A/N: Spending the summer apart on opposite sides of the country. Thousands of miles away from the person you love. These are the times that try men's souls. Women's souls too. At least it's trying Chuck's soul. And it's certainly trying Sarah's patience. It's been almost two months. How are they holding up?
Disclaimer: I never did get legal documents or even just a letter (or anything else) from anyone in Hollywood, so I don't own Chuck. And I certainly don't make any money from Chuck.
Chapter 46 – The Letter
Thursday August 1
It was a day off for Chuck and his teammates. The regular summer season had concluded the previous day with the Red Sox losing their final game to the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. Even allowing for the loss, they still managed to secure a spot in the playoffs by finishing the season with a record just over .500. Eight of the ten teams in the league would take part in the end of season tournament. Only the teams from Brewster and Hyannis would be missing out this year. Each of the matchups would be determined by the winner of a best-of-three series.
The team's first playoff game was scheduled for the next night against the Orleans Firebirds. It was Chuck's turn in the rotation, so he would get to start. He wasn't all that worried about the game. He'd diligently maintained his workout regimen and Coach Pickler had been careful to closely manage the games he had pitched in. Chuck felt better than he had since before he'd been injured. Whether he had started or pitched in relief. He was just happy to get the chance to play.
His desire to not let his summer teammates down was the biggest reason he wasn't out with Bryce and the other guys having a good time blowing off a little steam. Chuck chose to stay back and continue his personal research project and focus on his pending homecoming with Sarah. That is, until Mrs. E coerced him into dancing with her again. Not that he minded. She really was a pretty good dancer. Not as good as Sarah, but who was? And he needed all the practice he could get if he wanted his surprise for Sarah to be a success.
"Oh, Chuck! You've gotten so much better. I'm amazed at how much you've learned over the summer," Mrs. E exclaimed as he twirled her around again to the sound of "Rockin' Robin" blaring from her stereo speakers.
"Thank you, Mrs. E! I'm glad you think so." He couldn't keep his pleased smile off his face. He had learned a lot over the summer and had hoped that his dancing reflected that fact. It was especially nice to hear someone besides Alexi and Ilsa tell him that he was getting better. They danced away from each other before turning and coming closer together.
"I used to love to jitterbug when I was your age. The boys seemed to like my moves too," she smiled at her memories. "You're almost as good as some of my dance partners from those days."
"Really?" Chuck was surprised. Another twirl.
"Yup!" Mrs. E chirped. "You just need more time on the dance floor. A bit more practice and you'll really impress your Sarah when you get home to Stanford."
"I hope so," he sighed. "I'm worried that she's going to be upset that I took lessons after she told me that she'd teach me to dance herself."
"She might be a little miffed, at least to begin with," Mrs. E conceded. "But I think she'll be pretty impressed that you had the initiative and decided to spend the time to get some lessons so you could become a more skilled dance partner and make her happy."
"If you say so," Chuck didn't sound convinced.
Mrs. E snorted, "You worry too much. From what you've told me, that girl loves you too much to stay mad at you for long. If she even gets mad in the first place. Particularly if you're able to keep up with her when you're doing something with her that she enjoys doing as much as you say she likes to dance."
"I guess you're right," he shrugged uncertainly.
"Of course, I'm right," Mrs. E chuckled. "I'm a girl, aren't I? Even if I was born in the last century." She grinned up at him. "Speaking of which, I think this ol' gal needs a breather."
"You're not old," Chuck scoffed. "You're dancing better than me."
"That's kind of you to say so, Chuck," she smiled warmly, patting his arm. "But part of that is the fact that I have more experience with jitterbugging in general and much more experience than you do dancing in my den instead of on a proper dance floor. I don't bump into the furniture as often."
"That makes sense," he replied as he walked over to the stereo and turned the music off. "And you're right about the furniture." Chuck rubbed his sore shin where he'd made contact with the end table next to the couch. Mrs. E snorted and twisted her lips to the side while she shook her head.
"I may be young at heart, but my feet know otherwise," the old woman joked.
"Is that your way of asking me to give you a foot massage, Mrs. E?" Chuck teased.
"See? I knew you'd learned some things this summer," she smirked. He laughed.
"Let me get the massage oil and a towel."
"You do that," Mrs. E nodded. "I'm gonna go sit in my chair and take a load off." He hurried from the room heading toward the basement. When he got back and began to massage her tired feet, she nodded her thanks. "Sarah is going to enjoy this as much or more than your dancing skills, Chuck.
"You're right about that," he agreed with a nod. "After she's had me stepping all over her feet all night, she's going to need a foot massage."
Mrs. E smiled and shook her head at the young man's cluelessness. Chuck was too focused on his task to notice.
Friday August 2
Chuck walked off the pitcher's mound. There were two outs in the fifth inning and he'd reached the limit Coach Pickler had set for him for the game. The Red Sox were ahead of the Orleans Firebirds, 3-1. He smiled and waved to the crowd while they applauded. More fans were sitting in the stands than for a regular game. An even larger group was standing around the entire perimeter of the field, safely behind the chain link fence. Even Dr. and Mrs. Simcoe were there, having made a point to drive out from Boston to cheer him on. Chuck noticed them yelling and waving from where they stood a short distance from his team's dugout. They yelled even louder when they caught his attention and rewarded them with one of his signature smiles and an even more enthusiastic wave of his own.
"You did good, Chuck," Coach Pickler told him when the older man got back to the dugout after watching the new pitcher, Carlos Lomeli, take his warm-up tosses.
"Thanks, Coach," Chuck replied, smiling when Pickler patted his shoulder.
"You're welcome," the coach grinned. "I wasn't kidding. Your final stats are pretty good. Eighteen batters faced. Three hits, one run, one walk, and eight strikeouts. Not a bad outing. At all. And you might just get another chance to pitch again before the playoffs are over."
"Looking forward to it."
"Good thing," the older man nodded. "Now go ice your arm while you sit and relax." He smirked when Chuck grinned and sketched a salute.
On the other side of the country, Sarah sighed wistfully. She was propped up on her bed watching Chuck's game being streamed on YouTube. When his coach went to visit him on the mound, she was concerned that she wouldn't be seeing him anymore that night. While Chuck walked off the field, smiling and waving, she caressed his image on her computer screen. Just before he reached the dugout, she kissed the tip of her index finger and pressed it to his face one last time.
"You did good, baby," she said quietly to herself. "I miss you so bad. Love you. Please come home to me soon." This summer was taking forever. School was going great, but she really, really missed her boyfriend. She knew that they'd talk on the phone a bit later that evening, but it was a pretty poor substitute for having him next to her. And the two of them kissing.
Sunday August 4
"Hiya, Chuck. Hey there, Bryce," Bev and Barb chorused together when the two baseball players got close enough to hear them and not just see them in their cute little bikinis, bright red this time.
Sunday had dawned sunny and very warm. The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox didn't have a game on the calendar. They'd played two games against the Orleans Firebirds and won both, meaning the team was still alive in the playoffs. Practice for their next game was scheduled to take up most of the afternoon. Meanwhile, the morning was wide open for other pursuits. Bryce and Chuck, both missing the California beaches, made a beeline for the ocean as soon as they'd finished their breakfast.
"We saw you guys playing Friday night," Barb cooed.
"And last night," Bev added, for emphasis. "It's great you won both games."
"Thank y'all," Chuck drawled. The girls giggled at his accent, thinking how cute he sounded.
"Whatcha doin' t'day? Any plans?" Barb asked hopefully.
"Getting some sun and swimming for a bit," the lanky pitcher replied, his nearly fully regrown curls blowing in the breeze coming in off the water.
"And after?" Bev followed up.
"Practice. All afternoon," Bryce interjected. "Big game tomorrow with Harwich. Coach Pickler wants us well prepared. Rested and ready."
"Speaking of which, I'll go get us a spot, Bryce," Chuck piped up. "Nice chatting with y'all. Catch you later." He nodded to the two young women before continuing up the beach. With his back turned, he missed their frowns and quiet sighs.
"Still no luck?" Bryce smirked, knowing the answer.
"Nope," Bev pouted. "We've tried everything short of pouncing on him and tearing his suit off." Larkin chuckled. "Who knew that when he talked about playing around in the water, he really meant working out like a crazy man? No 'playing around' was involved. At all. That guy swims like a damn fish. Way too focused, if you ask me," she concluded grumpily.
