I heard
That you're settled now
That you've found a girl
and you're married now
I heard
That you're dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you
Chuck stood looking in the mirror as he adjusted his tie, today was the big day and he let out a shaky breath as the butterflies swelled in his stomach. He never thought that he would find love again after Blair, but he had, and he thought that this was what happy must of felt like. He smiled in spite of himself, everything was really coming together. He heard the guests outside chatter and laugh amongst themselves as a harp played in the background while they waited for the ceremony to begin in the spring air.
A breeze was sent through his private marquee and Nate came inside wearing a smart tuxedo and a red rose in his right pocket to match Chuck's.
"Hey man," Nate said and patted his best friend on his shoulder. "Everything all good in here? Don't need me to warm your feet?" Nate smiled boyishly at Chuck, amused at his own joke.
Chuck chuckled in reply, "Everything's fine Nathaniel."
The curtain of the marquee opened again and Serena came waltzing through looking as radiant as ever, her golden hair swung down in her signature way and her long yellow dress brightened up the room. She wrapped her arm around Nate's and whispered something urgently to him and Nate just nodded once in response, a flash of uncertainly crossed his face but he quickly smiled to hide it. Chuck decided to ignore it.
"Oh, Chuck! You look handsome!" Serena exclaimed as she leant forward to give him a hug and tears welled in her eyes. "I can't believe how grown up we all are."
"Come on sis, stop being so sentimental, it's just a wedding." But Chuck couldn't help but grin widely back at her, she was right, every single one of them had grown up. Serena and Nate were now married, and each worked their successful jobs, Serena a model and Nate, surprisingly enough, a lawyer. Chuck was happy, running his father's business and getting married today, his reckless past long behind him and as for Blair, well she was enjoying her happy ever after in a land far away.
"I wish we could do a toast or something, but Nate and I really need to get out there," Serena said in an annoyed tone, and Chuck understood why, if he knew that his bride-to-be was going to pick Eleanor Waldorf as their wedding planner/designer, whatever she wanted you to call her these days, then he would have put his foot down, she turned out being a lot more controlling, everything was her way, Chuck couldn't help but wonder if her hostility towards him was because he hadn't invited her daughter to the wedding.
"I understand, go on, out." He said, a smile playing around his mouth. "I just need to fix this tie and I'll be out there."
Serena kissed him on the cheek, "Good luck," she whispered and then headed towards the curtain again and waited for her husband to join her.
"This is it man." Nate said and he hugged Chuck and patted his back before joining Serena outside.
Chuck let out a nervous breath and he ran his hands through his hair, those butterflies were really getting on his nerves. He tried to shake it off and looked down at his tie, he undid it again and concentrated on fixing it up.
I hate to show up out of the blue uninvited
but I couldn't stay away
I couldn't fight it
I had hoped that you'd see my face
and that you'd be reminded that for me
It isn't over
The deep red curtains flapped open again and Chuck felt a new presence in the room, he looked up into the mirror expecting it to be Lily, but instead he found himself looking into those deep brown eyes and for the first time, in a long time, he was speechless.
He swallowed and turned to face her, she looked beautiful. Her dark hair was pulled back in an elegant twist with a few curls left out to flow along her neck, around her neck was the memorable Erickson Beamon necklace he had given to her on her seventeenth birthday, he followed the rest of her body which was covered in a ravishing deep purple dress (his favourite colour, he noted) that flowed all the way down to her stiletto covered feet. He looked back up to meet her gaze again and her ruby lips curved into a soft smile.
"Blair.." He whispered, questioning, longing, confusion all in his voice.
"You didn't tell me you were getting married." She answered in a quiet tone, there was no accusation in that statement, all it was was exactly that- a statement.
He nodded once at her, not sure on what she wanted him to reply, they stood there for a moment in silence, their gazes slowly drifting away from each other until Chuck was finally pulled back to his tie.
"How's Louis?" He asked, not looking at her, but at his hands.
He heard her steps coming towards him slowly until suddenly her hands were on his and she began to do up his tie for him.
"I'm not here to talk about Louis." She replied, glancing quickly up at him then back to the tie. "You don't wear bow ties anymore?" She questioned.
"There's a lot of things I don't do anymore." Chuck said, moving his hands away from her electric touch and placing them at his side awkwardly. "Then what are you here to talk about?"
