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

Chapter 8

"You two checking out?"

"Yeah, we—wait." Keefe and Sophie shared a look. It was the first time they'd met each other's eyes since... you know, and there wasn't any awkwardness regarding the conversation they still hadn't had yet, because... "Stina?!"

"Yeah. Me. Hi." Stina gave them both a look, like, duh, it's me, are you slow? Except...

"We're more than four hundred miles past the hotel you work at," Sophie pointed out. "Unless we took a wrong turn?" She looked uncertainly over at Keefe.

Keefe pulled out his phone frantically. "Nope, we're in the right place," he confirmed.

"College is expensive," Stina pointed out, like it explained everything. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to get the money. Now are you two checking out?"

"Uh, yeah." Keefe dug out his wallet, and Sophie did the same, once again noticing how inexpensive everything was. Was he doing that for her sake? Stopping at inexpensive places because he knew she couldn't afford the types of places he was probably used to?

That was... kinda sweet.

"So... any more tea I should know about?" Stina asked slyly, her smirk almost seeming eager. "Should I assume you stayed in your separate rooms?"

"Yes!" Sophie yelped. "Why are you—don't ask for the tea!"

"Gotta entertain myself somehow." She rolled her eyes, waving them off as they slid her their keys. "You guys are good to go."

"Do you get from job to job in a private jet or something?" Sophie asked, still trying to figure out how Stina worked at both this hotel and the other one.

Stina raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "If I could afford a private jet, would I be using it to commute to multiple hotel jobs?"

"I don't know, but how are you—"

"Come on, Sophie," Keefe interrupted, "we've got to hit the road."

Sophie looked back over her shoulder at Stina as the two of them left, still trying to puzzle her out. "Maybe I'll tell you how I do it if you give me the details," Stina suggested, gesturing between the two of them with a smirk. Keefe pulled her through the doorway before she had a chance to tell Stina that would not be happening.

"Obviously she has magic powers or something," Keefe said, but he was wearing his unserious face, which was good. Unserious face meant it would be easier to bring up the thing they seriously needed to talk about.

It also meant he didn't actually think Stina had magic powers, which was good. If Sophie was considering maybe starting a relationship with him, knowing he wasn't insane was a good place to begin.

Neither of them said anything else as they packed their luggage into the back of his car. That probably meant their next conversation was going to be That Conversation, and she was still trying to think about what to say.

—

Keefe wasn't expecting Sophie to bring it up when they first got in the car. In fact, he'd been expecting hours of silence for him to think about how this was one of those reasons he should not have kissed her. Though... technically she kissed him right?

Did it even matter? He was still the one who'd brought it up.

It was great, though. She was a seriously amazing kisser, and he would not be opposed to doing that again. But they needed to talk about what everything meant, and he was expecting Sophie to avoid the topic like the plague—which was why it surprised him when, as soon as he'd gotten them onto the interstate, she piped up, "Are we going to talk about last night?"