Conversations with other women.
This story is based in the film "Conversations with other women", so you will obviously find a lot of similarities. Enjoy.
Chapter 1.
There he is. At a wedding. Her wedding, his sister's wedding to be more precise. And is not as he would miss it. Of course he would not miss it; he would never miss it. Even if she was marrying one of them. One of the people that made him so much harm so many years ago. Well, he; his new brother-in-law, didn't hurt him per se, but it was by association so of course that he hadn't talked to him since he decided to leave the Upper East Side. Since he escaped that world he swears he will never return to. But there he is now, only because of his sister's wedding. She is family and now he is family so he had to come. Dan had to face them all and most especially Dan had to face her.
Dan had to face Blair Waldorf after all these years. Or was it the other way around? "Yes", Dan repeated to himself, "She is the one that has to face me. She was the one that left and never contacted me again; I just returned the favor and never aimed to contact her too."
And that is it. That is what Dan told himself every night since he found out about her sister's engagement to Nate Archibald and their subsequent wedding. That Blair was the one owing him an apology because she left without a last word, not the other way around. Besides, he was not a resentful person and even if he had tried to hold a grudge against these people, against Blair, he decided it was no good and it wasn't like him. He noticed that this world had changed him and that was why he needed to leave. Build his life somewhere else. And he did, he had built and made a life far away from these people and his family many years now.
"He is very respectful. A great guy" Nate was now giving the groom's speech and for whatever reason he decided it was a good idea to mention Dan in it even when they haven't talked to each other for a long time. Guess Nate still thought of Dan as a good person, or maybe he mentioned him because it was the nice thing to do. After all, he was marrying his sister right? That had to count for something. "He introduced us, in a way, me and Jenny" Nate continued, "So I guess I will be eternally grateful."
Nate continues talking but Dan is not paying attention anymore. Instead he is scanning the room, searching for her. He had missed the spiritual ceremony and only appeared in the reception so he hasn't seen her yet. There she is. And Dan is surprised to see her sitting in the wedding party table. Why was she there? And as a bridesmaid? She was not even close to Jenny, or at least that is how he remembered. Maybe a lot has changed since he last set foot in the UES. And apparently a blossoming friendship between her and his sister was one of those changes.
He is still watching her when she decides to stand up from her table, grabs a package of cigarettes and escapes to the women's restroom. He thinks that this is definitely not a Blair Waldorf thing to do; but then again, he once thought he understood her but he had figured her out all wrong. She still is an enigma.
She was looking for a good hiding place to smoke when he decides to just go and talk to her. He decides to let the awkwardness fall behind them as soon as possible to make his night more bearable. He makes his mind up, goes to the open bar and orders two glasses of champagne.
"Wish me luck." He says to the bartender and then makes his way to her. When he finally is standing next to her and she glances at him, he is surprised to see that she is not at all surprised to see him in front of her. He offers her one of the glasses of champagne.
"Thanks, but I don't drink." She tells him as she rejects the champagne.
"You smoke but you don't drink." He remarks.
"Well, I shouldn't do that either but…" She responds.
They both hear cheering sounds. And it reminds Dan that there is a wedding happening around them, that all the people beside him are celebrating Nate and Jenny instead of hiding somewhere in the reception. And then he notices again that she is wearing a bridesmaid dress. A cute pale pink dress, probably one of Jenny's designs.
"I thought bridesmaids were not allowed to smoke."
"Guess I'm not a good bridesmaid after all." She answers him while she is still smoking.
"Don't be too hard on yourself," he kind-of jokes. "The only requirement is that you can fit into the dress."
She smiles. A barely noticeable smile. "How am I doing then?"
"You're doing well." He answers her.
"I was an alternate anyway. The original seventh bridesmaid broke a leg in an unusual accident." She continues, "Well she swore up and down, the bride, that she had intended to invite me earlier, but eh, yeah well, you know how this is. "
"I don't actually." He says and surprises even himself by getting closer to Blair. "Tell me."
"Well, you could say I have history with one of the other guests."
"History? Sounds interesting." He whispers.
"Oh no. It's terribly boring." She whispers back.
