A/N: Hey guys! I have nothing much to say other than thank you a million billion trillion times for the favorites and follows and reviews!!! I kind of dealt with the problem I've had with how am I going to expand this story so hopefully I'll be writing more frequently, but honestly, no promises:( anyways, I hope you enjoy!
We're Strangers.
2 years later
Caps fly into the cheerful air, cameras flicker to capture a fleeting joy and smiles play plenty on the faces of everyone around me. But before I can grasp the elation of my own graduation, she smashes her pink lips on mine in a kiss of congratulations! Which will soon become a kiss goodbye.
Our lips part and her eyes overtake mine. She places her hands on my cheeks and looks at me so proudly, as if she herself hadn't just achieved the same feat as me. I can't help but to return the sentiment. Somehow through it all, she has found herself alongside me on this stage, graduating after what can only best be described as two years stricken with despair. As proud as she is of me, my astonishment for her is tenfold.
But I know our little moment of shared joy will soon dissipate once those school hall doors open and leave us vulnerable to the world. Feelings like these, fractional feelings of elation, have been hard to come by. So hard that when they do come, we don't allow ourselves to enjoy them too much. Because following goodness like a ghost, badness is always just around the bend, in the closet, under the bed.
However, right now it seems as though she wants to take in every second of this moment. Feel it all and bask in the happiness, in the ecstasy, in the relief - if one can even call it that - and just hold onto those feelings for as long as the universe allows her to.
But I'm not sure I can do the same. And she knows that. Yet, her smile doesn't falter nor do her eyes harden. Being understanding of how far we'll allow ourselves to feel is what makes this work. It spares us from hurting each other whilst also giving us solace from our lonely hearts. So she just looks at me through the lose strands of hair that fall misguidedly along her cheeks and drops her hands to mine. She locks our fingers in empathy and squeezes our palms together supportively.
The other students around us begin walking off the stage and once we're both composed we follow suit. Soon our hands untwine for her to go find herself in the arms of her loved ones and for me to go look for Rufus and Jenny in the rest of the crowd. My loved ones.
They see me before I can spot them though, and Jenny shouts out my name through the hall full of people. When I see them looking at me as they are looking at me right now, it's difficult to let anything dampen this. So for just a few seconds, as she did with me onstage, I allow myself to fully feel the genuine moment of joy that comes as Rufus and Jenny pull me into their arms.
"You did it, son! You finished high school!" My dad says proudly into my ear.
I can't help but bare my teeth in a broad smile once we all come out of the warm embrace. Making Rufus Humphrey proud has fortunately never been a difficult thing to do. But I can hear it in his voice that this is a special moment for him.
"Yeah Dan, thanks for setting the bar at an unreachable level, I really appreciate it..." Jenny interjects, "...but for real though, congrats dweeb." She smiles.
"Thanks Jen..." I chuckle, "...and there are no bars to be reached. You just have to focus on your own potential."
"Woah, one day out of high school and you already sound like my old man..." My dad laughs and then puts his arm around my shoulder, "...come on, let's get going. We've got a flight to catch."
"Okay, just a sec..." I point my thumb over my shoulder as I look at my dad, "...I just gotta go say goodbye to her real quick."
"Okay, Jen and I will be in the car. Don't be long Dan, we still need to head back to the loft to get our luggage."
And long I won't be. I run over to her and grab her by the hand to bring her away from those family members that still won't look me in the eye.
"Hey, I need to tell you something." I say to her once we find an empty corner in the hall.
"I'm listening." She replies.
"I know I should've told you sooner, but I'm leaving New York for a week." I bite my teeth.
"What? I thought we were spending the summer together?" Her mouth falls agape.
"And we will. I swear when I get back we will. But my dad literally booked these flights last night so it's not like I had much time to tell you. I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay...but I'm going to the Hamptons in a weeks time, so if I'm not seeing you this entire week, the least you could do is ask your dad if you could come with me then?" She pouts.
"With you? You know where Rufus stands when it comes to us."
