AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks a bunch for such humbling comments in the past two chapters. I'm feeling a wave of positive momentum in Who Dares Wins since my return. It's energising me to push ahead with advancing this tale. I'm hoping you'll all stay active in sharing your thoughts with me.
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Romantic Stroll
Hereford
Friday, 30 November, 2007
Chuck and Sarah arrived outside a 17th-century house, its black and white half-timbered facade standing out as the sole reminder of times gone by amidst the modern shopping precinct all around.
"For the first part of showing you around, baby, a look inside this house, built in 1621, but now a museum showcasing Jacobean life between 1603 and 1625," Chuck said.
Sarah looked between her lover and the building in front of them. "Wow," she said in amazement.
"I've been here before, not long after I joined the regiment myself, but I'm eager to be your tour guide this time around," he said, suppressing a laugh.
She smiled at him.
"It's only a small admission fee, so if you're ready, let's head inside?" Chuck asked.
Sarah nodded.
They headed inside.
After paying their admission fees, the sweethearts found themselves surrounded by the chatter of other museum-goers as they began their tour.
The ground floor of the museum showcased an exhibition, delving into the rich history of Hereford and the house itself.
Sarah's eyes scanned the information on display before shifting to Chuck, who supplemented it with additional details.
"It's a Grade I listed building. It started as a butcher's shop and home and those inside will have seen battles from the English Civil War raging outside on the street in 1645," Chuck said.
"Wow, that must have been some sight, looking out your window to see two armies fighting," Sarah said.
Chuck nodded, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "It's not the kinda place where I'd choose to live, personally."
Sarah snorted. "Nor I."
"After the Civil War, it changed hands through the centuries until finishing as a bank for Lloyds Bank in the late 1920s. Since 1929, it's been a museum."
Sarah took a moment to register Chuck's information, then looked at the initial exhibits again.
"Let's see what the first floor has," Chuck said.
Sarah departed away from the exhibits on the ground floor, ascending to the first floor after Chuck.
On the first floor, a single large room of typical Jacobean life was on display.
There was a dining area, a costume display, and another display showcasing small objects found in the house.
Chuck and Sarah paused, enraptured by the sight of the classical English oak furniture that adorned the 17th-century dining area.
Close by were four outfits of dress wear in the early 1600s, with two dresses, as well as embroidered male wear.
"Not as fancy as your outfits or apartment, huh?" Chuck joked.
Sarah shot Chuck a glare for his cheeky remark.
Chuck suppressed laughter, satisfied with the outcome of his joke.
"I could say the same about you," she said, fighting off a smile. "With your fancy clothes you wore in Manchester, and your white Audi A4 that you show off."
Chuck's muted laughter developed into chuckles. "Says the one who wants to buy a Porsche just to get one over on me."
Sarah narrowed her eyes again, her gaze piercing Chuck's with a glare. "If I recall correctly, Mr, you then said you'd buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini because you'd never allow me to get a better car than you."
"I stand by those remarks," Chuck said, his voice shaking with suppressed laughter.
Sarah resisted amusement again at first, shaking her head, but then gave in and suppressed a chuckle.
"Let's continue with the tour," Chuck said.
Sarah nodded.
A short while later
Chuck and Sarah left the museum, feeling satisfied after exploring the second floor, which had three more rooms, each one with a cosy bedroom.
From the rare wall paintings and four-poster beds to the baby walkers and cots, those rooms were full of unique and interesting details.
"The beds looked nice, but I doubt they're as comfy as the one we slept in last night," Sarah said, a smile of amusement spreading across her face.
Chuck turned to face his girlfriend. "With how you sleep against me," he teased, a glint of amusement in his eyes and a smile on his lips. "I'm not so sure."
"For that, you're not sleeping with me again tonight!" Sarah said back instantly as her eyes widened with horror, and she recoiled at his cheeky remarks, swatting at his chest.
