𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 | 𝐒𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐔 | EDITING |

017 | Sophie | January 13th

"Can I get a side of French fries with that, extra please, and a large coke? Oh and can I actually order a second burger? It was a long day at work," requested Jensi, giving the waiter a cheesy smile.

"Anything for our best customer," grinned the young brunette woman standing at the head of their table. "I'll be back with all your orders soon." The woman - Casey, her name tag read - walked away from their table and onto the next. The Denny's Jensi had told Sophie and Keefe to meet them at wasn't as crowded as Sophie originally thought but she still didn't like talking about their situation in a public place.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" doubted Sophie, looking over her shoulder as if the Neverseen was going to pop out from the booth behind her and Keefe.

They most definitely could have.

"Eh, the fries are good and so are the burgers so I'd take my chances. Plus, it's not the first time I've ordered that much and I only threw up once," explained Jensi indifferently, tossing away his menu and leaning back in the red booth.

Sophie frowned in frustration. "Not the food, Jensi, I mean talking about our situation here."

"Oh that?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Everyone here is chill, we're fine. Besides, they're all caught up in their own conversations." He raked a hand through his messy curls and his blue eyes eagerly lit up. "Now, tell me what the deal is."

Keefe scoffed. "You really expect us to just blurt out our whole story to a stranger we met?" It was the first words Keefe had spoken since they'd arrived at the restaurant. He seemed very distant, the signs being he hadn't bothered to joke about anything. Sophie hoped it wasn't because of what he'd told Sophie hours before about him and Fitz.

Sophie had known the two had a connection but she never expected them to have been best friends, especially since Fitz had lived in an entirely different country up until a few years ago. It was an odd duo, really. Fitz was more keen on presentation, following the rules, and the family business while Keefe seemed to hate it all. And yet, they were best of buds up until Keefe joined the Neverseen.

She frowned again, pitying Keefe. She knew he wouldn't want that, but the look of devastation on his face as he spoke, trying to cover it up, said everything he wasn't telling her. He regretted what he did and felt bad about it every day. She was worried she might have not said all she should have but when he asked about her connection, she'd wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Talking about Fitz reopened the wound from a week ago and now it was festering. They'd ended on bad terms and something still told Sophie it was all her fault. Although, telling someone did alleviate some of the pain, no matter how embarrassing or heartbreaking it was.

And not only that but... Sophie had opened herself up to Keefe, even after she didn't entirely rely on him for trustworthiness. She'd been unable to control her heart though as it dropped her wall low - but not completely - to the ground and allowed her to talk about one of her most painful memories. Something about the boy openly talking about everything he'd lost had triggered something in Sophie and her resolve to keep herself distanced from him crumbled.

Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't another lying Sencen after all.

"Well I did say I had information that could help you, didn't I? And if I'm correct, you're in desperate need of it and the only way for me to provide the right info is to get the whole story," reasoned Jensi, feigning innocence. "I'm not going to sell you out, there's no reason to and I'm a genuinely nice guy, but you need to trust me."

That was a very sparse thing lately.

"You're conniving, you know that?" snarked Keefe, rolling Biana's teal eyes. He turned to Sophie and nudged her out of her thoughts. "Your call Foster, do we trust him?"