F/N from AC: Several readers were not happy that Ellie sent the boys away and left the ladies alone at the dance club. Let's see how Ellie's strategy works out.

I do not own Chuck.

Chuck and Sarah vs the Makeover

CHAPTER 16: The Dating Sensei

May 2, 2004

Friday Night: Day 5 of Los Angeles Mission

From last chapter: The guys headed out of the club, and the ladies reseated themselves. Their booth had a horseshoe-shaped bench and a circular table. Ellie sat on one side, all the way at the edge of the seat, not inviting or allowing someone to sit down. Smirking, Sarah mimicked her on the other side. Carina sat in the middle, ready to watch the show.

"Okay, ladies. Get ready for a wild ride," Ellie announced with a grin.

Ellie continued with her first tutorial, instructing her young students on how to handle social situations, meet guys, harmlessly flirt, and discern the intentions of young men they meet.

"First come the players who are looking for a trophy." As Ellie spoke, Carina and Sarah listened and scanned the crowd with new eyes. Carina's eyes were filled with excitement, Sarah's with trepidation.

Ellie saw him approaching when he was midway through the crowd. He was her age, maybe a little older. His outfit consisted of dress slacks and shoes, a silk burgundy dress shirt, and a navy-blue sports coat. Slicked-back hair, crowned by gold-rimmed sunglasses, completed his look. He spun a keychain in his hand as he approached their table.

Sarah picked up on him shortly after Ellie did. His trajectory, heading straight to their table, put him on her radar. She could read his intention but was unsure of his motive.

She found herself wishing she had kept a knife from dinner. Her knives were back at the apartment because she was thinking of this as a night out, not a part of her mission. She scooted up in her seat and leaned forward on her crossed arms.

Carina didn't notice him until he was almost at the table. (" 9, 8, 7" ) She wondered why Ellie was grinning and counting down from ten. ( "6, 5, 4" ) She noticed the man and smiled. Since she presented the only welcoming expression, he focused on her. ( "3, 2 and…" )

"What a gorgeous group of ladies. Are you having a glorious evening? It was a glorious drive here in my Mercedes. Driving with the top down from my place near the beach always makes me feel alive. Do you ladies know what I mean?"

He addressed the whole table, but his eyes were focused on Carina. "Have you ever driven up the coast in a convertible Mercedes?"

Ellie was amused; this kind of stuff was an old hat to her.

Sarah was annoyed. She was in protector mode with Carina, and this guy was setting off all of her creep detection alarms.

Carina was fascinated but a little embarrassed to admit, "No," she hadn't ever done that.

"I am sure you will love it. The feeling of the wind rushing through your hair and kissing your skin is incredible. It feels so invigorating. We should go sometime so you can feel it for yourself." He nodded his head, reinforcing his words. Carina found herself speechless, lost in her imagination, nodding along with him.

"I know of a restaurant by the beach, which is still open. And the view from my deck is amazing. You should come and see."

Carina was smiling and nodding, so Ellie decided that she needed to put the kibosh on this. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody's going anywhere. We appreciate the invite, Mister, but we came in together, and we are leaving together. With no side excursions. So, thanks, but no thanks. Don't call us. We won't call you," Ellie told him, shooing him away.

Sarah barely held in the laughter that fought to burst forth. That was so great. I couldn't have shut him down any better. Dang, Ellie can bring it when she needs to. And that seems to be true in any situation.

Ellie turned to Carina, who was annoyed and puzzled about the dismissal of their first visitor. "So, what did you think of Mr. Smooth Talker?"

"To be honest, it sounded like fun. I could feel it." Carina admitted.

"You know that's just to get you home and in his bed? You're just tonight's hook-up." Ellie tried to make it clear to her.

"But what about the drive up the coast and the restaurant?" Carina questioned.

Ellie patted her hand and sympathetically explained, "The drive would have been as short as possible, the restaurant would turn into a drive-through, and the view he wants you to see is the ceiling of his bedroom."

