A/N: Our story continues. Let's catch up with Chuck and Sarah as they pass the time before they can deal with Sarah's car issues.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck
Chapter 2
After only a few minutes of driving, they found themselves at a nearby strip mall where they parked and started walking. The various shops had their windows decorated for the holidays, some even piping Christmas music outside for the passersby to enjoy.
"Ooo. World Market," Chuck declared, pointing at the store front ahead of them. "Can we go inside and look around?" Sarah couldn't hold back her laughter, his boyish enthusiasm made him seem like a child asking his mother if they could go into a toy store.
"Alright, but don't wander off," she lectured teasingly. Not missing a beat, he started skipping ahead, making her burst into laughter again. She'd never met anyone that was so openly uninhibited; unafraid to be silly or look foolish. On top of that, he actually suggested they go shopping, which from her experience, men were not prone to do. Chuck was full of surprises.
Chuck stopped and waited for Sarah to catch up, a satisfied smirk on his face. When she got to the door, he leaned in close so that only she could hear. "So, have I embarrassed you yet? Ellie used to call me a large man child whenever we were in public together. I guess I haven't grown out of it."
"No, not yet. It'll take a lot more than that to embarrass me," she admitted. Quickly she turned, pointing a finger sternly at him. "That is not a challenge," she warned, twisting her lips to the side to keep from laughing at his playfully dejected pouting. Bumping him with her shoulder, she pushed past him and into the store.
Sarah didn't often shop unless it was for necessities. She had few belongings, and no place to store them, so it never seemed prudent to purchase decorative items or useless trinkets. She shopped for food and clothes when she needed them and that was it. She didn't really have anyone to go shopping with; no girlfriends to speak of. But with Chuck, she had to admit she was enjoying herself. He seemed so excited about all of the things he was discovering, making a point to show her as they wandered through the store. It was a much needed distraction, helping her to forget about her woes, if only for a little while. She, too, began to get into the spirit of it, showing Chuck some of the cute knick knacks and trinkets she saw.
"Hey, Sarah. Do you know much about wine?" Chuck asked as they ventured into the food and wine section.
"Um… I mean, I like to drink it. Not.. not like all the time, but …" Chuck held up his hand to stop her, a wry smile on his face.
"One, I don't judge. Two, I'm terrible at choosing wines but I was thinking I should take a few bottles to Ellie's. She loves wine and I thought it might be a good distraction to keep her from needling me about…" Chuck trailed off rolling his eyes.
"Oh, right. Your life as a spinster," she chimed in, her tongue between her teeth as she chuckled at her own jab.
'That's 'bachelor', thank you very much," he answered with faux indignation.
"Sure. Whatever you say," she teased, stepping up to the large wine selection to get a closer look. "So, what sorts of wine does she like?"
"Ummm… the "wine" kind of wine?" he stated, almost as a question. Sarah turned and gave him a flat look but all Chuck could do was shrug sheepishly.
"Can you narrow it down a little bit? Does she like red, white or rosé? Does she prefer sweet or dry wines? Is there any particular brand that she likes?" The wide-eyed expression on his face was answer enough. "I take that as a no. OK... Well, you could always text her and ask. Because without knowing anything about your sister or what she likes, I think you should pick several different kinds, that way you might luck out on one of them."
"That's.., that's a great idea. I can just text her and ask what she likes. I just hope she doesn't call and want to chat." Chuck pulled out his phone and typed out a text as Sarah walked back and forth through the wine isle, studying the selection. She tried to imagine what it would be like to sit around with family, drinking wine and talking, and it made her feel a bit sad.
A moment later Sarah's thoughts were interrupted when she heard music she recognized from the movie Star Wars; the march that accompanied the Darth Vader character if she recalled. Not surprisingly, it was Chuck's ringtone, accented by his exclamation.
"Shit," he cursed, rolling his eyes. He held up his finger to Sarah, asking her to wait a second. "Hey El," he answered, trying to sound chipper. "Yeah, no. We just stopped in at a store and I was thinking I might bring some wine for the holidays, but I couldn't remember what you liked… World Market… Yeah, I love this place too. So what kind do… What? Did… did I say 'we'? I.. I meant me. I… I stopped in at the store and … is somebody with me? Wh.. no. Well, yes. Sort of. But it's not like…" Sarah could see Chuck's face turn ashen, his Adam's apple bouncing as he swallowed thickly. "No…. El…. Ellll…. Ellie! Look, I'm … I'm sorry. I-I gotta go. I'll call you later." Chuck quickly ended the call and blew out an exasperated sigh. Closing his eyes, he tapped his phone against his forehead for several beats before pressing it to his forehead as he shook his head.
