It was four-thirty in the afternoon when Blair Waldorf finished her infomercial shoot. After getting dressed and preparing her things, she decided to call back Serena again while waiting for the car to pick her up. The driver said that it's going to take him fifteen more minutes to get to the set because of heavy traffic.
She was about to dial Serena's number when she saw Carter Baizen on his way walking towards her. She managed to plaster on a fake smile at him as he waved at her. He had really been mean and demanding at the shoot earlier; telling her that she's been too distracted and indifferent, that she wasn't behaving professionally and questioning her willingness to get involved in the project in front of everyone. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't able to memorize her lines quickly since she had only been given twenty minutes to successfully accomplish the task. She did not have the right to complain since it's part of her job to please everybody. If she had been asked to memorize her lines within five minutes, she should do it, no further questions asked, no demanding for an extension whatsoever. It doesn't matter if she was still tired from the flight and didn't get enough rest or if she has a lot of things in her mind. Still, she felt that she didn't deserve being humiliated like that in front of everyone. She has worked with a lot of people in her career but no one has ever treated her the way he did.
"Hey, Blair. Can I talk to you for a minute?" He put his hands on his back pockets while facing her.
"Sure," Blair looked up at him and nodded. He was about ten inches taller with her not wearing high heeled shoes to add a few inches to her height. She was still wearing the same Havaianas flip flops she wore earlier when she arrived at the shoot. She'd never be caught wearing flip flops in New York no matter how cute and comfortable they are so she had to make the most out of her chance being in LA.
Carter established an eye contact with her and said, "I'm sorry for however I may have acted earlier. I'm a perfectionist and I really have high expectations but even though we did not get the shot at once and we needed to do a lot of takes… you were still great back there."
She nodded and was about to reply at his "apology" when he cut her in, saying, "Having said that, I uhm, wanna ask you out to dinner tonight… You know… two old friends meeting up again, catching up on each other's lives…? Or you can think of it as uhm, payback for your top and everything…" He paused, finishing up with, "So, what do you say?"
Sure, they were always pleasant at each other at dinner parties or brunch but that's that. They never were "friends" in true essence of the word. Before she was able to give out a response, she was interrupted again, this time by the ringing of her phone. She excused herself from Carter and answered the phone. Seeing that it was Nate, she loudly answered the phone, all sweet and happy to hear Nate's voice. "Sweetie! I am so glad you called. I miss you," she cooed, reminding Carter that she was already committed, indirectly telling him that she wasn't interested.
Nate just got home from the Humphreys. He was still dressed as a courier and was about to go to his closet and get changed or maybe, hit the shower first when he finally decided to just call Blair and see how she's doing. Surprised at hearing her saccharine sweet voice and happy disposition in reaction to his phone call, he replied, "Well… I miss you too, sweetheart. It's getting lonely in here without you."
"I know. I miss you too, so much. Are you home?" Blair wondered if everything's going well as planned for Dan and Serena's romantic date tomorrow night.
"Yes. I just got home from the Humphreys. I already delivered Serena's ball gown along with the clue. I didn't have the time to find a courier so… I delivered it myself. Seeing the look on her face, she still is clueless." Nate chuckled and then asked, "So… when are you going home?"
"What? I've only been gone for a day and you want me home already?" She remarked in a joking tone. He tried to deny but it was obvious that he did (want her back home sooner that is). If he had his way, he would never let her leave in the first place but since he was trying to be the supportive and proud fiancé, he had to bear being away from her. She continued to talk, "I still have a lot of things to do here. Two more runway shows and another photo shoot. I'll make it up to you once I got back next Friday. I promise."
For Blair and Nate, it's all about doing something better than make-up sex (to think that make-up sex is supposed to be always the best). He grinned at the thought and replied, "Yeah, you better." He then inquired about work and LA.
The things you do to please your man. She rolled her eyes and smirked to herself then casually responded, "We just finished the infomercial shoot for the campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness. You'll see it for yourself. It's going to be shown next month." Recalling the events at the Debutante Ball years ago (where Nate has punched Carter out of his jealousy), she opted not to tell him anything more than just that. Even though Nate had been vocal about him trusting her and everything, she really didn't want to test his "conviction" or give him a reason to doubt her again.
