Chapter Seven
Sophie sat beneath Calla's Panakes, waiting for him to arrive. He had promised he would be here ten minutes ago, but he was late.
"Hey, Foster!" Two hands slipped around Sophie's waist, and she screamed. Keefe laughed and stepped back, raising his hands in surrender.
"Keefe!" Sophie yelled, her face bright red and her fists clenched. "Don't do that!"
"Whoops, sorry, my hands slipped," Keefe smirked. "Anyway, you had something 'very important' that you wanted to tell me?" Sophie nodded, still glaring at him.
"And you should take it seriously, since it involves your best friend," she replied, glaring at him. "Because, um… Fitz kissed Dex," she blurted.
Keefe remained quiet, but he sank to the ground, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her down with him. He didn't let go. Sophie exhaled and rested her head on Keefe's shoulder. He froze for a second, then relaxed, letting her lean into him as they watched a petal drift to the ground.
"Everything's changing, isn't it?" Keefe sighed, resting his cheek against the top of Sophie's head. She nodded slightly, not wanting to dislodge him. "The Neverseen are gone, and the Council, well… they've gotten better. Kinda. But this… I dunno, it feels…"
"Dangerous? Worrisome? Troubling?" Sophie supplied.
"Any of those work." Keefe was rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of her hand, making tingles run up and down her spine. He lifted his head, and Sophie tried not to feel too disappointed as he turned to face her. "There is one other change I've been wanting to make for a while, you know." Keefe's voice cracked a little with nervousness. Sophie's heart was racing a mile a minute.
"What?" She asked, breathless. Keefe didn't bother answering. He simply slipped his hands around her waist for the second time that day and kissed her on the mouth. Sophie was shocked for half a heartbeat, then responded with surprising enthusiasm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melded their lips together. When they came up for air, Keefe stared at her in amazement.
"Woah, Foster. I think you need to add 'Great Kisser' to your list of abilities." Keefe grinned, playing with her hair and making her feel dizzy. Sophie swatted him on the arm, but he just laughed and pulled her against his chest, kissing her again.
This was one change that Sophie was definitely okay with.
More than okay, in fact. Far more than okay.
Closer to ecstatic.