Thank you so much for reviews and all! I ended up leaving this one a bit just so i could keep working on the next chapter. I will reply to your reviews soon because i really appreciate them all.
Ta :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck.
Saturday, 10:00am.
"Are you and Carina in some sort of fight?"
Am I and Carina in some sort of fight?
Yes. Kind of.
"No? Why would you think that?"
Chuck lent his back against Sarah's dorm room door. He was just about to leave but there was clearly something bothering Sarah. She'd been quiet all morning and he hadn't seen Carina since breakfast. He wasn't sure if that had anything to do with Sarahs distant mood but Carina was strangely quiet throughout breakfast as well.
"I don't know, I was just wondering." Chuck shrugged. "So you're ok then?"
Sarah kept her head down as she tied her shoe laces. "Yes," she stood back up and plaited her pony tail. Anything to keep her busy and to avoid looking into those warm brown eyes of his. "Everything is all good." She managed to sound a little chirpy. "So what does Morgan want to drag you into town for?" Changing the subject was so easy. A cheap way out, but so easy.
Chuck checked his watch, he was meeting Morgan in the common room in another ten minutes. "I think he's pretty keen to get Carina some nice flowers or something. And he wants to get a new shirt to wear for tonight." His eyebrows wriggled in his normal, 'oolala' fashion.
Her stomach twisted a little. "Oh."
"You think that's too much?" Sarah was always good with this sort of thing, giving advice to him. Which he would then later give to Morgan, it worked so well.
"Um well.."
"It's the flowers isn't it?"
No. I couldn't think of a more lovely gift to receive from someone.
"Carina has just been having terrible allergies lately that's all." Sarah winced as she spoke. She had never seen Carina with a cold, or hay fever since she'd known her. "Seriously been sneezing constantly and there would be nothing worse than her sneezing throughout the movie am I right?" She let out a laugh that didn't sound like a laugh at all.
"Oh god no," Chucks eyes widened. "I'll let him know. Thank you."
Chuck started opening the front door. It was quiet with just the two of them there. She could confide in him and ask him for help on what to do. He could help her. He would help her.
I should just tell him.
"Chuck i-" Sarah ran her fingers through her hair.
He looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"I-I think that you should get a new shirt too." Wuss.
"Really?" Chuck looked down at his shirt. "You think?"
Did that sound rude? That was rude.
"No I mean-" I need to dig a hole and jump into it. "I mean for tonight." What am I doing? What is happening tonight?
"Tonight?" Chuck looked just as confused as Sarah. "What's happening tonight?"
I don't know! It just came out of my mouth!
"I thought that you and I could go for a long walk.. through town and-" Sarah tilted her head. "Talk?"
"Is there something that we need to talk about?"
Yes.
"No. I just- D you not want to? We won't go then." Sarah grabbed her drink bottle off her bed. "I'm just going to stay in tonight I actually have heaps of study, I just remembered."
"Wait-no."Chuck stopped her by the shoulders. She was talking so fast. "I want to. It's a great idea I'd love to talk to you and spend the night with you. Sorry I just thought that you might have had something serious you wanted to talk about that's all." Chucks smile didn't relax her as it usually did. "I'll see you at dinner and we'll make our way from there?"
She nodded. "I'll see you later," She didn't want to shove him out the door but she needed to breathe and she couldn't do it with him standing there, smiling at her.
"Right." Chuck kissed her quickly on the cheek. "See you then."
She sat up against the head-board of her bed, legs slightly bent with her thin laptop nestled on her lap. She scrolled her homepage, barely taking notice of anything. She skipped lamely through photos of Georgia travelling through Europe and liking almost everyone.
Jealously surged through her. She wanted to go on holiday around Europe, anywhere.
Already thinking of a long, tropical holiday while only being a few weeks in at university, probably wasn't a good sign.
She clicked on Bryce's profile when an image of him loaded on her news feed. She checked out his photos at Stanford and wasn't surprised when most of his shots were shirtless ones of him and some boys she hadn't seen before. He always did make friends quickly. She couldn't help but notice the absence of Heather in his photos and a petite looking brunette girl occurring in more recent ones.
She checked on his 'about' and shrugged when his relationship was still updated with being in a relationship with Heather.
God I must be bored.