Blair didn't reply straight away but instead finished off his tie, after fastening it neatly at the top she stepped back from him, their closeness becoming too much.
"I miss you Chuck." She said, holding on to his gaze.
"Blair..." He warned, please not today, he begged.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to claim you as mine or something ridiculously dramatic as that." Blair assured him, "As you can imagine, when I found out through my mother that you were getting married, I was hurt. You were the first person I told about me and Louis, you couldn't do that for me?"
Chuck sighed, "We all know how well that turned out for us." He murmured, he had tried so desperately hard to block that night out of his memory. They were quiet again as Blair waited for his answer.
He swallowed, "I didn't tell you because it would have hurt too much, and it probably would have changed my mind." He confessed.
Blair nodded in a way as though she knew that that would be his answer. She stepped a little closer back to him, their gazes still locked on one another, "We were a great love," She whispered, a tear forming in her eye, "And we still are."
"Blair what are you doing?"
"No, listen to me Chuck, I already told you that I'm not here to win you back, I'm happy with Louis." She pressed. "I just want to get this off my chest before it's too late and that we won't be alone together like this again."
Chuck nodded, he understood.
"I love you, so much." She told him, "And I want you to know, that I want you to be happy. You were great to me Chuck, despite all the hurt, lies, gossip, everything we went through was for something, and I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world."
Never I found someone like you
I wish nothing but the best of you two
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love
but sometimes it hurts instead
"Not a day goes by where I don't regret letting you go." Chuck replied sadly, "But I am happy now, and so are you. I agree with you though, everything we went through-nothing compares to what we had."
"We could of have had it all." She said, and then smirked, thinking of their last night together.
Chuck caught on to her smirk and smiled back at her, "Yes, we could have." He nodded, "It was just that the time was wrong."
You know, how the time flies
Only yesterday, was the time of our lives,
we were born and raised
in a summer haze
bound by the surprise by our glory days
They stepped closer once more, their magnetic pull causing them to step involuntarily towards each other, they stopped just short of making contact.
Blair's eyes were once again glazed over with tears, "I didn't want you to let me go," She said, the tears caught up in her voice. "I'll always be yours."
"I know," Chuck said and his arms wrapped around her and they hugged each other, he took in her scent and sighed, he was wrong before, this was what happiness felt like. "I know." He repeated.
Her head rested against his chest, feeling as though she was home, how had they managed to let each other go so easily before? And now they had to do it again. She shouldn't have come here, but she had to see him again, one last time before he was someone else's.
Nothing compares, no worry or fears
regrets and mistakes they're memories made
who would have known
how bitter sweet this would taste
He squeezed her one last time before stepping away to retrieve something from the inside of his pocket, "I never go anywhere without it." He told her as he opened the little box, displaying the engagement ring that was meant to be hers. They both gazed down at it, memories flooded between them, all of them a result from this very ring, the ring that brought them together time and time again but never actually lived out its true purpose.
She looked up at him, tears streaking down her face, she was crying now.
"I want you to have it." He told her, "It's yours."
"Chuck, I can't-"
"Yes," he insisted. "You can."
She took the box from him and admired the ring, trying to figure something out that she could give him in return, a little memento so that she would be with him always. She looked down at her right hand and took off her ruby ring, with no word she gave it to him, her eyes daring him to refute.
He took the ring from her and placed it into his left inside pocket to his blazer, his heart beating against it. His hand reached out and touched her cheek softly and he brushed her tears away.
Never I find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love
but sometimes it hurts instead
He leaned in slowly and she met him halfway, their lips touching softly as they moved them together, it pained them both, they were aware that this was the final good bye kiss, and it took all of their power combined to finally let go.
The music outside changed and Chuck knew he had to leave now, he had to leave his old world and return to the present, it should have been a lot easier then it was, but Blair Waldorf had always had that effect on him.
She smiled softly at him one last time and he walked away from her and towards the ceremony, they both turned around at the same time to face each other again.
"I will always love you." Chuck whispered, his heart breaking silently.
"I will always love you." Blair repeated, a small sob escaping her lips.
He left then and disappeared into the crowd outside and Blair cried to herself as she watched her old life walk away from her.
Sometimes it lasts in love
but sometimes it hurts instead