Here's the next chapter. If you read my other fics you'll likely recognize a few of these flashbacks. I sometimes do this thing where I forget that I wrote in these backstories/flashbacks for my other fanfics and think they were really part of the GG storyline. So I usually find some way to include a few – to build out my version of Chuck and Blair. I hope you all still enjoy this section.
To my reviewers: Michii, CarolinaGirl21, LettersFromAmy, Pingping, Joy, GGfanficfan09, CarolinaGirlGG, Moozanna, lovetvtoomuchxo, LovelyLydia, BlairAndChuckGG, stilettomafia, PureJadore, invincible soul, ChuckBlair08lover, and all my lovely Guest reviewers – you guys are all so incredibly awesome. Seriously all my best inspiration comes from y'all.
While I'm mentioning guest reviews – I love each and every one of them but unfortunately if you review anonymously I can't respond…so if you ask me a question I don't really have a way to give you an answer other than replying in my A/N but I don't want to give any spoilers by doing that. If you've anonymously asked me a Q feel free to pm me
On a note about Mr. Davidson – Jack definitely seemed to be the popular guess for his identity which was actually super intriguing for me. I actually kind of love that that seemed like a possibility. Keep thinking it over and sending me your guesses – a couple of you are insanely close to the truth.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Special thanks to my amazing beta kosoul7 who tolerates my insanity haha!
Chapter 13: Reopening Memory Lane – Pt I
Blair turned the page in her scrapbook, smiling as she looked at pictures on the page before her; they were from the night of Chuck's Prohibition party right after they called the cops. Running her fingers over the page she couldn't help but smile at the memory, Chuck had still been so angry with her over the incident with the speech and her tricking him into kissing that man and she'd been so desperate to help. It seemed like it was so long ago yet it seemed like it was yesterday at the same time.
She'd finally gotten around to unpacking some of her things today when she'd found the scrapbook; it had been a long time since she'd looked at it, probably over a year. Swallowing tightly she forced back the sudden tears that sprung to her eyes, even as her throat burned. She remembered the last day she'd looked at the book; it had been the day after Austin had proposed.
Waking up Blair smiled as she looked at Austin's face lying next to hers, his brown hair flopping across his eyes. He needed a haircut, she thought as she brushed it back behind his ear only to watch it flop back down. She almost laughed before stopping herself; she didn't want to wake Austin. Biting her lip ever so slightly she remembered the decision she'd made the night before and everything that that decision meant.
Slipping out of bed and into the negligee she'd been wearing the night before Blair couldn't help but look down at the ring shining on her finger. Twisting it once around as she normally did with her ruby ring she recalled the promise that the ring meant and began looking for the book. Finally spotting it under her vanity Blair walked over and knelt down retrieving the beige binder and walking into the kitchen.
Blair ran her fingers over the engraving on the front of her scrapbook with a certain reverence before opening it. This book held everything about her life prior to leaving New York the second time, it was a part of her. The book covered everything from her childhood up until those few precious days in the Hamptons with Chuck. Opening it, she began flipping through it slowly. It was only 7 in the morning and she had at least two hours before she should expect Austin up.
As she reached those last pages now her breathing had become shaky and uncertain. Those days with Chuck had meant so much to her, they'd meant the world to her. Swallowing tightly she shook her head, she'd alternated so many days on wondering if leaving Chuck had been the strongest thing she'd ever done or the weakest. But even as she let one tear fall she knew that it didn't matter anymore, she had made her choice and he'd made his.
She couldn't keep holding on like this, she couldn't keep hoping that he'd rush back into her life and sweep her off her feet. Yet that was all that she had wanted from the moment she'd boarded that jet in the Hamptons. She'd turned him away but that was all the strength she'd had left to refuse him.
The rest of that summer she kept expecting him to show up but he hadn't. So instead she tortured herself by adding to the scrapbook she hadn't touched since graduating high school. She added photos from the year she'd gone to NYU, the summer in France with Serena, her first year at Columbia all the way through her engagement with Louis, and that last summer with Chuck. It also held the evidence of her two years at Duke, her friendship with Austin, and then her time in the Hamptons that summer.
Even after the wedding where she'd seen firsthand that he'd moved on, half of her expected him to be waiting in her apartment at Stanford when her plane landed, she didn't realize how much she'd wanted it to be true until he hadn't been there.
She'd held back on Austin for so long, unwilling to let herself fall again. She'd acted as though she hadn't seen how much he cared about her from the beginning. She hadn't wanted to lose him as a friend. She'd fallen in spite of herself and in spite of her feelings for Chuck. But she'd still been weak, she'd still found herself relying on the memory of what she had with Chuck all year. And if she was truthful to herself, she knew that she was still doing it now. She was still thinking about Chuck, when she was marrying Austin, but she wouldn't do it anymore, she wouldn't. She'd chosen to leave Chuck, she'd chosen to let him believe that she'd done it for revenge and she'd chosen not to walk up to him that day at the wedding. He'd moved on, she'd seen it with her own eyes, so now she had to let it go.
Looking back down on those pages filled with photos from the Hamptons, Blair wiped the slow silver tears from her cheeks. A part of her had been waiting for Chuck for so long even though she knew it was wrong. Nineteen year old girls didn't know the meaning of forever and they certainly didn't know who they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.
That was why she walked away from him; that was why she had chosen to end things the first time. And if he couldn't even wait one summer for her to be there for Austin, then clearly it wasn't meant to be. And now she'd made another choice. She'd chosen to marry Austin. She loved him in a way that was different from how she loved Chuck. It was steady, it was strong, it was filled with honesty and trust. This was the kind of love that you could build a life on. And with this promise she knew that she had to finally let go of the part of her that was still holding onto the great love she'd had with Chuck.
Closing the book she smiled to herself, remembering everything that Austin meant to her, remembering how good they were together, remembering how much she loved him. With this engagement she was really and truly placing her love for Chuck in the past, she was moving on and letting go.
"What's that?" Austin asked as he placed a kiss on the top of Blair's head.
Blair looked upwards and smiled before taking her left hand, the one with Austin's diamond on the finger, and placed it around his neck. "It's nothing, just an old scrapbook I used to keep."
Austin smiled down at his bride to be, hardly believing that all of this was real, that they were standing in the kitchen of their apartment, on the morning after their engagement ready to begin the rest of their lives. It felt like a dream. "Can I see it? I wouldn't mind seeing evidence that once upon a time you had an awkward stage like the rest of us."
