Serena looked at her Cartier watch. It read 11 pm, which was early for her standards. She once again flipped open her phone and dialed Blair's number. No answer.
"Any luck?" Dan asked, walking to their small table at the elite Coffee shop located on the Upper West Side.
Serena looked down while shaking her head. She took the coffee reluctantly from Dan. He sat beside her and placed a hand on her arm and caressed it lovingly.
"Listen I'm sorry I asked you to go out with me. I guess you should have stayed with her." Dan admitted guiltily.
Serena looked back up and shook her head while smiling slightly. "No Dan…this was important. I'm really glad you told me. Besides I tried calling her house and realized her mom is away and I doubt she's home so that means she's out. I just hope she's okay."
Dan nodded. His sipped his espresso and looked out the foggy glass window. "It's a nice night isn't it?"
Serena sipped her latte and then looked at Dan with worried eyes. "Are you still thinking about her?" she asked softly.
Dan met Serena's eyes and nodded. Serena placed her hand on top of Dan's.
"She's too young goddammit, I'm trying not to be affected by this but I can't help it I thought he was a decent guy!" he snapped.
Serena closed her eyes. This was extremely awkward, not to mention shocking. Dan had been walking up to Serena's hotel suite this afternoon when he saw none other than his little sister Jenny and Nate getting hot and heavy in an elevator. His first instinct told him to follow them but the doors had shut so quickly that it would have been impossible to even grasp what floor or what room they were headed towards.
Dan shook his head at the thought his little sister going into a hotel room with an older, experienced, rich boy whom he wasn't quite fond of.
He had freaked out. Saw Nate pressed up against the elevator wall with Jenny's back facing Dan. He could only glimpse at the sight of Nate's hand running up Jenny's leg and for Dan that was more than enough. He was mortified and rushed up to Serena's door fast only to learn that she wasn't there. In a fit of rage and panic he called Serena and had to meet her. He desperately needed to talk to someone before he did something he would regret.
"Listen Dan I know it's awkward to see that but sooner or later she's going to be curious about lots of things. Guys, money, sex. It happens to every girl." Serena said soothingly while stroking his arm.
Dan put his coffee cup down. "I'm just saying it's not like their dating, I just think for a fourteen year old shouldn't be rushing to sleep with someone."
"Well maybe they weren't going to have sex." Serena said with hopeful eyes.
Dan looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
Serena grimaced. "Yeah I guess that isn't too convincing."
"I just…I just hope she's careful. And I hope she's smart enough to know what she's getting into."
Serena sat up straighter. "Listen I know this is hard but Nate isn't a really bad guy, if he really likes her, he'll take care of her."
Dan shook his head and grabbed Serena's hand, trying to make her understand him, seriously. "No it's not just that. It's what's going to happen to her at school. I know Blair is your best friend but if she finds out, she'll stop at nothing to—"
Serena cut him off. "Not quite. I think Blair has really moved on from Nate. Sure the sight of them two might upset her, but I think she's really focusing more on Chu—OH MY GOD!" she shouted standing up and placing a hand over her mouth.
Dan stood up with her. "What? What's wrong?"
Serena flipped open her phone quickly. "She must be with Chuck right now! Why didn't I think of that?"
Dan rolled his eyes and scratched the side of his head. "Maybe you shouldn't interrupt them…they might be busy…" he said making quotation signs with his fingers.
Serena didn't have the time to cue Dan in that Blair was left with no one including Chuck, but for some reason Serena knew that something had happened between Blair and Chuck when they were "together" and despite recent events, Serena was certain that Chuck wasn't nearly close to being over Blair.
Serena slapped his arm playfully. "Well I'm sorry but they'll have to pause for a second. Eleanor hasn't done a very good job at being a mother, and that's where I come in. I worry about her like a child and right now, I need to know if she's okay."
One of Chuck's eyes fluttered open when he heard the loud annoying ring that belonged to his cell phone. He looked quickly to Blair's nightstand and saw the time. It was a little past eleven. God they really did get in early.
He raised his head gently off of Blair's stomach and tried to find the place where the ring was coming from. He didn't want Blair to wake up because she still looked so peaceful and comfortable sleeping.