She blamed her Facebook stalking on boredom and her being friendless for the day. Chuck was still with Morgan and Carina was out with Bryn doing who knows what. She had left when Sarah was showering early and text her at about eleven saying she was with Bryn and that she would not be back till late. Sarah could have probably hung out with Georgia and Jenny or Zondra but she couldn't make the effort to text them.
So instead she stayed moping around in her room.
"Ugh." She clicked open a new tab to look at some online clothing stores. She wasn't going to actually buy anything. But it didn't hurt to look and she needed something to distract her from her current state of mind.
Which her run did help her with earlier.
And it felt so good to get outside and stretch her legs and run a track she had never been through. She ran past little ducklings in the park and as movie-like as it seemed she could not have had a better morning despite everything going on. Ducklings were adorable and she was going to have to show Chuck them.
She had no idea why the ducklings brought a sudden fuzzy feeling in her tummy but they were so young and fluffy and the way they followed their mom as she lead them into the river was brilliant. Sarah slowed her run and sat on a nearby wooden seat, watching their every delicate movement.
It calmed her.
Watching something so simple and sweet allowed her mind to run away from thoughts that didn't really involve her but she felt a part of it anyway.
Stuck in the middle.
And it felt as if the one lie had linked on to another lie then to another and now it just felt as if everything she told anyone was a lie.
Carina is studying late.
Carina is feeling sick.
Yeah Zondras place was really nice we had heaps of fun.
No I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I'm all good.
Yeah Morgan and Carina would be a good couple.
I'm fine.
She was still puffing a bit and her cheeks were flushed red. She focussed on the gentle ripples in the river and the ducklings bobbing around in the more still, glassy areas of the river. For now, thoughts of Carina's love life had disappeared. She should have probably done a few stretches before slouching down on the seat but instead she pulled her ear buds out and untied the laces of her trainers. Pulling off her shoes and socks she leant back and enjoyed the view and the little family of ducks. She stayed silently still for over forty minutes. Feeling so relaxed she was even lucky enough to catch the father duck returning to his family and lead them back up the bank to waddle around the park once again.
She wished she had some bread to feed them. That was one of her favourite things to do as a child with her parents. Grab the slightly stale bread from the pantry and walk down to the nearest river.
It took her two months of encouragement from her parents to actually let the duck come up and take the small piece of bread she had broken off from her hand. God it had frightened her. She was so sure they were going to clamp their beaks around her fingers and try to eat them instead.
But one day, a moment of courage struck her and she held the stale bread out in slightly shaky fingers. It might have been because the duck was a little smaller, or the fact that her parents watched her silently as she edged a little closer. Not egging her on at all but giving her time to decide if she wanted to risk her fingers being eaten off or not.
She learned that day that ducks were a lot more afraid of her than she was of them.
So she had a run, bought lunch at the bakery (A salad roll and a bottle of orange juice) not that she could really afford it. Then she sat back in her room for the rest of her day. She did do a little cleaning and took her clothes down to the laundry but then she just lay on her bed reading, texting Chuck and turning her eyes into squares on her laptop.
And then she came up with different scenarios in her head. A bad thing to do. The first one was to just tell Morgan that Carina had seen someone. Been seeing someone else. It started off great. Sarah would walk over to his room and she'd knock a few times and he'd invite her in wondering if she was looking for Chuck. Then she'd say she came to see him. That's when things took a turn for the worse because the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She would get a little tongue-tied which doesn't happen often but in this scenario she was a wreck. She'd just make up another stupid story, probably about ducks or movies. Leading on to his and Carinas date which would-
I can't do it. I can't tell him.
And if she did have the courage to tell him?
Carina would hate her. She'd be fuming.
It wasn't until five thirty, half an hour before dinner would be served when there was a knock at her door. She knew it wouldn't be Carina, for obvious reasons. She just hoped that Carina remembered that it was her night out with Morgan tonight. Because if she forgot, and Morgan got stood up Sarah was pretty sure she'd storm over to Bryns and scream so loud at Carina that her mom back in Burbank would probably be able to hear her.
But for now, Sarah decided to just keep her lips sealed. It was not her problem. It was what she had thought about for the majority of the last couple of hours. It wasn't her problem. She did wonder if it was selfish of her but she got the feeling that if Carina was stupid enough to not tell Morgan then it was her fault. It was Carinas fault.
But I went along with it.
Stop it. Not anymore I'm not going along with it anymore.
Carina was her best friend but she was on her own with this one.