"Steady on, beautiful!" Chuck said, fighting off amusement.
Sarah attempted to keep a straight face of her own, her lips twitching before she finally spoke. "No. You had your chance! I'll find a hot Spanish bloke instead when I go to Tenerife and I'll bring him back with me."
Chuck laughed in amusement. "That's okay because we're leaving now to begin a long walk as part of the tour and oh dear, you don't have on the right footwear for it. I guess that's instant karma."
Sarah looked down at what footwear she was wearing, a pair of leopard-print wedge heels.
She turned back to face him.
His smug chuckles made her narrow her eyes and shoot him another glare.
"That is so not cool!" she said.
He suppressed additional laughter. "Don't worry, I'll carry you if at any point you can't continue."
"I'd rather hobble home than let you carry me!" she said instantly.
His laughter continued. "That's not nice."
"You'll find I'm not nice to evil people," she said, trying her best to be angry at him.
Mirth remained on Chuck's face. "You asked me to show you around."
"I regret that now," she said, fighting off a smile.
The smile she'd been trying to hold back finally broke out once his infectious grin spread across her boyfriend's face.
His playfulness soon ceased, replaced by his serious side. "Seriously though, I'm a little concerned about this tour route I've chosen for you in those heels. But it's the only nice one I know."
Sarah smiled at her boyfriend's compassion and worry for her. "I'll be fine," she assured. "I wear heels all the time."
"Yeah, 'cause you're beautiful and you always make an effort to look good," Chuck said, his tone blunt, his glance infatuated.
Sarah blushed a little at her boyfriend's compliment but then leaned in to kiss him.
"Let's take the tour then," Sarah said when their lips parted.
Chuck nodded, then took Sarah's hand as they started walking.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
"Here's the Victoria Bridge," Chuck said as they came to a stop after twenty minutes walking together, just ahead of a late 19th-century bridge.
Sarah took in the impressive 19th-century footbridge bridge structure, which was a stunning sight, with its elegant iron lacework.
"It was opened in 1898 to commemorate the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. A Grade II listed building," Chuck said.
Sarah's gaze lingered on the construction. "I love Victorian-era fashion and architecture."
Chuck grinned. "Yeah, it's impressive. There's something about gothic that just fascinates me."
Sarah turned to look at Chuck, then smiled. "Me too."
They continued on, the River Wye flowing calmly beneath their feet as they walked hand-in-hand over the creaking wooden planks of the bridge, feeling the cool wintry air on their faces.
Leaving the bridge behind, they followed the pathway of the right bank of the river, enjoying the sights of the surrounding nature and its stunning, scenic view.
They soon encountered a group of swans swimming, where they paused and took in the surroundings of the river.
Chuck's voice broke the calm silence. "So, what do you think of the tour so far?"
"It's nice," Sarah said, turning to look fondly at him. "I might use it as a place for a morning jog sometimes if it ends close enough to mine."
Chuck nodded, his eyes crinkling with a smile as he gazed at her. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd do it too, but I don't live close enough. You could start at the Old Bridge, which we'll arrive at in a few minutes. It's only good for about a mile, though."
Sarah matched his warm gaze, looking into his eyes. "You could come with me when you stay over?"
"Not planning on getting rid of me, then?" he asked, grinning.
"It depends on how you treat me," she said, her lips quivering with the effort of suppressing her laughter as she gazed into her boyfriend's eyes.
Chuck held back a warm chuckle and took hold of her other hand before leaning in to press his lips against hers.
"How's that?" he asked as their lips parted.
Sarah played with his hands that were holding hers as they held a lover's stare. "Not bad."
With a beaming smile, he held their gaze for a moment before releasing one of her hands, and they continued walking along the embankment.
They arrived at the Old Bridge after a few minutes.
Sarah stopped walking when Chuck did.
"To our left, about a hundred metres is the leisure centre we'll be heading to tomorrow with the team," Chuck said.