He then realized he kept his phone in his pants which were somewhere on Blair's floor. Once he spotted them he quickly answered it and ran into Blair's bathroom.
"Hello?"
"Chuck its Serena please tell me that Blair is with you!" she said with a worried tone.
"Relax Sis, she's fine. She's tucked into her bed as we speak. I was with her the whole night and I'm not going to leave her."
He heard her breathe out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God."
"Yeah I was just scared that maybe she was a little sick, she started coughing and got really pale…"
"WHAT?" Serena said with a very serious tone.
Chuck rolled his eyes. "Nothing relax, she just seems a little sick."
"Sick how?"
"Sick as in sick, I don't know why is it such a big deal? She probably has a cold or something; she'll go to the doctor."
"No Chuck I need to know if she's definitely okay. Did she cough up blood or anything?"
Chuck sat on the edge of Blair's bathtub. "Serena is there something I should know? What the hell is going on?"
"Nothing. Nothing." She began her voice shaky. "Just if she starts coughing up blood or if she feels like she has to vomit please just take her to the hospital. Maybe I should come over…" she finished worriedly.
Chuck stood up extremely worried himself. What the fuck was going on? He walked over a pushed the bathroom door open quietly and slightly only to glimpse at Blair still in the same position, her eyes still fluttering and still sound asleep.
"You don't need to come over, I don't want her to be disturbed, she's sleeping. Serena what's wrong with her?" He said trying not to raise his voice but trying to sound seriously stern.
Chuck heard Dan's voice in the background and waited for Serena's next response. "Chuck I can't do this but please I beg you please just watch her and take care of her. She needs someone, she's sick. That's all I can say is that she's been sick. But I'll have to talk to you about it later, just remember what I said and call me if anything happens."
The last he heard was Serena's voice break down as if she were about to start crying hysterically, and then the phone clicked indicating that she hung up.
Chuck sat back down and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He tried not to cry, tried not to get too stressed, but this was eating him alive. What the fuck was going on? What was wrong with Blair?
He shook his head and tried to calm himself. Everything was fine. Everything had to be fine otherwise he would be in an ambulance right now, or Serena would be here and so would Blair's mother.
He looked around the bathroom for no reason except to pass the time until he grew tired enough to crawl into Blair's bed again. It was a typical girl's bathroom. There were pretty colors, flowers and pictures everywhere. On the sink was a bottle of mouthwash and her toothbrush, nothing out of the ordinary. On top of her toilet bowl was a case of popery and on the ground in front of the toilet was a folded up bath towel.
Strange. He thought. But what did he know? He was just a guy whose bathroom looked like the complete opposite of this.
Chuck finally calmed himself down and guided himself back into Blair's dark bedroom. He switched his phone back to silent and put it beside Blair's on her dresser. He flipped it open and saw tons of mixed texts, voice mails, and calls from Serena. He tried not to worry himself the way Serena had with her frantic urgency to make sure Blair was alright.
He sat on the edge of the bed right beside Blair and caressed her cheek with his hand ever so gently so he wouldn't disturb her. He held back the tears that had been forming in his eyes.
"Blair, what's wrong with you?" he whispered.
He hadn't expected an answer of course but just stared at her angelic face and hoped-no, he prayed that everything was okay. Within minutes he climbed back into bed this time making himself comfortable on one of her pillows before pulling her into his arms, where she still slept comfortably and undisturbed.
"Blair darling, I'm home!" Shouted Eleanor Waldorf, upon exiting the elevator doors and placing down the one duffel she agreed to actually carry.
Blair's eyes fluttered open and she shot up quickly along with gasping dramatically, as if she were being rescued from drowning. She glanced at the clock in her room. 9 am it read.
She looked down at her naked body covered by one of her hand sewn blankets and saw the toned body of Chuck Bass beside her.
"Oh my god." She said with the most worried of expressions.
When she heard her mother's heels pressing down on the stairs her heart almost stopped. She looked beside her again and roughly began shaking Chuck's body. "Chuck wake up! My mom's home!" she grumbled, leaning up and using all her strength to wake him.
His eyes opened slowly and he began to stretch. "What?" he said groggily.
Blair jumped out of her bed and grabbed all of his clothes off the floor and quickly ran over to her closet where she threw them into. She then looked at him expectantly before pointing into the closet. "Get in here quick. My mom. She's here." She spit out in small retarded sentences.