Nate nodded and asked where she was going afterwards. He was thinking where he can hang out since he really did not have much to do. He was just done with the case study he must submit the next day to his professor in Criminal Law. It took him a month to review the loopholes and everything. With Blair gone, Serena and Dan busy, he considered going out with his college friends but that meant having a night out at a strip club and or getting pissed drunk. He threw the idea out of the window because neither of the two will be approved by Blair and besides, he was really eager to keep his promise to her about staying away from alcohol. He was really running out of options here.
Blair glanced back at Carter and he was still standing nearby, waiting for her to finish her phone call. Walking farther away from him, she told Nate, "I didn't have enough rest earlier so I'm going straight back to the hotel to sleep. You?"
"Just don't skip dinner, okay?" He ordered. When Blair's too tired from work, she go straight to bed without even bothering to eat. When she wakes up the next morning, she only drinks coffee and/or munch a bit on toast or fresh fruits before leaving. Her eating habits worry him a lot. With her being always on the go, she needs to eat more to keep her energy up and avoid getting sick.
Nate, on the other hand, he relies on her when it comes to helping him manage his time, reminding him certain things, cooking him food, preparing his clothes for him and the likes. Yes, Blair Waldorf can act like a domesticated wife. After all those years of studying in Yale and living in a dorm her sorority of purely elites provides, she learned the how-to's of doing household chores, from washing the dishes to doing the laundry and ironing clothes. Even before they started living with each other, Blair has taken care of his needs and vice-versa. They take good care of each other.
Going back to their conversation, Nate admitted that he didn't really have anything in mind to do and asked for her suggestion.
"I give you permission to invite your friends in the house. You can do whatever it is that you guys do to have fun, I don't care as long as everything remains neat and clean after." There goes her obsessive-compulsiveness. Nate knows she'd get ballistic once she sees the loft a mess.
"Okay… That's uhm… nice to hear?" Blair is the boss of him and always will be, he thought. But still, she only shows her submissiveness to him. One thing they have learned in all those years they have been together is to know when and how to compromise.
There was a call wait on her line, "Listen, babe, I'll talk to you later, okay? S is on the other line," Before hanging up, she quickly said, "Love you. Bye." When she answered Serena's call, the line went dead. She sighed and saw the car stopped in front of her.
She has forgotten all about Carter and was about to get in when he caught up to her and spoke, "So you and Nate still together, huh?"
She turned around to face him, raising her eyebrows and smugly retorted, "Yes. Is there a hint of cynicism there?"
He smirked evilly and shook his head, thinking 'I can't believe she got engaged with that wuss'. As he fought the urge to roll his eyes, he managed to congratulate her.
Something in the way he said it annoyed her and she's just had enough of his condescending attitude towards her. Before she was able to get a hold of herself, the words were already coming out of her pretty little mouth— "First, you criticize me in front of everyone and I did not even retaliate out of my respect for you being the director… But now, I've had enough of your patronizing me, discreetly condemning my relationship when it's none of your fucking business. Just who do you think you are?"
But before he was about to respond to her accusations, she beat him to it and in a calm but cold voice, she said, "You're just a pompous ass who pretends to know everything but the truth is, you really do not have any idea. You criticize people because you cannot even look at yourself and I can clearly see why." She looked at him from head to toe in a disgusted manner and sneered, rolling her eyes, leaving him too stunned to say anything. The look on his face was priceless and seeing that she had succeeded in putting him into his rightful place, she got in the car smiling to herself proudly.
He was too at a loss for words. The look on his face remained blank for a few more seconds before taking a look around his surroundings. He was relieved to see that no one saw the confrontation, thinking and smirking to himself, 'She really is a handful.'
Her cell phone rang again and she immediately responded. It was Serena. "Finally, you answered! I thought you were gonna call me back?" The blonde said in an impatient tone mixed with relief.
Blair rolled her eyes at her best friend's behavior and nonchalantly replied, "Relax, S. I was just on the phone with Natie. What it is that you need that you have to demand for my attention, much?"
"I know you know something and that you took part in the plan. I need to know where Dan is taking me tomorrow night. It's driving me crazy!" Serena demanded, almost yelling accusingly and suspiciously.
Blair pouted and said, "It's a surprise, S! The whole point of a surprise is not exactly to drive you crazy but to keep your excitement and anticipation up so I say enjoy the feeling, ride along with it and… be surprised?"
"So uhm, what do you think?" Blair then asked, hearing Serena let out a sigh of defeat. The blonde knows that Blair's one tough nut to break.
