On Friday Blair and Cole go to the movies and she has a lot of fun, he kisses her hand and she feels like Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina.

She waits outside for him to book the tickets and admires the splendour of New York, the lights make everything stands out as she remembers the night Serena had taken her out for the first time after his departure.


It had been hard, Serena had taken her hand and led her into the shower.

"This is not you, please Blair, your life is not over, please"

The cold water had given her goose bumps, her heart was beating so fast, like a drum during a parade.

"He left me, I'm alone"

"You're not alone. You have me, you have Nate, you have Chuck, your mother, your father, your stepfathers, you are not alone"

"But that's all I can feel. It won't improve in time. It's over. I'm over."

"You're not over Blair"

Then the world had stopped and she has started panicking

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can only cry,cry, cry."

"I know, I know but you have to listen to me, you're Blair Waldorf for God's sake, you're not broken, everything is exactly in the right place, you're just bend.
I know that you're feeling like you're being ripped apart from the inside but please, don't ruin yourself over this"

"You can make it, I'm here"

She had stared at the floor of the shower stall, then had tied her hair up, even though they were already wet.

"I'm trying but how can I? How can I breathe? Where do I find the strength?"

"I know where you will find the strength you need, it's here, inside you" Serena had touched her chest "It's here, I know that day one is hard, day four is harder and so on, but in a few months, you will be free, I promise, it will be just a ghost of your past. Things will be fine in the end, if they're not fine then it's not the end. I promise, I promise"

"But if it doesn't end? Will I love him forever? Will I spend the rest of my life suffering?"

"No, I promise you won't, I know you're scared, but trust me. You're not alone.
Right now, you're going to dress up, put some makeup on and we're going out and about. I'm not going to leave you here"

She had exhaled a long breath and had taken her hand.

"Okay, what is this noise?"

"Your phone, Dan sent you sixteen e-mails, and texts and phone calls and things"

"Can you make him stop?"

"I can block his number and his e-mail address"

"Please do it"

Serena had taken Blair's phone and solved the problem in a minute.

"Done"

"Thank you"


"Blair?" Cole calls her.

"Yeah? Do you have them?"

"Yes, did you take the popcorns?"

"No, I'm sorry"

"You don't like them?"

"No, I usually have macarons, but we can grab popcorns if you want"

"Macarons are fine, where do we get them?"

"They're in my bag"

"You're carrying them around?

"Kind of" she laughs

"You're incredible! A petite brunette that writes amazing articles for Vogue and carries macarons in her purse? My kind of girl" he kisses her and it, somehow, fills her with glee.


In the lift she can smell the scent of polished walnut wood, the handrail is cold and the lights are low, she hears the ring of the bell that announce her arrival and prepares herself for a long conversation.

What used to be Serena's home is now empty, the Prada signal is lying on the floor, near two large suitcases and Serena's degree in Economics of Cultural Heritage and Communications.

She loved that class and Lily was so angry at her for choosing such a useless course of study.

"Just take Economics and Business for God's sake!" Lily used to say, and Serena laughed every time.

"Don't you feel the adrenalin rush while admiring Fontana's Spatial Concept?"

"Sincerely … no"

"Well, I do and I don't want to ever stop feeling that way"

"Blair, thank God you are here. I need your help"

Lily Rhodes (former van der Woodsen) had always been a very fine lady, mid-chin length hair, doe eyes and a dazzling smile; the person standing in front of Blair in that moment is the shadow of someone that had so much glory during her early years, she looks pale, thin, emaciated and very tired.

"Sorry, I look terrifying"

"Don't apologise, please. How are you?"

"Devastated"

"Me too"

"I know, you're coming here with so little notice" she gives her a small, sad smile.

"I can't do otherwise, you call me I come, and Serena would have done the same"

Lily sniffs her nose elegantly and hugs Blair.

"Thank you so much for coming, but without further ado, our butler put Serena's stuff inside these boxes, gifts and things you two used to share together, they belong to you now"

"Thank you, it means a lot to me, can Vanya bring them to my apartment?"

"Of course, but there's a little problem, inside the first box there are few things… I don't know if you want to keep them or not"

Blair gives Lily a confused look.

"There is a photo album of your engagement shooting, with Daniel"

"I don't want that"

"Are you sure? Bonbonnières and movies, do you want to throw them all away? Serena kept them with such care… never mind I'll ask Daniel to get rid of the box when he comes back"

"Dan will come here?"

"Oh, sweetheart, yeah, he's been living here for almost ten days, since Rufus left me, he and Eric are trying to help me"

"I told Rufus to go back to you, he went to my apartment and I told him to leave. I'm sorry, I didn't know"

"Don't worry Blair, it's certainly not your fault. Don't tell anyone though, I don't fancy people minding my business more than necessary"

"Sure… I'm sorry but I must go, I'll have Vanya pass by and pick the damn things and the photo album up, I just can't stay here now"

"If you're worrying about Daniel, he's not going to come back in three hours, thus you can sit here with me and we can have a lovely cup of tea while I help you unbox them"

"It's not… I just, I don't think he wants me here"

"He won't mind, trust me, he told me to give you these" she eyes the boxes near her feet.

"So he wants to throw them but now, somehow, it's me the one who has to do it"

"He doesn't want to throw them, that's why he's giving them to you"

"Then why doesn't he keep them?"

"He says he's got his"

"He still has this stuff, seriously? He still has the photo album? And our vows? And our playlist? I don't think so"

"Ask him yourself"

"No, I wouldn't believe it anyway"


A/N Hello everyone, hope you like this chapter!
I really appreciate the reviews, you're awesome and I thank you so much.
Remember that these chapter are not betaread so any advice is extremely valued.