"Yeah, well it wouldn't hurt to ask. We managed to get him to cool off about us being together in the first place..."
"Which took an entire month might I add..." I interject, "...The fact that you could kiss me on that stage in front of him is already sailing risky shores. Let's not push it any further, okay?"
"Oh, come on..." She groans, "...we've been together for almost a year now. You overestimate your father's ability to hold a grudge. You just graduated, do you really think he's going to deny you this?"
I let out a breath, "Okay fine. I'll ask him. But if he says no..."
"Which he won't."
"...but if he does, you cannot be upset with me, okay?"
"Okay." She smiles mischievously and gives me a peck, "Now run along."
After almost 12 hours in the air, plus an hour layover, and another hour and a half drive from Naples international airport, we finally arrive at our little abode for the week. An airy, colourful private villa which sits right along the beautiful Amalfi coast, courtesy of Rufus Humphrey's ex-band member.
I'm not sure where uncle Matt's gotten the money to buy this place. And if it is to be believed that Lincoln Hawk was possibly that successful, then it begs the question - why the hell did Rufus spend all that damn money on an art gallery? We could've had our own private villa! On a beach! In Italy! Along the freakin' Amalfi coast!
Anyway, it doesn't matter all that much I guess. We quickly settle into the villa after Uncle Matt shows us around the place. There's not much to it, but from one look over my private little balcony which looks out across at the small town before me, this place is considerably bigger than the other places of residency surrounding it.
But size difference is hardly an eye-catcher when gazing out at Positano, especially when the stars are glittering the sky like the lights glitter this town. It holds a sense of enchantment and fairytale beneath the beaches and bikinis. A peek of prince and pauper potential behind the private yacht parties.
"Hey..." Someone says as they knock on my door, simultaneously knocking me out of my folktale mesmerisations, "...you're Dan, right?"
I turn around to see the splitting image of Uncle Matt. Only just in feminine form. And a thousand times more attractive.
I swallow the recently-formed lump in my throat, "Uhm, yeah, I am..." I push off the balcony railing, "...and you must be Alicia?"
She smiles shyly and pushes a few strands of her black hair behind her ear, "Yep. That's me..."
She takes a few heart palpitating steps closer to me as I step back into the room from the balcony. Her figure moves through this dimly lit room like a silhouette while the evening wind sends waves through the sarong wrapped around her waist. The side of her face that's not covered by her silky dark hair allows me the glimpse of her soft dark eyes. Suddenly her steps forward come to a halt.
Still a considerable distance away from me, but with her hand reached out,"...it's nice to finally meet you."
I take her actions as a hint for me to respond in a similar fashion, so as I step towards her I say, "Sorry for the cliché, but the pleasure's all mine." Our hands then grip tenderly as our eyes greet each other too.
They then part and we both step away from each other before any awkwardness befalls us, but to my relief she starts speaking again as she moves past me and toward the balcony, "So you must be really tired after such a long flight, huh?"
I turn around and follow behind her, "Well, considering I slept most of the flight, I shouldn't be. But jet lag's a bitch."
She chuckles as I come to stand beside her, both of us leaning over the balcony railing now, "Nothing a little liquor can't cure." She grins.
"As tempting as that sounds, maybe sleep is my only saving grace right now."
"My dad said you guys are only here for 7 days. And after tonight it's 6. So don't you think you should be making the most of your time here?" She faces me with furrowed eyebrows.
"And what might 'making the most of my time here' entail...Alicia?" I turn around to let my back lean against the railing.
She pushes herself off of it and smiles at me playfully, "I'm so glad you asked."
And then she grabs on my hand and pulls me out of my room and right into the living room where my dad and Uncle Matt are catching up.
"Hey, Alicia, I see you've met one of our guests." Uncle Matt says with a beer in his hand as he lazes on one of the couches.
"Is that Alicia?.." Rufus butts in, "...I can't believe it. The last time I saw her she could probably fit in a shoe box." My dad laughs.
"Hey, Uncle Rufus." Alicia lets go of my hand to wave at my dad.