"You OK?" Sarah asked, wincing at her own question once it was out of her mouth. Clearly he was not OK, but she didn't really know what else to say.
"Yeah. No. I… I dunno. I just stepped in it big time. Ellie's like a shark and she smells blood in the water and won't let it go, thinking that I have 'someone' in my life. She's probably calling our mother right now and before long -" Sure enough, Chuck's phone began to ring, this time the ring tone being an excerpt from Danzig's 'Mother'. Sarah bit her lip trying not to laugh at the choice in ring tones or the situation Chuck found himself in. Chuck turned the phone to show Sarah the "Mom" that showed on the caller ID.
"I can't talk to her right now. I'm gonna have to hear plenty about it when I get there. It'll be fine. I'll just need more wine. A lot more wine. Oooo. Look. A case sale!" Chuck pointed at the sign that advertised the case sale and grabbed one of the available boxes to start making some selections.
"Let's see…" Chuck pondered, tapping his finger on his chin as he looked over the selections. Sarah really felt bad for Chuck, sensing that he was spiraling. She couldn't say she knew what it was like, but she did know something about people trying to run her life for her. Not knowing what else to do, Sarah stepped up and offered to lend him a hand.
"I can help. Here, let's get a couple of bottles of chardonnay," she began, choosing a couple of bottles that were moderately priced and looked interesting. "Then let's do some pinot noir… some cabernet sauvignon … a couple of merlot. Oooo. How about a few bottles of something sparkling? Does your sister like mimosas?" In no time, the case was filled with a dozen bottles of a variety of wines that would hopefully appease all of the wine drinkers in Chuck's family.
"Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it," Chuck said, giving her a warm smile. Sarah just waved it off as if it was nothing and they began their journey toward the front of the store. Sarah was stopped in her tracks at a jewelry display. On the counter was a swivel display of earrings that caught Sarah's eye. Taking a pair of dangling silver snowflake earrings off of the display and looking in the small mirror on the counter, she held the earrings up to her ears. She turned her head, admired the earrings and how they sparkled in the lights of the store. They were in sharp contrast to the small plain and dull golden hoops she was currently wearing.
Chuck watched on as Sarah looked over the earrings before she gave a sad smile and put them back, continuing their walk toward the registers. Chuck lagged behind a moment but followed after her. Once they got to the registers, Sarah went ahead to wait at the front of the store, looking over the Christmas displays in the front windows while Chuck waited in line to make his purchase.
"All set?" he asked, stepping up behind her with his case of wine, pulling her attention away from a display of decorative Christmas tins. She gave him a wide smile with a nod and followed him out of the store.
By the time they got back to the car and jockeyed things around in the trunk to make room for the case of wine, it was time to go meet up with Sarah's car. The drive wasn't more than ten minutes, when they made it to Leon's Towing. Her car was still on the flatbed truck, in all of it's faded, rusty glory.
"Afternoon," came the gruff voice of the older man that hopped down out of the cab of the truck. "I take it this here belongs to one of you?" he asked, gesturing with his thumb toward his truck.
"That would be me," Sarah answered, tentatively raising her hand. The driver, "Leon" based on the name patch sewn to his shirt, looked at Chuck's car, then at Sarah and then finally at the homely car on his flatbed.
"Alright, Miss. What would you like us to do with it? I've got a repair shop here. We can take a look and see what we can do to fix it, but… I gotta tell ya, it'll likely cost more than the car's worth to get it fixed. I don't wanna jerk you around. It could be a blown head gasket or a cracked engine block. Either of those would cost way more to fix than this car is worth, even if it were in great shape. In all honesty, I'd recommend that you sell it for salvage," he suggested, adjusting his ball cap on his head.
Sarah looked at the car, then at Chuck, who gave her a sympathetic "what can you do" shrug. She blew out a long breath and turned back to Leon, giving him a nod. "I guess I'll have to sell it for salvage. Do you know of someplace that'll buy it?"
