ve got my word” she quipped, shaking his hand.

Iker let out another amused laugh before the sound of his phone’s alarm reached his ears, causing him to shake his head. “That’s my cue to get out of here” he noted “I’ll see you first thing in the morning?” he posed.

“You’ve got a key” Maia pointed out “You’ll let yourself in even if I say no” she teased.

Iker offered her an innocent look before he stepped towards her, pressing a couple of quick kisses against her lips before he ducked out of the room, saying a quick goodbye which made Maia smile fondly. She knew that it was pedantic, in most senses, she and Iker were already living together, but she wanted to hold off on making it official. It wasn’t a step that they had taken together the first time and she didn’t want to simply dive in head first.