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

Chapter 9

"I should have suggested some super expensive place," Sophie commented as they walked into the Olive Garden. "You know, make the most of..." she trailed off, realizing she probably shouldn't joke about his parents' money now that he'd told her everything he had.

Keefe quirked an eyebrow ironically. "To squeeze money out of the rich guy who offered to take you out? Yeah, I'm afraid Olive Garden seems plenty expensive to me. Adopted kids don't get to use the Sencen fortune."

Except that he was their kid. Did they know he knew that? Would it change things now that he did?

"Sorry for bringing it up," Sophie mumbled.

"Nah, you're fine. At least you know now. That time you were blackmailing me was... something."

Sophie's heart almost stopped when she remembered the stuff she'd said that day. "Oh my gosh, Keefe, I had no idea—"

"Like I said, it's cool. Really. I think it makes it better knowing that you understand, which..." he shrugged uncomfortably. "That's just... not what I expected. Anyway. We'll need to think of some better date night conversation topics before this gets too depressing."

"How many?"

"Two," Keefe answered as he and Sophie were led to a table by the windows. "Any conversation starters?"

"What's the color of your toothbrush?" Sophie asked, smirking when he faltered in response.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Best conversation starter I was ever taught. Now we're probably going to start chatting about conversation starters. But first you have to tell me the color of your toothbrush."

He laughed genuinely, and it was nice to laugh without covering something up or trying to seem cool. She was just funny. "Okay. It's green. Now you have to tell me yours."

Their waiter chuckled at their conversation as he placed menus in front of them. Once he'd turned and walked away, Keefe turned back to Sophie expectantly.

"Blue."

"Good color," Keefe said approvingly. "How often do you use that?"

"Frequently."

"So you just know a bunch of people's toothbrush colors?"

"Yep," Sophie confirmed. "I do, in fact."

"What's Biana's?"

"Pink."

"Fitz's?"

"Yellow."

Keefe raised an eyebrow. "Really? Yellow? Fitz?"

"What's wrong with yellow and Fitz?"

"Nothing, I guess, but like, I do not associate him with yellow. Have you ever seen him wear anything yellow?" Keefe pointed out. "Or bring a yellow notebook to class? He even uses mechanical pencils, so his pencils aren't even yellow. He's my best friend and I've been to his house a million times, and I can say with the authority of my photographic memory that there is nothing yellow in his room."

"That would be because he doesn't keep his toothbrush in his room," Sophie remarked. "And can you really call yourself his best friend if I know he owns yellow stuff and you don't?"

"Oh, you do not want to challenge me for the position of Fitz's Best Friend," Keefe warned.

Sophie raised her hands in surrender. "Probably not."

"So... do you know Dex's toothbrush color?"

"It's black, but it lights up red, blue and green. He added lights to it."

"Nerd."

"Without nerds, we wouldn't have cell phones," Sophie pointed out.

"Of course. I love nerds," Keefe said. "Especially Dizznee. But they are nerds nonetheless."

Sophie rolled her eyes, opening the menu in front of her. "So, do you have a go-to Olive Garden order? Because I'm a shrimp alfredo kind of girl."

He actually didn't go to Olive Garden very often. It was recently one of those places he was a little worried about being able to afford, but that was the sort of thing it always felt weird to say as a Sencen, even with Sophie knowing what she knew, and also, it was the Olive Garden. So... "I like to try different things." Safe answer. True answer! "I like pasta." Also true.

"Are you a soup person or a salad person?"

"What are you?"

"Definitely salad."

"Me too."

Sophie gave him a look. "You've never been here before, have you?"

"No, I have!" Keefe insisted truthfully. He had. This was not his first time stepping foot in an Olive Garden. These stupid restaurants were all over the place, and he had a life and friends and family and such. He just wasn't a frequent customer.

"You are clearly not as much of an enjoyer of fake Italian food fresh from not Italy as I am," Sophie accused.

Her wording made him snicker. "I must concede, fake Italian food is not my first choice."

"Okay, then what is?"

"Pizza."

"That is fake Italian food."

"Hey! There's pizza in Italy!" Keefe pretended to argue, just to see the cute are-you-kidding-me face that Sophie gave him.

"Well, if you'd like a real Italian pizza, we could just go ahead and hop on one of your dad's private jets and achieve peak authenticity."

Keefe chuckled at the mental image of him and Sophie stealing a plane from his father. "Can you fly a plane?"

"I can learn," Sophie said with a shrug. "And what's the worst that happens if I crash it? Your father has one less private jet?"

"Yeah," Keefe agreed, "and the world has one less Keefe and Sophie."

Sophie pursed her lips. "I wouldn't be bad enough to kill us," she said, insulted.

"Eh."

"Hi, I'm Stina, and I'll be taking care of you this evening," said the waitress who had stopped by their table, holding a notepad in her hand. Curly brown hair... violet eyes... Stina?! Somehow, she managed a completely straight face, even as Keefe and Sophie looked at her questioningly.

"Okay, I'm beginning to wonder how you're doing this," Keefe admitted.

"Girl, what are you even..." Sophie shook her head, squinting at Stina. "Are a bunch of people just dressing up and pretending to be Stina?"

"Hm, that's a good hypothesis," Keefe agreed. "Maybe this girl is about as much Stina as the food here is Italian."

Stina gasped. "Are you accusing me of not being the authentic Stina?"

"How else are you getting all these jobs hundreds of miles apart?" Sophie pointed out.

Stina shrugged. "Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. School is money and I want that degree."

That was the same thing she'd said last time, and it made about as much now as it had then. "Well! Can I get you two started with some drinks?"