Chapter Four: A Morning Bath

Blair's heart sank as she finally checked her phone. She'd left it untouched up until that point, for she hadn't wanted to witness whatever horrible blast gossip girl was surely going to send out in light of her situation with Nate. She wasn't mentally prepared to see that, so she had gotten dressed, sobered up from her night with Chuck, and shoved her phone into her clutch before checking it. And now that she'd slept off her anxiousness and checked her phone, her chest began to hurt. Nate had tried to call. Granted, it was technically past midnight, but not by much. She swallowed as she thought about what had kept her from receiving his call.

Chuck. What did she want from Chuck? She certainly couldn't date Chuck Bass. He wasn't trustworthy. Honest, yes, but still not trustworthy. He'd never dated anyone. He'd never even tried to date someone, so why all of a sudden did he have such an interest in her, the girl who dated his best friend for years? Wouldn't it make more sense if he was trying something with Serena or someone else who could accommodate his more…carefree lifestyle. She didn't even like Chuck in that way. There was nothing but lust between them and she accepted that. Nate was the one she truly had feelings for and the only reason she had even slept with Chuck for the second night in a row was because Nate hadn't called her. She was lonely.

Oh, but Nate had called. And thus, her real problem presented itself; how was she ever supposed to tell Nate about her activities for the past few days? And by activities she meant his best friend's naked body.

She forced all thoughts of Chuck's body out of her mind as she dialed Nate's number. Her heart was getting closer to pounding out of her chest with every passing second. There were no words to describe the anticipation and also the guilt that she felt.

"Blair? Hey," Nate said immediately after answering the call. He had been wondering what to say to her, how to even begin to decide how he felt. He blinked several times in attempt to dismiss his exhaustion. The call had woken him, but he didn't want Blair to know that. He cleared his throat quickly and added, "Happy birthday, by the way."

Blair smiled, "Thanks, I'm so sorry I missed your call. I was…well, Serena and I were busy playing that guitar game that Kati's brother has." As if she would ever actually play that.

"Guitar Hero?" Nate asked, sounding both surprised and pleased.

"Uh, yes, that," Blair said, eager to change the subject of conversation. Her eagerness was, undoubtedly, birthed from her paranoia.

Nate nodded to himself, noting how even her voice sounded more distant. He wondered whether or not she would even want him after the way he'd treated her. Nonetheless, he felt compelled to explore her feelings toward him, "I'm sorry I didn't call right at midnight like I should have. Like I always do. I was busy talking with my…mother."

Blair's stomach was fluttering so much that she didn't register his pause before the word mother. She searched her thoughts, wondering whether or not she would need to tell him about Chuck at all. It would just complicate things, right? And she knew that Chuck didn't want to lose his friendship with Nate. Everything would work out in her favor if she played her cards right.

But she couldn't surrender just yet. She wanted him to know that the stunt he pulled with Serena at the Shepard wedding would not be a forgivable offense if they were going to try things again. She wouldn't tolerate such impropriety. But she wasn't truly worried about him looking to other girls, because she realized that she no longer needed to be opposed to having sex. It had been a wonderful experience thus far, and she was confident that it would be even better with the guy that she had been in love with forever. Well, almost convinced.

"Um Blair, do you think we've been a little- a little hasty with the whole breakup?" Nate asked, a certain vulnerability in his voice that he wasn't used to when talking to Blair. He was almost nervous to bring it up, as if she hadn't been all over him only two days before.

"I- I don't know, Nate. Um, it was a pretty difficult decision," she said, trying not to let her excitement bleed through to her voice.

Nate sank down slightly, his pride scorned at the sound of her uncertainty, "Yeah, look, I-I totally understand. I'm sorry. I, um, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Uh, but we do have a lot of history together, and, uh, it was in the heat of the moment, but you'd have to be willing to really work for it," she said, biting her lip with nervousness. You'll have to show as much effort as Chuck had with the Erikson Beamon necklace, in fact.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he said, grabbing at the words of encouragement. There was something obviously different about her and he could sense that he had been wrong. She was worth his attention and his effort, "Listen, we'll just take it slow and see how it goes."