"You guys going somewhere?" Uncle Matt asks more nonchalantly than I anticipated.
"Yeah, I wanted to show Dan here around town." Alicia replies.
"And by 'around town' you mean clubbing?" Uncle Matt laughs.
"Clubbing!?" Both me and my dad say at the same time.
"Hey, don't worry about it, Rufus. Your son is safe with Alicia. Trust me." Uncle Matt tells my dad.
"Yeah, you're safe with me." Alicia whispers in my ear.
"Okay, okay. But don't do anything too reckless you guys. I don't wanna spend half my time here trying to get my son out of jail." Rufus says. Embarrassingly.
"I'm not sure what time we'll be back, so goodnight for now." Alicia smiles innocently then grabs on my hand to finish the path we were on. A path leading us out the villa and into a red little Fiat. How fitting this all is.
She starts the car quickly and gets us going, "You know if you weren't hot I wouldn't of done this."
I have to laugh, "Done what? Kidnap me and then attempt to make me drunk?"
"You know what I mean..." She chuckles, "...I came into your room, which is actually my room, to see if you resembled your dad in any way."
"Wait, wait, wait. I'm sleeping in your room?"
"Yes."
"And you think my dad's hot?"
"Yes."
"There's definitely no hope for fairytales in this place." I tell myself mostly.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She laughs.
"Before you came into my room...well, your room, I was sort of romanticising this little town from your balcony. I mean, I know this place is swarming with party animals who love a one night stand, but something about it made me sense a spark beneath the madness."
"Ahh, so you're one of those hopeless romantics, I see." She teases.
"Unfortunately."
"So my idea of dancing the night away with you, then kissing you, then fucking you and then forgetting about you is a rather bad idea then?"
"Do you just say exactly what's on your mind all the time?" I look at her with an astonished smile.
"Well, we're strangers and you're leaving in 7 days so what's the point in dilly dallying?" She looks at me with those soft dark eyes.
"True, I guess, but you're idea is a bad one even if it does sound extremely enticing."
"And why's that? Cause you hate the idea of waking up in the morning to a girl who doesn't love you and vice versa?"
"No. Because I hate the idea of cheating on my girlfriend back in New York who doesn't love me and vice versa."
*SCREECH* Alicia pushes dead brakes on her Fiat as we stop in front of a red light, "Sorry, I wasn't focusing on the road." She breathes heavily.
"My story got you hooked?" I grin.
She looks at me as her eyebrows pinch together, "Why would you even be with someone you don't love?"
"The same reasons why people have sex with people they don't know. For a mutually beneficial whatever. I mean, we're all humans, we depend on each other whether we like it or not. Some people depend on other people to fulfil their lustful desires whilst other people depend on some people to help mend their broken hearts."
The light goes green and Alicia carries on driving, "So you're heart's broken?"
"Beyond repair, yes."
"Beyond repair? Who's this girl that's got you so pussy-whipped?"
"I wish I was pussy-whipped." I chuckle.
"What!? You've never even had sex with this girl? And yet you're so in love with her that you're incapable of loving the girl you're with right now, and you won't even fuck an insanely hot Italian girl because of said girl you don't love, which you're only using to make yourself feel less lonely about the girl you do love? No wonder you believe in fairytales, this girl has definitely casted a spell on you my friend."
"You're Italian? You sound very American to me."
"That's because I grew up in California, but my mom's Italian so when I was 15 we moved back here because she missed home. And nice try, dip shit, but we're still talking about you."
"Well there's not much to talk about. After that rant just now, you've got me all figured out."
"So I'm right, you're just using your girlfriend?"
"Yes, but she's using me too, so it doesn't matter. Like I said, mutually beneficial whatever."
"What do you mean she's using you too?"
"Look, it's a long story, and you already have me rehashing memories that took months to forget about. So next topic, please."
"Okay, I'm sorry." She says to my complete surprise.
"So what about you? No broken heart? No love story? No wicked witch casting a spell on you? Or better yet, no first class dick that you just can't do without?" I laugh.
