Where We Are

Allowing a quiet yawn to fall out of his mouth, Iker turned over onto his side, his dark eyes settling on Charlie who laid in the crib beside the bed, stirring quietly. It hadn’t been long, after Charlie had arrived, a little over a week had passed, but things already felt settled, something which relieved the goalkeeper slightly. He hadn’t been overly concerned, with them already having Ella, he had had little doubt that they’d adapt to having the newborn around quickly, but still he was relieved by how things had settled down, even if Ella had grumbled when she had met her little brother for the first time, they had quickly adapted to being a family of four.

Blinking his eyes tiredly, he watched the soft movement of the baby’s chest for a few seconds before the sound of the bedroom door being nudged open reached his ears, causing him to lift his head, smiling a little at the sight of Maia who stood in the doorway, Ella balanced on her hip. “What time is it?” he posed quietly.

Maia offered him a small smile, not missing the sleepy expression which had appeared on his face, before she stepped a little closer to bed, perching on the side of it. “It’s a little after seven” she mused “But I heard Ella stirring over the monitor and I thought we could come and see if papa wanted to join us for breakfast. I’m sure that Ella would love it” she added, gently pushing her fingers back through the dark hair which sat on top of the toddler’s head.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “Only Ella?” he quipped with a boyish smile.

Maia caught sight of his grin before she rolled her eyes. “Really?” she quipped.

Iker shrugged. “I like hearing you say it” he retorted impishly.

Maia offered him a playful glare before she shook her head. “Maybe I’d like your company too” she played along.

Iker, who’d moved to sit up slightly, smirked a little. “Was that that hard?” he teased.

Maia simply rolled her eyes playfully before she pushed herself back up to her feet, moving to pad towards the door. “We’ll meet you in the kitchen?” she asked over her shoulder.

Iker, who’d moved to stand up, padded towards her before he dipped his head, pressing a soft kiss against the side of her neck. “I’ll take a quick shower and I will meet you there” he murmured “Do you have Charlie’s baby monitor?” he added, kissing her skin softly once more.

Maia’s eyes closed at the feel of his lips against her skin before she nodded her head quietly, something which made Iker smile against her skin before he pulled away, mumbling about getting into the shower as he ducked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Maia watched him go for a second before she flicked her attention towards Ella, a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. They had come a long way, from the moment that she had told him that she was pregnant with Ella, things between her and Iker had come a long distance, and whilst they had had their moments, Maia doubted that she would have changed a thing. They were good together, happy, and Maia loved their relationship, even if it hadn’t been flawless. She loved them together.

~#~
“You know that it has only been a couple of hours, right?” Iker quipped as he pressed his phone to his ear, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. It had been a long morning, with the start of the new season only a matter of days away, the coaches were keen to ensure that the team were at their best, and it had meant a longer session than usual, something which had irked Iker slightly, even if Maia had insisted that it was something he simply had to get through. A small part of him was itching to get home to her and their children.

“I do know that” Maia quipped “But I was just calling to remind you that your parents are taking us to lunch. I figured you’d have forgotten” she added.

Iker smirked a little, slightly amused by how well she knew him, before he let out a playful scoff. “I remembered” he quipped.

“Of course you did” Maia countered, the sarcastic roll of her eyes almost audible in her words.

Iker chuckled. “Why are they taking us out again?” he posed as he leant down, moving to tie the lace of his shoe.

“Because they’re going back to Madrid in the morning” Maia replied “And they want to spend some time with me, you and the children before they go. They’re excited to have the chance to spend time with us, Iker, and when they asked to take us to lunch, I couldn’t say no. Are you on your way back yet?” she added, her voice softening slightly.

Iker smiled at the tone of her voice before he nodded. “I should be home pretty soon” he noted “We’ve just finished up for the day. I’ll see you when I get back?” he asked.

“Of course” Maia mused “I’ll see you then, Iker” she added before she mumbled out a soft goodbye, hanging up the phone.

Iker pulled the phone away from his ear before he tossed it into his bag, moving to collect his shirt. Pulling it around his shoulders, he spent a few seconds fixing the buttons before the sound of his phone reached his ears, causing him to frown slightly. Leaning over, he pulled the phone out of his bag before he pressed it against his ear, not stopping to check the number on the screen. “Did you forget to tell me something?” he quipped, assuming that the person on the other end of the line was Maia.

“What?” his agent’s voice replied.

Iker flinched, surprised by the other man’s voice, before he shook his head. “Lo siento” he apologized “I thought it was Maia. What’s up?” he posed.

The agent was quiet for a second before he let out a sigh, something which caused Iker to tilt his head, a frown pulling at the corner of his mouth. “What is it?” he pressed.

The agent let out another gentle sigh. “I need you to come and see me” he noted.

“Why?” Iker asked “We’ve sorted the contract out, haven’t we?” he posed, his voice growing slightly more urgent.

“We have” the agent agreed “But things... things are a little more complicated now. The situation has changed” he added.

Iker’s frown deepened. “Changed?” he asked.

“We need to talk” the agent noted “And I’d rather do it face to face. Can you come and see me now?” he asked.

Iker blinked a couple of times, trying to wrap his head around the other man’s words, before he nodded stiffly. “I...I need to call Maia, move around some plans, but I think I can make it. I’ll see you soon” he added.

“I’ll see you then, Iker” the agent replied before he hung up the phone.

Iker kept the phone pressed to his ear for a moment before he pulled it away, staring down at it quietly as a knot began to form in his stomach.