"Nate went to the house dressed as a 19th century courier, which was funny by the way because he definitely looked and acted the part. He delivered this amazing Giorgio Armani couture gown so that means that wherever Dan's taking me… it's going to be quite expensive and fancy and dreamlike. There was also a music box in the package with a ballerina in pink dancing and twirling around. But of course, you know that already but anyways… There was also a parchment inside the music box. Nate unrolled it and read it in a false British accent:
What sweeter way to relish the music
Than to dance the night away to it?
So slip on your glass shoes, my Cinderella
And we'll make a fairytale come true.
So there's absolutely going to be a dance. I just don't know what and how it's going to be like. Trust me; I cannot wait until tomorrow night." She smiled seeing the music box on her dresser with the parchment on her hand. Dan's handwriting looked more feminine than hers.
"Don't take it literally, S," Blair said trying to mislead her. "Whatever Dan has in store for the both of you tomorrow night, I'm sure it will take your breath away."
Serena squealed in delight and excitement and hearing Blair's silence on the other line, she said, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I can hear you rolling your eyes and snorting at my school-girl-who-has-a-crush-like behavior. Time to change the direction of this conversation so… tell me what happened at the shoot and with you and Carter?"
"With me and Carter?" Blair remarked in disgust, boldly revealing her abhorrence for Carter. "He's the most annoying self-absorbed obnoxious asshole I have ever met! I can't believe he's turned out to be such a looser. I knew from the moment he bumped into me, spilling the coffee into my top, that he was going to be unpleasant… The more appropriate word, actually, would be hateful." She continued to ramble on and on about how insensitive and tactless Carter was to her all afternoon.
"You know what? I pity him, really. He clearly doesn't have anyone to turn to and I really can't blame anyone because he is such a pig. No one would wanna be friends with him. Heck no one would even want to be around him. I never felt the same hatred towards anyone else other than, you know…"
"Jenny?" Serena suggested.
"Yeah. Exactly and then came Carter. I'm just happy and relieved that I'm not going to see him ever again since I'm done working with him," Blair said in conclusion.
"But what if you've got to work in another project together?" Serena asked.
"If ever that happens, I'm not gonna accept no matter how big the project is unless of course, they replace him with a more competent professional who doesn't poke his nose to other people's business." She said firmly. "But anyways, I forgot to ask Nate but uhm, is he babysitting for you guys tomorrow?"
"No uhm, we've got it covered but thanks." Serena didn't want to tell her about Jenny coming back for the weekend. "So... did you call Chuck yet?"
Blair suddenly remembered her conversation with Chuck. "Yes. It's actually funny how they met. Who knows? She might actually turn out to be his soul mate?
"He didn't really have any idea who she is from the start. You know, I'm kind of curious how their dinner went."
"Dinner?! So is it like possible that he was on a date when I called him earlier?"
"Maybe," Serena answered. "I really don't know."
"But he seemed alone when I called so anyways, I've to go. I'm a bit tired and I need rest." With that, she hung up and closed her eyes, trying not to think about her ex and just rest.
"This isn't the way to the apartment. Turn left," Alexis demanded Marcus, after noticing that he took a wrong turn. When he didn't oblige to her orders, she shrieked, "Where are you taking me?" He ignored her demands and when she asked for him to stop the car; he took a mask from the compartment and put it over her nose and mouth in one swift and aggressive movement. She tried to fight back but he overpowered her. She was too exhausted to retaliate and within only three seconds, she had lost consciousness.
Chuck Bass went back immediately to his suite and dialed Alex's number. It was ringing incessantly since she didn't pick up her phone to respond. He left a voicemail, begging her to call him back because he's worried and he really wanted to apologize for what had happened. He knew Alex was mad but he had a feeling that something was wrong.
Her phone had been ringing nonstop and when Marcus was able to retrieve it from her purse; he threw it immediately out of the window and then covered her lying body with his coat.
It was six in the morning when Chuck had finally fallen asleep and when he woke up, he glanced at the phone on his hand at once. It was already ten in the morning and he did not have any new messages or missed calls. He calls Alex again; her phone didn't ring this time. The number you dialed is out of coverage area. Please try to call again later, the recorded message said. Something was terribly wrong, he was now sure.
Alex woke up with a throbbing headache. She looked down at her now fully dressed self but she was more shocked to see that she was on a plane ride to no one knows where. She wanted to yell but couldn't because she felt her mouth too dry. She heard someone approach her from behind and was frightened to see…