Carina is shocked at the blunt truths Ellie was sharing. She shook her head and reminded herself that she needed to be more cautious and discerning with men.

Sarah struggled with her confusion. What Ellie just described sounded manipulative and horrible. But Ellie and Carina keep telling me that all guys aren't creeps. Are the good ones that rare? Chuck's a good one, right?

As they each considered what had just happened, the waitress showed up with three Margaritas. Ellie asked her, "Alcohol?" The waitress nodded, confirming it, so Ellie pulled them over to her. "Then I will take these." She tilted her head at the girls, "They are drinking the pitcher of virgin." The waitress nodded her head in understanding.

As soon as the waitress left, two guys appeared in her wake. One was of average height, with close-cropped hair. He wore boots and tight white pants and pushed up his polo shirt's short sleeves to show off his biceps.

The other's brown hair had a slightly longer business cut. He was wearing a plaid, short-sleeved, button-up cotton shirt over regular blue jeans and boots.

Mr. White Pants spoke up first: "Hello Ladies, I'm Derek. This is Bobby. We hope you are enjoying your drinks."

Bobby nodded along and repeated, "Drinks," as Derek waved his hand at the table. He became confused when he saw them all grouped by Ellie.

"Thank you, gentlemen, but these lovely young ladies can't drink yet," Ellie explained. "So, their pitcher is alcohol-free," she pointed out. She intentionally avoided using the term "virgin" to avoid giving this guy a crude opening line.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, anyway, I saw you all sitting here alone, and I knew that I needed to show you a good time. So I sent all of you drinks." This was Derek's version of the events.

Bobby kept chiming in the background, "We saw you…" "We knew…" We sent," as he tried to be included.

Carina spoke up. "We appreciate the effort and can still enjoy our drinks while you enjoy yours." Carina offered amenably.

Derek smiled, "Yeah, sure." He held up his glass in salute. "Whiskey," he stated. Receiving confused looks, he elaborated, as if it were a boast: "I drink whiskey."

Bobby echoed, "We drink whiskey."

Carina nodded politely. After a moment's silence, she asked, "So, do you guys work around here?"

Derek responded kind of defensively, "Work? Yeah, we work. We have jobs. We can afford to go out." He then switched from being defensive to being excited. What's going to make me rich is my business. I'm grinding my side hustles to be an entrepreneur. Once I figure out which one is best, I'm going to be rich."

Bobby shared Derek's enthusiasm and excitement, vigorously nodding his head and repeating. "Gonna get rich."

Ellie looked on in amusement, sipping on her Margarita and enjoying the glow.

Sarah was bored and annoyed with this jabber mouth and his bobble-headed sidekick.

Even Carina was getting bored with the conversation and just wanted to dance. With their mouths shut, they weren't bad-looking, so Carina indicated the dance floor and suggested that they all dance.

Sarah groaned, but she was there to support and protect her friend. So she slid out of the booth and followed Bobby onto the dance floor. Carina and Derek soon joined them. The song was lively and soon had them moving. Sarah kind of bounced around while Bobby did a decent job of showing off the handful of moves he had learned. Carina was swaying and spinning, letting herself go. Derek had his hips thrust forward, with his torso leaned back, and he pumped his fisted hands up and down by his shoulders.

Everyone was dancing along when Carina spun and swayed her hips, with her back to Derek. He suddenly and unexpectedly moved up behind her, grasped her waist in his hands, and started grinding his crotch in her ass.

Carina shrieked, spun around, and slapped him as she moved away.

Ellie was up in an instant, moving to support Carina.

Meanwhile, Sarah had launched into combat mode. She moved on Derek, dropped, spun, and did a leg sweep on him, finishing with a dropped heel kick to his solar plexus when he was on the floor. She then hopped up and squared off with Bobby, who was just backing up, shaking his head, and waving his hands in surrender.