"As it so happens," Leon said, pointing toward the sign at the entrance reading 'Leon's Towing and Salvage', "I can take it off your hands, if the title's clean."
"Yeah. I have the title in the glove compartment. How much are we talking about?" Sarah asked, hesitantly.
"Well, she's more than fifteen years old, two-hundred-fifteen thousand miles plus and she's not in great shape. Add in the possible engine issues, I think we're looking at about three-hundred. I'll even throw in the tow for free." It wasn't a lot of money, but since she'd only paid eight-hundred for it, she supposed she'd gotten five-hundred dollars worth of use out of it. That would more than double the money she currently had, although she was still no closer to a new place to live or a job, much less a car to get her there. Sighing in resignation she nodded in agreement and offered her hand.
"You got yourself a deal, Leon." The two shook on it and Sarah hopped up on the bed of the trailer and crawled in the car to get the title from the glove box. Chuck waited outside the office while Sarah signed over the car and got her cash. She shook hands to finalize the deal and exchanged "Merry Christmases" as they headed outside.
Chuck opened the passenger door for Sarah and she hadn't even noticed at first, it now becoming second nature during her time with Chuck that he held open doors for her. She gave him a grateful smile and slid into her seat. Chuck jogged around to the driver's side and climbed in, closing the door with a soft thud. The two sat in silence for a moment, neither really knowing what to say.
"Well. That's done. Now what am I gonna do?" Sarah asked, throwing her hands in the air, the despair seeping into her voice.
"Well, where were you heading? I can give you a lift, if that helps," Chuck offered, turning to look at her.
"I was thinking of going to Modesto. That's where my mom lives. I had no plans once I got there though. I can't imagine showing up on her doorstep, no job, no car, no place to live and saying, Hi, Mom. I know it's been almost twenty years, but 'surprise'!" Sarah acted out, the sarcasm dripping from her tone. Sarah slumped into her seat, letting out a huff.
"I'm heading to Pleasanton. Heck, Modesto's not that far out of the way. I'd be happy to take you," Chuck offered in a soft, caring tone. "If you still want to go, that is." Sarah turned to consider him for a long moment. How much more could she ask of Chuck? He'd already helped her so much. She wasn't sure she was ready to face her mother just yet, but once she got to Modesto she could afford a few days in a cheap motel to work up her nerve.
"Are you sure it's no trouble? Please, if it's an inconvenience you can just drop-"
"Hey! I want to do this for you. Whatever I can do to help you, I will. OK?" Chuck asked, determination etched into his face. She nodded, giving him a small smile. With that, Chuck started the car and steered them back toward the interstate. "Alright Modesto. Here we come."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"And that's why Morgan was banned from every Chuck E. Cheese franchise in southern California," Chuck concluded, causing both him and Sarah to break into laughter.
"Oh, God. That's too funny. He sounds like quite the character. I wish I had a friend like that," Sarah confessed, sighing as they slipped into silence. They had been on the road for almost two hours and they'd talked the entire time. Movies, music and food were the primary topics, which was fine because they were relatively safe. That had segued into sharing food related stories about Chuck and his friend Morgan. Sarah envied Chuck for having a good friend like Morgan. Friends and family, he seemed to have it all, but still it didn't come without its own drama. Chuck was on his way to spend the holidays with his family, and it wasn't the first time today that Sarah found her mind wandering to that topic. She wondered what it would be like, to have a family that you could spend the holidays with. To satisfy her own curiosity, and perhaps live vicariously through Chuck, she wanted to know about his traditions.
"So what are Christmases like with your family?" Sarah asked, turning to look at Chuck.
"Who me? Oh, um… well, let's see. My family goes all out for Christmas; the tree, decorations… the whole bit. I can remember when I was little, I used to lay on the floor right beside the tree and stare up at it.. We had these… these bubble lights. You know bubble lights?" he asked, glancing at Sarah. She gave a sad smile, shaking her head. "Well... they had this little glass tube with a special colored oil in it and the light would cause the oil to boil, making bubbles travel up the tube. I thought it was the coolest thing. When I got older, my parents switched to the white twinkle lights but I'd still lay on the floor and stare up at them. I'd…" he paused, chuckling at himself. "I'd let my eyes go out of focus, making the lights look like a thousand stars. It had a … a magic feeling about it." Chuck hummed another chuckle, getting lost in the memory for a moment.