With a warm smile, Sarah nodded.
"There's also a large playing field and a playground, but unfortunately, I can't take you there today to play on the swings and roundabout," he teased.
Sarah's eyes rolled as she shook her head, directing her gaze at his face. "Just when you were doing so well."
"I'm sorry," he said, suppressing a laugh. "I can't help it. It's the eight years in the army."
"I have five years in the army now and I don't behave like that," Sarah stated.
Chuck nodded. "But you haven't been around Dan for three years, beautiful."
Sarah's gaze narrowed as she became lost in thought. "I mean, I guess I can see the bad influence he is on you. But I'd like to think even after three years I won't tease unless teased first, so that's no excuse."
"You're right," he said, nodding, his playful demeanour ceasing. "It's no excuse, but I guess it's hard for me to distinguish between my feelings of being a teammate and a boyfriend towards you, since dating a teammate, especially a stunning one like you, is uncharted territory for me."
Sarah blushed over his blunt, sincere compliment, sandwiched between everything else he said, and she took a moment to process what he'd said.
He continued, "When we first met, we were teasing each other constantly. I know we both enjoyed it, but we weren't dating then. We both agreed we're getting serious about dating now, so the least you should have is a serious boyfriend, which is how I behaved in past relationships."
"Being serious is all I can be because I'm not funny," she said as her gaze broke from him in embarrassment, deeming herself to be boring.
When he squeezed her hand, she felt his fingers interlace with hers, so she turned to look back at him, feeling reassured by his action.
"You can be funny. You just don't want to be. And that's completely fine, so from this moment, you'll see a completely serious boyfriend in return, baby," he said, his tone gentle.
Sarah took hold of his other hand, and locked eyes with him, conveying a sense of intimacy. "I don't want to change you," she said, stroking his hand. "Please don't ever change a thing about you because you make me laugh harder than anybody ever has. You make me happy, unlike anybody ever has, too. But I also appreciate how you respect how our relationship has changed now."
"Yeah. It's changed a lot," he said, a smile spreading across his face as he played with her fingers.
She smiled back, then closed her eyes as she leaned into him and they kissed.
This was the kiss they had been waiting for all day, their tongues meeting in a fiery embrace as their passion overflowed.
Chuck and Sarah lost themselves in the extremely intimate exchange as the heat between them rose with each passing second.
When they finally stopped kissing after a while, they remained close, their breathing ragged, their eyes fixed on each other.
Once they broke their gaze after regaining some form of composure, they realised they were no longer alone, and that they had onlookers staring at them.
"Um, Sarah, I think we've attracted attention to ourselves," he said awkwardly, grimacing.
Sarah turned back to look at Chuck, completing her own assessment. "Let them look. It's ok, Chuck," she assured, moving to caress his face. "So what if they don't like us kissing? Ok, we went maybe a little too overboard making out as we did for a while. But we've had to hide how we feel about each other for a month because of lockdown. How we make each other feel… It's not wrong."
Chuck pushed out a smile, feeling easier about it because Sarah had a point.
Sarah tugged at his hand in reply. "Let's finish the tour."
Chuck nodded as they resumed walking across the bridge.
"The English Royalists and Scottish Covenanters fought a battle during the English Civil War on this same bridge, built in 1490," Chuck said as they walked.
Sarah's eyes widened in surprise as glanced at him. "Wow, we're surrounded by history."
Chuck nodded. "Wait until you see the Cathedral."
Sarah smiled.
"Just over there, there's a coffeehouse with great food and a very relaxed environment," Chuck said, pointing toward the left bank of the river. "It's an enjoyable place to spend a few hours."
She held her warm gaze at her boyfriend, stroking his hand. "We'll have to go together sometime."
Chuck nodded.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
The moment Chuck and Sarah stepped onto the grounds of Hereford Cathedral, the religious architecture's magnificence captivated them.