"And you thought I was lying, didn't you?" Larkin asked, shaking his head knowingly.
"Yup, we did," she answered, then paused. "She must be some girl," the brunette continued, "that girlfriend of his. I've never met a guy who would turn down a chance to hang out with two bikini babes, girlfriend or not."
Did she actually call the two of them 'bikini babes'? Bryce snorted and shook his head. "I told you that you were wasting your time."
"Yeah. And we should have listened to you." Bev frowned.
"Don't feel too bad. He talks to her every night," Larkin admitted. "And he writes her a letter every day too."
"You're kidding!" The young woman's eyes widened in shock.
"Nope. Not kidding. At all."
"He must have it bad for her. Really bad." She shook her head.
"Oh, yeah. Bad. Completely around the bend. Know what I'm sayin'?" Bryce agreed.
"You mean they're in love? True love? For real?" Bev was incredulous.
"Yup. Seems like it. She's just as bad as he is too. She would do anything for him. And he, for her. You wouldn't believe me if I told you the whole story. Or, at least, the parts of the story that I know about," the shortstop confided. Shifting his focus to the other girl sitting next to her friend, he realized that she hadn't taken part in the conversation.
Barb had her phone out and was filming Chuck, ignoring the discussion taking place around her. He might be out of reach, but his body still made for great viewing. No harm in looking. Those videos always got a lot of likes when they posted one online.
"You still filming him too?" Bryce was incredulous. And a little creeped out.
"Sure. Why not?" Bev asked. "A hottie is a hottie. Even if he's off limits otherwise."
Chuck is a hottie? Bryce wondered to himself. "You posting that stuff? The videos that have Chuck in them, I mean?" he asked out loud. When the brunette nodded, he drew back in surprise. "Isn't that illegal or something?"
"Nope. Not illegal," Barb answered, having paused her filming and moved the phone so it didn't obstruct her face. "Besides, we blur out the faces before we post anyway. His curly hair paired with his buff body in that teeny-tiny swimsuit makes for entertaining viewing, even without people being able to see his cute face. The number of views we get when we post one tells us that much. Same goes for the number of likes."
"You sure?" When the girls nodded, Bryce shrugged. He had no idea if what they were doing was legal or not. Chuck would know, but he wasn't going to ask him and have to explain the reason behind his question. It did give him an idea, though. "What channel do you use to post your videos?"
"Bev and Barb Beachin' It," Barb responded with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Cool, I'll have to check it out," Bryce smiled as the girls beamed. "I'd better go. Don't want to miss out on any more relaxation time. See ya later," he waved and turned to make his way up the beach to where Chuck was getting ready to go in the water. The shortstop knew the girls would be filming his friend's every move.
That evening, after practice was over and the housemates had dinner with Mrs. E, Bryce found Bev and Barb's videos on YouTube. Chuck was busy talking to Sarah during their nightly call, so the shortstop ventured out to the deck overlooking the river to give the two of them some privacy. It also afforded him a chance to watch the videos he'd found undisturbed, but he used his earbuds just to be on the safe side. He was also careful to sit where he had a good view of both the outside stairs and the sliding doors that opened onto the deck. Bryce had no desire to be surprised by anyone who happened to wander out on the deck while he was seeing what sorts of videos the girls had posted.
Bev and Barb may have been more than a little self-absorbed, but they weren't pulling his leg, either. They had a decent number of views for all their videos. The ones featuring Chuck, even with his face blurred out, got the most views and likes by a pretty decent margin. Their giggly suggestive commentary only added to the appeal. The viewer feedback was interesting to read, to say the least. Some of it was very interesting.
Bryce wanted to let Sarah know about the existence of the videos to tease her and Chuck. He wasn't trying to be mean or cause trouble, but he did want to wind them both up a little. A bit of harmless fun. How to do that was the question. He really did like both of them and was happy they were together. Sarah's feelings for Chuck and her determination to help him were a huge part of the pitcher's recovery back in the spring. Bryce also thought Chuck was becoming a friend. So was Sarah, at least he hoped, but would settle for her not still being mad at him over what he'd done in the fall. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their thawing attitudes toward him. Or cause a rift between the couple. He had no desire for things to slide back to where they were last year. That meant he'd have to think of a way to let Sarah know about the videos indirectly. Doing it that way would give him a small buffer. Maybe even a way to have plausible deniability. It would require some thought.
Wednesday August 7
It had been a tumultuous three days. Harwich won the first game on Monday, 5-1. Despite the Red Sox belting eleven hits, they only managed to plate one run and that was in the first inning. Harwich's five runs came on only five hits, but the Sox gave up four walks and made five errors, including one by Bryce, which didn't help their cause. When it was all said and done, it was enough to put Yarmouth-Dennis in a hole that they couldn't escape.
The follow-up game, scheduled for Tuesday, was rained out, so the second contest had to be postponed until Wednesday. Dr. Simcoe and Melody made the drive out from Boston after Chuck called them and confirmed that he would be starting the game, despite the one-day delay. It was hard to miss them yelling from the stands when they saw him warming up in the bullpen.
Most of the game was a tense pitcher's duel. Chuck started out a little shaky, giving up a walk to the first batter. He ended up escaping the first inning otherwise unscathed and settled down after that. The Sox managed to draw first blood when they plated a run in the top of the third inning on three singles. Harwich struck back when Chuck gave up a homerun in the bottom of the fourth. Apart from that one mishap, Chuck had a very good night. When Coach Pickler replaced him before the team took the field to start the bottom half of the seventh inning, the game was still tied, 1-1. As he came off the field, he checked with the team's official scorekeeper. His final line was one run given up on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over six innings and 83 pitches. Chuck felt pretty good about that result, especially given where he'd been and how he'd felt just a few short weeks previously when he first arrived on the Cape.
Unfortunately for Yarmouth-Dennis, the team stumbled in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Lomeli had come in after Chuck in relief. Harwich chased him from the game after just two thirds of an inning by drawing a walk, smacking a double, and a sacrifice fly to left field to score the go ahead run. His replacement, Oscar Carvajal, gave up a single and a homerun to add three more runs to the Mariners' total. The Red Sox couldn't battle back, managing only one hit and a walk over the final two innings of the game. In a nearly identical repeat of how Stanford's season ended against Mississippi State, the Red Sox summer was over. Bryce and Chuck looked at each other with stunned expressions. Neither could quite believe that their season ended so abruptly. Larkin had slapped a couple of singles and played a flawless game at shortstop to match Chuck's good outing on the mound, but in the end, it didn't matter. They were done. The pair stood with their summer teammates watching Harwich celebrate having won the East Division tournament. The victory earned the Mariners the right to face the Cotuit Kettleers in the league championship series.
"Shit, dude," Bryce breathed, shaking his head.
"I know," Chuck nodded. "That's it. No more baseball until practice starts next month at Stanford."
"I don't know about you, but calisthenics and running poles doesn't sound like baseball to me," the shortstop joked.
"Don't remind me," Chuck replied sourly. "I've got a ton of work at my lab before then too."
"Would you two knock it off?" A voice complained. "Don't talk about school. Or fall practice. There are still a few weeks of summer left. Let us enjoy them. Please?"
"Yeah. Can it, Larkin. You too, Chuck," Another voice joined in that sounded like Evan Trask, one of their housemates. When Chuck drew a breath to speak, Evan went on. "No, Bartowski we don't want to hear about you rushing back to that girlfriend of yours, either."
"I'm not rushing anywhere," the pitcher retorted defensively. "I've got a research trip to deal with before I can go home."
"Research? You're going to go off somewhere doing schoolwork when you could be spending time with Sarah?" Joe Orse, their other housemate, asked. He and Evan had both learned Chuck's story from Bryce before the lanky hurler had even set foot on Cape Cod soil. "For a smart guy, you sure are dumb sometimes." That comment drew laughter from a number of places in the dugout.
"You have no idea of all the things Chuck has on his plate. Give the guy a break, will ya?" Bryce stepped in to deflect the other players' attention. He got a small but grateful smile and nod from the grad student. "You are an idiot; you know that right?" Larkin smirked under his breath when the rest of the team returned their focus to the spectacle taking place on the field.
