Chapter Thirty-Five
Familiar Stranger
''All we do is drive
All we do is think about the feelings that we hide
All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign.''
Blair stared up at the list in absolute horror.
Chuck Bass.
The deliberate, carefully picked order of the letters sent her insides into a whirlwind immediately. Like a threatening wave that rises and crashes madly on the shore, she felt the violent sensation reaching most further, sensitive spots of her being. Disoriented, she took a staggering step back as other students shoved each other aside to get a better look at the paired names.
Chuck Bass was to be her partner for the upcoming Business Strategy project. Chuck freakin' Bass, the guy that kissed her in front of the entire Constance population and then left like she was something toxic, as if her breath smelled bad, as if she kissed back like a hormonal 14-year-old boy that uses too much tongue.
And did Blair kiss back.
How could she not? Oh, what a kiss it was. She forgot how he made love with his tongue. If only she had gotten over her shock sooner, if only she had kissed him back immediately. Oh, the sweet tremors that had passed through her body when their lips locked in a honeyed, rapturous motion. And then the crushing feeling that encompassed her after he pushed her away, when he flashed her a withering glare and stormed off.
Even the mere recollection of the event overwhelmed her with utter devastation, once again. It had only happened yesterday, but it may as well have been a few minutes ago. He hadn't shown up to class today.
''You've got to be kidding me.'' She muttered under her breath. Students around her skimmed the full list and she heard few snickers when they got to her name.
''The girl just doesn't give up," Someone behind her in the crowd muttered. ''Poor Chuck.''
Adding to the ironic blow, on the bottom of the list was the signature. The name of the official person who had paired partners.
Professor Edward Morelli.
With clutched fists, she marched directly into his office without even bothering to knock.
''This better be one of your tasteless jokes!'' She fired the second she walked in, clicking door the door behind her in silent rage. The walls were decorated with new additions, shiny minimalistic frames hanging on the beige wallpaper - diplomas and achievements. Models of boats sat atop the mahogany desk and cabinets, giving a fresh nautical look to the once dull, stuffy room.
He looked up in surprise, though his eyes gained a strange glint upon perceiving her flushed face.
"It's not funny!" She nearly stomped her foot on the floor in frustration. ''How could you do this to me? Pairing me up with Chuck?!''
''Why ever not?'' His reply was ready, as though he had figured out her thoughts as soon as he saw her. He scratched the spot under his chin, right above the black turtleneck that fit him like a glove. ''You've worked together before. I saw your project from last year. Though unfinished, it was quite impressive. Now you have a chance to complete it. It will be easy. It'll be over before you know it.''
''But-'' She halted, suddenly overcome by visions of last year and MME project that was never accomplished.
Chemistry swirled between them in the small management club room.
Touch of their knees.
Longing glances.
Could she go through it again?
''Are you thinking about the kiss?'' Ed cleared his throat, peering at her over forgotten bundle of paper in his hands. Outside, naked branches of green ash swayed on by the relentless breeze, scratching the glass. ''Are you uncomfortable because I saw you or because of how you felt about it?''
''What kind of a question is that?''
It was, in a way, embarrassing to know Edward had witnessed the utter humiliation of the kiss and furthermore, that he seemed bothered by it. She could feel dreaded thoughts starting to creep in and demand attention, thoughts of the things she dared not think about. "Do you think I enjoyed that he abandoned me after what he did? After he forced himself on me?"
''You can't get over him,'' He pressed on, slowly digging up dirt from a hidden chest of emotions, reading her all-too-well. The notes were put down slowly, carefully. Edward saw through her pathetic lies and he turned to look at her with stormy blue eyes. ''Can you?''
''Why are you so stubborn in making things harder for me?'' She dodged the question, wishing to avoid the topic altogether.
The topic of Edward and Chuck's rivalry over her heart. Because no longer was this a trivial friendship, and no longer could Blair pretend it was. It was turning into a conquest for something more.
''I don't want to talk about it.''
