After Effects

Chapter 40

"Sophie! Someone's here to see you!" Mom's voice rang.

I stomped down the steps to see Keefe standing at the door. He had dark circles underneath his eyes, and his eyes lost their playful glow.

"Keefe," I breathed out nervously.

"Hey, I've got something to show you," he said, his head nodding towards something outside. 

"I'm going out with Keefe!" I shouted back inside, shutting the door behind me.

We were walking out towards Calla's tree, Keefe's hands in his pockets. I kept taking quick glances at him, and I felt his gaze on me when I wasn't looking at him.

"Sophie," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

He looked like he was going to say something, but at the last minute he changed it to, "I missed you."

Immediately I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I missed just being around you without having to worry or stress about some figure coming to kill us or something," he shrugged.

"I have a feeling you came here to tell me something other than you missing me," I said with a nervous chuckle.

He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "About that--"

"Keefe, if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to," I interrupted.

"No, it's not that. Sophie, I need you to know Forkle was right. If I tell you the things I know, it could change the world," he spoke, grabbing my hands.

"Don't you think the world needs to change?" I whispered nervously.

"But what if it leads to the wrong one," he asked quietly.

"But what if it leads to the right one," I smiled.

"It's a fifty fifty chance," Keefe said with a small smile.

"Fifty percent for a good future is better than five," I reasoned.

"Yeah, but we don't know for sure what will happen," he said. "which is why I need you to know I can't tell you."

My happiness deflated.

"Sophie-"

"No, you're right. I'm just tired of not knowing things," I sighed, sitting down under the base of Calla's tree.

"Hey, I'd rather not know the stuff I know. It's killing me not being able to tell you," Keefe added before sitting down next to me.

I leaned back against his chest, holding his hand.

Keefe placed a soft kiss on my head, "It's all going to be okay."

"I know, I just wish things weren't always so complicated," I said. 

"Hey, I like complicated, remember?" He teased tickling my side.

"Keefe, stop!" I laughed.

After a few more seconds of him tickling me, he stopped, and kissed me.

~~~

"One question," I begged.

"Sophie! No means no," Keefe laughed.

"Please? It's killing me!" I sighed dramatically.

"Oh you poor helpless thing," he said sarcastically.