A few weeks had passed and Chuck had cooled down considerably. He realized that he was being completely irrational about his feelings and he should calm down. Blair had moved in with Serena. She put up a strong façade however that wasn't the case. Chuck and Blair had bonded greatly during the time she was recovering however that was not the real Blair. The broken and tattered Blair he had seen was just an aftermath of what his bastard uncle had done to her. She had made him promise she wouldn't do or say anything to anybody concerning her kidnapping. As much as he didn't want to, he did promise it. For some strange reason he listened to her without questioning.
Blair walked into Constance Billiard that day acting stronger than ever. He knew that was just a façade though. She was broken on the inside. He knew the real Blair and he knew she put up this strong appearance for the outside world. She tries to show everyone she had a perfect life, that she is a strong and perfect girl, and she rules the world. All the girls envied and wanted to be Blair. Chuck understood why they were all mesmerized with her. She moved with a certain grace as her curls bounced lightly with each step she took. There was something off though. Nobody realized it but him. She didn't look fully recovered. She explained her sudden disappearance by telling everyone she went to Paris for a few weeks to stay with her father and Roman, her father's boyfriend. Everyone had just eaten that up after she had told them a few made up stories about her trip. They would listen and swoon when they heard about her Parisian lover and how much they spent time together. He would listen to other girls whispering and cooing over these stories. He just laughed mockingly at them.

…

That evening Blair had gone to Victrola for the first time since the awful occurrence. She needed to face her fears one at a time and she felt it was time to put this behind her. She hadn't called to talk to Chuck in almost a week now. He had called a few times but she was too embarrassed to talk to him. She needed to adjust first. He had already seen too much of her vulnerability. She took a few breaths and was about to walk in. First step, second step, third step. Suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket. Relieved that she had been distracted from going in she answered without looking to see who it was. "Hello?"

"Blair" a deep husky voice was on the other end. Her heart melted

"I told you not to call Chuck"

"Why? I don't understand what I did" She hated pushing him away. It hurt too much but she didn't have a choice. She was in love with him and needed her distance. Being in love with Chuck Bass is like a death sentence. He wouldn't stop his partying to be in a stable relationship. She would just be setting herself up to fail.

She took a deep breath "Chuck, I just need space, OK? Can you please do that for me?"

He hated when she said that. He was the one that took care of her for 2 whole weeks. He thought she had feelings for him but he was wrong. She had just gotten up and left to Serena's place. He hated that she was giving him mixed signals. He decided he needed a drink and headed off to Victrola.

…

Blair hung up the phone and stuffed it back into her Chanel bag. She couldn't let him get to her. She had to do what she came to do. As she walked in she could feel all the stares turn to her. Normally she liked the fact that she got so much attention here. Everyone looked at her desirably but now she felt uncomfortable, like she was being violated. She decided to fight back that feeling and went to sit at the bar. A cute man sat next to her and ordered her a drink. She decided it would be best not to take it. She didn't want to fall into another trap she couldn't get out of.
"Hey pretty lady"

She grimaced at his tone. She got up and ran away from him. She couldn't handle all of this today. On her way out she ran into someone. She recognized the scent and stopped dead in her tracks. She looked up at his face. It was Chuck! Her heart started beating excessively and she could feel the redness coming up into her cheeks. She just wanted to turn around and run. Chuck looked different though. He didn't have the same warmness as he had before. His eyes were ice cold and not at all looked like the Chuck Bass she had known for so long. Instead, they looked like how they did when they had first met what seems like forever ago. "Hi" She managed to choke it out but her voice was small.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he just moved to the bar and ordered a drink. What was wrong with him? Although, she had a good guess. That shouldn't bother her much though. She knew he cared about her, but he didn't like her, the way she wanted him to. He hadn't even hinted at wanting her. The kiss they had shared was initiated by her and ended by her. It didn't mean that he liked her like that. He kissed many women he could care less about.

She called Serena immediately. "Serena, meet me a Victrola, now". She hung up the phone and went to sit beside Chuck.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked demandingly.

He seemed unaffected. He looked up at her and looked back down at his drink. "What do you care?"

This came like a slap on the cheek. How could he ask that? How could he think she didn't care about him. "Chuck, I care about you"

"Well then why have you been ignoring me?"

She couldn't answer this one truthfully. She couldn't tell him that she was in love with him and that she couldn't even get him to love her back. She was stuck. She just stared at him blankly.

"That's what I thought" He whispered to her. He scooted off of his seat and disappeared into the crowd.
Serena came rushing in. "what's wrong B?"

Blair didn't answer. She just continued to look at the part of the crowd Chuck had disappeared into, hoping he would somehow reappear. Say this was all a joke. He couldn't be mad at her.

"Blair? Are you ok? Snap out of it!"

Blair turned her head to Serena and looked unresponsive. "Why doesn't he want to be with me?"

Serena looked confused. "Who? Any guy would be lucky if they had a chance with you" she giggled.

"Chuck"

Serena smiled "B, you're blind"

Blair blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Excuse me? Stop insulting me S, don't you see I'm hurt?"

Serena looked at her friend with worry "B, he loves you."

Blair looked at Serena annoyingly. Why was she doing this to her? She was lying. "What are you talking about S?"

"Blair, can't you see? He will do anything for you"
"yes because we're friends"
"B, I have known you my whole life, you are the smartest person I know but somehow when it comes to Chuck you're dumber than I am!"

The blonde beauty started giggling. Blair started scanning the bar again for any sign Chuck. She noticed that all the attention in the bar had shifted from her to her best friend.

"What good does it do, Serena? Even if he does like me, which I still don't think he does, what good would it do if he ignores me?"

"Who has been ignoring who B? You have been hiding out at my place ever since you left Chuck's. You haven't even taken a call from him. I think you're afraid, B."

Blair wrinkled her nose. "Afraid of what? I'm Blair Waldorf! Nothing scares me!"

"You're afraid…"

She hated how vague Serena was being.

Suddenly a boy burst into the room and Serena ran to him and started jumped into his arms. It wasn't until Serena pulled away that she realized it was Nate. She was happy for her friend but she felt a sudden wave of depression. She couldn't watch two people in love without thinking about Chuck. Why was love glamorized so often? There was nothing good about it!