''I respect your feelings, Blair.'' Ed sighed, rising from his cognac leather office chair. He rubbed his scruffy chin before approaching Blair and flashing her a turbulent look that demanded attention, action and immediate result. ''But you should finally start acting the way you feel. Or start feeling the way you act.''
Blair was stupefied into silence by his bold conversation and the resolute way he tried to persuade her to confront her own demons.
''You're doing neither of those things,'' Morelli continued on sharply, taking advantage of her silence to urge on the matter. ''You're neither going towards him, nor are you turning your back on him. The path you're going down, or rather not going down, will lead you nowhere.''
''I wish I could go to him.'' She quietly replied after few moments, surprising herself with the words. Her eyes were pinned to oak boards on the floor, lost in thought. Her face was the picture of melancholy, a rare display of honest sentiment that radiated through her. Blair had always been used to covering up what she felt, putting on a brave face in order to conquer the merciless world. There was no other way, but with Morelli, she had always been safe. ''Why should I be lying to you? I really do wish I could run to him.''
''But I can't,'' She said fervently, lifting her head up and straightened her shoulders. ''Nor can he run to me.''
Because she had damaged him, twisted his goodness into something monstrous, made him be wary of someone like her. He had sinned, for her, because of her and against her. Those sins, their sins, the punishment that they inflicted on each other, the mistakes they made and the fear they consequently felt - it was all there, standing between them.
''You need to get over him.'' He spoke with finality. "And it won't be pleasant.''
And that word that bore more meaning than the speaker could have ever imagined - the word pleasant - Blair lost her grip on reality. Presence dimmed in the background only for the young past to come swirling forth, bringing with it an ominous feeling. It was only this morning when she had a painful revelation, stuck in the vertigo of her building's lobby.
''How's Georgina?'' Blair asked upon meeting Mrs. Sparks, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the fact she hadn't spoken to her ex-best friend, not even when her father died, not even when she had seemed to withdraw completely from the world around her. Though they were well past the point of reconciliation, Blair still thought of her sometimes.
When her neighbor didn't reply, but merely stared murderously at her, as if she said something crude or offensive, Blair cleared her throat uncomfortably. ''I know the situation is far from pleasant, but maybe-''
''You're the only reason I feel unpleasant.'' Tight-lipped Diana growled, her voice savage.
Blair went mute, affronted with such hostile attitude that had been simmering under the surface for god knows how long. She had noticed cold looks, but always assigned it to resentment that her step-daughter bore, a certain ill-will that she transferred to Diana.
For the first time in months, Blair had a thought that maybe Georgina had nothing to do with this.
Perhaps Diana held a grudge against her that had nothing to do with Georgina.
''Have I done something to you?'' She carefully asked, closely scrutinizing the face that so easily changed from white to red.
''You're not even aware of the things you've put me through.''
''Look-'' Blair exhaled heavily, refusing to haggle with the neighbor whom she had, up until this summer, had a pretty decent relationship. Diana helped her pay off the $400 bill that she spent on those expensive shoes and helped her find a job. Until summer came. Until... Until Blair started working for Morelli. And then it dawned on her.
''You were the one that convinced Chuck I was sleeping around with Morelli?!'' She spat, throwing the good graces aside and embracing the fire that ignited within her heart. The problems this woman caused her! And why? ''How could you say something like that? How could you do that after your relationship with Edward?!''
As soon as those words were out, Diana's eyes appeared to widen unnaturally, her perfectly resting bitch-face turning into a contortion of rage. She lifted a perfectly manicured hand and slapped Blair's cheek hard, the slick sound of flesh against flesh reverberating in the empty lobby.
''Don't you ever,'' She grit through her teeth, narrowing her eyes in deadly menace. ''Speak of such things out loud. Ever. Again.''
Blair held her burning cheek, too stunned to speak by the violent act from a seemingly calm and collected woman. She stared as Diana's Zanotti heels furiously clicked away across the room and out in the dawning day.
