Living in a Blur: a Sokeefe University/Road Trip AU

Chapter 5

Stina was working again the next morning, smirking as she checked them out of the hotel. "You two have a great trip," she said in a voice that told Sophie she was immediately going to call Marella and tell her an embellished version of everything.

"We should pick up breakfast somewhere," Keefe said as they got into his car. "Any thoughts?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You're asking for my opinion?"

"You're going to force me to follow anyway, aren't you?" he said, smirking, and if that smirk would stop making her stomach flip flop, Sophie would appreciate it very much. The way he was easily able to get her flustered was taking away from her whole girl-in-control vibe.

"Let's just get breakfast sandwiches somewhere."

Keefe pulled over at a nearby Dunkin Donuts, and both of them ordered breakfast sandwiches and coffees. But then they had to sit in the car eating and drinking and just... driving.

Just the two of them. Sitting there. Doing nothing.

Sophie felt like they had to talk or she would lose her mind. "So, what do you do in your free time?"

Keefe smirked again, and Sophie looked away to keep her heart from responding. "You don't need the answer to that."

"Definitely something very unexciting," Sophie decided, "since you're currently grinning suggestively and trying to make my imagination make you sound more interesting than you are."

Keefe chuckled. "Trust me, I am plenty interesting."

"Really?" Sophie challenged. "Because you said this road trip was for you to find excuses to cause trouble, and yet, we've been driving a pretty straight shot, barely stopping. You clearly just want to get to whatever is in New York City." She gave him a meaningful look, inviting him to tell her about whatever waited for him there, but he ignored her.

"Turns out, I have plenty of trouble to deal with," he said, looking over at her meaningfully, glancing her up and down before turning his eyes back to the road. Ugh! That made her blush too! Sophie needed to stop being weak for his every move. How could she get the upper hand again?

"Then I guess I'll put on some music again!" Sophie said brightly, relishing in the way his face dropped as she dug out her phone.

—

Thankfully, their hotel that night had two open rooms, and Sophie relished the space to herself as she unpacked her things. She pulled out her phone, faithfully texting Biana, uneventful day. Mostly a straight shot. Made him listen to my music. Hotel has two rooms.

Biana must have been waiting for her message, because she immediately replied, Is there a pool?

We're not going swimming, Sophie replied, hoping her vehemence would translate over text.

THERE IS! Sophie, you even prepared for this!

No, I didn't! I prepared for the occasion where he tells me I have to go swimming! Sophie reminded her.

There was a knock at Sophie's door, and she slumped in annoyance. That couldn't be anyone but her annoying hot blonde chauffeur. She made her way to the door, opening it, and he immediately leaned against the doorframe like they were in a stupid romance novel. If he wasn't so attractive doing it, it would have been easier to mock. "What do you want?"

"The pool here rocks. We have to go swimming."

Sophie absolutely had jinxed herself.

"We don't have to. We need to sleep so we can drive," Sophie reminded him.

Keefe checked his watch. "It's only 6:30."

"Then why are we already checked in?"

"We need to sleep so we can drive," Keefe pointed out.

There were so many glaring flaws in his logic, but unfortunately, Sophie could already tell that Biana's predictions about his insistence had been very warranted. She'd been in a car with him long enough to know that talking in circles would be pointless, so she sighed. "Fine. We can swim."

He genuinely lit up. "Meet you at the pool, Foster," he said with a wink, letting her door close in front of him.

When Sophie picked up her phone to see Biana's reaction to her last text, she groaned. Biana had typed, Has he talked you into the sexy swimsuit yet? The worst part was, Sophie had to say yes. Unfortunately, he had, and the realization was slowly dawning on Sophie that she was going to have to actually wear that swimsuit in front of Keefe.

Not that it mattered that it was in front of Keefe.

It was just the fact that it showed more skin than Sophie was used to and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Keefe Sencen would see her in it.

—

Sophie ran into Keefe in the hallway. As they waited for the elevator together, Sophie decided that if he was going to force her to do something (go swimming with him), she was going to force him to do something (actually tell her what his deal was).

"So, what's in New York City?"

"I already told you, we don't know each other well enough for that," Keefe evaded as they stepped into the elevator.

"You know, no one seems to actually know anything about you," Sophie remarked. "All I've heard from you or anyone else is that your parents are the Sencens—which, duh—and that you like getting into trouble."

Keefe smirked. "That I do."

"But that's not a personality, which tells me you're hiding your true personality on purpose," Sophie concluded, scrutinizing him. "Wanna tell me something about the real Keefe Sencen?"

"No thanks. You know everything to know—I'm hot and always up to something." He winked, and dear God up in heaven he needed to stop winking. Sophie could not get used to that.

"Hot is debatable," Sophie said dryly, though she had to look away from him while saying it so her brain couldn't immediately remind her how untrue that statement was. "Up to something is true. But come on, don't you have any hobbies? Sports you like? Do you play an instrument or draw or something?" He reacted to the last one, just slightly, and Sophie latched onto the expression immediately. "You like to draw?"

"I doodle a little bit in the margins of my notebooks," he drawled, "to avoid doing classwork. That's all. Why?"

"No, you draw," Sophie insisted. "I saw you light up. You don't have to pretend you don't like it, or make it all about how you're just avoiding being responsible."

"I'm not pretending, Foster."

Sophie ignored him. "You should show me some of your art sometime. I mean, we're going to be on this road trip for a while, so you might as well."

"I'm not an artist."

"Don't lie to me."

Keefe sighed. "Drawing a little to avoid other things doesn't make me an artist, Sophie, it makes me irresponsible."

Sophie really wondered what he had against being good at something. So what if he showed discipline in art? What was wrong with that? Sophie knew next to nothing about the Sencens, but she knew they didn't strike her as the kind of family that would encourage doing whatever you want, whenever you want. But maybe that was the point.

Was being good enough so hard that Keefe decided to be the opposite?

Or was Sophie making far too many leaps based on very limited information? She still hadn't forgotten the way Biana had told her Keefe was adopted, even though his parents had shown up on the DNA test. Maybe she was making conjectures with that in mind.

"Show me this pool that 'rocks,'" Sophie said teasingly as they stepped out of the elevator. She decided to stop pushing him for now, but she would be making him show her some of his art later.