a dangerous combination [discontinued]

~ T H I R T Y - E I G H T ~

Riya | 6/6/20

"Because I missed you, Foster."

As soon as the words emerged from Keefe's mouth, he wished he swallow them back up to them.

Because I missed you?

Really?

That was such a cheesy way to let a girl know you liked her.

But when the girl was Sophie, well, she didn't seem to take the hint. Sure, she'd basically glowed when he'd said that, but she didn't say anything more, which made Keefe realize.

Maybe she only liked him as a friend.

Yes, he'd known that before, but now it felt more real then ever.

Even more real than when he'd caught her kissing Fitz Vacker.

But Keefe couldn't dwell on his broken heart any longer. He'd made amends with her solely for the purpose of the mission. She wouldn't listen or trust Keefe if she hated him.

And although maybe a tiny part of him apologized because he didn't want her to hate him, it didn't matter.

After today, they could go back to being enemies.

That was the way it should be, and yet Keefe's heart felt like it was slowly being chipped away.

Was it possible that he wanted to stay with her?

No. Nonsense. He had a job to complete. He was using her. Nothing more.

At least, that's what he'd try to believe.

+++

The Neverseen's base in Michigan was one of the biggest they had. Even Keefe himself didn't know all the room and corridors in the place, although he tried to seem like he did. Sophie was more likely to listen to a guy who looked like he was doing, anyway. He couldn't look like he was wandering around aimlessly.

Gisela hadn't given him any specific instructions. She had just needed him to make sure that the Moonlark was coming along with him. But when he heard the voice shouting their whereabouts, he panicked.

Was it possible that he didn't want Sophie to be captured?

The footsteps behind them were growing increasingly close, despite Sophie's trick to distract him. In a rush, he tugged her into a small closet, where they both tried to stifle their heavy breathing.

Keefe slid to the floor. What was he doing? He had vowed to himself to stop with this nonsense of liking his enemy. He couldn't afford feeling like this for her.

But as much as he wanted it to stop, the more he avoided her, the more he felt himself wishing she was there.

Beside him. With him. Comforting him.

Was he really willing to betray his mother for her?

He wished he could say no with a full heart.

Sophie seemed to notice something was off about him. Maybe it was the abundance of jokes he had failed to crack. Maybe it was his pained expressions.

She wrapped her arms around him, and a small part of Keefe wanted her to stop.

The other part of him wanted them to stay like this forever.

The footsteps made them snap out of their trance, and the two of them busied themselves in preparation for a fight.

Then Sophie did something so unexpected, later Keefe would think he dreamed it.

She kissed him.

At first, Keefe had stood still, feeling overwhelmed from all the emotions he was feeling.

And then, and he wasn't expecting this either...

he kissed her back.

Keefe had never felt such a rush of bliss in all fifteen years of his life. Never before had he wanted someone more than he wanted her.

Sophie was the only one who could make him feel this way, he knew. He'd seen plenty of girls in his lifetime, but she was the one he was attracted to.

The only one.

It was over much, much too fast.

Both Sophie and Keefe broke apart to see who had opened the door and interrupted their little debut.

And standing in the doorway with the most triumphant smile ever was none other than Keefe's mother.

Lady Gisela.