"I'm sure that is not true. I love stories; I'm a writer you know?" He continues even when of course she knows, "All those distant related royals fucking each other, ending up with tragic diseases."
"But this is a sad dull real people kind. You know? Mistakes repeated endlessly, lessons remaining unlearned."
He doesn't completely know how to answer to that, so he chooses to guide the conversation to another subject. "So here you are, the bride's eight closest friend in the world."
"I've thought about it." She says while she is still smoking, "And as far as I see it, the only absolute fact is that I'm not one of her top seven friends. I mean, on so short notice she could have asked and be rejected by several other alternatives before she got to me."
"Or," He interjects, "You could be the only person she knew who could potentially fit into the dress."
"Yeah." She realizes, "Therefore, not a friend at all… just a living mannequin to complete the insane symmetry of seven groomsmen and seven bridesmaids."
"Alternatively, you are one of her seven closest friends but, the history you mentioned before prevented her from inviting you, and when the original seventh bridesmaid was taken off by the insane accident, it gave the bride the courage to rekindle her treasured friendship."
"No," She told him as she got even closer and looked directly into his eyes with a smile. "I don't think so because we were never close."
She turned around and Dan was in this strange yet familiar position where he could just smell her hair, like old times.
"There was a two week or something of the sort period when we were almost friends, I think. But I haven't spoken to her; I haven't spoken to any of these people for many years now."
"So this is why a pretty girl like you is standing all by herself?"
"Some of these people used to be my friends, but they aren't anymore." She says and Dan can read in her eyes that she is remembering the old days, when they were all friends, or at least acquaintances. He can almost see that she is remembering them and just when he thinks he's got her, her expression changes completely and she adds. "I'm tired of playing the let's catch up game. The endless repetition of what I've been doing and with whom I've been doing. After I finish my prepared speech I just nod blankly as they recite theirs."
"I see."
"They used to be my exes friends. Not mine."
"Not even the groom? Not even the lavishly beautiful made of honor? I really thought at least the groom and the made of honor were your friends."
"Well they sure were," She answers him, "But, after everything we went through, they chose a side and so did I."
"Then why are you here?"
"I asked myself that exact question when I was getting on the plane," She says "And I could only come with two reasons and neither were very good."
"And what were they?"
"Curiosity," She answers, "And… maybe because I just knew I shouldn't."
"Something tells me you are troubled" he says as they both sit in one unoccupied table.
Just when they both are settled they hear as the wedding singer starts speaking: "All right, attention all single woman. Jenny is about to throw the bouquet."
"Oh… sweet." Dan says. "Isn't that your cue?"
She just looks at him as she says: "I'm not single."
"You did say your ex."
"Yeah, I did." She says and she takes of one of the gloves she was wearing and reveals a ring.
"You did marry." It wasn't a question, just a mere observation of what was in front of him.
Blair noticed that Dan was still looking at her so she said: "It's just a ring."
"I heard married woman are not supposed to be bridesmaid."
"Who says?"
"Bridesmaids are brides in training. They are matrimonial interns."
"That is an old retrograde costume." They both stand up facing each other as she adds, "Anyway, I told you I was a bad bridesmaid."
They both made their way to the open bar and she orders a Shirley Temple and he drinks the glass of champagne she refused to drink earlier. "Did your husband come with you?" He asks abruptly.
"No, he couldn't. Not on so short notice."
"What does he do?"
"Do?"
"For a living."
"He's a businessman and let us leave it at that."
"At least tell me where you live now because you obviously do not live in New York anymore."
"We live in London." she says, "Tell me, are you married?"
The dreadful question. To be honest he was expecting it, just not from her. "No, but I have a girlfriend." As if by saying that would make anyone not feel that bad for being unmarried at his age.
"Serious?" she asks.
"Not at all" he just couldn't lie to her, even when she did lie to him in the past, "But I like it, the lack of seriousness. In my opinion, when it gets too serious it might as well be over." He did notice that she was looking at him between bewildered and amused. "What?"
"I just know your kind. I know you so well, or I knew you so well. And you are just not that kind of guy."