"I've seen it hundreds of times now, and I don't have a religious bone in my body, but it never fails to not impress me," Chuck said in awe, his glance focused on the exterior of the cathedral.
Sarah nodded. "I see why. I'm not religious either, but it's beautiful."
Chuck gave a nod and shifted his gaze from the cathedral to his girlfriend, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Let's head inside, then."
She smiled back at him, feeling his hand in hers as they walked into the grand cathedral.
They had timed their arrival perfectly, arriving just as the cathedral's organ played, filling the space with its beautiful music.
"Just in time," Chuck said, turning to look at Sarah with a grin.
Sarah paused from admiring the grandeur of the cathedral's interior to look at her boyfriend.
Once they returned their gaze in front of them, Sarah followed Chuck's lead as they moved to take seats to listen to the choir for a few minutes.
Chuck looked at his watch after a few minutes, and then Sarah caught his glance.
"I don't want to rush, but we should probably hurry. It's already well after twelve," Chuck said.
"Wow, time went fast," Sarah said.
"In great company, it does, baby," he said with a grin.
She matched his adoring gaze, then joined him in moving to stand.
After a brief visit to the small crypt, they returned to the ground floor of the cathedral, and Sarah stopped in her tracks, captivated by the vibrant colours of the stained glass windows before her.
Chuck caught her admiring the sight and waited patiently until she'd finished, then said, "I don't know if you have any plans in the city centre after the tour but if you do, then it's probably best if we don't head up to the tower or visit the library because both will take a while, not least the tower, which is 218 steps to the top, while there's lots of interesting things in the library."
Sarah met Chuck's glance again, becoming lost in thought for a moment as she thought about what she wanted to do before their romantic dinner date. "Um, I need to visit a hairdresser, then a beauty store, and take a bath first," she said, grimacing.
Chuck nodded, his posture relaxed over her needs.
"You can do something else for a few hours if you want?" she said with a sincere smile.
Suppressing laughter, he shook his head and looked fondly at his girlfriend. "Who are you kidding? Being with you… It's perfect."
Sarah couldn't contain her joy at her boyfriend's declaration, and it spread across her face. The happiness that his words brought her made her smile like never before.
He smiled back. "If you're ready then, we'll leave and find you that hairdresser, and return to see everything else in here another time?"
She nodded, her throat tight with emotion, unable to find words to express her gratitude for his affirmation just moments ago.
They departed the cathedral together, and Chuck was just about to guide her out of the cathedral grounds and towards the city centre when Sarah came to a sudden halt.
He turned to face her, and when he did, she propelled herself to kiss him.
When they parted from the sensual peck, she ran a hand down his shirt. "Being with you… It's perfect too."
His lips curved upwards, giving her a gentle, loving grin.
She smiled back.
Then they departed the cathedral's grounds.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Chuck followed Sarah into a beauty salon, where she booked an appointment, and they took seats.
After a few minutes, a hairdresser emerged from a different room and called Sarah in.
Sarah stood but turned back to face Chuck. "I'll be in another room and at least an hour. I'll feel terrible if you don't at least go do something for a little while."
Chuck's gaze became unfocused as he entered the briefest of thoughts. Looking back at her, he said, "OK. There's a game store nearby. I'll visit it, then return."
"Great, have fun, baby," she said, smiling in adoration.
Chuck grinned at her endearment and the attractive way she was looking at him. "See you soon then."
Sarah nodded, holding their glance for a final second, then turned and disappeared.
Once Sarah disappeared from view, Chuck exited the beauty salon and walked for a minute, whistling the entire distance until he arrived at a Gamestation store and entered inside.
"Let's see what's new since I last visited a few months ago!" Chuck whispered in excitement.
Chuck spent ten minutes browsing until he ended up with a copy of Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect in his hands.
I don't know which one to buy!
He remained paused for a minute, but he still couldn't decide.
Oh, screw it! I'll get both!
Chuck walked towards the queue, where he waited to pay.
