Hey all! Sorry for the last chapter and thanks for those of you who took the time to review and felt that the chapter wasn't so bad after all. So i actually did like how this chapter came out. It shows a side of Chuck and Blair that i don't remember writing for this fic since the very early chapters. Let me know if you guys enjoy it. Reviews do equal Love after all. Happy Readings! xoxo
Bonfire of the Vanity
Blair closed the door to her bedroom and smiled into the darkness of the room. Her party was all she wanted it to be, all she had planned it to be. A simple, yet elegant gathering dignified of her 18 years of life. And despite her momentary slip from obeying her mantra- I am Grace Kelly, Grace Kelly is me- she had managed to stay true to form and even begin to like Cyrus the mole just a bit.
Her smile turned into a grin. The man was a sight for sore eyes, but he did know how to play the game. So much so that he'd actually beaten Blair Cornelia Waldorf, the now 18 year old Queen of the Upper East Side, at her own game. Blair shook her head in amazement as she waltzed further into her room, tangling her hand in her hair and beginning to remove the pins that held her curls firmly in place.
She felt the remnants of the tension left in her shoulders beginning to flow away as her hair fell down her back and her arms came down to hang limply besides her. It had been a good night. Then again it could have been great...
It would have taken the presence of a single person to make this night even more memorable. Blair sighed in frustration and sat down on the ottoman lining the front of her bed. There was no more fight left in her. There was nothing she hadn't done. There was nothing she could do anymore to bring Chuck back to her. Or to her period. He had never really been with her.
She let her head fall forward into her hands and allowed herself to relax. She tried to get him out of her head, but she couldn't. Try as she may, the man was engraved in her mind, heart, her very soul. There was no escaping him. She could almost feel him, a comforting warmth enveloping her. She could almost smell him. A familiar scent invading her nostrils and causing her muscles to melt within.
"Oh, Chuck..." she breathed out softly, tears beginning to form behind her closed lids. God she loved him so...
"I'm right here, Waldorf," the words came back and responded to her breathy sigh.
Blair jumped as the words reached her ears at exactly the same time that Chuck reached out and grazed her shoulders with his warm hands.
Blair turned quickly in the ottoman, her eyes adjusting to the darkness in the room and finding Chuck seated at the edge of the bed, inches away from her. Her breath caught and held, her hand reaching out instinctively, only for her to realize what she was about to do and refraining herself from reaching out any further. Her hand lingered close to his face, she could almost feel the softness of his skin mixed with the hardness of his prominent cheekbones.
Chuck had come. It was if he knew she'd missed him, knew that she needed him here with her.
"You thought I wouldn't show?" Chuck asked as he rose from his spot on the bed and went over to turn on the light situated on the table besides her bed. A warm wash of orange lit the room, allowing Blair to see the small smile playing on Chuck's lips.
"Considering my party was technically yesterday, I kinda thought you missed it," Blair responded as she stared up at him and quirked her eyebrow up at him. He seemed different. Frail. A hairsbreadth away from breaking. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the shadows lying behind his eyes.
Chuck took a deep breath. Of course she would know something was wrong. It was Blair after all. And the bond they use to have as children had fermented into something stronger after the past year of love, hate and drama that defined their relationship. "Sorry I couldn't make it sooner..." Chuck started to explain.
Blair stood from her spot on the seat and reach out for his cheek. She looked into his eyes and felt her heart bloom as he leaned into her palm, accepting and basking in her caress. "Tell me..."
"Humphrey," Chuck said with a bite to his voice. "And my father..." Chuck let out on a disgusted breath. "Nothing I do is right. Even when I try to prove to him that I can be the son he's always wanted me to be."
Blair's heart broke at the words coming out of his mouth. She could feel the pain vibrating out of his body. She hated to see him like this. Defeated. Lonely. Breaking. And yet she loved knowing that she was the only one that ever got to see him this way. It was their pact. Their silent dependency on one another for strength, comfort and understanding. Ever since they were younger. Chuck Bass opened up to her in a way no one else got to see. And she opened herself up to Chuck for things not even Serena knew about. He was her rock in times of desperation, and she was happy to know that she was the same for him.
She closed the small distance between them and wrapped her arms tightly around him, cradling his head in the crook of her neck. She felt his body relax against her own as she ran her fingers delicately through his hair. "You don't have to be what your father wants you to be. I think you're pretty wonderful just the way you are," she coddled gently, knowing he wouldn't truly believe her words, but glad he didn't fight her.
"I just wish..." his voice faltered and he remained silent, afraid of giving away any more of the grief that was eating him up alive on the inside.
"I know. Our families are screwed up in ways no one else can ever understand. But you've got to know that your father loves you, Chuck. In his own twisted way. The two of you are so alike it's actually kind of frightening," Blair laughed gently as she pulled away from him a bit to stare into his face. "There's really nothing for me to say to you that can make you feel better. But know that I understand everything you are going through, and know that I'll be here for you until the end." She nodded at him as she finished her promise, and smiled when he nodded as well.
"You may not know it, but hearing that was enough to make me feel better," Chuck smiled slightly as he straightened up and the shield was up once again. "Now about your party... Did I miss anything juicy?"
Blair laughed slightly, feeling the shift in the air and turning away to sit on her bed. "Not much. I ruined my mother's relationship and saved it all in one night. And of course Cyndi Lauper sang for me when it was time to cut the cake," Blair grinned as she looked up at Chuck and leaned forward to undo her shoes.
"Sounds like a classic Waldorf soirée," he teased as he knelt before her and helped her unbuckle her shoes.
"Doesn't it?" Blair's voice shivered as Chuck's hands traveled along her calf and gently removed the shoes from her feet.
Finishing the task at hand, Chuck's hands lingered across Blair's foot before setting it down on the floor and staring up at her. "I got you something..." he said as he reached inside his jacket and removed a black, velvet jewelry case from within.
Blair stared down at the box and then up into his face. Chuck grinned boyishly. "Consider it as a one year anniversary present."
"One year of what?" Blair asked suspiciously.
"Since the beginning of our sex crazed relationship," Chuck teased as he offered her the box.
Blair smiled as her fingers grazed the box. "Last year, you got me the one thing I wanted most. And no I don't mean sex," she quickly added as Chuck's signature smirk graced his face.
"Ouch! Low blow, Waldorf," Chuck joked as he pressed the box more firmly into her hand. "Open it."
Blair looked up and him and then down at the box excitedly. Lifting the lid gently, she stared down in awe as the Harry Winston choker she had been eying for weeks now came into view. "How...? How could you have possibly known?" Blair stuttered as she looked up at him in amazement and cupped his face once again.
"That's my little secret," Chuck whispered, his skin burning where she was touching him.
"Thank you so much," she said softly, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss across his lips. Their lips stuck together a moment longer before they finally pulled away.
"Happy Birthday, Blair..." Chuck fought to get out, their eyes locking and neither one daring to look away.