Chuck shot up quickly and his eyes opened wide when he heard Eleanor's voice. "Oh shit." He grumbled before rising on the bed and sprinting into her closet.
Blair shut the doors quickly and jumped back into her bed before pulling up her covers up to her neck. Her bedroom door opened.
"Blair dear, you're still in bed?" Eleanor said expectantly.
Blair tried to appear as if she just had woken up. "Yeah I'm not feeling so good."
Eleanor sat at the edge of her bed. "What do you mean?"
Blair sat up a little and wished she hadn't. She had to hold up the silk covers which still didn't cover the fact that she was naked. "I don't know I just don't feel so good today."
"Why—are you naked?" Eleanor asked in confusion.
Blair bit her bottom lip. "Yeah I was having hot flashes and I felt so strange last night like it was so hot in here." Blair lied. It was the only thing that sounded suitable, but she was on the verge of receiving a killer headache that comes along with a hangover.
Eleanor raised a brow and felt Blair's head. "No fever, are you sure everything's okay? You haven't you know…"
"No mom!" Blair finished quickly. The last thing she needed was for Chuck to hear her mom wail on and on about her eating disorder.
Chuck couldn't see through the closet doors of course and thank god that they lived on the Upper East Side and closets were the size of ballrooms otherwise he would have died from claustrophobia. He took the time to put on his clothes quietly. But he did hear the sounds of Blair's voice, as well as her mother's.
"Well I'm going back out there's a few things I have to take care of but I would appreciate it, if we could meet for lunch. Until then please take care of yourself, do not do that of the opposite, you have been looking a little thin lately." Eleanor finished off, her tone icy.
Blair's eyes clenched shut and suddenly her cheeks got red and all she felt was that mortified feeling that came with embarrassment, when a secret so bad was exposed.
Chuck stopped moving when he heard Eleanor's last remark. His eyebrow raised and he pushed his ear against the door to try to listen to any further comments. What the hell, did Eleanor know what was wrong with Blair too?
For a few minutes he heard movements in the room and suddenly the closet door opened and there stood Blair in a short white silk robe. "She's gone." Blair mumbled, stepping out of the way so that Chuck could come out.
Chuck walked out slowly and began buttoning up his shirt but still keeping his gaze fixed on Blair.
She laughed nervously but kept her gaze fixed on the ground. "That was pretty funny. How I had to hide you and all."
Chuck didn't respond. Instead he sat on the bed and held out his arms so that Blair would come over to him. He felt slightly better when she did, but his expression wasn't anything short of melancholy.
"Blair what's going on with you? Have you been feeling okay?" he asked looking up at her.
She stood in between his legs and raised an eyebrow looking down at him. "No I'm just feeling a little sick that's all. It happens."
"Seems a little more serious that that."
Blair rolled her eyes. "My mother makes everything bigger than it has to be."
"You scared me to death last night."
Blair broke away from his embrace a little and stared at him with serious eyes. "Chuck I'm fine."
He looked at her with a completely different expression.
"Blair what are you hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything Chuck let's leave it be, okay?"
"I know you too well, and you are hiding something. Just tell me please I don't want to figure it out the hard way!" He said his voice rising.
Blair glanced to the side. She had to look away. When she looked back he still had that same worried expression on his face. She wanted to tell him, she really did. She wanted to make it all better but it was horrible and it was embarrassing. She wouldn't be Blair Waldorf if anyone else found out. She wouldn't be strong and poised and as graceful as she was made out to be. She would be weak, sick, and alone if anyone else knew. Bad enough her mother and best friend knew.
Tears started forming in her eyes. "Please keep your voice down someone might hear you." She said looking back and forth nervously.
He took a step closer to her. "No Blair, it's only me and you here. Please just tell me."
"No." she said stubbornly. "There's nothing to tell."
He took another step towards her and put both his hands on each of her arms. There was no use, if there was something wrong she wasn't going to budge right now. He shook his head and walked to the other side of the room. He picked up his phone off the nightstand, his back facing hers.
"Alright let's just forget it; you're okay now, so it's okay. I'll order breakfast." He said firmly.
