I Know Now━ 𝐊𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐂

Chapter Four

  Linh and Biana happily celebrated their victory, and everyone soon went inside for lunch.

Della had made these large, purple tuber-like vegetables. Everyone else loved them and commented about how good they were to Della, but Sophie couldn't eat. She moved her fork around in the food, but she was too worried about what Keefe was going to say to eat.

Keefe looked at Sophie, worried. He could feel her distress from across the room. He suddenly felt bad about almost confessing.

Keefe studied Sophie's face, then set down his fork, walked to the other side of the table to where she sat, and whispered in her ear. Sophie then got up, and they both walked to another room. Keefe held her hand, pulling her along.

Biana, Fitz, Dex, Linh, and Tam (who had showered and changed into fresh, non-goopy clothes) all thought this was quite bizarre. But they didn't stop them.

Keefe led Sophie into the hallway, then into a nearby room. He still was holding on to her hand. Sophie self-consciously tried not to think about that fact.

The room they entered was gigantic, but not as large as most rooms in Everglen. There were plush chairs and a coffee table, and a few potted plants. A large window shone natural light in from the back of the room, providing a nice view of the lake. The room overall had a comfortable, warm feel.

Keefe sat them down in two separate chairs, then moved his own to directly face Sophie. Their knees touched. She tried not to think about how close they were, but her heart rushed into overload and she hoped her hands didn't sweat. Keefe grasped both her hands tightly, letting her emotions wash over him. Her nerves were so strong they seemed to directly puncture Keefe's heart.

They sat there, just looking at each other, for a while. Keefe finally broke the silence by saying, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," Sophie said. She reached up, untangling herself from Keefe's grasp, and tugged out an eyelash.

"Are you sure? Because I can feel your emotions, and you don't seem okay. Plus, you're ripping out your eyelashes," Keefe asked. He gently pulled her hand down from her eye. Her emotions quickly got even more jumbled and confusing at the touch. He could feel that she was stressed, nervous, and a little confused. And something else he couldn't discern.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said. Sophie's gaze snapped up to look at him in confusion. 

"Sorry about what?" she asked.

Keefe said, "I'm sorry for... for saying anything. During base quest. You know what I was going to say. And you don't... you don't..." His voice cracked.

"I don't... what?" Sophie asked. Keefe just looked at her. Seriously, how can anyone be so oblivious? She felt genuinely confused. Keefe sighed.

"Look, what I was going to say... I... do you even want to know?" Keefe wondered. 

"Of course I want to know, Keefe! I've been stressing out about it for a few hours now!" Sophie exclaimed.

Keefe sighed again, and said, "Okay, so... what I was going to tell you is..." He put his head in his hands. "I-I li-" Just then, Dex burst into the room, interrupting them.

"Guys, we're gonna play truth or dare, if you want to play. Or you could just stay here, and do... whatever you were doing." Dex glanced from Sophie to Keefe's face, noticing how they both looked nervous and slightly annoyed at how he just came barging in. His eyes narrowed, then widened when he saw how close they were to each other.

Keefe and Sophie, at the same time, both scooted their chairs away from each others and, not looking at each other, walked out the door alongside Dex. They dismissed what Keefe was going to say, and decided it was time for another game.