"where are we?" Dylan asked, as they were inside a building. "I'm going to introduce you to some people. Friends of Nate's too" she said. "okay, but I'm a little freaked out by this" Dylan laughed. Serena opened knocked on the door. "coming" someone said behind it. Once it opened, a tall dark-haired Dan Humphrey stepped out. "hi Dan" Serena wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "hey there. Uh, who's she?" he looked at Dylan. "oh, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg. Dylan, this is Dan Humphrey" she said, and they shook hands. "Dylan's a friend of Nate's, so I brought her here, since she doesn't know anyone else" Serena said. "Nate, huh?" Dan looked at Dylan. He suddenly knew what kind of girl she was. "yeah. We've been friends since we were five" she laughed. "oh, that's, that's nice" Dan said. "so, is Jenny around?" Serena said. "she is. Come on in, come on in" Dan stepped aside to let them in. "where's your dad?" Serena asked. "he's out. So it's just me and Jenny around here" Dan said. He looked up. "Jenny!" he called out. And Jenny suddenly appeared behind them. "what's up? Oh, hi Serena" Jenny said, as Serena waved at her. "Jenny, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg. Dylan, my sister Jenny. Dylan's uh, a friend of Nate's" Dan said. "hi" Dylan smiled. "hey" Jenny said. "I brought her here, since she just moved back from Paris, and she doesn't really know anyone around here, so, there you go" Serena said. "cool" Jenny said. "hey, nice skirt" Dylan said. "thanks. I made it myself" Jenny twirled around. "anyway, you know, us girls should definitely hang out sometime. I mean, we could have a girl's night out or something" Serena said. "yeah, it's summer anyway, unless you have plans with Nate or something?" Jenny looked at Dylan. "well, Nate's kind of bringing me along on his Hamptons summer with Chuck, but I'm not so sure when we're leaving yet" Dylan said. "that's okay, we're going too!" Serena said. "but having a girl's night out is great! The three of us!" Dylan's eyes suddenly lit up, but then her run-in with Chuck came into her mind. "oh my, I just remembered, Chuck" Dylan said. They all looked at her. "Chuck?" Dan's brow was raised. "yeah, I uh, ran, or actually saw him in Bendel's earlier" Dylan said. "what? he asked you out or something?" Dan asked. "well, kind of. Yeah" Dylan nodded. "ah yes. I knew it" Dan said, nodding like he was expecting it. Serena stared at Dylan, befuddled. "he did?" she asked.
That afternoon, Dylan and Serena arrived at the house. "you know Nate might flip out when he hears about this. It's a little too fast, but then again, he was always straightforward" Serena said, as they entered the guest room, where Dylan was sleeping in. "why? oh yeah. He told me all about that thing that happened, last year, with Blair" Dylan sat down on the bed. "but we're not even anything anyway. Nate and I are just friends. We always have been. Our relationship never went beyond platonic" Dylan shrugged, standing up and looking at herself in the mirror. "oh my. And to think, he's now my step-brother" Serena said. "step-brother?" Dylan asked. "yeah. His dad, married my mom" Serena said with a sigh. "oh, that makes sense to why you act like that" Dylan said. "well, what did you say?" She asked Dylan. "it's not really asking per se, it was more of assuming. But I didn't say yes" Dylan said. "but you didn't say no either" Serena said as well. "but he also said he was going to pick me up at 7:30 tonight" Dylan said. "this was what I was afraid of" Serena rubbed her temples. "why? I think I've been informed of how Chuck Bass is. I think I can take him. I'll be alright" Dylan sat down in front of the boudoir. "where is he taking you?" Serena asked her. "that small Italian restaurant in Park Avenue" Dylan replied. Seeing Serena's reactions to what she said made her a little nervous all of a sudden. But then again, she knew Chuck Bass was a womanizer. "I'll try to talk to him tonight about this" she said. "why are you hopped up about this? You make it sound like a bad thing" Dylan asked. "Chuck is well… a pig" Serena finished. "he sleeps with so many girls. This is probably bad because you're Nate's friend, and you guys both go way back. I wouldn't really want to witness what happened last year, again" Serena said. "hey, even if I just met you, I just have to tell you not to worry about me. I think I know what I'm getting myself into here" Dylan assured. "this one kind of worries me, even though I'm not supposed to. You're probably jet-lagged by now" Serena said. "yeah, I am. But first, I need help looking for what to wear" Dylan laughed, going to her bags. "haven't unpacked yet, huh?" Serena said, looking at the suitcases by the door. "not yet. I was hoping I would today, tonight even" Dylan opened one suitcase.
