Twirling-SoKeefe

Goodbye

"Sophie? Are you okay?"

Sophie imagined giant ice cream spoons scooping up the mush that her brain had turned into and molding it back into her head, sucking in a slow, deep breath and forcing her trembling body to ease. "Yep. I'm fine."

As her vision cleared, she caught bits and pieces of details around her.

Glittering lights.

Broad shoulders.

Striking teal eyes, filled with concern.

Sophie sucked in another breath, faster and higher.

"Are you sure?" the crisp voice asked, sounding closer somehow.

Pressure tightened on her hands, and Sophie blinked, clearing the last bit of haze away to see warm fingers wrapped around hers, with faint bruises on the knuckles. She traced her gaze up, trailing over dark sleeves, across snug, navy shoulders, and up to a handsome face framed by dark hair. 

Sophie yanked her hands away.

"I'm fine," she promised, hating the tight, awkward feeling building in her stomach. 

Although...

It was better than the butterflies that a teeny, tiny part of her had been expecting.

But her flutters remained still.

Fitz's frown was both nervous and worried.

Desperate to change the subject, Sophie asked, "So... what's up?" She cringed-hard-at the stupid, forced greeting, and the tension in the air grew even thicker.

Sophie was tempted to grab a knife from a nearby table and slice through it completely when Fitz said quietly, "Oh... you know..." and trailed off. Her cheeks burned red hot when she noticed that he was staring.

At. Her.

Sophie suddenly felt very exposed, and she resisted the urge to wrap her arms around her bare shoulders and bury her face in her elbows. She tugged at her flowing sleeves instead, searching for something, anything, to say-

"Do you wanna dance?" she asked. 

Fitz looked surprised. "Um.. sure," he said, a small, shy smile appearing on his face. He stretched out a hand, and Sophie double-checked that her enhancing was turned off before taking it. She followed Fitz out to the area where everyone else was already dancing, taking a deep breath to calm the squirming things in her stomach. He stopped just on the outskirts, keeping a tiny bit of space between them and the crowd, and Sophie was grateful for the separation from the mass of perfect, sparkling elves. 

To distract herself, she mentally rehearsed the dance steps Keefe had gone over in her head. She wished he was there. Sophie missed his smile, his comforting warmth, his soothing touch. She felt a tiny smile of her own when she remembered the way he'd spun her,  and the proud look on his face when she'd twirled back. 

She shook herself out of the memories. Focus. 

Sophie glanced up at Fitz, noticing how nervous and fidgety he seemed, and she gave him a softer smile, squeezing his hand. He relaxed ever so slightly, shoulders dropping and face melting into another shy smile. She reached up, putting her other hand on his shoulder. He carefully placed a hand at her waist, and they slowly spun and swayed to the gentle music.

Sophie was immensely proud of her steady ankles and sure steps, but she tried not to let it show on her face. Still, her expression must have given something away, because Fitz said, "I'm just as surprised as you. I thought I'd have had to catch you at least twice by now."