after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 55-Sophie/Keefe

It took three minutes to get the houseboat running.

And despite what Bo said, when she wordlessly sat in the corner staring out the window instead of laying down in the guest room Cadence had dropped her elixirs, he left her alone.

At one point, Mr. Forkle handed her a hot broth that tasted like chicken noodle soup, noodles and all. She ate it without looking away from his back outside the window.

She hadn't meant to be snappish.

He'd saved her, after all.

Twice.

Actually, more times than that.

Too many times to count.

But when he'd voted against her teleporting, unneeded anger had welled up in her. She assumed it was an after effect of the Umbruna Extract. The flowers did enhance emotions, so it made sense that the extract did the same.

"You two give me headaches."

She looked up at Ro, who was also now staring at Keefe.

"We give you headaches," Sophie repeated. "I don't see why."

"Well, there's a lot of reasons." Ro shrugged. "One of them being unrequited love, angsty betrayals, and obviously stupid misunderstandings."

"That was three reasons," Sophie said, wondering why she was even trying.

Ro glared at her. "Not the point, and quit avoiding it. Go talk to him. You obviously need to clear up your misunderstandings, and my headache is coming back."

Ro stalked off, and Sophie turned back to look at him.

She sighed.

Ro was right about one thing at least.

They did need to clear up everything.

***

Sophie stepped forward, blinking at the rain hitting her face, and tucked the blanket tighter around her. She padded over to him, glancing at his face, which was just barely visible in the faint moonlight.

"I thought you might be cold," she said, holding out the blanket.

Keefe didn't move.

Sophie sighed. She unfolded the thick fabric, stood up on her tiptoes, and draped it around his shoulders carefully. She felt Keefe tense under her hands, but he didn't pull away.

He exhaled, looked up at the sky as she leaned on the rail next to him. "You shouldn't be out here."

"I know." Sophie said, leaning against the rail and crossing her arms on top of each other.

After a moment, she glanced at him. His eyes were closed, face tilted towards the heavens. For a moment, she stared at him, forgetting their feud. Just watched the rain soak his skin, and the wind brush through his damp hair.

Sophie swallowed hard as her eyes drifted down to his lips. She looked away. "Um, so... Ro said you had a different story from the Neverseen's. And that I should listen to your side before I pass judgement." She was paraphrasing of course. All the thinking she'd done, and the talk she'd had with Fitz, and then Ro, had brought her to the conclusion. She said it carefully, and was glad it was dark enough that he couldn't see her pink cheeks.

Keefe shook his head. "It doesn't even matter anymore."

Sophie waited. When he didn't speak again, she whispered, "I'm sorry for not believing you."

Keefe scoffed. "That's not it. It doesn't hurt that you didn't believe me. Not anymore. People don't believe me all the time. It hurt—" he turned to her, and her heart sank at the angry look on his face, "—that you didn't trust me. That at the barest suggestion, from people who we know are liars, you turned on me. That's what hurt."