A/N
hi, so, thank you for all the great reviews so far! I hope you all enjoy where I make this story go. It'll probably be around 5 or 6 chapters long, not quite sure yet, but I love planning things out so I know in my head most of what's to come :) enjoy!
Chuck had made it back to his Grey Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in the parking garage, and he couldn't stop thinking about the pair of ladies he had just met. He hadn't started the car yet, but soon got out of his daze to hear a buzzing noise come from his phone that he had placed inside his pants pocket. He shifted to get a better grip of it in his hands and answered it without looking as to who it was. Expecting it would be someone from work telling him he was late from his break, he answered, "Bartowski speaking, How may i help you?"
"Is this how you always answer your phone?" He heard a certain blonde say through the phone.
"Oh- oh my- uhm- No, i don't usually answer like that- It's just- I was expecting someone from work to call, so i figured- uhm- so- what are you up to Sarah?" Chuck said, leaning back in his car seat, mentally face-palming himself.
"uhm- Molly uh- She wanted to check in and make sure you got to your car fine." Sarah said, as she lied to herself and Chuck. She called him because she had wanted to ask him something, but couldn't build up the courage to.
"I'm sitting in my car as we speak actually." Chuck said, followed by an awkward silence. He knew it was strange to invite another woman into his life so quickly, after what had happened with Jill, and the party, he figured the only women he would have in his life was his sister, and he grew accustomed to it. He thought about how he might be moving too fast, but he couldn't help himself with Sarah.
"Well hey! what are you two doing for dinner?" Chuck said, as he was inches away from slamming his head into the wheel as he awaited Sarah's answer.
"Well, we were just going to do the same, sit home and watch a movie while we had leftovers. Why do you ask?" Sarah said, her heart hoping he would ask her to have dinner with him, her brain hoping he was just curious.
"Well, since it's a week away from Christmas, My sister loves to throw a preparation for Christmas 'party' with me, where we have a big dinner and decorate the tree, so I was wondering if you wanted to come over? You can invite any guests if you want, i'm sure she would love the extra company. And I wouldn't exactly mind seeing you again." Chuck said, his mind racing. He felt so many emotions at this moment, he felt like his brain was a computer and he was about to overheat.
"If you're sure we're not intruding, we would love to come. I wouldn't mind seeing you again either." Sarah spoke softly, as she as well felt so many emotions running through her, most of which she had never felt before.
"We would love to have you join us! Why don't you give me a call or text in a little bit, in case you decide to invite someone so i can tell Ellie. I'll send you my address when we get off the phone." Chuck said, letting out a breath he was holding, as he had awaited her previous answer.
"Well okay then. What time should I come over?" Sarah said, as she rested her empty hand on the steering wheel of her car.
"Does 6 work for you? if not i could ask her to adjust when dinner would be done." Chuck said, as he struggled to speak, thinking of how fast he was moving with sarah.
"6 works for us. Should I bring something besides Molly and I? Wine? Dessert? Flowers?" Sarah said, still trying not to blush at the fact that Chuck had been so kind to offer to push the time of dinner for her.
"Although my sister would love more Wine, you don't have to. Just you is enough." Chuck said, as he continued to sigh in relief, as if a weight was lifted off his shoulder every time he heard Sarah's voice. Her voice had just been so calming, that he felt all his problems float away when he talked to her.
"Well i will make sure to bring some wine then, and i guess i'll see you soon then." Sarah said, as she turned the engine to her car on, which startled Molly who had been in the backseat in a booster.
"I'll see you soon Sarah!" Chuck said, feeling the urge to say something along with that. The only thing he had said to someone after saying goodbye was his sister, as to which he said something along the lines of 'love you sis!' which puzzled him. Why did he feel the need to say something like that after saying goodbye to sarah? Did he? No. He couldn't, he just met her an hour ago. He shook the thought from his head as he heard a sound indicating that the call had ended, so he pressed the 'start engine' button on his car and looked at the touchpad inside to see the picture of him, his sister, captain awesome, morgan, and bryce as the background. He wished more than anything that Sarah and Molly had been in that picture as well. He looked at the time, that read 1:00 PM, soon interrupted by a notification saying he had an incoming call from Bryce.
"Hey Bryce, whats up?" Chuck said as he had his phone connected to the bluetooth in his Jeep so he didn't have to hold his phone and could drive while talking to Bryce.
"Hey Chuck! Was just curious as to what time you'd be coming into the office, We have a couple meetings before we're getting off." His best friend said, as Chuck wondered when he'd be in.
"Well, i have another meeting at Orion that i'm heading to as we speak, and then i should be there around 2. It shouldn't take too long, just settling some things with the lawyer. Also, while I've got you on the phone, I was wondering if you were available to come to Ellie and I's place tonight for our pre-Christmas party. We're having it around 6, and I invited some people." Chuck said, as he kept his eyes focused on the road he was driving on.
