Where We Are

81: So I’ve Heard

Slipping her feet into the pair of heels which she had left beside the bed, Maia smiled to herself, slightly excited by the evening which stood ahead of her. It was New Year’s Eve and with Iker’s parents more than happy to look after Charlie and Ella, they’d arranged to head to a party, something which Maia was more than looking forwards to. It had been a couple of years, for the last two years, the celebrations had fallen when Maia was pregnant, and she was excited by the idea of heading to a party, even if it wasn’t something she usually enjoyed. It’d been a while since she had been to a party.

Fastening her shoes, she pushed herself up to her feet before she padded towards the mirror, scanning her reflection as her hands adjusted the material of her dress. Glancing at her reflection, she timidly tucked a couple of curls of her dark hair behind her ear before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached her, something which caused her to shift gaze, catching sight of Iker, who was smiling, via the mirror. “What are you grinning at?” she quipped.

Iker, who was stood in the doorway, shrugged nonchalantly. “You” he quipped.

“Me?” Maia played along.

“You look pretty nice” Iker teased as he stepped across the room, gently settling his arms around her waist.

Maia smiled a little at the feel of his arms around her waist before she turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder. “Only pretty nice?” she posed.

Iker rolled his eyes before he leant forwards, pressing a swift kiss against her lips. “You look beautiful” he mused as he pulled away.

Maia’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink at the compliment before she gently pulled away from him, moving to collect her jacket which was hung on the door of the wardrobe. “You nearly ready to go?” she asked.

Iker, who’d moved to wrap his own jacket around his shoulders, nodded. “I think so” he noted “What about you? You still sure that this is what you want to do tonight?” he posed. He knew that it wasn’t something she did a lot of, since he had known Maia, he was pretty certain that he could count the amount of parties that she had been to on one hand, and he wanted to offer her the chance to duck out of it, even if he was looking forwards to the opportunity to catch up with his former teammates. He didn’t want Maia to feel uncomfortable or out of place.

Maia tilted her head. “Have you changed your mind?” she posed.

“No” Iker replied “I’d still like to go, but I know it isn’t really your thing, so, as the wonderful boyfriend I am, I thought I’d offer you the chance to duck out” he added, offering her a playful smile.

Maia admired his grin for a moment before she shook her head, letting out a small laugh as she stepped back towards him, knotting their fingers together. “Firstly, you’re my fiancé” she quipped “And secondly, you’re pretty sweet for offering, but I am pretty sure that I want to go. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been to a New Year’s Eve party and I am sort of looking forwards to it. You want me to go with you, right?” she posed, messing with his fingers gently.

Iker watched the movement of her fingers briefly before he nodded. “You know I do” he mused.

“Then we should go” Maia mused “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be there before midnight” she added impishly.

Iker rolled his eyes playfully before he led her out of the door, hoping that they both enjoyed the night ahead.

~#~
“You do know that she is fine with Pilar and Georgina, right?”

Iker, who’d been thoughtfully sipping on the beer which sat in his hand, startled a little at the sound of Sergio’s voice before he looked up, watching as the defender slipped into the seat at his side. It had been a couple of hours, after he and Maia had arrived at Sergio’s home, she had been quickly caught up with a few of the other wives and girlfriends, and whilst Iker had been looking to spending time with her, he was pleased to see that she was enjoying herself. A small part of him had been worried that she wouldn’t.

“I know” Iker quipped “But I like to check in every now and again. She’s never really been one for parties” he added, sparing a discreet look towards Maia who stood a little away from them, giggling at something Pilar had said.

Sergio watched him, not missing the slight upturn that appeared at the corner of his mouth, before he shook his head. “You should marry her” he teased, patting Iker’s shoulder.

Iker snorted. “I’m working on it” he played along, pulling his stare away from Maia.

Sergio nodded. “So I’ve heard” he quipped “You and Maia are pretty serious, then?” he asked, his voice caught between teasing and curious.

Iker lifted an eyebrow. “You think?” he asked sarcastically.

Sergio shook his head. “You know what I mean” he noted “I don’t know Maia very well, but she seems like a lovely woman, and I guess I want to make sure that she is making you happy. You deserve to be happy, Iker” he insisted, his voice softening slightly. He knew that Iker loved Maia, whenever they’d talked about the brunette, the keeper’s face had lit up like a little child at Christmas, but he wanted to ensure that he was happy, even if he was confident that he was. He wanted to hear Iker say it.

Iker blinked a couple of times, slightly surprised by the defender’s words, before he nodded his head, offering the other man a warm smile. “I am crazy about her, Sergio” he fussed warmly “I mean, we’ve had our moments, but when I think of my future, I think of it with her, and I know that that is something she shares in. We’ve made mistakes, both of us, but we’ve fixed them and I like where we are, and where we’re heading. I’m happy, amigo” he insisted.

Sergio looked at him, studying his face for a few seconds, before he quirked a grin, patting his shoulder warmly. “I’m happy for you, Iker” he enthused.

Iker grinned back at him for a second before he felt a slight tap on his shoulder, something which caused him to look up, his dark eyes meeting Maia’s blues. “Are you busy?” she posed.

“No” Iker replied “Why?” he added.

Maia grinned at him. “I think it’s about time you showed off some of your awkward dance moves” she quipped.

Iker scoffed. “Really?” he asked.

Maia nodded enthusiastically before she flicked her attention towards Sergio. “Do you mind if I borrow him?” she posed.

Sergio shook his head. “Of course not” he mused “Have fun” he added, offering Iker a playful wink.

Iker glared at the defender briefly before Maia tugged on his hand, pulling him away towards the dance floor which had formed across the room. Sergio watched the two of them for a moment, not missing the grin which had appeared on Iker’s face, before he shook his head, wordlessly musing that he was glad that Iker had found someone who made him happy.
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Thanks to FootieJo for the comment :)