"We'd always make cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve or maybe the day before. Ellie and I got to help decorate them. I'd put so many sprinkles on them, I'm sure somebody probably chipped a tooth," he laughed, shaking his head. Sarah couldn't take her focus off Chuck, completely mesmerized by his description. She could see the glint in his eye and the smile on his face as he told his story. These were clearly happy memories. She tried to see these scenes through his eyes but it left her with a pang of regret. She couldn't really remember the Christmases as a child, and she'd given up ever having that when she left her mother behind. Perhaps if she'd stayed…
"Christmas Eve we had a big sit-down meal; ham or turkey usually. Then we'd always get to open one present before we went to bed. It was always a new pair of pajamas. We'd change into our Christmas PJs and watch some Christmas movies before we went to bed. I always liked the Rankin Bass ones. You know like 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' and 'The Year Without a Santa Claus'. We'd set out a plate of cookies for Santa and I'd always make sure to put some carrots on the plate for the reindeer," he mused, sparing a glance at Sarah. She had her head laid on the headrest, watching him as he talked. The sight of her nearly took his breath away. She was so incredibly beautiful and the way she looked so relaxed, watching and listening to him, made him feel more than a little self conscious. Clearing his throat he turned back to stare at the road ahead, continuing his story.
"Christmas morning we had to wait for Mom and Dad to get up before we could go into the living room. Once we got in there, we had to take turns opening presents and Mom would always write down on her tablet of paper who gave us what, so we could be sure to thank them. It was torture," he chuckled. "After the presents were all opened, we'd eat cinnamon rolls and watch classic Christmas movies all day while we played with our toys. 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Miracle on 34th Street' and 'White Christmas', movies like that. I didn't really appreciate those movies that much until I got a little older, but Christmas isn't complete until I've watched 'White Christmas'."
Chuck stopped and glanced back over at Sarah with an apprehensive look. "Am I rambling? I'm rambling, aren't I? I do that a lot. I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't mean for me to go on and on about it."
"No. Not at all. I like hearing about your Christmas traditions," Sarah confessed. Chuck gave her a flat look but she just nodded and gestured her encouragement to keep going. He still didn't look convinced but he pushed on.
"Well, since we've gotten older and left the house, Ellie and I still go back home and spend Christmas with Mom and Dad. Except now, Ellie hosts it at her house, with her husband Captain Awesome." Sarah lifted her head to look at Chuck with an incredulous stare.
'I'm sorry, what? You call him 'Captain Awesome'?" she asked in disbelief.
"Well, his real name is Devon, but I nicknamed him 'Captain Awesome', both because he loves to use the word 'awesome' all the time and also because everything he does is awesome. Climbing mountains, jumping out of planes… flossing." Sarah barked out a laugh, absentmindedly smacking Chuck on the thigh.
"That's funny," she admitted, wiping the tears from under her eyes.
"That's me. I'm a funny guy," he stated in a self-deprecating tone as he rolled his eyes. Sarah sobered at his comment, not liking the way he seemed to be putting himself down.
"Well, you are funny," she reassured him. "So just take the compliment and don't argue with me," she declared, giving him a wry smile. Chuck let out a one note chuckle and nodded his agreement. "So, you said Ellie's hosting Christmas at her house now. Why are you going up so early?"
"Oh. Right, well… I haven't been the best of brothers as of late. I've buried myself in my work and made excuses as to why I couldn't come visit more often. The truth is… my work keeps my mind off … other stuff. And, I just haven't felt like subjecting myself to the constant badgering and meddling from my family when it comes to my love life, or lack thereof. She and my mother gave me such a guilt trip that I agreed to come up early and spend some extra time with them."
"Well, the badgering aside, I'm sure you have a great Christmas in store. It sounds like a lot of fun." Chuck could detect a hint of sadness in her tone, spurring him to ask about her own Christmas traditions.
"What about you? What do you do for the holidays?" he asked, looking between Sarah and the road. He distinctly noted that she seemed very uncomfortable, averting her gaze to her lap as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
"I don't really do Christmas," she confessed, not lifting her gaze. Chuck just sat quietly, hoping that if he was patient, she might divulge more details. After a long pause, Sarah continued.