Blair smirked teasingly as she stood, holding the book securely under her arm as she faced Austin. "I Blair Waldorf, was never awkward." Placing a quick kiss on his lips she pulled back with a smile firmly planted on her face. "You can look at it another time, we've got a brunch to get to with Izzy and Matt." And as she walked into her bedroom and placed the book at the back of her closet she realized that she had actually meant her words. Some day in the not too distant future she'd be ready for Austin to see her scrapbook and see what her life had been like in New York; but today on the morning after their engagement she wanted everything to be about them.
She hadn't touched the book again after that. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to. There had been days when it had been so hard not to think about Chuck, days when all she'd wanted was to look at the book and let herself remember. But most of the time it had been easy to keep the promise she'd made to put him in the past and it had only gotten easier. She'd loved Austin so much that she'd thought she'd been ready to share her life with him. It was months later when she'd begun to doubt her decision, begun to realize that even though she'd buried the book in her closet and managed to stop thinking about Chuck every day, she had never actually let go and never actually would.
It was perfect to find it on a day like today, a day when she'd started to doubt herself again. Sometimes it was hard to keep at this when it seemed like Chuck would be better off if she just left him alone. But looking at the book reminded her that she couldn't bury her feelings for Chuck, she'd tried that for four years without succeeding and now she owed it to herself to try just as hard to get him back.
Her fingers paused on the photo of them kissing at the end of the night of the Prohibition party; she was fairly certain she'd found it on Gossip Girl which would explain why the edges were a bit soft. They were the strongest when they were together, that had always been true.
When she heard the bell that meant someone was coming up to her apartment she simply sat there for a moment, so absorbed in her thoughts that she forgot that she no longer had a maid or even a roommate to go check. Sliding the scrapbook off her lap, she stood straightening her skirt. She'd ordered Thai food earlier, so she knew it was likely just the delivery man but Blair Waldorf always looked her best. Tucking a curl behind her ear she turned to open her bedroom door only to practically fall backwards in surprise.
"Chuck?" She spoke, astounded by the fact that he was standing just outside her doorway, fist poised as though about to knock. "What are you doing here?" He had been the last person she expected to see and her heart was pounding loudly at his sudden appearance.
Chuck smirked, almost not knowing what to say. He knew she'd be surprised to see him but he'd assumed that the surprise would have been one way. He certainly hadn't expected to feel the way he did right now upon seeing her. It had been over a week since he'd seen her, a couple since it had been in more than brief passing, and her presence always seemed to catch him off guard. "I heard you've been talking to Humphrey a lot about us, our past I mean." Chuck's words came out clipped.
Blair laughed aloud as that had been one of the last things she'd been expecting Chuck to say. Shaking her head she took a few steps backward granting him entrance into her bedroom for the first time in quite awhile. "Yes well he's written this book about me so I did what I could to help."
Chuck's brow furrowed lightly as he took a few steps into her room, surprised at the way it hadn't changed. "So you just shared your personal life - OUR personal life - knowing that he was going to publish it?"
Blair nodded while giving Chuck a small smile. Something about this encounter with him was different but she couldn't quite put her finger on just what it was. "You don't seem to be mad."
"I don't think I am." Chuck spoke, a hint of laughter in his own voice. After all, this revelation was as much a surprise to him as it likely was to her. He'd thought he was mad, that's why he'd rushed over here but after thinking about it, maybe he'd just been curious. Now as he stood here without a real reason for being there other than 'Humphrey dared me' his eyes landed on the beige book open on her bed. "Is that . . .?" Chuck asked, awe entering his voice as he took a few steps towards her bed where the book lay open. "It's your old scrapbook isn't it?"
Blair smiled and nodded as she followed him towards where the book lay. "Yeah, it is. I found it today while I was doing some unpacking."
Chuck nodded as he almost unconsciously reached out his hand towards it. "Wow." He breathed as his fingers touched the book. Looking over at Blair, he lifted an eyebrow asking for permission. "May I?"
Blair nodded again, this time not saying anything. She watched nervously as Chuck sat down on her bed and drew the book into his lap. She wasn't sure how she felt about him looking through the book because it wasn't simply filled with the good times, it held the bad times too. But she was glad that he was here. She watched him from where she stood for a few moments as he began to flip through the early pages of the book before she took a seat at her vanity: close enough that she could see what was looking at and feel near to him, but far enough away that he didn't feel crowded.
Chuck's hands were surprisingly solid as he turned the pages of Blair's scrapbook. It felt good to simply sit and look through the photos of his childhood and for the first time he could remember, Blair being nearby didn't have him on edge. He hadn't seen the book in so long and quite honestly, it chronicled almost as much of his life as it did of hers.
Chuck laughed at the page of photos before him, it was a collection of photographs from their elementary school years. "Wow, that's the Palace isn't it? I haven't been there in ages." He smiled slightly before turning to Blair and pointing at a photograph. "Is that from my birthday party?"
Blair scooted the bench of her vanity a bit closer to see even though she knew that it was without having to look. "The year you turned seven."
"Why is your dress so ripped at the bottom?" He asked looking from the little brunette princess that his younger self had his arm around to the grown woman who now sat next to him.
Looking at Chuck, Blair's eyes lit with surprise. "You don't remember?"
Chuck shook his head slightly. "I remember something about a banister."
"It involved a banister, that's for certain." Blair said laughing before launching into the story.
"Come on Blair it's fun!" Shouted Nate from the bottom of the stairs, where he stood with the rest of the kids. He was wearing a little tuxedo which fit perfectly with the party dresses the little girls were wearing; each of them fitting the Chuck Bass mandated dress code.
Blair crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want to."
"Don't be such a little priss." Called Serena. "We all did it."
Serena was telling the truth all, of the children at Chuck's birthday party were at the bottom of the Grand Staircase at the Palace Hotel, having slid down the banister but Blair was afraid. Not that she would ever let anyone know that.
"I don't want to ruin my dress." Said Blair as she began to walk down the staircase, her chocolate curls bouncing. "Mommy would be angry." It was the truth but that wasn't why she wasn't sliding down the banister. Blair's mother had made her dress, purple with small white flowers.
Before she knew it Chuck Bass had leapt up the stairs and was standing next to her. Leaning close to her ear, he spoke quietly. "Nathanial likes girls who are adventurous, girls like Serena. He's not going to want a girlfriend who won't even slide down the banister."