The bouncer was on the scene instantly, asking what was happening.

"He grabbed my butt," Carina hollered indignantly.

Derek, coughing, stood up and defended himself, "I was just dancing!"

Sarah smirked and pointed to Derek, "I think he tripped," she suggested.

Bobby just tried to disappear.

The bouncer led Derek away, suggesting, "Why don't you dance over here and leave the nice ladies alone." Derek struggled and tried to argue back but ended up just leaving in a huff.

The girls returned to their booth, a little flustered, talking over each other as they told what they saw. Sarah was feeling pretty pleased with herself, thinking about how she had taken Derek down. Those martial arts classes were really paying off!

They were settling in when the waitress returned with three more Margaritas. Confused, Ellie looked at her and said, "Didn't you already bring these?"

The waitress sat the drinks by Ellie, replying, "No. Those were from the first guys. These are from those guys over there." She pointed to a couple of guys who were acting weird. They looked normal enough, both wearing business attire; slacks, dress shoes, button-up shirts, and loosened ties. One was tall, several inches over 6' like Chuck and Devon, brunette, and very thin. He had a generic side-part hairstyle, sharp features, and delicate, long-fingered hands. The other was shorter, around 5' 7", like Morgan, with a medium build and tight red curls topped his head. The weird thing about the two of them was that they were waving and crossing their arms negatively. Whether they were signaling the waitress or the girls themselves wasn't clear.

Ellie motioned for them to come to the table, and after some hesitation, they complied.

Ellie laughed, Carina grinned, and Sarah even broke a smile as the guys cautiously came over. For some reason, they were apologetic. The redhead approached, saying, "Hey. Sorry. We do not want to interrupt anything or intrude on you."

Ellie finished her first Margarita and picked a fresh one from the new batch. She looked at him curiously and asked, "How were you interrupting us by sending us drinks?"

"I…I don't know?" the redhead answered, becoming flustered.

The brunette interceded, "We don't do this often, or really ever," he explained. "You see, Jeff lost a bet to me at work."

Jeff interjected, "I was wrong about a shipping fee."

The brunette smirked. "Logistics thinks they know the numbers better than Accounting," he said, looking at the girls knowingly.

"So anyhow," Jeff continued, looking at his friend with annoyance, "William won the bet and decided that we needed to go to a bar, and I had to buy a drink for a girl of his choosing. We came here, and he chose you." He pointed to Carina.

"All of this just happened, like twenty minutes ago, when we first got here." William continued the story. "Some guy had just finished talking with you. I pointed you out, and Jeff gave the waitress our order."

Jeff said, "I ordered three because I didn't want to leave someone out." At that, he looked, in confusion, over at Ellie, who was surrounded by all of the drinks.

Ellie looked back at him, smiled, and held up her glass. "Thank you. Thank you very much," she said with a giggle.

Carina pointed to the pitcher, explaining, "We're drinking Virgins."

Jeff laughed out loud. With a wry smile, he said, " That's a sentence where punctuation, inflection, and context are important."

The girls laughed at that. It was witty, not crude.

Ellie piped up, "You lost the bet and sent the drinks. Why were you waving your arms?"

The boys started fidgeting in nervous embarrassment, looking down and away.

Jeff hesitantly answered the question. "You see, while we were ordering and finding some seats, we saw two other guys approach you. You chatted, danced, … and…then…something happened."

William's eyes widened, and he quietly repeated, "Something happened."

Now that he had confessed, Jeff's tempo increased. "So, I'm thinking, 'Shit.' I mean, 'Shoot. You guys don't want to be bothered.' You know, having some kind of private party. And we didn't want to be jerks and intrude. So, we were trying to wave off the waitress and ended up looking like jerks, anyway."

William nodded his head in agreement, "Yes. Sorry about that. We don't want to be a bother."

Ellie assured them they weren't being a bother as long as they didn't act like handsy jerks.