"My parents split up when I was young and I went to live with my dad. We moved around a lot for his work so we never settled down. When Christmases came around, we never had a tree or presents. Occasionally my dad would take me out for a 'Christmas dinner' at a Chinese place or an all-night diner, but that was it."
"Oh my God. That's terrible," Chuck gasped, his brow furrowed in concern. "So you … you haven't had a Christmas since you were …" he trailed off, hoping Sarah might fill in the blank. Sarah hated to think about it, much less talk about it. This entire afternoon had dredged up those painful memories of her past, and Chuck's story of his family Christmases had made her heart ache even more. Maybe getting it off her chest, telling someone else about it might help to unburden her, allowing her to move past it.
Swallowing thickly, she answered at just above a whisper. "Seven". Chuck was dumbstruck, only able to let out a choked gasp. When he didn't say anything, Sarah stole a glance at him and saw he was staring straight ahead with his bottom lip between his teeth. She continued to watch him out of curiosity and it was then that she could see the glassiness in his eyes. She'd never really seen a man cry before, and for it to be over his reaction to her plight affected her profoundly. She was fighting a stinging in her eyes, trying to blink it away when Chuck finally spoke.
"Spend Christmas with us," he offered, not meeting her gaze. She continued blinking, trying to process what he'd just said. She was certain she had misheard him, or maybe she'd imagined it.
"W-what?" she questioned.
"Come spend Christmas with us," he reiterated, this time turning to look at her. "Let me show you what Christmas is supposed to be. You deserve to have a real Christmas." The conviction in his words knocked the wind out of her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she agree to something like that? How could he even suggest it?
"Chuck," she breathed out, "that's… that's crazy. I… I can't go to your family's Christmas. No. No...No, Chuck. Wh-why? Why would you do that? You have no idea who I am or what I could be capable of. And to invite me into …" she choked out, not realizing that she'd started crying. She was so overwhelmed by his generosity and, at the same time, heartbroken that she wanted something so much that she couldn't rightfully accept. Hearing him talk about all the wonderful memories of Christmas was like torture. And now, he was offering to give her the very thing that she wanted, but she knew she shouldn't accept.
"That's what Christmas is all about Sarah. It's about sharing with friends and family; it's about giving," Chuck insisted.
"What… what would your family say? Bringing a complete stranger home for Christmas? Who does that? How could I possibly say yes?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"They can think whatever they like," he declared, shrugging with indifference.
"Look, I've… I've had a bad past Chuck. I've done things, a lot of things, that I'm not proud of," she confessed, trying to get him to see reason, but more importantly, trying to rationalize with herself why she didn't deserve this opportunity; how she would be toxic for him.
"I don't care who you used to be," he retorted, not deterred in the slightest. "I care about who you are right now, and I think that person is pretty damn special. If my family doesn't like it, then they can go piss up a rope for all I care." Sarah just stared at him, unable to fathom how such a seemingly nice person could be willing to overlook her questionable past so easily. And on top of that, his family would likely be insufferable with questions and needling, wanting to know why he would bring home a complete stranger but couldn't manage to bring a girlfriend home. It seemed that both of them were in a no win situation. It would be so much easier if…
"OK. I have an idea," Sarah rushed out, shifting in her seat to face him. Chuck looked confused but was listening attentively. "Hear me out…" That didn't seem to put him at ease so she rushed on. "I have to admit that the Christmas you described sounds amazing, but I hope you can understand my apprehension." Chuck nodded, looking saddened. "You're in a catch twenty-two situation. If you go home alone, they'll hound you about it the whole time. If you take a complete stranger home, then you'd have to hear about that the whole week too. Either way, you lose." Chuck bobbed his head side to side but eventually nodded to concede her point.
"What if we could help each other? I get to experience a real, honest to God Christmas and you get your family off your back so you can enjoy Christmas too." Sarah watched him nervously. She knew this was absolutely crazy, but somehow it made sense enough in her mind that she thought it could work.
"That… that sounds great, but how?" he asked, looking perplexed. Sarah took a deep breath before she dropped the bomb.