"Hey baby," Chuck let himself in and shut the door quietly. He had thought about her a lot today, something was wrong. Something was upsetting her so he was going to suggest that maybe she should call her mom. Maybe she was missing her? Maybe she was feeling homesick again? He didn't know but Sarah and her mom were close and he was sure it'd make her feel a bit better.
She looked up from her laptop and smiled. "Hi."
"How are you?"
"Good," Sarah answered as he shut her door and tossed his backpack on the ground. She wiggled over so he could take a seat.
She was going to sit down with her boyfriend and go for a walk with him tonight and tell him how much she loved him.
"That's good," he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and she crinkled her nose as she smiled. Sometimes they were her favorite kind of kisses. "Pizza for dinner."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I bumped into one of the cooks and she had flour all over her. Said they were struggling with rolling all the dough out."
"Oh god. That would be such a mission."
"Yeah. Whatcha looking at?"
"Nothing much," Sarah replied scrolling through her wish list of clothing items.
"What's Bryce up to?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow and turned to him. "I don't know. Why?"
Chuck extended a finger and pointed at the laptop screen.
"Oh," She didn't realise she had a line of tabs still up. "Boredom." She quickly exited the tab.
"Hows he liking uni?"
"I don't know." Sarah closed her laptop. "I wasn't paying much attention."
"Oh yeah."
"Chuck-"
"Sarah you don't have to-" He dug into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. "Explain."
Sarah's eyes scanned down to his phone. She didn't mean to be nosy but when a name comes up all vibrant on the screen then it was hard to miss.
Jackie. Who the-who is Jackie?
"You and Bryce were friends and kind of? Still are. So it's fine OK? I don't want to stop you from being friends with anyone."
He hadn't looked up from his phone as he started tapping away at it. Sarah swallowed and nodded her head slowly, lifting her eyes from his phone. "Who's Jackie?"
"Who?" Chuck finally looks up. "Oh!"
Who? Oh?
"Oh?"
"She's a friend. She's in a few of my classes but is also taking a few extra papers. But the best thing is that her parents own like a massive book store. I didn't get time to ask what one but anyway-"
Sarah blinked her eyes.
"You know how we have to get all these text books and things? Have you seen the prices? Anyway, she said her parents could get a good discount on most of them and-" Chuck paused to text back. "She just text saying her parents could order them in."
His phone vibrated again.
"What she say?" She didn't mean for it but her tone was snappy.
"No problem, see you tomorrow." Chuck read and tossed his phone on the end of her bed.
It vibrated again.
"Should we go down to dinner now? Oh and I'll try on the new shirt I got-or-maybe I should have a shower first?" He wriggled his shoulders in his jacket. "I'll have a shower."
Sarah ignored him. "You got another message."
"Sarah, don't be angry."
"I'm not angry."
"I can tell when something is wrong." Chuck gave her a half-smile. "You bite the inside of your cheek."
"Nothings wrong," Sarah tried not to glare at him for knowing her so well. "I was just saying you had a message."
"Well you don't sound happy."
"Well what do you want me to say?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing. I just don't want you to be mad for no reason."
"I am not mad," Sarah replied very clearly. There was nothing worse than being told you're angry. That is what made her mad.
"Fine." Chuck grabbed his phone and opened the message. A single smiley face from Jackie. Probably not the best text message he could receive but it wasn't his fault. He turned the phone quickly for Sarah to see. "She's just being friendly. She knows no one here not like us, we have each other and Carina, Morgan."
"Right." Sarah stared at his phone then back up to his face.
"So I can't text other people?" Chuck asked. "Because I didn't get all annoyed when you were looking on Bryce's facebook and this is the first time i have text her."
She was being such a hypocrite now. She went out to dinner with two other guys and she was angry with him? For sending a couple of text to a girl about books? It was so innocent yet she felt so bothered by it.
"You can text whoever you like. I don't care." Sarah moved to stand up from her bed. It was hard to stay close to him when all she wanted to do was hug him.
"Tell me." Chucks voice was steady.
Sarah turned to look at him. "What?"
"Tell me what's wrong." Chuck sat on the edge of her bed looking up at her. His hands clasped together on his lap and he looked all serious. "Something's bothering you and i want to know what. Is it me? Have i done something?"
"Nothings wrong!" She responded, her palms wide open almost as if she was shrugging."Seriously? You're the one texting another girl."
