More Sokeefe - Chapter 42.5

42.5 - After Sunrise

"Are you okay?" Keefe asked. He and Sophie had returned from Elysian a few minutes earlier. They were standing near the Grove at Havenfield, enjoying a rare moment of solitude while Sandor checked on security rotations.

Sophie had been quietly leaning against his shoulder, her brow furrowed in concentration. Now she straightened and rubbed her temples. "I'm just frustrated." she admitted. "I really thought we would have more answers by now."

"You know what a big deal it is that you found Elysian, right?" he asked.  "You can be proud of everything you did get answers to; It was a lot for one day."

But Sophie couldn't celebrate what felt like such a hollow victory. She knew that whatever secrets Elysian held, they were critical. Not just for stopping the Neverseen, but for helping Keefe, too. Every day that passed meant they were running out of time, and out of options. She didn't want to partner with Vespera, but it was looking more and more as if she wouldn't have a choice.

Keefe turned to study her expression. After a few moments he sighed and held out his arms. "Okay, Foster, come here. Time for the supportive hug I promised earlier."

Sophie tried to relax as he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you." she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Of course." He gave her a squeeze. "Pretty sure one of my jobs as your boyfriend is to offer you these as often as possible."

Even with all of the worries clouding her thoughts, Sophie's heart leaped at the word 'boyfriend.'

She squeezed him back and held him closer, reminding herself to appreciate what they had in the moment. "You're doing a great job."

"Eh. You make it pretty easy."

Sophie had always been surprised by how quickly Keefe could quiet the worries in her head. The touch of his hand or a cool breeze from his mind could calm her when her emotions were spiraling. But now his presence had a new effect. Her heart raced and her brain felt fuzzy, and all she could seem to think about was Kissing Keefe Sencen.

"In case you were wondering, I've got a serious case of the fluttery feelings right now." she admitted.

His voice was quiet, but she could tell he was smiling when he said. "Me, too."

She gathered her courage and looked up at him. "What other boyfriend responsibilities are there besides supportive hugs?"

"Hmm. I might have to check the study guide, but I'm pretty sure the big ones are encourage, hug, compliment, and kiss."

Keefe's blue eyes met hers when he said 'kiss,' and Sophie could feel herself blush.

His expression softened, "I have a lot of experience with the first three. But I wouldn't mind practicing that last one some more."

The heart flutters were increasing exponentially, but she managed to keep her voice steady as she nodded and said, "Practice is good."

They were so close, their noses were nearly touching. All Keefe had to do was lean down and press his lips to hers.  And while she had definitely been looking forward to kissing him again, nothing could have prepared Sophie for the intensity of emotion that followed.

Their first kiss had been soft and almost timid, full of unspoken words and promises.  Both of them had held back, worried about how the world would change once their lips finally met. Scared to believe that what they wanted was possible. It was only afterward that relief and happiness had replaced their uncertainty. And that's when they'd been interrupted.

This time, there was no hesitation. Keefe left one hand holding her waist while the other wove through her hair. His mouth met hers with a gentle urgency, ready to communicate everything he couldn't say. She knew he had liked her for a while, but now he could let her know just how much he cherished her. 

Sophie's heart was bursting with happiness. This was what it felt like to be known, accepted and wanted just as she was. A familiar warm, green breeze swirled through her mind and she briefly wondered if he even knew he was transmitting. But she was too distracted to hold any thought for longer than a few seconds. Keefe's kiss was so sweet and tender, so honest and assured, all she could do was wrap her arms around his neck and hold on. Because this kiss - this boy - was literally making her weak in the knees.

He drew in a shaky breath when they finally parted, and his voice was rough when he asked, "Is this real? I feel like I'm going to wake up any second and it will all have been a dream."

Sophie felt like she was floating. "If this is a dream, it's the best one ever."

Keefe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and as his fingers grazed her cheek he confessed, "I didn't know I could feel this happy."

She rose up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "You make me happy, too."

The smile he gave her was the most relaxed she'd seen in a long time, and it filled her with hope that everything was going to be okay.

Then his eyes shifted to focus on the pastures behind her. The gnomes had begun morning chores and animals were beginning to stir, making a variety of noises in anticipation of breakfast.  He sighed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's been a really long, really intense night. We should probably get some sleep."

"That is a very good idea!" They both jumped as Sandor's squeaky voice rang out from the trees.

Sophie couldn't stop herself from giggling as Keefe stumbled a couple of steps away from her.  "It's okay, Keefe. He isn't going to attack you."

"My weapons are always at the ready." Sandor replied, appearing from the shadows. "And I should use this interruption to remind you that it is very late. Or, rather, very early in the morning. And you both need to get some sleep!"

Sophie pouted. She knew they were right, but she didn't have to like it. Why did her time with Keefe have to feel so rushed? Would they always be interrupted at the worst possible moments?

Keefe looked as reluctant to leave as she felt. But he said, "I'll see you later, okay? When we come up with plan B of how to stop my creepy mom and Vespera from getting the super powerful rocks?"

She nodded, the stress of the task ahead returning to the forefront of her mind.

"Hey!" Keefe said, pulling her in for one more hug, "Team Foster-Keefe's got this! We're unstoppable!"

Sophie leaned into him, closing her eyes to take in the warmth and strength of his arms one more time.

His voice was soft, but determined as he whispered, "We're going to figure this out, okay?

She nodded as he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head and stepped away.

"Sweet dreams." He winked at her before turning toward Sandor "See you later, Gigantor. Thanks for not stabbing me!" Then he walked into the Grove and disappeared between the trees.

Sophie started walking toward the house, smiling to herself as Sandor grumbled something about boys.  It felt good to have a normal teenage problem for him to complain about for once. Except...

She turned to face the giant goblin. "Can you please let me be the one to tell my parents? About Keefe? And me?"

Sandor huffed. "That is most definitely something you should do yourself.  And sooner rather than later."

Sophie nodded. She started walking again, but stopped abruptly, nearly causing him to crash into her. "Do you think Grady will be okay with it?" she hesitated, "I feel like things have gotten better between them, but..."

She hadn't heard her dad call Keefe 'that boy' for quite some time. But... once he knew they were dating, would his distrust of Keefe return?

Sandor sighed, clearly wishing she would abandon the conversation and just get inside. But he met Sophie's eyes as he said, "Mr Ruewen has gotten to know Mr Sencen over the course of your friendship. He - and I - have seen the way he obviously cares for you. As long as you are happy and treated well, I don't think it will be a problem."

She smiled, knowing that was as close to a heartfelt moment as the veteran soldier would allow. "Thank you."

And fifteen minutes later, as she crawled into bed after a shower and a few Iggy snuggles, she let her consciousness wrap around memories of tousled hair and crooked grins and slipped into a deep, restful sleep.