"Yeah, i'll be able to stop by. Who'd you invite?" Bryce questioned from the other end of the line.
"Well, long story short, i met this girl today at the store, and she was really sweet, and kind, and beautiful- and uhm- and she had a daughter, so i invited them... and i told them she could invite anyone she uhm- anyone she wanted." Chuck said, not knowing how to explain the events that had happened in the past hour and a half.
"So from what I'm hearing, you met someone at the store, pulled a 'Chuck' and she found it nice of you, and you and her daughter went to eat. I'm lost after that part, because usually things just end there, so tell me the rest huh?" Bryce said, as he and Chuck both laughed at how well Bryce knew his best friend. They had practically been brothers since they met in college, and now they were running their own billionaire company together.
"Well, her daughter really liked me, and we really hit it off, so basically i invited them to Ellie's after i continued to embarrass myself by trying to flirt with her." Chuck said, ashamed of himself.
"Classic Chuck. Well, I hope she sticks around, you sound happy talking about her, happier than you ever have talked about anyone since the party. If she brings a friend though, who just so happens to be single, you're hooking me up." Bryce said, laughing as well as Chuck.
"Well I'm almost at the meeting, so i'll see you when i get to work." Chuck said, as he continued to get closer to his father's building.
"See you soon Chuck." Bryce said, hanging up the call. He decided to call Ellie in his car, so he could inform her about his guests.
"Hey El! I can't really talk right now, I'm almost late for a meeting, but we're going to be expecting more guests tonight. Just to be sure, make sure there is enough food for at least 6 more guests. I'll be home at 5 to help cook before my guests arrive. Love you sis! See you later!" Chuck said, not letting his Sister get a word in, knowing she'd bombard him with questions, essentially dodging multiple bullets at once.
Chuck found his spot, and looked up at the building in which he had to work part time. This is his father's business, and his father sent him a message through their encrypted messaging system that he needed to take a break, and wondered if Chuck could run things for a week or 2. His father would be back on Monday, but for now Chuck had to run it for a little bit. It wasn't that hard to do, because he had tons, and I mean TONS, of connections inside the building. He and Bryce's Company, in which they produced video games, and the programs that ran them, worked with the Orion company since they made the company. He only got to message his father, not see him. They had kept his father's identity a secret, as he had a nemesis. Ted Roark. Ted Roark had threatened to kill his family, and tried to kill his father before, so Chuck's father, Stephen, decided that it would be best to keep his identity and family a secret. He didn't want to risk his family being hurt, and with that, Chuck and Ellie had to take care of themselves, and their mother had to go away to a special spot they all had to meet in incase of an emergency, a special spot in Canada, in their own cabin that had been in the middle of nowhere. He was thankful that at least now after all these years he could still message his father, but had wished he could see him as well.
Chuck walked into his Father's building, to go to his meeting with his father's Lawyer, just to talk over some business. Before he knew it, he was back in his Jeep, driving towards His and Bryce's building. His other best friend, Morgan, worked as Chucks Assistant, and Bryce and Chuck had both been co-owners. They never aimed to say, 'oh look! i'm the creator of this big company' but when they had to go to events, they would announce who they were, just so people understood why they were there. Ever since their first meet at Stanford, the only 'fights' they had, was the one after the party, which had only really happened because of the stress Chuck was feeling, and because of the high intoxication of alcohol he had in his system. He hated thinking about that night, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about it recently. He kept thinking it was just the fact that he was talking with a woman again, but something in him didn't feel right.
"Hello Mr Bartowski, Welcome back. Mr Larkin is waiting in the conference room." The secretary said, as he had walked in, scanning his keycard on the security check him and Bryce had designed. All of the people he worked close with in his office were friends of his, and he enjoyed that more than a little.
"Hey Chuck, so, how did the meeting at your dad's place go?" Bryce said, as Chuck walked into the conference room, setting his bag down and taking his coat off to reveal his red button up and his white tie, Bryce wearing a Green button up and a white tie. He walked towards his best friend and gave him a 'bro-hug' and sat down as they made small talk before the multiple conferences they had for the remainder of the work day. He then left, saying goodbye to Bryce and the people he saw as he walked out, so he could get home to help Ellie prepare. He turned the engine to his car on, and got home as quick as he could without breaking the law. While at work, Chuck had asked his best friend Morgan, if he could join them but had said that he had plans with his new girlfriend, Alex, to meet her parents. Chuck was proud of him, but also felt sad that he couldn't join them, but he had Bryce with him, so at least he would have someone to fall back on in case something happens with Sarah. He had eventually reached his and Ellie's apartment, and unlocked the door before stepping in greeting his sister and his soon to be brother in law.