''Is that your decision to make?'' She snapped at Ed, irritated by being pushed around by everyone - from her neighbor to her family. Why do they think it was alright to tell Blair how to live her life, to order her around and subject her to their own pathetic fears and crippling doubts? She looked back at him with fire in her eyes, a silent threat. ''You're stirring trouble, again.'
''Listen, Chuck Bass is your problem,'' He said, lifting his palm up in form of a surrender, detecting her flickering turmoil and the grave danger it could cause. ''And I want you to take care of your problem. Run to your feelings if you need to-''
''As if you'll solve your problems this way!'' She snapped, annoyed by his patronizing charity.
The inferno in her glowed with a devilish blaze, forgetting that she was talking to a professor, a person that could easily get her in serious trouble for this kind of behavior. It may have been that she forgot, but in truth Blair just didn't give a fuck at the moment.
Who was he to force resolutions on her? If she wanted to stall and keep Chuck in her life for a few days longer, she would do so and nobody would stop her, not even Morelli.
''You ran away too! Didn't you turn your back to Diana?! You think I don't know how she would wait for you in hotel lobby for hours, while you were upstairs in your room, pretending to be away?! You didn't even look back, not even once! That means that you didn't run towards your feelings either!''
Blair knew she was treading on dangerous ground; opening the topic of his broken affair with a married woman - well, currently a widow - but by this point, she honestly didn't care. If Edward thought he had the right to meddle with her love life, she would damn do the same.
With a loud huff, she turned around and slammed the doors shut behind her, using more than necessary force.
''Wrong.'' Edward whispered pensively after she left, his electric blue irises all of a sudden turning mellow. ''I'm heading straight towards my feelings.''
She had been watching him from a nearby corner.
His brown leather oxford shoes were perfectly polished, firmly planted on the marble floor of the hallway. Tailored gray pinstripe suit that didn't have a single speck of a dust, a single wrinkle or a single loose end. Italian cut vest underneath perfectly accentuated the pressed lavender shirt and the faintly purple bow which clung around his pale neck. Her breath accelerated as he swallowed, and she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down, taut muscles shifting.
She distinctly remembered the gentle touch of his silken sheets under her bare back. The subtle hint of perfume that lingered in his bedroom. His warm, moist breath in the crook of her neck. The mesmerizing gleam of sweat on his forearms as he pushed himself deeper into her.
Her thighs clenched involuntarily.
Chuck was leaning lazily on the wall next to the library doors while people streamed by, one by one, his hands shoved in pockets. His dark eyes were vacantly transfixed on a single spot, they didn't waver from there, not even as someone waved, or stopped to say 'hi'.
He had been waiting for her.
'Library, after class', was the text message she had received this morning. The sentence left no room for debate or possible reply. It was the first message she had received from that number in months. It would be a lie to say she didn't have a mini heart attack when his name flashed across her screen. The turmoil she felt then, the bittersweet nausea, still swayed in her stomach.
Intimidated - that was how she felt. Intimated by his perfection, by the alienation that forcefully wedged itself between the two of them since the kiss. She felt as if she was looking at a stranger, someone that curiously set her heart in motion, yet someone who remained completely unreachable to her. This project was an illusion, she thought grimly. The idea was ludicrous, alluring even, but impossible. Chuck would most definitely want them each to request new partners. He had shown just how far his tolerance for her extended yesterday, as he shoved her away.
If she was smart enough, she would want the same.
Wiping her sweaty palms down her neat plaid skirt, she inhaled a deep breath and approached him with wary eyes, determined to outmatch him and gain the upper hand.
''We should ask to switch partners.'' Was the first thing she said to him, her voice surprisingly cold and detached.
Chuck didn't look away from the particular spot, didn't even shift to acknowledge her presence. His musky expensive perfume was like an unexpected whip of yesterday's butterflies, disarming her entirely, yet Blair stared at his profile - expecting a reaction, a response, anything to confirm that at the very least he had heard her.
