Where We Are

Sparing a soft yawn into his hand, Iker moved to settle down on the couch, his dark eyes surveying the collection of cardboard boxes which had been settled around the room. It had taken them a while, even with Hector’s help in packing up his home, it had taken them a further week to start moving his things into Maia’s apartment, but still Iker was glad that they had done it, even if they did have a lot of unpacking and rearranging to do. He was merely glad that they’d finally taken the step.

It wasn’t the biggest one, since Ella had been born, Iker was pretty confident that he could count on his hands the amount of nights that he had spent in his own home, but still he liked the idea of it being official, even if it was likely to take some time for them both to grow into it. He was confident that it was something that they’d both adapt to quickly.

Allowing another soft yawn to fall out of his mouth, he carefully tipped his head back so that it rested against the back of the couch before he closed his eyes, enjoying a couple of seconds of quiet before he felt something nudge against his leg. Startling, he blinked a couple of times before he lifted his head, his eyes settling on Maia who’d sat down beside him, an amused smile playing on her lips. “Are you trying to fall asleep on me before we’ve had dinner?” she poked, playfully nudging his leg once more.

Iker shrugged. “It’s been a long day” he quipped “I’ve spent a lot of time moving boxes in here. Can you blame me for being a little tired?” he added, offering her a boyish smile.

Maia feigned thought for a moment before she flashed him another impish smile, something Iker couldn’t help but return. He had always liked her smile. “Probably not” she returned “But you did promise me dinner. Do you think you can stay awake for that long?” she teased.

Iker offered her a playfully dubious look, something which made Maia hit his shoulder before she pushed herself up to her feet, mumbling something about eating by herself. Iker watched her for a couple of seconds, slightly amused by her teasing, before he reached his hand out, gently wrapping it around her wrist before he pulled her back towards him. “I think I could probably handle dinner” he noted “But after that...”

“I will allow you to sleep” Maia finished for him, knotting their fingers together.

Iker offered her hand a light squeeze before he pulled himself up to his feet, following Maia towards the kitchen. It had been a strange few days, after his conversation with Hector, Iker had been a little distracted with what they had discussed, but he had quickly put it to the back of his mind, not wanting to broach the topic with Maia before they were ready.

He knew that it was a conversation that they had to have, with things being pretty settled between the two of them, it was only a matter of time before their thoughts shifted towards what happened next, but to Iker at least it was a long way off. They were still learning, after their breakup and patching things up, they were still learning to be a couple again, and Iker had little intention of trying to push things. For a while, he simply wanted to enjoy the little bubble that he and Maia seemed to be in.

~#~
“Is Ella still asleep?”

Maia, who’d moved to step back into the living room, startled at the sound of Iker’s voice before she lifted her head, offering him a small nod. It had been a quiet evening, with both of them being tired, they had opted to spend a while simply curled up in front of the television, but Maia had adored it, even if it wasn’t the most exciting they’d done. She was simply glad to have some quiet time with him.

“She needed to have her nappy changed” Maia mused “But she settled down again pretty quickly. I’m pretty surprised that her papa hasn’t already followed suit” she teased as she settled back down beside him, her elbow jovially nudging his ribs.

Iker, who was sleepily flicking through the television channels, offered her a slightly sarcastic smile, something which made Maia giggle before she shuffled a little closer to him, cuddling into his side. “You know” she mused softly “There’s nothing to prevent you heading to bed. I mean, I am probably going to stay up for a bit, but if you want to go to sleep, it’s fine. I shouldn’t be too much longer” she added.

“You don’t mind?” Iker posed.

Maia shook her head. “You look tired” she pointed out with a coy smile.

Iker rolled his eyes. “Have I ever mentioned how romantic you are?” he teased, gently tickling her side.

Maia squirmed a little, trying to get away from him, before she let out a soft giggle. “You haven’t” she quipped “But we both know that you’re pretty lucky” she added brightly.

Iker smiled a little at the sound of her laugh before he dipped down, pressing a soft kiss against the top of her head. “I know I don’t say it a lot” he murmured “I mean, since we got back together, things have been pretty hectic, but I am pretty glad that we patched things up, Maia” he added gently.

“You are?” Maia posed as she looked up at him, her voice caught between curious and teasing.

Iker nodded his head gently before he shifted his hand, lightly brushing a few strands of hair which had escaped from her ponytail off of her face. “I know that it’s still a work in progress” he noted “And I know we’re still trying to figure out what went wrong before, but I am optimistic about this, Maia. I know it is still early days, but I like us” he added, his voice warm and reassuring. He was under no illusions, even despite the fact that they had Ella together, their relationship was still very much in the fledgling stage, and he wanted her to know that he was aware of it.

Maia, who’d moved to lean a little closer to his hand, smiled a little at the warmth in his voice before she turned her head, gently pressing a kiss to his palm. “I like us too” she mused “And I am pretty sure that I am going to like us living together too, you know, once you’ve moved all these boxes out of my living room” she added, sparing a playful glance towards the boxes which were dotted around the room.

Iker scoffed. “Our living room” he corrected with a boyish smile.

Maia rolled her eyes playfully. “Our living room” she mimicked.

Iker let out another amused laugh before he leant into her, pressing a quick kiss against her lips. “I love you, you know that?” he teased.

Maia quirked an impish smile, like she had thought of an amusing retort, before she shook her head, shyly messing with the ends of her hair. “I do know that” she mused gently “And I hope you know that I love you too” she added.

Iker smiled, allowing the words to hang around them for a couple of seconds, before he ducked towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Maia smiled at the contact, kissing him back happily for a few seconds before he pulled back, a yawn tumbling out of his mouth, something which made her giggle before she pushed him away. “Go to sleep” she quipped between laughs.

Iker thought about protesting, but instead offered her a small grin before he pushed himself up to his. “I’ll see you in the morning” he mumbled before he leant down, dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head before he padded out of the room, something which made Maia smile to herself, confident that things between her and Iker would only get better in time.