"Chuck! You have so much to tell me. Who are these guests? Is one of them a girl? What do they eat? Do I know them? Can you trust them? Are they nice? Were you nice to them?" Ellie said, storming out of the kitchen to door where Chuck had been standing still.
"Whoa whoa whoa El, calm down. Bryce is one of the guests, Morgan can't make it, and i met someone today at the mall and of course i pulled a 'Chuck' so she was really nice and her and her daughter really seemed to have fun so i invited them here, and told her she could invite one or two of her friends if she wanted. Does that answer all your questions?" Chuck replied, stepping away from Ellie to walk towards his room so he could place his things from work and the things he had brought from the store on his bed.
"What's her name? Is she single? Is the child's father in the picture? Do you like this girl? Are they nice?" Ellie questioned her little brother as she followed him to his old room. Chuck put his things down, sent Sarah a text of the address, and went back into the kitchen, explaining the events of his day to her as they prepared dinner and waited for guests' arrival. He looked over to see a text from Sarah, saying that she would be here soon, and neither of her friends could make it today, but had thanked him for the invite. He heard a subtle knock on the door, and he wiped the water off of his hands with a towel before approaching the door to see his best friend, Bryce.
"Hey Bryce! glad you could make it." Chuck said, as he opened the door so Bryce could walk in.
"Hi guys! is there anything i can help with in the kitchen?" Bryce said, as he walked inside the Bartowski Household.
"Not right now, but could you help me prepare the table when the food gets out of the oven?" Ellie said, as she was glad to see Bryce, seeing as how they had recently gained a nice bond.
"Bryce, could you come with me to my room? I have to show you something really quick for the company." Chuck said, as Bryce nodded in agreement and followed Chuck to his old bedroom.
Chuck walked in and closed the door and made sure the window was closed because he wanted to tell Bryce his idea for their company, and didn't want anyone hearing. They had sat in his old room and talked about it for a little while before they had finished their conversation, and decided to head back out to help put the food on the table. Bryce had opened the door for Chuck, so when Chuck stepped out, his jaw quite literally dropped and he stood there, stunned at the outfit Sarah had changed into while stopping home. It was a red dress that had stopped right below her knees, and it was fairly tight around her. Chuck almost fainted as he couldn't stop looking her up and down, soon distracted by the smile plastered on her face.
"uhm-I-uh- hey... Sarah... you look- wow." Chuck said, walking towards her, rubbing the back of his neck to stop him from drooling or embarrassing himself even more.
Sarah's place, an hour or two earlier...
"Can I go play with my 'my little pony's' before we go to Chuck's house? Please mommy!" Molly asked, as Sarah unlocked the door to their studio apartment. They couldn't afford much, and real estate isn't exactly the best in New York, so there were little decorations around the house, and even less Christmas decorations. She had only kept some from her mother, who had given her some to take with her when she moved to New York. After college, she had taken Molly with her and moved to New York, to try and find a new job, and almost start over after what had happened at her time in college. Carina and Zondra had soon moved to New York with her, to help her raise her daughter and also for some job opportunities. There wasn't much she could do to stop them, seeing as how they wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Sure baby. I'll come remind you in a little while to get ready, okay?" Sarah responded, looking down at her daughter. Molly looked back up at her, giving her one of her nose wrinkling smiles that stretched from ear to ear. That smile. Molly nodded her head emphatically, before skipping off to her bedroom where she kept her toys. Before she walked away though, Sarah had taken a moment to stare into her daughter's eyes. Those deep, brown, chocolatey yet hazel eyes. Sarah knew she got them from her father, and she couldn't help but ask herself if she was still mad at him, or if she wanted to thank him, for the beautiful little girl they had created that one magical night. The thing she regretted most about that night, was getting so deliriously drunk, she couldn't even point him out in a crowd, even if she tried to remember hard enough. All she could remember was his name, and his eyes. His name was Chris, and he had the most beautiful, soulful eyes she had ever seen. Even if she didn't get to look at his eyes, She got to look at her daughter, and they were right there, staring up at her. The hint of anger she still feels for him though, soon resurfaced, remembering how he had left, and how crushed she had been for weeks, until her whole world came tumbling down, when she looked at the pregnancy test. Just as she was about to dive deep into her past, at that moment, a knock was heard on the front door of her apartment.
"Walker! Let us in!" She heard her red headed best friend yell from the door. She rolled her eyes and smiled tiredly at her best friends words, and hesitantly opened the door after unlocking it.
"Hey guys. Why are you here?" Sarah asked, getting straight to the point as she noticed the humongous smiles plastered all over her two best friends' faces, and the elf hats they were wearing.
"Oh no. No no. Nuh Uh. Not happening. You are not Christmas-ifying my house anymore. I will not tolerate it." Sarah said, crossing her arms and seeing the side of a bin next to Zondra's feet.
