Sokeefe - Until She Was Ready For More

Chapter 42

"I honestly have no idea, Sophie. That's all I remember," she said apologetically. 

Sophie wanted to pull her hair out. Sure, it's not like she didn't want to kiss Keefe. Heck, right now she'd love to do exactly that. But that being their ticket home? Oh no, no, no. Not good. What if he didn't want to kiss her? What if he was prete-

"-phie. Sophie" 

"Huh?" Sophie blurted, jerking away from Biana's hand reaching towards her shoulder. 

"You okay, Foster?" Keefe asked in concern as Sophie swiveled her head to look at him. 

"Yep! Fine! I'm completely fine!" Sophie practically shouted, even as she felt her face go nuclear. 

"Alright then..." Keefe chuckled. 

Oh goodness, Sophie was so not acting cool about this. Could she sound any dumber? Why did her unflustered attitude of this morning have to completely vanish? She mentally face-palmed herself, taking a deep breath to calm her emotions. 

"Biana, do you remember anything else useful? Like maybe when we go back?" Sophie asked, attempting to be more relaxed than before. 

"Nope. I don't have a photographic memory like you both," Biana answered, chuckling.

"It was worth asking," Sophie replied, shrugging in a somewhat amused way. 

"Anyways, if that's all you wanted to ask, I do need to take the boys to Elwin for a check-up," Biana explained, looking apologetically towards Sophie. "Sorry I couldn't help more."

"Don't worry about it, Biana. You helped plenty," Keefe replied, offering a kind smile. 

"I can take Alora with me, if you want. That would give you both time to figure out how to get back. Besides, Elwin's been pestering about it for months," Biana offered, a strange twinkle in her eye that Sophie didn't quite trust.

Keefe looked at Sophie with a question in his eyes and she reluctantly nodded. 

Biana clapped excitedly --- Why was she excited? --- and called for Alora and the boys. Keefe gently took Sophie's hand as he pulled out his pathfinder. 

"Ready?" he asked softly. Sophie nodded, squeezing his hand. 

They were pulled away in a shower of light. 

***

"Foster, we have to get home somehow." Keefe explained emphatically. 

"And you want to plan a kiss?!" Sophie asked, hysterically burying her face in her hands. 

"What choice do we have?" 

"Exactly! It's just... I don't know, it would be weird if it were planned!" 

"Sophie Elizabeth Foster, cut the BS and be honest with me. I can tell that's not what you're really thinking." 

Sophie sighed, leaning her head backwards. How was she supposed to tell him that she was afraid planning a kiss would scare him away? Despite how she had felt that morning, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Like maybe he didn't love her, but only kind of liked her. Maybe he was only willing to kiss her out of obligation and not because he wanted to. 

"Keefe, I don't want you to feel... stuck..." 

"What?" Keefe asked, a fire in his eyes Sophie couldn't place, causing her to spiral more. But she also knew that she needed to be brave, at least a little bit. 

"I don't want you to kiss me as some sort of chore. Or be with me because you feel like you have no choice." Sophie said quietly as she pulled out an eyelash. 

"Sophie, I want to be with you. Me kissing you has absolutely nothing to do with obligation," Keefe said with a fierce determination. 

"You're not worried about what people will think? I'm unmatchable, a freak, and I have weird brown eyes, and-"

"Foster, I don't care about any of that." Keefe interrupted. "And I love your brown eyes. They're my favorite eyes in the entire world because they belong to you. There's not a thing about you that I don't love."

Sophie stood there for a moment processing what he had said. Was he saying...?

Gently, Keefe tipped her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

"Sophie..." he began before being cut off. By Sophie's lips.

She'd raised up onto her tiptoes and placed her mouth onto his. Just a quick peck, but it was enough to paralyze them both.

For a moment, they just stood, looking at each other in shock, until Keefe seemed to get over it. His expression grew warmer, and he moved his hand from Sophie's chin to cup her cheek.

Slowly, he moved his mouth so it was level with hers, hovering just above. Reading the question in his eyes, Sophie nodded and closed her eyes.

Keefe's lips just barely brushed hers, but he hadn't kissed her yet. Sophie's eyebrows furrowed as she opened her eyes. Mere centimeters away, she saw Keefe's eyes closed, his mouth practically against hers, but not coming any closer. Did he decide he doesn't want to kiss me?, Sophie panicked, the spiraling rushing back in. 

"Stop panicking," Keefe's voice murmured.

"Keefe?" she whispered, not understanding. His eyes fluttered open, deep emotion mirrored in them.

"I love you, Sophie," Keefe he replied, whispering over her mouth and effectively silencing the voice inside her head telling her that she wasn't enough for him. Sophie stopped breathing momentarily before crashing her lips down onto his. A proper kiss this time. She'd had no reason to worry so much, did she?

"Gosh, I love you," he murmured fervently against her lips over and over and Sophie felt like her body was practically sparkling. Why had they waited so long to do this, to be like this? Well, there were a lot of reasons, but Sophie didn't want to dwell on them at that exact moment; she was a bit busy. 

After a few moments, Sophie pulled away and rested her forehead against Keefe's.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Her eyes flickered open and she registered the massive smile on Keefe's face. His smile was contagious, and within seconds, she was smiling as wide as he was. Then they were both laughing, and the sparking feeling from the kiss was getting stronger.

"Do you feel that?" Keefe asked after a minute, laughter still twinkling in his eyes. Sophie giggled and nodded, pecking his lips again.

"It must be love," he grinned as he touched his nose to hers.

The sensation continued to get stronger still.

As it began buzzing through her, Sophie started to pull away from Keefe, her smile fading.

"Something's wrong," she said, realizing that while they had been kissing and laughing, their bodies had started to shimmer brightly. Almost like light leaping, but different.

"Uh-oh," Keefe said as worry painted its way onto his face.

"Oh, shoot," Sophie mumbled as she pulled herself completely out of his arms, bringing her hands to her head as it started to pound. She looked up slightly to see Keefe's form brightening more every second. 

"Sophie?" 

"My head is-" Sophie paused to gasp. "My head is killing me." 

Keefe reached out to touch Sophie's hand as it clutched her temple. As their hands touched, darkness exploded around them.