Thief Of Hearts~ Sokeefe AU

Chapter 26: Puzzle

(Sophie POV)

Bark. I heard a tiny puppy sing. For my own amusement, I followed the sound. It sounded happy. I walked mindlessly until I reached an abandoned looking Christmas shop. Opening the door, a waft of rotten meat and mold got me gagging. The floorboards creaked as I took slow steps. I heard a male sigh coming from underneath me. My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight. "Who's there?" I cried out. I startled as a messy blond haired head poked out from the floorboard behind me. "FOSTER?!" the boy exclaimed. "KEEFE!" I shouted, stepping down and tackling this fool with hugs and kisses. Then, I sat up and gave him a death glare. I slapped him, and it felt good. "What's WRONG with you?!" I snapped. He ran a hand down his face and took my head, leading me to his hideout. I couldn't believe he'd been living down here for so long. A dirty but adorable beagle came stumbling up to me and jumped all over me. I giggled and pet, supposedly, his dog. "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister." I said, coldly. He nodded and exhaled.

"I- I ran away because... it was complicated between my dad and I." he admitted. Tears sprang to my eyes, angry tears. "You flew ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECAUSE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER WAS INADEQUATE?" I hollered, standing up. He grasped my hand but I pulled away. I wasn't ready to deal with him yet. "I'm sorry Foster. Like, really sorry. I just- that's not it. He's... bad. He's bad! And I don't mean to be so straightforward with you Soph but he wanted me to kill you! There. I said it." he said, guilty tears falling down his cheeks. My eyes widened. "He-you- he wanted you to... murder me?" I mumbled, dumbfounded. He nodded and let his head hang. "You ran away to... protect me?" I whispered. Keefe nodded again. Everything was piecing together like a puzzle. That was why he was always leaving. Stopped smiling. Avoiding me. This was all too much to handle right now. I shuffled close to him and wrapped my arms around him. He looked up, his eyes red and swollen. If anything was going to make it clear how I felt, this was. I leaned in and kissed him, still holding on to him like he was all I had left. And it seemed the same for him. We hugged each other in silence for a solid 10 minutes. This was all I cared about right now.