"Geez, what'd you do? Buy the whole damn Christmas store?" Sarah inspected the box, her friends not changing their facial expression, and still rooted to the ground.
"You gonna let us in or what, Blondie? We only have 3 hours to unleash our Christmas bomb on your apartment, so let's get moving!" Carina finally asked, trying to push past Sarah into the apartment, grabbing one side of the large bin, Zondra grabbing the other.
"Right? Like come on, Sarah, We have to to get done and not a lot of time! Your kid has to have the best Christmas ever this year!" Zondra huffed, pushing the bin inside the house with Carina's help.
"Didn't you say that last year? And the year before that?" And the year-" Sarah stepped back to give the girls some space to move the bin inside.
"What matters is that your daughter gets the childhood she deserves. It's not like her father is gonna give it to her." Carina trailer off, getting visibly mad. Carina and Zondra weren't too happy with Chris after he left. Even though they had never even met him, They were still extremely mad at him for leaving.
"That asshole is probably somewhere sleeping with some other woman as we speak… that little-" Zondra tried to say, but Sarah cut her off, putting a hand over her mouth.
"Can we stop talking about him in that way please?! I'd like to think my daughter's father is at least a nice human being. Besides, from what i can remember about our night, he was extremely sweet and kind." Sarah said, sighing a little, just wishing she could forget everything and go back to that night, and not have let him leave. Although she also wanted to go back to that night and slap him senseless, until he got the message.
"Whatever you say, Blondie. But if he was such a sweet and kind guy, why did he just leave like that, huh?" Carina added in, taking the lid off the box.
"You remember the note he left! Ugh! Can we please just stop talking about him please!" Sarah pleaded.
"Fine." Carina replied, taking out a fake reindeer.
"Whatever." Zondra mumbled, pulling out a reef.
"Thank you. Anyways, I have a question for you two." Sarah said, watching her friends pull out decorations.
"Shoot." Carina said, glancing up at Sarah, As Zondra nodded in approval.
"So… I kinda met this guy today. And he invited me and Molly to his and his sisters 'pre-Christmas' party today at 6… and can you guys please come too! I don't want it to be all awkward pleaseeee!" Sarah said, rushing closer to her friends, pleading with them to say yes.
"Wait wait wait… Hold up." Carina said, putting down the reindeer.
"You? You met a guy? And he invited you to a party? Already? AND Molly?" Zondra asked, severely shocked.
"Yeah. He's really sweet, and kind, and charming, and he's tall. VERY tall. And he's just so dreamy. And he's SUPER nerdy, which adds to his cuteness. And he's just so…. great." Sarah couldn't hold herself up anymore, and fell down onto the couch, sighing with relief, thinking about Chuck.
"Carina, Carina, go get the first aid kit. Right now." Zondra said not moving her eyes from Sarah, snapping rapidly next to Carina.
"On it." Carina said, running off to the closet where Sarah had kept the first aid kit.
"Why do you need the first aid kit?" Sarah said, taking her mind from Chuck and regaining focus on the conversation at hand.
"She's having a seizure! She's acting all strange! They do that when they have seizures!" Zondra yelled to Carina in the other room.
"I am not having a seizure." Sarah said, laughing at her friends.
"I have the first aid kit! Here it is!" Carina said, running in with a white box that had a red cross on the front.
"Guys, I'm not having a seizure! I just really like him, that's all." Sarah said, standing up and sitting back down.
"That's a first." Carina said, stopping in her tracks.
"Now can you please tell me you'll come with me to his party!" Sarah said, begging her friends.
"First, you help us decorate and tell us all about this guy, Then we'll give you an answer." Zondra said, looking at her friend, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ugh. Fine." Sarah proceeded to decorate the apartment and told them everything she knew about Chuck.
"So? Yes?" Sarah asked, hope in her voice.
"We're sorry Sarah, we really wish we could, but we already have a meeting with Mr Maher tonight at 6:30." Zondra said, finishing hanging up a plastic Santa hat on the wall.
"Yeah, and I skipped the meeting last week, if I don't go he'll fire me again." Carina said, pouting a little.
"Really?! But come one guys, I need you there! What if it's awkward? Or what if he asks me questions I really don't know how to answer, about Molly, or my childhood! Then what do i do!" Sarah asked, closing up the bin.
"If you really like him, and you think he might actually stick around, then let him in! Not all guys are like Chris and your dad. Give this guy a chance if you think he really deserves it!" Carina said, stepping off the stool she was standing on.
"It looks like Christmas came and puked on my house." Sarah says, looking around her open living room and dining room.
"You can't even say that yet, you don't even have a tree! Why didn't you go out and get one yet?! If anything it looks like they started vomiting but stopped halfway through." Zondra added in, taking in the little decorations.
