A/N: thanks again to SamQuinnSportyBee for the encouragement. To those who are rooting for DYLANATE or DYLAN-CHUCK, you guys gave me an idea for a poll question. haha. thanks guys. This is Chapter 11. Read and Review again guys :D These are much appreciated :D Oh and by the way, I already made a poll, so you can visit my profile page and vote, kay? thanks a lot :D
Dylan ran towards her building through the rain. She couldn't believe it. Tears were streaming down her face, black from the mascara she wore, even with the heavy rain. She crossed the street, with slight difficulty. She didn't care about getting wet, all she cared about was getting herself in her apartment, and getting to bed. It was a Friday night, and she just wanted to get away from what just happened. She got in the building, and in the elevator. Wiping her face with a handkerchief, she pressed the button. As the elevator doors opened, she found Nate, Serena, Dan, and Marge in the living room. "oh my god, what happened to you?" Serena went to her. "Marge, towels please" Nate said. "you're soaking wet, did something happen to you?" Dan asked. "it's complicated" Dylan just said, blowing her nose with her handkerchief. "come on, Dylan, you have to get into some dry clothes" Marge pulled her up the stairs to her room. Nate, Dan, and Serena exchanged looks with each other. "Chuck" they all said. "Nate, maybe you should look after her. It's getting late, we have to go. We'll see you guys tomorrow" Serena said. "yeah, goodnight, guys" Dan said, coming with Serena to the elevator. "goodnight" Nate said, as the door closed. He looked up the staircase, and heard Dylan crying. 'she's your bestfriend, Nate, you should go up there, and ask her what's wrong' he thought, as he slowly climbed up the stairs. As he was getting closer to Dylan's room, the more he thought about it.
He knocked on the door, and saw Marge, and Dylan, her hair up in a towel. "come in, Nate" Marge said. "Dylan, what's wrong?" he asked. "I'm so stupid" Dylan looked at him, her eyes all puffy and red from crying. "stupid?" he asked. "I'm stupid enough to fall for him. He pushed me away. Like what he did earlier today" she said, sniffing. Nate stayed quiet. Marge stood up and went to him. "I think she needs you right now. Go ahead" Marge told him, as she left the room. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed, and hugged her. "I'm sorry about that" he said. Dylan looked at him. "this is what happens when I expect too much from someone" she said. "no, no. It's his loss, not yours. Come on, he may be Chuck Bass, but he doesn't know the Dylan that I know. He doesn't realize how special you are and I'm just saying this, because you're my best friend" he put an arm around her. "hey, I know what'll cheer you up. How 'bout a movie marathon, just us, and Marge included?" he said, smiling at her. Dylan looked at him, through her puffy eyes and smiled as well. "thanks. I would like that" and she hugged him. While they were there, Nate looked at Dylan. He hugged her tightly. He didn't know if Dylan felt it, but his heart was pounding. "what are you doing?" Dylan said as he let go and stood up. "I'm going to Marge, getting the popcorn and ice cream" he said. "okay, but after you do that, can you just stay here? we can watch here" Dylan said, looking at him. "yeah, sure. Of course" he said, as he left.
He climbed down the stairs, shaking off what he was feeling at that second. This time, he felt he loved her more than ever. But then again, it was like he always has been in love with her, even when they were kids. He was always drawn to her. Every time they were together, he felt butterflies in his stomach. They had fun together, and they had so many things in common. But seeing her cry, it hurt him as well. He saw Marge, on the landing. "Marge" he said. "is she alright?" she asked. "she's going to be fine. I promised her a movie marathon. Can you get us some ice cream, and popcorn?" he said. "sure. You finally realized it then?" she asked him. Nate looked at Marge, his lips forming into a smile. "yeah, I did" he nodded. "but, if I may suggest, give her some time to decompress from this. Before you admit it to her" she said, walking into the kitchen. He climbed back up the stairs and into Dylan's room. "I'm back" he said. "great. Up for Psycho again?" she held up the dvd. "that movie never really ceases to amaze me. Alfred Hitchcock is indeed a good director. And Bernard Herrmann with the soundtrack? It's indeed a classic" Nate said. "wow, you picked up on that pretty fast" Dylan said, blowing her nose with a tissue. "I read the box of that dvd" Nate grinned, then sat down on the floor in front of Dylan. "how are your parents?" she asked. "they're fine. Dad's hiding out, in Dominica, and my mom's still in the Hamptons house" Nate said. "you want to go visit your mom or something?" Dylan asked. "no, I think I've visited her enough since we went there during the summer" Nate shook his head. "and besides, I wouldn't want you to be alone in here" he looked at her. "thanks, Archibald" Dylan smiled, then lay down on her stomach facing him. "not a problem, Von Furstenburg" he laughed. "ice cream and popcorn anyone?" Marge entered with a big tub of popcorn and two big tubs of ice cream. "thanks, Marge" they both said. "Marge, you want to join us in our movie marathon?" Dylan said. Marge looked at them and smiled. "why, of course" she sat down on the chair at the side as Nate popped in the Psycho dvd.