Nate appeared at the doorway of Dylan's room that night. "hey, you're all dressed up" he said, looking at the black dress she was wearing. "yeah. I'm going somewhere tonight" Dylan smiled, as she put on her earrings. "alone? Or with someone?" he asked her. Dylan turned to face him. "I'm going with Chuck" she said. "what?" Nate's eyes widened in surprise. "we met, or actually saw each other at Bendel's earlier. I didn't really say anything. He just kind of assumed. But I don't like him or anything" Dylan said. Nate stayed quiet. "oh, oh, okay. Looks like it's just me tonight" he said, his lips curving into a smile. "I'm sure I'll be back later tonight" Dylan laughed. "hey, I met Dan and Jenny earlier" Dylan said. "Dan Humphrey? Jenny Humphrey? Wow, you make friends that fast too" Nate said. "yeah. Serena pulled me" Dylan laughed again. They suddenly heard the limo park up their house. "that would probably be Chuck" Nate looked at his watch. It was exactly 7:30. "oh, right on time too" he said, impressed. "you make it sound like it's the first time he came on time" Dylan said. "Serena probably told you more about him" Nate said. "I'll open the door, then" Nate said, leaving the room. Dylan watched him leave, then took a deep breath, and put on some makeup. She was already wondering if what she was doing was fine. 'it's fine. You can go through this, Dylan. He's a guy that sleeps with so many girls, you shouldn't be surprised when you find out that he's already seeing someone else' she thought, while putting on more makeup.
Nate opened the door. The limo was parked there, it's windows shut, the sunroof was closed as well. And the sounds he could hear were of the traffic jams at the other side, and the cars honking one after the other. The door suddenly opened, and Chuck came out, dressed in a suit, about to knock. "hey Nate" he said, standing out there. "hey Chuck. Come in" Nate said. "is she ready?" he sat down on the chair. "she's coming down" Nate leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. "so, where do you plan on taking her?" Nate asked him. "that little Italian restaurant in Park Avenue. Someplace quiet, so we can get to know each other. Then down to my Burlesque club for some drinks, who knows what might happen" Chuck grinned, visualizing Dylan in her lingerie. It seemed to make Nate twitch a bit, knowing how Chuck was like on dates. "relax. Serena and I talked about it" Chuck noticed Nate's expression. The grin on his face grew wider, once he saw Dylan appear, all dressed and made up. Nate was in awe of her as well. "hello Chuck" she said. "hello" Chuck said, then opened the door. "I'll see you later" Dylan patted Nate on the shoulder. "okay" Nate just said. They walked out into the sidewalk, Chuck holding the limo door open for Dylan to get in. "Park Avenue. That Italian restaurant please" Chuck said to the driver, upon closing the door, and they were on their way.
Nate watched the limo leave with a nonplussed expression on his face. He hoped he would spend time with the friend that he hasn't seen in 12 years. He closed the door, and leaned against it. He felt a slight envy for Chuck and Dylan. He wasn't seeing anybody, and Dylan could be, after this one thing of theirs. His phone suddenly rang, breaking his contemplative mood. "hello?" he said. "Nate, it's me" Dylan was on the line, obviously calling from the limo. "listen, I'm sorry I kind of ditched you today. I wanted to spend time with you too since I just arrived, you know" Dylan said. "it's fine, it's fine. Chuck asked you first, so it's alright. He's my friend too" Nate said, standing up straight. "tell you what, after this thing, I'm all yours" Dylan chuckled. Nate smiled. "okay, okay, at least I have your undivided attention right?" Nate chuckled. "okay, it's a deal then. I'm glad I told you. See you later" and they both hung up. Nate smiled to himself again, he put his phone back in his pocket, then climbed up the stairs.