"People do change."
"Of course they do, but I don't think that, in this particular aspect, you have changed" She adds. "Anyway, where is that girlfriend of yours?"
"She didn't come," he answers. "She is busy working back in L.A. She is filming a movie."
"Must have a lovely figure."
"Yeah she does." He comments. "Very lovely. She works for it though."
"And there is something wrong in working for it?"
"Not at all, I don't think my partner's figure is of my concern. She does what she wants. "He adds, "It's just that, sometimes I wish I was not so acquainted with the care and maintenance of Olivia's figure."
"Olivia as in Olivia Burke?" asks Blair, "Humphrey, reviving past romances, I wouldn't have taken you for that."
"I told you already that people change." He tells her. "Besides, is not like you are unfamiliar with the whole process of reviving past loves, I would dare to say that you are an expert."
There it was, some of the feelings that Dan still had for what Blair did. They were making their first appearance of the evening.
"I'll give you that" Blair said while she momentarily looks at her Shirley Temple and then as Dan did before by guiding the conversation to another place she said: "Let me tell you something Cabbage Patch, we all have to work for it. The ones that claim to be "naturally thin", the ones that say that they can eat anything they want to, they are the ones working hardest, and this is why our society is very fucked up. We as women should not hide these facts or give that importance to weight for that matter, what are we teaching our daughters? The illusion of effortless requires a great effort indeed."
"When you have a daughter you are going to be great, I think. At least you are going to guide her in the self appreciation road."
She looks at him as if to say something but instead just whispers. "Olivia".
"Yes, Olivia."
"Almost as a two syllable poem: Oli-via" She says, "Olivia the actress… I can almost picture her."
Then she grabs another cigarette and lights it up.
"Don't smoke." He says as they both again sit at one of the unoccupied tables. "What would your husband think?"
"Seeing as he has succeeded in leaving it but not before hooking me in the vice," She answers, "I guess he accepts it, but still despises it."
"What is it like to be a businessman's wife?"
"Better than being a writer's wife." She answers, "You see, I kind of experienced both, to an extend at least, not marriage per se, but a serious relationship."
"What's the difference?" Dan asks her and he can't help the look of longing that he lets escape.
"The writer used better ties." She smiles and Dan can't also help looking at his own tie, as to make a sort of comparison, with whom, he doesn't know.
This is when he decides to just let the seriousness of this whole conversation go away and let a light atmosphere enter them, he knows this conversation is not totally awkward but he still feels a little awkward at times. He decides that being with Blair still affects him somehow so he decides to guide the conversation into new territory, yet again.
"You know, I do remember you from before," he says to her, "In fact, I remember the first time I saw you."
"Aha."
"The first time I really, really saw you." He adds, "I was seventeen, and so were you. We were at high school remember, you were all alone, which was rare for you, under a tree reading a book."
"And what was that book?"
"You were reading Persuasion by Jane Austen."
"You are making that up."
"No I'm not," He defends himself, "Why would you say that?"
"People do it all the time," She answers, "Make up little details, connecting truths with half truths. It's like storytelling."
"No, is memory."
"I used to believe that but the older I get, the more I'm aware of the perversity of the human memory. I forget what I want to remember and I just remember what is useless."
"Whatever the book was," he adds, "You were totally absorbed in it. And maybe it was because I didn't knew you that well and didn't knew your behavior with people like me at the time, but I interrupted you and said: You know that class is already starting right?"
"And what did I say?"
"You said: Who are you? And class can wait."
"I never said that."
"Yes you did."
"I did not," she answers him, "Grades were very important to me so I will never miss class, which is why I know you are making this up."
"I assure you that this anecdote is based on true."
"That is interesting," she says, "But let me tell you that it doesn't help your argument, seeing as most fiction is based on truth."
"Very clever."
"Yeah, I'm clever."
So what do you think? Do you like this? I'm planning on continuing it but if most of you are finding this story dull please let me know. Also; this story doesn't have a beta so you will find mistakes, hopefully not a lot. I like constructing criticism so in regards of writing, you can tell me how to improve. Anyway, please review.