Nate's Apartment, morning
"Good morning, beautiful" Nate says as he wrapped his arms around Serena for a quick hug. He got up from the bed "it's amazing last night" he said looking down at Serena.
"What time is it?" she asked, still lazy to wake up on a Sunday morning.
"Almost 12, why?" he asked and the phone rings as Serena got up from the bed and Nate rush to the bathroom.
Serena knows who is on the other line, it's Blair. She hate it when this happen, she keep on telling herself that but still she always come back for more on Nate. It's like a drug, three years of being with him and a year of sleeping together has really taught her the idea of jealousy and insecurity. Nate got out of the bathroom.
"I'm sorry, it's Blair. She's coming over later" he said with a face of a puppy saying sorry. "I make it up to you" he said.
"It's okay, I have to go anyway" she said, picking up her dress from the floor.
"Not so quick" Nate said "there's time for a quickie" he said, pull Serena close to him as he bends his knee and kisses Serena.
"Haven't you had enough yet?" he asked, wondering if Nate ever had enough of her.
"I could never get enough of you" he said, as Serena leaned in for a kiss.
"I gotta go, I'll see you later" she said, rushing to the front door.
Dan's Apartment, morning.
"Good Morning, sleepy head" Dahlia said while throwing pillows towards Dan who is very comfortable sleeping.
"What?" he said angry?
"So, you and Ms Van Der Woodsen is going strong?" she asked, looking at his brother. She knows him very well. "She's with Nate, isn't she?" she asked again only this time, Dan woke up from his laziness and sit.
"You promise me, you won't tell Blair about this?" Dan pleaded to his sister "no one knows about this Dahlia" he continues on talking "I'm doing this to make mum and dad happy"
"Secret is save with me, only that you have to take me out for lunch! NOW!" she said screaming in Dan's ears making him smile.
"Okay, Okay" he said, pushing Dahlia out of the bed. "where are we going?" he asked, walking towards the bathroom.
"Le Petit Bistro" she said while texting "wear something nice!"
Le Petit Bistro, afternoon
Dan walks in the Le Petit Bistro alone as his sister left him while he was in the bathroom. He look around to see if Dahlia is there. While he was looking around, he got a text from his sister saying she can't make it and so does Blair. She wants him to meet Serena, as she's already there waiting. He smiled to himself as now he know, it's some kind of set up. Le Petit Bistro, a busy, bustling restaurant where the weird and rich Upper Easiders come to eat for lunch or dinner.
"Hi, did you get the text from Blair?" Dan asked, taking a seat opposite Serena, smiling and she nodded.
Serena look around the restaurant, wanted nothing more than to not look at Dan. She still feels guilty to what she said to him the other day. Opposite their table, is a table of six of the best looking men she's ever seen, presuming gay, because each one of them stops talking when Dan took a sit at her table and instead looking at her, they were interested in Dan. They look at Dan from head to toe, slowly.
"They're interested in you?" she whispers to Dan, pointing at the next table. She assumed Dan can't hear her as he change his seat to sit beside her instead. This is something new to Serena, normally with Nate, he will sit opposite her. "You're famous" she said again.
"Nope" Dan says, shaking his head "they're looking at you for sure" he said and laugh.
"Is that Nate and Blair?" Dan said pointing at them "why don't you call them here, we can have lunch together or we can get out of here" he asked, giving Serena options. "Go and talk to him!" he encouraging Serena to talk to Nate.
"And say what? I love you?"
"You could just tell him to join us for lunch if it bothers you to see them together like that" he said but Serena shakes her head and say no. "Lunch with me than!" he said smiling.
20 minutes later...
"I'm sorry for what I said to you before, I didn't mean it!" she finally gets it out of her chest. It feels so good to finally say it to him.
"It's okay, I understand" he said, while Serena took the piece of her article written by Dan and put it on the table.
"Why didn't you write what I told you?" she asked.
"Because it's not right!" he said, sipping his wine "let me tell you something about me, things you think you know about me" he said, looking straight into Serena's eyes. "My real name is Daniel Humphrey Cooper, 23 years old graduated from NYU. 3 years ago, I was in love with someone from here, she's my life until one day; she got into a car accident. To make it worst, she was with my brother, dating him while I'm with her. I was on the verge of getting the perfect engagement ring when this happened. I left Ireland to come here because, I'm the black sheep of the family" he said looking sad. "Am I bore you with my story?" he said again smiling but Serena shake her head and ask him to continue.