Chuck shrugged and nodded. He was. He absolutely was. He missed Sarah terribly. But he also had an obligation to get some work done before he went back to her. That didn't even take into account the fact that he didn't have a place to live in Palo Alto yet. His house had a few more days of work still to be done on it before the furniture he and Sarah had selected could be brought in. Only then could he move in himself.
Thursday August 8
The day started early for Chuck and the guys. They stripped their beds and washed the sheets so Mrs. E wouldn't have to do that once they were gone. Then they divided up their gear between what the team was permitting them to keep and what had to be returned. After the four of them shared one last breakfast with their host, it was off to the high school field to turn in their uniforms and other team equipment before having a final meeting with Coach Pickler, his staff, and the rest of the team officials. All the host families were there too, including Mrs. E. Coach Pickler gave a short, but sincere, speech thanking the players for coming together like they did. For working hard as a team and coming up just a little short of getting the chance to play for the championship. Maybe next year. He also wished good luck to everyone who would be eligible for the major league draft the following spring. Handshakes and hugs all around. Then it was over. Bryce looked at Chuck and shrugged. It was time to go. Everyone was scrambling to get someplace to spend the remainder of their summer as quickly as they could. The Stanford teammates said their last farewells and piled into Chuck's car to head back to the house.
"How soon are you taking off, Chuck?" Larkin asked. People's travel plans had to be changed (or made) because of the suddenness of how the season ended. Bryce and Chuck hadn't had time before now to compare notes.
"As soon as I can get back to Mrs. E's and finish packing up my stuff," Chuck replied. "I need to get on the road to Boston, but I have to say goodbye to a few people before I do. What about you?"
"I need to get to the Hyannis Transportation Center to catch the Peter Pan shuttle that leaves for Logan just after noon," came the reply.
"I can drop you there, no problem. I'm going that direction anyway," Chuck offered.
"Thanks, buddy."
Chuck checked the time on his phone. "We should make it in plenty of time." After quickly packing his bags, Chuck and Bryce turned in their keys to Mrs. E with a final grateful hug.
"I expect I'll see you next summer, Bryce," the woman smiled.
"You just might, Mrs. E," Bryce grinned and nodded. "I enjoyed it."
"Even with all of the rules and restrictions?" she teased.
"Even with all of that," he laughed.
Turning to Chuck, she went on," I expect you'll be busy with your graduate work from now on, Chuck," Mrs. E declared. "But I would like a chance to meet this gal of yours. Sarah sounds like someone to be reckoned with if she can keep you busy from clear across the country."
"She is Mrs. E," Chuck admitted. "I'd like for you to meet her too. I know she'd like you. She's told me as much already."
"That's nice," she sniffled. "Well, best be on your way. You don't want to be late or Bryce will miss the shuttle to Logan."
Mrs. E grabbed a tissue when she walked them out to Chuck's car. After another hug and a wave, they got in the car and drove off toward Hyannis. They failed to notice their former host wiping her eyes.
The drive wasn't far and the traffic was lighter than it would be the next afternoon, Friday. Chuck found the Transportation Center without incident, just south of the small airport outside Hyannis.
"Thanks, man," Bryce said, taking his bags out of the backseat. "My shuttle will get me to Logan in time for my flight to Westchester. Dad said he'd be at the airport when I land to pick me up. The drive to New Canaan isn't very long from there. I'll most likely be home in time for dinner."
"That's great, Bryce. Glad I could help," Chuck shook his hand. "It's been fun. I had a good time this summer, all things considered."
"Me too."
"See you when you get back to Stanford."
"Yeah, you will. Say hi to Sarah for me when you finally wise up and go home," the shortstop smirked.
"I'll tell her," the pitcher grinned, then he sobered. "I'm glad we ended up rooming together, Bryce. I mean that."
"I'm glad too, Chuck." With a nod and a fist bump, Bryce picked up his bags and made his way into the Center.
Chuck watched him for a beat or two then got back in his car and drove the short distance to the Ballroom at the Beach. It was time for one last dance lesson before he made his farewells.
Ilsa had Chuck lead her through the dances he'd learned over the summer. They started out with the more formal ballroom dances like the waltz, foxtrot, and others. He'd even tried the tango. After dancing for a while with both Alexi and Ilsa offering small corrections, they moved on to the more casual, but still structured, dances like swing, boogie woogie, jitterbug, salsa, and, of course, the shag. Since these were more relaxed, Chuck was more at ease dancing, so he didn't need as much guidance from Alexi. Or Ilsa. In fact, she offered him a few compliments on his growing skill. The last dances they reviewed were the most laid back of all, the modern club dances where the instructors had taught him a small set of simple steps and moves that could be mixed and matched to many different types of music.
"Remember to listen to the rhythm ov the music, Charles. Let it guide you," Alexi encouraged him. Chuck took a breath and relaxed his shoulders. His movements became noticeably smoother.
"Da! Da! Dat's the way. Dat's the way!" the older man nodded, smiling. "Relax! Haf fun!"
"Much better, Charles. Much better," Ilsa smiled as they moved around the dance floor. "Sarah vill be so heppy vif you."
"Thank you," he blushed when the song ended.
"You haf learned much since you started," Alexi praised him when he patted him on the back.
"Da, you haf!" Ilsa smilingly agreed.
"I'll keep practicing. I promise," Chuck said. "I can't wait to show Sarah how much I've improved."
"Not so vorried she'll be angry vif you?" Ilsa asked jovially.
"Not as much, no. I hope she'll be happy enough that I know some dances and that I'm not so terrible anymore that she won't be mad. Or not as mad," he admitted.
"You vorry too much, Charles," the older woman shook her head knowingly.
"Ilsa's right, Charles. You vill see," Alexi said confidently.
"I'll find out soon enough, I guess," Chuck shrugged, looking pensive.
"But you need to go," Ilsa said.
"Yeah, I do," he sighed. "As much as I'd like to stay longer, I need to get into Boston and get back to work on my research."
"You must do vut you must do," Alexi agreed. The two men hugged and shook hands.
"Thank you, both. For everything."
"You can tank us by bringing Sarah to visit us. Ve vant to vatch you dance vif her," Ilsa requested. "Promise?"
"I will come back. And bring Sarah with me. Promise," Chuck replied, smiling and laughing.
"Dat's good!" Ilsa declared. Then it was her turn to hug him. And gift him with kisses on both cheeks.
Chuck was still blushing when he turned his car toward Boston. He had a room waiting for him at the Harvard Club. It wasn't very far from there to his first destination, the Massachusetts Historical Society. The MHS housed a collection of General Henry Knox's Revolutionary War papers and Chuck meant to sift them for clues to support his theory.
It wasn't until after Bryce had dinner later that day when he screwed up the courage to call Alex McHugh. He'd gotten her number from Daniel Shaw the previous school year when the two of them were acting like idiots. Luckily, he hadn't deleted her number when he'd cleaned up his act.
"Alex," he began. "It's Bryce Larkin."
"Bryce!" She was surprised that he was calling her. She hadn't recognized the number when it popped up on her phone. Now, she understood why. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to talk to you about something." He told her about the YouTube videos. "Take a look at the first one from June 23."
Alex did as he asked and started giggling. "Wait until Sarah gets a load of this."
"They post every night, but only the ones posted on Sundays have Chuck in them." Bryce elaborated.
"If they're all like this one … And some of those comments people left … Woo Boy! Sarah will blow a gasket."
"I'm not trying to cause any trouble," Bryce revealed. "I just want to tease them a little bit. That's OK, right?"
"I don't think it'll cause any trouble. Nothing bad, at least," Alex agreed, shrugging even though Bryce couldn't see her doing it. "It may drive Sarah up a wall, though. She misses him something fierce."
"He misses her just as much. I can tell you that for a fact."
"She might devour him whole when she sees him again. Videos or no videos."
"So, you'll tell her about them? Keep me out of it until I tell Chuck later?" Bryce asked. "If he survives, that is."
"Yeah, Bryce. I'll tell her. Then we'll see if he survives," the brunette laughed, thinking of her friend's almost certain reaction. Maybe it was mean, but Sarah was a lot of fun to tease.
Saturday August 10
It had taken Alex all of Friday to figure out how to tell Sarah about Bev and Barb's videos. She'd practiced what she planned to say after breakfast. It had taken up most of her Saturday morning. Once she'd gotten her story straight in her mind, she called her friend.