"About books Sarah!" Chuck replied desperately. Did she not understand. Could she not hear him?. "Books!" He stood up and she could tell he was angry. She'd never really seen him angry. His eyebrows had narrowed. His eyes didn't seem so warm anymore. He seemed so frustrated and tall. Really tall.
"And can you even say this right now? Have you never talked to another guy before? Bryce? Or Jackson do I remember? Who you just so happened to flirt with while he had his hands all over you? I just- I don't understand how you can get worked up so much over this when-" He quickly stopped himself. "Where are you going?"
She backed away from him. "No where."
"Look," his eyes had turned all brown and warm again and she knew he could never stay angry for long. "Look I didn't mean to bring up Jackson."
"No you're right," Sarah replied. "I know I'm the one always making mistakes." She forced herself to keep looking at him even though her eyes were blurry and she found it hard to see. "But thanks for bringing up Jackson. Just another stuff up that we can all remember and refer back to from time to time yeah?"
"I'm not saying that."
"Well why would you bring him then?!"
"Chuck, chill." Morgan jumped the last step of the staircase. "You always get caught up in things. She would have just needed some time."
"She was angry," Chuck replied. "I mean seriously angry."
"Well you did bring up the whole Jackson thing.."
"It just came out," Chuck grimaced. "Never bring up the past right? I broke that rule so bad."
"Yeah man." Morgan nodded. "She'll be OK though."
"I only got Jackies number so i could hear from her about the books."
"Yes, i know." Morgan laughed. Chuck was such a worry wart. "As you keep telling me." He was a step ahead of Chuck as they made their way to the dining room. "She was probably just hungry. I'm sure once she has some pizza in her she would have forgotten all about it."
Chuck snorted. "Food fixes everything?"
"Yes Chuck," Morgan slid open the sliding door, revealing a spacious, modern dining room. "Especially when it's pizza."
Chuck took in a deep breath, it was their first greasy, unhealthy sort of meal they had since living here. Although home-made pizza was quite impressive.
"It does smell good," Chucks eyes fell directly on Sarah as Morgan started to dart across the room in the same direction.
"Morgan-gahh." Chuck stuffed his fists in his pockets and slowly sauntered over to the girls table. He noticed Carinas absent and wondered briefly where she was.
Probably getting ready for her date.
Sarah always took ages when he was taking her out on a date. They'd plan to meet down stairs and she'd text saying she's coming. Then another ten minutes she still wouldn't be there. Another twenty... still not there and he was pretty sure it didn't take ten, let alone twenty minutes to walk down some stairs. Then she'd text him again and say i'm actually coming now. He always laughed.
"Oh god," Morgan sat down in a seat next to Jenny leaving the only other available one right next to Sarah. "Look at the size of those slices!"
"You missed out," Rebekah said with her mouth full. "You have to wait for the next batch."
"I told you we should have got here earlier Chuck!" Morgan said from across the table, raising his eyebrows up and down as Chuck sat down.
Chuck narrowed his eyes quickly in Morgans direction, trying to tell Morgan to not say anything. "It, it does look good." Chuck looked quickly at Sarah, her knuckles tapping lightly on the table.
"Have you had-" Chuck cleared his throat. "Any pizza yet?"
Sarah turned to look at him with those bright blue eyes.. She had such a headache and she actually wanted him to not talk to her. Why wasn't he angry? She wanted him to be angry. She just needed someone angry at her.
He didn't have long to look at her because she turned her head back to Rebekah still munching happily on her pizza, oblivious to any of the tension in the room.
"Uh, no. Not yet." Sarah scrunched her face up a bit. She had a dull thud behind her eyes.
"Where's Carina?" Morgan piped in. "Look I even got a new shirt for tonight. It's alright aye?" He grinned. "You think she'd like it?"
"Very smart," Rebekah smiled.
"I should probably text her," Morgan said. "I haven't received any from her today."
"Is she not coming for dinner?"Jenny asked.
Morgan shrugged and looked at Sarah.
"She's out," Sarah nodded. "I think with a friend from class or something. She's been out all day."
Sarahs phone vibrated on the table and as suspicious as it looked she grabbed it quickly when she noticed Carinas name light up.
Sarah I can't do it! I can't go to the movies. What shall I do!? Can you tell him I'm sick or something I don't know.
Sarah felt her legs weaken. Morgan sitting there all bright and happy. His new shirt. He brought a new shirt.