"I was on the way to her apartment when I saw my brother and her kissing, I was there shocked. They told me the story and they left together. The next thing I know, both of them got into a car accident, died" he said with a crack voice. "I was the one who told them to die and they died" he said.
"It's not your fault Dan!" she said, holding Dan's arm. "You can't blame yourself."
"You see, if I exposed you and Nate... it will be the same thing as what I did to my brother" he said with more sadness "I told them that I'll tell my dad about it that it will cause him his throne"
While Dan and Serena connecting, Nate came by to their table with Blair. They ask if they can join them for dessert and Serena nodded.
"I'm happy for you S, you finally happy!" Blair said honestly. "Did you get your sister's text, Neil?" she said Dan and he shook his head. "I think we should save her from Bendel's shall we? She said.
"You gonna be alright, here with S baby?" Blair asked Nate, as Serena was not paying attention to Nate, he looks at Dan while jealousy in his eyes.
"I'll see you later?" Dan says whispering to her and smile only now it's an inch to Serena's face.
"I have a better idea, why not we continue it at my place tonight for dinner?" Serena said, she is surprised that she said that to Dan when Nate is with her at the table. Something about Dan that is so calm and stoic with a touch of masculinity, she likes it.
"You sure?" Dan asked shocked and Serena nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you late" he said smiling, "bye Nate" Dan said politely but Nate didn't look at him.
5 minutes later...
"I can't stand the idea of you being with him, I can't believe that you accept him from your mother. Now, you're inviting him to your apartment. Our apartment! Why would you even invite him over for dinner, he's not your type" Nate said angrily, grabbing Serena's arm and hurting her.
"Nate, stop!" Serena said pushing his fingers from her arm "he's a nice guy and we're getting to know each other"
"So, you want him?" he asked again only this time, he doesn't want to look at Serena
"It's not fair, you're with Blair. Why can't I be with Dan?" she said raising her voice a little "I'm not having a serious relationship with him, okay?" she said.
"I don't like him!"
"You're being a jerk okay, let it be. I'm trying to please my mom" she said "I need to go now.
"Preparing yourself for your boyfriend?"
Serena didn't say anything to him, she just don't understand Nate. It's not like she and Dan is dating, they are in the process of knowing each other. She don't see the point of Nate being jealous, she is also very excited to see Dan later. There is something about him, something that she can't describe and it is quality that attracts her to know him more even just for the sake of her parents.
Serena's Apartment, night
She open the door to let Dan in, he had a bottle of wine with him. She watches Dan walk up to her living room, looking around to see things. As she keep on starring at him without him knowing, he smiled to herself but Dan caught her smiling.
"What?" he asked looking even more confused and out of place "see, you have a nice place here" he asked again, didn't let Serena answer the first question. He walks closer to Serena only to hear her stomach growling. "You're hungry!" he said smiling.
"Let me order in, pizza is okay for you?" she asked for his opinion as both of them looking at the kitchen.
"I have a better idea, why not we cook in?" he suggest "you know how to cook right?" he asked softly.
"No!" she said as Dan open the refrigerator door and he's smiling to himself "what?" she asked confused.
"Low fat yoghurt, diet coke, low fat milk, low calories chicken nuggets, fat-free bacon" he said smiling "protein shake?" he asked confused "this is normally for guys" he asked.
"Oh, Nate normally stay here more than I do" she said honestly "we shared this apartment but I took over since last week" she said "I didn't get the chance to clear his things out yet" she said.
"Nate with low fat?" he said laughing "I have an idea, let me get you some groceries and I'll make dinner? How's that?" he said, taking his coat from the stool looking at Serena to say yes.
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked.
"Get the table ready?" he said, leaving Serena to get the table set up.
An hour later...
"Where did you learn how to cook?" she asked, sitting on the kitchen bar while Dan keep on stirring and took the medium size plate and put it in the oven.
"Well, you didn't taste my cook yet? I took a part-time job while I was studying" he said smiling, taking a small spoon from the spoon rack and let Serena get a sneak peak of his meal. "How's that?" he asked seriously, looking at Serena as she digest what she just ate.