"Hi, Alex! What's going on?" Sarah asked when she answered her phone.
"That's just what I was going to ask you. Hi, yourself. Whatcha doin', Sarah? You gonna be around your apartment for a while?" the brunette asked, making an effort to sound casual.
"Uh … sure. I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, so I'll be here. Why?" Sarah answered.
"I found something that I want to show you. You busy right now? Can I come over?" Alex replied cryptically.
"No. Not busy right now. What's up? Whaddya want to show me?" Her friend's vague response surprised Sarah.
"Something you'll want to see. I'm jumping in my car as we speak. See you in a few. 'Bye!" Alex chirped as she hung up.
The brunette was clearly excited about something. Sarah could hear it in her friend's voice, even though Alex had tried to mask it. Something was up. What was going on?
The CATS' apartment was on the southeast edge of the Stanford campus in Escondido South (Escondido Village V). The complex housed a mixture of single and married students who lived in two-story buildings located between the Rains apartment complex, Studio One, and the Graduate Community Center. Sarah and her friends' apartment was the standard 3-bedroom layout which had the living and dining rooms on the first floor, along with the kitchen. Three bedrooms and the apartment's only bathroom occupied the second floor. With a mere 800 square feet, space in the apartment was tight but it was still more room than all four CATS had shared in Roble Hall. Alex's parents' house wasn't all that far from that part of campus, so her drive was over before she knew it.
Usually, parking was difficult near their building with spaces being at a premium. Since it was Saturday and people were out running errands, Alex was able to find a spot not too far from her friends' apartment. She quickly walked to their unit and took a few deep breaths to collect herself before ringing the doorbell.
Sarah had still been mulling her and Alex's conversation over when she heard the door chime. It came as no surprise that the noise at the door caused a Pavlovian response in her two roommates and they came running down the stairs to find out what was going on. Whatever Alex wanted to show her, she was about to find out. And so were Carina and Zondra. Sarah sighed and opened the door.
"Alex! Come in," Sarah said, stepping back to give her friend enough space to enter.
"Hey guys!" The brunette greeted the three roommates. They could see that she was carrying her laptop bag.
"What brings you by, Alex?" Zondra asked.
"Sarah didn't tell you?"
"No, she didn't," Carina gently chided.
"Sorry," Sarah replied, not sounding sorry at all. "I was lost in my head thinking."
I bet! Alex thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "I've got something to show Sarah."
"What is it?" Carina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, what is it?" Sarah asked, irritated that Carina had inserted herself into the conversation. A conversation that Alex had clearly stated, was meant for her. But her friends were there too. Asking them to leave now would only cause them to stubbornly refuse. And insist on knowing the reason for Alex's visit. They'd acted that way before in similar situations. She sighed resignedly and twisted her lips to the side with a shake of her head.
"Give me a sec!" Alex spent a few minutes setting up her laptop on the apartment's coffee table. After she turned it on, she brought up her browser and went to YouTube. Turning to the three roommates, she announced, "I was online the other night and I found something."
"Whatcha find?" Sarah drawled, beginning to get a bit exasperated. She was having a hard time containing her curiosity and her consternation at Alex's vagueness.
"This!" Alex said, gesturing theatrically. She clicked on the last video she'd watched. It was the video Bryce had told her about. Sarah and her roommates watched as it began to play. Alex eyed Sarah, eager to see her reaction.
"What is this? Who are these girls who're talking?" Sarah asked, confused. Then she saw who the girls were talking to. And filming. Even though his face was blurred out, Sarah recognized Chuck. Chuck in his small racing suit. "Oh my God! That's Chuck!" She whined. "Who are these girls?" she repeated her demand. "Why are they filming my boyfriend?" She glared at Alex, briefly, before returning her gaze to the laptop screen chewing on her lower lip, clearly flustered.
The brunette leaned in and paused the video. Looking up, she answered Sarah's questions. "Their names are Bev and Barb. This video was dated June 23. The week Chuck first arrived in Massachusetts."
The blonde snorted in derision. "Of course, they are." Under her breath, she mumbled, "More stupid brunettes." The two brown-haired women in the room with her heard her anyway.
"Hey!" Zondra exclaimed. "Watch who you call stupid!"
"Yeah! Hey!" Alex chimed in, unable to keep from grinning. She was much too amused to hide it any longer. Sarah was acting exactly like she thought she would.
"I wasn't talking about you guys," Sarah defended herself. "I was talking about those two bimbos in the video. Jill Roberts all over again." Her jealousy was clear to the other women.
"Didn't Chuck kick Roberts to the curb? Even before you two started dating?" Zondra asked rhetorically.
"I want to see the rest of it," Carina piped up, resuming the video, before Sarah could answer. The foursome watched as the video played out. Once it was over, Sarah looked over at Alex.
"Are there more videos? Of Chuck, I mean?" she asked, half worried and half excited. After all, it was her Chuck and he was wearing that suit. Memories of their afternoon together by the pool with Devon and Ellie rose up in her mind.
"Oh, yeah. There's more," Alex confirmed. "They have a channel called "Bev and Barb Beachin' It." They post videos every day, but Chuck only shows up in the ones they post on Sunday. At least as far as I can tell. I've only watched a couple of weeks' worth."
"I'm surprised your brain hasn't rotted away completely after watching this junk." Sarah pouted. She ignored the grins on her roommates' faces. Jealous Sarah was always entertaining.
"It may have," their visitor allowed. Alex was really trying not to laugh at Sarah's green-eyed outrage. Keeping a straight face was hard enough as it was. "Wanna see the next one?"
"Is it the same as this one?" Chuck's testy girlfriend wanted to know.
"Oh, no. It's better." Alex pulled in her chin when she saw Sarah frown. "Or worse. Depending on your point of view."
"Wonderful," Sarah huffed. "I guess you better show it to us then."
Alex gave her a tight closed mouth smile when she bent down and cued up the video from June 30. It didn't take long after it began for Sarah to conclude that it was worse than the first video. Much worse.
"Did they just call this video "Poseidon's Sunday Show"?" she asked with a mixture of incredulous amusement and horror.
"Yup, they did!" Alex hiccupped, desperately trying not to laugh at the expression on her friend's face.
"Morons! And the stuff they're saying! No shame at all. I'm amazed that they don't get arrested for saying things like that in public with families sitting nearby. It's obvious they're undressing him with their eyes," Sarah groused.
"And their mouths," Carina smirked. "They'd use their hands and the rest of their body parts if they could."
"You got that right, Red," Sarah frowned and nodded emphatically. "Tramps." She was so upset that she didn't think to hide her jealousy. The other three women looked at each other and slowly shook their heads, their eyes dancing in amusement.
"But they're not, Sar," Zondra said once she'd doused her reaction to Sarah's behavior.
"What? What did you say?" the blonde blinked and shook herself like she was waking up from a trance.
"I said, they're not, Sarah," Zondra repeated. "They're not touching him. At all. Just filming him and making racy comments. That's it."
"Yeah, I guess," Sarah allowed, still irritated and not sounding all that convinced.
"C'mon, Blondie," Carina chided her. "You heard Chuck talk to them. He acted like he always does with everyone who isn't you. Friendly. Kind. Polite. Nothing more. A complete gentleman. You've got nothing to worry about."
"I know," Sarah sheepishly nodded. "But why does he have to wear his suit like that?" She didn't say that she liked him wearing that suit but not when he was so far away. She especially didn't like him wearing it when she couldn't watch him in person. And touch him. And slide it down … NO! Shut up, stupid brain. Her fingers were beginning to twitch. This torture had to stop.
"He's an idiot. So damn clueless," she waved her hand at the screen dismissively. "He doesn't even notice those other women drooling over him when he walks past them. It's not just those two cows, Bev and Barb, either. Not by a longshot." She fought to contain her sudden frustrated tears.
"No, it isn't, Sarah," Carina agreed. "But you said it yourself. He doesn't even see them. That's because that big dummy is so in love with you that he doesn't even look at any other women. At all. Ever. He's totally your idiot." She gave a side hug to the younger woman. "So quit worrying."
