AN: Hey! Thanks for taking the time out of your life to read my story; I just wanted to say this story picks up six months after 'Rhodes to Perdition' (Episode 9, Season 5.). This means not one bit of the rest of Season 5 will come to be a truth or part of this story. But Blair does get married to Prince Louis, and she does have his child (I really don't want any complications!) – It is not Chuck's child as of yet. So, basically, I'll fill you in on the rest throughout the story because I CBB right now. Also to figure out the seasons (via month) I will be going from late November (the time Ep. 9 was released).

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Gossip Girl or Twilight I'd be rich... and famous... and – I have nothing else to add right now.


TITLE: La soirée

SUMMARY: It all came down to that one moment in time when both of them decided that they felt like coffee from that quaint little Coffee Shop on the corner, but what happens when they meet? How will the UES view this new Brooklyn addition on the arm of an old one?
PAIRING:
Dan / Bella


Dan Humphrey felt one of the basic needs a writer will almost always experience; the need for hot coffee, and maybe a bagel. There was a small, quaint, coffee shop that had just opened up down the street from his loft that he had frequented many times after the inner turmoil he had experienced from 'The Blair Debacle'. He had written many sad and depressing novellas during his time at Anthony's Italian Coffee House but now was the time for him to move on, after six months he was finally ready.

Bells jingled as he opened the door to the aromatic cafe and he smiled at the calming smell; the scent of coffee had recently become soothing to him, instead of just a helpful morning wake-up call. He ordered his usual, an Espresso and a cheese and bacon bagel. He sat down at a corner bench that could have easily fit four people quite snugly, but Blair wasn't here and he didn't have anyone else as of yet who he wanted to introduce his 'hide-out' to. He was tapping his computer out of boredom when he heard the tell-tale sign of the door-bells ringing; he looked up slightly and saw a brunette beauty that wasn't Blair.

She was wearing heels but would still only come up to his brow at the highest but she was otherwise dressed in basic spring going into summer 'fashion-wear'. She looked around with an interested expression before going up to the cashier and ordering, from what he could hear, which wasn't much, in Italian. He smiled at her casual use of the foreign language. He noticed he had been staring when she turned around to look at him with a slight smirk plastered on her face; she raised an inquisitive brow at him before striding over to his cosy corner seat.

"Hi," she stuck out her hand, "I'm Bella. I noticed you staring and I thought I'd come introduce myself." She was teasing him now.

He was dumbstruck for a second before regaining his wits.

"I'm Dan, and believe it or not I wasn't staring," he replied and then looked down at the book in her hand, The Scarlet Letter, "Come, sit and maybe we can discuss your interest in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne?" he pointed out the book.

Her cheeks were almost instantly covered in a beautiful pale pink blush that he admired openly; they began talking about their love for classics, something he had shared with Blair and she with her ex, but she had said that whilst a lot of the stories were notable and well written that she didn't enjoy all classics – she also mentioned her considerable love for the Harry Potter book series, one he had read a few times too. They talked on various subjects for over an hour, and when he found out her age (twenty-two, the same as himself), he asked her which university she was going to; he only asked this because she had mentioned she was taking a linguistics course for the base of a diploma so she could enter into a career of Neuroscience and Dialect Coaching.

"Oh!" she smiled, "I go to NYU, I love it there but some girls there are so judging if I don't wear the right thing to the right class – given they're only in my English and Maths, but still where I come from it didn't really matter. I dress the way I want-" she paused, "Ah, I should shut up and stop rambling."

He smiled and laughed, teasing her for a few seconds before respond with and 'It's okay.' And 'I've know that type of girl for a long time.'

"So, Dan Humphrey, what's your school of choice?" she asked.

"Coincidently I go to NYU as well – and I meant what I said when I told you I've known the typical Upper East Side type of girl most of my life. They can be trying and some of them, despite getting a great education, don't really have a mind of their own – like Blair's minions..." he quieted and the mention of his former crush.

"Harsh subject?" he nodded, "Well..."

They moved onto more non-upsetting topics and talked for another hour before going their separate ways, not before exchanging phone numbers so they could get together another time; both assumed it would as soon as possible, but they didn't tell the other.


AN: I know it's short but I really hope you like it. Future chapters will be longer, hopefully, but they will also take more time to update. I'm looking for a BETA so if you could recommend one that is free right now, then go ahead!

Please review!

Bella's Outfit for This Chapter: /jewelmint/set?id=42674476