All she wanted was the truth.

"Three words, eight letters. Say it, and I'm yours." With as quick a tongue and clever a brain as he possessed, Chuck Bass suddenly found himself speechless. He found himself drowning in her unbelievably deep eyes, flailing futilely to keep his head above water. It was no use, though. He had been sinking for a while now, and it was now that he finally drowned. The hopeful look in her eyes was a knife, cutting into his heart mercilessly. He knew. Knew that no matter how much he wanted to say those words, no matter how true they were he would never be able to form them.

It wasn't pride for once, keeping him motionless. He could care less about pride. It was the stupid game that they played. He had chased her with all of his heart for so long, but for what? So he could stand, dumbstruck, as she requested the three words that he was incapable of saying. They were only three, short words, but they held such control over his mouth.

Moisture was pooling in her mesmerizing eyes, and he longed to reach out and dry them. He couldn't, though, what with his inability to speak. You idiot, he scolded himself angrily, if you can't say those three words, you lose Blair! His heart seemed to constrict at that thought, and it was enough to help him to form one word.

"I—," he began, his mouth barely opening. If only he could cause himself that amount of pain again, he was sure he could speak at least one more word, the one that counted at least. She looked at him miserably, the hurt on her face doing excruciating things to his heart. It was enough, he realized, to help him to force out another word.

"I—." No! He had wasted his chance, stupidly repeating a word. Not just any word, but the one that didn't mean anything when it all came down to it. He was weak, too afraid to speak the truth that was so obvious to both of them. Her head shook minutely, shaking her chestnut curls lightly. He was lost to the scent of her. It was a scent that was so uniquely Blair.

"Thank you," she whispered, voice cracking. "That's all I needed to hear." She turned away as his world shattered into a million pieces. Pressure built up in his lungs as he held his breath to keep from screaming when she smiled. She got into the car, and drove off with him. Chuck wanted to hate him for taking Blair from him, but deep down he was all too aware at how everything was his own fault. He didn't have anyone else to blame for the throbbing in his chest.

He swallowed hard against a lump in his throat, fighting the obstruction in vain. Chuck Bass never cried over a girl. He spun around quickly and made his way to the men's restroom, locking himself in the private room while simultaneously checking for cameras. There were none, perfect. At least not where he could be seen. The sobs wracked through him, feeling foreign in comparison to his usual cocky and icy demeanor.

All she wanted was the truth.