"Don't bother, I'm not hungry." She said flatly.
Something inside his head snapped.
The coughing, the way she picked at her food at Old Hollywood.
Until then please take care of yourself, do not do that of the opposite, you have been looking a little thin lately. Quoted by Eleanor Waldorf.
Just if she starts coughing up blood or if she feels like she has to vomit please just take her to the hospital… She needs someone, she's sick. That's all I can say is that she's been sick. That's what Serena had spat out like a worried mother.
He dropped his phone. No it couldn't be. He didn't want it to be. He clenched his fists and moved his body so that he was standing in front of her bathroom door. He kicked it open and glanced back at the mouth wash, perched on the gleaming white sink and then his eyes fell back to the cloth tucked like a pillow before the toilet bowl.
He covered his eyes with one hand, trying not to cry. No Blair. He beckoned in his head silently. Why are you doing this?
"Chuck what the hell are you doing?" Blair called out, walking up to him, a furious look on her face.
He turned to her with tears leaking from his eyes he grabbed her roughly and shook her furiously. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THIS BLAIR?"
Blair's mouth opened and she stood helpless, letting him shake the life out of her. The tears started coming from her eyes instantly.
He knows. He knows. Oh my god, oh my god. She thought as the tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly.
"BLAIR!" he screamed finally letting go of her.
She stumbled back a little, holding her robe in place so it wouldn't fall off. She looked down crying just as hard as he was.
He looked around his moves frantic and unpredicted. He took his fist and looked as if he was going to punch something. But he didn't, he just looked straight at her with his eyes red and swollen and the tears still pouring.
"Blair." He pleaded. "You can't do this to yourself."
Blair looked up at her ceiling and then moved away to sit on the bed. "Oh my fucking god I can't believe this. How are you just asking me what's wrong with me and then suddenly you figure that you know what's wrong with me?!" she said choking on her own tears.
He stood before the bed looking at the girl he loved, weak, fragile ad crumpled in the center of her bed, suffering from one of the worst eating disorders.
"I fucking know now Blair. It all hit me! You fucking throw up everything you eat and I don't understand why!" he screamed.
"STOP!" she screaming curling herself into a ball while putting her hands over her ears.
He leaned onto the bed and grabbed her again, forcing her to look at him. "I won't let you do this to yourself. Not anymore. I love you too much to watch you hurt yourself." He pleaded gently, but still sobbing.
Blair's doe eyes looked at him, before she suddenly thrust herself on him and held him as if this were the last time she was going to see him. He cried as he held onto her, inhaled the scent of her hair and held onto her thin body.
"Blair I don't know what to do..." he stammered while he still held her securely.
Blair kept crying but still refused to let go of him. She had been crying so much that she had completely soaked the shoulder area of Chuck's shirt. But she couldn't help but not want to move. It felt so good to be in his arms, to have him worry, to have him want to take care of her.
He broke their embrace slightly so they could look at each other face to face. She broke the stare immediately. "I'm so embarrassed." She murmured.
He shook his head and wiped his eyes before lifting her small hands up to his lips. He kissed them gently and used his own hand to hold her chin and force her to look at him. "Don't be. It's only me, I still love you and I'm not going to leave you or think of you any differently."
Her lips were pressed against his as soon as he finished. He kissed her back but only for a few moments before pulling back away. "Come on." He said getting off the bed and holding out his hand to her. "Let's take a shower and get something to eat. It will be okay I promise." He said soothingly.
Blair nodded and wiped away her tears before giving him a half smile.
"A shower? Together?" she asked innocently.
Chuck nodded. "Yes I'm going to spend every waking moment I can with you and I'm going to take care of you." He said gently.
Gossip Girl here. It's another lovely Sunday morning and I must say I am shocked to say that B and C have been reported missing in action. Maybe they're off together doing something far more scandalous than the rest of you. As for S and lonely boy, they were last spotted last night getting some coffee and having what seemed to be a long serious talk. Hmm wonder what the buzz is about, perhaps it has something to do with a newly forming couple I believe…N and J that is. Thing are about to get steamy on the Upper East Side and I'll be here reporting every little detail. Let's not forget of a certain huge wedding that's coming up. You know I haven't forgotten. XOXO Gossip Girl.