She punches me square on the arm, "HaHa, you're hilarious. And no, I'm not a sucker for love like you. I'm from Positano, baby. People from this town are only here for a good time." She says mischievously as she brings her little Fiat to a stop in front of what I can only guess is a club.
"Keep this in your pocket will you?" She throws me her keys.
"Why can't you keep it?" My eyebrows furrow annoyedly.
"Uhm, I guess I can. Put it in my bikini please? You can choose, top or bottom." She bites her lip with an agonisingly naughty smile on her face.
"Fine. Fine. I'll keep it." I get out the car and close the door behind me.
Alicia just laughs as she makes her way to the club's entrance, "Don't forget to lock!"
"Yeah, yeah." My eyes roll as I press on this stupid car key. Following right behind her.
My irritations soon disappear once we get inside the club though. It's right on the beach front, and there's definitely a chill in the air. But before I can get any colder, a tequila shot is given to me by none other than Alicia.
"Here, it'll make you forget everything we just spoke about." She winks.
"Yeah, I know how alcohol works, thank you." I say with more bite than intended.
"And hopefully it'll fix your shitty attitude as well." She says, clearly upset, and walks away.
Shit. I down the shot and then quickly chase after her through the crowd of people.
Grabbing on her arm once I've caught up to her, she spins right around and against my chest. For a second the motion catches us both off guard as our breaths get heavier all of a sudden.
"If you're gonna pull me into you like that the least you could do is kiss me." She says with a completely straight face. This is no longer a joke anymore.
"I...I...you know I can't..." My eyes shut guiltily, "...I'm sorry for being a dick all of a sudden but how about this. Let's just dance and make the most of tonight..." Her eyebrows raise suggestively, "...within the bounds of my loyalty towards my girlfriend."
"The girlfriend you don't love?"
"But am committed to. Come on, it's a fair deal."
She rolls her eyes, then grabs on my hand and turns around to guide us towards the bar.
"Uhm, the dance floor's that way." I point behind me.
"I know, but if I'm gonna dance with a guy who's off limits to me, then I'm gonna need to be way drunker than this." She replies and then orders ten shots from the bartender.
"Ten shots drunker? Are you crazy?"
"It's not all for me idiot. Five of em' are for you. Unless of course you can't handle it." She teases.
I don't even bother replying to her insult. Instead I just risk my entire life on alcohol poisoning as I down five straight shots of tequila in a row. Alicia laughs as I finish off the last one and then she sticks a salted lemon slice into my mouth. And before I can even get over the awful taste of this hell-destined drink, she's already finished all five of her own shots.
"Woo!.." She screams ecstatically, "...that feels good. Now come on, you owe me a dance." She grabs on my hand and then rushes us towards the dance floor.
Her arms are soon hanging over my shoulders as she sways her hips from side to side, "I know you said no kissing, and certainly no fucking, but a little dancing has never hurt anybody." She then turns around and starts grinding on me, her arms still around my neck. If only she knew how dancing has most definitely hurt somebody before.
I know all of this is already moving wayward way too quickly, but my hands run down to her hips and the tequila starts talking. That chill I felt in the air earlier is practically non-existent. Along with all the other problems in my life. I wonder if maybe it's time I just stop fighting everything. She, the one who I actually love, told me to be happy. And I don't a recall a time when I've ever been happier.
So I turn Alicia around and look her dead in those soft dark eyes that have been inviting me all night already. She grins, almost as if she knew all along I was going to succumb.
My hands cup her cheeks as this ravish desire inside of me takes over, and before any sort of potential consequences to my situation could possibly enter my thoughts, our lips are slammed together in sheer ecstasy. I didn't even make it past the first song of the night.
"Woah..." She says as we pull apart, "...you really had me thinking you were gonna make me wait until your last day here before you came to your senses."
"Shh, let's not talk about it." I turn her around and guide her hips against me. My lips soon find themselves on her neck and I can't even help myself anymore.
