AN: This story was supposed to be a few more chapters long but, due to the lack of reviews and response to this story, I decided it will only have one more chapter. An author is nothing without his/her readers and if my readers aren't happy with this, I'll just write a chapter to end it and move on. Enjoy ;-)

It takes her a week to get over her issues and summon the courage to go talk to Chuck.

She's being childish and this thing they have going on is completely pointless.

So what if he has a different opinion from hers? Why does that matter? They've fought about more important things before without this kind of drama.

So Serena swallows her pride and goes to his house. But Chuck is not there and Nate can't tell her where he is. She's not sure if he really doesn't know or if he just doesn't want to tell her but either way is fine by her. If Chuck is too busy to make the time to solve their issues, then she's way past caring.

She won't search him again.

And she almost sticks to her word.

But then another week goes by and she starts getting worried. She calls Nate and hears the 'Chuck is not home right now' excuse. Something is definitely wrong if Chuck is avoiding her. Maybe this is it. Maybe they will never go back to what they used to be.

But she can't bring herself to believe such a thing so she decides it's time to play dirty.

Grabbing her mother's phone, she sends a quick text to Chuck to meet her there because they have some things to discuss. Serena knows how childish this is but she has run out of ideas and out of places to look for him. This is her last resource. She waits by her mother's phone, biting her nail in the process. The two minutes it takes him to answer seem to last forever but she lets out a sigh of relief when his 'I'm on my way' reaches the phone.

Her mother leaves for a meeting only a few minutes later and she's home alone, waiting for Chuck.

She needs to solve this once and for all.

Serena hears his footsteps even before she can see him and hears his voice, loud and clear, even though she's inside her bedroom and he's in the living room.

"That was a low-blow, Serena."

She gets out of her bedroom and shrugs. "You came."

Chuck unbuttons his jacket and sits on the couch. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I can never say no to you."

And that does it for her. She doesn't know why, but she can't stop the tears that star running down her cheeks. It's all too much. She misses him, misses who he used to be for her.

He was her 'fixer'. He could always fix anything for her. If someone did anything to hurt her, he would make them pay for it. If someone dared to say a bad word about her, there would be hell to pay. No one could disrespect Serena in front of him. And now, they can't even make it through one simple conversation. And all because he said nothing lasts forever.

It seems stupid, she's aware of it. But that's the truth.

She feels his arm around her shoulders while she sobs but doesn't dare to look at him, afraid that will only make things worse. He pulls her to him and hugs her, trying to comfort her even though he has no idea why she's crying.

He tries to soothe her but she doesn't seem to get any calmer. Chuck sighs and makes her look at him, despite the tears that are still making their way down her delicate cheeks.

"I didn't mean it, Serena."

She knows what he's referring to and, just like that, her tears stop. She gives him a light smile and reaches for a handkerchief that she had in her pocket to wipe away her tears.

"I know you meant it, there's no use denying it. But I still appreciate the effort."

Chuck shakes his head and ignores the fact that she's currently wiping away her tears with his handkerchief. It's only fair seeing as he's the one to blame for the redness in her eyes.

"I didn't mean it, Serena. My head was a mess and you ended up seeing the end of it. I do believe in happily-ever-after's or at least I want to."

Serena grabs his hand and squeezes it. "You don't have to say that just to make me feel better. I'm okay, Chuck. I'm a big girl."

She gets up and he follows her, standing in front of her when she tries to enter her bedroom. "If you're a big girl face the reality of this situation."

Serena frowns. "I am facing the reality!"

Chuck lets out a dry laugh. "Are you sure about that? Because, from where I'm standing, it seems like you gave up believing in something just because I was being an idiot that day. It seems like our relationship has been on the rocks lately because you took my words to heart. It seems that you made me come here and now you're running away, just like you always do when things get too complicated for you to deal with. That's why your relationships don't last forever, Serena."

And, even though it kind of feels like giving up and the last thing he wants to do is actually giving up, Chuck gives her a choice. He gets out of her way and starts walking to the leaving room, throwing one last sentence at her without even looking at her frozen form.

"If you want to talk, I'll be waiting for you in the living room. If you want to do what you're best at, go ahead and hide in your room."

Serena gets angry, all of a sudden. She's not sure why she's angry but she is. He's being an idiot and he shouldn't talk about what he doesn't know.

She's not running away because things are too complicated to deal with. She's running away because she can't stand this close to him without feeling guilty, or ashamed even.

He's Chuck Bass.

He's the guy girls know better than to fall for. He's the one who doesn't do commitment or even feelings. He's all about sex.

She knows that. She has known him for long enough to know every little dirty detail about him and his conquests. That should draw her away.

But it doesn't.

In the end, he's still Chuck Bass. And, for her, he's more than just that. He's the one who has never judged her, never said a bad word about her behind her back. He's the one who always has her back, who always stands up for her.

So, despite her better judgment, she fell for him.

They say the worst part is not falling for someone. The worst and scariest part is acknowledging it and doing something about it.

But she can't do anything about it. How is she supposed to tell him she is in love with him and that it's not going away anytime soon?

Her anger takes control, though, and before she can fully think about her actions, she's standing right in front of Chuck and the words are coming out of her mouth without her permission.

"I'm not hiding because I'm a coward or because that's my natural mechanism, what I'm good at. I'm hiding because looking at you is like a stab in my heart. I'm hiding because I'm so in love with you that it's ridiculous. I know I shouldn't love you because we're friends and, let's face it, you only care about sex. But I am and I can't stand to be this close to you and just ignore my feelings. That's why it broke my heart when you said those things to me. And the worst part is that, even after that, I just kept loving you with all the little broken pieces."

She stands there, in front of a stunned Chuck Bass, breathing fast and with tears running down her cheeks once again.

He doesn't say a word so she sighs and whispers. "You're free to leave whenever you feel like it."

And with that much said, Serena turns her back to him and locks herself in her bedroom.

X

X

Here's your chapter. I'll post the next one as soon as I can.

And, before you comment on the date, I want to make one thing very clear here. I hate Valentine's Day.

I'm not saying this because I don't have anyone to celebrate it with. I have a boyfriend (an amazing one, really). I just don't like this day.

I'm posting the chapter today because I've been busy with school work and I will be busy during the next two/three days.

Reviews are highly appreciated, as usual.

Despite my hate for this particular day, I hope you're all having a nice one.

Sarah