I'm on a role with finishing this story! I have one chapter left and maybe an epilogue, we'll see! Thank you for reading and for all the reviews! Enjoy!

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Win A Date With Nate Archibald

Chapter Eleven

That same night, Chuck was sitting at the bar at Jammin Java nursing a glass of scotch as Angelica was cleaning off the bar. There were only a few customers left and they all seemed to be finishing up. Angelica immediately noticed Chuck's sour mood and she had a pretty good guess as to what-or rather who- was causing it.

"You know, as a bartender, you do learn to kind of recognize those customers that need to talk," Angelica said as she stood in front of him.

"Well, I'm not a customer, am I?" Chuck replied coolly. "Give me like…six more of these will you?" he asked referring to his glass.

"No, but Chuck, I think you really need to talk," she pressed.

"Fine," Chuck sighed before continuing, "I think that our dear friend Blair might be falling in love with Nate Archibald."

Angelica nodded. "Yeah…didn't have to be a bartender to see that one coming."

Chuck smirked and looked down. He didn't know why he was being so open with Angelica. Be it the scotch, or his seriously depressed mood, he couldn't get himself to shut up.

"Right, but the problem with that…is that I'm in love with Blair."

Angelica smiled and looked back up at Chuck. "You know, I always thought that maybe you were."

Chuck didn't say anything. He just picked up his glass of scotch and drained its contents.

"So how much do you love her?" Angelica asked, folding her arms onto the bar. "Is it love, is it big love, or is it great love?"

"Angelica, I haven't the slightest fucking clue what you're talking about."

"Well, love you get over in two months. Big love, two years. And great love…well great love changes your life," she explained.

Chuck stared back at Angelica as he processed her little philosophy. He knew immediately what type he felt for Blair, and upon realizing it, his heart sunk even more. He finally looked down at his empty glass, never answering her question.

Angelica caught on quickly. "Oh my God. It's great love." She immediately reached for the bottle of scotch and began filling up Chuck's glass.

"Isn't that just great," Chuck commented as he gulped down the serving she had just given him.

"Well, you gotta win her back!" Angleica protested.

"Ang, she was never mine to being with. And anyways, I've already tried everything to get her attention; she's too blinded by Archibald."

"Well what did she say when you told her you love her?"

"Okay so maybe not everything."

"What did she say when you kissed her?"

"Alright so there's two things I haven't tried," Chuck admitted.

"Well what have you tried?"

"For the entire twenty years that I have known her, I have made it almost painfully obvious the way I feel about her. I've never exactly been subtle about it. She just…doesn't notice or doesn't feel the same, I don't know."

"Alright, get up," Angelica demanded.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Get your ass off the barstool."

Chuck looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe she was speaking to him this way.

"If you feel it, Chuck, and you don't do everything in your power to get it, then you are basically slapping life in the face, so get up!"

"Listen sweetheart, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but I don't really stand a chance here."

"As my father told me when I didn't think I would get the job at this bar, 'honey, your odds go up when you file an application'."

"He's Nate fucking Archibald, Angelica. There is absolutely no competition. The guy wins by default."

"You are Nate Archibald," Angelica stated.

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"Don't you see Chuck, everyone is Nate Archibald to someone. Blair is Nate Archibald to you. And you are Nate Archibald to me," she explained, fading softly at the last part. She had made a fool of herself many times in front of Chuck, but she really did truly like him.

Chuck felt slightly at her admission. He knew she liked to throw herself at him, but he didn't really think it went beyond an innocent crush. He stood up and leaned over the bar to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks, Angelica."

"So start acting like it," she demanded changing the subject.

Chuck nodded and got up off the bar and reached for his coat.

"You know something? You are a really good bartender. I should give you a raise," he joked as he took one last swig of his scotch and walked out of the bar.

***

After making her decision to leave with Nate, Blair went home to start packing. Nate was on a schedule and they would have to leave pretty much immediately so that he could settle back in and fully get ready to start filming. Blair was both excited and extremely nervous. She couldn't believe that she was going to L.A. with Nate Archibald, as his girlfriend, and she got to see him film a movie. But she was also nervous about leaving home so quickly. She'd be leaving Serena and Chuck behind and her father. It was all happening really fast, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime. And when she really thought about it, what was keeping her in Brooklyn? Yeah she was taking college courses, and she loved her job at Jammin Java, but it wasn't really a career.

She continued moving all over her room, looking for different things to pack, thinking about her upcoming trip, when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She turned and saw that it was Chuck standing in her doorway.

"Hi," she smiled putting down the shirt she had been holding.

"Hey," he responded coolly, waiting to be officially invited in to her room.

"Come in, come in," she said when she noticed his apprehension.

Chuck walked across her room until he was standing directly in front of her. "So um, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Me too!" Blair exclaimed happily.

"Really? Uh, yeah, you go first," he said, his nerves getting the best of him.