Saturday morning. Marge came to Dylan's room. "wake up, Dylan" she said, moving a big lump under the sheets. "Marge, it's Saturday" Dylan said, sitting up. "it is, but your parents are arriving in a few minutes. And you have to go fetch them from the airport. Max is already downstairs, waiting for you" Marge said. Dylan jumped out of bed at once. "and Nate is already in the limo. He said he's going to come with you. He insisted, but I don't know why" Marge said. Dylan jumped in the shower, and threw on her denim miniskirt, black shirt, and slipped on her dirty black converse, and tied her hair into a messy bun, and got her bag. "Marge, just please prepare breakfast when I get back" Dylan said, rushing down the stairs. "Nate has it. Go, go, go!" Marge pushed her into the elevator. "hi Ted, bye Ted" she said, hurrying out of the elevator and out the building to find Max, her chauffeur, standing by the limo door. "sorry Max. I overslept" she said. "looks like it" Max said, opening the door to find Nate inside already. "hi Nate" she said, fixing herself again. "hi Dylan. Marge gave me your breakfast" he said, handing her the paper bag. "thanks" Dylan said, taking a bite out of her croissant, as they were going to JFK airport. "how are you?" he asked. Dylan wiped her lips with a napkin. "I'm fine. Thanks. That movie marathon made me feel better" Dylan said, smiling at him. "that's good to know" he said. "Nate," she said. "yeah?" he looked at her. "thank you" she said. "no problem" he smiled. "I think my parents have been wanting to see you. They're always talking about how when we were kids and stuff" Dylan laughed at the thought. "well, my parents have been doing the same. These days, my mom reminisces of how life was simpler back then. And she found it cute, actually" he said. "sounds like our parents want us to get together" Dylan laughed at the thought. Nate laughed as well, trying not to react to what she said. The limo suddenly stopped. "we're here" Dylan looked out the window.
They stood by the limo, waiting for her parents to arrive. As they looked on, they saw the doors open, and two people, along with their maid, appeared, with trolleys of luggage. The woman looked at Dylan. "Dylan darling!" she said. "mother" Dylan kissed her mom and dad on the cheek. "dad" she said, stepping back. "ma, dad, you remember Nate, right?" she said. "oh my! Could this be Nathaniel Archibald?! Oh, you've grown into a handsome man. You're no longer the 5-year old I see running around the house after Dylan" Caroline looked at Nate, who exchanged looks with Dylan. "Nathaniel, I see you've grown into a fine man. Like your father, eh?" Dylan's father shook his hand. "thank you, Mr. Von Furstenburg" he said, stepping back to stand beside Dylan. "please, call me Stuart" he said, as Max opened the limo door for them to get in. "ugh, we just came from St. Petersburg, the museum is just a beautiful as in the picture" Caroline said, as the maid, Eva, handed her a glass of champagne. "you should go there sometime, Dylan" she said. "so, Nathaniel, how is the family? I'm sorry about your father by the way" Stuart said. "thanks. It's fine, it's fine" Nate said. "how's your mom?" Caroline asked him. "uh, she's okay. She's staying in our Hamptons house, so, she's covered. I think" he said. "oh, which reminds me, Dylan darling, there is this fundraising gala tomorrow night. Plan to tell me what you'll be wearing?" she asked. Dylan stared at her mother. "uh, is it formal?" she asked. "well of course, dear. The galas we Von Furstenburgs go to are immediately formal" Caroline said, downing the rest of her champagne. "oh, I have a dress already" she nodded. "that's good" Stuart said. "is this the cure for AIDS fundraising gala?" Nate asked. "yes, Nate" Caroline nodded, smiling at him. The limo stopped in front of a townhouse. "this is us then. Bye Dylan dear. Stop by for dinner tonight. Good to see you again, Nathaniel" Caroline said, as she kissed Dylan and Nate on the cheek. "good to see you Nathaniel" Stuart shook his hand after kissing Dylan on the cheek, as they got out of the limo. Once they were gone, the limo was on its way to Dylan's building. "whew" Nate gave a sigh of relief. "they do seem pretty interested in you" Dylan giggled. "you too" Nate said. "they're like that to me. Always spoiling me and everything. Not really my thing, even though I'm like this" Dylan said. "they are something" Nate said. "yeah, they are" Dylan smiled.
