KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Journals

A/N: This is a bonus chapter from my main story, fitting somewhere between "A Gift" and "The Clearing".

It had been a few days since Sophie's nightmare about Keefe's planting. Foxfire sessions had resumed, and Sophie already missed having Keefe living so close. But he was coming around as much as possible, still having dinner with her and her parents most nights.

But she'd gotten used to waking up and coming downstairs to find him already in the kitchen, chatting with Grady and Edaline. Having breakfast with him and leaping to Foxfire together.

But they were making the most of it. It wasn't forever.

And it was the weekend, and they'd made no plans with their other friends.

Keefe, Sophie knew, wanted to keep extra close for a while, in the wake of her nightmare. Just to reassure her and comfort her.

So today, the plan was just to spend the day together.

Of course, that included helping Grady and Edaline with the different creatures they were rehabilitating.

Sophie knew Keefe mostly started helping with the chores in order to get in good with Grady, but he really seemed to enjoy it. There was a certain satisfaction in convincing new animals to try gnomish produce and in getting them to trust the elves—something Keefe in particular was gifted at, probably due to being an Empath.

And Grady really did seem to be coming around.

"You know," Sophie mused after they leapt, hand in hand, to the Gold Tower, "Grady seems to have really started to like you."

Keefe laughed. "It's about time."

"He once told me that any boy interested in dating me would have to work for his approval, but that you in particular would have to work harder after..."

"After I stole from you, betrayed you, endangered you and broke your heart by pretending to join the Neverseen?"

"Well...yes." Sophie bit her lip. "But what I'm saying is, you've done it. He likes you."

"What about you? Do you like me?" Keefe asked as they entered his room, turning to smirk at her.

"Ehh, you're okay I guess," she teased. She tugged on his hand. "You've grown on me, I suppose."

Keefe shook his head, pulling her in close, his ice blue eyes boring into hers and his breath hot on her cheeks as he murmured, "we'll have to do a bit better than that," in a dangerously low voice.

Sophie couldn't formulate a response right away, but her body reacted. Heart rate increased, stomach filled with fluttery things, slight warmth flooded her cheeks.

He still had this effect on her anytime he got close.

She hoped he always would.

"So..." Keefe murmured, smirking. "I'm your absolute favorite person in the whole world, right?"

"As if you couldn't tell," Sophie whispered before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"That's much better," Keefe told her when they broke apart. "You're my favorite too. And while we're on that topic...I have some things I want to show you."

Keefe opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a couple of journals. Sophie recognized them as his brown journal of happy memories and the mysterious gold journal he'd never explained.

He took the journals and sat down on the bed, beckoning for Sophie to join him.

"So, you remember when I explained why I chose the silver and green journals?" He asked her. "And said I chose brown for happy memories just because it was the color that was left?"