Sarah even finds them sweet after hearing their explanation and efforts to apologize.

Carina liked these two. Their story was funny, embarrassing, and honest. "You guys are good. We're not upset with you," she assured them. We appreciate your honesty and understand the confusion."

She then looked directly at William and asked him to dance. That left Sarah to pair up with Jeff.

Sarah was caught off guard, first annoyed by, then accepting of, her role as sidekick. Besides, Jeff seemed pleasant and had a nice, expressive face. She decided to make the best of it.

Soon, they were all on the dance floor, moving around and making their best efforts at dancing. No one was winning any contests, but they had a good time, even Sarah.

They danced for a few fast songs, and then a slow song came on.

Cutting loose to boogie was one thing. Holding someone close was another, and Sarah wasn't comfortable with it. But she did want to break out of her shell, and Jeff appeared nice and safe. So Sarah put both her hands on his shoulders while he lightly held her hips, and they rocked back and forth in a manner familiar at Junior High School dances everywhere.

Carina pulled herself tight into William and laid her head on his chest as they danced.

Sarah stepped away from Jeff at the song's end and thanked him. She then excused herself to check on Ellie.

Carina put her arms around William's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She then bid him goodbye, thanking him for the dancing and excusing herself to rejoin her friends.

Sarah returned to the table and found Ellie happily watching everything. She was halfway through her second Margarita and seemed quite content.

"So those guys seemed nice," Ellie commented upon Sarah's return.

"Yeah, they seemed like decent guys, so I didn't get creeped out. It was okay. I guess it was kind of fun." Sarah finally conceded. But it didn't feel as natural as it does with Chuck. There wasn't an easy connection.

Carina was giddy when she slid into her place at the table. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! That was so much fun. Those guys were so nice, cute, and funny."

Ellie, curious, asked, "So why did you send them on their way?"

Sarah spoke up, "I had enough time with them. I was ready to move on."

Carina took a moment. She looked at her drink and spun the glass around before taking a sip. She smacked her lips together, looked over at Ellie, and, with a sly smile, explained, "Because I want to meet more boys.

Ellie gasped and giggled, "What kind of creature have I unleashed."

Sarah was more deeply shocked. Carina wasn't shy and freely said what was on her mind, but she was reserved and constrained due to her upbringing. She hadn't really shown her bold and daring side before. Although, if one could have asked her brothers, they wouldn't have been surprised at how daring she could be. Sarah slowly realized that she shouldn't be shocked at all.

"What do you do if you see a guy you like, but they don't approach you?" Carina questioned Ellie.

"Oh, you mean the other 80 percent?" she stated, pointing to all the people standing around the bar. "Those are the guys who haven't worked up their courage yet. They may eventually work up the courage, or they might get introduced to someone by friends, or an odd situation, like with Jeff, will push them to action. But, for the most part, they hang out, occasionally glancing at someone they are interested in, but never knowing how to approach."

"So, do I just walk up and introduce myself?" Carina asked, reflecting her preference for the direct approach.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just not common. Usually, it's done a little more subtly than that. Usually, you do something called eye flirting." She then went on to explain playing the game, doing a dance of repeated glances and extended gazes, which established shared interests. Then lingering stares provided the permission to approach.

Sarah thought it sounded like a lot of work.

Carina apparently thought it wasn't fast enough, as she asked, "What do you do if they don't notice or pick up on it? I have brothers, and they can be dense sometimes."

Ellie and Sarah laughed along at that.

"Like I said, you can directly approach them at any time. Just like you can walk up to someone on the street. They are just people. You can be as bold as you are comfortable. Just keep in mind that they may not be interested. They have the option to say no. But, if flirting isn't working, then speaking up will get you noticed."