"I didn't get one, because i can't afford to pay all the bills, pay for food, pay for her schooling, pay for the apartment, AND buy a christmas tree. Not until I find a better job at least. I wonder where Chuck works." Sarah said, finishing her last sentence with a dreamy look in her eye thinking about him.
"Oh dear god. She's daydreaming about him. Again." Zondra spoke, face palming herself.
"I'm not daydreaming. I'm just curious, that's all." Sarah said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, curious about what his ring size is." Carina remarked, having a snarky look on her face, mocking Sarah's hand on hip gesture.
"I am not! I just met him not 6 hours ago, I'm not in love with him, geez." Sarah said, picking up some trash from the decorations.
"Are you sure? Because to us it looks like you're already head over heels in love with this guy." Zondra asks, helping Sarah in clean up duty.
"Yeah, why don't you just ask him to give you money? You said it yourself, the man gave you 400 dollars and acted like it was nothing. He's probably filthy rich. Just swipe his card or something." Carina said, joining in on cleaning.
"I am not just asking him for money. No matter how much money he has, I'm not just gonna ask him. That's rude and besides, I'm not some pity party, okay? I can manage just fine on my own." Sarah said, huffing with anger.
"Whatever you say, blondie. Z and I have to go now, or else we're gonna be late. I still need to eat dinner and get into something more business like before we get there. And you don't wanna be late to your future lovers party, now do you?" Carina asked, picking up the now empty bin.
"Goodbye guys." Sarah said, annoyed at Carina's comments. "I'll let you know how it goes once I get back.
"Bye Blondieeeee!" Zondra yelled from the closed door.
Once Sarah closed the door, she turned around and let out a sigh, looking at her now almost festive house. She spent the next hour trying to pick out something nice to wear, worrying about what he might like or not. She thought it was kind of extremely silly how much she was worrying about it, but she really liked him, and hoped he liked her too.
"Mommy! I need help!" A little girl's voice was heard, and Sarah stood up from her bed, where she had been sitting when picking something out, and walked to her daughter's room.
"What's up sweetie?" Sarah asked, walking in the room to see her daughter with 2 arms through the head whole of her dress, her head nowhere to be seen.
"What happened here?" Sarah said, trying not to laugh.
"I got stuck." Her daughter huffed, her arms dangling in the air.
30 minutes later, Sarah and Molly had just parked outside of the ocean park apartment complex, and they were now getting out of the car.
"This place is pretty, mommy." Molly said, taking her mother's hand and swinging it as they walked across the street.
"Yeah. They've decorated for Christmas already. They definitely went all out!" She said, looking at the blow up Santa snow globe and the lights everywhere.
"Oh my god! You guys are here!" A high pitch squeal followed the yell coming from next to one of the doors.
"You're Sarah and Molly, right? Please tell me i didn't just yell at some random people?" The brunette questioned, Sarah soon realizing it was Chuck's sister, Ellie.
"Yeah that's us. You must be Ellie, right?" Sarah questioned, walking up with her daughter holding her hand.
"That's me! And wow! You two look gorgeous! I can't wait to see what you're wearing under those coats! Not that- I meant like- You know- I sound like my brother now. I'm just gonna shut up and let you two inside before my foot gets shoved any further in my mouth. Come in!" Ellie said, opening the door as Sarah laughed, realizing the many similarities of the two siblings.
"Let me take your coats from you two!" Ellie said, walking them towards the coat rack that was hung on the wall, as Molly began to unzip her winter jacket, along with Sarah.
"Wow! I was right, you two look positively radiant! Chuck and Bryce just went into Chuck's old room, something about discussing business things, I didn't bother to ask. They should be out soon though." Ellie said, leading the girls down the hallway towards the kitchen.
"Who's Bryce? And what do you mean, Chucks 'old' room?" Sarah questioned, following Ellie, Molly in toe, looking at the decorations around the home.
"Bryce is one of Chuck's best friends, and is also his business partner. They run their own company. And when i said his old room, i mean that he hasn't lived in it for a while. He has his own house, but he's been so lonely recently he doesn't know what to do with it. Around the holidays he comes over and lives here for a week or two. We don't have anything else to do with it, so we just keep it that way." Ellie said, shrugging it off. Sarah was a little sad for Chuck, him feeling so lonely he wants to live with his sister instead of in his own house. She couldn't help but think about what it would be like to live with him, not even realizing how they had just met that day.
They had been turning the corner, when Sarah looked down the hallway and she saw Chuck, rooted to the ground, staring at her, his mouth wide open. For a second she thought she saw drool, and she couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.
"uhm-i-uh- hey... sarah... you look- wow." Chuck said, walking towards her, rubbing the back of his neck to stop him from drooling or embarrassing himself even more.