Blair's little eyebrows had shot up at the mention of Nate. How had Chuck Bass possibly known that she like Nate Archibald? However as pressing as that question was on her seven year old mind, for some strange reason that wasn't what she asked. Instead she said in a small voice. "I'm scared."
Little Chuck was suddenly serious. "Don't be. I promise I'll be there to catch you."
Blair bit her bottom lip before nodding her head, deciding that she could trust Chuck simply because they matched. Her purple dress fit perfectly with his white suit and purple shirt. Chuck smiled and rushed back to the bottom as she got ready.
"How'd you convince her to do it?" Asked Nate, as confused as always as he saw Blair mount the banister.
Chuck smirked. "I simply said that it was my birthday and as such she had to do what I said." All the other children grinned and Chuck nodded up at Blair mouthing, "Ready."
Her eyes were still fearful but she nodded and let go.
Chuck laughed as Blair retold the story, remembering as her words formed images in his head. "I did catch you." He pointed out with a shake of his head.
"Yes, unfortunately however Serena interfered while playing a game of tag and sent us both tumbling to the ground." Blair spoke as her own fingers began to drift to another picture, a smile forming on her face.
Chuck chuckled as he shook his head, seeing where Blair's attention was now directed. "Now THAT I remember."
Blair nodded a reverence to her voice as she remembered their childhood together. "It was when we had the chicken pox."
Chuck scoffed. "No, it was the day you gave me the chicken pox." Blair looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion etched on her face but he knew he was right so he quickly recalled this quite distinct memory from his childhood.
Blair pouted as she sat in front of the TV. She had gotten chicken pox first out of all of the UES kids so she had to be completely isolated from everyone else because they didn't want the other children catching it. Serena and Nate hadn't even been allowed to visit and she itched all over. That's when she heard the door open.
"Hey" Chuck said sheepishly as he walked into the room. He'd never been in Blair's bedroom before and he'd had to lie to the Polish maid to get up here, telling her that he had already had the pox and he'd probably been the one to give it to Blair.
Blair's eyes lit up in happiness that she didn't have to bear her burden alone and Chuck beamed in reply. "What are you doing here Chuck?"
"I thought you might want some company." He said walking into the room, shutting the door behind him. "I was just sitting outside in the waiting room at Dad's office so I left."
"All by yourself?" Blair asked in awe that Chuck would sneak out for her. He nodded. "But aren't you going to get in trouble?"
Chuck shrugged, "Maybe. They probably won't notice I'm gone though." He climbed up next to her on the bed. "Here I brought you something." He said holding out a bag.
Blair took the bag, happier now than she had been the past three days. When she opened it she saw several Audrey Hepburn movies: Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face, Charade, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
"I thought you might get bored, you know, being stuck up here by yourself all the time and I know how much you liked My Fair Lady so I thought you might like these too." He was obviously nervous and Blair had yet to look up. "Oh yeah and I have the school work you've missed."
She looked up at Chuck and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" After a moment she realized what she had just done and pulled back. "Oh Chuck I'm so sorry. Now you're going to end up all itchy too!"
Chuck shrugged again. "It's okay." He didn't mind getting the chicken pox if it meant that he got to spend more time with her. "I don't mind."
Blair grinned a blush rising to her cheeks. "Will you watch one with me?" She asked, almost bashful.
"Of course." Chuck replied quickly. "I'm already exposed now right so what's the harm?"
Blair smiled. "Let's watch this one first." She spoke, pointing at Breakfast at Tiffany's.
While Blair was putting in the movie, Chuck had taken out a red marker to put small dots all over his face. When she turned back around her face broke into a huge smile and Chuck said confidently. "So you're not the only one."
Blair grinned thinking back. Of course two days later Chuck had come down with the chicken pox too. She had visited him every afternoon after school that week and no one stopped her. They didn't see the harm since she had already had it. "Dorota took this when she came to bring us a snack."
"Yep." Chuck said, fondly remembering that week that had been just him and Blair, it was one of his favorite childhood memories. He didn't even remember the itchiness, he just remembered all that time he'd gotten to spend with her without Serena or Nate around.
Blair shook her head and laughed. "They probably should have just intentionally infected all of us to get it over with. Then they could have just dealt with us all at the same time."
"I'm glad they didn't." Chuck spoke, frowning slightly at the thought that those memories could be taken away. Looking back up at Blair, he met her surprised gaze and though neither of them said anything or smiled, he knew she'd understood.
Looking back at the book, he flipped the page.
"Oh my God, the castle." Blair spoke as she stood from where she'd been sitting and moved over next to Chuck on the bed to get a closer look.
Chuck nodded his head a smile on his face. "That's from that summer in the Hamptons that Nate and I spent the whole time fighting."
Blair looked up at him confused. "I don't remember that at all, you guys never fought when we were growing up."
"Oh we did that summer." Chuck spoke wryly.
Furrowing her brow, Blair met his gaze. "What were you fighting about?"
Chuck shot her a look that said plenty but he still spoke. "You, of course. That was the summer that Nate finally woke up and realized how incredible you were. I hated him because I knew that I was losing you. You were my best friend and I'm not sure yet if I knew I loved you but I sure as hell knew I wanted you."
Blair frowned as she traced the castle with her finger tips. Now that she thought about it she could remember the tension that summer. Serena had been on vacation with her parents in Europe so it had just been her and the boys in the Hamptons. The giant sand castle had been their joint effort to impress her; their princess. Feeling uncomfortable she turned the page and simply listened while Chuck reminisced; pointing out birthdays and special events. It surprised her to find him looking at her several moments later.
Chuck looked at Blair strangely; it was as though she hadn't heard a word he'd just said. Her eyes even looked glazed. Finally deciding to repeat himself he pointed to a picture of the four of them sitting in his suite at the Palace when they were in middle school. "What's this? I don't remember this day at all."
Blair swallowed back the emotions she'd been feeling and focused on the picture, an easy smile coming to her face. "It's the day we formed the Non-Judging Breakfast Club."
"Nate stop it, stop tickling me!" Blair exclaimed giggling as Nate rolled on top of her. She laughed loving the attention she was getting much more than she would have admitted; she knew that telling him to stop would only ensure that Nate would continue. In her periphery she could see Serena almost glaring at them and she had a pretty good idea of what her blonde friend was thinking.