"Thanks, Red," Sarah sniffed. "I needed that. You're right about everything you said. He is my idiot." She looked at Alex. "And thanks for showing me those videos. Alex. I mean that. It's nice to know that my boyfriend is still a clueless fool after so many weeks of us being apart." A small grin. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But that's enough of this stuff for me. I'm going to go and get my mind off of all of this silly nonsense. Focus on something important. Like my schoolwork and the last week of classes coming up. Thanks for stopping by." Sarah wiggled her fingers and not-so-casually trotted upstairs to her bedroom. It was soft, but the three women left standing in the living room still heard her bedroom door shut.
"Study, huh?" Alex snickered. "How much you wanna bet she's going to watch every one of those Sunday videos up there in her room?"
"That's no bet, that's a sure thing," Zondra chuckled. "Oh, yeah. She's gonna watch them over and over until her blood boils. Chuck'll be lucky to survive twenty-four hours when he gets here."
"Yup, she's gonna watch those videos. No doubt. Probably already is," Carina said. "And Chuck will survive. No problem. Sarah has no intention of breaking him completely. Using up all of his man batteries, sure. But batteries can be recharged. Then drained again. Mark my words, girls. They're going to be sooo nauseatingly disgusting. Trust me. I could come up with a tongue-twister using Chuck and other words that end in 'uck' but it's almost too easy. But I think I'll leave the tongue-twisting to Sarah, in this particular instance." The three friends giggled naughtily. "No, the question is how long does she hold out until she gives in and tells him to drop what he's doing and come back to her? That is the question. And the bet."
"By this time tomorrow," Alex guessed. "She caves and calls him."
"I think she holds out until Monday," Zondra calculated. "Once she sees other couples walking around campus together, coupled with watching those videos, she'll give in and call him. What do you think, Carina?"
"I think she's as big an idiot as he is, but she is also very serious about graduate school," Carina smirked. "She'll hold out until Friday when testing starts. Since summer finals are only scheduled for two days, she'll talk to him Friday night after the first day is over. He'll come back sometime over the weekend, as quickly as he can get a flight, and she'll be done with finals by the time he gets here." She shrugged. "That's assuming, of course, that he isn't a complete idiot." More laughter.
It turned out that Carina and Zondra were both right. And both wrong.
Monday August 12
Sarah spent all weekend torturing herself repeatedly watching each stupid video. Those dumb brunette bimbos made her waste her time. The absolute nerve of girls like that slobbering over her Chuck and having the gall to film him on top of it. And post them online. Sarah could hardly believe it. Damn it.
Allowing a bunch of nameless online voyeurs to drool over him too. And write such dirty comments about what they wanted to do with him. The brunettes' commentary was raunchy enough, but some of the things others were posting … Holy shit! How dare they? They had no right! He was hers and hers alone. Besides, she wanted to do those things with him. She ached for it.
Well, she didn't want to do the crap detailed in those trashy comments. Not exactly. They were disgusting. Nothing more than pornographic fantasies with her boyfriend pasted into them. Those perverts just wanted him for his body. They didn't care about him at all. Not like she did. And after she had been so patient with him. So very patient.
No, that garbage was not what she wanted. She loved him and wanted to show him how much. Nothing tawdry or base, but something wonderful and loving. Something joyful that would take them both to a place only the two of them shared. Someplace beautiful and romantic.
Sarah sighed when she came out of her daydream and refocused on her computer. It displayed the latest video from August 4, the last one featuring Chuck, because she'd checked and made sure. He had left the Cape and was out of their reach now. Thank goodness. The playback was paused on an image of Chuck walking toward his towel after finishing his workout in the ocean. He was frozen in the middle of running his hands through his hair to wipe away the excess water. His fully regrown hair, Sarah noted. Her hands itched with her desire to run them through his luscious curls. She smiled wistfully, her index finger tracing down his digital body on the screen in front of her.
He looked so good. Tanned. Healthy. Sure, she saw him every night during their video chats, but he was always fully dressed and merely sitting there. These videos were different. Very different. Even if she ignored the tacky comments. He was active. Very active. Athletic. Fully recovered. All traces of his injury vanished. Sarah very much enjoyed watching him move. Seeing the way his tiny racing suit held him snugly while he walked, his strong muscles glistening as they flexed in the bright Massachusetts sunshine. She sucked on her bottom lip, humming her appreciation when she clicked and allowed the video to continue playing. Her insides were buzzing again.
As soon as it ended, she moved the pointer, intending to click on the first video to start the cycle once again. Sarah had long since saved the links to all seven videos featuring Chuck and watched them repeatedly. She couldn't help it. If she ignored the comments or turned the sound off, they really were pretty enjoyable. (She'd never read the comments again after reading the ones from the original video. Those were enough.) He was just so sexy and she wanted him so much. The videos both helped and hurt in that regard. They made her separation from him a little bit easier to take but drove her waking and her sleeping fantasies too. The time they'd spent putting sunscreen on each other had featured in many of her dreams at night. She couldn't deny that she was beyond desperate. With a huff, Sarah put her laptop down on the bed beside her. It looked like she was due for another cold shower. Maybe the icy water would help her focus her thoughts. It wasn't the first one she'd taken since Alex came by the apartment on Saturday. And it probably wouldn't be the last. Shaking her head at herself, she stripped down, and put on her robe. Grabbing her towel, she headed for the bathroom.
Sarah spent as much time under the cascading water as she could endure. By the time she'd dried off and warmed up, she'd made a decision. She was going to come clean with Chuck. Tell him how she felt and ask him to come home to her. But she wasn't going to call him. No, she was going to give him a little taste of his own medicine. She was going to write him a letter. He had told her his intended research schedule. The only place where she could send a letter that would reach him was to send it to his grandparents in Pennsylvania. She knew Chuck was going to be in the Philadelphia area by the end of the week and he planned to have dinner with them on Friday night or Saturday or both. If she wrote her letter and posted it in the morning it should reach them in time for him to receive it. She'd use Priority Mail just like he did to send letters to her. This way she wouldn't be as selfish as she would if she just called him and told him to come home. Chuck could spend the week doing his work and come home over the weekend. Sarah felt more than a little guilty about her plan but she couldn't take it. She'd reached her limit. She wanted him too much. She needed him here with her. Two months was too long to be apart.
Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out a piece of paper. Thinking for a minute, Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Please don't be upset with me, baby, but I can't stand being away from you any longer," she whispered. Opening her eyes, she began to write.
Later that night, Sarah had finished her letter and needed a final piece of information. And there was only one person who she could ask.
"Ellie, do you happen to have the address for your Bartowski grandparents?" Sarah texted.
"Sure. Why? If you don't mind me asking." Ellie texted back.
"No. Don't mind. I finally broke down." She sent.
"Finally couldn't take it anymore?" Came the reply.
"Yeah. I'm sorta going nuts over here." Sarah clicked back with a zany face emoji.
"Why not just call the idiot and tell him directly?" Ellie responded, adding a confused emoji face.
"Writing and sending a letter will allow him to get more work done before it arrives. That way he won't be as upset when he reads it." She tapped out.
"I'm glad you're giving him a taste of what he's been doing to you all summer. A little bit of payback. Stupid letters. But you're as big an idiot as he is. You know that, right?" Smirking face emoji.
"Probably, but I don't want him mad at me when he comes home, either. I've got other things planned for us." Sarah thought about it but decided against adding the eggplant and taco emojis to her text. She wasn't sure she wanted to share that kind of blatant information with anyone besides Chuck.
"Damn, girl! Tell it like it is! Go for it! Just remember he's my brother and he's an idiot." Ellie included the winking face with its tongue hanging out.
"That's my boyfriend you're calling an idiot, you know." Angry face emoji.
"I knew him first, pfft!" Another smirking emoji. The blonde giggled when she read it. She could just picture Ellie's cheeky grin.
"Uh. Ellie, I still need your grandparents' address." Sarah sent after waiting a minute without Ellie sending her another text.
"Right. Giggles. Here it is."
I hope you won't be angry with me when you get my letter, Chuck, Sarah worried, nibbling her lip while she addressed the envelope.
Friday August 16
Chuck had been busy for the last eight days. Busy, but happy. Immersed in the research for his history thesis, he'd been having a great time. As long as he didn't dwell on Sarah too much.
Playing baseball on the Cape had been a dream come true, but the truth was he'd missed his work. It was the longest stretch of time he'd gone without doing any sort of schoolwork and he'd begun to get antsy. Dance lessons and foot massage instruction didn't compare to wading neck deep into experiments and coding. In the past, he'd always had schoolwork over the summer to occupy his time in between playing baseball or going to swim meets. It didn't help that he missed Sarah so much it hurt.
