𝐬𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

♡𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮♡

A/N

whats up, girly pops 🎀 

Sophie slouched in her chair, the hard wood pressing uncomfortably against her back. 

Ugh.

The library was quiet, except for the occasional rustle of pages and the distant hum of students shuffling between shelves. 

The late afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows, casting a yellow glow over the rows of books and the study tables scattered throughout. 

Despite the calm atmosphere, Sophie felt an undercurrent of restlessness and bounced her knee. 

The clock on the wall seemed to tick louder with every passing second, its rhythmic beats a reminder of how long they had been studying.

She glanced sideways at Keefe, who was seated next to her. His focus was entirely on his textbook, his brow furrowed in concentration. 

He had that look she recognized well—a mixture of determination, frustration and boredom. Sophie admired his dedication; he was always so committed to his studies. 

She's joking of course.

But today, his usual 'determination' seemed to have hit a wall. She could see the tension in his shoulders, the way he occasionally ran an anxious hand through his disheveled hair, as if trying to clear his thoughts.

Sophie sighed, her own notes spread out before her. She was making a decent attempt at studying, but her mind kept drifting to Keefe.

 She loved how intensely he approached everything, but it was clear that he was struggling with the material. She knew that look all too well; it was the same look he had when he was trying to solve a particularly difficult problem in their calculus class.

After a few more minutes of watching him, she decided she couldn't take it any longer. She needed to do something to break the tension, to lift the heaviness that had settled over them. She reached out and placed her hand gently on top of his. He flinched slightly but then looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers.

"Need a break?" she asked softly, her voice barely more than a murmur in the hushed space.

Keefe's expression softened as he took in her warm, encouraging smile. "YES! Please I beg of you," he admitted, rubbing his eyes.

Sophie squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Okay, good. I could use a break too," she said, her tone light and playful. "Why don't we take a few minutes and get some fresh air?"

Keefe considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but just a few minutes. I really need to finish this."

Sophie nodded, understanding. She stood up and gathered her books, slipping them into her bag. 

Keefe followed soon, his movements slow and deliberate.

The two closed their books and stared at each other. 

"You know," she said, trying to lighten the mood, "you're not going to get any smarter by stressing yourself out."

Keefe gave her a faint smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know, but this is important. I can't afford to mess this up."

Sophie reached over and touched his arm. "I get it, but you need to take care of yourself too. You're not going to do any better if you're exhausted."

Keefe looked at her, his expression softening. "Thanks, Foster. I don't know what I'd do without you."