There Was You

55: Take A Breath

Sipping on his mug of coffee, Iker quirked a grin to himself, listening to the distant sound of Riley’s voice which emanated away from the living room. She had been on the phone all morning, with her mother having insisted that she call Garrett and Mia as soon as possible to share the news with them, she had spent almost an hour listening to their fussing, and whilst Iker had snuck off a little while ago, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning, hearing the audible excitement in Riley’s voice as she spoke into the phone. She had caught him off guard, after the gasp she had let out when he’d first pulled the box out of his pocket, he had been more certain that she would stumble over whatever answer she had wanted to give to him, but he had to admit that he liked that she hadn’t. Hearing her confident ‘yes’ had been more than enough to get rid of any nerves or uncertainties that he had had about asking.

Finishing up the last of his drink, he moved to place the empty mug into the sink before the sound of footsteps reached his ears, causing him to turn slightly, smirking as Riley plopped down into a seat next to the counter. “How bad was it?” he quipped.

Riley shook her head. “’Bad’ is the wrong word” she mused “It’s just...we’ve been engaged for less than 24 hours and my sister seems to think I’ve already got things like dates worked out already. And Garrett’s already insisting that Tilly’s going to make the best bridesmaid, which I am sure that she will, but I haven’t even...” she trailed off as Iker stepped towards her, guiding her into a soft kiss.

Letting out a soft sound, she leant into the kiss for a few seconds before she carefully leant back, her eyes marveling at the soft grin that Iker wore. “Take a breath” he murmured softly.

Riley obliged, taking in a deep breath, before she let out a soft sigh, her eyes dropping down towards her feet.

Iker watched her for a moment before he leant forwards, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “They’re excited” he murmured into her hair “I mean, how could they not be? I’m quite a catch, Ry” he quipped impishly.

Riley laughed quietly. “So you say” she played along.

Iker scoffed playfully before he dipped down again, moving to press a kiss against her forehead. “The point is” he noted “They’re just happy for us, Riley. Yes, they’re probably getting ahead of themselves, but they’re not doing it to be pushy, they’re just doing it because their daughter, their baby sister, is getting married and they’re happy for you. For us” he added.

Riley’s lips quirked upwards slightly, something which made Iker smile in return before he shook his head, his fingers gently toying with the ring which sat on her finger. “There is something I want to talk to you about” he murmured after a couple of seconds of quiet.

Riley, who’d been watching him mess with her engagement ring, looked up, a slight furrow in her forehead. “Yeah?” she asked uncertainly.

Iker nodded, not shifting his eyes away from her ring. “Where you want to live” he announced “I mean, there’s no hurry on it, of course there isn’t, but we’re...I’ve just asked you to...I thought maybe we should think about moving in together” he added, grimacing a little as he stumbled over his words.

Riley watched his cheeks flush a light shade of pink before she lifted her hand, her fingertips gently brushing over the reddened skin.

Iker closed his eyes, leaning into her touch slightly, before he turned his head, kissing her palm gently. “I don’t mind” he noted “If you want to stay here, then that’s fine by me. I know how much you love this place” he added.

Riley quirked a small smile. “You’d move into my one bedroom apartment?” she quipped, her voice caught between playful and curious.

Iker shrugged. “You like it here” he noted “And, if we do spend the night together, it’s more often here than at my place. You’re comfortable here, and if you don’t want to move, then that’s Ok. I’m sure we can find room for my stuff somewhere around here” he noted.

Riley was quiet for a moment, briefly contemplating making a joke, before she shook her head, her fingertips gently pushing back through his dark hair. “As sweet as that offer is” she mused “I think it probably makes more sense that I move into your place. I mean, you’ve got more space and...and that might come in handy someday” she stumbled out uncertainly.

Iker’s lips quirked a small smile. “Come in handy?” he chirped.

Riley shook her head, sparing him a playful glare. “Don’t make me say it” she mumbled.

Iker merely grinned at her for a second before he shook his head, gently moving to guide her hand out of his hair so that he could press a soft kiss against it. “We’ll need to get some boxes” he noted.

“A lot of boxes” Riley corrected “This place may be small, but I have a lot of stuff. It’s going to take a long time to pack it all up” she added.

“We’ve got time” Iker noted “I mean, you know that there’s no hurry, right? I might have proposed, Ry, but that doesn’t mean that we have to start running at things” he insisted.

It had been a big leap forwards, his asking Riley to marry him had come along very quickly in relation to the progress of the rest of their relationship, and he wanted her to know that there was no need to rush things, even if she did wear an engagement ring on her finger. There was no reason that they couldn’t take their time.

Riley nodded her head. “I know” she mused.

Iker offered her an uncertain look, something which made Riley smile a little before she leant up, kissing his lips softly. “We’ve got time” she murmured softly “But I’d still like to get those boxes, even if we don’t move it all at once. I’d like to at least make a start” she noted.

Iker hesitated for a second before he nodded his head, a faint smile twitching at the corner of his lips. “I think we can probably work that out” he noted.
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Thanks to FootieJo for the comment :)