"I-" Sarah choked on her sentence. "I'm excited for pizza.." She shoved her phone in her pocket without replying.
Morgan looked at the small line starting to form again. "You want us to grab you some pizza?"
"Yes please," Sarah nodded her thanks.
"You OK?" Jenny asked when Morgan and Chuck left the table.
"Yeah I'm good," Sarah smiled. "Chuck and I had a random sort of fight.. it's all good though." Not really but.
"What about?" Rebekah asked.
"I don't really know it was, it was kind of me over reacting I don't know. I was being stupid."
"Sorry, I don't mean to be nosy." Rebekah gave a guilty grin. "I'm just so in love with you two. You guys are the cutest even when you are fighting."
"Really?"
"Yes! He was trying not to look at you and failing miserably." Rebekah grinned. "It was so cute!"
"Cute is your favourite word," Sarah chuckled.
Sarah felt her phone in her pocket and it felt so uncomfortable, knowing it had an unread message on it. She grabbed it out and put it the pocket of her denim jacket she left draped on the back of her seat.
"Here you go Sarah..three pieces of-"
"No!" Chuck quickly swiped the plate from Morgan. "She doesn't like olives, this is her one."
"Oh sorry Mr 'I know everything about Sarah.'" Morgan teased.
Sarah looked down at her plate with three pieces of olive-free pizza. "Thanks," her voice croaked making her sound like she was on the verge of tears, again.
He was so sweet.
She heard her phone vibrated but she ignored it.
And again.
"Sarah do you reckon you could give Carina a text? She still hasn't replied."
He looked almost nervous.
She couldn't do it anymore.
"Can i talk to you Morgan?" All eyes turned to Sarah. It must have been her tone because they all looked wide-eyed and serious. "Alone?" She could have made it more casually but if she had said lets go and grab more pizza he would probably had answered, 'after you text Carina.'
"Uh..Yes?" Morgan wondered if it was something to with Chuck and her. Maybe she was a lot more angry than he had first suspected.
"OH MY GOD!" A female voice travelled to their table just as Sarah was about to stand up. "I can't believe i almost missed the pizza!"
"Carina!" Morgan shot up from his seat. It almost looked like he was going to bow for her. "Here have mine."
Sarah looked up in surprise, cursing herself in her mind. Do not go and freaken tell him!
"No, no it's Ok." Carina quickly stopped him. "I'll get my own." She looked down at Sarah. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Oh hold up, Sarah wanted to talk to me first?"
Carina looked back at Sarah. "Really? About?"
"Oh-uh-nothing, no it doesn't matter anymore."
"Are you sure?" Morgan asked cutting his eyes to Chuck who sat awkwardly on the side.
"Yeah." Sarah climbed out of her seat. "I'll just talk to Carina." Without waiting for another reply she quickly followed Carina to the pizza line.
"Why didn't you text back?" Carina asked when they had gotten further enough away from the others.
"What was I meant to say?"
"Did you-"
"No I didn't say anything."
"Why did you want to talk to him?"
Sarah stayed silent for a brief moment.
"You were going to tell him." Carina said. She said it so accusingly.
"Were you going to?" Sarah asked. "Because if you want me to I'll go over there now and tell him for you."
"No! You can't." Carina shook her head. "I can't believe you were going to tell him! What the hell?!"
"What the hell?!" Sarah repeated back to her friend. "More like what the hell are you doing texting me telling me to say you are sick!"
"OK, OK." Carina ditched the pizza line and pulled Sarah over to an empty table towards the back of the room. She sat down and Sarah reluctantly sat down opposite her. "Are you OK?" Carina asked.
"Yes.."
"Have you been crying?"
"No."
"You look like you have been."
"I haven't."
"Sarah..." Carina rubbed her forehead. "I know you feel bad-"
"Yeah you got that right." Sarah said dryly.
"It's been hard OK? You don't know what it's like having feelings for two guys."
"So you have feelings for Morgan then?"
"As a friend."
"As a friend," Sarah replied. "So who are the two guys then?"
Carina ignored the comment. "I just feel bad for Morgan OK? It just took me awhile to work out." She looked at Sarah. "Just because you and Chuck are so perfect doesn't mean the rest of us are."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing."
Sarah swallowed. "Perfect doesn't mean going to dinner with another guy and telling Chuck i was shopping with you."