"We pretend that I'm your girlfriend." Chuck's eyes went wide as saucers and his mouth dropped open in shock. "Think about it. Your family will be happy that you have someone, so they'll stop badgering you and, for one of the first times in my life, I get to experience all those wonderful things about Christmas you talked about. What d'you say?" She looked on with hope as he blinked himself out of his stupor.
"That… that's… Sarah, no. No, that's crazy. I could never do that," he rebuked, shaking his head. Sarah couldn't help but feel hurt at his rejection. Sure, it would be pretend, but the idea seemed to be almost repulsive to him.
"I could never subject you to something like that. That's so unfair to you. Having to pretend to like me? I could never ask you to do something like that," he replied adamantly.
Sarah was taken aback when he revealed his real objection. He was concerned about her, not himself. Who was this guy? "You didn't ask me, Chuck. I suggested it, remember? Look, we just have to say that the relationship is new and that we aren't really into the whole … PDA thing. That way it'll explain why we don't really know everything about one another and we don't have to make a big show of things in front of your family."
Chuck thought long and hard about Sarah's proposal. Selfishly, having a stunningly beautiful woman even pretending to be his girlfriend was certainly in the "win" column. She was right too, that it might get his family off of his back about dating. He was sincere in his offer of wanting to show her the best Christmas possible, feeling that she deserved it, if anyone did. Chuck just felt like he was taking advantage of the situation. Although, Sarah had been the one to suggest the idea and seemed to have a good plan for how to make it seem believable. But he wasn't sure he believed it; a woman like Sarah dating a man like him seemed a bit farfetched. Whatever sordid history she believed she had, she was still way out of his league.
"I dunno. I… I'm not sure my family would buy it," he confessed apprehensively.
"Buy what? That you'd stoop to dating someone like me?" she challenged, giving him a harsh look.
"Stoop?... Someone like... Have you seen you?" he asked in astonishment. Sarah didn't know how to take that, glancing at herself and then back at him in confusion. "You're soooo far out of my league, I don't even think we're playing the same sport." Sarah's mouth opened and closed, unable to form a comeback to that statement. That was not what she'd expected, though she was beginning to discover that Chuck was not who she expected. He was far kinder and humbler than anyone she'd ever known. If he knew about her past, he'd likely see things differently, but a part of her liked that Chuck thought so highly of her.
"Trust me, Chuck. I'd be the lucky one in this scenario. I'm sure they'll believe it. We'll just have to play the part. Do you think you can pretend to like me for a few days?" she asked, chuckling to try and take the seriousness out of the discussion.
"No," he uttered absentmindedly, his focus on the road, yet a million miles away. The silence that fell over the car pulled him from his thoughts and he shook his head. "That's not… what I mean is, I won't have to pretend. I do like you. I think you're an amazing person. I'll just have to keep reminding myself that it's not real. That'll be the trick," he stated, blowing out a breath.
"Well, I like you too. I wouldn't have suggested this if I didn't. You're a very kind and sweet man," she admitted, giving him a warm smile.
"Sweet. Wow. What's next? Are you gonna tousle my hair and tell me to go outside and play?" he asked, sending her a flat look. For a moment she thought he'd actually been offended, feeling like she was being condescending. When the corners of his mouth began to turn up into a wry smile, she realized he was teasing her. She was relieved but also a little mad for being teased. Letting out a "tsk", she smacked him playfully on the arm.
"Ow. Hey, no hitting the driver," he chided in jest as he held up his arm to protect his face.
"Well, you are sweet and I'm not taking it back. So, nah," she declared as she stuck out her tongue. They both chuckled at the playful exchange, sobering as the car fell into silence again.
"So, how does this work?" Chuck asked, stealing a glance at Sarah. "Do we tell each other stuff about ourselves or do we just make stuff up?"
"There's probably some important facts that we should know about one another. Otherwise that would look really suspicious. Like for instance… I assume you went to college. Where did you go and what did you study?" she asked.
"Stanford. I got degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Wow. That's legitimately impressive," she said, taken aback. Chuck just gave a shrug, not showing an ounce of arrogance, even though it was probably warranted. "Just for reference, how old are you?" she asked a bit sheepishly.
"I turned twenty-five this last September," he offered. "How about you? Oh, crap. I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to ask that. For-forget I said anything," he stammered out.
