fifty sokeefe kisses

(8) sneaky

"Hey Soph! Come on in!"

"Thanks, Biana." Sophie stepped into the gleaming entrance hall of Everglen, taking care that her boots didn't track any mud on the marble floors as she tugged them off.

Biana pushed down the hood of Sophie's cloak, booping her affectionately on the nose. "You're late, missy."

"Yeah, sorry, I had to feed Verdi, and then it started raining—"

Biana laughed. "Don't worry! Everyone's already here, we're just hanging out."

Sophie grimaced. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Actually—"

"Sophie! You made it!" Dex barreled into the room, his mismatched socks slipping along the smooth floor. "Oh, crap—" He stuttered to a halt and lurched forward, but a hand reached out and yanked him upright.

"Watch yourself, shortie." Keefe teased, releasing the back of Dex's shirt. "I don't think the Vackers would appreciate having a Dex-shaped imprint on their floor."

"Let's see what they'd think about a Keefe-shaped one, then," Dex grumbled, swinging around to face the other boy.

"No one is pushing anyone into the floor." Fitz stuck his head through the living room doorway with a mixed expression of exasperation and amusement. "Hey, Sophie, come on in! Mom wants to say hi."

Biana wrestled Sophie's bag from her, ignoring her protests, and headed after Dex and Fitz back into Everglen. Sophie smiled, about to follow, when she felt two arms wrap around her from behind.

"Keefe!" she hissed, nearly jumping out of her skin when his head dropped on her shoulder. "Not now."

"I haven't seen you in days," Keefe whined as he let go, but not without dropping a kiss into the crook of her neck. Sophie sighed in exasperation, about to scold him, when the sound of Biana's voice made her flinch.

"Sophie! Get over here!"

Keefe groaned. "This is going to be the longest group sleepover ever."

-

After an exhausting but eventful evening of base quest and hanging out with her friends, Sophie trudged down the hall after Biana as they said good night to the boys, who disappeared into Fitz's room. Sophie pretended not to notice the wink Keefe dropped her way, and fought down a blush.

"You okay?" Biana raised an eyebrow. "You've been a little weird all day."

"Yeah, don't worry. I think I just, um, need some water," Sophie supplied lamely, and dashed back out the door, leaving a confused Biana standing in the bedroom.

"Hey." said Keefe. Apparently he'd been waiting for her, as he was standing directly next to the doorway with his arms crossed and an eager look on his face.

"Geez, you've really got to stop sneaking up on me like that!" she yelped, and paused for a bit to recover from the shock.

Keefe pouted adorably, cocking his head. "Well, how else are we supposed to keep the others from finding out?"

Sophie frowned, considering what it would be like. But she pushed the thought out of her mind and moved closer to wrap her arms around his neck. "Well," she whispered, "I'm fine with what we have for now."

He grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. Sophie's skin glowed with warmth until she could no longer distinguish the heat on her face from the rest of her body. Keefe sighed through his nose in delight.

A door slammed somewhere in the distance of the building. Sophie jumped away from him, breathing heavily as her heart thudded in her chest. Their eyes met nervously. Keefe relaxed after a few moments of silence had passed.

"That was close," he murmured, running a hand through his hair sheepishly.

"Too close," Sophie agreed, shaking her head. "Sneaking around is too risky. Especially in Everglen." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Most especially when everyone's sleeping over."

"Sorry, sorry," Keefe laughed quietly, looking not sorry at all. He glanced at Fitz's room, then back at her. "Catch you later, then?"

Sophie turned around with her hand on the door of Biana's room. "Sure," she whispered back, and this time she didn't resist the smile spreading across her face.