Sokeefe - Until She Was Ready For More

Chapter 5

"Look at that! Foster's blushing again! My favorite game!"

"Keefeee." Sophie said, trying to hide her blush behind her hair.

"You know you love me." he said, bumping his hip against hers. Sophie just blushed again and looked away. 

When they got inside, Sophie asked one of the gnomes if there was any mallowmelt. The gnome went to retrieve it and left Sophie, Keefe, and Alora alone in the kitchen. 

"Kenric! Ashton! Come downstairs and get some mallowmelt!" Keefe yelled. A sound of shuffling feet soon filled the house. Both boys entered the kitchen at the same time that the gnome came back with the mallowmelt.    

"Yay! Mallowment!" all three children exclaimed. Both Sophie and Keefe laughed. 

Keefe apparently had the same idea as Sophie, as they both reached for the mallowment at the same time, inevitably bumping hands and causing butterflies to explode in Sophie's stomach. She shook of the feeling and willed the burning blush that painted her face to disappear. When she looked up at Keefe's face, instead of his usual smirk, he looked suprised and a bit hopeful. What about, Sophie couldn't seem to figure out. After a second, he erased the expression and replaced it with his prankster smile. Sophie cocked an eyebrow but pulled it down after a few seconds when he continued to smile. 

After they had all finished their mallowmelt, Sophie stood up. 

"Alright, well, I'm going to head back upstairs." she told everyone as she started off in the direction of the doorway.

"Oh, and also," Sophie said, turning around. "we're having a family dinner at 6 o'clock, so don't even think about being late." She heard mumbled responses that all included some version of the word yes, so she was satisfied. After that, she walked up the stairs and to her and Keefe's room. 

Once she had gotten into the room, she realized she had left her imparter on a table downstairs in her rush to see who had screamed an hour before. She walked back down the stairs but paused on the second level when she heard voices. Not daring to move any closer, she strained to hear the conversation. It sounded as if Keefe was talking to Alora. 

"Mommy seems ----- do--. You sh---d tell her --- lo-e -er." Sophie managed to make out from what Alora had said. Keefe then said something too quiet for her to hear. Moving just slightly closer, but not close enough for her emotions to be detected, she caught the last part of what he said.

"-tell her. She seems like she needs it right now."

What could that be about?, Sophie wondered. She heard a shuffling and quickly started back down the stairs, not wanting to risk being caught eavesdropping. 

When she made it down the stairs, she looked around for her imparter. Due to her photographic memory, she was able to find it within moments. She turned around to start back up the stairs when she was confronted with two faces. 

"Mom. What's going on with you and dad?" Kenric started.

"Yeah. You're both acting super strange." Ashton added. 

"I have no clue what either of you are talking about." Sophie said, hoping they wouldn't catch her lie. Sophie had no such luck. 

"You do remember we're both empaths, right? You can't lie to an empath. You should know. You've been married to one for 20 years." Kenric said. Sophie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. They were both empaths? 

Once she got over her intial shock, she realized that it was pretty reasonable for a majority of Sophie and Keefe's children to be empaths due to Keefe himself being an empath and Sophie carrying the gene from her biological mother. Especially when Keefe was such a strong one. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Ashton stated matter-of-factly. 

Sohpie shook her head. "No, it's fine. I was just reminded of something." 

"No you weren't. My being an empath hasn't changed in the last 2 minutes, in case you haven't noticed. And this is exactly what I mean! You're acting so weird!" said Kenric.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just been a hard day for me and your dad. But don't worry. The parents you know will be back very soon." 

Kenric and Ashton shot each other puzzled looks at Sophie's last sentence but ultimitely shrugged it off. 

"Okay." they said simply and walked back up the stairs. 

Sophie let out a sigh and trudged back up the stairs. She was so distracted and lost-in-thought that she didn't even notice a tall, blonde figure coming off of the second floor. 

"Oof!"

"Sorry, Foster!" Keefe said at the same time that Sophie said, "Sorry, Keefe!"

They both laughed and Keefe stood and offered his hand to help Sophie. She accepted and he pulled her up. Sophie's laugher died down as she realized just how close she had gotten to Keefe when she stood up. Her stomach filled with more butterflies and her cheeks went nuclear.

"Look... Foster... I..." Keefe started before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. 

"Sophie, this is not ever how I planned to do this, especially not in a different dimension, but I really feel like maybe you're finally starting to feel the same way." He paused again to take another deep breath, Sophie's anticipation of what he would say next increasing by the second. 

"I love you, Foster. Like really, really love you. I was talking to Alora and she said you looked like you needed me to tell you that. I know she was talking about the Sophie and Keefe from this dimension, since that was most likely a normal thing for them, but it made me realize that I needed to say it, too. So, yes Sophie Elizabeth Foster. I am in love with you and have been pretty much since I met you. You don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know." 

Sophie stood there for a good 5 minutes just trying to process everything Keefe had just said. When everything finally registered, Keefe visibly drooped, most likely sensing her emotions. 

"Keefe..."

"It's fine. I get it. You don't like me back. It's okay. Really." he said, forcing a smile. Sophie winced. 

"I'm so sorry, Keefe. I just... I can't. My heart belongs to someone else."

"Fitz." 

Sophie nodded.

"We can still be friends though, right? Like you and Dex?" Keefe asked. 

"Of course." Sophie said giving him a half smile. She walked over and hestitantly gave him a hug. Keefe hugged her back, holding back his tears. 

They both suddenly pulled away and gave each other an alarmed look. The floor had started to shake and there were flashes of random color filling the room. A large, black gash appeared below them with Ashton, Alora, and Kenric already inside, screaming for help. Sophie gasped and tried to run, pulling Keefe with her, but the void continued to spread until they both fell into it. The gash closed and they were all enveloped in darkness.

There would be no family dinner that night. Or any night after that.

Because their world had fallen apart.