The good news was that he was making some progress locating documents that would support his hypothesis that Gulph Mills, rather than Valley Forge, had been the Continentals' original choice for winter quarters in 1777-78. His quest for information had taken him from Boston to Albany, NY and north to the Saratoga Battlefield. Then down to West Point where he'd perused their museum collections before he'd driven on to Philadelphia. He'd spent Wednesday at the American Philosophical Society combing through the collection of their founder Ben Franklin's papers. Yesterday, he'd driven to Gulph Mills, outside Philadelphia, and reconnoitered the area to see the terrain with his own eyes before going on to Valley Forge itself to search through their library and archives. He'd spent the entire day today continuing his search through the archives.
His plan was to finish up at Valley Forge on Saturday and drive to Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Then spend the first half of next week sifting through General Washington and General Lafayette's papers housed in the National Archives. He expected a fruitful trip, but, if he wasn't able to secure the clear evidence he was after, he hoped to uncover information that would point him toward other avenues of investigation. But first, he was heading out to Downingtown to have dinner with his Bartowski grandparents at their retirement community. It had been a while since he'd seen them and Chuck was eager for this small reunion.
Parking in one of the marked visitor's spots, Chuck checked in at the front desk, eschewed the elevator and, instead, climbed the stairs to his grandparents' third floor condo. His grandfather answered the door when he rang the bell.
"Chuck! How are you, m'boy?" Granddad Bartowski greeted him. "Come in. Come in."
"Hi, Granddad. I'm fine. Had a busy week." The two men shook hands before stepping in for a familial hug.
"Research going well, I take it?" the older man asked once they parted. He closely resembled his son, Chuck's father. With a similar height and build, just an older version of his dad.
"Where's my hug?" Chuck's grandmother asked with a bright smile when she joined the two men. Short and energetic, she wore glasses like she had worn since she was a baby. Chuck had to bow deeply in order to hug her properly due to their height difference.
Straightening up, he answered his grandfather. "Yes, Sir. My research is going well. I've found a few things that support my idea. I hope to find more when I get to DC and get a chance to go through Washington and Lafayette's papers. How are y'all doing?"
"Can't complain," Granddad said. "No one would listen if we did." He chuckled.
"Oh, you!" Grandma patted her husband's arm and giggled. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you two visit while I finish up?" She scooted back into the kitchen. Chuck followed his grandfather into the family room, inhaling the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen as he passed.
"Got something for you," the older man drawled nonchalantly.
"Yeah? What is it?" Chuck wondered.
"This." His grandfather held an envelope out to him.
"A letter?" Chuck took it and looked at the return address. "It's from Sarah!" He didn't bother to hide his excitement.
"We know," Granddad replied, amused. He and his wife had talked when it arrived and were pretty sure what the letter contained. Even without taking a peek at it. They'd been young once and two months apart when you're in love was a long separation to endure. At any age really.
Chuck carefully opened the letter and began to read.
My Dearest Chuck,
I'm sorry, baby. This is me pouring my heart out to you. I can no longer avoid it. I miss you so much. I can't help it. Being apart is driving me crazy and I can't take it anymore. Please come home. Return to Stanford. Come back to me. I'm miserable without you. I love you and I need you here with me. Life isn't any fun when you're not around. Please don't hate me for saying that. Or for interrupting your research trip. Please, please.
…
…
Chuck eventually finished reading Sarah's letter. Then he read it again. And again, his emotions usurping his perfect memory. Looking up, he told his grandfather, "I need to make a phone call. Gotta talk to the Amex Centurion concierge."
"I thought you might. Go right ahead."
Chuck nodded absently and pulled out his phone while he retreated to the condo's sun room. He came back less than ten minutes later.
"When are you leaving?" Chuck looked at his grandfather with a stunned expression on his face. "Why the surprise? You and Sarah have been apart for almost two months. She sent you a letter to our address knowing when you'd get here for a visit. Pretty obvious what the letter said. You mentioned needing to talk to the Amex guy and rushing out of the room made it pretty clear." The young man stared incredulously. "You're not the only one who can draw logical conclusions, you know." He chuckled. "So? When do you leave?"
Chuck grinned sheepishly. He guessed his behavior did telegraph his intentions. "Tomorrow night. I've got a 7:00 pm flight out of Boston. I've got to get up in the morning and drive the lease car back up there. The plane is supposed to land at LAX just before 11 pm California time. I'll spend the night at home and drive up to Stanford Sunday morning."
"What are you going to do about your research?"
"I had the concierge cancel my hotel reservations after tonight and they promised to contact both Valley Forge and the National Archives and let them know I've had a change in plans. Once I get home to Stanford, I'll figure out a game plan for returning to pick up where I left off. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to do that before school starts up next month."
"Great! Come back. And bring Sarah with you. We'd love to meet her," the older man grinned.
"I might do that," Chuck smiled and nodded.
"What about your house? Is it ready yet?" Granddad asked, suddenly serious again.
"Yeah, it is. I talked to the contractor on Wednesday and he told me the renovations were completed. As a matter of fact, I also spoke with the interior decorator right before I drove out here. She told me that all of the furniture was moved in over the course of yesterday and today. They even laundered the sheets and towels and made the beds," Chuck told the older man. "All I have to do is stop by and get some groceries once I reach Palo Alto." He shrugged. "After I meet with the contractor, real estate agent, and decorator and do a quick walk through."
"You going to do all of that before you go and see Sarah?" His grandmother asked, having come to tell them that dinner was ready.
"I kind of have to. I need a place to stay and her apartment is too small for four people. She's made that crystal clear during our talks over the summer. It only has three bedrooms and one bathroom," Chuck answered. "Besides, her two roommates are a lot, if you know what I mean. So, trying to sleep on their couch might not be the best idea."
"Uh-huh, sleep on their couch," Grandma gave him a look. "In the meantime, let's eat before it gets cold."
With his plans solidified, Chuck relaxed and enjoyed dinner and his shortened visit with his grandparents.
Sunday August 18
Chuck had been going a mile a minute from the time he'd left his grandparents' condo.
As soon as he got back to his hotel Friday night, closer into Philadelphia than his grandparents' place, he called Sarah. She'd been so happy to hear that he was coming home that she'd started crying over the phone. He'd felt terrible until she assured him that she was crying tears of happiness. Waiting until Sunday to see him didn't seem so bad because she knew for certain that he was returning to her as quickly as he could. After two months of waiting, two days didn't sound so bad.
Saturday was a blur. An early morning wake up, followed by a long traffic-filled drive back to Boston. Returning the car and terminating the lease had almost been anticlimactic. His Delta flight left Boston on time and landed in LA a little bit ahead of schedule, around 10:45 pm. He'd passed part of the flight writing another letter to Sarah. It had become something of a habit for him to write his thoughts and feelings down for her to read. After working on the letter, he reviewed the personal research he'd been conducting, making sure his first-class seatmate was sound asleep before he opened any documents. Chuck made sure to allow enough time to grab some shuteye of his own before the plane landed. Once they were on the ground, he took a taxi home and had a light meal while his parents shared a snack. His last task of the night was to do some laundry before falling into bed in the wee hours.
Chuck did the rest of his laundry when he got up this morning too wired to stay in bed longer. Putting everything he needed back in his luggage; he grabbed the boxes containing his research from the family's secure storage and jammed it all in his car. Saying good-bye to his bemused parents, he hit the road. But not before he stopped and made a quick purchase at a drugstore his family didn't normally frequent.
An idea had come to him during the long flight from Boston, so, before he drove north, he gave his Uncle Lee a call because he had some questions he wanted to ask him. Even though it was a Sunday morning, Chuck was pretty sure his uncle would be working at the studio. It turned out he was right. His uncle was more than happy to spend some time with him and answering his questions. Armed with some sound advice and a few names of people he suggested Chuck get in contact with closer to Stanford, the lovelorn young man got back in his car and finally pointed it toward Palo Alto. And Sarah.
Chuck called Sarah soon after he started his drive north.
"Oh, Chuck! I can't wait to see you, baby! Be prepared for a lot of kisses. A. Lot. We've got two months of missed kisses to catch up on." Sarah was so excited it was making his nerves thrum.
"I'll be there as soon as I can, Sarah," he replied. "I promise not to drive too recklessly."
