perfect sokeefe

a finicky thing

Sophie loved Keefe.

But she didn't.

Then she did.

Then she didn't.

It was a never-ending cycle she never had an answer to. One day, she admired him from afar, the way his shoulders would lift when he was happy, then the next she would scold herself for letting herself grow attached. Because that was always going to be a problem, whether it was a strong or weak one, the Neverseen would use it to their advantage.

And she couldn't bear the weight it put on her shoulders. That was the exact reason she rejected the blonde boy, despite how happy he made her. They both acknowledged their feelings for each other, but the next step was walking into a tornado. A tangle of chaos that constantly pulls more and more things into the ever-growing problem.

Sophie sighed, keeping relief out of her voice. "I don't know why you're here if it's not to scold me."

"I'm not here for that," Keefe assured. "All I knew was that you might need me. And I promised to always be here for you."

"What are you here for then?"

Keefe bit his lip. "You already know."

Sophie should've been used to the complexity of everything. So she asked the question that could end it all, "How do you know that I haven't fallen out of love with you?"

"You can't lie to an Empath."

"Who said that?"

"An Empath."

Sophie groaned, "Love is a finicky thing you know. It's never been in our clutches for long. Always places traps along it's trail, waiting for someone to fall for a fake clone. This could all be some fake demise put over our heads. How do I really know that you're in love with me?"

"There's never going to be a concrete answer," Keefe said. "I guess something about you makes the maze I'm stuck in less complicated and the grave I'm in less of a grave."

"War is all around us. A grave will never be less than a grave, just as a corpse will never be less than dead." It terrified her, how easily the words came out of her mouth.

Keefe traced the flowers on the carpet. "You saved me, Foster. From trolls, from ogres, from my bodyguards, you saved me in every way someone can be saved." He looked down. "And no matter how complicated this love thing gets, you'll always be my first love, even if I'm not yours."

Silence hung over the room in large clumps, falling down on attempts at conversation. Sophie took a deep breath. "Thank you. For what it's worth. Loving me when my head was full of heartache and pain was quite a burden."

"You're never a burden." He whispered, and looked up with a smile. "And don't forget about all the telepathic conversations."

Sophie's laugh was wheezy. Keefe didn't procrastinate, after a minute or two, getting up and strolling to the door. "Don't take this conversation too seriously, Foster. I promise nothing will get in the way of Team Foster-Keefe."

"I hope." Sophie whispered when he closed the door.

Conversations were overheard as the door closed, but one stayed prominent in her memory.

"You still love her, don't you, Hunkyhair?" A tone of concern.

Keefe's voice was steady. "There will never be a day when I won't."