Best Kiss
"Thanks for the lift home," her words warm, genuine. She looked up at him, her brown eyes large, sparkling.
His breath caught in his throat. That look in her eyes was something he had dreamed of these past few years, but something he would not allow himself to hope for. Not until now.
"You were amazing up there," he softly murmured back.
Blair felt like a part of her that she did not know existed, a spark that had lain dormant for the past 16 years had been ignited tonight. Or was it actually only these past 4 years? As she leaned back against the soft leather seats, she gazed at Chuck. She realized his eyes were not simply brown, instead the lights of the city brought out glints of amber, honey and gold. As she looked deeper into his eyes, she saw awe mixed with curiosity, genuine warmth, rare vulnerability, and growing desire. The way he gazed at her caused the spark initiated on that Victrola stage to shift into the beginnings of a delicious fire. She felt as if he saw her tonight. She allowed him to see her tonight. And, now, she was beginning to see him.
Blair felt lighter, daring, less constrained, more expressive, perhaps even euphoric. She inched closer, her silk chemise rubbing deliciously against her skin as she leaned in towards Chuck. Her lips brushed softly against his and she tasted hints of vintage champagne and sweet tobacco. She became heady as her senses filled with his scent. Masculine notes of black truffle, vanilla, and warm wood.
In the moments between that first kiss and the next, Chuck asked throatily, "You sure?"
In that split second, an old memory long buried within Blair flashed in her mind. The memory of a kiss she had pushed down in Blair-like fashion. If she didn't think about it, it did not exist. But, in this moment, she realized it had been there all along. And it deserved attention.
2003
Blair had to hold her phone a few inches away from her ear as she was greeted with Serena's high pitched squeal. "B, guess what? I'm throwing a party tonight and you are coming! My mom jetted off this morning to Monaco with Klaus and the nanny just told me she's leaving me in charge tonight because she has 'other plans' that she can't cancel. I'm sure it has something to do with her sexy boyfriend."
Blair smirked as she heard the excitement in Serena's voice grow. "Tell me you're going to come. My best friend in the whole wide world has to help me throw my first big party. Tonight is going to be a night that St. Jude's and Constance won't forget! B, please please please, tell me you're coming!"
With a smile in her voice, Blair said, "Of course I'll be there, S."
Serena's squeal hit a frequency level that Blair was sure dogs within the 22.7 square miles of Manhattan could hear.
Blair arrived a couple of hours early, Dorota in tow, to help Serena set up. After they finished with last minute decorations, Blair glanced at Serena as the blonde accessorized her new party dress with multiple necklaces. Although Blair and Serena were both twelve, Serena had started developing over a year ago. She was a good six inches taller than Blair. Serena's wavy golden locks and bright blue eyes accented her round pert breasts, curvy hips and long tanned legs to perfection. Blair, on the other hand, felt that her breasts were just barely there. Maybe "breasts" was too strong a word, she thought wryly. They were more like two tiny buds affixed to her twig of a frame.
She frowned to herself. Not only did Blair secretly envy Serena's womanly body, she also envied the attention she received from the boys at St. Jude's, including the boy she knew she was going to marry one day, Nate Archibald. Of course he didn't know it yet, but she knew and that's all that mattered. He was her perfect White Knight. By the end of tonight's party, she had a feeling he'd realize it too.
The air was heavy with a mixture of pre-pubescent and teen excitement. Serena invited an assortment of the most sought after males and females at St. Jude's/Constance including several choice 8th graders. All those worthy of an invitation accepted eagerly and anticipated the stories they would share on Monday morning.
Serena called for everyone's attention by turning down the music and clapping her hands in glee. "Okay, everyone, take a look at the charm you were handed when you first arrived. Find your respective groups according to the charm you received. We're going to play a series of party games and each group has a leader with instructions. Everyone who received a bottle charm will be in my group." Serena's eyes twinkled as she bounced up and down with excitement. Some party revelers groaned when they realized they would be separated from the party hostess. Others expressed great enthusiasm when they realized they would remain in Serena's glowing presence.
