When You Met Me
By Lyn Lloyd

"Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are."
-Houssaye

Chapter III
The Incurable Optimist

"You told Serena?"

Nate shoved his hands in his coat pocket, "No."

Chuck studied him, "No, but you told Blair. You clarified her theory and she went to Serena!"

"Calm down. No one else knows."

"Blair Waldorf would use anything against me, Nate and you know it."

"Nah, she won't."

"Why are you suddenly an incurable optimist?"

Nate shrugged and continued walking, "You're the one shouting."

Chuck stopped walking, "You are my friend, according to the rules, friends are not supposed to fucking spread shit around."

"Now you're just being vulgar." Nate laughed.

"It's not fucking funny, Nate."

What if Dan knows, what if Dan knows! That's what Chuck wanted to scream, and he almost did.

"What if Serena tells-"

"Dan?" Nate sing-songed.

"No, I was not going to say Dan."

Chuck wanted to punch Nate in the mouth.

"I was going to say, uh, everyone."

"She won't, Serena is like a born again Christian now, with all her redemption crap she's been spewing out."

"True, but you never know."

Nate fell silent, "Blair won't tell."

"Yeah she will."

"Yeah, probably."

Chuck groaned, expecting the terrible fall off of the social ladder, or the face of the earth if his father ever found out.

Dan ripped a piece of blank paper and used it as a bookmark. He sat up, and looked towards his desk for his laptop. "Where is it?"

A very loud squeal echoed through their flat and Jenny opened the garage door that separated their bedrooms, "Chuck IS GAY!"

Dan blinked, taking in the news, "What?"

Jenny, speechless, pointed frantically at the screen of his laptop.

Dan walked over and stared at the screen. A picture of Chuck walking in the streets of New York, with Nate, wearing a pink shirt with a vest over it and a caption reading: It's official single men of New York; the ladies man has most definitely switched sides.

"Does it say anything else?"

"Nope, there has been like a million comments, but Gossip Girl hasn't posted anything up yet."

Dan searched through the website, hoping to find something.

"Wow, you're becoming obsessive." Jenny scoffed.

"No, uh, just looking for…"

"More info, contact information, pictures." Jenny laughed and grabbed his laptop, "Personally I think it's great."

"You think it's great?"

"Yeah."

Dan stared at her, curious, "Why?"

Jenny shrugged, but there was definitely something behind her shrug, "So how are you and Serena, I read you broke up, is that true?"

Dan nodded, he hadn't forgotten. Serena wasn't speaking to him. He didn't know if he should just apologize. But, even in his sense of loss, he sort've had a clearer feeling. Like, a new start or something. It felt better at least, now that it had taken awhile to sink in.

But, as Dan thought about it, maybe it wasn't a good idea. Maybe Serena was what he needed.

He didn't know. He was confused, he had told the truth. He didn't know what to do with this confusion. And as he looked at the picture of Chuck still on the front page of Gossip Girl, a funny feeling arose. Something like, the first flutters of a newly awaking butterfly.

A crush perhaps?

"I knew I should've never worn this fucking pink shirt." Chuck pulled at his pink polo.

Nate scrolled down Gossip Girl, "Says here, you're officially gay."

"Damn it." Chuck pulled off his vest and then his shirt.

"You know, since you like guys, it'd be kinda like your showing your tits to me." Nate spun in the computer chair.

"Shut up." Chuck grabbed a shirt from his closet, a black one.

"So Blair is a blabber mouth, what's new?"

Chuck shot him a look, "I told you so."

"I have to ask you."

"What?"

"What about Dan?"

"What about him?" Chuck tried acting non-chalant.

"I mean is he your main man, your partner?"

"No."

"I can hear it in your voice." Nate stood up, pointing an accusative finger, "Ha, you love the stable boy."

"Stable boy?" Chuck asked.

"You know you're like the rich boy and stuff."

"Now your just getting weird, Nate."

Nate laughed, "Come on, I know you like him, you were all flustered about him before."

"Okay, your right." Chuck snapped back.

"What?" Nate stammered, "You're joking."

"When do I fucking joke about lusting over some poor fuck from Brooklyn?"

Nate nodded in agreement.

"Plus, this isn't fucking easy for me; I have to fucking put up with your stupid girlfriend, his stupid girlfriend-"

"They broke up." Nate chimed in.

"What? When?" Chuck sat down, intrigued.

"Like yesterday or something." Nate smiled, "It's a good deal for both of us. I get Serena, you get Dan."

Chuck raised his eyebrow, and smirked, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, smartass."

Nate smirked, "Doesn't sound bad at all."

Serena stared at the last text Dan had sent her: you can come over whenever. -Dan

She ran her fingers through her hair and dialed Blair's number. It rang twice until she chimed, "Hello?"

"Hey, Blair."

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Serena, knew what she was going to say and what she was going to say was making her cry, "Dan and I, we broke up."

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy."

"Blair, I need someone to talk to."

"Serena, it's just I knew from the beginning, this whole poor boy, rich girl thing wouldn't fly."

"Thanks Blair, that really helps."

"Serena, we'll talk tomorrow alright?"

"Fine." Serena hung up.

She scanned over Dan's number and pressed the delete button, but regretted it afterwards.

Dan sat down on the bus and took out his book. He removed the piece of paper and wished the bus would just move already, he didn't want to see anyone he knew from school, seeing him on the bus, on a Saturday, reading. It wouldn't be the highlight of his life.

But when Dan finally got comfortable, he couldn't concentrate on his book. The words just felt too tedious and he ended up just putting it away. He stared out the window and studied someone in particular, and not until they got closer did he realize it was Chuck.

Chuck looked up and his eyes were caught up in Dan's, locked. The bus started up and Chuck sprang into action. He hurried up the steps and since the bus was nearly empty, went straight to where Dan was and sat down behind him.

"Hey."

Dan sucked in his breath, "Hey."

"I don't want anyone to see me speaking to you."

"I know." Dan could feel Chuck's hot breath against his ear.

"But, I'm as aggressive gay as I was straight."

Dan closed his eyes for a second, taking it in, "So it's true."

"Yes."

"When…"

"Awhile ago."

"Why."

"Enough with the small talk. I came to ask you a favor, a proposition. Fuck me."

Dan's muscles stiffened when Chuck said those two words, "I don't know."

"Well, you do or you don't."

Dan took a small breath, "Well I don't."

"Follow me when we get to my stop, up to my apartment."

"Why should I?" Dan asked, getting braver.

"Because you want to." Chuck spoke a little louder and a little closer to his ear, so Dan got the full extent of Chuck's words.

Dan knew he wanted to, since the spin the bottle game, since the essay, since now. Since something had sent all these new butterflies raging inside his stomach. And he felt himself nod, because he wanted to know. Like Chuck, he wanted to know who he was, and not let it be a doubt in his mind forever.

The bus stops and a jolt like nothing he's ever felt went through Dan, and as he stood, he could barely walk. And he knew he was following Chuck, down the steps, into the apartment building and onto the elevator.

And as the floors blinked one by one, Dan finally felt the confusion fade away.

Author's Note: Thanks a bunch for all the reviews! Thank you! I'm sorry for such a late update! I really am, I've been sooo busy. I've also been sick with the flu and my teeth hurt from braces. I'm also trying to graduate early from high school so I can get the hell out of there! Lol! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I enjoy writing this and I'll update more!

Your reviews are my motivator! You want more? Review! Motivate me!

Thanks again,

Lyn Lloyd