Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Gossip Girl, save for my own. I also do not own any references to anything from any other franchise or show. Thank you.

"Jesus!" Charlotte shouted out as she ran into Carter in the hallway and leapt back. He began laughing as she placed her hand over her chest in an attempt to calm her heart down. "A bell, like a cat," she muttered out.

"Where were you all day?" He asked curiously as he stared at the low neckline of her bathing suit cover up.

"I was with Serena at the beach," she told him calmly. "What'd you do all day?" She asked smugly as she poked him in the chest. She withdrew her hand, noticing for the first time that Carter was shirtless and that he had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What else do I do?" He almost snorted. "I swam and I played video games.:

"Oh," she blinked. I wonder if he's nake – SHUT UP, CHARLOTTE. "Okay, well, I'm going to go shower now."

"Have fun," he teased as she brushed past him – her bare shoulder grazing his as she did so. She all but ran into the shower to get away from him.

"You wanna watch a movie?" Carter startled her as he snuck up behind her. She'd been at the counter in the kitchen and she'd just placed the bottle of juice she'd been pouring from down.

She jumped and turned around to swat at him and he caught her hand, laughing. "You're too easy to scare," he mused. "It's so much fun."

"You are an ass, Carter Baizen," she seethed, leaning up to glare into his face.

"Am I?" His hands came to rest on her hips, his eyes locked with her own. She nodded, not speaking as she watched him lick his lips. "So why are you still here?"

"I…" she trailed off, before her phone rang. His eyes glanced to the device on the counter to see that it read Eleanor and he released his hold on her waist. "You should probably get that."

And then he'd moved into the living room before she could even process it. What…

She picked up her phone and sighed. "Hi, mom," she greeted as she moved the juice back into the fridge.

She leaned against the counter as she took a sip from her glass, eyes trailing over to where Carter had resumed his video game. She didn't understand how someone could spend so much time staring at a screen and doing the same thing over and over again.

"Hello, dear… Blair tells me you're in the Hamptons. Are you staying with Serena?"

"Yeah, I am…" she trailed off as Carter let out a low growl at losing his game. "I'm actually staying at the Baizen's…"

"Oh?" Eleanor was surprised. "With Carter?"

She grinned, noticing that Carter's attention was now on her after hearing his surname. "Yeah, actually."

"Oh, my." Eleanor teased. "I've always known it…you two are just perfect together. I've always thought so. I remember one time, when I got called into that school to diffuse the situation you two started because he took your headband… Mrs. Baizen said to me, she said: 'Eleanor, when are these kids going to realize that they're only doing this to each other because they like each other?' "

Charlotte found herself smiling at what her mom was saying, though she was only half listening. Her eyes were locked on Carter's as she tried to figure out what color blue they were exactly from across the room.

"And I said to her, 'Jessica, I just don't know'. And I think he realized it before you did, dear, because he told his mother to call and see if he could be your escort to cotillion after you and Jack broke up…"

"Wait, what?" Charlotte broke away from her trance. "That was his idea? I thought that was her idea?"

She noticed that Carter now looked extremely confused. She grabbed her juice and headed out to the patio, where he wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on her.

"No, dear. Jessica told me that Carter went up to her and said that he didn't think you had an escort for cotillion and that he asked her to call me and see if you still needed one, because he wanted to escort you."

"Huh."

"And everyone thought you two were picture perfect that night. No one believed me when I told them you weren't together."

"Why?" Charlotte glanced through the patio door curiously to stare at Carter once more.

"Because of how well you two seemed to get along, dear," Eleanor scoffed. "You two have such chemistry – I'm glad you finally see it."

"Hey, um, mom?" She smiled to herself. "I've got to go, actually. But listen, if you talk to Jessica – could you not mention that Carter's here? His parents don't know that he's here."

"But do they know you're there?"

"They think I'm here with Sarah… It's a really long story."

"Alright, well, I expect the details when I see you at home in a few weeks, dear. We can do lunch: Blair, you, and I – we'll catch up! I love you. Be good."

"Love you, mom – you be good, too," she teased as she reentered the house and took a seat next to Carter on the couch. She smiled over at him before turning her gaze to the screen to watching him defeat whatever it was he was fighting.

"What'd Eleanor have to say?" He questioned, fingers hitting buttons in a blind fury.

"Just the usual – 'Hi, dear, how are you? Paris is lovely – your sister said you're in the Hamptons… Remember when you were younger and it was Carter's idea to be your cotillion escort?' " She glanced at him slyly and his eyes widened as he turned to her, his character dying on the game once again as he became distracted…again.

"What?"

She simply smiled and stood up, ruffling his hair as she walked past him. "Night, Carter."

"You going to get in the water today or what?" Carter asked from his spot in the pool.

"Why not?" Charlotte shrugged.

"Wait, really?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you feeling okay?"

She stuck her tongue out at him before jumping in, splashing him in the process. She laughed once she surfaced and caught sight of his hair that had not been wet until now.

"I think you're slowly going insane," he offered, amused, as he splashed her.

She splashed him right back. "I think you're right," she laughed as she made her way over to one of the floats in the pool and climbed up onto it. She sighed, getting comfortable.

"I knew that wouldn't last," he laughed, sounding close. She opened her eyes and tried not to flinch when she saw that he was leaning on the edge of her float and that his face was close to her own.

"What?"

"You in the water," he teased. "Maybe you're like a cat – don't like water, Char?"

"I like water," she shrugged and shut her eyes from the blinding sun.

"So race me," his breath hit her face and she knew he was leaning dangerously close now.

"Why?"

"Because I'm bored and this is the first time you've ever gotten in the pool with me willingly. Come on, it's not like I'm asking you to play me in basketball – that you know you would lose. This, you might have a shot at."

"Fine," she huffed, opening one eye. "Can I help you?" She asked, referring to his closeness. He just beamed and flipped the raft over, causing her to fall into the water.

She surfaced, annoyed. "Fine. If I win, you have to stop being so weird."

"Alright and if I win, you and I are going out to the bar," he grinned as he watched her tie her hair back.

"First one to the end of the pool and back, best two out of three," she instructed.

"You got it, babe," he smirked, moving back by the ladder at the same time she did, glad that she hadn't fought him on the bar idea.

"You know your dad will be able to figure out where you are if we're seen together, right?" She glanced over at him as she readied herself.

"Risk I'm willing to take," he grinned. "I'm hoping that my mom will be so blinded by the fact that it's you that she'll be able to calm him down."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Go!"

Author's Note: Sorry, I wanted to leave it on an itty bit of a cliffhanger! Let me know what you guys think!