She beamed up at her ceiling, wanting to see him as soon as she could, "Do you think you'd be able to make it over for lunch today, Nate? I could have Dorota make some of your favorites, if you'd want to."

Nate smiled, "Yeah, yeah, that sounds great. I mean, I'd be honored to see the birthday girl. And hey, since I couldn't make the party, you can tell me all about it."

Blair froze, a lump suddenly appearing in her throat. She coughed, unable to shake the uneasiness she suddenly felt, and replied hoarsely, "Uh, yes, of course. I'll see you around twelve-thirty, then."

"I'll be there," he said and hung up promptly.

Chuck got high almost every morning. He and Nate would smoke in the late morning and he would drink in the evening, and repeat the process all over again. Nate wasn't a big drinker and certainly didn't have as high of a tolerance as Chuck did, so he preferred to do his drinking alone. And that particular morning, he'd wished he'd done his smoking alone too.

"Hey, so, uh, has Blair mentioned anything about the other night? Or did you see her with anybody at Victrola?" Nate asked after taking a long hit of the joint.

Chuck watched him cough slightly and studied his face. There was something curious about Nate's blue eyes that was extremely unsettling. Chuck inhaled deeply, feeling absolutely none of the high that he so desperately needed if they were going to talk about Blair, and asked, "Why? Are you having remorse sex fantasies about your ex?"

"What? No, man, it's just…something's different. I feel different. And ever since that gossip girl blast the night we - the night we broke up, I can't stop thinking about her. I don't know why," Nate said softly. He couldn't understand why he'd developed a sudden interest in Blair but he had. And he felt that if he was going to give it an honest shot with her, he was going to need to prepare himself for what might have happened, "And when she called me this morning, she just sounded, I don't know, lighter. Happier. Less Blair."

Chuck swallowed, deciding that the joint was a hopeless case when it came to making him feel better than morning, "She called you?"

Nate nodded, "Oh, yeah, I tried to call her last night. She was just returning my call this morning."

"Did she say why she couldn't answer last night?" Chuck asked, feeling his mouth growing increasingly more dry.

Nate shrugged slightly, "She was with Serena. Why? Weren't you there?"

"Must have been after I left. This blonde at Victrola was more worthy of my time," Chuck lied. There was no one more worthy than Blair.

"Well, anyway, Blair and I are having lunch for her birthday. Who knows how that'll go," Nate said, obviously not sensing Chuck's discomfort, "But she did tell me I'd have to work for her, so maybe nothing happened at Victrola. Wouldn't be the first time gossip girl got something wrong, would it?"

"But Miss Blair, have you talk to Mister Chuck about-" Dorota began immediately after Blair's request for lunch.

"No, and I don't believe it to be any of his concern anyway," Blair said, smoothing down the bottom of her nightgown with her perfectly manicured fingers. She bit back her thoughts of Chuck as quickly as she dismissed her maid's curiosity, "And I don't think that your opinion of my recent choices should affect your work today, either. You know that what Chuck and I shared wasn't some deep, emotional affair, but just a few heated moments of passion that we can put behind us now."

"Miss Blair I don't think Mister Chuck take news so easy-"

"Don't even say his name today, Dorota. I don't want the mention of Chuck Bass to ruin my birthday," Blair said firmly.

"But Miss Blair-"

"No! Just start making lunch. I'm going to take a bath. Text me if you have any additional questions," Blair said, noticing that the time was already much later than she thought.

There were very few things that Blair didn't tell Dorota, for in order to serve her well, Dorota had to be able to understand her and her needs. Her current needs were, of course, to secure Nate and to prepare herself for the extermination of those memories with Chuck. There was something inside of her that knew Chuck wasn't going to take it lightly, and for that reason she was avoiding his messages.