"You're a freak, Dan Humphrey." She chuckles in my ear and then the music takes ahold of both of us.
We carry on dancing until our feet literally can't take it anymore. Who honestly thought that dancing in sand was a good idea? That's the most exercise my calves have ever gotten.
Alicia grabs my hand again and takes us to a bench where we can rest our legs. Her head then finds its way on my shoulder for a little rest.
"Thank you." I say.
"For what?" She laughs, "We all deserve a good time."
"Yeah, I know, I just haven't had a good time in a long time. And now I'm having one with you right now."
She pops her head off my shoulder and then turns to me with a look of realisation, "You probably won't believe this but when I drink I always get the best ideas." She chuckles.
"Yeah?" I laugh, "So what's this great idea?"
"Well, you're a romantic right?" She smiles.
"Yeah..."
"And you clearly only get with girls that you actually like, right?"
"Mmm, carry on..."
"So, why don't we just date for this week? It's got the makings of all your fairytale fantasies, and you'll be comforted in the knowledge that come 6 days from now, you'll never have to see me again."
"Wait, so you want us to be together just so that I don't have to feel bad about getting with a complete stranger?"
"Well, yeah. You clearly hate all the one night stands and the empty feelings that come with it, so let's be together well you're here and then we can both have our fun. A mutually beneficial whatever." She laughs.
"And what if you fall for me?" My eyebrows raise teasingly.
"What makes you so sure it won't be you who's the one doing the falling?" She taps my nose.
"Because I'm already in love with someone, unlike you, who apparently doesn't love anyone. So that just means your heart is free for the taking."
"Mmm, don't worry about me, I can guard my heart. So what do you say? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
I have to laugh at this whole enigma, "I guess we are, Alicia, I guess we are."
She chuckles and then plants her lips on mine. But just as we're getting to know each other's lips a little too well, someone taps on Alicia's shoulder and she turns around in a shock.
"Alicia!" A girl who's definitely from around here screeches, "I thought you weren't coming out to the clubs tonight?"
"Oh, hey, Elena. Yeah, I wasn't planning on it but plans changed. Drastically." Alicia replies.
"Mmm, I see so. Who's the boy?" Elena says as she looks at me with her green eyes.
"He's name's Dan. He's an American boy."
"Ooh la la." Elena smiles playfully.
"Hey, nice to meet you." I reach out my hand to her.
"And he's got manners." Elena tells Alicia, as if being American and having manners cannot coexist, "I'm Elena, nice to meet you too." She then tells me.
"Are you here alone, Elena?" Alicia asks.
"Oh no, everyone's here tonight. Antonio, Sofia, Isabella, Mateo, Aurora, Lorenzo." Elena replies.
"Oh my god! Come on, Dan..." Alicia grabs my hand, "...you have to meet my friends."
Alicia and I start running hand in hand behind Elena through the crowd of people to get to the spot where all her friends are at. And why am I not surprised when it turns out their spot is a literal private bar area? When Alicia's friends see her literally all of their eyes light up. She must be really popular around here.
We get to the bar area and Alicia lets go of my hand to go and give all her friends hugs hello. I don't think I've ever seen a more attractive group of friends. And that includes the guys. When Alicia's finally done greeting everyone she comes back to my side and wraps her hand around my forearm.
"So guys, this is my friend, Dan, from New York." She says with a wide smile and then turns to me, "And Dan, these are my friends Mateo, Isabella, Antonio, Sofia, Aurora and Lorenzo..." She points out each of them, "...from Positano, Italy." She chuckles.
"Hey, Dan from New York." Lorenzo says as he lets out a little laugh.
"Hey..." I wave my hand at everyone and I'm hoping to God it doesn't look as awkward as it feels, "...it's nice to meet you guys."
They all just smile back at me, genuinely I'm hoping, and then they carry on talking to each other. But one of the girls, Sofia I think, stands up from her barstool and comes towards Alicia and I. She's got an awfully devious smirk on her face as she makes her way closer to us and her eyes set on Alicia with a knowing look.