Blair smiled with amusement knowing that she and Serena had manipulated the groups from the get-go. Of course she was in Serena's group, along with Nate, Chuck, minions Iz and Kati, and two very cute 8th grade boys that Serena had her eyes on.
Serena, with blue eyes sparkling, announced the first game of the evening. She cupped her perfectly manicured fingers around her mouth to make sure all of the groups could hear. "We're going to play 'Spin your Best Kiss.' It's essentially 'Spin the Bottle' meets 'Charades' and it's going to be so much fun. Each person's going to take a turn spinning the bottle and whoever it lands on will be your kissing partner for that round. You will choose one card from the bag. Each one has a different 'Best Kiss' and the group will need to guess what type of 'Best Kiss' you and your partner act out within 60 seconds. If they guess correctly, you both need to drink. If they can't, the rest of the group needs to drink. Any questions? Okay, let's get started!"
Kati was the first to spin, landing on Brett, one of the 8th grade boys. He chose a card from the bag and whispered into her ear. She made a slight grimace. The rest of the group watched in anticipation as Kati took out a tube of bright fuschia lipstick and applied a thick layer unto her lips. Next, she took both of her hands, wiggled and pinched Brett's cheeks, and smacked him with a loud kiss on the side of his face. His eyes were tightly shut during the entire ordeal.
The rest of the kids laughed and Nate yelled out, "Best Aunt Gertrude Kiss ever!" Kati and Brett nodded embarrassingly. Still laughing, the group chanted, "drink, drink, drink!" Kati and Brett obliged wholeheartedly.
After a couple more rounds, including the group mistaking Serena and Nate's "Best French Kiss" with "Best Attempt at Eating Someone's Face," it was finally Blair's turn to spin. Please be Nate, please be Nate. But, instead of landing on her White Knight, the bottle pointed directly at the Dark Prince of the Upper East Side, Chuck Bass. He smirked at her wickedly, one thick brow arching, and pulled out the next card in the bag. He sauntered over to Blair, extended his hand and pulled her up. She felt a quick electric shock as her fingers curved lightly into his. He brushed one of her curls away and whispered softly into her ear, his breath ticklishly warm against the shell of her ear. Blair quickly dismissed the heat burning her cheeks and the sensation of her stomach flipping as she heard him utter their challenge.
And challenge it was. She shook the distracting sensations from her consciousness. Blair was the ultimate competitor, no matter what the game. 'Spin your Best Kiss' was no exception. Even though she had never really truly kissed someone in that way, she was a romantic. She knew she could draw from a wealth of romantic movie pairings to find inspiration. Grace and Cary. Audrey and Gregory. Leo and Kate. She also knew that the boy with whom she was paired did not like to lose. She paused and smiled to herself recalling the many times they had helped each other in one scheme or another. This was one of the reasons why, in many ways, they were the ultimate partners: no matter how big or small the challenge, they would always put their all into whatever they faced. Together they were pretty much unstoppable.
"We've got this, Bass," she said to her brunet male counterpart, her ruby red lips smirking.
The edge of his mouth quirked up as he drawled, "Oh, believe me, I know we do, Waldorf."
Even with all of Chuck Bass' confidence and experience (ranging from 8th grade girls to full grown au pairs), there was an imperceptible gulp in his throat. As Chuck took a step towards the petite brunette, he sensed a growing arousal. He took the back of his fingers and gently skimmed her soft warm cheek while his left hand cradled the back of her head, softly grasping her silky chestnut curls. Gazing into her chocolate brown eyes, he leaned in slowly. He brushed his lips against her perfectly shaped ones. He heard her gasp faintly as he made contact. He pressed his lips against her more deeply and felt her lips part slightly with the pressure.
