Destination Reached

SOPHIA

 I sighed loudly, spread-eagled on the dilapidated couch. I stared up at the ceiling, my muscles aching. Moving felt like an insurmountable task. It was nearly Friday, which meant I was coming up on two weeks of working (yes actually working) at KVE. It was insane how quickly time was passing. I'd thought it would have dragged on, torturously slow, my stay in this wretched place feeling like eternity, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. As much as I'd been opposed the idea of the job, I had to admit that I'd been having some fun this week. I absolutely adored Kai. He was quiet at first, but he had this sort of hidden wit that popped out so unexpectedly. He was just such a calming presence, and I'd enjoyed working with him. Stacey...well Stacey was okay, I guess.

I don't know. Maybe it was just me, but I found her a little annoying. Maybe it was the whole Utah bleached blonde straight end curl thing, which made me feel bad because that was such a stereotype and I was probably being a bad feminist. To be honest, I really didn't know that much about her. Other than the fact that the only time she talked to me was to ask about Jake. Now that was really annoying. She was always hanging around him, batting her eyelashes and only saying hi to him even when I was there too. She flirted with him constantly, and he acted totally oblivious which I thought was stupid because you'd have to be to not notice her twirling her Utah curls around her finger— okay, maybe I was being unfair. I don't why she got on my nerves so much, she just— bugged me.

Maia and Jake were getting along swimmingly as well. Though, such a chaotic duo, as expected. If both of them weren't covered in a heap of mud and/or soaked to the bone something was wrong, and they were by far the loudest, most energetic tour guides of the whole bunch.

I was completely exhausted. So when Kai and Maia asked us to come with them into town, I told Jake to go on without me. Secretly, I was also hoping Abby would be at the house, and maybe we could finally have some sister time. I felt like I hadn't seen her at all since we'd arrived, which was crazy because it was her house. Alas, when Jake dropped me off, I found the door unlocked and the house empty. Apart from Stevie, of course, who was curled up in the empty fruit bowl on the counter.

I sighed again, scrolling absentmindedly through my phone. I paused on a picture that Maia had tagged me in on Instagram the other day. The caption read: sherlock's stupid sophia smile. It was a candid of me and Jake at the beach. I was mid laugh and my hair looked positively insane, but— I found I really didn't mind. Jake's eyes were on me, a soft sort of smile on his face that made my stomach twist. I liked and commented something short, exiting the app before I could think too hard about that look on Jake's face.

As if I'd summoned him, my phone started blasting "Womanizer", which Jake had adamantly insisted I make his ringtone. His profile picture flashed across the screen, the one he'd taken when we'd gotten delayed. I couldn't believe how much had happened since then. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"What do you want?" I tapped accept.

"No hello, Randall?" said Jake, in mock offense. "What happened to common courtesies?"

I rolled my eyes. He was such a dork. "Hello, Jake," I replied, "what do you want?"

"To be allowed entrance into the house," he told me. And before I could ask what he meant, I heard a distinct rapping on the front door. "Let me in."

"No please?" I clucked my tongue in disappointment, already walking down the hall. Ow. My legs. "What happened to common courtesies?"

"Let me in, please."

"Well since you asked so nicely."

"Sophia!"

I opened the door with a flourish, one hand on my hip, the other still holding the phone to my ear. "What?" I lifted an innocent shoulder.