After a few minutes, it was his turn as he stepped up to the counter.
"Hey," the store assistant said with a friendly glance.
Chuck smiled back. "Hello."
The assistant's eyebrows raised in impressed surprise as he took hold of the game boxes. "Good choice."
"Thanks. I'm hoping so," Chuck said with a grin.
Chuck observed as the assistant eyed up his physique.
"Forgive me for saying so, but you don't look like a gamer," the assistant joked, his demeanour friendly.
Chuck suppressed laughter. "I'll always be a gamer," he said, nodding. "My choice of employment won't change that."
The assistant nodded. "Fair play."
They engaged in some additional small talk, and then Chuck handed over his money and left the store with his games in hand, eager to return to the beauty salon to wait for Sarah.
As he re-entered the beauty salon, the hum of blow dryers and the scent of hairspray greeted him.
He took a seat, waiting for Sarah to finish getting her hair done, taking out his games to read the back of them as he waited.
Once he finished reading them sometime later, he made a phone call to the steakhouse to book a reservation for tonight.
A short while later
As Sarah emerged, Chuck's eyes locked onto her and he stopped what he was doing and he stood to greet her in respect.
Chuck took in her appearance as she walked toward him.
She's so beautiful! How did I pull such an amazing catch so far out of my league?
Sarah stopped close to him. "So, how do I look?" she asked with a nervous smile.
"Just as beautiful as when you first entered," he said with a grin.
Her gaze lowered. "So you don't like it."
"What? No!" Chuck said quickly, seeing her deflated state of mind emerge. "God no! I love it. Nice choice of dark foils, by the way." he moved to take a gentle hold of her hand. "It's just that you don't need to go to a beauty salon to catch my eye because I'm already so crazy about you."
Sarah met his glance again.
He looked into her eyes. "If you go to a beauty salon or any other place, it should be because you want to feel good about yourself, not with a need to please me because nothing you can do to make yourself look better will change a thing for me because you're perfect all the time, regardless."
"Wow!" the hairdresser who worked on Sarah said awe-struck, having heard Chuck's compliment.
Sarah couldn't decide whether to smile or cry, so she did both as her eyes welled up while giving her lover an affectionate smile.
He grinned back, then turned his attention to the hairdresser. "Can I pay?"
"Chuck…" Sarah protested in embarrassment as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her because of how great and special he'd made her feel.
Chuck looked back at his girlfriend. "Please?" he asked, his eyes pleading.
Sarah took an extended moment in hesitancy but finally relented with a nod, feeling unable to say anything in case her mouth betrayed her.
He grinned, then paid for Sarah's beauty trip.
They departed the beauty salon together, pausing in the open air as they heard a live street musician performing nearby.
Sarah gazed at the bag in Chuck's hand. "Did you get something fun?"
"Yeah," Chuck nodded, muting laughter. "I got two things. It will sure keep me occupied."
His lover's gaze became mischievous, and he knew she was thinking something.
"I'm sure we can do something else to pass the time," she soon said.
Chuck suppressed additional fond laughter. "You were totally talking about sex, right?"
Sarah said nothing but gave him a telling look.
Chuck continued his attempts to suppress laughter. "With how amazing you look, I'd be a complete fool to pass on that. So the games will have to be for another time."
"So you like it then?" she asked, staring into his eyes.
He nodded, smiling besottedly. "You look great, baby."
Sarah beamed at him, her eyes filled with admiration and affection. "Thank you," she said shyly.
"And now for the beauty store and then we'll head back or we'll have no time. I booked a reservation for tonight at six, but it's always wise to turn a little early," Chuck said.
Sarah nodded, then reached for his hand as they walked hand-in-hand through the city centre for a few minutes until they arrived at a large Superdrug.
"I'm paying for whatever I buy in here, so please don't offer," she said.
He nodded in concession, then followed her inside.