He appeared to be same Chuck as usual - same straight narrow nose, same low brow, same sculpted lips - yet the distance between them seemed to have expanded since yesterday. As if they resided in different layers of the atmosphere. As soon as she entered his layer, she choked on thin oxygen, gasping for breath.
Still, despite the colossal rift that existed between them - still - her soul ached for him.
And part of it broke as he turned to walk away without uttering a single word, without even glancing up at her, as if she was invisible, as if she was one of those people handing out pamphlets on the street.
''Great!'' She called out after him, painfully reminded of that loneliness that had swallowed her yesterday. Once again, the chilling desolation came and took her by the hand. ''Leave. That's all you know.''
Those words made Chuck Bass pause and Blair held her breath as she stared at his broad back.
He didn't turn around as he muttered. ''If you wanted to work with someone else, I wouldn't have bothered to come here in the first place.''
''I'm not talking about the project.'' Her heart hammered as his body stiffened, slowly turning around to face her. She finally met his onyx eyes and once again felt herself pulled into the overflowing magic that only he seemed to radiate.
''Oh, really?'' His voice was distant as he drawled, flashing her a penetrating look. ''What exactly are you talking about, then?''
Blair clenched fists by her side, her breath hitching as she finally gathered the audacity to overcome the rift between them and to face him despite his brutal coldness. ''You kissed me!'' She accused with a puffed out chest, though her words wavered with dejection in the end. ''And then you left.''
''Yes.'' He replied curtly, as if they were talking about what they had for lunch that day. ''For the first time I didn't want to be the one being pushed away, so I left.''
''Good.'' She coolly replied, hiding her disappointment with equally stony expression. And still, her heart beat wildly against that fragile rib-cage. ''At least you're not hiding that only thing you wanted was a show.''
''See?'' He cocked his brow. ''You didn't even bother to deny that you'd push me away.''
The lack of emotion on his face was disturbing her. She regarded the lines of his jaw, his lips, nose and the intensely dark color of his eyes. While his irises had once been full of life, now they were completely devoid of anything but frost. Had the kiss affected him at all? Hadn't it at least shaken him up a bit? Because those few burning seconds managed to rattle her whole world to the core.
''Is that all you have to say to me?'' She implored, holding his gaze, giving him another chance at remedying the situation.
''I'm sorry, but did you ask me a question?'' He narrowed his eyes, casually deflecting her question with few of his own. ''Did you say anything? Anything that didn't involve the project?''
Blair scoffed, ready for a payback. ''Obviously we have nothing to talk about except that project. Oh, and Morelli of'course.''
With those flippant words, she flipped her chocolate curls and with swift steps strode past him into the library. If she had only turned around, Blair would have noticed Chuck's face turning into a grimace that would seep fear deep into her very lovely bones.
The library was fairly desolate and she quickly found an empty table by the window, shielded with a row of books on either side. She dropped her things next to the chair and flung herself into the seat, exhaling heavily.
What a basshole, Blair thought to herself, massaging her temples. Her project partner seemed to be more difficult than she figured he would be. Worst of all, all she could do was stare at his lips and think about that kiss, feeling her mind going empty and blank when she was supposed to be on full guard.
Her lips missed his lips.
Because that kiss, it was unlike anything she experienced before. Blair exhaled deeply, remembering the sweet taste of his mouth on hers, the delicious way his tongue flicked against hers... The synchronized way they moved against each other and the small moan that got held back in the back of her throat...
Her thighs clenched and she could feel herself pressing down the chair, heat pooling on the pit of her stomach.
In that moment, her train of thoughts got interrupted as Chuck Bass sat down on the opposite end of the table and she jumped up a bit, flustered, for some reason pulling her skirt down her legs.
''Your Captain refused to get you a new partner?'' He bit out, unbuttoning his blazer in irritation.
''I didn't even talk to him,'' She lied, hastily drawing pile of textbooks from her bag. What good would it do if she revealed she spoke to Morelli as soon as the official list came out? She would look like a total bitch.
