It's a Wonderful Cover Life (Chuck Fan Fiction)

Chapter 13

58. Drive and Tell

If it hadn't been for the slight rise and fall of her chest, Chuck would swear that he was sitting next to a mannequin. Sarah hadn't moved or spoken since they'd pulled apart a good three minutes ago, not that he was in any condition to carry on a conversation. His brain felt fuzzy – whether it was as a result of downing the tequila or being kissed by Sarah was debatable – and the only thing he was fairly certain of was that several eyes were still fixed on them.

They had put on quite a show.

And that was all it was, Chuck told himself. Sarah wanted to prove a point and his were the most convenient lips around, though he would never have thought that a fake kiss could be so intense. Either way, he realized that they couldn't spend the rest of the night just staring at each other. The way he saw it they had two options, but even with the jolt of liquid courage, he was not going to venture out onto the dance floor. That would be the quickest way to go from hero to zero in his co-patrons' eyes, unless it was a slow song which didn't require dancing so much as swaying and taking the occasional step, but that would involve Sarah and arms and touching and not being sure if he should pretend for her sake or not. The thought alone made his head spin and his palms sweat.

That left option two.

"Can we get out of here?" he asked.

At first it seemed like Sarah hadn't heard him, then she blinked. "Yeah."

She started riffling through her purse and he used the opportunity to signal the bartender for the bill. After being told that it had been taken care of – how, he didn't ask – he turned back to Sarah who handed him a valet ticket.

"Would you mind getting the car? I need to go fix my lipstick."

Her lips looked fine to him but he didn't mention it, grateful for the reprieve to gather his thoughts before they had to share the cramped space of her sports car. Then the implications of her first question hit him. "Do you want me to drive?" He felt both excited and nauseated by the prospect.

"Yeah. I think I've reached the legal limit two mojitos and one tequila shot ago, so you're less likely to be arrested."

"Okay," Chuck said, "that explains it. Your judgment is impaired so you don't really mean it when you say I should drive your car." And the kiss probably didn't mean anything either, he thought.

Sarah frowned. "What's wrong with my car? Why don't you want to drive it?"

"It's a Porsche," he replied. "I don't know if I'm ready for the responsibility. Plus you know Kung Fu, so maybe we should leave it here and get a cab, because what if I – "

Sarah cut off his babbling, her scowl gone now that she'd realized he wasn't dissing her ride. "Chuck, it's just a car."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? And how many people, besides you, have driven it?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but when she leaned forward to make sure she had his full attention, she was all seriousness. "You're trusting me with your kid. It's just a car," she said again.

He couldn't argue with that.

"But," Sarah continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "if Carina asks – "

"This never happened."

"Oh, no." She shook her head, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I want you to tell her. Every little detail."

Chuck laughed quietly. "That'd be mean. Can I tell her even if she doesn't ask?"

"I was hoping you would." Sarah smiled and slid off the barstool. Chuck made a move to get up too, but froze when she reached out and touched his cheek. Her thumb wiped over the corner of his lip and he was positive that he stopped breathing.