Sarah took a few minutes inside the health and beauty store, choosing several beauty items to purchase as Chuck followed her around the store.
Once she collected the last item she wished to purchase, she looked at Chuck and said, "All done. Thanks for waiting."
Chuck grinned. "No problem. Next time, you can come with me to a game store."
"Deal," she said with a joyful smile. "If you enjoy it, I'll be happy to be with you."
Chuck nodded.
They walked towards the tills to checkout but there was a slight queue.
As they waited, she felt her boyfriend's presence behind her and had an urge to lean back into him.
He responded to the action, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding on to her stomach.
Once it was her turn to be served, she left her boyfriend's embrace, paid for her items, and departed the store hand in hand.
The moment they stepped outside, they began heading towards Sarah's place, but their movements stopped in their tracks as they encountered two familiar faces.
Chuck, in a moment of panic, instantly moved to remove his hand holding Sarah's.
Sarah broke her glance from looking at Cole Barker and Sophie, who hadn't encountered them yet, to look at the location of her hand being held by Chuck's as she felt his grip leaving her.
Determining that Chuck was doing it to hide their relationship from Cole and Sophie, who didn't know yet, Sarah looked back at Cole and Sophie, entering with the briefest of thoughts.
Sarah took a deep breath to calm her nerves before gripping Chuck's hand much tighter.
Chuck narrowed his eyes and shot her a questioning look for her actions.
With a reassuring smile, she clasped his hand at that moment, never wanting to let go. "Last night was the best night of my life, Chuck. And today has been the best day. Screw what people think about us because I don't care anymore. What I care about is how we feel and I don't want to hide it anymore…"
Chuck pondered for a moment, but it was too late because Cole and Sophie had already spotted them holding hands and were now approaching them with curious expressions.
Cole and Sophie soon arrived at Chuck and Sarah's position outside the health and beauty store.
"Hey, you two. What are you doing here?" Cole asked.
"And why are you holding hands?" Sophie asked.
Chuck and Cole shot Sophie a glance for her comment.
However, Sarah remained composed. "He was showing me around," she said, then paused for the briefest of moments. "And we're holding hands because we're dating."
Cole and Sophie both took a moment to let the revelation sink in before breaking out into a synchronised eruption of joy.
"I'm thrilled for you both!" Cole said as he rushed to pat Chuck on the shoulder, grinning at his best friend.
Chuck smiled at his closest male bond, then looked at his girlfriend, who appeared relaxed and was now smiling.
Sophie matched Sarah's happiness, glancing between both Chuck and Sarah. "You look so perfect together."
Cole's unwavering support and affirmation of their relationship, as well as Sophie's, filled Sarah with a sense of joy that she couldn't quite contain, causing her to break into a wide grin.
"Thank you," Sarah said, bursting with joy. "We are."
Cole grinned as he moved towards Sarah, her hold on Chuck's hand breaking as he did so.
Cole hugged her for a moment.
Once he pulled back, Sophie moved to hug Sarah too, and then she hugged and swapped kisses with Chuck on their cheeks.
Cole chuckled in sheer happiness and excitement for Chuck and Sarah. "You have my word, Sarah, that if any of the chaps we fondly call our teammates give you shit for this, then they'll answer to Chuck and me!"
"If they do, I'll kill them!" Sophie said with conviction.
The group of four shared laughter.
"How was your day?" Chuck asked, glancing between Cole and Sophie.
Cole answered, "It was good, Chuck! We went out for a spot of brunch and then hit a few shops."
Chuck nodded, then turned his attention to Sophie when she said, "We got up very late because we had a very romantic night together at Miller & Carter's."
"Is that where we're heading tonight?" Sarah asked.
Chuck nodded.
"Wait a minute!" Cole said, narrowing his eyes as he looked between Chuck and Sarah. "What about the warm-down? The lads will take a dim view if you don't show up for it after the hell we've all gone through the past month."