''Why not?'' He demanded, settling back in his chair and piercing her with a glare, as if sensing her lie.
''Because I know it wouldn't change anything.'' She prayed he didn't pry any further because of how stupid would it look if Chuck found out he was most common topic between her and Ed? If he found out that neither of them could let go of him?
''Of course.'' He grabbed the first book from the pile without breaking the eye contact. ''Since you know him so well.''
The sentence was accompanied with a sardonic smile and Chuck flipped pages, one by one, searching for their lesson. Blair watched his finger work through paper, gentle hand gliding across the smooth white surface, and something in her painfully tugged.
''How can you believe that?'' She zealously urged, fed up with the story of her affair. It was ridiculous and absurd, only seeming to endlessly irk her. ''Woman that told you that lie had an affair with him. I bet you know that. I heard she's your new business partner. That means you had Andrew do a double check-up on her. You probably knew about their affair long before that business deal was concluded-''
''Blair.'' He sharply looked up, but didn't deny. ''I don't care what that hag says. I don't even care that guy tried to pay off the debt. I don't care that he's here. I care for none of those things. ''
Chuck seemed to hesitate, but then he let go of the textbook and leaned towards her across the table, lowering his voice. ''You're always with that guy. You talk to him. He knows you.''
''Because he listens to me,'' She replied deadpanned. ''I can talk to him without any fear. He doesn't judge me.''
Chuck clenched and unclenched his jaw. His words were slow and calculated. ''If you didn't spawn all those lies and forced them between us, would you still need help from that guy? Alright, I can't characterize people and analyze situations like he can, but,'' He passed a hand through his perfectly styled hair. ''Couldn't I listen to you as much as he does?''
Blair nervously tapped her pencil against the desk. She felt her heart drop at this speech and once again as her own conclusions came to her mind. ''If I didn't spawn all those lies, would you even try to understand me?''
If she hadn't lied in the beginning, would she still have drawn Chuck Bass' interest whilst being her poor self? Would he cast her a second look if he knew she was janitor's daughter? Would he have cared about her problems, as much as he seemed to try to care now? Would he ever fall for her if she wore plain clothes and talked about mundane things, instead of fantasizing about holidays abroad? Would he care to listen about what her mom cooked for lunch that day, what repairs her fathers managed to do, how many days had her brother managed to keep a new job?
In a world where people eat at five star restaurants, where you wake up to a full fridge, cleaned apartment and ironed clothes, where broken stuff are magically fixed by themselves, where it's no issue to throw thousands of dollars on clothes and jewelry - would he ever manage to develop a mere crush on her, let alone fall in love?
''Distinction in class and lifestyle you so believe in,'' She fought to keep her voice steady, his speech of relation between rich and poor people forever imprinted in her memory. ''We don't belong to the same world, Chuck.''
''Blair,'' He sighed in exasperation, turning his eyes towards the ceiling.
''I was born into that life.'' Blair stated fervently, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue. ''Would you have ever offered me a chance to get through that difference between us?''
''It's my fault?!'' He growled, curling his upper lip and clutching edges of the table. ''Because I don't know anything?! Because the entire time, I've been kept in the dark so often, and somehow it's my fault yet again?!''
''I don't blame you, Chuck.'' She softly said, rubbing her forehead tiredly. ''I'm just asking. Why are you being so aggressive? If you're not scared of the answer you might be able to give, why are you being so aggressive? ''
Someone passed by their table and they looked up in surprise as their tension-filled bubble burst. Chuck looked away and backed up a bit, exhaling heavily.
''I've known people from upstairs since I was born.'' Blair stared at him, acidic taste in her mouth as the bitterness and sorrow she felt for years came up. Because she was one of those people behind the curtain; ironing their clothes and cleaning their apartments.
Rich people never bothered to know their names, never cared about anything except their errands being done to perfection. But when you are someone behind the curtain, your eyes see everything, ears hear everything and you become a wall - you become passive part of their world, filled with information and noticing smallest things - from how they like their coffee to what night cream they use.