"I could say the same thing about you!" Sarah said, with much more confidence then Chuck. Chuck quickly looked down at his feet, noticing Molly standing next to Sarah, in a short silver and pink dress.
"Miss Molly! you look breathtaking my majesty," Chuck said, bending down to one knee and bowing to the little girl.
"I'm not a princess, silly!" Molly said, laughing at the grown man.
"Well you certainly look like one!" Chuck responded, standing up from the spot he was bending down to stand back up to full height as he heard Bryce cough behind him.
"Oh uhm- Sarah, Molly, this is Bryce. Bryce, this is Sarah and Molly." Chuck said, Standing to his full height and pointing between the three, sporting a massive grin.
"Hi! Chuck's told me a LOT about you two. I'm glad you two could get him out of his stanford stump." Bryce said, reaching his hand out to shake Sarahs, before bending down to shake Molly's as well. When he went down to shake Molly's hand, he made a gesture of kissing her hand and nodding in appreciation of the little girl, making her giggle.
"Stanford? You went to Stanford?" Sarah questioned, completely brushing past the fact that Bryce had said Chuck talked about her a lot.
"Yeah, We both did, along with our other best friend, who couldn't make it to dinner today. But Chuck here had a rough time at stanford halfway through, and he's been like it ever since, until you two showed up! So thank you!" Bryce said, shrugging it off.
"I did too! What did you two major in?" Sarah said, a little shocked they had gone to the same college, and with the age similarities, they had probably both been there at the same time.
"We majored in computer engineering, how about you?" Chuck finally spoke, curious to learn more about the breathtaking woman he had met today, who had already changed his life forever with just a flash of a smile.
"I majored in finance. My two best friends majored in marketing." Sarah responded, Molly not understanding a word they were saying.
"You're joking, right?" Bryce asked, as his jaw dropped and so did Chuck's, although Chuck's brain could not function, unlike Bryce.
"No, why?" Sarah spoke, curious as to what they meant.
"We're looking for people in sales and advertising for our company, would you guys like jobs? We're kinda short of employees at the moment." Bryce said, shoving his hands in his pockets, Chuck still unable to speak.
"Really? How much could you guys pay? I've been looking for a job with better pay, Molly and I are a little short in that department." Sarah responded shyly.
"We can pay you however much you need! We pay our employees however much they need." Chuck interrupted, noting the fact that he would pay Sarah more than he paid his assistant manager and best friend, Morgan, if he had to.
"Really? Are you serious?" Sarah asked incredulously, shocked at their kindness.
"Totally! If you get us your paperwork by tomorrow night we can have you working the day after Christmas if you wanted!" Chuck said, soon unable to move as he found himself wrapped in Sarah's arms.
"Thank you." Sarah whispered into his ear, the warm hot breath on his neck sending shivers down his spine, as he wrapped his arms around her too. Bryce stood there a little awkward, as Molly had gone to hug their legs, and Bryce chuckled at the 3. He was happy for Chuck, yet also severely concerned. There was something familiar about her to him, and he knew it. He also remembered knowing some people who had been in advertising in college, but he had lost contact with them when he and Chuck moved back to New York after college. He left them standing there, walking into the other room to help Ellie and Devon.
After another 45 seconds of hugging, They all pulled away to Ellie's voice, "Dinners ready!" They awkwardly walked side by side down the hall to the dining room table, Molly skipping in front of them. The group sat down at the dining room table and began to dig into their dinner.
"So, Sarah why don't you tell us a little about yourself." Ellie suggested, breaking the silence.
"Okay. Well, Uhm- what do you want to know?" Sarah asked awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
"I don't know, where do you work? Are you seeing anyone? Is Molly's father in the picture? How about your family? Do you have any?" Ellie asked inquisitively, as Chuck noticed how far Ellie was going right now.
"El, calm down with the questions, Alright? You'll scare them away." Chuck followed with a soft laugh, reaching over to put a hand on his sister's shoulder to stop her stampede of questions.
"Uhm- Well, I currently work at Maher Corp in the sales department, but Chuck and Bryce here offered me a job today, which is great because my job a Maher Corp really doesn't pay well, at all. And not to mention i'm more than overqualified for my position, and could be doing so much better for his company." Sarah said, pausing to look over at Chuck, who was blushing furiously and looking down at his plate. That's when she realized she never even knew what his company was, when Devon spoke.
"That's awesome of you bro! I'm sure Sarah will be great for Flash-Tech!" Chuck said, bumping elbows with Chuck, and giving a thumbs up.
"Wait, Flash-Tech? You two run Flash-Tech?" Sarah questioned, inquisitively, shocked.
"Yeah. It's not a big deal. Chuck here mostly comes up with all the ideas. If your friends are looking for jobs in public advertising, we'd be more than happy to give them positions!" Bryce said, using his hands for gestures.