Blair allowed the hot water to soothe her sore muscles. She'd added pink rose petals to her bath for atmosphere, and lit candles that smelled like lavender and honey. She wanted the water to scrub away all traces of the previous two nights, though she knew that she'd never be able to forget them. There was just something about his touch, his kisses, and his cock that would be ingrained in her memory forever. Even in the bath, by herself, she felt herself crave him.

But that couldn't happen anymore. She felt it in her core that she didn't need him. She was determined that after she slept with Nate she would no longer lust over Chuck Bass. They would go back to being friends once again. It would all work out and she and Nate would be fine. However, she'd been telling herself the same thing only twenty-four hours beforehand, and she'd still ended up with Chuck inside of her body and her mind.

Her phone lit up, and she immediately grabbed at it.

Message from Dorota: Someone here to see you, Miss Blair.

Blair smiled widely and wiggled her toes around in excitement. The water danced around her, the rose petals pooling around her legs and her breasts. This was it. She felt a shot of anxiety run through her system at the thought of Nate touching her instead of Chuck, but there was a firm part of her mind that knew that this was what she wanted. She wanted Nate. She knew, deep down, that Nate was meant for her. But if he was, then why couldn't she want him that way? She ignored her inner turmoil.

Message from B: Thank you, Dorota, I've been expecting him. Send him up.

Message from Dorota: You are sure, Miss Blair?

Message from B: Just do it, please.

She inhaled sharply and silently spoke words of encouragement to herself. Her mother was out, Dorota knew not to disturb her, and Serena was off somewhere in Brooklyn. Nobody would disturb them. Nobody would care to, even, except-

"I've dreamt about something along these lines, though I believe you were scrubbing me in some pretty sensitive areas," she heard a deep voice say as the bathroom door slowly swung open. Chuck stepped in, his normal smirk on his handsome lips. Those lips taunted her so. Even then her rebellious body ached for him despite her mind.

Her eyes widened and her hands flew up to cover her chest out of habit, "What are you doing here, Chuck?"

"Oh, don't bother, Waldorf, I have the image memorized," he said, referring to her chest. She swallowed, trying desperately to hide her delight in his fixation, "We need to have a discussion about Nathaniel."

Blair noticed that his voice dropped dangerously low as it uttered the name of his best friend. She didn't like this topic of conversation, and she especially didn't like it while Chuck's eyes were raking over her bare skin. She felt vulnerable as he leaned against the closed door, fully clothed, mocking her.

But god she was beautiful. Even then, while Chuck was angry with her and unsure of what she was going to do about him, he couldn't help but admire her. Her porcelain skin glowed in the light of her candles, and the small drops of water seemed to roll off of her body with an amazing amount of grace. She commanded his attention, and he was certain that even if there were fifty other naked women in the bathroom with them, he would only want her.

She knew none of his feelings in that moment, though, and spat acidly, "And you couldn't wait until I was dressed and ready to do so?"

Chuck smiled, though it was a menacing smile. There was nothing warm or happy about it. Instead, it was as though he was laughing at himself in an ironic fashion, "Now, where's the fun in that? Besides, Nate will be here by the time you're 'dressed and ready', but something tells me that one of those won't last long when he gets here."

Blair's lips parted in protest, but she decided to carefully consider her next words before they were uttered. He wasn't wrong, but something about his accusation put a sour taste in her mouth. She wanted him to look at her the way he had when they made love for the first time. The fondness was still there somewhere, but there was also something else in his dark brown eyes as she met their gaze. There was a coldness there. She'd had the same coldness in her eyes the night that Nate had told her about him and Serena. It was a combination of the pain brought on by dishonesty and the jealousy that came with not being enough. She felt her heart lurch.

Her breathing became labored as she asked, "Why are you doing this, Chuck? What do you want from me?"