"so, Dylan," Chuck said as they sat down. "what brings you back here?" he asked, observing her. "I moved back here, just because I wanted to. I was hoping I could apply at Yale as well, but I got in Princeton, so, that's the obvious choice" Dylan said, sipping her martini. "beauty and brains. I like that in a woman" Chuck stared at her. "I just wanted us to get to know each other. I know what happened between you, Nate, and Blair" Dylan said. "that's the past. We've put it all behind us. Why? You'd think I'd end up falling for you? That's a bit presumptuous" Chuck said. "and you thinking the same way about me isn't?" Dylan answered. "actually, I was thinking about it. I think by the end of the summer, you'd be all over me" he grinned. "really? first impressions are true after all" Dylan said, leaning forward. "and your concern for Nate doesn't have anything to do with this?" Chuck asked. "Nate's my friend. If he finds out you're trying to play your little mind games with me, he's going to flip out" Dylan said. "is that so? I beg to differ. Nate can do whatever he wants. With my advice of course" Chuck replied. They stared at each other for a moment. There was silence between them. "you might want to get that" Chuck said, noticing that Dylan's phone was ringing. "hello?" she answered it. "Nate, hi" she said, emphasizing his name in front of Chuck. "yeah, I'm still with Chuck. Are you alone in there? the background seems so quiet" Dylan asked, her eyebrow raised. "kind of. Yeah. I mean, I just saw some of our old pictures when we were kids" Nate said, with a photo in his hand. "alright, talk to you later" Dylan put her phone in her purse.
Serena and Dan were walking along the sidewalk, the streetlights suddenly made it feel romantic. There weren't many cars around, so it was somehow quiet. "did you talk to Chuck about him and Dylan?" Dan asked. "yeah. I just asked him to go easy on her, you know. Jet-lagged, and Nate's friend going on a thing with Chuck Bass, it might not go that smoothly" Serena said, as they walked on. "you know, if this were up to me, I'd rather have her go out with Nate, as brotherly as this seems" Dan said. "what? Dylan and Nate? You just met Dylan, I just met Dylan, it's a little out there. But then again, when has everything not been out there" Serena said. "well, she seems like a free spirit. I can tell from the way she walks, she talks, and dresses, I might add" Dan said. "okay, okay, I get it. But you're in need of guy friends" Serena seemed disturbed by the idea. "are you kidding? I have guy friends" Dan said. "ahem, ahem, I beg to differ" Serena said. "alright, alright, enough about Dylan, and Nate, and Chuck, let's go, I'll take you home" Dan said, pulling Serena to cross the street.
From an uncomfortable and heated argument between Dylan and Chuck, the rest of the night went surprisingly smooth. Chuck took her to the Burlesque club, and from there, they had a couple of martini's. "it's a little bit funny, how you and Nate still seem awfully close having been apart for 12 years" he said, while drinking. The loud music didn't seem to help them both. "he's like the brother I've never had. I always saw him that way. So, tell me, Mr. Bass, where do you think, this going out is leading?" she asked, giving him a look, countering the one he just gave her. "it depends. But there wouldn't be any thrill when you and I both know, right?" he said. "may I remind you that we aren't on a date?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. "my apologies, Dylan" he said. "why don't we start over? Have a clean slate. Keep in mind that I'm doing this for Nate, and Nate alone. He would, of course would want us to get along, just in time for our trip to the Hamptons, right?" Chuck said. "so am I, and you're right. But, when you asked me this, I didn't even say yes" Dylan said. "but you didn't say no either. It's a mutual agreement" Chuck cut her off. Dylan stared at him.