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Chapter 4 : One Night Only

Blair's POV

"You wanna know something, Miss Waldorf?" I was surprised at the sudden surname he used. "You're heavier than I thought." I could feel a bottled up rage on my face. No one says Blair Waldorf is fat! My automatic reaction was hitting his back, quite harder than I should because he topples a bit before getting back his balance.

"Ow! What was that for? Blair, we could get in an accident here if you do that?" I hit him again, twice this time, but not as hard. I don't wanna die or even scratch a leg.

"No one is aloud to say I'm fat okay!" It was not just a hefty insult, it was a major one. "And I'm not heavy!"

"No one is saying that you're fat, Blair. For Christ' sake, I'm just saying you're heavier than I thought," slam, another hit. "Okay, stop that! Why are you so sensitive with your weight?"

"I'm sorry if I'm hypersensitive with my weight, douche!" Of course, what do you know of mom's appeal to have me 'tone down' a bit? What do you know that I'm not the ideal model that mom perceive me to? "I'm not Serena okay!" I didn't realize I was saying that a little too loud.

I went silent. Screw it, why am I blabbing this past? I should be over it by now.

"Who's Serena?" and he had to ask. I'll twist his neck if it was legal. "Owh, is that the girl who called you back then in the library?"

"It's none of your business," I lowered my head, to recoil all of my shame back. Ok, he actually remembered the phase of Serena in our conversation that day. Of course, everybody just loved her.

"Hey, sorry okay, I said that. I'm blunt with my words sometimes," you got that right. "But you know what my impression was when we talked at the library?" I can't believe that I was interested in listening to this.

"What?"

"This girl, is somewhat so skinny she needs more meat in her bones or people would easily crush her into pieces. I was kind of worried you won't balance yourself on the bike if you have zero lbs in there," he laughed a little afterwards. I don't know whether it was a compliment or a tease, but I felt warmth in me, somehow. Geez, Blair! Cut it out!

Then it occurred to me a question. "Since you don't really have friends to begin with, why suddenly talk, to me?" I have to admit, I am wondering if it has anything for me being beautiful. Ah stop it!

He kinda turned his head back a bit and I could feel his zero hesitation to say this. "I have friends. And you seem like one of those rich kids that is nice enough to talk with." I could feel my heart poured with grains of salt.

"Whatever." I could feel him smile. Dumbass.

"Why say I don't have friends?" he asked, and I was somehow tumbling to get an answer. Weird.

"Well, you know. That lady, girl, who wanted you to perform, actually said that you…" how the hell should I say this. Its embarrassing! "That I, um, I am the only… one you've ever spoken to…" That's a really hard line to pull out. Why does this embarrass me? No idea. Maybe its because for me to be the only girl, no, scratch that, the only person in NYU he's ever spoken to, makes me feel that he may like me. Geez, I'm being like a kid! Don't be so full of yourself Blair!

"Oh that," he laughed a little. Its not a joke, jerk! "Well, I choose my friends and somehow, you made the list in NYU. In fact, be glad you're the first." The word friends simmer down my blush a bit, I am not sure if I'm glad or not.

"Well, you're not in my friend list, just to be clear," I could hear him chuckle. "Just an acquaintance." So why am I on his bike?

"I'll make through up there, you'll see," confident, I see. I don't know how he could be so confident in this type of situation.

We cycled, or he cycled, almost an hour now. How fast does time went? How far could this place be and where the hell is he planning on taking me? And more importantly, why am I doing this? Showing off my face on a bicycle in New York with a barely known person? I must be out of my mind.

And then Chuck came in my mind. Chuck? CHUCK! OMG, he must be waiting for me in my dorm right now! He must be psyched worried on my whereabouts! Damn, I have to go back!

"Hey, send me b…"

"We're here!" he cut me off, I seriously would strangle him if he does it again. I looked up and realized we're in Manhattan now, on Bleecker St. in front of John's Pizza parlour.

"What? If you wanted a pizza you should just go somewhere around the corner, moron," okay, if I was with John, my elite society language just abruptly vanish. Well, I guess it is not worth to talk so posh to him.