He shrugged slightly and took a step toward her. His hands found his pockets as he did so, and the corners of his mouth were tugged upward by the sudden spark in his eyes, "The same thing you want from me."

"I don't want-"

"Yes, you do, or the past two nights wouldn't have happened. Deny it if you want, but I know you. I know that you're Blair Waldorf and you don't just give in to people unless you want to," he said. Chuck watched her face soften at his words, and he added, "It's the same way I am."

Blair's brows shot up in surprise, "Because we are so much alike, right?"

He took another few steps toward her, to the point where he was close enough that she could smell his cologne over the smell of her soaps. He looked over her body quickly, "Yeah, actually. We are. We both care about Nate and we both are hurting him."

"See, but that's the thing, I don't want to hurt him anymore," Blair said, slowly rising from the tub with her robe in sight behind him, "This can't continue. I love him."

Chuck snorted, "Ok, Waldorf."

She clenched her teeth, "Don't believe me?"

"I'll start believing you when you start believing yourself," he countered. Her cheeks went red with frustration.

"Well, believe what you want, Bass, it doesn't change my mind either way," she said, breaking the short amount of eye contact they'd had during their conversation.

"Look at me and tell me you love him and my efforts are pointless," Chuck said simply, as though he weren't demanding a complete loss of self-control on her behalf. He smiled as he realized he had her right where he wanted her.

"I don't have to do that if I don't want to. I don't bend to people's demands, remember?" she argued firmly.

"Look at me, Blair," he said, his tone mimicking that of the one he'd used the night before to say those very same words in a very different context. It was soft and subtle, yet powerful. It knocked the wind out of her to hear him say those words to her, and she couldn't force her eyes to disobey.

Chuck smirked slightly and took enough steps to put him at the edge of the tub. He removed his jacket, revealing a simple light pink Stella McCartney button down shirt. He slowly rolled up his left sleeve, his eyes locked on his face the entire time. He leaned down, his fingers making their way into the water of the tub, searching for her hidden depths that he couldn't get enough of. He quickly touched the inside of her thigh and, in only a few short seconds, found her entrance with his fingers.

"I- I…" she started.

There was a small knock on the bathroom door, followed by the sound of the earth-shattering voice of Nate Archibald, "Blair? Who are you talking to?"

"Uh, nobody, I'll be out in a minute, please don't come in," she called sheepishly as she sank down into the water. What a mess she'd gotten herself into. She added, "Could you wait downstairs, Nate? Lunch should be ready. Ask Dorota."

Chuck slid two fingers into her and she twitched beneath his touch. It was magnetic, the pull between the two of them. He watched her face morph with the pleasure he made her feel, and once again he demanded, "Say you love him and that I should give up."

Blair's eyes rolled back as she felt the rolls of sweet satisfaction coursing through her body. It was amazing, the way his fingers felt. She couldn't deny his that. She swallowed, then, feeling that he was being completely unfair in his requests of her. She shook her head, "I don't know that I can."

Chuck smirked with triumph, "And why is that?"

Her eyes narrowed, "This is cheating, Bass."

He shrugged and planted a heated kiss on her lips, "That's all I needed to hear."

With that, he rose from the tub. He quickly slid into his jacket and winked at her on his way out of the bathroom door. She mourned the loss of his touch, and a sudden realization came over her as she thought about what Nate would think when he saw his best friend leaving the bathroom as Blair was in there bathing.

"Chuck! Don't let him see you!" she whispered.

He stuck his head in one last time and replied, "My perversions include secrecy, Waldorf, don't worry. I'm not that masochistic, anyway."

Hello darlings, so this is only the beginning of what I have in store for Chuck and Blair now that Nate has decided that he wants Blair back earlier than he did in the show. I have lots of steamy scenes, unexpected turns, and interesting conversations planned! I hope you guys enjoy reading these as much as I am enjoying writing them!

Xoxo, M