"No, no, you go first," Blair demanded.

"No, seriously. You go first."

"Okay," she took a breath before continuing. "Nate got a part in a really huge movie and he asked me to go to California with him for the shoot! We leave tomorrow afternoon!" She was practically jumping up and down with excitement as she finished.

Chuck felt like his heart had literally crushed into a million pieces. He absolutely could not believe this was happening to him. A week ago, everything was perfect. It was just him, Blair and Serena. Now his best friend and the girl he was in love with was about to run off with a movie star.

"Isn't that great?" Blair asked when Chuck wasn't responding.

Chuck looked to the ground and shook his head. "I probably should have gone first."

"Why? What were you going to say?" Blair asked curiously.

Chuck continued to stare at the ground and shaek his head. This whole thing was his fault really. He had waited too long. He had been in love with her since they were five and if he had told her sooner, maybe things would be different. But he didn't. He had chickened out time and time again, he put on this show of dating a bunch of different girls, when he should have been telling Blair every single day how much he loved her and would always love her. She was so happy right now; he couldn't do anything now to spoil that.

"It was nothing," he said looking back up at her, "just, you know, travel safely, okay? And just really enjoy the shoot." He was blabbering; he really had no idea what to say now.

But then he remembered what Angelica had said. He had to tell her how he felt, and he had to do it now, even if it completely backfired on him.

"Actually, no. I remember what I was going to say," he said as he stepped forward, pulled her towards him, and kissed her.

He kissed her with as much passion and as much determination as he could muster, and it felt amazing. He had waited so long to do this, and now that he finally had, he felt alive.

Blair was taken completely by surprise, but found herself kissing him back. So many emotions were going through her head right now; she didn't really know what to think.

Chuck pulled back slightly before placing one last gentle peck on her lips. He pulled back completely and looked into her extremely wide brown eyes.

"I love you, Blair. I've been in love with you for longer then I'd like to admit. And I know I've been a complete jackass this entire week, but it's because I've been fighting for you. I don't want to lose you to Nate Archibald, or anybody else for that matter. It's you Blair; it's always been you for me."

Blair was in complete shock. She was still trying to regain her focus after that kiss that he had given her. Now he was saying he was in love with her and she couldn't believe what was happening.

"Say something, Blair," Chuck demanded softly.

"Now? You kiss me now? You say this to me now, after eighteen years of being my friend, you do this now?" Blair's head was spinning.

"Yes…to all questions," he said quietly, not really liking where this conversation was heading. He could feel her already starting to pull away.

"Umm, I have to pack," she said as she stepped back and turned to her suitcase.

"So that's it? I tell you I'm in love with you, and you don't even give me any type of response…because you have to pack?"

"Well not only do I have to pack, but I also have like a load of whites in the dryer and my dad called some of my relatives and they're all expecting me…so, you know, it's all in the works," Blair blabbered on as tears started to well up in her eyes. She had no idea why she was responding this way, why she was crying.

"Blair, just wait for a second, just stop for two seconds and talk to me. Can you honestly tell me that after three days, you are in love with Nate Archibald? That you're ready to follow him across the country? Is that really what's in your heart? Can you honestly say you feel nothing for me?"

Blair eyes continued to well up. She was so overwhelmed at the moment she didn't know what she felt.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled softly.

Chuck just stared into her eyes and realized that he was too late. She made her decision. He kissed her, told her how he felt; there was nothing more he could do to change her mind. As much as it killed him, he knew it was time to let go.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," he said before turning and leaving her alone in her room.

She immediately felt a terrible pain in her gut watching him walk away, but decided to ignore it. She brushed the tears out of her eyes and went back to packing. Chuck was too late. Nate was her future now.

***

Chuck stormed out of Blair's room and out of her house and ran into her father sitting on the front porch.

"You okay, Chuck?" Harold asked, noticing the boy's disheveled appearance.

"Yes sir," Chuck said as he straightened his back and did his best to put on a fake look of indifference.

Harold nodded. "Listen, Chuck, obviously we've all been a little seduced by Nate Archibald's presence. No one more so than me," he admitted recalling the embarrassing chocolate martini incident. "But that doesn't mean that I don't know at the end of the day who cares about my daughter most and who she would be with if the world were fair."

Chuck sighed and took a seat next to the man who had been more of a father figure to him than his own father was. Harold could see right through him.

"Well, it's not," Chuck said bitterly.

"No, no it's not," Harold agreed. "You're a good kid Chuck; you've got so much potential. Blair told me about your expansion offer, and I think you need to take it. You don't get many opportunities like that in a lifetime."

"Thanks Mr. Waldorf, I think I will," he said reaching out to shake the man's hand.

"Good luck out there, Chuck," Harold said.

Chuck got up and began his walk home, Harold watching him leave. Neither man noticed Blair sitting in the window, listening to their entire conversation.

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