Where We Are

Lightly skirting his thumb over Maia’s shoulder, Iker smiled to himself, his ears doused by the soft sound of her snoring which filled the quiet bedroom. It was early, the fact that neither Maia nor Ella had stirred confirmed to Iker that he was awake earlier than normal, but he didn’t mind it, even if it did mean that he was likely to be slightly more tired than normal, he had grown to like the infrequent moments of quiet that settled over the house. It was rare, with Ella growing, the house was often a hive of activity, and Iker had grown to enjoy the quiet moments, even if he did adore spending time with his girls. He liked to have a few quiet seconds to himself.

Drawing his thumb over Maia’s shoulder, he traced shapes into the material of her pajama shirt for a few seconds before he turned onto his back, his dark eyes peeking up at the ceiling. It had been a while, after Alex’s comment had urged them to discuss the idea of an engagement, a few weeks had passed, and whilst there had been a few slightly awkward moments, Iker was pleased by how things had settled down between the two of them.

He knew that it was a topic that they needed to discuss, after the way they had avoided it in the previous relationship, he knew better than to skirt around it, and whilst it had come out of the blue, he was glad that they had talked about it, even if they had agreed that it was something which could be put onto the backburner. He was glad to know that they were both on the same page

“I can hear you thinking”

Iker, who’d been staring up at the ceiling, jumped at the sound of Maia’s voice before he turned his head, peeking down at her gently. “I didn’t know you were awake” he noted.

Maia let out a soft yawn before she shrugged. “You move around a lot when you’re trying to get back to sleep” she pointed out “It’s pretty hard to ignore it” she added.

“I didn’t mean to wake you” Iker murmured.

“I know that you didn’t” Maia replied with a sleepy smile “But it doesn’t matter. I doubt it will be too much longer before Ella starts to stir. It’s almost 6:30 isn’t it?” she posed.

Iker nodded. “You want me to get her when she wakes up?” he posed as he turned onto his side.

Maia shrugged gently before she shuffled a little closer to him, gently cuddling into his body. “It’s probably your turn” she mumbled, tucking her head beneath his chin “But we’ll play it by ear. Right now, I sort of just want to lay here for a little while” she added. It was rare, with Ella still only being young, her sleeping pattern tended to be a little erratic, and Maia liked to make the most of the mornings when she didn’t stir too early, even if it was something as simple as her and Iker cuddling for a few minutes.

Iker watched her cuddle into his body for a second before he shook his head, his arms gently wrapping around her waist. “Have you spoken to your madre recently?” he murmured, breaking the silence which had settled over the two of them.

Maia, who’d been quietly tracing the pattern of his t-shirt with her fingertip, frowned slightly at his question before she lifted her head. “You’re thinking of my mother right now?” she posed, her voice playful.

Iker rolled his eyes playfully. “I was just asking if you’d spoken to her” he retorted.

“Why do you ask?” Maia posed “You miss her?” she posed impishly.

Iker offered her playful glare before he shook his head. “I was just thinking” he noted “Christmas isn’t too far away and I was wondering if she’s contacted you about making plans. My mother called me the other day and suggested that we go to Madrid, but I thought we should talk about it. It is Ella’s first Christmas after all” he explained, tracing circles into her hip with the pad of his thumb.

Maia shifted a little at the feel of his thumb before she snuggled a little closer to him, resting her head against his chest. “My mother wants us to go to her” she mumbled “But I haven’t made any promises. I said that I would talk to you about it” she added, a soft yawn falling out of her mouth.

Iker smiled amusedly at the sound of her yawn before he dipped his head, pressing a soft kiss to the top of hers. “Do you have a preference?” he murmured, not wanting to disturb the quiet atmosphere which had settled over the bedroom.

Maia shook her head. “Not particularly” she murmured “But we did spend last Christmas with your parents in Madrid” she pointed out.

“We did” Iker agreed “But it is Ella’s first Christmas” he pointed out.

Maia nodded her head against his chest. “It is” she mused “So maybe we can come up with a compromise? My parents’ place is pretty big, it’s got a lot of space, and if your parents wanted to, they could stay there for a couple of days. I know that they don’t know each other very well, but I am sure that they could play nice for a few days” she added.

“Your parents wouldn’t mind that?” Iker posed.

Maia shook her head. “I doubt it” she quipped “Besides, this way, everyone gets the chance to spend some time with Ella on her first Christmas, something I know means a lot to all of them” she added, her voice softening slightly. She knew that it wasn’t the biggest deal, with Ella only being a matter of months old, the chances were that she wouldn’t even remember her first Christmas, but still Maia knew it meant a lot to their families, even if they hadn’t said anything. She was certain that both sets of parents were more than keen on the idea of being around for the little girl’s first holiday.

Iker smiled a little, not missing the soft tone of her voice, before he dipped down, pressing a kiss against the side of her nose. “I’ll suggest it to my mother” he murmured as he pressed another kiss against her nose before he leant down a little further, pressing their lips together.

Maia smiled at the soft contact, kissing him back happily for a few moments, before the sound of Ella’s cries emanated away from the monitor on the nightstand, causing her to pull back. “Your turn” she quipped with a grin.

Iker rolled his eyes playfully before he pushed himself up to his feet, stealing another couple of quick kisses before he ducked out of the room. Maia watched him step out of the door before she quietly shook her head, trying to shift the slight lump which had appeared in her throat. Taking a couple of breaths, she tried to stifle the sickly feeling before she pushed herself up to her feet, her eyes sparing a passing glance down towards her stomach.