Serena looked at the two puzzled. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened. They had returned from summer break not that long ago and things had been so different. Blair and Nate were so different. It was like two of her best friends now preferred the company of each other rather than her. Nate was getting so into sports and Blair, always the overachiever, was running for every office on the middle school campus. And Chuck, Chuck was distant to say the least. Rumor has it that he had been kissing Georgina Sparks in the locker room at school two weeks ago, Elle Pierson (a ninth grader) in the halls of Constance last week, and BOTH Kati and Is in the janitor's closet this week. This was extreme, Serena had kissed a boy or two but she doubted Blair or Nate had ever kissed anyone, which was the case with most kids their age, not to mention he had been acting out even more than usual. Half the time he didn't even show up to school. Serena just wanted to dance and have fun yet it seemed like her friends were out growing her. She forced a smile on her face and giggled before jumping in on the tickle fight.
After a moment of the tickling nonsense and avid flirting with Nate, Blair looked up and unexpectedly locked eyes with Chuck. She stopped the tickling and sat up. "What's wrong?" She mouthed as Nate and Serena continued going at it.
"Nothing." Chuck said looking away.
Blair moved to where he was on the edge of the bed and took a long look at Chuck. "Come on Chuck, I'm your best friend, even if Nate thinks otherwise," she added with an eye roll before becoming serious once more. "Talk to me. Whatever it is that's bothering you, I promise I'll be here for you." Then she gestured towards the other two, who had finally noticed the change and were sitting up. "We all will be."
Nate and Serena both nodded and Nate spoke. "She's right man, we are always here."
"Like the Non-Judging Breakfast Club." Blair said with a smile.
"What?" The other three asked, seemingly in unison.
Blair rolled her eyes. "We're like the kids in the movie, Nate you are the perfect golden boy, and an amazing athlete. Serena you're the popular one, the social butterfly, without even trying. Chuck you're the bad boy," Chuck smirked at this and Blair continued, "you're always getting into trouble. And I am the perfectionist, the princess. You see, we are all so different, fitting in to different stereotypes, yet we are still the best of friends; but unlike the kids in the movie we don't judge each other for our differences and in the end we all recognize that even though we are different we're all similar too. We're all screwed up, we all have nightmares for parents, and we all are going to stand by each other through anything."
No one had to say anything else, Blair really had summed it all up and Chuck turned to face them. "My mom died giving birth to me. My birthday's tomorrow and it's . . . It's really hard."
They all gasped. Everyone knew that Chuck's mother wasn't around. Blair knew that she had died but not how and suddenly she was overwhelmed with sadness for Chuck. Blair reached out and wrapped her arms around him before she had even thought about it.
At first, Chuck was stiff, as though he wasn't sure how to react. But eventually he loosened and let Blair hold him.
Nate wasn't sure what to do so after a few awkward moments he turned on Blair's stereo. Surprisingly, the first song that came on was 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. The song seemed to break the ice and they all started laughing. Suddenly Blair stood up and started dancing, Molly Ringwald style. Serena giggled and joined her. Pretty soon even the boys were dancing. As the song ended, they all collapsed on the bed in giggles and Serena grabbed the camera and started making pictures.
Chuck nodded, surprised at the sting of tears he felt in his eyes as he quickly moved on to less emotionally weighted pictures. Flipping through their middle school years he landed on one of them at the Kiss on the Lips party their eighth grade year. "Well look at that."
"I know." Blair said with a shake of her head. They were all so young to have been so crazy. They were dressed almost scandalously for a group of 13 year olds and she could see the drink in her hand. "That's the night Nate and I had our first kiss."
Chuck smirked as he glanced at Blair. "But it wasn't your first kiss now was it?"
Blair laughed as she remembered what they'd done earlier that day, though at the same time she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Don't even go there, I was seduced!" She proclaimed.
"You begged me." Chuck spoke teasingly. "I held out for as long as I could then you turned those doe eyes on me and I relented."
Blair shook her head but it was too late, Chuck had already started reminiscing.
"Chuck please. I need your help" Blair said as she adjusted her headband in the mirror of Chuck's new suite. Chuck had to be the only eighth grader in the world to have an entire suite all to himself.
Chuck gritted his teeth and locked his jaw. He was not going to give in to her. "I already told you no Blair."
Blair turned to face him and softened her eyes in a way that made every boy or man she had ever met want to give her the world on a silver platter.
"Damn it Blair." Chuck cursed looking away. "Why do you have to do that?" Either Blair was the cruelest girl in the world or she was the most naive. On one level he hoped it was naivety that prompted her to ask him to kiss her. Perhaps she thought that since he had kissed so many girls that kissing her would be nothing remarkable; perhaps she had no idea it was because of her that he ran around with all those other girls. For him she was quicksand; she had this irresistible draw to her and he couldn't seem to stay interested in any other girl for longer than ten minutes because he always just compared them to her. However, on some level he wanted it to be the cruelty in her that had brought her to him. The part of him that wanted her to know how much this was going to destroy him, that was the masochist in him.
"Because I need your help." Blair said sweetly, taking a seat on the bed next to Chuck. He didn't move away and she placed a hand on his thigh, rubbing it up and down. "Serena says that Nate is going to kiss me tonight at the Kiss on the Lips party. He wants our first kiss to be special and what could be more special than our first Kiss on the Lips Party, right?" After a pause she continued. "So, I need to be good. You have experience, plus you're my best friend, so who better to teach me?"
Chuck breathed in a ragged breath. "Why do you want me to do this Blair?" He asked when what he really wanted to say was, 'Why are you doing this to me?' "You are Nathaniel's girlfriend and I can't even imagine how angry he would be if he knew what you were asking me right now." With that he took her hand and removed it from his thigh.
Suddenly, Blair looked as though she was about to cry. Her eyes began to water and her lips began to tremble as she said quietly. "What if I'm not good at it and he breaks up with me?"
When the first tear fell, Chuck knew he wasn't going to be able to resist giving in to her. "Okay, okay, don't cry I'll show you." Chuck said in a tone that most never heard him use, but then again most people weren't Blair Waldorf.
Blair's eyes lit up and the tears immediately stopped. "Really?"
Chuck nodded and regardless of what this was going to do to him and to Nate if Nate ever found out, he couldn't help but be happy when Blair looked so excited. "It's not difficult." Chuck said leaning towards her a little bit and cupping her face; if he was going to do this he was going to really do it. As he moved closer he allowed his hand to slide back into her hair. "Just hold still."
