Hold On I Still Need You

-A Glimpse of Vulnerability-

LONG CHAPTER!!! PLEASE be sure to READ the A/N at the end of the chapter. 

Keefe's POV:

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in a breathtaking tapestry of oranges and pinks. The neighborhood basked in the tranquil glow, and the calmness of the evening wrapped around me like a comforting embrace. It was peaceful and quiet, the kind of evening that brought a sense of calm and comfort to my troubled heart. The air was filled with the soft chirping of crickets and the gentle rustling of leaves. As the sun set, the sight was a rare gem to behold. I wanted to forget my troubles and immerse myself in the beauty it had to offer.

I had come over earlier to join Sophie's family for dinner again; let's just say Mommy and Daddy Dearest were yelling at each other, and I didn't want to be around that. Sophie doesn't blame me—she doesn't want to be around my parents either. I'd rather be around Edaline and Grady. Even though Grady always calls me "That Boy," I can tell he and Edaline care more about me than my actual parents. They lost that title a long time ago. They don't deserve it.

Once dinner had concluded, Sophie and I decided to sit outside, finding a cozy corner on the porch to watch the sunset. Both of us wrapped up in a warm blanket, I gazed out at the serene landscape. Breaking the silence with a soft, thoughtful voice, I said, "You know, Foster, sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if we had met under different circumstances."

She turned to me with a gentle smile. "I think we were meant to find each other, no matter what. Even in the chaos, there's always a reason," she said calmly.

I leaned back, the corners of my mouth lifting in a gentle smile, as I watched the colors dance across the sky. "You know, evenings like this almost make everything else worth it," I mused, my voice just above a whisper.

Sophie turned to me, her eyes reflecting the fading light. "Yeah," she said softly, "it's nice to have a moment to just breathe."

I nodded, letting the comfortable silence settle around us. In this calm, we found an unspoken understanding, a shared sense of peace that only we could grasp. I glanced at Sophie, noticing the slight furrow in her brow and the distant look in her eyes.

"You seem pretty quiet today," I said casually, my tone laced with concern. "Everything okay?"

Sophie hesitated, her fingers toying with the edge of the blanket. "Just...thinking," she replied, her voice trailing off.

I tilted my head, my eyes never leaving her face. "Want to talk about it?" I asked gently, offering her an opening but not pushing too hard.

She sighed, struggling with the weight of her thoughts. "It's just...everything that's happened. I thought things would be better, but they took a huge turn down a path I hadn't wanted to go. The happiness I felt when things were looking up—I hadn't felt that in a long time. It felt so warm and real. I wanted to hold onto that feeling forever, but it vanished the moment things turned downhill."

I continued to listen, letting her relieve the emotions she had been holding back. "Things were finally looking up for the first time since the diagnosis. I could finally feel a sense of real happiness. My health has had such a huge impact on my life. When I was first diagnosed, I didn't want to believe it was real. I almost convinced myself that it was just a bad dream I would wake up from. But none of this is a dream—it's reality. I can't tell you how many times I've cried over this. I don't know how much more my poor pillow can take," Sophie explained, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

I gently took her hand in mine, offering a small sense of comfort. "I had so desperately wanted things to get better, but it seems like it doesn't work that way. After that, everything changed in the blink of an eye. Then I wondered what I was going to tell my friends—and you. I could never find it in me to tell any of you, so I kept it a secret because I didn't want to worry you, and I didn't want to be treated differently because I had something holding me down. It hurt to keep it a secret, but for the most part, I felt like I did a good job at it," Sophie admitted.