"It's just that way; it is very head-focused. And relationships are about the heart. It's about feelings and finding a connection with someone. You are looking for a vibe. And in a loud, crowded bar, you probably can't talk, but you can eye flirt from across the bar. And that's sufficient to see if you feel a vibe with them. It's probably not going to be love at first sight, where you instantly feel a deep connection and lose yourself in each other. Where everything is so right that things seem to fall into place. But you should be able to tell if there is enough interest in dancing and to look at getting coffee and talking."

Carina eagerly took in everything Ellie was explaining.

It stopped Sarah in her tracks. When she heard Ellie describe love at first sight, it hit her that it explained how she felt with Chuck. When their eyes first met, she felt that connection. What does this mean? She was just getting used to liking people, but love? That's too big to even think about.

Ellie waved her arm around, indicating the room, "This is all fun and foolishness and blowing off some steam. But it's also an opportunity to interact with a bunch of people and see if you have a vibe with any of them. Remember, I mentioned filtering? This is filtering. So, go to the 80 percent, where the Chucks and Morgans hang out, and do some eye flirting."

Sarah was unsettled by Ellie's comments about love and how convoluted eye flirting was. However, hearing reference to Chuck and Morgan caused her to look over to where Ellie indicated.

Carina didn't have to be told twice. She pushed Sarah to exit the booth and pulled her into the bar.

Carina must have been scoping out the crowd because she went, with little hesitation, to stand by a couple of guys who could be brothers. They were blond, about 6', fit but not overly muscled—like chips off the Devon block. Their simple style consisted of white sneakers, blue jeans, and a colored polo-style shirt.

Carina stood near them, feigning talking to Sarah, and caught their eyes. Dave stepped past them to get a napkin from the bar and used that as an excuse to introduce himself. He then introduced his friend Jimmy and invited them to their standing table. Sodas were ordered all the way around after Carina explained the age situation.

Carina mentioned that they were visiting friends for the weekend.

The boys explained that they were fitness trainers at a chain of local fitness centers. The conversation turned into them talking about all the great outdoor activities in the region, including surfing, skiing, soccer, tennis, and more. But their stories devolved into one-upmanship, apparently to impress the girls in the hope of hooking up tonight.

Sarah was far from impressed, regardless of how interesting the activities sounded. And her general anxiety level was rising as the crowd around her was setting off her inner alarms. Normally, she would have escaped the situation by pulling Carina along with her. But now, she had to stand in the middle of it and endure the glances of the guys around her, and some of them sure felt creepy. And she had to smile and nod at Dave and Jimmy, whose eyes looked hungrier with time. She was being a good friend but wasn't having a good time.

Carina was having a blast, listening to their stories, and oohing and aahing as appropriate. She just loved new experiences and meeting new people.

Sarah was sipping her drink and wondering how much longer this would go on when she felt something felt something in the club change. Sarah turned to see Chuck, Devon, and Morgan coming in the door. Chuck's here. An unconscious smile covered her face. It felt good. "Hey Carina, Chuck's back. I'm going to check in with them."

Carina was disappointed to be left by Sarah. But while she was unhappy to be left alone, she was happy to still be talking to these two guys.

Upon entering the bar, Chuck scanned the room and saw Ellie at their table. He frowned, not seeing the girls, but soon he saw Sarah over by the bar, and when their eyes met, he smiled and relaxed. Seeing her always made him happy, and now, when he saw her smile back at him, it took his breath away.

Sarah had to pause as she worked her way back to the booth. When Chuck finally saw her and their eyes met, it physically affected her. Her breath caught in her chest, and she felt his presence wash over her. She felt invigorated while also feeling calmer. After a moment to collect herself, she continued on her way. It felt good.

At the booth, Devon had delivered the chips, and Ellie was making a fuss over how great of a boyfriend he was, kissing his face and loudly savoring the chips. She also quietly explained to him that she needed time alone with the girls to teach them about men. She gleefully shared all the drinks she had accumulated.

Morgan was excited when they first walked through the door, but now he leaned against a column, glumly and wistfully watching Carina start dancing with the other guys. She moved back and forth between the two trainers, laughing and touching their arms.

