Old Austen would be Proud
"Wait" the alcohol in Chuck`s voice was as noticiable as Vanessa`s anger, who did not slow down her pace.
She was hummiliated, outraged, repulsed even. But most of all she was stunned. Vanessa actually believed she had seen something different (good) in him that night. Obviously she had been atrociously wrong, and now she just felt stupid. The joke of that little Upper East Side elite group, and when they got bored they`d get a kick out of remembering the foolish naive Brooklyn girl who stupidly fell in Chuck Bass`s trap.
"Vanessa, come on."
The elevator wasn`t coming fast enough. In fact she was pretty much sure that New York had no means of transportation fast enough to take her home before the tears started to fall from her eyes.
you`re so stupid she scolded herself.
Chuck grabbed her wrist just as the metallic doors opened. "Let me explain."
"There`s really no need. I understand quite well." her voice came fragile and she sorts of hated herself for it at that moment.
"Just let me take you home"
cvcv
Vanessa stayed silent before crossing the Brooklyn bridge. Beside her Chuck said even less.
He was trying to say "I`m sorry" in a sincere way, but the words that left his mouth lacked honesty and thruth since so long ago he could barely remember. So he drank Scotch and stared at the window until the limousine made a stop in front an old big red building.
Vanessa did not wait for someoen to open the car door for her. He turned to look at her, her eyeliner was ruined.
"You and Blair deserve each other." It was a cliche thing to say, Vanessa knew but it also seemed the most thrutful.
Chuck tried to reply, but Vanessa slammed the limousine door shut before he could say "I know".
In the Palace Hote, Chuck drunk until he passed out. In Kensington Vanessa cried herself to sleep.
Chuck Bass was an infamous, low-worth, perversed deviant. Probably he was worse than that, but above all Chuck Bass was loyal. If he made a promise, he stood by it. He had promised to buy and save that speakeasy and turn it again into the sordid place it once was. And he did. The reopening party was the most spectacular thing Brooklyn had ever witnessed.
The speakeasy was blues, carved Crystal and dark oak walls, it was herited clandestinity, it was Victrola outdone. It was everything but dark curls and hazel eyes.
It was two thirty am when Chuck exited his masterpiece, and it was 37 when his limo stopped in front of a red building. He got out of the car before his chauffeur could open the door for him, a bottle of champagne in one hand and a rose in the other. Though having second thoughts he got ridd of the rose before getting to Vanessa`s building door.
"Dan?" came her vioce from the electrip porter.
"Chuck Bass" he clarified.
There was a moment of silence , a clear loud sigh and finally a clic. Vanessa, dressed in old jeans and a shirt she had oviously randomly picked, took her time to come down at the door.
Time in which Chuck thought he had been rejected without a word.
"It`s broken" She explained and pointed at the device. "What do you want?"
"You missed the inaguration"
"So?"
"Can I come in?"
"I don`t know Chuck, has Blair send you? I`ve read Dangerous liasons, I know how the story goes."
Chuck didn`t bother to answer. He simply put the bottle of champagne between her hands and turned around, making his way to his limo.
"Valmont" She called him.
"Valmont was nothing but another victim"
"One that victimized everyone around him"
"Just let me in" he insisted.
The night was cold, and rain was threatening to fall upon them. Vanessa turned around and Chuck followed.
Vanessa`s living room was barely decorated.
"Sit where you please. I`ll look for something to... toast with."
Chuck loosedned his tie and sat in the old looking couch.
"Don`t get comfortable, you`re leaving in a few minutes."
He could not resist for longer and asked. "What the hell is wrong with your floor"
"I don`t spend much time here." she brought two plastic cups. "I`m not in the mood for washing cups so you`ll have to settle down with these."
Vanessa sat beside him in the old couch and tried to uncork the bottle of champagne. Chuck took it from her and with the movement that belongs to someone that has a bottle of Moet every morning for breakfast, he uncorked it elegantly.
"So" he said while pouring champagne in the white plastic cups. "besides saving about to be sold speakeasies and using your camera to blackmail Upper East Siders, what do you do?"
"Two hour long movies starring plastic bags that dance in the wind" Vanessa answered, sarcams dripping from her words. "They`re a smashing hit"
She raised her cup in a toast gesture and took a sip, Chuck imitated her.
"I stopped by the bar, yesterday" she admitted after a short silence "You`ve done a great work on that place"
"I`m a man of word"
"Who would have said?"
"Why didn`t you go to the party?" he finally dared to ask.
"To spark your interest, make you come look for me"
"I hate sarcasm"
"And I honestly could not care less."
Chuck stared long at Vanessa, his eyes traveled her face slowly and strangely it did not made Vanessa nervious.
"What?" she snapped a couploe of minutes later.
"Drink, before it warms up" he rushed her, while filling the cups again.
"Are you trying to get me drunk, Bass?"
"Do you want me to?"
Vanessa smiled and brushed his comment off as she drank the contents of her cup in a shot. A cup that Chuck filled again.
"Why did Nate let you get away?"
"Let me get away?" she laughed, it was a beautiful sound. "I always thought it was your doing. You know, in a pride and prejudice style"
"Darcy convinces Bingley to forget about Jane Bennet" He shook his head "You`ve never been Jane."
"Who then?"
"Lizzy."
Both knew what it meant, how the novel ended, but neither said a word. Silence and empty cups.
"I woulnd`t have let you get away"
"He was the one who left, I never got away. And let`s not go there"
"You don`t like talking about Nate"
"No, I don`t like to talk about Chuck." she clarified.
"It`s a pity, I love talking about him."
"No you don`t," she said and shook her head in denial "you like to talk about a character you`ve created to hide the real Chuck Bass. Maybe the silly little girls you take to your bed believe that charade, but I don`t."
"And how do you know which is the autentic Chuck Bass? You think you know me more than them?
"I saw you talking with your father. That was real. Then you were vulnerable, now I don`t know what you are."
"Everyone hides" he shrugged.
"Not me"
"What about tonight? You hidd yourself from me."
"That`s not hiding, it`s survival insctint. You`d eat me alive if you could Chuck."
"I think you`ve had to much to drink"
"You`re right. You should go, besides the bottle is empty."
Chuck nodded and proceeded to leave. "It`s always unexplicable interesting to talk to you, V."
She opened the door for him and Chuck realized for the first time how good she smelled. Like apples.
"Goodnight Chuck"
"You better lock, I don`t like this neighberhood."
It could have been mistook as genuine preocupation if it had not left his scheming lips.
"It`ll be safer after you leave."
The door closed after he exited her flat. Vanessa ears where deafened with silence, she rested her forehead on the metallic doorand tried to find the strenght to not open it again.
She didn`t.
Chuck was still outside her door, waiting, when the door opened again and Vanessa`s thin hands pulled him inside her loft.
Their lips clashed in slow motion. Chuck`s fingers twirled in her dark curls and Vanessa slammed the door shut. The did not talk. They did not think. They just bit each other with their lips and tongues that tasted like expensive champagane and conversations that should never shouls have taken place found each other.
They did not dare to think about what they were doing when they reached the bed and started to rip each other`s clothes off, with hands that had touched other significant people.
One thing was for sure, Vanessa Abrams smelled like apples and the scent was now all over him. Chuck smirked.