Where We Are

Gently cuddling into Maia’s frame, Iker quirked a sleepy smile, his dark eyes settled on the engagement ring which he had placed on her finger the night previous. It had been on his mind for a while, since Alex had broached the subject on their double date, the idea of proposing had been one that had crossed his mind more than once, but still it had been slightly impromptu, even if he had been looking for the right moment for a while. It had fallen into place, the setting and the timing had been wonderful and romantic, and Iker hadn’t wanted to let the opportunity slip passed, even if he had run the risk of putting too much on Maia too soon. It was a chance that he had wanted to take.

Smiling to himself, he admired the ring for a couple of seconds before he carefully turned his head, pressing a soft kiss against the warm skin of her shoulder. Maia, who was still contently curled up against her pillow, stirred a little at the soft touch before she blinked her eyes open, peeking sleepily over her shoulder. “What time is it?” she grumbled, pulling the duvet a little more around herself.

Iker, who’d been happily dusting kisses over her skin, offered her a small shrug before he leant down, carefully kissing along her jaw until he met her lips. “Early” he quipped as he pulled away.

Maia giggled softly, amused by his affectionate actions, before she shook her head. “I was looking for a specific time” she quipped “My mother said that she and my father would be dropping in at about nine thirty to drop Ella off and I’d like to be wearing clothes when they arrive” she added, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Iker spied the blush on her cheeks, but opted against commenting on it, instead sparing a quick glance towards the clock which sat on the end table. “It’s nearly eight thirty” he noted “And that means that you’ve got plenty of time to get up, get dressed and grab some breakfast before your parents show up” he added.

Maia, who’d turned onto her side, nodded her head quietly, something which made Iker gently reach his hand out, lightly dusting a few stray hairs behind her ear. “So” he murmured “Last night was...it was something” he added with a sheepish smile.

Maia admired his slightly sheepish grin before she leant a little closer, stealing a brief kiss. “It was wonderful” she murmured as she cuddled into his side. She could see that he was slightly uncertain, the sheepish smile and the tone of his voice confided that he was a little apprehensive, and Maia wanted to soothe his nerves, wanting him to know that she was more than happy with what had happened. It had caught her off guard, when Iker had placed the engagement ring on her knee, she had been nearly speechless, but the moment had felt like the right one, even if she hadn’t seen it coming. The answer she wanted to give had been on the tip of her tongue in an instant.

“Yeah?” Iker posed quietly.

Maia nodded. “You surprised me” she noted “But it was pretty romantic. I didn’t know you had it in you” she added, poking his side playfully.

Iker scoffed. “I can be romantic” he protested.

“When you want to be” Maia retorted “Which is pretty rare” she added, pressing a quick kiss against of his chin.

Iker let out another small snort before he dipped his head, pressing their lips together, something which made Maia giggle softly before she pulled away, gently pushing her hand back through his dark hair. “Did you plan it?” she posed quietly.

Iker leant into her touch slightly before he closed his eyes, shaking his head softly. “I wish I could say that I did, but I’d be lying” he mused “Since Alex brought it up, I’ve thought about it a little, but last night was pretty spur of the moment. When you suggested that we watch the fireworks, I thought that it sounded pretty romantic so I ducked into our room to get this” he added, lightly passing his finger over the ring she wore.

Maia watched his finger briefly before she leant into him, stealing another soft kiss. “And then you asked?” she posed quietly.

Iker smiled and nodded. “The moment was the right one” he mused impishly.

Maia let out a soft laugh before Iker leant over, kissing her softly once more. “Regrets?” he posed between kisses.

Maia shook her head without hesitation. “No regrets” she mumbled “I mean, it’s not going to be fast, but you know that right?” she posed.

“I know” Iker noted “And I am not in a hurry to push this along. I just wanted to ask you. I’ve wanted to ask for a while” he admitted softly.

Maia smiled softly at his words before she leant towards him slightly, only to stop herself as the sound of the doorbell filled the air, causing her let out a small groan. “That’s going to be my mother” she mumbled.

“It’s not even nine yet” Iker complained, rolling onto his back.

Maia shook her head. “I know” she noted “But you know my mother. To her, we’ll be around at nine thirty translates to, we’ll show up at some point in the morning, probably when you least want us to” she added as she pushed herself up to her feet, quickly covering her bare skin with the t-shirt of Iker’s that she had been quick to discard the night before.

Iker simply rolled his eyes, something which made Maia smile before she ducked back towards the bed, pressing a kiss against his lips. “Don’t look like that” she quipped “You know how they are, and now you’re really going to have to get used to them. You’re engaged to their daughter after all, and that means they’re going to be your family” she added, her voice warm and bright. The word ‘engaged’ felt strange to her, when it had fallen out of her mouth, it had felt slightly surreal, but she was confident that she would grow used to it, even if it was likely to be a strange idea for a while. She was already confident that she adored the idea that she and Iker were more than just boyfriend and girlfriend.

Iker held onto her for a few seconds, stealing another couple of kisses, before the sound of the doorbell repeated itself, causing him to let out a soft groan before he dropped his hands, allowing Maia to duck out of the room. Shaking his head quietly, he pulled on a pair shorts and a t-shirt before he followed her out of the room, stepping into the living room where Carolina and Hector stood, Ella settled in her grandfather’s arms. “Hector, Carolina” he greeted “Buenos dias” he added.

“Good morning, Iker” Carolina mused with a pleasant smile.

Iker returned it politely before he turned his attention to Maia, catching her stare as she dropped it down, flicking it subtly towards her hand. Quirking an impish smile, he took a pace towards her before he knotted their fingers together, subtly hiding the engagement ring that she wore from her mother and father who had quickly started to talk about the previous night. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to hide it for long, eventually, both of them would want to start to make a big deal about the idea that they had agreed to take the next step in their relationship, but that morning wasn’t the right time. It was too new, their engagement wasn’t even twenty four hours old, and the look on Maia’s face told him that she wanted to hold off momentarily, something he was more than happy to go along with, even if there was a large part of him that simply wanted to yell it from the rooftops. He knew that waiting a while wouldn’t do them any harm.