"No, it's OK. I uh… wow, I have to think about it for a second," she admitted, seeming slightly embarrassed. In truth, her gut reaction was to hide the truth, but she needed to stop thinking that way. He was being honest with her, the least she could do was return the favor with something so simple. "I'll be twenty-five in May," she replied.
"Ah. OK. Cool. Soooo, did you go to college?" he inquired, glancing her way. With pursed lips she shook her head, looking rather dejected. "Hey. There's nothing wrong with that," he reassured her, placing his hand on her forearm. "Not every path in life leads to college. I've known people with PhDs that didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. I've also known people who barely had a high school education that could run circles around me."
"Thanks." She flashed him a smile, feeling better about herself somehow. "It's not that I didn't want to go. It's just that things never worked out that way. My dad… he wasn't much for higher education. But, now that I'm on my own, maybe I'll look into it."
"I have no doubt that you can do anything you put your mind to. If that's what you want for yourself, go for it. If there's anything I can do to help you, just say the word," he offered, giving her arm a squeeze before letting go. She felt the absence of his hand on her and the warmth it gave her. She found that even his simple touch gave her comfort; something she wasn't accustomed to.
"I appreciate that. Thank you. But back to our questions. So, what do you do for a living?" Sarah asked, trying to refocus her thoughts on the task at hand.
"I own a small software development company. So, I guess you could say I'm self-employed. And you? I mean, before today," he corrected, wincing at his faux pas.
"It's alright. I've mainly worked retail jobs. This last one was an independent bookstore and coffee shop that sold gifts and knick knacks too." Chuck nodded his head in understanding with no sign of judgement at all.
"Was it in LA somewhere?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"No. It was in San Diego. I left there this morning and drove north. Until my car had other plans that is,' she added.
"Ah. Well, can we say it was in LA? Maybe someplace in the Echo Park neighborhood? Then I could say that I met you there… buying coffee or books… or … knick knacks?" Sarah snorted at his attempts at humor and the thought of him coming into her store to buy knick knacks. "OK. Probably not knick knacks, but definitely coffee. I drink a lot of coffee."
"OK, coffee then. Out of curiosity, how do you take it?" Chuck gave her a wide eyed look of confusion. "Your coffee. How do you take your coffee?" she asked more directly.
"Oh. Oh. OK. I… I have no idea why I blanked on that. That's a very logical question but my brain somehow forgot the context and I was lost for a second. It's OK. I'm back. I'm with you now. And I take it black. I used to put lots of cream and sugar in it when I started college, but that just took up too much time so I started foregoing the coffee condiments. I just drink it black. On a rare occasion a cafe mocha is a guilty pleasure, but normally, just black."
"So, to be clear… black?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Chuck sputtered with laughter, shaking his head at her teasing. He pulled his lips between his teeth and just nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. Sarah snickered at his antics as she made the mental note.
"What about you? How do you 'take it'?" Chuck asked, trying to use the lingo. Sarah could see the light go off in his head when his eyes went wide with mortification. "The coffee. I meant the coffee. How do you like your coffee? Do you… do you drink coffee? Or are you a tea person? Tea is good too I suppose. I like black teas on occasion. Black teas. Black coffee. There's hot chocolate too? What's your stance on hot chocolate? Do you prefer dark or milk-"
"CHUCK!" Sarah shouted, trying to break him from his death spiral of hot beverages.
"Sorry," he squeaked, looking contrite, his shoulders slumping. "I spiral when I get nervous. I just don't want to screw this up," he confessed.
"You'll be fine. Remember, it's supposed to be a new relationship, so that gives us a lot of room for error. So far today, I think we've gotten along pretty well, all things considered. There's no reason we can't continue that. There's not much difference between being friends and dating." Chuck turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "OK, there are some differences, but I think we can work around that. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"That's easy for you to say. You've never met my sister. She can be relentless sometimes. Just don't make eye contact and no sudden movements," Chuck warned, only half joking.
"I'm sure it's not that bad. It'll be fine. You'll see."
A/N2: It'll be fine. Right? 0.o
Thanks for the amazingly warm response you've all given for this story so far. If I haven't thanked you personally yet, I'm sorry. Know that I really appreciate all of you taking the extra couple of minutes from your day to leave a note.
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Stay well
JW