"You better not. I expect you to be here in one piece and in my arms before nightfall," she teased.
"Yes, Ma'am!" he responded, causing them both to giggle. "See you soon."
"Yes, you will," his girlfriend agreed.
The rest of the drive was uneventful, so he was able to meet Ms. Salstein and the others at his new house. Seeing all three people waiting for him when he pulled into the driveway hours later put a smile on his face.
"Hi y'all! Ready to show me around?" he called when he got out of his car.
"Sure thing, Chuck," Ms. Salstein grinned. The trio led him into the house and walked him through everything they had done while he'd been occupied in Massachusetts. They'd done a magnificent job. It all looked perfect. Even the new sod that replaced the putting green in the backyard. He couldn't be happier and told them so.
"Thank y'all. For everything. Thanks for working so hard to get it ready in time." He turned to the contractor. "Mr. Latanze, please pass along my thanks to your crew. They did a wonderful job." Looking at his 'team', he went on. "The furniture looks great. And the clean sheets and towels. It's just fantastic. I can't wait to start living here." Everyone chuckled at his enthusiasm. Lydia spent a few minutes explaining how the security system worked. With that task completed, the only things left to do were sign the appropriate papers and turn over the keys and garage controls. After concluding that business and a round of handshakes and hugs, Chuck found himself alone in the house. His new home.
A welcome gift basket was sitting on the kitchen counter along with the instruction manuals to the various appliances and the security system. Each of the documents had a local phone number written on the cover in case he needed help with anything. Spending as much money as he'd spent on the house, its alterations, and the furniture, meant people tended to want to make sure you were happy. Whistling one of the songs Alexi had used during his dance lessons, Chuck unloaded the stuff from his car.
The only thing that hadn't been done yet was to procure some groceries. He needed to be able to feed himself. And Sarah whenever she was there with him. Chuck was anxious to see her, but first things first.
The trip to the store didn't take all that long. He'd already composed a shopping list in his head during his long drive from Burbank and his logical mind formulated the most efficient path through the store to pick up the items he wanted to buy as soon as he set foot inside. A week's worth of groceries ought to do the trick. One cart, filled to the top, bagged and paid for was rapidly stowed in his trunk for the short drive back to the house.
While he'd been shopping, Sarah had sent him a text. "Carina says I'm driving her crazy so we're all going over to Helman Hall to waste some time and burn off some energy. Call me when you get here. Love you."
Chuck hadn't told her that he was already in Palo Alto and at his house. He wanted it to be a surprise, so he didn't respond assuming she'd think he was still driving up from Burbank.
Putting his groceries away was a cinch. His kitchen had plenty of storage space, but he expected the two of them would fill it as time went on.
Chuck was ready. Nervous, but ready. For everything. Hopefully.
He tried to ring Sarah, but the call went straight to voicemail. Either she was on the phone or her battery had run down. Since he was going over to campus to find her anyway, it didn't matter. He bought a gift at the store for Carina and Zondra that required a small cooler, so he picked it up. Recalling the instructions for the security system, he set the alarm and locked the front door behind him.
The drive didn't take very long. Chuck was glad to be back on campus and happy his parking pass would remain valid until the passes for the new school year went on sale. That made life easier in the near term. Summer quarter finals had ended on Saturday and people were already leaving for a few weeks of relaxation before Fall term began. Locating a parking place wasn't too difficult. He looked around for one of the girls' cars but didn't see any of them, guessing they must have parked in another lot. They might already have left, but he didn't think so. Either way, he'd find out once he got to Helman Hall. While he walked toward the building, Chuck thought back to last fall when he met Sarah and the CATS, along with the rest of the Songbirds. All the time he spent with them before baseball intervened. So many happy memories. Some of the best of his life. He wondered what the coming year had in store for Sarah and him.
Memories of Sarah were still replaying in his mind when he pulled the door to Helman Hall open. He could hear music playing inside. I guess that means Sarah is here after all. He entered as quietly as he could, hoping the music was loud enough to mask any noise he was making. His friends were definitely here. He could see them dancing. Pretty energetically too. Their backs were to the door so none of them noticed him yet. It looked like they were shuffle dancing. Alexi and Ilsa had shown him some videos of that dance, but he didn't have time to learn it. It looked complicated in his opinion. The three women twirled in place while they danced. Still, no one noticed him because their attention was focused on their feet and each other's intricate moves.
When he could clearly see Sarah, he froze just like he'd done the first time he saw her. In this very room. She was so beautiful. Stunning. No matter what she was wearing or what she was doing, she took his breath away. He must have gasped. Either that or she felt his presence after so long. Their connection. Her head snapped up and her eyes looked like saucers.
"CHUCK! OH, BABY! YOU'RE HERE!" she screamed excitedly, running toward him. And crying. "Ohhh, Chhuuck," she blubbered.
Chuck couldn't move.
"That is a deer-in-the-headlights look if I ever saw one," Carina commented. "She's going to break something if he doesn't snap out of it."
"Yup," Zondra agreed.
At the last minute, Chuck did come to his senses enough to drop the cooler he was carrying and grab Sarah right as she tackled him to the ground. Luckily, he didn't hit his head. He probably wouldn't have noticed even if he had because Sarah was making good on her promise and kissing his face off. Their kisses were frantic and needy. Full of unrestrained longing. At some point, her tears morphed into happy giggles. Eventually, she stopped kissing him long enough for them to take a few breaths.
"I missed you so much, baby," Sarah whispered. She grinned when he shivered beneath her.
"I missed you too, Sarah. So much," he whispered back, his nervousness temporarily forgotten. Craning his neck, he pressed his lips to hers. After a moment or two, his tongue flicked out softly. She opened her mouth in response, deepening their kiss.
Her two roommates stood watching them, silently grinning and shaking their heads.
This time their kisses grew very heated very fast. Sarah felt her body responding. That molten heat behind her navel. Tingling fingertips. And she could definitely tell that Chuck was reacting too. She ground her hips into his and he moaned. She grinned, a naughty comment springing to mind. But before she could tell him, someone cleared their throat. Someone standing over them. Both of them stopped what they were doing and looked up.
Carina was complaining. "OK, you two are disgusting. Like, Hallmark greeting cards look at you carrying on and gag. Care Bears are committing ritual suicide right now. Stop. Just stop. Think of the children."
"You pregnant, Red? Is there something you want to share with the class?" Sarah asked innocently. Zondra snorted a one note laugh.
"No, you dolt. I'm not."
"So, what's with the crack about children?" Chuck's girlfriend wanted to know.
"Fine. No children. Think of us then. Zondra and me. Do you really want to cause us gastric distress?"
"Gastric distress? How does us kissing cause you gastric distress?" Chuck wasn't thinking straight after Sarah's passionate greeting.
"She means that she's going to barf if we keep kissing, Chuck," Sarah translated.
"Oh. Well, we can't have that." He moved to sit up.
"Noo, Chuck," Sarah whined.
"Raincheck?" he grinned.
"Goody!" she bounced up and down where she sat on the floor.
"Gross," Carina snarked. "I'm gonna hurl." Sarah made a face and stuck her tongue out. Carina snorted.
Chuck stood and pulled Sarah up after him. He walked up to Carina. "I missed you too, Carina." Before she could step away, he gave her a hug. The redhead tried to frown. Stepping back, he looked at Zondra. "You too, Zondra." She got a hug too. Her face wore a puzzled expression. "Why hug you? Because you both are my friends. I don't have all that many and I missed y'all while I was away this summer."
"Why did you have to go and say that, Chuckles?" Carina grumbled. "You take all of the fun out of teasing you."
"Sorry about that. Nothing I can do about it," Chuck responded. "In fact, I even bought y'all a gift." He walked over and picked up the small cooler. When he glanced over at Sarah, she noticed his eyes were dancing.
He was up to something. Sarah tried to hide her grin because she thought she had an idea what might be in the cooler. He held it out in front of the CATS.
"What is it?" Carina asked dubiously.
"It's a gift, like I said. For you and Zondra." He managed to keep a straight face. "Here, take it. It won't explode or anything. I promise."
"OK. But what is it?" Carina tried again.
"Open it," he encouraged.
Carina did as he suggested and scowled.
"What is it, Chuck?" Zondra asked since Carina wasn't saying anything.