"OMG, it's yucky" she said, kidding. She look at Dan and Dan was panic about his food like it's the end of the world.
"What did I do wrong?" he asked himself. "I did everything according to recipe" he mumbles.
"I'm kidding" she said, got down from the bar "it's the best spaghetti sauce I've ever tasted" she said honestly and smile, she didn't realized that Dan still holding the small spoon and he touch the spoon on her nose. Serena stared at Dan when he didn't look at her, there is something about Dan that she just feel so comfortable. He's cute and rich, but that's not the point. He's real and down to earth, he search for money own his own although he is very rich. Something that Nate is not. She keep on smiling.
"That is for telling me that my sauce is yucky" he said jokingly. He stared at Serena when she didn't look at him, wondering what if she's his girlfriend? As now, his heart is pumping faster every time he look into her eyes.
As Dan and Serena were running around the kitchen trying to get to each other with spoon of sauce in hand, they didn't realize that paparazzi were snapping photos from the outside. Serena's kitchen is by the window and it is easy to see. Paparazzi were snapping photos of them in the kitchen.
"This is money Lorenzo" said the paparazzi to the other paparazzi.
"She's with the Prince!" he said again "this time, we got a hold of him too" he said happy.
"Let's call our agent and email it to her for printing tomorrow" he said, leaving while looking up to the kitchen where Serena and Dan now were wiping their face with towels.
"Young love!" he said smiling.
Dean and Delluca, morning
"Hi, mom... I'm sorry I'm late" she said apologizing that she's late from their breakfast, she knows it's 2 hours late but her mum didn't say a word. "What's up?"
"Look at the Post and tell me what's going on?" she said handing Serena with the paper. She's shocked to read "Serena Van Der Woodsen the next Queen of Ireland?" as she read it out loud. She's shocked to see her photo with Dan, she smile to herself to see that she was actually happy in the photo.
"You look happy in the photo!" her mum said happy.
"She does, isn't she!" Nate said from behind. "I'm sorry, can I see Serena for awhile?" he asked Lily and they left to some quite section to talk in private. As they left, Dan got in the cafe and excuse himself to Lily to see Serena.
5 minutes later...
"I love you Serena, I'm going to leave Blair! I am going to do it this week" he said pleading. "I don't want you to be with him"
"What is wrong with you?" Serena said not wanting to look in his eyes and answer Nate on his I love you.
"Tell me that you're not in love with him because Serena, I love you! I do, he's a Prince! He don't love you, he will leave you in the end" he said.
"I don't love him okay, I don't like him. I'm pretending to like him because of our parents agreement. Are you happy now? She said to Nate, she's questioning herself. If what she said was right or she's lying to herself. "I miss you the whole night I'm with him!" she added.
As she was talking to Nate, both of them didn't realized that Dan was near them hearing and listening to their conversation. He can feel that his heart dropped like a bomb and vanished the whole body, the last time he felt this way was when he saw his girlfriend with his brother. In his hand, he brought with him two antics crystal from Ireland as they were talking about his last night. He left slowly, knocking everybody as he can feel that his whole world in slow motion.
3 minutes later...
"Sorry" Serena said to her mom, "Nate left, he just wanted to see what to get for Blair's chicken pie" she lied.
"It's okay dear!" she said "didn't you see Prince Niel Cooper? He came looking for you"
"Dan?" she asked again "he was here?" she asked nearly fainting.
"Dan is what you call him? Yeah, he was. I told him you were with Nate at the back and he went to search for you"
"Shit" she said softly only for her to hear.
"He dressed down today, something new in him" her mom added.
Hi readers, I promised you the next chapter you'll know what article did Dan wrote about Serena. This chapter is long because I have so much to tell. There is more to come if there's readers for this story. Read and please do review. I need input.
Dahlia is Dan's younger sister, who is very famous around America. She's the socialite for Ireland, basically like Serena.
Dan's name is Prince Daniel Humphrey Cooper, short for Prince Niel Cooper. Not many people know his real name, as he is well known as Prince Niel Cooper.
Dan's brother is dead in a car crash, same goes with his ex-girlfriend.
Dan left Ireland and everything behind because he just refused to be a King and be rich. He just want to do what he wants to do, not being told what to do like his elder brother.
Next:
Will Serena get her happy ending from the Prince of the Upper East Side or the Prince of Ireland?