You listen to their troubles, you help them with their problems, you manage their celebrations, but never stick around for the actual party. You've got no invitation. Your name is not on the guest list. And at the end of the day, you are a wall - you are someone replaceable, invisible, irrelevant - listening to music of the lavishing party, knowing what food they eat, what champagne they drink and you sink back further into your own cold bed.
''I know them. But you don't know people from downstairs, Chuck. Admit it, you don't. And you never will get to know them. Considering the way you were raised, I don't blame you. But if you think you can understand me, if you think someone from your position can even begin to comprehend-''
''Did you ever offer me a chance?'' He suddenly snapped, shoving the textbook aside in temper, his nostrils flaring. ''You offered a chance to Morelli, but what about me?!''
''Why are you so hung up on him?''
''Because the debt has been paid!'' He shouted, not bothering to keep his voice down anymore. Now ensued a silence unlike any other, where only their labored breathing could be heard, and the quiet shifting of the thoughts, shuffling of the sentiments and re-arranging the outspoken sentences. The information had a trouble being processed, it was a lot to take in. Blair stared at Chuck in stupefied wonder.
Debt was paid? Her family was finally free?
Librarian came to their table, all hands on hips, wrinkly eyes wide in scolding annoyance at the berserk scene in the peaceful library. The gray-haired woman pulled finger to her badly lipsticked lips, shushing them both.
''Sorry, Janice,'' Blair lashed out in a furious whisper, flashing Janice a deadly glare, annoyed with the interruption. Put off by the aggressive response, Janice vaguely nodded and scurried back to her post.
Blair pursed her lips, willing her voice to sound calm, but the tension crackled nevertheless. ''You say the debt is paid? Who told you this?''
''My accountant.'' He forcefully whsipered, pulling on his lapels. ''Who else? Apparently, someone stopped by and paid in cash.''
''And you think Morelli did it?'' She glanced up. ''No, he didn't do it.''
Because Edward swore he would never try to pay the debt again and Blair took him up on it. She trusted him. She knew he didn't do it.
But then again - who did it?
''Why are you doing this?'' Chuck clenched his jaw and looked away through the window. The day slowly grew into night, Manhattan street lamps shone in the darkness, wet pavement reflecting their orange glow and moving light of the traffic. ''Why do you insist on lying for him?''
''I'm not lying,'' She grit through her teeth, leaning towards him. ''He didn't do it! I swear to God you'll make me go crazy-.''
''You're the one going crazy?'' He shot, reverting to her. ''What about me-''
''It's all me, me, me with you-'' She mocked, huffing, crossing arms at her chest.
''Every time I try to get over a problem, you find a new one-''
''I'm telling you he didn't do it!'' Blair slapped palm over the tabletop, silencing him finally. She looked over at Janice that timidly peeked over a pile of books. Blair sighed in exasperation and dropped her voice to a whisper again. ''Listen, didn't your accountant tell you when the deposit had been made? When did he tell you this piece of information?''
Blair briefly wondered if she had asked the wrong question because Chuck's eyes darkened in an instant. His lips tightened in a white line, staring down at her, the question ominously hanging in the air.
When?
''Do you know when?'' He replied slowly, their gazes locked, trapped in a current of energy. And still, they hid that feeling from each other, hid it like a mad starving dog hides the bone and buries it in the ground. ''He told me that yesterday, when I called him to tell him I wanted to pay off the fucking debt myself.''
He suddenly rose from the seat, snatched his blazer from the back of the chair and left, passing by wary Janice that hid her face behind one of the large History volumes.
Lake was eerily still under the long Bow bridge. Dark steely color spilled over the crystal surface, spotted with warm orange hue of the dying sunset on the west. It was late afternoon and Central Park was nearly empty. Somewhere past trees, the city was buzzing with life. Restaurants rang busy with New Yorkers and tourists, everyone getting warm and cozy over a delicious dish. In the park, there was almost no sound save for the occasional clatter of horse hooves or owl's flap of the wings.
