Where We Are

Quietly loosening the tie that he wore, Iker moved to plop down into an empty seat, his eyes settled on the altar which stood ahead him. It hadn’t been long, after he and Maia had gotten through the ceremony, a little under an hour had passed, but with his new wife preoccupied with the taking of their wedding pictures, he had ducked away, wanting to take a couple of moments to himself as he attempted to wrap his head around the idea that they had gotten married. It was strange feeling, the idea that he and Maia were married was a sensation which felt more than a little surreal to him, but he hoped that it was a feeling that lasted, even if he knew that that the bubble of being newlyweds would burst eventually. He wanted to keep the feeling alive for a while to come.

Undoing the top button of his shirt, he squeezed his eyes closed for a few seconds before he blinked them open, startling at the sight of Maia who stood over him, a soft smile dancing across her lips. “I didn’t mean to scare you” she mused “My mother asked me to come and find you. Apparently, they can’t actually start the party until the bride and groom show up and she thinks we ought to show up together” she teased as she sat down beside him, gently tugging the sleeves of her dress down her arms a little more.

Iker watched her for a second before he shook his head amusedly, slipping his arms out of his jacket before he lightly placed it over her shoulders. “I think she’s probably right” he quipped “I mean, we did just get married. We should probably show up to our party together” he played along.

Maia pulled his jacket around her shoulders a little more before she rested back, allowing a few seconds of silence to pass between them.

“You look beautiful”

Maia, who’d been quietly staring up at the darkening sky, jumped at the sound of Iker’s voice. “Huh?” she spluttered.

“I said that you look beautiful” Iker repeated gently “I couldn’t quite remember if I had actually said that. I know I got a little tearful earlier, but I wanted to make sure that I said the words. You look breathtaking, Maia, and I want you to know that” he insisted gently. He knew that it was only a small thing, since the ceremony had finished, Maia had been inundated with people telling her just how beautiful she looked, but he wanted to make sure that he said the words, even if his response to her arrival had spoken volumes. He wanted to make sure that he told her just how amazing he thought she looked.

Maia’s cheeks flushed, something which didn’t go unnoticed by Iker, even in the dim light. “Thank you” she mumbled “Alex spent a long time perfecting my hair and the dress...it took a while to find one that I fell in love with” she babbled as she tugged at her skirt, allowing the soft material to pass between her fingers.

Iker watched the material slip between the pads of her fingers before he leant into her, sneaking a quick kiss. “It was worth it” he mumbled as he pulled away.

Maia smiled bashfully at his words before she gently lifted her hand, pushing it back through his hair softly. “I can’t believe that you actually cried” she murmured softly “I thought if one of us was likely to cry, it’d be me” she added, twisting a piece of his hair around her finger lightly.

Iker leant into her touch slightly before he shrugged, offering her a boyish smile. “I didn’t cry, I teared up. There’s a difference” he pointed out.

Maia rolled her eyes playfully before she edged a little closer to him, gently nudging their noses together. “You cried” she teased softly.

Iker lightly rubbed his nose against hers, mumbling another comment about there being a difference, before he leant down, pressing their lips together.

Maia let out a small giggle against his lips before she kissed him back, weaving her fingers through his dark hair for a second before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached her, causing her to pull away, her blue eyes travelling up towards her mother who stood over them, a fond smile pulling on her lips. “I hate to interrupt” she mused “But we’re waiting on our guests of honor. Do you think you can see to postponing the wedding night for a little longer?” she quipped.

“Madre” Maia squeaked, her cheeks flaming red.

Carolina let out a small amused laugh before she shook her head. “Could you come inside?” she posed “We’re waiting on your first dance before we get to the dinner and speeches” she added before she swanned away, leaving her daughter and son-in-law alone.

Maia watched her mother walk away before she shook her head. “I’m sorry for her” she babbled.

Iker smiled. “I’ve known her long enough to know how she is, Maia” he pointed out “Besides, she does have a point. We should probably make our way inside” he added.

Maia feigned a pout for a moment before she nodded her head, offering her hand up towards him. “Help me up?” she posed.

Iker offered her a playful roll of his eyes before he knotted their fingers together, gently helping her up to her feet before he guided her across the grass, leading her into the building which stood a little away from them. Gently squeezing her hand, he guided her towards the room that they had hired for their reception before he pulled her to a stop in the doorway, offering a swift nod towards Sergio who stood at the head of the room, a microphone held in his hand.

Sergio caught the nod before he flashed the couple a grin, stepping towards the centre of the stage. “If I could have your attention for a moment” he mused “I’d like to ask you to gather around for the newlyweds’ first dance. Please welcome, for the first time as husband and wife, Iker and Maia. Mr and Mrs Casillas” he enthused brightly.

Maia’s grin grew at the sound of her new surname before she turned her attention to Iker, smiling up at him teasingly. “You ready to do this?” she posed as she lifted her hand, neatly pushing his tie back up to his collar.

“Do I really have a choice?” Iker retorted.

Maia shook her head. “No” she replied “But don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it” she added before she tugged on his hand, guiding him through the crowd of cooing wedding guests before they reached the centre of the dance floor.

Iker followed her, slightly reluctant, before he placed a hand on her waist, waiting until the music struck up before he started to gently guide her around the floor. Carefully shuffling his feet, he led her through a few awkward steps before Maia pushed herself up onto her toes, levelling her lips with his ear. “When you feel like you’re struggling, just kiss me” she murmured “People will start to fuss and they’ll stop watching your feet” she added before she placed a light kiss beneath his ear, allowing him to lead her through a few more steps.

Iker swayed her body gently, trying desperately not to tread on her feet, before he let out a soft sigh, something which made Maia smile up at him reassuringly. “You’re doing fine” she insisted quietly.

Iker snorted beneath his breath, something which made Maia roll her eyes before she hooked her arms up behind his neck, guiding him down into a soft kiss which caused the crowd to clap, cooing affectionately over the sight of the happy newlyweds.