Where We Are

Toeing off his shoes, Iker nudged the front door closed behind himself, a soft yawn falling out of his mouth. It wasn’t overly late, with an early evening kick off, Iker had been able to get home before ten at night, and he was a little relieved, even if he was confident that Maia and Ella would have retired to bed a while earlier, a small part of him couldn’t wait to settle down and relax for a while.

It had been a little while, after his conversation with his agent, a couple of weeks had passed, and whilst it weighed on his mind, he hadn’t allowed it to get at him, not wanting to face the inevitable questions that it would bring from Maia. He knew that they had to talk, whatever it was that he decided to do next was going to have an effect on her and their children, but he didn’t want to broach the topic so soon, even if he knew that he couldn’t avoid it forever. He simply wanted things to remain as calm as they could until their little boy put in his first appearance.

Shifting his shoes out of the doorway, he moved to hang up his jacket before he padded through towards the living room, his dark eyes quickly settling on Maia who was sat up on the couch, her blue eyes settled on the tablet which rested in her lap. Quirking a light smile, he admired her quietly for a few seconds before he took a couple of steps deeper into the room, gently nudging his hand against her shoulder.

Maia, who’d been happily watching the screen of her tablet, startled at the feel of his hand before she quickly lifted her head, a glare passing over her features. “You scared me” she noted.

Iker, who’d moved to sit down beside her, nodded. “I can see that” he mused “And I am sorry. I thought you’d be in bed by now” he added, his hand lightly settling against the front of the shirt of his that she wore. It wasn’t uncommon, with her pregnancy progressing, Maia had developed a habit of retiring to bed early, and Iker was a little surprised to see her still up, even if it was a pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected to see her again until the next morning.

Maia, who’d dropped her stare down towards his hand, shrugged. “I’m not overly tired” she mused.

“You’re always tired” Iker countered, flashing her a slightly playful smile.

Maia offered him a feigned glare, mumbling a quip about carrying his son, before she shook her head, something which caused Iker to shift his hand slightly, squeezing hers which tentatively rubbed over her bump. “You alright?” he asked quietly.

Maia nodded. “I’m fine” she noted “I mean, he’s an active baba, but Ella was the same. It’s nothing I can’t handle” she added, messing with his fingers gently.

Iker offered her a dubious look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before he nodded his head, allowing a quiet to settle over the two of them for a couple of seconds before Maia shook her head, her blue eyes peeking up at him gently. “Are you OK?” she posed quietly.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he posed, his voice more than slightly confused.

Maia shrugged her shoulders lightly. “I don’t know” she mused “But I think that there is something on your mind” she added, her stare dropping back down towards their hands.

“Maia...”

“You always say you know when I am lying” Maia interrupted “Well, I know when you are too. You’re not very good at it, Iker” she quipped, a faint smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Iker admired the small smile for a moment before he let out a soft sigh. “I don’t want to worry you” he noted.

“You’d worry me more by not talking about it” Maia countered “It’s not like you” she added, her voice softening slightly. She could see that there was something on his mind, whenever he thought she wasn’t looking, he seemed to be distracted by something, and she wanted to encourage him to talk about it, even if it wasn’t the biggest deal. She wanted to know what was on his mind.

Iker, who’d been quietly watching their fingers, smiled a little at the softness in her voice before he lifted his stare, mirroring her blue eyes with his darker ones. “Do you think about what happens next?” he posed.

Maia tilted her head. “What happens next?” she repeated.

Iker nodded. “My agent said something when I went to see him” he noted “He suggested that the contract I’ve just signed here, it’s likely to be the last one that they offer, and I guess it’s on my mind. We’re settled here, our life together has always been here, and I guess I am worried about what happens next” he added, his hand offering hers a tight squeeze.

Maia was quiet for a moment, allowing his words to hang in the air, before she quietly shook her head, squeezing his hand gently return. “You’re worried about that?” she posed.

Iker nodded. “A move isn’t easy” he pointed out “There’ll be a lot of stress, and when you add two children under the age of three and a wedding that we’ll eventually have to start planning, it’s a lot. I don’t know where we’ll be going, I don’t even know if there’ll be options, but...”

“We’ll figure it out” Maia interrupted.

Iker blinked a couple of times, surprised by her interruption, before he lifted an eyebrow. “Huh?” he spluttered.

Maia quirked a small smile, slightly amused by his confusion, before she shook her head, offering his hand another soft squeeze. “You’re not wrong” she mused “A move with two young children, it does sound like a lot of stress, but I am pretty sure that between the two of us, we can make it work. It’s not a huge surprise, the idea that you might need to make a move, it’s one that a small part of me has been expecting since we started to date, and if it’s something you need to do, then you should know that I am going to be right behind you” she added, her voice warm and reassuring.

“You mean that?” Iker asked gently.

Maia tilted her head, a teasing smile on her lips. “That surprises you?” she quipped.

“A little” Iker admitted sheepishly.

Maia offered him a soft look before she shook her head, her hand gently squeezing his once more. “I’ve let you go once” she mused “And it’s not something that I am in a hurry to repeat. I like us, Iker, I think we make a pretty good team together, and if keeping things that way requires me to move away from here, then so be it. I’d do it for you, and I want you to know that. I love you, Iker” she insisted, her voice warm and sincere.

Iker stared at her for a couple of seconds, allowing her words to hang in the quiet room briefly, before he shook his head, a boyish smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “I don’t think I can ever get tired of hearing you say that” he noted.

Maia giggled gently before she leant towards him, pressing a quick kiss against his lips. “Good” she quipped impishly “Because you’re not getting rid of me so easily” she added playfully before she pushed herself up to her feet, mumbling about getting herself ready for bed.

Iker, however, was slightly quicker. In a swift movement, he pulled himself up to his feet before he stepped towards her, pressing another kiss against her lips. Maia startled, not quite expecting the soft kiss, but she quickly warmed to it, kissing him happily for a few moments before he pulled back, gently resting his forehead against hers. “I love you” he murmured quietly.

Maia’s cheeks warmed a little at the words before she pushed herself up slightly, stealing another quick kiss before she stepped away from him. “I’ll see you in the morning, Iker” she quipped over her shoulder before she ducked out of the room.

Iker watched her through the door before he smiled to himself, slightly reassured by the conversation that they had had. He knew that it wasn’t going to be simple, whatever he opted to do next was likely to mean that things changed, but he was relieved that Maia was behind him, even if he wasn’t sure of the next step. He was pleased that she was on board.