"Wait!" Blair said suddenly. "What do I do, like with . . . my mouth?"
Chuck smirked, his face about six inches from hers. "You'll know."
With that he closed the distance until his lips were only a few inches away from hers. "I'm going to kiss you now."
"Okay." Blair breathed. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, almost like the wings of a butterfly.
Chuck's lips brushed hers as he spoke, "You sure?"
"Yes." Blair, moved her lips to form the words but didn't speak and Chuck pressed his lips to hers.
As Chuck began kissing her Blair's lips remained immobile. But eventually as he continued her mouth started to loosen. He took the lead and allowed his tongue to slide out of his mouth and flick across her lips asking for entrance. As her mouth opened to him, his tongue traveled out of his mouth and into hers. He pulled back slightly and continued moving his lips. Chuck couldn't deny that there was a stirring in his gut that was driving him forward even though he knew that they should stop and she should leave. He pulled his mouth away to give Blair the option to quit; but he left his forehead resting against hers. Blair took him off guard when she closed the gap and started kissing him.
Blair had been nervous at first but after a minute or so of Chuck kissing her she wanted to give it a try herself. So when Chuck paused she went back in. She could tell that she had surprised him but he caught on quickly and allowed her to lead. Blair was curious and after allowing her tongue to explore his mouth she pulled back. Resting her forehead against his, just like he had done to her. "How was that?" She asked, breathless.
"You're a fast learner." Said Chuck, panting. From what he could tell, Blair didn't need teaching in the first place. She was a natural. Chuck knew he shouldn't but he couldn't resist asking her, "Want to play a little game of Simon Says?"
Blair arched her eyebrow inquisitively. "I'm not sure I understand."
"It's simple" Chuck said with a smirk. "I do something to you, then you do it back. It's basically what we just did."
Blair bit her swollen lip and thought for a minute. Kissing Chuck had been nice and he was certainly a good teacher but maybe it had all gone far enough. She loved Nate, she always had. But as Chuck looked at her questioningly, she couldn't help but nod her head. She wanted to really wow Nate later and if Chuck was willing to keep teaching her, she would take what she could get.
With Blair's consent Chuck moved to lean her back on the bed and began to kiss her again. This time he moved a little more, adjusting his mouth more often. He began sucking on her lip and nibbled slightly before moving back inside her mouth. After a moment, he allowed Blair to take over and do the same thing. He couldn't help but groan as she bit his lip a little too hard.
Blair popped back suddenly, "Did I do something wrong?"
Chuck reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not so hard. Try again."
Blair leaned back down and started kissing Chuck again, this time when she played with his lip, she was more careful. "How was that? She asked slowly pulling away.
"Perfect." Chuck said with a smirk. "Now, mouth's aren't the only place that you can kiss . . . " Chuck said, leaving the statement hanging as he moved back in. This time he only stayed at her mouth for a moment before moving his kisses to her jaw line and then, down her neck to her collar bone. Once there, he began to gently kiss and suck; not thinking about the mark that it would leave.
Blair pulled his head back to hers and took over. Mimicking the movements he had just made. After a moment Chuck said his breath rather ragged. "Do you want to try it all together?"
Blair pulled away and nodded and Chuck kissed her once more. They alternated leading and allowed things to flow. Her hands wove their way into his hair and he traced lines up and down her spine as they kissed. Chuck recognized the signs of a hard-on even though he knew Blair didn't so he gently broke away and whispered. "I think that's probably enough teaching."
Blair nodded. Her eyes looked surprised, as though she had forgotten what she was doing and with whom she was doing it. She looked over at the clock and saw that she had less than three hours to get ready before Nate was picking her up at her house and quickly got up. As she straightened her clothes and Chuck sat up on the bed, she thought it best to make a polite, yet expedient exit. "Thank you Chuck for . . . Uh . . . Teaching me." Blair said awkwardly.
Chuck smirked. "You didn't need teaching Blair. You are naturally one of the best kissers I've kissed and well, that's saying a lot."
Blair smiled and blushed. "I'll see you tonight and thank you Chuck, really."
Blair exhaled loudly at the memory. "What on earth was I thinking? I was so naïve."
Chuck groaned in response. "You're telling me. I was so hard after you left that I barely made it to the bathroom before blowing my load. You were such a little cocktease."
Laughing Blair playfully nudged his shoulder. "You're so crude. And the funny thing was I really had no idea what I was doing to you."
"I know." Chuck spoke. As he thought about it he felt his jaw tighten. "I loved that I was first. Something Nate could never take from me. That's why I was smiling like that in the Kiss on the Lips picture."
Blair looked up at the primal nature of his gaze, she felt a flicker of something race through her as her heart picked up. But before she could say anything he had turned the page.
She stayed quiet as they continued looking through the photos of their eighth grade year. But moving into their ninth she heard him let out a surprised sound.
Chuck furrowed his brow as he took the page in his hand flipping it back and forth as though he thought it was going to change. Finally he looked over at Blair in surprise. "Where'd I go?"
Blair scoffed loudly as she turned the page into the ninth grade, putting eighth grade behind them. "You decided you couldn't be friends with me anymore."
"I did not." Chuck spoke defensively. This time he really had no idea what she was talking about. He didn't remember much from freshman year besides the fact that he'd discovered the wonders of sex, drugs, and alcohol, which, now that he thought about it, probably explained a lot. But he didn't really remember an absence of Blair. "We were still together a lot weren't we? I mean you were Nate's girlfriend."
Blair lifted her chin defiantly. "You were around, but we weren't friends anymore, not like we used to be. Not since the beginning of that summer."
"The limo ride to the Hamptons." Chuck spoke. "I can't believe I'd forgotten." He remembered now though and the memory in and of itself was painful. Everyone else had taken the jitney but Blair had opted to join Chuck in his limo, in retrospect it had been a bad idea. They'd gotten a little tipsy and had some huge fight about Nate and in his jealousy Chuck had said terrible things to Blair that he hadn't meant to say - things about how she would always be second best to Serena when it came to Nate and her mom, how she'd never be good enough. Thinking of it now made him sick.
