Chapter 3
Tel Aviv
Israel
They "hung out" until the sun rose, and then Sarah had to leave for her flight. Things didn't progress beyond making out together in the same lounge chair. Chuck sensed that Sarah was open to more, maybe even wanted it, but that she was waiting for him to make the move. For some reason, he hesitated.
So, when 6 a.m. rolled around, she stood on her toes to kiss his lips, and then she walked away from him. His feet itched to follow her, but he stood rooted in place. Just as she put her hand on the door knob, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile. He waved goodbye, ending the best night of his life.
It is there weeks later when they meet again, purely by chance. He is walking a tree lined, cobblestoned street in Tel Aviv when he spots her. She is wearing a white scarf around her hair this time, but he knows it is her. She is sitting at an outdoor cafe with two other people. Chuck can't stop the grin that threatens to break his face. He never thought he would see her again, and boom, there she is. He shouts her name from across the street, he is so excited. He thinks he sees her shoulders tense, but she doesn't react otherwise. She must not have heard him.
Barely checking the traffic, Chuck darts between cars to make his way to her. Thankfully, she is sitting on the outer edge of tables, so no extra dodging is involved. Now only a few yards away, he calls her name again. Her two companions eye him strangely, but she again doesn't move. Being behind her, he can't see her face. He finally finishes his journey and pulls to a stop beside her, his smile fighting the sun for UV rays.
Still being controlled by his emotional mind, he says "hey!" and leans in to kiss her cheek. Part of him registers a look of fear and annoyance on her face. Soon, she is touching him. Her hand is on his chest, to stop him, to push him away. "Excuse me, what in the world are you doing? You must have me confused with someone else," she says, leaning away from him, her irritation clear.
Chuck blinks, confused. He is still hunched over as if to initiate the kiss. Finally, he stands upright again and runs his fingers across his right eyebrow. He recognizes her voice, her eyes. It is her, but she is rejecting him, pretending not to know him. "Uh, Sarah, what is going on?" he asks, uneasy.
She sighs, "My name isn't Sarah, and I don't know you. If you don't leave now, I am going to call the police." Her voice is cold and harsh. Next, she says something in another language to her two companions, and they all laugh. Chuck assumes the joke is at his expense. Now he is the cold one, feeling embarrassed and angry. Nothing makes sense, but all he can do is retreat. He mumbles some asinine apology and stumbles away, knocking into a chair or two. He hears them all laugh again behind his back.
He is crushed.
Three hours later, there is a knock on his hotel room door. Going to the peephole, he can't see anything. He opens the door anyway, thinking it might be someone on staff. Instead, it is her. She is wearing the same clothes from the cafe, but her face finally shows some familiarity towards him. She also looks contrite, with lines worrying her forehead.
"How did you find me?" he asks, an edge to his voice.
She shrugs her shoulders. "I work for the State Department. You registered your travel with us," she explains.
Chuck doesn't respond. He just stays there, blocking the door.
"Can I come in?" she asks softly.
Chuck narrows his eyes and says, "do I know you?"
Sarah huffs and pushes past him, walking into the room while he closes the door. "I deserved that," she responds, turning to face him. She walks closer to him and grabs his arms gently but firmly, just above his elbows. "Chuck, I am so sorry about what happened at the cafe. It was a work meeting, and I couldn't acknowledge knowing you. The embassies…they sometimes want us to pose as people we aren't so that any blowback from negotiations gone bad doesn't land on the U.S. Those men thought I was a Canadian named Rebecca," she explains.
She is still touching him, which makes it extra hard for him to process her convoluted story. All he can say is, "You were working?"
She squeezes his arms and smiles softly up at him. "Yes. Again, I am so sorry. If I hadn't been working, I really would have enjoyed your greeting. I would have kissed the shit out of you. I never thought I would get to see you again," she reassures, looking at him with an affection that further sets him off kilter.
"You want to kiss me?," he asks, struggling to make sense of reality.
She laughs, and it sounds beautiful. "Yes, you dork. I kissed you in Cairo, didn't I?"
"Yea, but after today, I thought you were playing me or something. Toying with me because you are, well, you," he says, waving his hand at her.
Now she is the aggrieved one. She steps back and puts one hand on her hip. Giving him a look that says danger is brewing, she asks, "What is that supposed to mean?"
He shakes his head and holds his hands up in defense, pumping them back and forth a few times. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You are you, as in you are so amazing that you are way out of my league. Not in the sense that you are some evil person who goes around destroying people's lives. Just that maybe you were having fun with me and regretted it or didn't want any reminder of it," he rambles, his voice getting quiet at the end as he voices his fears.
Sarah's face finally softens and she once again looks contrite. "I can see why you would get that idea after what happened today," she responds before pausing. He can tell she has more to say but is debating what to say or maybe whether to say it at all. He hopes she speaks her mind because she is truly an enigma to him. Any little insight helps.
She meets his eyes but quickly looks away again. "The truth is that I had an amazing time with you in Cairo. Maybe the best time I have had in years. I usually don't let myself be as free as I was that day, but you somehow make it easy."
If Sarah would look at Chuck, she would see that his mouth has popped open in utter surprise at her words. Instead, she is holding her left bicep with her right hand and looking at some spot over his head. She toes the carpet before continuing, "So, I definitely don't regret our day together, at all. And I really wish I could have shown you that at the cafe today."
There is only one thing Chuck can think to do. He takes two steps towards her and puts his hand on her cheek. Her eyes meet his in surprise before he leans down and kisses her on the lips. She quickly wraps her arms around his torso and pulls them closer together. He deepens the kiss briefly before pulling back and looking into her slightly dazed face. "You said I could kiss you," he explains.
Sarah licks her lips and nods her head.
"I did, yes. You should, uh, consider that an open invitation," she responds, giving him a devilish grin. Then, she grabs his shirt and yanks him back towards her. Chuck lets out a little yelp, but it is quickly drowned out by his hum of appreciation when their lips meet again.
A few moments later, Sarah is the one to pull back. She takes a minute to regulate her breathing, distracting herself by rubbing out the wrinkles on his shirt. At least, he assumes that is the reason she is running her hands over his chest.
She smacks her lips together and looks up at him. "So, I have to work tonight, but I am off tomorrow. Wanna get out of town and do something?"
Chuck is still unable to form words, so he nods his head vigorously and gives her a goofy grin. She chuckles and pulls him in for another kiss.
