Author's Note: They're baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Enjoy:)
Jenny sighed as she sipped the last drop of coffee from her amber-colored Parsons mug. She loved days like this. It was late in the morning and she was sitting at the kitchen counter of the loft watching bars of sunlight flitter across the hardwood floor. Today was Friday and the end of a long week. All that stood between her and the weekend was one single design class which she had foolishly scheduled for Fridays not knowing any better. Well, that and one annoying brother who was doing his best to ruin the serenity of the morning.
"I don't understand why you are being so weird about this," Dan said exasperatedly. "It would just be for a couple of hours."
"Because what you're asking me is BEYOND weird," Jenny retorted. "A. My boyfriend is your girlfriend's ex, B. Your girlfriend hates me, and C. You're my brother and I'm pretty sure there is some kind of law in New York about going on dates with family members," she continued shoving the last of her books into her leather backpack.
"A double date," Dan clarified, "you're just trying to make it sound dirty to get out of it."
"Guilty," Jenny said, mockingly holding up her hands as she scooted past her older brother. "I've gotta go, don't want to be late for studio."
"Besides," Dan added, ignoring Jenny's attempts to flee, "Blair doesn't hate you. Remember how she convinced you to stay in New York when you were ready to run away again?"
Jenny remembered all too well. She couldn't believe it had been six months since she practically jumped off of a moving train bound for Chicago. The end of last year had been a whirlwind. She had returned to New York, made amends with the people she hurt, faced her worst critics, broke up with her (sorta) boyfriend, and of course, gained a new one. She cringed inwardly thinking of Matt. She called him as soon as she got off the train and though he was confused about her sudden change of heart he took her decision in stride, like always. When they had spoken a few days later, things weren't as amicable. Jenny knew she had really hurt him, and to be honest, ending things had hurt her almost as much. Matt was a great guy and had helped Jenny so much. She wasn't sure she would have even had the strength to come home if it weren't for his support. But for all of the things she loved about Matt, there was one thing missing: he wasn't Nate Archibald.
Nate. Her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Nate. She still couldn't quite get over the shock of that concept. When she decided to stay in New York they had agreed to take things slow. They both felt like it had taken so long to get to this point that they didn't want to do anything to mess it up. And while they may not have moved as slowly as originally planned, they did have a very public PDA session in the lobby of Chuck's hotel after all, Jenny could honestly say she had never been as happy as she was with Nate. Which is why she wasn't going to dampen the honeymoon phase by agreeing to what had the potential to be the most awkward situation of her life: a double date with Dan and Blair.
"Yes Dan, Blair helped convince me to stay," Jenny conceded. "BUT I'm sure she had her own motives and I doubt it was due to a sudden affection for me."
Dan was prepared to object but Jenny cut him off. "End of discussion. Now I've really got to go. Love you, bye!"
And with a flash of blond hair Jenny was out the door.
Dan peered around the empty room and then checked his watch. "I need get a hobby," he mumbled, sitting down at the counter and opening the newspaper.
Four long hours later, Jenny was done with her class. She made small talk with a few girls as she walked down the stairs to the front door of the school building. They exchanged "Have a good weekends" as they went their separate ways down the busy New York street.
Jenny took a deep breath as she felt the sunlight on her face. Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She smiled as she saw the name flashing across the screen.
"I thought you were in a meeting?" she asked, as she answered the phone.
"I don't think they can expect me to spend the day inside when it is so nice out," Nate explained, doing his best to sound earnest.
Jenny chuckled. Being part of a multi-million dollar company definitely hadn't changed how laid back Nate was. Or charming for that matter.
"Besides," Nate continued, "it takes me at least 15 minutes to get here and I didn't want to be late."
Jenny stopped walking.
"Get where?" she asked.
"Where do you think?" Nate replied.
Jenny turned around and saw her boyfriend standing a few feet away, phone held to his ear.
Jenny smiled slyly. "I've got to go," she said. "There is this really cute guy here and I'm pretty sure he's making eyes at me."
Nate laughed at this and walked towards her, hanging up his phone.
"Should I be jealous?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know," Jenny said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I don't really go for guys in suits." Her tone was serious but she couldn't cover her smile. Nate rolled his eyes but Jenny kissed him before he could respond.
"I could be persuaded to change my mind," she whispered against his lips.
Nate smiled at her and brushed his thumb across her cheek.
Sometimes Jenny swore her knees would buckle from the way he looked at her. It was hard to describe really. It wasn't just a "you're so beautiful" kind of look, or even an "I like you a lot" look. It was the kind of look where you know they don't see anything but you, the real you, and it made Jenny feel warm from her cheeks to her toes.
"Shall we?" Nate asked, breaking his stare and lacing his fingers through hers.
Jenny nodded and they headed towards the subway.
As they walked, Nate leaned in and whispered, "And for the record, I was DEFINITELY making eyes at you."
Jenny smiled. Charming as ever.