AN: thanks so much for the reviews! Not sure why this chapter took so long- think I was having a little bit of writer's block….anyway, thanks again! Hope you enjoy!
Chuck felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched Lita and Blair make their way down the stairs. The two girls were holding onto each other laughing hysterically at something only they understood. Both were oblivious to the fact that all eyes were on them. The younger people in attendance at the party were all trying to look unaffected by these girls but the girls were starring in jealousy and longing at their perfect designer dresses while the boys were also starring longingly, but for a very different reason. Chuck felt a burst of pride watching Lita descend the stairs.
"You're practically drooling." Nate nudged his friend, breaking the spell.
"I can't help it." Chuck smirked. It was at that exact moment that Lita spotted him amongst the crowd; the flush in her cheeks made Chuck's grin widen. "That girl is going to be the death of me."
"Will it be worth it?"Nate asked as the two young men walked towards the stairs.
"It will be a glorious death." Chuck's eyes never left Lita's.
"You two are looking handsome." Blair told them approvingly. Nate was dressed in a dark navy Ralph Lauren suit while Chuck, as per usual, was dressed in a more colorful Polo Suit.
"You look amazing." Nate wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned down to give Blair a chaste kiss on the lips.
Chuck reached for Lita and held her against his side, kissing her cheek. To the objective bystander, it could have been the gesture of a good friend- but it was so much more than that. "You look incredible." He told her softly.
Lita beamed up at him, relieved that things weren't too awkward. Although, Blair and Nate were looking at them with curiosity etched all over their faces. "Thanks, you too."
They were interrupted almost immediately by the appearance of Kati and Isobel, who were dressed in coordinated cocktail dresses. "Have you heard?"
"Heard what?" Blair asked, annoyed with the interruption.
"Serena's back." Isobel announced. She held up her blackberry and showed the latest post on Gossipgirl.
"Serena's back??" Nate was the first to speak. His friends stared at him in polite disbelief- not because of his question but rather because of his tone. The way he said her name, everyone almost felt embarrassed on Blair's behalf. "That's fantastic."
Lita, noticing Blair's horrified expression, decided to intervene. "You can't believe everything that Gossip Girl posts."
"She was spotted getting off a train at Grand Central. There's a picture and everything." Isobel showed them the picture of Serena looking slightly dazed in the center of Grand Central. Nate seemed to have realized Blair's discomfort and was now shifting uncomfortably next to her.
"Well, I suppose things were starting to be a little bit boring." Chuck tried to joke but Blair only glared in response.
"Can you excuse me and Nate…?" Just as quickly as she had offered up a glare, Blair plastered a smile onto her face. "I have something, I want to show him."
"Sure." Kati and Isobel disappeared, no doubt trying to find someone who wanted to talk about Serena's return. Nate was soon dragged away by Blair and finally Chuck and Lita were left alone.
Lita exhaled deeply once her friends had disappeared. "You should talk to Nate about his little problem."
"What problem?" Chuck's arm was still around her waist and he guided her through the crowd of people, toward a more secluded area.
"The fact that he gets hard at the mere mention of Serena's name." Lita accepted two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.
"God, you're crass."Chuck laughed. While Blair was always prim and proper he loved that Lita had always been a smartass- perfectly sweet and polite- but a smartass none the less. "Nate's always been transparent, I thought girls loved that."
"Generally speaking, Chuck, girls don't love it when their boyfriends harbor secret infatuations with their best friends." Lita sipped her champagne. "I thought you were supposed to be an expert on women."
Chuck smiled slyly at her. "Not all women, just one."
Lita rolled her eyes but her cheeks warmed. "Is that so?"
"It is." Chuck glanced around, noting that people were starting to move towards the dining room. "Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck away?"
"I think my mother would murder us both…and Blair if she and Nate ever find their way out of her bedroom." Lita wondered what the seating chart looked like for the evening. Last year she'd been stuck in between Kati and Isobel and she'd nearly died of exasperation. Eleanor probably assumed she was still feuding with Chuck and had them seated at separate ends of the table.
"You're probably right."Chuck was anxious to have some time alone with Lita. He wanted to talk to her before school started in the morning. He was going to have to settle for doing it at the Waldorf dinner. "I've been thinking about Brazil and um, I don't know exactly what you think, and um, I know I'm not known for being-"
"Oh my God." Lita interrupted Chuck and grabbed onto his arm. "I can't believe it!"
"What?" Chuck turned around just in time to see Serena in the main hallway.
"Serena!" Lita shouted her friend's name and the blond started towards her immediately. She turned to Chuck suddenly. "Come over after dinner okay? We'll talk." She asked with a smile.
"Sure." Chuck nodded. Lita surprised them both by leaning up and giving him a sweet but quick kiss on the lips.
It was Serena's first sign that things had changed while she was gone but it wasn't going to be the last.
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