"I'll definitely talk to them about it. I know they hate our current boss, and he doesn't pay much to anyone. But wow! That's awesome! You guys are like- a really big company." Sarah said, staring at Chuck with a dreamy look, as he furiously blushed and looked down at his almost finished plate.
"So, is there anyone else in your life, Sarah?" Ellie began back in with the questions.
"No, Not really. My mom lives in San Diego, and my father…." Sarah trailed off, thinking about what Carina had said that day. "Give this guy a chance if you think he really deserves it!"
"Truthfully my dad left me when I was in high school. I moved back in with my mom before I went to college. I'm an only child, so i only have my two best friends who live here in New York, Carina and Zondra." Sarah said, thinking about her daughter sitting next to her, not wanting to get into her conman of a father just now, but promising herself she'd tell him later.
"What about her father?" Ellie asked, as Chuck began to freeze in place, waiting for her answer about the little girl's father.
"No, he's not in the picture. I guess he never really has been. Truthfully, I don't even know what he looks like, much less who he is." Sarah said dejectedly, feeling embarrassed and ducking her head down.
"Hey, it's okay. We're here for you. Consider us your new family! Anything you two need, we're here for you." Chuck said, noticing Sarah's change in mood.
"Yeah, anything you need, just give us a call and we'll be there to help. But, have you ever considered getting a DNA test to see who he is? Maybe you could have him pay child support? That is, if you haven't gotten a test yet, or if i'm being too pushy." Ellie said, becoming the one to duck her head down.
"I'd considered it once in a blue moon, but not recently. Maybe I'll have Molly take one to see." Sarah said, looking over at her confused daughter.
"Mommy, I don't wanna eat the corn." Molly interrupted, playing with her corn with her fork.
"Can we make a deal?" Chuck said, kneeling over towards the little girl.
"Maybe…" Molly responds, turning in her seat to look directly at Chuck.
"If you eat your corn, I'll let you have a sneak peek at what's for dessert, so you'll be the only one to know first besides me and Ellie, and we can surprise everyone!" Chuck said in a slightly low voice to the little girl, as her face lit up, thinking about the concept of surprises.
"Okay!" Molly eagerly accepted, before eating her corn with ease.
"Good! Now come on, let's go check out what's for dessert." Chuck said holding his hand out for Molly, her instead jumping into him so he could lift her up on his shoulder.
"There we go." Chuck said, holding on to the girl and walking with her into the kitchen to look at the desserts that had been hidden in the cabinet.
Sarah was a little teary eyed at the warmth of this beautiful family, and how perfect the family fit together with her and Molly. She couldn't help but be ecstatic at the sight of Molly and Chuck getting along so well, knowing how her daughter was usually very shy around others. But not Chuck. Of course not Chuck, I mean, he's perfect! Who are we kidding! Sarah said to herself in her head, looking over at his sister, to see her on the verge of tears as well.
Sarah looked back towards the kitchen where he and Molly were, when she saw her get visibly more excited and had wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and hugged him, digging her head into his shoulder, and she saw him plant a soft kiss to the side of her head, and that's when she couldn't stop herself anymore. "My dear lord, I think my ovaries just exploded." She muttered to herself, not realizing she had said it out loud, yet still at a soft tone. She realized she had said it out loud when she saw Ellie looking at her, her eyes wide yet also inquisitive. There was continued silence for a couple minutes, before Ellie decided to break it.
"Do you all wanna help decorate the tree before dessert?" Ellie asked, as Molly finally dug her head out of Chuck's neck and turned in his arms to face Ellie, a massive smile on her face.
"We get to decorate a tree! That's so cool! I've always wanted to! Yay!" Molly yelled, practically jumping out of Chuck's arms. There was a slight pause in the room as the group realized what Molly had meant, meaning she didn't get to decorate trees. Sarah sat in her seat, a little distraught, when she noticed a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her where the arm had come from to see Chuck, a little nervous.
"Can you come with me to my room real quick? I have something to show you." Chuck said, not thinking of his word play. When he realized, his eyebrows shot off his forehead and his eyes her wide, as did hers. "Not that! I just- it's not what it sounds like- because that came out REALLY wrong. I just- uhm…." Chuck said, stumbling over his words. Sarah stood up out of her chair and grabbed hold of his hand and gave it a tight squeeze before saying in a low tone, "It's fine, Chuck. And sure. Lead the way."
Chuck led her down the hallway to his room, and then opened the door for her, letting her in first.
"Okay, so, I was thinking about the DNA test thing, and I realized, I bought one almost a month ago. I haven't used it, cause after I Bought it I decided I didn't want it anymore. So I thought you could have it." He said, walking to his closet, and opening the door to see the empty closet except the box in the corner he had left there. He picked it up and walked back over to where she had taken a seat on the edge of his hand, and reached out to hand it to her.