Sarah greeted Chuck with a small hug. She guided him to sit and squeezed in beside him. She was feeling good again.

Chuck shared with her the tale of their chip excursion, which was uneventful, but he still managed to make it humorous.

The set of fast songs ended. Carina said goodbye to the trainers, giving them both a quick kiss. She rejoined the group, walked over to Morgan, and gave him a slight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

A slow song came on, and Carina pulled Morgan, who feigned resistance, out on the dance floor. They didn't embrace, but their elbows were bent, and they danced closer than earlier.

Sarah watched Carina, then she looked up at Chuck. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, using it to pull him onto the dance floor. This time, Sarah pulled into his body and laid her head on his chest. Wearing low heels, she was the perfect height for this. She pressed both of her hands into his chest, on each side of her head, and breathed him in. It felt good.

Chuck was pleasantly surprised by her intimacy and lightly wrapped his arms around the small of her back. They started slowly swaying together. It felt better than good. Chuck had been thinking about living his life for the day and knew he wanted to say some things that were on his mind.

"Sarah," he said in a quiet voice. Sarah looked up and found her attention riveted by just that one word.

Without stammering or spiraling, Chuck continued, "I have been remiss in not telling you how amazingly beautiful you look tonight ."Sarah wasn't used to getting compliments on her looks. She blushed, mumbled a thank you, and continued to meet his gaze.

Chuck said, "And I hope what I am about to say doesn't make you uneasy or upset. I just want you to know something. I like how Ellie taught you to look even more gorgeous. Your new hair color, hair style, that dress, and your makeup are all wonderful, but your beautiful eyes have attracted me to you right from the start. I wanted you to know that I'm not saying this because of the makeover Ellie gave you but because I've always seen that beauty that comes from your inner self."

Sarah found herself breathless and unable to respond. But as always, Chuck was able to read her response in her eyes. And her response made him smile. As the song ended, the moment was broken, and Chuck and Sarah returned to their table.

At the end of the evening, there were still two Margaritas left, so Devon gulped down one while Morgan tried to chug the other. He stopped halfway, claiming brain freeze, which was probably a good thing considering his low tolerance.

Knowing he would be driving, Chuck hadn't had a drink since they returned.

So, they piled into the car and headed back home. Carina requested that they stop at a convenience store. Afterward, they discovered that she had talked Morgan into buying her a couple of Margarita premixes so she could see what they tasted like. He had half a Margarita in him already, and it was Carina, so he had to say yes.

Back at the apartment, Devon and Ellie grabbed a bag of Habanero chips and a bottle of tequila and excused themselves to their bedroom.

The other four gathered in the kitchen while Morgan poured the Margaritas over some ice cubes.

Carina took a taste, smacked her lips, tilted her head from side to side, and declared, "Not bad." She offered the glass to Sarah, who took it, drank a little, and agreed it wasn't bad. Especially since she liked sour/sweet drinks.

Sarah took one more small drink and savored the taste, then handed the glass back to Carina, indicating she had enough.

Chuck accepted the glass and had a drink of his own, enjoying the drink's chill and the alcohol's warmth.

Carina sipped on what was left and pulled Morgan into the living room, instructing him to find a movie. They ended up snuggling together on the couch.

Chuck and Sarah took seats at the dinner table and started talking. She told him about what happened after he left for the chips. She focused on how much Carina enjoyed it and skipped the altercation with Derek. She didn't know that he would hear the story later from Ellie and Devon and just think that she was an even cooler badass.

They then spent the next hour telling shortened versions of their life stories. Chuck talked about growing up in L.A. and minimized his parents' part in it. He made the barest of references to Stanford, those whose names aren't to be mentioned, their betrayal, and his loss. But he said he was putting all that behind him so he could work on some programs of his own. He focused on talking about his future.