Elbows leaned on the cold surface of the rail, Blair stared at the buildings on the horizon. On the left side, low café latte walls with rusty El Greco's Jesus colored roof, there stood Dakota apartment complex. Just like one of those building in the center of Paris or one of the domes on the Buda side of Budapest. Or at least it looked like in pictures of Geography textbook. How could Blair know? She'd never been anywhere.
Few blocks away, on the right side of the view, was San Remo.
Another, much more grand and imposing apartment complex. Two towers imperially grew from the solid block of countless windows. Far up, on the highest penthouse of the right tower, was where Chuck Bass lived before moving off. That was before things got complicated, before everything went to ruin. With a melancholy look, she remembered all the love-filled days spent in that penthouse.
Her stomach growled loudly. She glanced at her phone. It was filled with Dan's angry messages and dad's missed calls.
Did they know debt had been paid? Had the lawyers let them know? It didn't matter, she herself couldn't tell them. What was she supposed to say? How could she explain the source of the information without revealing too much? In their eyes, she was just an obedient little girl who, outside of home, was only involved in school work and nothing else.
No friends. No hobbies. Just homework and house choirs. That is what they had reduced her to.
Could she tell mom, though? Would Jane come back if she knew about it? Her breath hitched, fingers curling around the phone in silent agony. Blair hadn't been to dinner at home since she left. It stopped feeling like home. Looking up at San Remo, something in her heart tugged painfully.
Chuck wanted to pay off her family's debt. After everything that had happened, he wanted to break her chains.
Was it possible that he still loved her?
With a twitch of her mouth, Blair turned her head away. There, far on the other end of the bridge, was a girl staring right at her. Their gazes locked.
With a calculated slowness, Blair unhooked her knee from the hole in the rail and turned to go opposite end, towards Cherry Hill. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and listened for approaching steps. Sure enough, the girl followed back.
The fountain made sloppy dripping noises, filling the queer silence as Blair stood on the edge of the water. She stared as the reflection of the nearby lampposts moved on the surface, drops breaking the luminescent orange circles apart before they shape again. The steps halted and lingered nervously as their owner realized the awkward position they were in. Surrounded by a spiderweb of bare trees, there was no room for running away without blasting your cover, forcing the stranger to come forth.
''What do you want?'' Blair asked with a sharp note, but vivid tiredness, staring at her own distorted image in the water.
''I wanted to ask you,'' The stranger clearly hesitated, pausing for a second. ''Uhh...is.. where did you get that bag? It's so pretty!''
Blair scoffed, turning around to face her. The girl must have been around sixteen, short for her age, adorned with curves she tried to hide with layered clothes. Fingers dug deep into pockets of stylish, but thin suede jacket with fringe. She was jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, clearly not used to cold.
''I got it at Primark.'' She brushed her off, eying her Chanel Canvas backpack for which you need to be wait-listed. ''You followed me all the way from Constance to ask me that?''
The girl opened her Anastasia lipstick colored lips, shade Vamp, but promptly shut them closed, blushing like a tomato.
''Or should I say,'' Blair pressed on, taking a threatening step closer towards trembling girl, staring at her down her button nose. ''From L.A.? Had a nice flight?''
''I should explain,'' Girl pleaded, biting her lip and taking a step back. ''Please, let me-''
''You think I don't know who you are, Emilia Rose-Waldorf? Or should I say - sister?''
A/N: *puts on reading glasses* I quote one of the reviewers;
''i don't have an ff acct any more so i have to manually check for updates I HAVE NEVER CLOSED THE SAFARI WINDOW ON MY PHONE CONTAINING THE LAST CHAPTER AND I REFRESH IT EVERY DAY i want to see a "next chapter" link the bottom of the page soon thanks''
*peers up from the glasses with raised eyebrows*
There you go my lovely ladies and gents. Let me know what you think.
Until next time xoxo