Sokeefe - Until She Was Ready For More

Chapter 21

Sophie gave Keefe a tight-lipped smile. If she was being honest with herself, part of her wished that Keefe hadn't agreed with her. But Sophie was never honest with herself when it came to Keefe and promptly pushed her feelings down. 

Keefe turned back to the conversation between everyone else, his smile present, but ever-so-slightly smaller. 

"So, Keefe, Sophie, how're the kids? Anything new?" Linh asked, turning the conversation to the two. 

"They're good." Sophie said. Linh looked at her expectantly, like she wanted to hear more, but Sophie didn't know what else to say. She turned to Keefe. 

"Foster's pregnant." he burst out, blurting the first thing that came to mind. 

Everyone at the table gasped. Everyone except Sophie, Biana, and Keefe. Biana and Sophie both glared at Keefe and he had the decency to look remorseful. 

"That's great, Sophie! I'm so happy for you and Keefe!" Linh exclaimed. Sophie smiled slightly. 

"Seriously, Keefe? You got her pregnant again?" Wylie chuckled, Tam and Linh both laughing along with him. Biana looked at Keefe and Sophie with sympathy. Both elves were blushing a bright red, Sophie's admittedly brighter. Neither needed a reminder that their future selves were that intimate with each other. 

"What's for dessert?" Biana asked, changing the subject. 

"Mallowmelt! By this point, it's a bit of a tradition." Linh laughed. 

"True." Tam smiled. 

"If everyone's done with dinner, I can go get it right now." Linh proposed. Everyone nodded and Linh excused herself to the kitchen. 

"I'll be right back. Bathroom." Biana said apologetically before standing up and walking into the hall. 

While both Linh and Biana were gone, Sophie's male friends conversed, leaving her to stare absently at the wall. 

"Sophie." a voice whispered in her ear and she jumped. The boys shot her confused glances, but turned back to their conversation after she reassured them that she was fine.

"Sophie." the voice said again. 

"Is that you, Biana?" Sophie asked nervously. 

"Yes." 

"What are you doing?" she whispered, slightly annoyed. 

"What am I doing? What are you doing? I understand that neither of you are used to being a couple, but you're acting like you just met. You're both being really awkward with each other. It's about the kiss, isn't it?" 

"No!" Sophie exclaimed quietly before pausing. "Yes? Maybe. I don't know! I told him it was a mistake and he agreed with me. So it shouldn't be awkward. But it is."

"Sophie, what is wrong with you?!" Biana said as loudly as she could without anyone else hearing and shaking Sophie by the shoulders. 

"What did I do?" 

"You're so ridiculously oblivious, you know that?" Biana sighed. 

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sophie asked and Biana groaned. 

"Nevermind." 

"Okay then. So how do we look like a couple?" Sophie questioned. 

"Lean on his shoulder, call him honey, kiss him, tell him you love him, I don't know. Just do something couple-y." Biana said. 

"Fine." she begrudgingly agreed. 

"Good. I'll be right back. Remember, no awkwardness." Biana replied, her voice becoming fainter and fainter as she walked away. 

Seconds after Biana left, Linh came back in the room with the mallowmelt.

"Yum. Mallowmelt." Sophie whispered to herself, longing in her eyes. 

"I think Foster really wants some." Keefe smirked, seeing her yearning expression.

"Oh shut it, Keefe." she said, rolling her eyes, embarassment coloring her cheeks. Keefe laughed. 

"Where's Biana?" Linh asked, setting the dessert down in the middle of the table. 

"I'm right here!" she said, entering the room and giving Sophie a look. Sophie bit her lip. She needed to do something, but what? What were Biana's options?, Sophie asked herself. Call him... what was it? Honey? Lean on his shoulder. And... didn't she tell me to kiss him? No way am I doing that. 

Sophie slowly scooted closer to the edge of her chair, towards Keefe. She inched her head closer to his shoulder before pulling away.  I can't do this, she thought, closing her eyes. She felt Keefe take her hand and squeeze before letting go, most likely sensing her inner termoil.  But I have to. It's now or never.

Sophie opened her eyes and moved her head to his shoulder. Keefe reacted immediately, looking down at her with a shocked expression. She smiled up at him calmly, the rest of her feeling anything but. Keefe narrowed his eyes at her facade, noticing the lack of calm in her emotions. She continued to smile and she raised her mouth up to his ear. 

"Biana said we need to act more 'coupley'." Sophie whispered. He nodded and smiled before placing a kiss on her cheek as she moved her head back to his shoulder. Sophie's eyes widened at the bold move and the butterflies in her stomach decided it was time to flutter around wildly. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and Keefe's smile morphed into a smirk. 

Sophie's eyes drifted forward and noticed that Linh was looking at her with the most 'aww so cute!' look possible. Sophie, embarassed and blushing, looked down at the table. 

Soon, Linh was sliding a piece of mallowmelt in front of her, still giving her a sickly sweet look, increasing Sophie's blush. Sophie and Keefe turned to Biana, looking for approval of their coupley behavior, and she nodded. Biana's eyes moved up to Keefe's and she made a motion of putting his arm around Sophie. Keefe reached his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, causing the butterflies to flitter around again. 

Sophie picked up her fork and slowly started to eat her mallowmelt. She'd had a long day and, now that she was surrounded by warmth, she was starting to feel a bit drowsy. 

Once she'd finished her mallowmelt, she moved closer to Keefe and his warmth and he pulled her closer to him once more. Sophie's eyes started to fall closed and she fought to keep them open. Her eyes continued to open and close periodically before she finally gave up fighting sleep and let herself drift off. She snuggled deeper into Keefe's shoulder and felt a slight pressure on the top of her head. 

"Love you, Foster." Sophie heard Keefe say in her dream state. And Sophie's dream state was not like her awake state. Her dream state was actually true to itself and didn't try to hide it's feelings.

"Love you too." Sophie murmured to Keefe's voice, not aware that she'd said it aloud, but still meaning it all the same. Not that Keefe knew that.