"We'll turn up to it later tonight," Sarah said, with no room for negotiation in her tone. "After the shit month I've had getting constant grief just because we make each other happy and want to be together, they can wait for us to turn up when we're ready to, and it won't be four o'clock."
"Fair enough!" Cole said with a cheerful grin. "You'll enjoy yourselves and love it there. We'll have to start double dating from time to time because I'm sure you could use a female friend around, Sarah."
Once Cole finished speaking, Sarah turned to look at Sophie, and they shared a smile.
"That sounds nice," Sarah said.
Cole chuckled in approval while Chuck suppressed laughter.
"You'll love Sophie, Sarah. She's one of the best girls you can meet," Chuck said.
"Aww!" Sophie said in affection, looking fondly at Chuck, whom she considered her little brother. "Chuck is such a sweetheart. You've met a nice one."
"I know," Sarah said, smiling at Sophie for her words, then turned her glance back onto Chuck, who met her glance and grinned at her.
She smiled back, their gaze lingering until they turned to look at Cole who said, "I won't say a word of where you two are at but I'm warning you that when you turn up, they'll know exactly where you've been and there will be no further hiding it from them."
Sarah nodded. "I know. But I can't go on hiding how I feel about him. We had a shit night on our date last night because we had to hide how we feel, so I don't want to hide it for a single day more. I only intend to tell our team though, because it's nobody else's business, even though there's nothing wrong with us being together."
"Of course there isn't, darling," Sophie said with a reassuring touch of Sarah's arm. "You make each other happy. There's nothing wrong with that."
"I couldn't have said it any better!" Cole said as he pointed in endorsement at his fiancee.
Chuck nodded, then looked at his watch. "Uh, I don't want to rush off so soon, but we kind of need to rush now because we're running out of time."
"Enjoy yourselves. You deserve a great time," Sophie said, smiling in affection at Chuck and Srah.
Sarah returned the friendly smile to the bubbly girl.
"Right then, I'll be seeing you both tonight!" Cole said in excitement.
Chuck's nod filled with warmth and love as he looked at his best friend.
Cole looked at Sarah again. "And remember, Chuck and I will have your back. Three against four makes fine odds for us because Chris won't get involved!"
"It will be four because I'm coming tonight for support, too. I'll have your back, Sarah," Sophie said.
Cole beamed with pride as he once again gestured towards his fiancee, showing his full support for her.
Sarah smiled at Sophie.
The two couples then said their goodbyes, splitting ways.
Once Cole and Sophie were out of sight, Chuck and Sarah paused for a moment in reflection.
"That's one teammate down, five to go…" Sarah said, a sudden onset of nerves hitting her at the prospect of telling Big Dan, especially, that she and Chuck now shared a bed.
Chuck's comforting smile and his reassuring squeeze of her hand reassured her she had her lover's protection, as well as Cole and Sophie's, from any issue they would face.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had Chuck take Sarah to places my ex-boyfriend took me to when I visited Hereford to see him. Unlike Sarah, I had a full tour of the cathedral, including the SAS Memorial, but that's not open yet in the story (happened in 2017 in real life), so it will be a future event. I also visited the coffeehouse, De Koffie Pot, which has live music on frequently. However, I can confidently say that The Weir Garden is the best place for romantic lovers, but that's about 20 miles away and Red Team is part of counter-terror duties, so thus restricted to Hereford-Credenhill. Maybe I'll have them visit The Weir Garden in the future :) Grade-listed buildings are certified buildings which are sought to be protected and maintained.
FOOTNOTES: Next chapter, Charah gets ready for their date and heads on it. I'm not sure if I will do them heading to Jim's pub in the same chapter. I'll see how the chapter develops first. Please review if you can! I never seem to get many reviews when it's a weekend, so it would be a pleasant surprise if that changes this time out and I see chapter feedback from you amazing readers. Especially considering this is my 10th chapter posted since my return a month ago :)