Blair observed Chuck's face carefully, not wanting to interrupt whatever thoughts he was having. Today had been such a surprise and she didn't want to ruin it now, so she was glad when Chuck began to flip through the pages again. She noticed he breezed by the Sheppard Wedding quickly and couldn't have been happier. That was not something that she wanted to discuss even if it didn't mean anything now, Nate and Serena's betrayal had still hurt. It was his speed through all of ninth and into tenth that caused Blair to realize that Chuck was on some kind of mission, there was something he was looking for and she wouldn't know until he found it.
Coming to a sudden halt in his search, Chuck thrust his finger down at the picture before him and smiled. "Redemption!"
Blair laughed as she looked at the picture before recalling the memory she associated with it. It was true, everything that Chuck had said in the limo ride to the Hamptons had been redeemed that April afternoon.
Chuck groaned as he heard knocking at the door. He nudged the blonde who was in the process of removing his pants off of him, as he called out. "Who is it?"
Blair had been knocking frantically on the door to Chuck Bass's suite. She was perfectly aware of what she was probably interrupting but she really didn't care. When she heard Chuck ask who was at the door, she didn't hesitate to answer. "Chuck, it's me Blair. Please open the door."
The girl hadn't really stopped trying to remove his pants so at the sound of Blair's voice he muttered. If Blair was here than it was important, she never came here without good reason. "Get up and put your clothes back on."
"But we were just getting started." The girl said, putting on her best sexy face.
Chuck tossed the blonde girl's clothes at her. "Tasha, get dressed and go." Then loudly enough that Blair could hear, "I'll be right there, give me one minute."
"My name is Tamara." The girl hissed as she pulled her dress over her head.
Chuck glared but Tamara did as he said and walked towards the door. When she opened it she shot Blair a look that clearly let her know how she felt about being dismissed for her.
"Come in Waldorf." Chuck called as he pulled his shirt over his head. He didn't know why Blair was here. To his knowledge she hadn't been in his suite in two years, unless it was for a party. He checked outside, it was still daylight, what was she doing here? As he stepped out of his bedroom into the living room he spoke "What can I do for you Waldorf? I'm all up and ready to go since you just sent my afternoon appointment . . . " but trailed off as he saw her. Blair looked like complete hell. His snarky sarcasm faded to concern faster than he had sent that girl running when he heard Blair at the door. "Sit down, I'll get you a drink."
As Chuck turned to go to the bar, Blair reached out and caught his arm. "No, I . . . I . . . I just need someone to talk to."
Chuck looked at Blair. He looked at her in a way that he looked at very few people and it was in a way that no one had looked at her before; it was as though he was really looking at her, not who everyone else saw when they looked at her. He didn't look at the perfect, soon to be queen of Constance instead he looked at Blair Waldorf the girl. "Okay."
Blair shuddered after a few minutes under Chuck's intense gaze before nodding her head slightly as though they had come to some sort of an agreement. Like maybe he had looked inside her, saw that she needed him, and now they were agreeing to put the past in the past. So as they reached this hypothetical agreement she spoke softly, "Okay," before allowing Chuck to lead her to the couch.
As they sat, Chuck pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to her. "What happened Blair, what's wrong?"
Blair who had still been holding his gaze suddenly looked away. She looked at the table, towards the bar, out the window, down at the ruby ring that had been a gift from Nate; anywhere but at Chuck. While she was still looking down at her hands, one of them twisting the ruby ring on the other, she spoke. "My dad left my mom . . . for another man." As she finished her statement she looked up at Chuck's eyes which were now wide with surprise. "My dad is moving to France with Roman; his plane leaves in a couple of hours. This has been going on for months now and I had no clue." Tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes and her voice was beginning to shake.
Chuck reached out and brushed a tear that had escaped with his thumb. "I'm so sorry." He knew that was all she needed him to say.
Blair bit her lip trying to stop the tears from falling because she knew that if she started she wouldn't be able to stop; not for a long time. "I'm sick Chuck."
The words made his heart plummet as they left her mouth. His first thought was that she had cancer like the girl in that Mandy Moore movie; that she was dying like his mother.
She tentatively continued. "I'm making myself sick. I . . . I thought that I was better, that I was okay but I'm not."
Chuck suddenly grew inexplicably angry. Blair was making herself ill; why on earth would she do that? As his nostrils flared and he worked to control his voice, Chuck spoke measured words. "How long has this been going on Blair?"
Her chin was trembling with the effort that it took to keep the tears from falling. "Since the summer after eighth grade."
'Shit' thought Chuck. That was nearly two years. Chuck said the only word he could manage to choke out, which was probably added by the fact that it was the only word he could think. "Why?"
Blair was starting to shake all over; but she answered his question. "Mom always loved Serena more; wished that I was more like her. She never thought that I was as pretty as Serena and she was always telling me that I needed to watch my weight."
As Blair spoke Chuck's hands balled into fists. He could kill Eleanor Waldorf for making Blair think that she was anything less than perfect. At the same time, he felt the first pangs of guilt. What Chuck had said the summer after eighth grade in the limo had perpetuated some of those very ideas, the day he virtually ended their friendship.
Blair continued. "And I'm not stupid, I see the way that Nate looks at Serena. She outshines me, she can't help it."
Once more, Chuck's fists tightened but this time it was Nate he wanted to punch. Nate was stupid for thinking Serena was nearly as pretty as Blair. However, inside of him there was another little stab of guilt, guilt because he knew what Nate and Serena had done at the Sheppard Wedding - he had seen them.
"That plus everyone keeps leaving me. My Dad's leaving for France and Serena, Serena left without so much as goodbye. My mom must be right, if I were pretty enough they wouldn't leave, if I were worthy of being loved they would stay." Blair said as the tears finally began to pour down her checks.
Blair wasn't here because she needed him to say all kinds of clichés. She didn't come so that he could tell her that everything was going to be okay when there was a damn good chance that everything wasn't going to be okay. She simply needed to know that she wasn't in this alone. So Chuck reached out and pulled her to him. "I'm here." Chuck ran his fingers through her hair as he held her to him and let her cry, not caring that her mascara was ruining his shirt. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
At first Chuck couldn't tell what Blair was saying, only that she was trying to speak to him. "What did you say?"
Blair pulled back slightly; just far enough that Chuck could hear her. "Promise me. Promise me that you aren't going anywhere, that you won't leave."
Chuck pulled her back to him. "I promise Blair. No matter what, I'm not going anywhere. You will always have me."
