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

Chapter 10

Sophie giggled as they stepped into the elevator at the hotel, dragging in their luggage. "You did not say that to a police officer."

"I kinda did. I'm okay though!" Keefe pointed out.

"Debatable."

"Hey!"

"So, what do you think the odds are that Stina is working here tonight?" Sophie asked.

"I think the odds are zero, and yet somehow, she probably still is." He shook his head. "I've got to figure out how she's doing that."

"And I've got to figure out how you've never been arrested," Sophie said, replaying some of Keefe's childhood stories.

Keefe scratched the back of his neck. "Uh-huh. Listen."

"You've been arrested."

"Yeah."

It made sense, honestly. She wasn't strictly surprised, given the conversation they'd had, opening up over dinner. But she wasn't going to push for details. "We don't have to talk about it anymore."

"Thanks," Keefe said, gratitude evident in his voice. "I'm glad I told you stuff, though, Sophie. Really."

"Because I said you could kiss me if you opened up to me?" Sophie teased.

"Maybe," Keefe agreed. "But also because it's just... better. I like having you know the truth, Sophie. I like..." he cleared his throat. "I really like you."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Sophie cooed.

"Hey, I'm being genuine for once," Keefe defended.

"I know," Sophie said truthfully. And she was glad he was. There was something about his true self that drew her in far more than his troublemaking facade. Yes, she'd been consistently taken out by his good looks every time she so much as glanced at him, but she didn't go for guys just because of the way they looked. They needed to prove they were worthy of her attention on the inside.

And Keefe clearly was. "I really like you too, Keefe," Sophie confessed. "In like a... more than whatever we've got going on right now sort of way."

"Okay, so when we get to the hotel room, I'm definitely allowed to kiss you?"

"For sure."

They'd brought it up all night in short quips, teasing each other about the origins of their date, but now, Sophie was genuinely beginning to get impatient. She needed him to actually put his lips on hers as soon as it was possible.

The elevator doors opened, and Sophie and Keefe stepped out into the carpeted hallway, turning to the right and checking the number on their key. They'd chosen to book a single room for the night, one with two beds, and split the price. Keefe pressed their key against the card reader and the door unlocked.

As soon as they'd dragged their luggage into the room, Sophie spun around to face him. "Kiss me. Now."

"Bossy," Keefe murmured, but he didn't need to be told twice. His arms were around her in seconds, his mouth insistent against hers. Finally. She remembered this, and she missed it, even if it hadn't been long. Even if they still didn't know each other the best, they'd opened up a lot to each other, and it erased a lot of her conflictedness from before.

Besides, she was pretty sure he would forever be like oxygen to her now. She wouldn't be able to live without this ever again—so it was a good thing she didn't really care that he'd been in trouble with the police before while he was in the foster system. She didn't love that he'd been arrested before, but wow, his lips on hers was quite a feeling, and wow, the soft feeling of his tongue running across her lower lip was an amazing question to which the answer was a resounding yes, and wow, wow, now she was seeing stars, she couldn't think, her brain was made of mush, and she let him have all the control, let him take the lead, because she just wanted to exist and let herself feel.

Sophie was vaguely aware of the sensation that they were moving backwards, gasping when her back met the wall. Keefe used the leverage to press his body firmly against hers, his mouth migrating off of hers, his lips trailing down her chin and her neck...

She squeezed her eyes shut, humming in appreciation at his fantastic work for a first-time exploration, her senses both feeling dulled and brighter than ever. She didn't want him to stop, even if somewhere in the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware that eventually they were going to have to.

Once Keefe's mouth made its way back to hers, she leaned against him, shifting her body weight so she could flip them around so she had him pinned to the wall. He let her take control of the kiss almost immediately. Her hands, which had been gripping the back of Keefe's shirt, now slid down his arms, and then up the sides of his torso. His t-shirt was beginning to feel like it was in the way, but she ignored the thought for the time being, focusing on finding ways to kiss him even deeper than before.

The kisses themselves were rather lazy, despite the intensity with which they were holding each other, and though Sophie was enjoying the way it allowed her to relax and lean into the feeling, she was beginning to grow bored of their slow pace. She kissed him harder, and Keefe responded immediately to the increased intensity, pressing back against her until they were moving away from the wall. She was vaguely aware of the back of her knees hitting the hotel bed before she collapsed onto it, letting Keefe climb on top of her, and then suddenly became very aware of the fact that Keefe was on top of her on a hotel bed.

"Hang on," Sophie said suddenly, and Keefe pulled back immediately. He was careful about how much of his weight was pressing into her, which was something she appreciated, but his body on hers at all made it incredibly difficult to think. "How far are we going with this?" Gosh, her voice was shaky, wasn't it? Why was she breathing this hard right now? How long had they been doing this for?

"I don't know," Keefe replied, equally as out of breath. "Do you want to stop?"

"No. Not yet. But... eventually."

"Yeah. Me too. Smart," he agreed. Both of them stayed like that for a moment, catching their breath. "So like, do you want me to kiss you again, or—"

"Now."

"Understood."

And then his mouth was on hers again, and her hands were running down his back, and okay, yeah, now she was fed up with his shirt, and Keefe must have agreed, because when she began fiddling with its edges, he pulled it off and discarded it, which was exactly what she wanted.

The frenzy lasted them a while, though Sophie certainly wasn't able to keep track of time, but eventually, both of them began to grow tired, and their kisses slowed from a mutual understanding. Eventually, Keefe rolled off of her so they were laying side by side, though they continued to press feather-light kisses to each other's lips and cheeks until they'd fallen fast asleep.