"It's not like it was a date!" Carina said. "You were just coming along with Bryn and I."
"And Danny just so happened to be there."
"I didn't know he was going to be there," Carina whispered harshly. "It's not a big deal. Unless... you have feelings for him."
"No!" Sarah leant back in her seat. "Are you serious right now?"
"Ssh.." Carina glared. "I'm sorry OK. I just, you're so angry."
"Why do you think?" Sarah felt like she was going to snap. No, Sarah was going to snap. "Because you're having the time of your life why I'm stuck here lying to everyone. Do you even see how mean it is? You said you were going to tell him! You are meant to be going to the movies tonight with him. Look at him!" Sarah knew people were staring at them but she didn't care. "He brought a new shirt for you! He was going to buy flowers for you."
"Everyone's is looking," Carina whispered. "I'll tell him OK. I'll tell him tonight I swear." She was starting to panic, she didn't want people hearing. She didn't want Morgan hearing.
"You keep saying that but you don't."
"Sarah please-"
"And now I'm being a hypocrite to Chuck and everything is so messed up and unfair that I just I feel like I'm ruining everything." Sarah felt her eyes begin to water again so she tilted her head up.
"You're not," Carina promised. "You're not."
"But there was Bryce and then Jackson and now Danny and i-" She took a breath. "And Morgans going to hate us."
"He's going to hate me," Carina told her. "Not you, me."
Sarah shook her head. "Us."
"Relax Sarah," Carina said quietly. "It's not your fault."
"You know it is my fault," Sarah nodded. She lowered her voice. "It is because I let you go out with Bryn, I watched you kiss him. I went on a date with you guys. I lied for you and i stood there letting Morgan like you more and more without doing anything about it.
''Sarah-"
"I'm so over everything right now."
"Sarah don't go anywhere," Carina replied when she sensed Sarah was about to stand up.
"Please don't tell me what to do," Sarah replied. "And if you're not planning on telling Morgan. Why don't you try making up a story this time?" Sarah suggested to Carina. "I've done the study ones, the hanging out with Zondra and the late library ones so maybe try something different yeah?"
Carina ignored her again.
"You know what I don't get?" She asked Sarah.
"What?"
"What does Jackson and Bryce have anything to do with this?" She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help herself. "Because that was all you. I had no part in that and if you're trying to say Danny was another mistake then that was you to. Because no one else thought you were on a date. I think you kind of liked the idea. Maybe you just wanted it to be a date." Carina knew it was hitting hard especially when it looked like Sarah hadn't even taken a breath since she had started speaking.
"Maybe you should go out with someone else because Bryce, Jackson and now Danny. Wow. That's a lot of guys Sarah. Maybe you and Chuck aren't as perfect as I thought..or maybe Chuck isn't as perfect for you as you think. Or know..whatever, your choice. But if you have some feelings for Danny then you should let Chuck know. Or maybe ring up Jackson because I'm sure he'd like to have a few more drinks by the punch bowl with you. Maybe get a little more flirty. You could do it in front of Chuck again. That'd be nice."
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
She loved that feeling.
The feeling you get in your stomach when you go up and down on the swing. She swung higher and higher just to feel it or maybe she just liked the way the wind blew on her face as she swooped down. It was so cold and refreshing.
Her dad would not be happy if he could see her now. Sitting on a swing in a deserted park at night-time. It probably wasn't a smart thing to do and she didn't have her phone on her. She forgot she left it in her jacket, on the chair she was sitting on at dinner. Anything to avoid reading Carinas messages.
She wondered how Morgan was feeling. Hopefully OK.
She kind of left abruptly after Carina suggested that she could get with Danny or Jackson. She didn't storm out but she didn't have anything else to say, and she definitely didn't want to hear anything else.
Chuck caught up were her before she exited the dining room but she told him he should stay because Morgan might need him. He didn't' understand why but she didn't want to explain what Carina had said to her because it was about Morgan. It was Morgan who was the one getting lied. Getting let down, not so nicely. Getting told that the girl her liked was head over heels for someone else.
The last thing she wanted to do was make it about her. But unfortunately she has a feeling she already did that and it didn't work out well for her.
She slowed down her swing and just sat still.
Carina was wrong.
Or maybe if she just flipped it around she was right.
Chuck was perfect for her in every way.
But she may not be so perfect for Chuck.