After holding her for what could have been hours but was really only about thirty minutes, Chuck glanced at his watch. "What time did you say your dad's flight was leaving Blair?"
Blair used his handkerchief to wipe her tears. "Seven pm."
Chuck tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're not saying goodbye?"
Blair shook her head. "No. I'm too angry to face him right now."
"Get up." Chuck said standing abruptly.
"What?" Blair said, staring at him dumbstruck.
"Get up." Chuck repeated taking her hand. This time she complied and Chuck called his driver to bring his car around. They were on the street corner about to step into Chuck's limo before Blair managed to get Chuck to tell her where it was they were going. "The airport."
Blair immediately turned around and headed back towards the Palace. "No way Chuck, no way."
Chuck ran around and blocked her path. "Blair we don't have time for this, get in the limo."
She shook her head. "I already told you, I refuse to say goodbye to that man."
"That man is your father Blair and you adore him." Chuck said, placing his hands on her upper arms to keep her from running.
Blair surprised him by shouting. "My father is abandoning me Chuck! HE is abandoning ME. Therefore, I don't have to say goodbye if I don't want to." She finished stubbornly.
Chuck took only a second to collect his thoughts. "You're right Blair, It's completely your decision as to whether or not you are going to say goodbye. But if you don't, if you let him leave without hugging him or saying anything, you are going to wish you had every day until you see him again. Trust me, I know what it's like to have parents that you can't see or hug."
Chuck heard Blair's sharp intake of breath before he spoke. "Get in."
Blair wanted to take Chuck's hand then as they talked about one of the most emotional moments of her life but she didn't because she didn't want to push him, didn't want to scare him away. It was a shock when she felt his hand close around her own and she had to hold back a smile.
Chuck began to turn the pages of the book again without really looking at the pictures, he was much too focused on the warmth flowing from Blair into him, that he felt at the point they connected. He knew he should let go, that this should feel wrong but it didn't so he left his hand clasped in hers.
Blair looked on as their sophomore year became their junior year, the day she and Chuck invented the Nair-tini, her being crowned queen, so many episodes of scheming with Chuck and dates with Nate, Serena's return, Ivy Week, the Masquerade Ball, and then Chuck froze once more on the pages where they began. Blair smiled as she squeezed his hand tightly, both of them looking over the pictures from their time together.
"We were so young." Chuck spoke quietly as he looked from photo to photo - one at Victrola the night Blair had given him her virginity, several from her seventeenth birthday party, photos from their time sneaking around, and the debutante ball. "Remember what I said about being your first kiss?"
Blair nodded, seeing that words might ruin the moment.
"Well, it was an even bigger deal to me that I was your first everything. I can't even describe how that felt. To know that for that short time I was the only one you'd been with, the only one who'd ever moved inside you, who'd ever seen what was beneath your cool calm exterior." Chuck spoke, his voice almost raw as he thought about it. Meeting her gaze he nodded. "For that moment you were mine and only mine and it was the most incredible feeling in the world."
Shocked Blair swallowed before giving his hand the lightest squeeze. "I've always been glad that it was you."
Looking at the next picture, Chuck nodded. "That's why I blackmailed you. I was so fucking furious that you weren't mine anymore I couldn't handle it."
Together they continued to look and gradually comment on the different memories. The day he'd tried to ruin her life by exposing their affair, his dad's wedding to Lily, the week before they were supposed to go to Tuscany, the White Party, photos of her and Marcus together, the Snowflake Ball, and then his father's funeral.
Once more Blair felt Chuck freeze next to her and laid her head on his shoulder. "You okay?" She asked quietly.
Chuck nodded slowly, aware of Blair's weight on his shoulder and comforted by it. "I just forget sometimes how much happened. And my father . . ." He stopped, his voice getting choked up as his gaze landed on his note to her that was on the next page; the note he'd left her when he'd run off after she'd comforted him.
"It's okay, I get it." Blair started as she sat up to look at him.
Chuck shook his head, looking at the note and the photos that followed in the next few months. "I almost didn't make it through the first anniversary of my dad's death that you weren't there for, it's hard every year but I don't know what I would have done without you there after the funeral or the night of Serena's accident with Tripp."
Blair just nodded as she continued to hold his hand, unwilling to admit that she knew that the year after the Hamptons had been even worse. So instead she kept turning the pages through her spring with Nate, the school play, prom, and graduation, up until the day that Chuck had finally told her he loved her. "Well look at that." She spoke pointing to the photograph of them outside of her apartment with a pressed flower next to it.
Chuck felt a smile creep through the shadow that had covered his face as he saw the picture. "Took me long enough." He flipped through the photos of that summer, his smile widening throughout.
Blair couldn't help the words that were going through her mind as she looked at the different photos and knew that Chuck was probably remembering the same thing. When they ended their games and their real relationship began.
"We could never be boring." Chuck spoke his voice reassuring.
Blair shook her head. "You say that, but I know you. You're Chuck Bass."
Chuck smiled, realizing then that Blair was only feeling insecure and knowing the exact words that needed saying. "I'm not Chuck Bass without you."
Chuck exhaled looked at the next photograph, it had been such a long day when that had been made, he wasn't even sure when the photo was taken but he did remember Blair crawling into bed with him after her first week at NYU.
"You were right about the dorms. The lighting is awful." Realizing Chuck was quiet and hadn't responded she wrapped an arm around him and spoke softly. "You okay?"
Chuck took her hand and placed a kiss on it before holding it in his. "I am now."
Looking at the picture of them in front of the Empire Hotel Blair repressed a frown because she knew that he didn't think of it the same way he used to because of her. But that didn't stop her from remembering that first day in front of it after she'd given him the photo they were both trying to win at auction and he'd purchased the Empire.
"I want you to have this."
"Why?"
"Because I love you, you enormously stubborn pain in the ass."
"What about La Table Elitaire?"
"What about them?" She spoke with a sigh. "I believe in you and if this is what it takes for you to believe in you. It's worth it."
"I've been meeting with the board of Bass Industries all morning. I told them I want to cash my shares out, risk it all, on my own. They think I've lost my mind." He spoke laughing as he looked at Blair.
"Have you." She asked, voice slightly awed.
"No."
"Then how can you be so sure?"
Chuck kissed her lips before speaking. "Because you believe in me."
The memories faded together as they flipped the pages. Chuck laughed as he looked at photos from the Fleur movie premier, almost saying aloud the first words that came to his mind.