This invitation was too much. All coherent thought flew from his mind. For the next few moments, Chuck Bass forgot the game, the audience, the party, his name. All he was aware of was this amazing girl standing in front of him kissing him back. He felt as if his heart was about to burst into a million butterflies. He gently explored her mouth with his tongue. And she explored back, stroking his tongue with her own, quietly moaning into his mouth. She tasted of sweet champagne and strawberries. What? Who knew Blair Waldorf could kiss like that? Well, now Chuck Bass did.
Blair did not know what was happening. She had initially approached this challenge fully intending to channel one of her romantic leading ladies kissing the man of her dreams. But instead of Grace and Cary, the marquee read Blair and Chuck. There was no need for imaginary characters. Blair Waldorf found that she was completely and fully present while she wrapped her dainty arms around his neck, her fingers threading through his thick dark hair, kissing him with a passion she did not know she possessed, and thoroughly enjoying it. What? Who knew Chuck Bass could kiss like that? Well, now Blair Waldorf did.
They kissed for more than their 60 second allotment. Not one person guessed or uttered a sound during the entire time they kissed. Once they stepped away from each other, a more than subtle blush rose up the back of their necks, inching up until the warmth flooded both of their cheeks. They looked at each other with a new awareness. One that Chuck tucked away in his memory in the years to come; one that Blair quickly pushed away, willing herself to forget since it did not fit into her overall life plans. That is until one November night several years later in the backseat of a limo.
Their audience erupted and the silence was finally broken.
"Oh my gosh, that was so hot."
"Where did you learn to kiss like that, Blair?"
"Chuck, you are the man!"
"I'm not sure what the hell that was, but I'm going to guess 'Best Kiss Ever'!"
Both Blair and Chuck put their game faces back on and told their friends to drink. Since no one had guessed correctly within those 60 seconds, they all lost.
Serena breathlessly asked, "So what was that? I'm dying to know."
In infamous Bass-style, Chuck smirked wickedly and cocked his eyebrow at Blair. He looked at her perhaps a second too long. "Shall we tell them, Waldorf?"
"By all means, Bass."
With a glint in those devilishly hazel eyes, he slowly drawled, "That was the 'Best I'm Going to Make you Fall in Love with Me Kiss.'" The crowd erupted once again.
"Wow, Bass, you could make me fall in love with you by kissing me that way any day," Iz said breathlessly.
Chuck gave Iz a wink and turned to say something to Blair, planning to make reference to his amazing kissing skills. But Nate had quickly risen from where he was sitting and whisked Blair a few steps away from their group. Chuck couldn't hear what they said, but he noticed a tightening in his heart when he saw Nate whisper in Blair's ear, her face lighting up, her head nodding up and down enthusiastically, resulting in a big grin plastered on Nate's face. Nate pulled Blair in for a big hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. At the same time, Serena announced that the next game would be taking place and that the groups would be mixed up once again. Chuck took this as an opportunity to step away.
Unbeknownst to Chuck Bass, Georgina Sparks had been eyeing him from across the room and had witnessed the entirety of Chuck and Blair's kissing demonstration. Her cool blue eyes gleamed. She liked what she saw and she wanted a bit of that action. She decided there and then that she was going to add Chuck Bass to her growing list of conquests. With that, she followed him out of the Van der Woodsen living room to the bedrooms above.
To be continued
A/N: So, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic. I'd love to know what you think! I'm working on Chapter 2 and I hope to have that out in the next week or so. This story might end after that, but given how this originally started off as a one-shot in my mind, I might end up with three chapters. I just never know where Chuck, Blair, and now the addition of Georgina, Nate and Serena might take me.
Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, the cologne Chuck is wearing in the limo is Tom Ford Noir de Noir. It's described as a "rich fragrance inspired by the dance of yin and yang, Noir de Noir marries deep, feminine florals with the masculine earthiness of black truffle. Vanilla, patchouli, oud wood, and tree moss add a warm sensuality to this dark chypre oriental." The notes are described as: Dark. Sexy. Indulgent. I think those words describe Chuck Bass to perfection, don't you agree?
Big hugs to scarlett2u for being such a wonderful beta. Thanks for pushing me to write this past week! The nudge was much needed.