Sarah took turns telling her own story. She provided the barest of information about her childhood: a lost mother and an absent father who left her alone a lot and taught her to distrust people. She didn't talk about her future because she never thought about it. So, she spent most of her time talking about her current job and her classes. The computer ones gave them something in common to relate to. She also explained more about meeting Carina and how they influenced each other.

Chuck loved having someone to share with again. And this was a much stronger connection than what he felt with Jill. His connection with Sarah was even greater than his connection with Ellie, in a different way.

Sarah surprised herself with how much she opened up with Chuck. She knew that Chuck's words while dancing were making her bolder in talking about herself. It was like she wanted him to know about the real her, even though Sarah wasn't her real name. Despite her father's constant warnings, she found herself trusting Chuck. She had never talked this openly with anyone except Carina. Her connection with Chuck was even greater than that of Carina, in a different way.

Carina and Morgan connected in their own way, partially hidden behind the couch. A movie was playing, but they were mostly whispering and giggling, with the occasional sound of a kiss thrown in.

At 3am, Chuck called it a night. He was taking back his couch/bed.

Morgan bid Carina good night with a hug and kiss on the cheek, and then he curled up in a chair to sleep.

Chuck hugged Sarah, then kissed her on the cheek before wishing her sweet dreams.

The girls went to their room, both too tired and lost in their thoughts to get cleaned up, and went straight to bed.

Carina was exhausted but still excited.

This has been one of the best nights I've had. The makeup and new dress somehow make me feel more like I am larger than life. I've never hesitated to speak up if there was a problem, but I rarely spoke up just to ask for something I wanted. Tonight, I didn't hold back. I danced with who I wanted, and I kissed who I wanted. I may have gotten carried away kissing Morgan, but his beard is so adorable, and it was so much fun. And now I can compare him with William. I probably should have kissed him a few more times to get a better sample. That Derek guy was a jerk, but I didn't let him ruin the night. The fitness twins were fun. If we had a few more days here, I would look them up. She drifted off, imagining what their kisses would feel like.

Sarah was happy to be back at the apartment and away from all of the hubbub at the bar.

Feeling her insides relax made her think about how people in high-stress situations don't eat because their stomachs shut down. Then, when things calm down, they are ravenous. They weren't ready to accept something good until the bad thing stopped. It struck her that Chuck made her feel the same way. When he was around, she felt calmer. She could relax her guard. And only then could she be open to enjoying the moment and having fun. It was only then that she could open herself up to be intimate. Open herself up to leaning against his chest and breathing him in. Sarah's eyes snapped open. Is this love? This feeling of contentment? Or is this just like? Although that'd be a big thing too. I get along okay with the people at work. But really, Carina is the only person that I like. But now, I have Ellie. She really is becoming like a big sister, mentor, and kind of Mom. Devon and Morgan are nice.

And Chuck. Chuck who seems to be making me feel all those things that they write about in the romance novels. How do I get so lost in his eyes? Why do I trust his suggestions and follow where he leads? I'm the one who decides. I make my own decisions. And I guess he lets me. He does give me final approval. He offers suggestions, unlike my Dad, who just gave orders. He has proven himself to be a trustworthy, caring person. Now, I need to figure out how I feel about him. She hugged herself as she reflected on the night. Thanks to him, I am actually having fun. Whether playing games at the arcade, sharing hamburgers, or dancing, I have actually been having fun. I have been enjoying life, not just watching it. She touched her lips. Getting kissed, not just seeing it at the movies. It felt blissful when we danced at the night's end, and I held him close. Everything just seemed right in the world. When have I ever felt that way?

I should have kissed him. She suddenly decided. I should have kissed him goodnight. I need to get past that cover kiss. I want to feel a real kiss. Thoughts of having a real kiss with Chuck followed her into her dreams.

F/N2 from AC: Sarah and Carina have successfully navigated another day of "hiding in plain sight" as they expand their personal horizons. I wonder what they'll feel bold enough to try next?