Where We Are

67: It’s Going To Suck

Gently entwining his legs with Maia’s, Iker let out a quiet sigh, his dark eyes settled on her chest which rose and fell quietly as she slept. It had been a few days, after he and Maia had discussed their move, a little under a week had passed, and with a deal having been agreed, he was due to take a flight to Florence later that morning, something which already had a knot in the pit of his stomach.

He knew that the time apart couldn’t be avoided, with the deal having progressed quickly, there had been no opportunity for him and Maia to get things in line for them both to move out to Italy, and he knew that that meant that they had to spend a few weeks apart, something he was dreading. It had been infrequent, since they had gotten back together, he was pretty confident that they longest that they’d spent apart was a couple of days, and he hated the idea of leaving, even if he was doing it with the promise of Maia and the children following. He didn’t like the idea of leaving them.

Allowing another soft sigh to slip out of his mouth, he closed his eyes for a few seconds before he felt a hand on his own, something which caused him to flinch slightly before he opened his eyes, mirroring Maia’s blues which peeked up at him sleepily. “You OK?” she asked, a small yawn falling out of her mouth.

Iker admired the sleepy expression on her face before he nodded, offering her a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m fine” he murmured “Go back to sleep” he added.

Maia, who’d moved to stretch out slightly, scanned his smile briefly before she shook her head, her fingers lightly pushing back through his dark hair. “You’re lying” she muttered.

“Maia...”

“Come on, Iker” Maia interrupted softly “I can see it all over your face. Talk to me” she encouraged, gently nudging his side.

Iker hesitated for a second before he let out a soft sigh, his stare averting upwards towards the ceiling. “I guess I am slightly nervous” he murmured.

Maia tilted her head. “Nervous?” she asked.

“It’s a new club” Iker quipped “A new country, a new language...it’s a lot to take in and that’s without even mentioning the six weeks. I’m allowed to be slightly overwhelmed, no?” he asked as he turned onto his side, his hand gently taking a hold of hers.

Maia smiled gently. “Of course you are” she mused “But, if you need someone to talk to, I am right here” she added, offering his hand a light squeeze. It wasn’t the first time he had appeared nervous, since he’d made the choice to move to Italy, he had appeared a little quiet and unsure of himself, and Maia wanted him to know that she was there for him, even if she didn’t want to push him into talking. She wanted him to know that, if he needed it, he could tell her what was on his mind.

Iker spared a soft glance down towards their hands before he lifted them, allowing him to press a light kiss against the back of Maia’s. “Six weeks is a long time” he murmured, breaking the silence which had settled over the two of them.

Maia simply nodded, her thumb lightly stroking across the back of his hand.

Iker watched the soft movements of her thumb against his skin for a second before he let out a soft sigh, something which made Maia shake her head lightly before she shuffled up the bed slightly, her hand cupping his cheek. “It will pass quickly” she murmured.

“Maia...”

“It’s not exactly our first time, Iker” Maia interrupted “We’ve done six weeks apart before” she pointed out.

Iker leant into her hand slightly. “I know we have” he mumbled “I’m just...I am going to miss the three of you, Maia” he added, his voice softening slightly. He knew that she had a point, throughout their first relationship, they had routinely spent weeks apart, but still the idea unsettled him, even if he knew that there wasn’t a way around it. He didn’t like the idea of being away from Maia or their children for longer than a couple of days.

Maia blinked a couple of times, slightly surprised by the softness in his voice, before she leant into him, kissing him softly for a few seconds. Iker stilled slightly, surprised by the kiss, but he quickly warmed to it, something which made Maia smile against his lips before she leant back, her forehead gently resting against his. “You don’t think we’re going to miss you?” she posed quietly.

Iker merely offered her a sheepish look, something which made Maia roll her eyes playfully before she patted his cheek. “It’s going to suck” she noted “I like having you around, Iker, you make my days brighter, and the idea that we’re not going to be in the same room for the next six weeks, it sucks, but it is something we merely have to deal with. I don’t pretend that it is going to be easy, I still remember how hard it was to talk to you via a video chat when I used to travel, but it is only six weeks” she added, her thumb lightly skimming over the line of his cheekbone.

Iker tilted his head. “You hate video chats?” he posed.

Maia scoffed before she rolled her eyes. “That’s what you took from that?” she posed.

“I got the whole ‘I am going to miss you’ thing too” Iker quipped impishly.

Maia let out a soft laugh before she leant forwards, kissing the end of his nose sweetly. “I am going to miss you” she murmured “And I know that Ella and Charlie will too, but it’ll be Ok. We’ll be back together soon enough” she added, her voice growing slightly soft as she leant up, pressing a quick kiss against his forehead before she dipped down, meeting his lips.

Iker kissed her back happily for a few seconds before the sound of Charlie’s grumbles reached his ears, causing him to duck back, his dark eyes peeking towards the crib which sat beside the bed. “I guess I should take this one” he noted “Seeing as you’re on night feed duty for the next six weeks” he teased.

Maia offered him a playful roll of her eyes before she nudged his shoulder, something which made Iker laugh softly before he leant into her, stealing another couple of quick kisses. Holding onto her for a second, he smiled gently against her lips before he pulled away, moving to lift Charlie up into his arms before he stepped out of the room. Maia watched him out of the door before she moved to lean back against her pillow, a soft smile still playing on her lips. It was going to feel strange, since she and Iker had reconciled, she was pretty certain that they had only been apart for days at a time, rather than weeks, but she was confident that they could cope. It was, after all, something they had done before.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 and FootieJo for the comments :)