"Some sourdough bread and two containers of foie gras. You know, chopped liver." Now he was grinning.
Zondra laughed. "God, you're an asshole." She shook her head and kept laughing.
"Damn it, Chuckles," Carina groused. "You're getting too good at this. Zondra's right. You're an asshole."
By now Sarah was laughing so hard she was crying. Deep belly laughs. Head thrown back and stomping around the room while she laughed.
Carina started laughing along with her friends. Chuck was laughing too. She pulled him into another hug. "Go back to Massachusetts, you big jerk. Who needs ya?" Softer, she added, "It's good to have you home. Sarah's been climbing the walls the entire time you were gone." Chuck's eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded his understanding. He had been too.
"Oh no! You're not going anywhere. Not without me at any rate," Sarah pouted.
"I'm not going anywhere for a while. Especially now that I've got a place to live," he declared.
"Your house is finished? You've already moved in?" Sarah asked. "Why didn't you call me?"
"Yeah. Everything's done and I signed off on it all." He pulled out the keys and shook them. "Here's the key to prove it. As for why didn't I call? I tried, but it went straight to voicemail. Your phone might be dead."
Sarah picked up her phone next to the portable player they'd been using for their dance music. "Yup. It's dead. Crud. Sorry about that, babe."
"No problem. I managed to find you somehow," Chuck smiled crookedly. "Would you like to come over and see the place?" he asked, nervous again. "If you're not busy or anything, I mean."
Sarah's pulse began to race. "Of course, I'm not busy, silly! And I definitely want to come over to see how everything looks. Including the furniture we picked out together." She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Great! Come on then. Did you drive or do you want to ride with me?" He was excited about showing her the house.
"Oh no, not yet." Sarah shook her head slowly. "I'm sweaty from all our dancing. I need a shower. I stink." She sniffed.
"You don't stink, Sarah." Chuck objected.
"Yes, I do," she insisted.
Chuck inhaled slowly. "Not to me, you don't. You smell like you always do. Just more so."
There's Chuck being honest again, Sarah thought. For some reason, his comment made her heart flutter in her chest.
"Aren't you sweet?" she blushed. "But I happen to think I need a shower. So, I'm going to go take one before I come over. OK?" She looked at him defiantly.
"Sure, Sarah. Whatever you want to do is fine with me," he scratched the back of his head. "I'll head home and start unpacking my stuff. Just ring the bell when you get there."
"Thanks, sweetie. You're the best," Sarah pecked him on the lips and grinned.
The friends packed up their stuff with Chuck helping where he could. After Sarah locked the outer doors, she kissed Chuck one more time. She and the CATS went one way to find their car and Chuck went in the opposite direction.
He was in a hurry and almost jogged to his car. He wasn't sure when Sarah would arrive, but he wanted to be finished unpacking by the time she did so he could greet her properly. Now that he was away from her calming presence, his nervousness resurfaced.
It took Sarah an hour to get ready. Showering, shaving, and exfoliating. She wanted to look her best. Her heart was already beating against her ribcage and her fingers were tingling. This was it. It was going to happen. At least, she hoped it was. Chuck seemed as enthusiastic as she was when they'd been kissing. He hadn't told her very much about his sessions with Dr. Dreyfus recently. She didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one. Something told her that she'd find out where his head was soon enough.
She spent some time deciding on what to wear. Over the summer, she'd mulled over their reunion and what outfit he'd like on her. It had come down to what she'd been wearing last year when Chuck had stumbled into the Songbirds' practice and a new purple cocktail dress that she'd found at a shop in San Diego when she and Carina had gone shopping shortly after graduation. After giving it some more thought, she settled on the cocktail dress. Given her hopes for their evening together, Sarah wanted to look as grown up as she could. The other outfit went into her overnight bag along with some others, her makeup bag, and toiletry kit. And the box she bought from the drugstore a few weeks ago.
She looked better and smelled better, in her opinion. She was nervous. Definitely. But she was also excited. Very excited. She loved Chuck so much. She'd helped him conquer his fears, one by one. She'd fought to bring him out of his mental wilderness when he was lost to her. She loved him. They were forever. When her fingers outlined her heart necklace, she heard the soft tinkling of the charm bracelet on her wrist. Symbols of their commitment to one another. She was ready. It was time.
Grabbing her purse and car keys, Sarah rolled her overnight bag out of her bedroom. Carina and Zondra had made themselves scarce. This was not public time. This was private time. Time for her and Chuck to be alone together. It had already started and her friends knew that. She softly closed the door when she left the apartment and walked to her car.
Dumping her bag in the backseat, she set off. Sarah already knew the drive to Chuck's house by heart. While the renovation work was being done on it, she drove by from time to time. Not that she could see anything from her car going down the street, but more to keep an eye on the dream she and Chuck were creating together. A place for the two of them. It wasn't a long drive either, even with the slight detour she took to make another purchase at the drugstore. Even without any experience, she reasoned it made sense to have more rather than less.
Pulling into the driveway next to Chuck's car, she shut off the engine and hopped out. It took an act of will for her not to just run to the door and pound her fist on it until he let her in. Instead, she took a steadying breath and retrieved her bag from the backseat. Pulling the bag behind her, she walked calmly to the door. No one who might be watching would know that her entire body felt charged with electricity. That her toes were tingling now, as well as her fingers. How her heart was pounding in her chest. And that the molten feeling behind her navel was expanding outwards. She took another deep breath and held it for a ten count before slowly exhaling. Feeling slightly calmer, but only just, she rang the doorbell. She could hear Chuck's footsteps approaching the door. Steady, if a little hurried. Was he feeling the same things she was? Was he as excited? Nervous? The locks turned and the door opened.
There stood Chuck looking as excited and nervous as she felt.
"H– Hi, Sarah," he gulped.
"Hi, Chuck," she beamed. Seeing his nervousness calmed her for some reason.
"I'm glad you're huh … ahem … here," he added.
"Me too," she agreed. When he didn't move aside or say anything for a beat or two, she was confused. "Uh … are you going to invite me in?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
"What?" He looked startled. "Oh! Right … right. Sorry. Come in, please." Chuck snorted and shook his head sheepishly before moving back to make room for her to enter.
When she stepped in, his face broke into her special smile, his eyes brimming with love. Until he glanced to the side and noticed her suitcase for the first time and what it implied. Then he blushed.
She blushed in response, speechless, realizing her boldness. After a moment, Chuck shook himself and his smile returned, if slightly more tentative.
He closed the door when she pushed her bag out of the way. They giggled at each other, fumbling in the unfamiliar space.
Searching desperately for something to say, Chuck blurted the first thing that popped into his brain.
"Welcome home, Sarah."
"Oh, Chuck," she breathed. Overwhelmed by what he said and the warm sincerity of his voice, she could think of nothing else.
When their eyes met, they melted into each other's arms and kissed passionately … The rest of the world faded away.
A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song by The Box Tops. The lyrics are so spot on for this chapter. On a side note, the Box Tops lead singer, Alex Chilton, was only sixteen years-old when they recorded the song. Amazing voice.
A/N3: Chuck's research in this chapter isn't all that farfetched. There are tantalizing clues that his theory has a chance of being true. The theory that the Gulph Mills area outside Philadelphia was considered as a site for the Continental Army's winter encampment before other circumstances forced them to retreat farther to the northwest to the Valley Forge site. Gulph Mills was the site of the first Thanksgiving celebration. Not the holiday we celebrate today, instituted by President Washington in 1789. During the Revolution, General Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving in December 1777 as a victory celebration honoring the defeat of the British at the Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777). The celebration took place on December 18, 1777 while the Continental Army was encamped (temporarily) in the Gulph Mills area. There is a roadside plaque near Trinity Episcopal Church in Gulph Mills commemorating the event.
A/N4: My thanks to WillieGarvin for kindly beta-reading this chapter for me and making my scribbling more coherent. You're the best, my friend.
A/N5: Thank you for reading. Please drop me a PM or leave a review. Let me know what you think. For those of you who have left reviews or PMs previously, thank you. I appreciate each and every one of them. Thank you to everyone who's followed or favorited this story, too. Your support means a lot to me.
A/N6: If you enjoy Chuck fan fiction here on the fanfic site, go over to Facebook and join the Chuck Fanfiction group that's there. You'll find nice folks who share your interest in our favorite spy couple. You are not alone.