A/N- Hope everyone had an awesome Halloween! Enjoy and review if you please!
The Lost Weekend
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Chapter Nine
Brrr! The winter chill has finally taken over our fair city, and I'm all for bundling up in that fabulous pea coat you've been storing in your closet for just such a day and sipping down some salted caramel hot chocolate. Yum.
Of course, that's not the only way to keep the winter doldrums away…just ask B and C. They paired up for the legendarily tough AP Economics final project earlier this week, but a little birdy tells me these two aren't learning so much about fiscal responsibility or aggregate supply in their 'study sessions.' How are you supposed to concentrate on a failing economy when a burgeoning romance is so much more fun? And boyfriends are usually better at keeping you warm than an Economics book, right B?
"Ow." Chuck protested, shifting around on the bed.
"What?" Blair asked a little breathlessly.
"I think I'm on your phone."
She sighed, and slid her hand under his back, digging her phone out from under the covers and tossing it carelessly on the ground. "Now where were we?"
Chuck and Blair had spent a lazy Wednesday afternoon in her room supposedly working on an Economics project they had partnered up for earlier in the week, but had not so surprisingly ended up doing much more making out than studying.
It was weird- the whole actually being in a relationship thing made this all so much less stressful. Chuck had never just kissed a girl this long before without expecting it to lead somewhere, but this really was nice. No pressure, no expectations- just him and Blair. He knew his reputation would be completely destroyed if he ever said this out loud, but he could just kiss her all day.
And Blair had never just kissed like this without worrying if she was taking things too fast or too slow or whether or not she should let him do this or that—every makeout session with Nate had always been such a mindfuck. Was this the time it was actually going to end in sex? Would Nate think she was easy if she let him go to second base? Did he think she was a good kisser? Better than Serena? And so on and so on. But Blair's mind went blissfully blank whenever she and Chuck were like this, and she was fine just enjoying the silence.
Besides, it was turning into a dark and cold November night outside and it was so warm here with a fire burning in her fireplace, wrapped up in each other. Blair was wearing a long white cashmere sweater and nothing else. The soft material felt like heaven against Chuck's chest as she kissed his neck.
"Hey, B?" He murmured, his hands sliding up her back.
"What, sweetie?" She murmured, propped herself up on her elbows, gently brushing his bangs off his forehead.
Chuck looked into her dark brown eyes staring right into his, and felt a momentary shock as he realized he recognized this look. The kind of dreamy, adoring eyes he had always seen when she had looked at Nate, before any of this, before Chuck and Blair had been anything but friends with a penchant for plotting, before they had ripped each other apart and put each other back together again, before he would have ever thought it was possible to be in Blair Waldorf's room, her laying on top of him and looking at him like he was the best thing she'd ever seen.
It was just too surreal. His hands tightened on her back, willing this not to end. This kept happening these past few weeks. Whenever things felt this good, this real, Chuck couldn't quite shake off the fear that they'd all fall apart the moment he let go of her. It was terrifying and awful and wonderful and he was beginning to understand why people were always complaining about being in love.
"I love you." He said, still getting used to how those words felt coming out of his mouth.
"I love you, too." She said, no hesitation, still stroking his hair.
"Your birthday's next week."
"I'm aware." She smiled.
"Do you want to open your present early?"
She smiled. "Depends. Do you really think you can top last year?"
"I know I can." Chuck scoffed.
"Really?" Her hands went to his belt, "Because that was the first time I ever--"
"I know. I don't mean that. I mean, we already know I can give you…that."
"True." She said, feeling a hot, pleasant flush spread through her as she remembered his hands going under the layers of black tulle of her birthday dress last year, feeling the heavy weight of the diamond necklace at her throat as she kissed him hard and forgot all about Nate and Serena and everything that wasn't Chuck.
"I meant your actual present."
"You already got me something?'
"Of course. And it'll be better if you open it now."
Blair bit her lip as if this was an actually hard decision. "Oh, okay. You convinced me." She got off of him as he went to his book bag and pulled out an enevelope.
"Aww, did you write me a love letter?" She giggled.
\
"Just open it." Chuck sat next to her on the bed, handing her the envelope.
She tore into it like a kid on Christmas, opening the letter. She read it quickly, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"Paris? Next weekend?"
"If you're interested. My dad wants me to go up there anyway, check out some of the more famous burlesques in the Montemartre district for inspiration for the Victrola expansion. He said we could take the jet—leave Friday afternoon and be back late Sunday. What do you think?"
Blair looked down at the little itinerary Chuck had made up, excited but apprehensive. "Would…would it just be us?"
They both heard her unspoken question. Would Georgina be joining them?
Chuck took her hands. "Just us. Absolutely. I'd have to get some work done while we were there, but I'm sure you could find something to keep you occupied."
"One of the best shopping cities in the world? I'm sure I could manage." She smiled a little weakly.
"You don't want to go." Chuck ventured a little sadly.
"No, no, I do! I just…don't stand me up this time." She said, trying to sound like she was joking but failing.
"Blair--"
"Promise me you won't." She said, serious now.
"I promise."
She believed him, squeezing his hands. "Then, Chuck Bass, I would love to go to Paris with you."