"Chuck, that's so sweet- Why don't you want to use it anymore?" She couldn't help but question, trying to refrain from crying.
"I was gonna use it to look for my grandparents, but once i had already ordered it, I realized that if I was meant to have a bigger family, it would come to me in time. I guess it did." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and making eye contact with her. That's when they both noticed the Christmas music Ellie must have put on on a speaker, playing Underneath The Christmas Tree. Sarah continued looking up at him, playing over the last sentence he had mumbled. I guess it did. It had struck her like a lightning bolt when she realized he had meant that Molly and her were his family, and they had practically destined to be in his mind. She couldn't stop herself anymore, she was either going to cry, or not be able to stop herself any longer. Her brain told her to cry at the kindness of this man she had just met, and her heart told her to kiss him until she passed out. She had to make a decision, and she went with her heart.
She stood up quicker then she ever had, and threw her arms around the back of his neck immediately soon rising to her fullest height, and quickly pulled him in to her, their lips meeting softly at first. At first he couldn't react, he was so shocked. Once he understood what was going on, and remembered how to function, he put his left hand on the small of her back, and his right just grasping hold of her waist, pulling her ever so slightly closer, deepening the kiss. They continued to stand there in the dim lit room, refusing to let go, when Sarah let her tongue slip out of her mouth and slowly wiped it across his upper lip. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan when he pulled her in even closer, there now being no space in between them, and opening his mouth ever so slightly, letting his tongue follow her actions as they danced back and forth for control over the situation. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and just as she was about to let all restraint go and jump into his arms, they heard a voice, and a knock.
"Hey bro, I was just wondering where the- Oh. Sorry bro, I didn't mean to interfere. I'll come back in a little while, let you two lovebirds get back to your fun fest." Devon said, holding up his hands as if he was surrendering. The two immediately pulled away from each other the moment they first heard his voice over the soft tone of the end of the song, leaving them baffled and embarrassed. Before Devon walked away, he looked directly at Chuck and mouthed, "Awesome." before giving a giant thumbs up and finally backing away.
The two stood in awkward silence for almost a minute, the next song starting in, as they didn't turn back to face each other again, in fear of what might happen. When Chuck couldn't take the silence anymore, he turned to face her and moved to stand in front of her.
"Look, I don't know if that was too soon, or what, but if it was, I'm completely sorry and it'll never happen again-." Chuck started but was cut off by a short, chaste kiss to his lips once again, this time to shut him up from his rambling.
"Chuck, if you couldn't tell, I initiated that kiss. And too soon or not, I would be devastated if it never happened again. I'd also probably be lying if I said I didn't want to do it again…" Sarah confessed, looking a little sheepish.
"I don't know how soon is too soon, but Sarah Walker, in the past 7 hours since I've known you, You've changed my life more than ever. I've never felt this way about anyone, and I'd be more than willing to explore it. That is, if you would want to be with me. And i know you have Molly, and the 'problems' with her father, but just know that I'm here for you, and if you ever want to be with me, I'll be here waiting and I'll be ready and willing to go at whatever pace you need. Okay?" Chuck asked, taking hold of her hands, giving them so soft squeeze inside of his.
"Oh, God, Chuck." Sarah said, losing it all once again. She immediately jumped into his arms, him being as shocked as he was, still able to react immediately and grab hold of her waist to support her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. They shared a brief, intense stare into each other's eyes before she cupped his cheeks and brought her head closer to his, beginning to kiss him even more passionately then before. They stood there in his room, sharing their feelings through their actions for the next minute and a half, before they both stopped simultaneously, both out of breath, practically gasping for air as they moved apart. She hopped down from his hold, landing back on the ground. She reached up to his shirt and smoothed the wrinkles on it before he grabbed hold of the hand on his chest and brought it up to his mouth to give it a small kiss. She found the gesture so sweet and passionate, she felt her knees almost start to weaken. She had to do something before she began to climb him like a tree much like she did that time with Chris, which clearly didn't end as intended.
"We should probably get out there. We don't wanna keep them waiting." Sarah said awkwardly, looking down at the ground.
"Yeah, we uhm- we should probably do that." He said, reaching his hand out for her to hold his. She quickly acquiesced and they walked out of his room, one of her hands holding his, the other holding the DNA kit, that could reveal so much…
A/N
this is really fun for me to write right now, because i'm totally already in the Christmas spirit and if you somehow can't tell where I'm going with this, you'll find out soon enough. but you probably have an idea in your head already, and that's probably what it is lol.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and trust me, I read all your reviews and it makes me so happy to know I'm not the only one reading my own stories haha. but seriously, i appreciate the reviews and messages, they really keep me motivated to write more.