The limo dropped them back into the building. "hello Ted" they both said, passing by the concierge. "uh, Ms. Von Furstenburg, Mr. Archibald" Ted stopped them as they were about to press the elevator button. "yes, someone came in earlier, asking for both of you. A Chuck Bass" he said. Dylan's smile faded. "he left these to give to you, Ms. Von Furstenburg" he handed her a small box. "oh, and Mr. Archibald, Mr. Bass said to call him" Ted said. "thanks Ted" Nate said, as he pressed the elevator button, and went inside. "are you going to open it?" he asked. "no. not yet" Dylan shook her head, then looking at the small box in her hand. The door opened to the apartment, and they rushed into the living room. "how are your parents?" Marge said, coming from the kitchen. "they couldn't be more happier. They were glad to see Nate too" Dylan said. "well, your parents were fond of Nate" Marge said. "I know. and it kind of scares me a little. It's like we're 5 again" Nate said, sitting down on the couch. "did my dress arrive?" Dylan asked. "yes it did. It's in our closet. Are the van der Woodsens coming too?" Marge asked. "I think so. Why wouldn't they? But actually they're the Basses now" Dylan said. "ooh, so that explains the squabbling between Serena and Chuck?" Marge said. Dylan gave her a look. "how do you know about that?" "I check Gossip Girl" Marge said. Dylan and Nate exchanged looks with each other and laughed. "wow, suddenly I am aware of this Gossip girl and that everyone's tuning into her" she said, sitting down on the couch as well. "now you know how I feel" Nate said.
"what happened last night?" Serena asked her over lunch out in a café later that day. "let's just say I expected too much of him, and now I feel so stupid" Dylan shook her head, sipping her pink lemonade. "stupid? Dylan, don't do that to yourself" Serena said. "I was stupid enough to actually… fall for him" Dylan continued. "you did?" she said. "yeah. I mean, I didn't know it at first, because I only saw it as sheer loathing or something, you know" Dylan said. "hey, I'm going to the gala tomorrow night with Dan. Mom said I could bring a date" Serena said. "ooh, Dan. Good for you" Dylan said. "you don't have a date?" Serena asked. "no" Dylan shook her head. "why don't you take Nate with you? I think he's invited too. You could be each other's plus ones" Serena suggested. "I don't know with him" Dylan said with uncertainty. "come on, at least you'll be with Nate. Your best friend. It's not like it's romantic or anything" Serena said. "yeah, you're right. I'll talk to him about this gala thing tomorrow night. He was there when my parents talked about it" Dylan said. "there?" Serena asked. "yeah. He came with me to pick up my parents, and then they talk about that, and what I'm going to wear, blah, blah, blah, and there you go" Dylan explained. "come on, this will be a way to get over Chuck" Serena said. "alright, alright, but I need help on my outfit over here" Dylan laughed. "you done? Let's hang out at Dan's" Serena stood up, waiting for Dylan to finish.
"where's Dylan?" Nate came out of his room. "she's having lunch with Serena. Speaking of lunch, here is yours" Marge said, bringing a tray to the living room. "oh, great. Thanks Marge" Nate said. "by the way, your mom said she couldn't make it to the gala tomorrow night, so you have to fill in for her" Marge said. "what? oh, okay" Nate nodded, while eating. "get a tuxedo ready" Marge looked at him. "Marge, I already have one" Nate said. "I know. but this is a special gala. Dylan's going to be there" Marge said. "and that's what makes it so special? Come on, Marge. She's not going to take any notice at me. She's still trying to get over Chuck. I mean her mind's still on him" Nate said. "so? why don't you accompany her to the gala? Serena will be there too. The three of you can hang out. Be each other's plus ones" Marge said. "you're really trying to get us together, aren't you?" Nate said. "of course. You two belong together. It's about time you saw that. It's about time Dylan saw it too" Marge grinned. "but right now, she needs a friend more than ever, after dealing with Chuck" she said. "wait, you're saying that Dylan and I belong together and that we should realize it, then you say that she needs a friend? You've lost me completely" Nate said, confused. "you'll see what I mean" Marge winked at him as she headed into the kitchen. It left Nate with an idea. He looked at his phone. The pictures in it, were of him and Dylan, since she got back from Paris. Her sunny smile, her gray eyes, and long, brown, glossy hair. He was amazed on how long it had been since he last saw her. He looked at Dylan's number, and was about to call. He remembered the day she arrived, he couldn't help but smile. And she was a good friend to him. Always stuck by him whenever he was in trouble. She was more of a friend than Chuck actually. But that didn't matter. The three of them were like a trio. They were inseparable, depending on the situation. Dylan and Nate had to stick together. Even though Dylan hung out with Serena most of the time these days, it was still different. Even Chuck was different. But this situation, Dylan and Chuck dating, then they split up, and then he suddenly feels things for Dylan, it was familiar to what they had with Blair the previous year, he was with Blair, then chuck suddenly falls for her. Familiar, but way different. Chuck was with Dylan, and now he was the one in Chuck's place. The one who wants what he might not really have. But he wasn't going to let it happen. He was going to stop this love triangle from happening.