"Happy early birthday, baby." He kissed her.
She pulled him back on top of her, and just as his hand slid up her bare leg, the door to her bedroom opened. It was her mother, looking harried as usual. Eleanor stopped dead when she saw them.
Blair and Chuck quickly and awkwardly disentangled themselves, sitting up like nothing was going on and trying to look as innocent as possible. Which is pretty difficult when a) you're Chuck and Blair, and b) one of you isn't wearing any pants.
"H-Hey, mom." Blair said, pulling her blue throw blanket over her legs.
Eleanor was momentarily speechless.
"Hello, Mrs. Waldorf." Chuck said, trying his very best to sound like what a nice boy you would want your daughter to date would sound like.
"Chuck. Blair. Sorry, I…I had no idea. Dorota said you two were studying, I just thought—I didn't know."
"Didn't know what?" Blair blinked, feigning confusion.
Apparently delusion was a common theme in the Waldorf family, because Blair and Eleanor reached a silent agreement with only a glance to not act like anything strange had just happened. Chuck watched the two of them, a little terrified and a little fascinated.
"Never mind. I was just checking to see if you'd be all right for dinner by yourself tonight. One of my buyers just got in and called to see if we could squeeze in a late night meeting. I know we usually eat together Wednesdays, but--"
"That's fine, mom." Blair said.
"Blair can eat with us." Chuck offered, pretty proud of himself when Eleanor smiled at him gratefully. This impressing the parents thing wasn't that hard.
"Wonderful. Thank you."
Thank you for assuaging my guilt about constantly neglecting my daughter, Blair thought a little spitefully. Whatever. She'd rather eat with Chuck and Serena anyway.
An uncomfortable silence fell. "Shouldn't you get going?" Blair finally said.
Eleanor made a show of checking her watch. "You're right. I'll see you tomorrow."
Blair gave her mother a little wave, and Eleanor hightailed it out of there as fast as she could. She kicked the blanket off her legs as soon as the door closed, shaking her head. "Sorry. Anyway…" She went to kiss him.
Chuck stopped her. "You still haven't told your mom about us?"
"I don't tell my mom anything, Chuck." Blair laughed.
"But I mean, it's been awhile…"
"Have you told your father about us?" She countered.
"Yes. He was thrilled. My whole family wants to throw you a party for lowering yourself to date me. They all seem to think you're my only hope of ever becoming a decent person."
"Stop talking about yourself like that." Blair sighed.
"I'm just telling you what they thought. Everyone's always thrilled that you're dating me, but no one ever seems as excited that I'm dating you."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"Forget it."
"Chuck--"
"Let me call Lily and tell her to expect us for dinner." Chuck said, getting up off the bed and finding his phone.
"Okay." Blair said.
Now that the mood was sufficiently ruined, she stepped back into her skinny dark jeans and brushed her hair while Chuck was on the phone.
--
"Paris, B? How cool!" Serena squealed, fluffing out her still damp hair as Blair flipped through a magazine on her bed.
Chuck had gone to help Eric with some kind of boyfriend troubles, and Blair had headed up to Serena's room while she got ready for dinner. Dinner was a very formal affair at the Bass-Van der Woodsen home, and all of five of them always dressed to the nines. Blair started to wish she had put on a skirt and tights or something.
"I know. It should be fun."
"Why do you have weird voice?" Serena looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.
Blair made a face. "Whoregina. You know if she catches wind of this, she'll weasel her way into coming along somehow."
"That would kind of put a damper on the romantic weekend." Serena agreed sympathetically.
"I mean, technically, she's working on the project too. It would make sense for her to go." Blair said, looking a little sick.
"But he said she's not. And I will personally handcuff her to a subway bench or something if needed. She's not ruining this for you."
"Thanks, S." Blair grinned.
Serena smiled happily. "Is it wrong that the thought of handcuffing her and leaving her in a dirty subway station gives me so much joy?"
"Nope. Handcuff away. Take pictures. Please."
They laughed together as Serena stepped into sky-high red heels that clashed in a cool way with her purple dress.
--
Chuck left Eric, shaking his head in a big-brotherly kind of way. It was a part he was very fond of playing, and it was becoming more and more natural to him. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
What the hell? Practically everyone he knew was here. Nate, maybe?
He flipped it open. Georgina's name in his inbox. Sighing, he opened the message.
We need to talk.
Chuck hit reply, typing No thanks. Already have plans.
She wrote back almost as quickly, and Chuck nearly dropped the phone.
It's about your mother.
--
Well, well. Looks like clever G has learned that the only currency that really matters in the Upper East Side is information. Is it a bluff? A desperate attempt to win back the Bass? Or could our favorite villainess have really stumbled upon the answer to one of the biggest questions in life—what kind of woman could have spawned Chuck Bass? And what really happened to the original Mrs. Bass? I feel like Sherlock Holmes! A hot female version, that is. Sounds like the game's afoot, dear readers—and B's man is going to have to choose between the search for the truth and his favorite WASP princess. Happy almost birthday, B—hope your Prince Charming doesn't let you down!
At least you know I'll never let you down. And you know you love me for it. Until next time- XOXO Gossip Girl.
A/N- Reviews are lovely! Thanks for reading!