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

Chapter 12

53. The Impossible Reservation

Chuck stood in front of the row of teddy bears, his arms crossed, drumming his fingers indecisively against his elbow. He never knew the I'm sorry range was so extensive. None of the bears, however, conveyed the message I wish I knew what I'd done wrong.

After last night he was sure that Sarah's animosity, or at least the bulk of it, was directed at him. When she'd finally emerged from the bathroom, she'd slipped into bed with a barely audible "goodnight" and had turned her back to him. He could practically feel the temperature under the comfy duvet plummet several degrees. He hadn't gotten any sleep himself and had spent the night staring at the ceiling. By four thirty Sarah had gotten up, had changed into her workout gear and had left the room without so much as looking at him. Three hours later he'd found himself alone at the dining room table, not in the mood for his cereal, but eating it anyway under Casey's watchful eye. The big man had begrudgingly served him, giving Chuck the option to either eat, or lose a limb. Apparently Casey had eyes and ears everywhere and his hostile demeanor had confirmed Chuck's suspicions further – he was in the doghouse and he had no idea why.

The same as Morgan, he thought and sighed. He should probably make time and have a chat with his bearded friend. That way, at least one of them would be put out of their misery.

Big Mike stepped up next to Chuck, thoughtfully chewing a bite of chocolate éclair. He swallowed, scanned the bears and then turned to Chuck. "The flowers didn't work, huh," he said.

"No, it did," Chuck replied, regretting his honestly immediately when Big Mike was speechless for a second and then burst out in a boisterous laugh, causing most of the patrons to look at them. Oblivious to the attention, he slapped Chuck on the back.

"Twice in one day?" Big Mike coughed once his laughing fit was over. Then he shook his head in disbelief and dropped his voice so only Chuck could hear. "Between you and me, I'm stepping out on my lady and I don't get into trouble that much."

"Uh, that's good to know," Chuck replied, not sure if that was the right thing to say. He would've pointed out how crappy it was to be on the receiving end of a cheating partner, but what went on between his boss and the lady Big Mike was none of his business. Besides, Chuck thought, apparently he had enough problems of his own.

"This girlfriend of yours – " Big Mike said before he took another bite of his treat, leaving Chuck in suspense until he'd chewed about half a mouthful. "She sounds high maintenance." Chuck discreetly stepped out of the way of the tiny spit laden projectiles as Big Mike spoke. "Are you sure she's worth the trouble?"

The question gave Chuck pause. He and Sarah weren't dating. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to apologize. But still, he hated to see her upset. Before he could come up with an answer for Big Mike, his cell phone rang, the screen showing Awesome striking a body builder pose. Chuck excused himself and as soon as he entered the home theater room for some privacy, he answered the call.

"Got your beep, bro," Devon said without preamble. "What's up?"

Chuck quickly explained his dilemma. He'd figured that it was a safe option to take Sarah out to dinner, but as he didn't move in the same circles as the rich, he had no idea where to make a reservation or even how to get one on such short notice. "And Devon," he ended, "I need you to be awesome about this. Not a word to Ellie. You know how she gets."

"No problemo," Devon said. "Have you ever heard of Totoraku?" he asked.

Chuck eyebrows knitted together as he scratched the back of his head. "Can't say that I have, no."

"That's the beauty of it. It's the most exclusive restaurant in L.A. and very few people know it exists."

"Okay," Chuck replied, rather puzzled. "How would I know if the food's any good then? Do the critics like it?"