A Sokeefe Engagement

Chapter 5 - Sophie

We'd ended up at the Shores of Solace, on the patio near the porch swings that overlooked the ocean.  He must have noticed my relief when he told me we had the place to ourselves, because his cocky grin returned in full force.

"So," he drawled, "where were we? As I recall, you were holding on to my arms and swooning." He wiggled his eyebrows at me, clearly enjoying his version of events.

Ha! Two could play at this game. I knew he'd 'swooned' in the garden just as much as me.

So I lifted a single eyebrow and gave him a super sweet smile. "Actually, I think I was in the middle of making you weak in the knees. "

"Hey!" he objected, and I had to stop myself from laughing at his feigned outrage. "No reading minds without permission, Foster."

"I don't need to read minds when I've got my boyfriend pushing me up against a tree so he doesn't fall over." I pointed out.

He started to argue, but seemed to change his mind at the last moment. "Fine." he admitted. "I was definitely more interested in kissing you than I was in fighting gravity."

That was better. I wrapped my arms around his neck, "A perfectly acceptable excuse."

He kissed me then and all was forgiven. The evening stretched ahead of us, and I felt myself relaxing. There were no responsibilities to distract us, no schedules to adhere to. This was my idea of heaven. Or it was until I noticed the freezing ocean breeze whipping around us.

I shivered hard enough that Keefe stepped back and frowned, "Are you cold?" He rubbed his hands against my arms as I tried not to let my teeth chatter.

I hated to ruin such a nice moment, but becoming a popsicle in your boyfriend's arms wasn't all that romantic. So I admitted, "I know you really like this dress, Keefe. But it's much colder here, and I'm freezing."

His face was full of concern, and he practically dragged me inside and down the hall to his room. "C'mon," he said, "I should have something warm you can change into." He dug in his closet for a moment, then reappeared with a pair of pajamas.

I couldn't stop myself from cracking up at the goofy looking kraken pattern. "Aww, it's Kràkie!"

I swear he was blushing as he led me to the bathroom. He closed the door between us and said something about rolling the pants at my ankles to make them fit.  But I was way ahead of him, or I would have been if I could just get the stupid zipper to move. I struggled for a full minute before admitting I needed help. I walked back out of the bathroom, trying not to feel embarrassed. It just seemed so cliche to ask for a guy's help unzipping a gown. Like a scene from one of those movies where a woman is obviously trying to seduce a man.

He looked confused as I came back in, still in the dress. "Keefe? I , uh, need some help." I showed him my back, "I think the zipper's stuck."

I wanted to laugh at how eagerly he agreed to help. Maybe it was a cliche for a reason. But as we stood there, his fingers grazing my back while he gently tugged at the fabric, the world seemed to shrink until all that was left was the spot where his hands met my skin.

I almost jumped when he spoke again, clearing his throat before asking, "Would you like me to unzip you while I'm at it?"

I nodded. Suddenly very aware that we were standing in his bedroom, all alone, and I was basically asking him to undress me.

His breath was warm against my neck as he pulled the zipper down, so slow it was torture. I could feel the heat rising in my face as his hands came to a stop at my lower back. Neither of us seemed to know what to say or do. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I was sure he knew what I was feeling. I needed air.

"Keefe?" I asked quietly "Are you done?"

He let go of the fabric and stepped back. "Yep. You're good to go!"

I released a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. "Thank you." And I practically ran to the safety of the bathroom, leaning against the door and trying to pull myself together.

After a few deep breaths I focused on shimmying out of the gown and changing into the pajamas. They were soft and warm and I felt my heart rate begin to steady as I zipped them up. This was good! I was fine! Keefe was totally just being a helpful boyfriend! Any thoughts I'd had about what could have happened if his hands had kept pulling the zipper down.... well, those didn't matter now. Not when I was standing in bright blue kraken pajamas that were so huge on me I couldn't help but laugh at my reflection.

I stepped out of the bathroom, immediately noticing Keefe's white knuckle grip on Mrs Stinkbottom. Huh. Maybe I hadn't been the only one hyperventilating over zippergate. I smiled at the thought and started to pull the pins out of my updo. Then I bent over and shook my head, running my fingers through my hair until all of the product released its hold. I straightened and sighed as my hair fell back to my shoulders. "Much better." Keefe's slack jawed expression was hilarious; my confidence was beginning to return as I realized he may have been too busy with his own emotions to have noticed mine. "Should we go back outside?"