And she didn't even think about the possibility of Chuck being angry with her. For going along with Carina the whole time. For acting like a complete hypocrite. For every stupid mistake she had made since they started dating. For lying to him and for letting Morgan get strung along.
"You know it's cold and creepy out here."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Your dad would not be impressed."
He knew her so well.
"And I don't think your boyfriend would either." She felt a blanket get draped around her shoulders. "I mean what kind of girl goes off at night without a hot water bottle?" He came around to stand in front of her and placed the hot water bottle on her lap. "You need to watch some bear grylls online."
She rested her hands on the hot water bottle and watched him sit down cross-legged on the bark. He kept his eyes on hers and it made her nervous. Should she say sorry? Probably, yes. Of course.
"I text you...a lot." Chuck gave her a guilty look. "Like.. a lot."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh no I should be saying sorry. I have probably clogged up your phone."
"Not about that Chuck."
"Oh," He nodded. "I forgive you."
"No you don't."
He chuckled and picked up a piece of bark. "Yeah I do."
"Why?"
"Because I love you," he looked up at her and smiled. "It's a disease. I went to the doctors and apparently it cannot be cured."
He got a smile out of her and pinky cheeks. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of it right now, but how could someone so sad look so, so beautiful? Her face was so pale and soft and her eyes were all glassy and-
"Is Morgan OK?"
"How do you know he found out?"
"I could tell from Carinas face that she was going to tell him." Sarah replied. "Is he OK?"
"He will be. " Chuck answered as he pushed her legs lightly so the swing moved a little. "He's just glad he knows...finally."
She bit her lip at the word 'finally'. "I wanted to tell you guys. I really did. It was just..hard and I know that's no excuse and I went along with it as much as Carina but she, she wanted to tell him to just-yeah."
Chuck nodded. "She told me what she said to you."
Sarah scraped her shoes on the bark to stop the swing. "Yeah so is Morgan like, is he.."
"You don't believe her do you?"
"No but-"
"No buts," Chuck sat up on his knees and held the two ropes connecting the swing in each hand. "You don't believe her cause she was being, well, horrible and I'm pretty sure she knows it."
"Chuck I lied to you."
"To protect your friend."
"Why am I always the one making mistakes?"
"Sarah you're not."
"You could break up with me."
"You said you didn't believe what Carina said."
"I don't."
"Then why would we break up? Am I not perfect for you?" He smiled. "Because I'll try be better."
"I think it might be the other way round."
"But you don't get to decide that." Chuck responded. "I do and I think you know what I think."
"You think I'm perfect for you?"
"I know you are."
"I'm sorry."
Chuck linked his hand with her and got on to his feet. "We are young, we make mistakes and lie to each other because we think it's helping in some sort of way. We support our friends in whatever they are doing because they are our friends and that's all I can think of to make this right."
She let him pull her up. "That was some good wisdom right?"
"You're the nicest person i've ever met." Sarah looked up at him as she lent her body against his. "I love you but you're letting me off way too easily."
"I don't really want to waste time being angry." Chuck brushed his nose across the bridge of hers. "It's Saturday night and i was thinking we could go play some xbox with Morgan?"
"You think he'll be OK with me there?"
"He's not even angry at you." Chuck replied. "Although i think it will take a bit for him to talk easily with Carina."
"I know i should go talk to her."
Chuck smiled. "You're the nicest person I've ever met."
"I find that hard to believe."
"What she said was mean." Chuck responded. "There's no other way i can put it but you already want to go and talk to her? You're too nice for your own good."
"You think i shouldn't? I just know that telling Morgan would have been hard for her."
"No, it's up to you and you know i want us all to be friends. I just want you to believe me when i say you're the nicest person I've ever met."
Sarah donked her head into his chest. "Should we go see Morgan?"
"Yeah after two things.."
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Sarah smiled. She still felt bad. And she knew seeing Morgan would make her feel worse but if telling Chuck she loved him made this any better then that was no problem.
At all.
"I love you." She kissed him softly. "What's the second?"
He grinned, that childishly adorable, goofy grin he often did.
"You already did it."
Next chapter will be a straight carry on. So things that may have been missed out will still be coming. ANd there will probably be some of you who think Chuck is too forgiving but that's kind of how i needed him to be for the rest of the story to work ;) Work time...noooo. Please review if you can so i have something to look forward to when i arrive home :D
Thank you !