"ah, I win" Dylan said, after rolling the dice. "no you did not. You still have a space to go before you do" Jenny said. They saw Rufus come in. "hey dad" Dan said, as Jenny hugged him. "hey, kids. Hey Serena" he said, as Serena waved at him. "uh, dad, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg" Dan said, introducing them. "hello" Dylan smiled. "call me Rufus" he said. Dylan just smiled. "dad, Dylan's from Paris, but she's not really French" Jenny said. "ah, you speak the language huh?" he said, with a fake French accent. "dad, not cool" Dan said, cringing. "what? it's worth a try" Rufus chuckled. Dylan just laughed. "so, dad, we're going to go somewhere to eat. Is Eric coming with us?" Dan said to Serena. "yeah. I told him to follow. So, let's go" Serena said, as they all stood up to go out. "have fun, all of you" Rufus said, looking at them. "nice meeting you, Rufus" Dylan said. "you too, Dylan" Rufus said, then closing the door. "so, you feeling better?" Dan asked Dylan. "yeah I am. Kind of. So where are we going today?" Dylan looked at the three of them. "how about an underground club with this really cool unsigned band?" Dan suggested. "wow, that sounds great. I'm game for that" Dylan said. "let's go. Before the good seats are taken" Serena pulled him.
Dylan arrived that night, as Marge was preparing dinner. "the band was so cool" Dylan said, sitting down in front of Nate, and started eating. "oh, Nate, I'm sorry I left. You were asleep, I didn't want to wake you" she said. "no, no, it's not your fault. I should've told you that I wanted to have lunch with you and Serena today" Nate said, shaking his head, then smiling at her. Dylan smiled back. His smile was very assuring. It made her feel comfortable. "oh, okay." She nodded. "so, the gala's tomorrow night, right? I just found out that my mom couldn't make it" he said. "I'm sorry about that" Dylan said, giving him an apologetic look. "but hey, I have a suggestion. Why don't we go together?" he asked. Dylan looked at him. "you sure? I thought you were going to bring a date or something" she said. "I'm not. But are you going to bring a date?" he asked. "because I can find a date if you already have a date" he added. "no, no, I'm not. Actually I'm steering clear of that word. It's been kind of rough on me, but I think I'll be fine" Dylan nodded. "so, you want to go together? Think about it, we already live together anyway, and people are going to expect us to go together in this gala" Nate said. 'please say yes, please say yes' he thought over and over again as he looked at Dylan. "okay, great. I was actually thinking about it too. I talked about it with Serena. Hey, we can be each other's plus ones!" she said, and Nate gave her a high five. "exactly, right? ah, I knew we were best friends for a reason" Nate said, grinning. "well, great minds do think alike" Dylan held her glass. "cheers" she said. "to great minds, and great friendships" Nate said, laughing.
By the time dinner was done, Dylan saw the box, still on the side table in the living room. "you want to see what's inside now?" Nate asked her. "yeah, I think I do" Dylan nodded. She untied the ribbon on the box, then opened it, taking out the small pieces of paper. She stared at it. She couldn't believe it. Inside was a bracelet. The bracelet with engraved words inside it. It said, "ce n'est pas quotidien rencontre une dame comme vous. Je suis désolé". And there was a tag hanging onto it. "I'm sorry for everything" it said. She straightened herself up again. "what? what happened?" Nate came to her. Dylan gave him the tag. "oh" he just said. Dylan took a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry. Not this time. "so, you game for another movie marathon?" she said, teary-eyed. Nate looked at her apologetically. It wasn't long before she started to cry. She had broken down again. "Dylan" he said, hugging her. It was just like the previous night, wherein he found Dylan by the elevator, soaking wet, and crying. They stayed like that, standing in the middle of the apartment.