Until the End of Time | A Team Foster-Keefe story

:: Chapter Nineteen ::

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning Sophie sat on her bed and stared at the ring, a small smile gracing her lips as her mind trailed over the memory of him asking. She heard a knock at the door and quickly put her hand down as Edaline walked in. "Hey, sweetie, sorry we got in so late last night, we didn't wake you, did we?"

Sophie shook her head. "No, I actually fell asleep right after Keefe left. I was kind of emotionally drained."

Edaline grinned. "Did he do it?" 

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" She noticed Edaline trying to get a glimpse of her hand and Sophie let out a small choked sound. "He told you he was going to?"

Edaline let out a small squeal and rushed over to Sophie where she could get a full glimpse of the ring. "Who do you think gave him the ring size?" 

"Biana," Sophie replied. "It's obvious she made it."

Edaline nodded. "Well, Keefe asked your father for permission. While it's a human tradition, he thought that you'd appreciate the effort." Sophie nodded in reply and the two sat on the bed quietly, examining the ring. Sophie thought it would be weird with the ring have to sit upon her glove, but the look was slowly growing and she was so used to the gloves by that point it almost seemed like they were her actual hands. "When are you going to tell your father that it happened?"

"Oh, I don't-"

"Tell her father what?" Grady asked, making his way into the room. Sophie didn't know what words to say in reply so she simply raised her hand, giving him a good look at the ring. Grady gasped and immediately was in front of her, pulling her into a hug. "You're all so grown up now!" He pulled back and locked eyes with Edaline. "Our baby is leaving the nest."

"I don't think anything more is going to happen anytime too soon. It just happened last night and I still have so many people to tell about it and there's a lot to plan. It could be another year before we actually get married, maybe longer," Sophie replied, immediately frowning at the thought of moving away from the guardians she had been practically dependent on since she was twelve. Of course there had been multiple times she'd lived away from them, but it was always with the promise of return. Moving in with Keefe and marrying him felt like a no return policy. 

"Well, I still think it's great," Edaline cheered. "I'm so happy for you, you finally get the ending you deserve!" Sophie grinned as she was pulled into yet another hug. 

"Well, I have to get ready for the day, Fitz and I are going to do some mental training. We haven't hung out in a while and we need to keep up with being cognates." Sophie kissed both of their cheeks before shooing them out of her room so she could get dressed and ready. 

Soon enough she was standing outside the small house Fitz bought for himself and Biana after he got his job as an emissary. The two siblings wanted to experience living without their parents but they also didn't like the ideas of living alone. Biana was rarely home, using it more as a place to sleep than a place to live, being she was always working at her shop whether it be designing or selling, but Fitz did a lot of office work in the house. 

Out of all her friends, Sophie and Marella were the only ones still living with their parents, but soon enough Sophie could see herself either moving into Keefe's apartment with him or the two buying a separate house instead. "Hey Soph!" Fitz cheered, exiting the house and giving her a hug. "Keefe told me about the engagement, congratulations!"

"Already?" She frowned. "We just got engaged last night."

"Sophie, we're best friends, of course he told me already." She nodded in reply as he led her to his office. They sat down and talked, catching up one everything and making sure not to leave any important details of their lives out. Fitz shows her new things added to his office, and she took a special note of the cute picture of him and Linh on his desk. 

"How are things going with you two?" she asked him with a smile. 

A small grin appeared on his face as he thought out his answer, and she was immediately so much more happier for him. After everything they had been through, she couldn't be happier Fitz was finding that kind of happiness with someone. With Linh, another one of her best friends, no less. "We're doing great," Fitz told her. "I can't believe it's already been a few months, it feels like just yesterday we went on our first date."

"That's how I feel with Keefe, but now this." She held up her left hand and examined the ring. "Life just happens so fast, I guess." She then grinned. "Hey, wanna practice some telepathy? It's been so long since I've been able to just do something with my mind, it makes me want to explode. I mean, I practiced transmitting to Keefe last night but other than that I've done nothing."

"How far?" Fitz asked, grinning. 

"You pick," Sophie replied, "I'll just got for it. Extra points if I get where you are."

"That's not fair! You always do." Fitz rolled his eyes but immediately lightleaped away to an unknown location for her. For the next few hours the two continued to do other mental exercises and catching up on their lives before it eventually grew dark, the two not even realizing they had spent so much time together. 

They met up back in front of his house just as Linh arrived, Fitz already explaining the two were supposed to go on a date that night anyways. "Hey, it seems like forever since we last talked," Linh greeted Sophie, giving her a hug. "We need to have another girl's night."

"We really do," Sophie agreed, pulling away from the hug so she could wrap Fitz into one afterwards. "Thanks for spending the day with me," she told him, grinning. "You two have fun on your date, I'll leave you now." She waved, and as she did Linh immediately focused on the small piece of jewelry laying on her finger. 

"Wait, what's that?" she squealed, pulling Sophie's hand closer to her face so she could examine the ring."

"Oh!" A blush fell upon Sophie's cheeks. "Keefe and I may have gotten engaged." 

"What?" Linh's eyes widened. "When did this happen?" 

"Yesterday night," Sophie informed. "It completely slipped my mind, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." 

Linh grinned and said, "I'd be more worried if you hadn't told Biana."

"The only people I've told at this point are my parents and you, actually," Sophie stated.  "I'm going to tell everyone, it's just there's so many people and I think I'd rather tell them with Keefe." 

"Wait, who told you if she didn't?" Linh turned towards Fitz in questioning. 

"Keefe told me," he replied. "I'm the only one he's told, though. He felt it was his civil duty to tell me as his best friend but he said he wasn't going to tell anyone else unless Sophie told him to so the two are on the same page, I guess." 

"Well, I'm so happy for you both!" Linh gave Sophie another hug. "You guys are going to have the best wedding, I already know it." 

"Thank you," she replied, a grin on her face. "I'll definitely leave you two to your date now, though. Bye guys!" They all said their goodbyes and soon enough Sophie had returned home where her parents waited with Keefe, surprising her. 

"What's this?" she questioned, walking up to Keefe who wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. 

"Your parents invited me over for dinner," he explained. "We haven't had a dinner with the four of us in over a year and it felt way overdue." 

She grinned in response. "It has been overdue. Then afterwards we can discuss how we're announcing the engagement." 

"Sounds like a plan," he said, kissing her cheek once more before they all made their way to the dining room. 

---

oof i've been gone a while i apologize for that haha. i genuinely thought i had published the chapter already whoops. 

anyways i've skipped school today (for the first time in my life btw) so i'm just chilling eating chinese leftovers and watching 13rw season 2

chapter questions:

1. how should they announce their engagement? 

2. do you watch thirteen reasons why or have you read the book?

3. yanny vs. laurel - if you've heard the discussion, what do you hear?