Seventeen | Soulmate AU | ✔

49 | Keefe

PLEASE READ.

Maybe I should've called this chapter donut. Oh well.

This is so bittersweet. Last chapter, guys. There is not a planned epilogue. There will not be a sequel to Seventeen. If anyone's curious as to why I'm not doing a sequel, let me know, because I'd be happy to write up an entry in Sunflower Crown explaining why for you guys. Or in this coming Q&A.

I'm planning on doing a Q&A in the very last author's note, as well as asking if you guys want any bonus chapters of scenes. If I do decided to do bonus chapters, I'm still going to be deciding whether I put them in this story or YCBA. We'll see. Any questions (give me everything you got!) you want me to answer please comment here or message me. Just make sure I get them soon, because that author's note is going up on Sunday. I'll post the author's note as late as I can so I get everyone's questions. Please stay tuned for the author's note on its way. Do not remove this story from your library. Thanks, loves. I hope this won't disappoint:)

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. ENJOY. & REMEMBER THAT I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH, ALWAYS ❤

I give Sophie a confused look. "Foster, did you drop a spoon in the batter and bake it?" I lay my fork on the side of the plate and (rather self-conciously) dig it out with my fingers, my forehead furrowing when I pull out a donut.

Wait, no. Holy crap, that's a ring. Holy crap.

I think my jaw drops at the realization – I'm not sure, I'm too busy staring at my girl and what's supposedly my ring, going back and forth between the two to try determining if there's any sort of correlation.

I carefully turn and set my plate down at the table, then turn back to her, holding the frosting-covered ring in front of her face. "Sophie Foster, is this what I think it is?"

She hesitates, then nods. So this is why she's been acting so cute and nervous.

I shove the ring in the side pocket of my jeans. Who needs jeans, anyways? All I know is that I love this girl so much and god am I going to kiss the hell out of her for this.

And I do, pulling her close and kissing her, completely uncaring of who in the party might be watching this. When I'm done, I kiss the top of her head, burying my face briefly in her blonde strands. Lavender. "Foster..."

It's like her name snaps her out of whatever hazy space her mind was in. "Wait, I have to make my speech!" she says, pulling out of my arms and standing on her own, looking at me eagerly. It's endearing. I can see her forehead wrinkling.

I reach forward and smooth out her furrowed forehead. I can tell that her nerves are back. "Hey, stop overthinking things," I say. "Also, you aren't going to make that speech."

Sophie makes a noise that faintly resembles a "huh?"

I pull out the ring box from my back pocket, thanking whatever controls the universe that I thought to bring it with me. I open it in front of her, watching her expression as she takes in the rather large diamond that's glittering in front of her.

I know she's not a large rock kind of girl necessarily, but I figure that she needs something to show off and flaunt before she gets married. Otherwise, what's the fun in that?

She got me a more minimalistic ring, and I'm glad. Even without taking off all of the frosting, I could tell that she had some phrase engraved into the metal, making sure that it had some small jewels embedded in it. I know that she also can't afford something more expensive, and I have to respect all of the work that she put into saving up for it immediately.

With my having so many expensive things just laying around that I didn't use, I just ended up selling a bunch of stuff that I'd accumulated over the years. Nothing much. Her ring probably means more to me than mine to her, but in the end, whatever makes her happy.

"I was going to propose to you first, Foster," I say, frowning. "Nice going."

"Oh, Keefe," she says, shaking her head. It takes me a moment to fully register her action when she takes the ring right out of the box I'm holding and slips it onto her ring finger, holding it up and angling so that both of us can admire it. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

No matter how much time I spend with this girl, I never come away without being at least mildly surprised by her. Her bold action does nothing less than amaze me, and I think I smile. "Is that a yes?"

She almost says yes – then stops herself. Instead, she reaches into my side pocket, where I tucked the engagement ring she got for me and takes it out.

Sophie looks nervous for a split second. She sinks onto a knee in front of me, holding out the frosting-covered ring. Her lips spill words that I could never have prepared to hear. They are the only gift I'll ever need from her.

"Keefe Sencen, this isn't as expensive of a ring, nor is it the final ring I'll buy you in the future. From the moment we met, there was something different about you. I'm so glad I met you, regardless of whether or not I knew you as a soulmate. Without the bond, I'm more than confident that I'd love you just as much. Getting to know the guy behind the walls of jokes was more special than anything. I think that's what our relationship is, special. And I'd like to preserve it forever. I love you, Keefe. I'd like to be able to not only call you my soulmate, but something more. Keefe Sencen, would you do me the honor of being my husband?"

I'm left a little bit speechless, to say the least. I could always listen to her talk about whatever she wanted forever and ever, but I think this is probably one of the best things I've heard come out of her mouth yet.

This moment is so surreal. All of it.

"I love you, Sophie," I tell her, dropping all nicknames and stepping closer, reaching out a hand to help her up from where she's kneeling. "And I swear I'll be yours – I'll always be yours regardless, but if you keep that ring on your finger, I'll marry you. I'll marry you if you do me the honor of being my wife."

I cringe when the last part of what I've said doesn't come out the way I wanted it to, but she smiles, brushing over it. She holds out her hand to shake on it, "Deal, Sencen."

I take her hand, but I don't shake it. I pull her back to me instead, deciding that the best way to seal the deal with her is to kiss her again.

What can I say? I really love her and her lips are arguably the best part of her body.

I want this forever. I'd like to have her mark on my body, and mine on hers. I know in this moment.

I give her a breath's notice, reaching out and entangling our pinkies together. I can tell she knows what it means and what I'm about to do when her cheeks flush a bit more. Sophie's eyes meet mine, and I can't tell who initiates the kiss this time. All I know is that this is deeper, gentler, and life changing.

Life-changing because of the surge of emotions I feel the moment our lips touch, sealing the most important deal I'll ever make. For the first time in my life, I felt whole. It felt like someone had clicked in the missing puzzle piece of my soul – just like how it was described to be in books.

It felt like the longest moment of my life, and I savored it, knowing that without her I could never be happier than this.

I pulled away first, needing some breath as my heartbeat loudly in my chest. I let go of her pinky, watching my own as the initials S.F. traced themselves on the side of my finger. I then watched as hers did the same, K.S. bleeding onto her finger in lightly done, precise black ink.

This was the next step of our bond, one that marked me as hers and hers as mine, forever. I quite liked the idea. I was in awe at just thinking of spending the rest of my life with Sophie Foster, never mind actually doing it.

"I'm all yours," I whispered to her, wanting to confirm that this was real, that this was happening.

"And I'm yours," she replied, her eyes light and her smile gorgeous as usual. "Forever."

Forever.

I love you, Foster.