Chapter 11

The girls decided that the best remedy for their hangovers would be to shop, so they immersed themselves in the colourful markets in Mexico. Vanessa wanted to take Dan to a small book fair she had heard of, so he disappeared for the whole day, leaving Nate and Chuck soaking up the sun on a private beach.

"So, you ever gonna tell me what happened between you and Blair last night?" Nate asked.

"Nothing. I'm not saying I didn't want to do anything, but nothing happened."

"Come on man, don't tell me Chuck Bass is getting soft and you just cuddled" Nate joked, but seeing the blush on his friend's face he realised that he was spot on. "Oh my god! You are so into this girl. When are you going to man up and tell her? Someone like Blair won't be on the market for much longer."

"You think I don't know that Nathaniel? I just - what if she doesn't feel the same way? That would ruin our friendship. I can't let that happen."

"Trust me, tell her. I think it'll be worth it in the end." Nate and Chuck then sat in silence as Chuck thought about this. Serena and Nate had obviously taken a 'divide and conquer' approach to the situation, as Serena held a similar conversation with Blair in the market town.

"So B, what did you and Chuck get up to last night? And don't say nothing because you were wearing his shirt."

"He thought I'd be more comfortable. We may have ended up cuddling…but that was it. It was nice though, really nice…" Blair trailed off at the memory, a small smile curving her lips.

"B, are you ever going to tell him that you have feelings for him?"

"Serena I can't. Not until I'm sure that he feels the same way. Chuck's too important to me to allow anything to ruin our friendship." Serena nodded and the girls continued, picking up trinkets on their way. The group had decided that they would meet up for dinner, so late in the afternoon they all made their way back to the villa. The girls could see Dan saying goodbye to Vanessa as they walked towards the villa, and as soon as she was out of sight they rushed up to him.

"Dan Dan Dan, how was your day?" they asked simultaneously, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Whoa calm down. It was great, actually. I really like her."

"Aww that's so sweet! Invite her out to dinner with us tomorrow" Blair said, as she and Serena planned ways that they could bond with the new girl. Dan just shook his head, but was secretly pleased that the girls were so happy for him. That night they had decided on a mellow barbecue on the beach, so the boys headed down earlier to meet the chef and grab a beer. It didn't take long for the girls to join them. Both were wearing pretty, floaty sundresses. Serena's was a turquoise which highlighted her eyes, and Blair's was a light pink which complimented her skin perfectly. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, and Chuck thought she looked perfect. When Blair reached him she smiled shyly, allowing him to show her to her seat.

A light breeze came from the crashing waves, and Blair shivered in her seat. Chuck, seeing this, put an arm around her to warm her up. This didn't go unnoticed by all his friends, who sent smiles in his direction. As if it were the most natural thing in the world Blair leant into his side, and the two remained like that for the rest of the meal. Serena, Nate and Dan took the opportunity to put their plan into place, and claimed they were tired before running back to the villa. Chuck and Blair were left alone to enjoy the sunset. A comfortable silence settled upon them before Blair said,

"It's so beautiful" whilst gazing at the horizon. Chuck turned his face towards her and replied,

"Yeah, it is", never taking his eyes from her face. They decided to take a walk down the beach, allowing the waves to lap against their ankles. They talked about their days, about places they wished to go in the future, about everything really. That was until Blair splashed Chuck with sea water. They stood still for a moment, before Blair started to run away from Chuck, shrieking as he tried to spray her with water. It didn't take long until they were both soaked, and Chuck soon caught up with her, grabbed her waist her spun her in the air. Both were laughing their heads off as Chuck carried Blair deeper and deeper into the water, until he was waist deep. Despite Blair's best efforts, Chuck dipped her into the water so that when Blair resurfaced, her dress and hair were dripping wet. She was still laughing, yet when she looked back up at Chuck he was staring at her, with what she thought was lust in his eyes. He was captivated by the way the wet material of her dress clung to her body, and how her wet locks curled behind her shoulders. Blair was enthralled by the way the beads of water shimmered on his defined arms, and how his hair curled slightly. They were locked in each other's gaze. Chuck leaned forward to brush a curl behind Blair's ear, running his thumb across her cheek as he did so. Both tingled at the touch. They were so close that their foreheads were touching, and they slowly inched their lips towards each other. Chuck's lips were almost on hers when a large wave knocked them both over. When they regained an even footing, both realised what had almost just happened and an awkward atmosphere descended upon the beach. They walked in silence back up to the villa, and silently lay at opposite sides of the bed. Yet when they closed their eyes, both were dreaming of what would have happened next, and both enjoyed that dream very much.

When Blair woke up the next morning, she found that overnight she had inched closer to Chuck and folded herself into his side, with her leg thrown over his as well as her arm thrown over his muscular abdomen. She decided that it would be best if he did not know this had happened, so she left the bed to take a shower. Chuck immediately felt colder as the contact of Blair's body left him. He wandered into the kitchen where the guys were drinking juice.

"Morning all" he called, as they grunted replies. When Serena and Blair joined them, they were already dressed for a day at the beach, with cover ups and bags with towels, sunglasses and magazines. Dan had already filled them in on his plans for the rest of the day, so when he left the remaining foursome made their way to the public beach for the day. Although Blair had already seen Chuck in his boxers, she thought that seeing him in all his glory in the light of day was highly impressive. Chuck wore plain yet expensive navy blue board shorts. His muscles were well defined yet not overpowering, and Blair though that he should remain shirtless for a higher proportion of the time. As Serena shed her kaftan, Blair became slightly self-conscious. Serena was tanned and slim yet still maintained enviable curves. So as she slipped her cover up off, she did so quickly so as to get it over with. Yet Chuck was highly appreciative of Blair's attire. She wore a red bikini with, in his opinion, highlighted her assets perfectly. She was slender, petite and perfect. Her smooth, pale skin shone in the sun and Chuck had to sit down quickly to hide his body's reaction to Blair. Serena and Nate had choreographed it so that Blair's sun lounger was directly beside Chuck's though, so when she lay down their arms were brushing against each other. Both found it excruciating, to be so close yet unable to touch the other. As a distraction they threw themselves into beach activities such as beach volleyball and jet skiing. The group had a wonderful day and went to bed early, exhausted from the heat.

They spent the rest of the two weeks enjoying the sand and the surf. The girls spent some time with Vanessa, welcoming her as best they could despite the chip on Vanessa's shoulder regarding the Upper East Side. Serena and Nate took many romantic walks on the beach while Dan and Vanessa had dates, leaving Chuck and Blair alone. Although they never came close to kissing again, their connection grew deeper each day. They played cards, talked, listened to music, played mini-golf; they did whatever they could together. And both looked forward to waking up next to each other in the morning, wrapped in each other's embrace. Blair had never felt safer than when she was in Chuck's warm, protective arms. They returned to the Upper East Side tanned and toned, and Chuck with a resolve to confess his feelings to Blair. However, it seemed that the fates were conspiring against him as he discovered the day after their return.