"What?" said Nate looking at Blair his hands unclenching and his face paling.

"I slept with Chuck. The night your father got arrested I went to Victrola and-" Blair said her words stumbling over each other. Nate held up his hand and she bit her lip so hard it turned white. "Nate you have to understand, I-"

"I have to understand? Why in all this do I have to understand why you went and screwed my best friend. Tell me why am I the one who needs to understand?"

"Nate I- I didn't plan to do it with Chuck-"

"Oh that makes it ok because you didn't plan to-"

"Nate, just let me talk ! Please?" Nate sat in her desk chair, still glaring at her but not speaking."I went to Victrola." she said closing her eyes then opening them. The tears had stopped pouring but still sat in her eyes. "I told Chuck that we'd broken up and he got me a drink. I got really drunk so said he'd give me a ride home. I was really hurt and drunk and confused so when he kissed me-"

"He kissed you?" said Nate.

"Yes." Lied Blair looking down again. "Then he…" she looked at Nate. But he was looking at the floor his hands clenched into fists. "Nate?"

He stood up wiping his mouth then sat next to Blair. "I am so sorry." He said wrapping his arms around her. "I know how Chuck can be. You didn't deserve what he did to you." Blair sat shocked at his reaction. She was sure he would have screamed at her again. She did feel guilty about lying to him though. Chuck hadn't come onto her and she knew it. She'd asked for what he gave her. She even vaguely remembered him pulling away right after she'd kissed him the first time and him asking 'You sure?.' She hadn't been sure but his mouth felt right against hers and she hadn't been thinking clearly… "Blair?" said Nate pulling her face up to hers gently stroking her cheek. "Did Chuck hurt you?"

Blair sat thinking. He had hurt her but not intentionally. She thought she remembered him telling her it might but the combination of liquor and adrenaline had numbed the brief flash of pain. But Nate seemed more sympathetic than angry…"Yes." She said sobbing again burying her face in Nate's chest. He squeezed her tightly and she sobbed harder. Not because of how had Chuck hurt her but how she'd hurt him.

Chuck stood outside his hotel pulling out his phone to see if Blair had responded to his text yet. He saw the small screen glow "1 new message" he clicked it open and read confusedly "I'm srry c… I had 2" he wrote back "srry 4 wht b?" and put his phone back in his pocket and turned to climb into his limo when Nate's hand pinned his neck to the roof of the limo. Chuck's hands flew up to his neck trying to peel Nate's fingers off but Nate's grip only tightened. "How could you?" he growled glaring at Chuck.