"I liked John's the most, excuse me and please, the pizza around the corner is just awful after you tasted John's," he was bragging and bragging on it like a kid. Kind of… fresh actually. A male in his twenties usually had to brought up his mature phase but he was actually living his phase.

"Does it have anything to do with the name?" of course, if he said yes, then that is totally childish of him.

"Of course not silly," I could see he was covering it. Yes, he is childish. "Well, it was inaccurate to say I went through those roads just to eat pizza with my name on it, but its part of the deal."

"So you're saying you're a child who just wanna eat John's pizza no matter what," I'm loving this game now. Its time for his embarrassment.

"Yep," he smiled, actually proud of it. "And also for the fact we're eating for free if you go here."

"What?" how could you eat for free?

We entered the parlour, I could smell the parmesan already. It was almost full, but some were leaving already. Of course, its past dinner time already. I looked at John, he was scanning the whole room, finding someone. Maybe he has his girlfriend here or something, that's why the 'favourite place' thing. Why does it itch to say that?

"John!" I could hear a lady's tune calling his name. Both of us swung our heads around and from the kitchen, came this pretty 40-50 years old lady in apron. She hugged John. Wow, cougar much?

"Hey Ma," John gave back a hug. What?

"Ma?" it was inevitable for me to not respond. John looked at me.

"Oh yeah. Blair, meet my mom, the owner of this restaurant and Ma, meet Blair. She's a friend of mine in NYU," Ma? Oh now I see. Everything, or partially, cleared.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Garner," I held my hand. She took it. Tight grip.

"Pleasure! And stop the formality! Call me Emily," she smiled. I flake my eyes to John and he sighed. Seemed that Emily was extra excited, seeing that big smile of hers.

"Well, I'm hungry. Ma, can you get me one Pepperoni and Extra Cheese, and two cokes," he pushed his mother back into the kitchen.

"John, if you wanted to introduce me to your girlfriend, you should call. I could dress more nicely than this haggard thing," they whisper, but I could hear. Surprisingly, with a little confusion on why, I like Emily after she said that.

"Ma, your dressing is fine and she's a friend," and somehow, there goes my sheer. Blair, you have lost your mind.

"But you don't really bring your friends from NYU here, so this is a big event," Emily is really likeable.

"Extra Cheese Pepperoni, Ma," and with that, she disappeared behind the counter.

John jogged towards me, "Lets sit."

"So, you kinda own the place," I said when I sat down. We took the table farthest from the counter.

"What, this?" he pointed down. "No. This is totally Ma's pensioned business. I don't have anything to do with it."

"Pensioned business?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, she was a social worker back then. After she quit, she actually said, 'Hey, lets do a Pizza Parlour' or something like that," he smiled, his eyes fixed to the kitchen. "This is hers and she'll be handling it until her last breathe. Or after she gets bored. After that, our manager, Paul will be taking over."

"And what about you?" I asked.

"What about me?"

"After Paul takes over, what will you do?"

He smiled, showing a bit grin. "I'll still be here one night a week asking for free pizzas."

Interesting.

"Here you are, two cokes," a waitress with brunette hair served us our drinks. When she left, was that a glare she gave me?

"I'm not sure I ordered right. Do you want diet coke?"

"Shut up," I hit him playfully. "If I am here eating pizza, I might as well have the real coke." To be honest, its been a very, VERY, long time since I had a slice. To be compared to Serena everyday by mom is a hassle so I ended only eat what mom said was healthy.

"Well, taste a slice and you want nothing but John's afterwards," he smiled, his kid self was back.

"That's nice Garner, really.. great… commercial," I said it with full sarcasm. And without noticing, there was a real long pointless conversation, a pizza, two cokes and John, who sat there in front of me, cheered by every words I said. Hard to admit but, it feels nice.

Its been so long since I just, hang out. Usually it's the Gala, dinners and elite boring parties. Now was just a natural meeting with a good guy who brings up the silliest humour but I still beg for air due to too many laugh.

