Where We Are

Kicking his shoes off of his feet, Iker pushed the front door closed behind him, a sigh of relief falling out of his mouth. It was late, after their dinner with Will and Alex, they’d collected Ella before they’d headed home, and Iker was more than looking forwards to the opportunity to fall asleep. It had become tense, after Alex’s hint about the prospect of a proposal, the previously jovial mood of the meal had faded slightly, and Iker had been glad when it had ended, even if he had enjoyed the majority of the evening. He had been more than slightly relieved when Maia had made an excuse to leave.

Resting his weight against the door, he relished the quiet of the hall way for a few seconds before he pushed himself forwards, making his way towards the living room where Maia stood, trying to soothe Ella who grumbled unhappily in her arms. Stopping in the doorway, he watched the two of them together briefly before he took another pace forwards, gently tapping Maia’s shoulder. “You want me to try and settle here?” he posed.

Maia, who’d been focused on Ella, startled slightly at the feel of his hand against her shoulder before she whipped around, offering him a tired smile. “You’d not mind?” she posed “I mean, she’s pretty grumpy” she added, gently smoothing out Ella’s dark hair as she let out another soft cry.

Iker nodded. “I can see that” he noted “But I am sure that I can handle it. It’s not the first time that she’s been grumpy” he added.

Maia offered him a slightly dubious look before she tilted her head. “Are you sure that you’d not mind?” she posed, her voice slightly awkward and uncertain.

Iker admired the soft expression on her face, not missing the shift in the tone of her voice, before he took another pace towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her temple. “I don’t mind at all” he noted “So, why don’t you give her to me and then think about getting ready for bed? You look a little worn out” he added, smiling against her skin. He knew why she felt a little awkward, after Alex’s comment, she had been a little distant and quiet, and he wanted to talk about it, even if it was just to reaffirm the words he had already said in the restaurant. The last thing he wanted was for her to get worked up over what Alex had said.

Maia rolled her eyes at the feel of his smile before she gently nudged his ribs, causing Iker to let out a soft laugh. “I’m kidding” he noted.

Maia spared him a playful glare before she stepped a little closer to him, settling Ella into his arms. “Dulces sueños, baba” she murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the top of the baby’s head.

Iker watched the small interaction with a fond smile before he leant forwards, pressing another kiss against the side of Maia’s head. “I shouldn’t be too far behind you” he noted.

Maia snorted. “I don’t think she agrees with you” she added, gesturing to Ella who let out another soft cry.

Iker, who’d moved to adjust Ella against his hip, shook his head. “She’s just tired” he noted “And I am pretty sure that she’ll fall asleep pretty quickly. You’ll wait up for me?” he posed, flashing Maia a boyish smile.

Maia admired his smile for a second before she rolled her eyes, nodding her head. “OK” she noted.

Iker offered her another bright smile before he padded out of the room, something which made Maia shake her head softly before she made her way up the hall, ducking into their bedroom.

~#~
“I thought you said that you wouldn’t be gone for long”

Iker, who’d stepped into the bedroom, startled at the sound of Maia’s voice before he lifted his head, offering her a soft smile. “I did say that” he mused “But you were right about Ella having other ideas. She kicked up a fuss as soon as I tried to put her down into her crib, so I had to sit there for a while until she fell asleep. But she’s asleep now and should be for a while” he added as he stepped a little deeper into the room, settling down on the edge of the bed.

Maia simply nodded her head quietly, something which made Iker sigh before he turned his head, looking at her over his shoulder. “You OK?” he posed.

Maia tilted her head. “Why wouldn’t I be?” she posed, a confused smile on her face.

“Because Alex bought up a topic at dinner that caught you off guard and now you’re being quiet” Iker mused.

Maia shook her head. “Iker...”

“I don’t want to press it, Maia” Iker mused “I think we’re both aware that that’s a conversation that we’re not quite ready to have yet, but I do want to know whether it’s a conversation which is on the cards for the future” he added, his expression soft and earnest. He knew that she was apprehensive about talking about it, the way that her hands messed with the duvet made it clear that she was nervous or uncomfortable, and whilst he didn’t want to press it, he did want to discuss it, wanting to know if she was on the same page as him.

Maia, who’d been pulling at the duvet timidly, chewed on her lip thoughtfully for a few seconds before she lifted her head, peeking at him gently. “I can’t say I’ve never thought about it” she noted.

Iker tilted his head. “You think about it?” he posed.

“Before” Maia mumbled “Before the breakup, I actually thought you were getting ready to propose. I thought that I’d found a ring one night when I was looking for a shirt in your dresser, but you never mentioned it so I figured I must have been mistaken” she added.

Iker stared at her for a moment before he shook his head, a slight smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “You found that?” he breathed.

Maia’s eyes widened. “You had one?” she pressed.

Iker nodded. “I did” he mused “I bought it a couple of months before we broke up and I hid it in my drawer. I didn’t know that you’d found it” he noted.

Maia blinked a couple of times in awe before she shook her head. “I didn’t want to say anything” she noted “I mean, you’d hidden it and I thought you were planning on surprising me, so I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I figured you’d get to it in your own time and I didn’t want you to think that I was trying to push you along” she added, shyly brushing a few loose strands of hair off of her face.

Iker smiled at her gently before he reached his hand out, replacing hers as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “It didn’t work out last time” he noted “By the time I thought about using it, things between us were pretty far gone, but that was last time. I meant what I said earlier, when I told Alex that it’s not something which is on my mind right now, I meant that, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not something I want to happen eventually” he added as he traced his thumb along the line of her cheekbone.

Maia leant into his touch, mulling his words over briefly, before she quirked a small teasing smile. “I’d not hate that” she murmured.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “Huh?” he posed.

“I meant it when I said that I don’t want to push this, Iker” Maia mused “I don’t want us to try and make this into something it isn’t yet, but eventually, if you were to ask, I don’t think I’d say no” she added, peeking up at him softly.

Iker mulled her words over briefly before he leant down, pressing a soft kiss against her lips that Maia didn’t hesitate in returning. She knew that it was a way off, as far as she was concerned, they still had a way to go before the thought of an engagement or marriage even entered their minds, but she wanted him to know that it was what she wanted, even if it was a way off. They had made a mistake before, for too long, they’d avoided talking to one another about the important things, and it wasn’t something that Maia intended to do second time around.