Serena quickly put mascara and blush on. She'd woken up that day and felt a longing, like she'd never felt before. She may have been scared to admit it before but she was completely in love with Nate. She wasn't sure how to tell him, after everything, that she felt incomplete without him. He'd told her he loved her plenty of times and she could never say it back but she was a child then and now she was ready.
She pulled her phone out and sent Nate a quick text. "Wanna go on an adventure?"
Nate smiled when he got Serena's text. It was the night before Christmas Eve and the catering company was shuffling in and out to prepare for the big feast. His mother wouldn't notice if he slipped away. He waited a few minutes before replying, "What do you have in mind?"
Serena responded immediately. "Meet me on 47th and 5th.10 pm. Wear black. Flashlight strongly recommended."
Nate laughed and checked the time. It was 9:15. He ran upstairs and changed into black jeans, shoes, and jacket. He pulled on gloved and a scarf and spent the next 15 minutes looking for a flashlight. After he found one he told his driver to step on it.
Serena smiled when she saw Nate walking over to her. "You're late."
"By 3 minutes. That doesn't count."
She smiled and signaled him over. They walked down the block and came up behind a big building, she hoped he wouldn't recognize it just yet. "We're going in there."
Nate looked around. He didn't see anything but a bunch of dark buildings. "In where?"
Serena jumped over the tall fence and hoisted herself up and over it. Nate gave her an amused look. "Wow. You weren't kidding about the adventure." He secured his flashlight on his waist and then hopped over the fence. "Where is this place?"
Serena shushed him and then signaled him to follow. They walked through the dark yard until they finally reached the building. She pointed to a window a few feet above them. "Up there. It's unlocked. Here help me move this trashcan."
Nate helped her push the trashcan under the window and then hopped on it and through the window. He lit the path for Serena to do the same. They were in a big hallway. And despite the fact that it was pitch black, he knew where they were instantly. "Dalton Academy? I recognize that Elmer's glue smell anywhere."
Serena nodded. "Yup. This is where we met." She walked down the hall and stopped suddenly when she got to their classroom. "Classroom 18. Mrs. Figgers."
Nate laughed. "Yeah that's it." He turned the doorknob. "It's locked."
Serena stepped in front of him and pulled two bobby pins from her hair. The building was hundreds of years old. She heard a click and the door opened. "It's amazing what you can learn on YouTube."
Nate laughed and closed the door behind them and lit up the room with his flashlight. "It's exactly the same! Look here are the gold star stickers we'd get if we were good. Chuck never got any." He sat on one of the chairs. "Were these always this tiny?"
Serena smiled at him. "I guess so. Oh look, they made Christmas ornaments."
"And Hanukkah! How culturally aware." He smiled at her. "What made you think to come here?"
"Natie, we've been through so much. This is where it all started. Patricia Graham had just poured glue in my hair so Chuck tripped her at recess, Blair pulled her hair, and you took me to the water fountain and helped me wash it off. We've been inseparable ever since."
Nate laughed. "I remember that! Oh, man. Chuck got a time-out and had to sit in the corner and wear donkey ears for the rest of the week. Hey, do they still have those? That can be our Christmas present to him."
Serena nodded excitedly and walked over to the corner to look for them. "Here they are! He's going to love them."
"I can't believe this was 12 years ago." He got up and walked around the room.
"Nate, I know this is probably too late. And I've screwed up so many times." She wasn't sure how to say it; she'd never really said the "L" word to anyone before. "I'm in love with you."
Nate turned to her suddenly. He didn't expect that at all. "What?"
"I just thought you should know how I feel."
Nate was silent for a while. "That's a lot to take in. You've never said that to me before…I just need some time to think, okay?"
Serena nodded. "Okay."
"And Serena?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."
…
Blair's mouth dropped. "She said what!"
Nate took a sip of his coffee. "Yup."
"And then you swept her off her feet and had hot hot sex, right?"
Nate shook his head. "I told her I needed to think about everything. But I told her I loved her too. I panicked."
"You're an idiot. Speak of the devil."
Nate turned to see Serena entering the room, looking gorgeous in a gold strapless dress. It was the annual Christmas Eve ball, and a few close friends would have dinner at his house. He walked over and held his arm out to her then led her over to Blair. Blair gave Serena a quick hug and then spotted Chuck. "Be right back."
Serena looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with Nate. She was sure she'd melt if she stared into his blue eyes for too long.
Nate gave her a soft elbow. "I'm gonna go get some air. Wanna come?"
Serena nodded and followed him out of the ballroom and into the deserted entrance hall. "We only have a couple more hours of this. I'm starving already."
"Me too." He fished a box out of his pocket. "Merry Christmas, Serena."
Serena smiled him and took the box he held out. She opened it to find a sparkling bracelet. Nate took it out of the box and placed it on her hand. "Perfect fit."
Serena nodded and wrapped her arms around him. Nate closed her eyes and let their bodies mold against each other. They fit together so naturally. Her nose nuzzled softly on the base of his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to his as possible. He pressed his lips against her ear. "I love you," he said so softly that Serena barely heard it but she did and this time she wasn't going to run away from him. She kept her hold on him. "I love you too."
They both pulled away and he reached for her wrist and turned the bracelet over. Engraved on the inside was: S + N
Serena smiled at him and he placed a hand on her chin and pulled her lips to his. He gave her a soft kiss and then intertwined his fingers with hers. Serena bit her bottom lip and felt herself turn pink, she loved when he looked at her like she was the most important person in the world. "Let's go back in."
Nate felt the heads turning when he walked back into the ballroom hand in hand with Serena. He wanted everyone to know that she belonged to him. He dropped Serena's hand and bowed dramatically. "May I have this dance, mademoiselle?"
Serena laughed. It was exactly how they used to joke around as kids. She gave him a curtsy. "Of course, monsieur. " Nate took her hand and spun her around fast. Serena giggled and steadied herself on his arm. She could dance all night.
…