Its somehow just, normal.

It was around midnight and my stomach was so full it kinda hurt. To be honest, the Chuck I was worried about before, that feeling was still there. But I couldn't care more than just being with John now, my new friend.

Yes, he is just a new friend of mine. And it is nice having him around. That or I am just suppressing, I don't feel like thinking about it.

"Well, that's gold, you get to see Tommy Stevens officially close John's for the day," he referred to a high school boy who is locking the restaurant's door.

"Where's your mom?"

"She went out from the back door usually, and she leaves usually later in the morning," John said. After a 5 second silence, "Wanna see what she's doing?"

He pulled my hand, running to the back door. Before I realize where we were, I was still condemning my head on his skin touching mine. Blair, just don't think right now! Don't!

"Get down," he pulled me down, right under the window. I could here Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World' on disc. And after a clearer listen, I heard Emily humming to the song. "Peek up?" John said and looked into the window. So did I.

There she was, Emily, dancing with no partner, yet happy as ever. Her face was serene and calm, happy and blessed. She twirl and flop the dance perfectly. People say male will do the leading, and somehow, it felt as if there was a man right there leading her.

"She's dancing with the late Roger Garner," his sullen voice suddenly hits me as pain. I looked at him and saw his own serene attitude towards this. "My dad, he uh, he died when I was 14 and since then, mom quit and decided that she'll make my dad's dream to happen."

"This pizza parlour," I said. He chuckled.

"Yes, this pizza parlour. Quite an interesting ambition, but she did it. Got of a few debts at first but she finally managed. This is the only thing that will make her… be with him," he smiled, he was actually genuine with everything.

"And you came here once a week just to see if she's okay right," that is probably it. No one in their right mind would cycle for an hour just for a pizza, unless there is an important cause.

"That," he stood up. "And for the fact that I get free food. Some college students needs their money on balance so wasting some energy for it is good account for the money run. Come on."

"Where we going?"

"Home, its late and I'm gonna get arrested for kidnapping a social elite. I don't want my face on New York Times page six," sarcastically and I pulled myself up to hit him, this time, playfully. "I'll get us a cab."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I'm not blind to see that you are thoroughly uncomfortable sitting on that busted crap, Blair. Its late, and cycling at night will be a problem."

"What about your bike?"

"My mom owns this place so I don't think they are gonna trash it away if I parked it here," he said holding to his bike.

"I…"

"Come on, it's hard enough to take a cab at night and …" for once just let me talk, geez Garner!

"I don't mind!" I was halfway yelling. He had his confusion. "I don't mind riding back on that piece of crap. Just saying." I could feel my tone is getting deeper to whispers.

"It's dangerous…"

"If I ride on my own!" wow, this cutting people of thing is really fun. "You… just have to be a superman if someone decides to hurt this beauty." What the hell am I saying?

He choked trying to suppress his laugh. He looked back at me. "Alright then."

Again, I was holding tight onto John on his dead beat crap. This time, it wasn't a meaningless conversations, it was a conversation about me. I told him about Serena, Nate, my parents, Chuck… Yes, even him. I could feel John's tense when I said Chuck is my boyfriend, but my assuring that Chuck is fine with me hanging out with my friends, and that's what it is. Just that, I liked that. His tense was gone.

"Told you I'll make it through that list," I could feel his grin.

That is right John Garner is a friend, a dear one to be exact. Even if I wasn't so sure why I could spill my whole life story to him. At first I thought it would balance on what he told me before, though now, it felt more as a comfort of telling someone. God, John, you are a super Oprah for making Blair Waldorf spill the beans.

One night only, and I feel that John Garner who entered my life selfishly had made me in more confusion than I have ever had in my whole life. Not to mention that Gossip Girl had made a mess on my secret hideaway.

TBC


Good God I haven't been updating since so long! Architecture classes were hectic! Anyway, feel good in reading! I liked it and I hope you liked it. Its basically how friendship starts but clutter it in a few tid bits of romance. Oh and Gossip Girl too, she knows how to make a mess on things.