Action time! I'm going to thank you all for reviewing once more, just because it's really warming my heart :) Enjoy this one and don't forget to review! (And I apologize about my grammar, which still suck :P)
Suddenly I See
Nate was late for the lunch date with Blair at W. He couldn't sleep all night, every time he tried, a picture of Dan nodding popped right into his head and bothered the hell out of him with no significant reason. He decided that a jogging session might help him be tired and get some sleep. He ran through Central Park, trying not to think about anything Dan or Blair related. He failed miserably when he passed by the duck pond, Blair's favorite place in the whole park, the same place he chose to kiss her at when they got back together for what it looked like the last time. He stopped near the pond and stared at the freezing water. Panting heavily, he picked up a tiny rock and tossed it forcefully as hard as he could. The rock didn't even bounce once.
He hissed a curse and started running away from that place. He wasn't planning a reunion with that duck pond anytime soon. He got back home half an hour later, and found Chuck escorting Raina out for the fifth time this week. He stared at his buddy and sighed.
"What?" Chuck asked while picking up the pool stick. He aimed to no where in particular, he seemed distracted.
"What would you do if you found out Blair is in a serious relationship?" Nate blurted out after a moment.
Chuck didn't seem to respond to his question, he just stared at the pool stick. He finally looked up at Nate and frowned in confusion.
"Where is this question coming from?" he asked and eyed Nate with suspicion.
"No where. I mean, would you flip and get jealous or would you give them your blessing?" Nate asked with curiosity.
"Assuming Blair won't end up with a worm like Carter Baizen or a hobo, and she's in the hands of a good guy, I guess my blessing will be given", Chuck shrugged. Nate's eyebrows rose in surprise. Even Chuck would give her his blessing, he doesn't even care anymore. In that moment, Nate realized that it's not the fact that Blair might date Dan; it's the fact she might date anyone. Dan just made the whole thing worse. He was officially jealous. But he won't stand in her, or their way of happiness. He gets to act like her boyfriend for a day, which will be enough; it might be something he needs to get out of his system.
He fell onto his bed with zero energy, and placed his headphones on; he might as well listen to some music to pass the time if he wasn't going to fall asleep. He did fall asleep eventually, and now he was late for their lunch date.
He took a quick shower and picked a shirt, which again, wasn't plaid.
He practically ran over to the Chinese restaurant because he couldn't think of any alternate food she might like. That was the cost of them not talking for a while, he felt like he barely knew her anymore.
"Where were you?", she asked, obviously mad, when he finally showed up at the W building, panting and holding out the food bag as an excuse.
"Please, they own the fastest take out service in town. You totally overslept", she glared at him and snatched the bag out of his hand. He chuckled and followed her, at least she still knew him very well.
"Okay, we're going to the dining hall. We'll sit close to Epperly. When we're crossing that door, you're becoming my boyfriend until she's gone, you understand?" she asked enthusiastically.
He sent her a wide smile. "With pleasure, ma'am".
"Good. Follow my lead Archibald, don't mess this up", she said while turning on her heel on her way to the dining hall.
There were at least two hundred people in that dinning hall, chatting and eating. It took them a few minutes to track Epperly down. Lucky for them, she was sitting alone.
Blair grabbed Nate's hand and intertwined her fingers with his while pacing slowly towards Epperly, giving her a chance to take a glimpse of them. She did, and even invited them over by signaling with her hand. Blair smiled to herself satisfied, things were going well.
"Hi there", Epperly greeted them, smiling. It was probably the first time Epperly ever smiled to Blair in two weeks. She squeezed Nate's hand, approving him to talk.
"Hey, I brought Blair some lunch, I'm sure she'd share. Do you like Chinese?" Nate winked and gave Epperly his charming smile. No one could resist that smile, except for Blair, who learnt over the years that he used that smile whenever he needed something, so she was basically immune. Epperly fell for it though, because he noticed her face turned pink for a moment.
"Nate is it?" she asked him. He nodded and smiled at her again. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs, caused by Blair's tiny elbow. He took a bite of his bottom lip and turned his head over to her. She wore that creepy smile again.
"Honey…" she wrapped her arms around his neck and pretended to lean in to kiss him, but her mouth aimed to his left ear.
"Stop flirting you idiot, you're supposed to be my boyfriend", she whispered quietly and gave him a quick peck on the lips, which was way too long to be actually quick, before releasing him from her hold. Nate couldn't see straight, and he didn't understand a word she said earlier when her lips touched his. He was anywhere but the dining hall at the W building. Blair just stared at him, not revealing any emotion.
Epperly coughed a couple of times, causing them to break their stare.
"So what's in the bag?" Her question snapped Nate back to reality.
"Some eggrolls, fried rice and chicken…" he answered quietly, still not completely concentrated in the conversation. Blair didn't say a word either; she just stared at Epperly digging into the bag.
"Do you guys mind if I take this? My lunch break is always shorter than everyone else's", she said while getting up and grabbing the whole bag of food.
"Sure", Blair raised an eyebrow at the situation, but Epperly didn't hear her, she was already gone. Nate and Blair stared at each other for another moment before bursting in laughter. They laughed for two whole minutes, struggling to breathe in the process.
"Bitch took our lunch", Blair finally said when she calmed down.
"She did. Didn't she?" Nate sighed in disappointment. Blair chuckled and touched her stomach, which growled by now.
"Speaking of the devil, she's coming back", Nate announced quickly before capturing Blair's face in his palms. He pressed his nose to hers and waited.
"What are you doing?" she whispered to him.
"Pretending to kiss you until she's gone", he whispered back and tightened his hold on her face. A moment later, Epperly left the room while yelling on her cell phone.
"Is she still here?" Blair asked him. He slightly nodded. He lied to her and enjoyed every second of it, because it meant he was able to hold her close to him like that, dangerously close to her lips.
"She's coming in our direction", he warned her when he felt bold enough to actually kiss her for real this time. She nodded and he gently pressed his lips over hers. She must have been a great actress, or at least he thought so, because she gave in into the kiss pretty quickly, moving her lips along with his in a slow rhythm. Her kisses became more urgent and eager and she parted her lips, allowing him to insert his tongue. There he was, kissing Blair Waldorf for the second time today, and he cherished every moment until she pulled away breathlessly, her eyes wide with surprise and her lips swollen.
"Where is she?" she asked him, refusing to look at him.
"Gone, I guess", he answered and stared at her pink full lips. He wanted to kiss her again so badly.
Blair snapped out of her fake ashamed behavior and looked at him, shrugging and giving him that my-scheme-totally-worked smile he hated.
"What?" he asked even though he already knew what it was all about.
"Nothing. That was totally convincing, there's no way she didn't see us. The entire room is still looking", she shifted her gaze to the table behind them, where people stared at them and gossiped like it's the air they breath.
"Yeah, that was totally convincing", he admitted. She managed to fool him as well in the process. And Epperly didn't even see a thing.
But he couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her that in the moment her lips touched his, he realized he was still in love with her.