"Chuck, NYU is not the Upper East Side. They don't care about Constance, or social hierarchy. They don't care that I'm Blair Waldorf! It's over."
"How can you do this to me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm Chuck Bass. And I told you I love you. You're saying I'm easier to win over than a bunch of pseudo-intellectual homesick malcontents. You really insult me like that?"
"That's not how it is."
"It's exactly how it is. The next time you forget you're Blair Waldorf, remember I'm Chuck Bass. And I love you."
Chuck was about to turn the page when Blair exhaled. "That was one of the more life-affirming moments that I've ever experienced. I know it was a long time ago and you aren't in love with me like that anymore but the fact that you loved me once was something that I have gone back to time and time again. That I was the one that Chuck Bass would commit to - I was special because I was the only one that got to have that."
When he didn't say anything for a long moment, Blair lifted her hand to turn the page but before she could Chuck placed his hand on hers and looked up at her, surprise evident in his eyes. "At the risk of sounding like a total cliché I can't not say this - you have to know that it was always you. You were the reason I didn't commit to anyone else, because no one else was you. I still don't think you quite realize what you were to me Blair and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to explain it."
Their eyes locked together and held for a long moment, she could feel her heart beat in her chest and wanted to say something - to ask what he meant even though she was pretty sure she knew. But before she could he turned the page and broke eye contact. She knew that was the end of the conversation and though the thought lingered in her mind she focused on the next photo set.
Looking down she crinkled her nose. This time in her life was one of her favorites and least favorites at the same time. She'd loved how great of a place she was in with Chuck but the rest of her life had been such a mess - she'd really hated NYU and things with Serena had been crap. Now as she looked at the night she tricked Chuck into kissing a guy so she could get the NYU toast she was disgusted with herself all over again. "I was really a terrible person." She spoke quietly
Chuck shook his head. "You weren't terrible. The games were a coping mechanism." When he thought she was going to interrupt him he cut her off. "Trust me, I did the same thing. The games were what we used when we felt like we didn't have control." As he spoke he gave the hand of hers he was still holding the slightest squeeze.
Nodding Blair turned the pages looking at the prohibition party again, smiling at the photo of them that she'd looked at earlier and knowing that Chuck had to be remembering the same thing, Tripp's election party.
"Did you ever find Brandeis?"
"Yes. We're not friends anymore. That's okay. I have you. That's all I need."
Looking over at Chuck, Blair smiled, her fingers tracing a picture from the Deb ball that year. "You locked me in that elevator and forced me to be friends with Serena again."
"It was for your own good." He responded with a smile.
Blair lifted her eyebrows. "Probably, though I can't say the same about my La Perla's that you loaned out to Nate's hookers."
Chuck blushed slightly at the memory. That had been ill advised to say the least. She'd forgiven him quickly because he'd helped her fix things with Serena and because Nate had been in need but even her slight ire had been enough to remind him never to do it again. Flipping the page he frowned. "I think that Thanksgiving might have been the worst I can remember."
"And we've had some shitty ones." She added quickly. "But I am inclined to agree."
Neither of them mentioned the Thanksgiving right after they'd first gotten together when her mom had disinvited her dad and she'd gotten sick.
"You are pretty much the last person I expected to hear from today. Isn't your father in town?" He asked, a smile clear in his voice. He was happy to hear from her, though he'd never admit it aloud.
She couldn't even manage a smile in return, in fact she could barely form words. "Mom uninvited him, she told him that I couldn't bear to see him after he left me. And...she sent away Daddy's pie."
She could hear him swallow on the other end of the line, she knew that he knew this was bad. She knew she sounded broken, and she was too strong to sound broken. "Are you okay?" He asked, voice soft and kind like he only ever was with her.
"No." She said through a choked sob. "I'm sick." She wasn't sure how much he knew, or if he'd guess. "I need you."
"Shit, my father and I are in the Chalet in the Alps with clients." The regret clear in his voice. "I can get on a plane but it will be tomorrow at the earliest." Seeming to think things over, he thought about something. "What about S? Where is she?"
She exhaled, shaking with her tears. "We got in a fight, about you actually. She saw us together."
He couldn't help but snort back his laughter. "Which time?" He thought she might have cracked a smile but he knew that wasn't what she needed, she needed someone to be there for her. "Whatever happened, call her, she's your best friend."
"But…" She started but he interrupted her.
"No buts...and if you still need me, I'll be on the next flight out of here." He spoke before hesitating.
"Okay." She spoke softly. "Thank you...for you know caring."
Chuck paused for a minute thinking about mentioning that he had been glad that she'd called him that day but didn't. That was one memory that hurt him too much to even bring up. Instead he turned the page.
Chuck swallowed at the next set of images. "You kept these?" He asked softly. It was the business plans from the building he was going to tear down to prove that he wasn't weak on the anniversary of Bart's death, along with a photo of them leaving the Hospital that had been on Gossip Girl.
Blair nodded, her tone matching his. "I told you - the good and the bad." As she spoke she looked up and realized that he wasn't really with her in that moment, instead he was remembering that conversation in the hospital hallway. It had been a turning point for them.
"My father always thought I was weak. And in the moment that mattered most I was. I couldn't be there when he ... I left. Right away. I've been pushing myself to prove him wrong, and pushing you away." He spoke, his voice strangled.
"I don't think you ran away because you couldn't handle death. I think it's because you couldn't handle feelings. You're not like that anymore. You're strong. You carry people. You carry me. You're becoming a man in a way that your father never was. Come. Let's say goodbye."
Chuck felt a tightness in his throat as he turned the pages, memories of this time flooding him. Blair had been the one thing that held him together when things started to fall apart that spring. All that confusion over whether or not it was his mother, she'd stood by him. She'd promised him that he didn't need anyone else, that his mother and father didn't matter, that she'd always be his family. But her next words still caught him off guard.
"That hasn't changed Chuck, I'll always consider you my family. Always." Blair spoke knowing what he must be remembering. That had been a promise she'd made to him and one she never under any circumstance could take back.
Chuck's head turned towards her quickly as the shimmer of a connection he'd felt with her a few times in the last month seemed to shine brightly between them. She'd said just the thing he was thinking as he was thinking it and it had shocked him because in that moment it was just the thing he needed to hear.
Reviews are always appreciated. Part 2 is complete as well so I should be uploading again soon.
xoxo kate