"Does Marco know about him?" Sofia asks Alicia whilst giving me her hand to greet her.
I take Sofia's hand and Alicia bites, "Is Marco my dad?"
"Hey, I'm just asking babe. No need to get so defensive." Sofia says teasingly and then lets go of my hand.
Her eyes then avert to mine and she starts rubbing her chin, "Mmm. You look exactly like him."
"Okay, okay, bye now, Sofia." Alicia steps in quickly between us and turns Sofia around on her shoulders to shoo her away.
She then turns on her heels and looks at me with the reddest cheeks.
"So this Marco guy must be really hot then?" My eyebrows furrow playfully.
Alicia shoves me gently, "You're so full of it." Her eyes roll but the smile on her face tells me she's far from irritated.
"So who is he?" I ask.
"He's nobody...well to me at least." Alicia says, and if it was meant to reassure me then she's done one hell of a job.
"So an ex then?"
"Yeah, you can say so."
"Oh, well that's funny. What was all that about not being a sucker for love and being from Positano?" I raise a teasing eyebrow.
"Hey! You know better than anyone that being with someone doesn't equate to loving them. So just shh with your baseless accusations." Her eyes narrow in on me but I can't take her seriously at all.
"Okay, no. You're way too anti-love for this all to just be about your love for partying..."
"Oh, but it is just that." She interjects.
"...I wasn't finished. The only reason someone would guard their heart so profusely is because their heart was broken. Like really broken."
"Is this the part of your drunkenness where you start getting all deep on me?" She laughs.
"Yes, exactly that." I chuckle, "Now spill."
"It's a..." She says, but then cuts herself off as her eyes fly over my shoulder and her mouth falls agape.
"What is it?" My eyebrows furrow.
I spin around to see what made Alicia freeze like that, and spilling through the crowd of people, coming towards the private bar, my better guesses tells me it's her ex-lover. Or ex-non-lover? But I don't think it's his sudden appearance that's shaken Alicia. He's holding onto someone's hand, guiding whoever it is through the party, but she's behind him so I can't really see who it is.
"Is that him?" I ask Alicia as she looks on anxiously.
"I can't believe it..." She scoffs.
"Believe what?"
"...It hasn't even been a day."
"Hey, what the hell is going on?" I turn back around to face her.
But an explanation of clarity isn't what she uses her mouth for and in an instant her hands are around my neck and our lips are planted together. I don't think I need an explanation anymore. I can taste the revenge, the hurt, the jealousy and more than anything, the heartbreak all over her tongue. She's kissing me sorely this time, as if the fun's long gone and maybe for as long as our lips are together the hurt will stay gone too. But it won't.
I pull hard away from her, upset about being used but knowing full well I deserved it for cheating, but it's a bit too hard as I feel my back crash against someone behind me.
"Oh, shit, I'm so sor..."
The words fall flat as soon as I turn around. Our eyes lock as if nothing could stop them from finding each other. Those doe eyes of hers that went blank a while ago suddenly seem to sparkle ever so subtly, and if but only for a moment, the entire nightclub goes quiet. And all that I can hear is the heart which is trying to thud it's way out of my chest, pining as it always has, to be ever so nearer to her.
"Hey! Watch where you're going asshole!" I can only assume that's Marco, as our eyes, mine and hers, are unable to be torn apart, even if I tried. And I am trying.
"Wait..." She says, and her voice is still so soft and gentle, "...no, Marco, it's okay." Her hand hits against his chest to stop him from coming any closer to me, but her eyes remain glued to mine.
I cannot possibly get a word out. It feels as though everything around me is at a halt, and the little glimmers that are shining through her eyes are all I can seem to focus on. I don't see anything else but those eyes, but this person. Blair Cornelia Paige Waldorf, standing in front of me, her figure still so gentle, her aura still so lethal, her lips still so cherry sweet, her eyes still so deep.
"Do you know this guy?" Marco asks, and it almost looks like it's taken everything in Blair to turn away from me as she turns to him.
"Him? Oh, no, we're strangers."
...