Serena ducked awkwardly behind a rack of Gucci sunglasses, her eyes never leaving the trim figure in blue that was daintily exploring through the store. Observing Blair in her natural habitat, Bendel's department store, was a bit like an anthropologist studying a wild and beautiful creature. She bit back a most unladylike snort as she recalled her zoology college course. She felt rather like Diane Fosse on the trail of the silver back gorilla or in this case the elusive Blair Waldorf. This was Serena's personal Gorillas in the Mist or Waldorf in High-end Retail. Caught for a moment in the horror that was safari khaki she lost control of her bag, freeing several thousand dollars worth of plastic and titanium sunglasses from their enclosures. The quiet hum of the store was broken as the shades skittered across the marble floor like beetles over sand. Flushing with embarrassment she crouched down and scooped up the errant spectacles, shoving them haphazardly back on the rack. Frowning she realized there was one empty space, one pair still missing. Getting down on hands and knees she peered under the display. Nothing. Crawling around on the plush carpet, she ran her eyes over every inch of the floor. She puffed a sigh of relief as she finally located the glasses lying lazily on their side before a narrow navy Jimmy Choo shod and rhythmically tapping foot. She groaned inwardly as her eyes slid from the shoe up over the blue lace tights to the familiar face peering down at her in disdain. This was not happening. She couldn't believe that after three years spent believing Blair was dead; their first meeting was going to occur with her on her knees practically staring up her best friend's skirt. When she pictured their joyous reunion, which she had hourly since seeing Chuck's proof, it never went like this. While there hadn't been a choir of angels or heavenly rays of light, it certainly didn't happen like this.
"Sorry about that," she giggled nervously, palming the glasses. "Naughty things just ran away from me." Rising to her feet she grinned like an idiot as she looked upon her dearest friend for the first time in three years. She studied Blair's face for a glimmer, a twinkle; any hint that maybe she recognized her. There was nothing there other than an expression of bored irritation at having her shopping rudely interrupted. Physically there was no differentiation between old Blair and new Blair or Audrey. The burnt caramel eyes, wavy brunette hair and even the smirking ruby lips were all the same and from what little she had seen so was the personality. It was eerie, yet strangely comfortable at the same time.
Blair appraised her coolly, scanning Serena from her messy blonde curls down to her Mahnolo shoes. Her gaze missed nothing as she calculated the designer's of her clothes, the quality of her makeup and the care she put into her appearance.
"I would really try a pair that detracts instead of highlights that angular shaped chin of yours," Blair said condescendingly, looking down her nose. "Perhaps a larger more aviator type?"
Serena nodded excitedly, the thrill of hearing her best friends voice filtering out the insult. "Of course, why didn't I see that? Maybe you could help me pick out a pair that would work better?"
Blair drew her phone from her Birkin bag, checking the time. "I hate to leave you to the mercies of the sales staff since you obviously need my help, but I'm meeting my fiancé for lunch."
Serena's face fell in disappointment, her eyes misting with tears. "Are you sure you couldn't…"
Blair contemplated Serena in puzzlement. There was something uncanny, familiar about this girl. Normally she would have brushed someone like her off with a sneer and an insult, and left her to suffer the inadequate help from the store staff. Instead, she felt drawn to help her even though it was only over something as silly as sunglasses. Decision made she walked over to the sunglasses rack, frowning at the wreckage the helpless girl had left behind. Really, she was just like one of those big-eyed cutesy child figurines that she abhorred. "This one would compliment your features the best," she said authoritatively, handing over a pair.
Serena gratefully tried them on even though the last thing she needed was another pair. "They're perfect. Thank you so much."
"Not a problem." Her good deed done for the day Blair turned to leave.
"Wait." Serena racked her brain for an excuse, anything to prolong her time with her old friend. After the Blair drought of the last three years she desperately craved her company, even if her friend had no clue who she was. "I'm Serena van der Woodsen," she said, introducing herself and holding out her hand.
Blair stared at her dazed. The name resonated with her, awakening something in her like a plant greeting the morning sun. She grasped the proffered hand with her fingertips. "Audrey Hawthorne."
"Let me buy you lunch?" Serena asked, needing time. She could tell she was affecting Blair by the stiffening of the brunettes shoulders and the fleeting look of uncertainty that crossed her face. "It is the least I can do after all your help. Without you I would be wandering around town with bad sunglasses and an exaggerated chin," she said, smiling merrily.
"It really isn't that noticeable," Blair conceded, considering the offer. She was torn. Part of her wanted nothing more than to continue her interlude with this stranger. The other part, the cautious part, warned her that she was playing with something dangerous. Ultimately, her desire for companionship and her fascination with the blonde Amazon easily beat out lunch with her fiancé.
"I guess I could cancel with Jack," she murmured, taking a risk. She knew Jack would disapprove. He had become even more protective and clingy since she had come to live in New York.
Excited, forgetting herself, Serena grabbed Blair and joyfully forced her into an impromptu hug. Serena sighed happily; Blair felt just the same as she remembered only painfully thinner.
Blair tightened in alarm, her breath hissing from her lips in surprise at how normal and fitting it felt to hug a complete stranger. Realizing her mistake Serena quickly dropped her arms, taking a step back. "Sorry, I'm just so excited to take you to lunch," she chuckled sheepishly.
Blair stared at her blankly, "You must not get out much."
"Not lately," Serena laughed, relieved she hadn't scared Blair off. "There is a great sushi place just down a few buildings down called Osaka. Would that be okay?" She hoped the choice of restaurant would further jog Blair's memory. Osaka had been their lunch place of choice after mornings spent browsing the shopping racks.
"Sure, sushi's perfect."
"Great, let me just pay for these shades."
"I'll be here. Let me just text my fiancé and let him know I won't be joining him for lunch."
"Great," Serena said happily, heading to the counter.
Blair quickly texted Jack, unsure of his reaction to her impromptu lunch, she carefully avoided the truth. Instead she wrote she was still in the middle of trying on clothes and would eat lunch later. She reassured herself that she could always tell him later when she got back to the hotel.
Within minutes, Serena had returned having rushed the purchase process. She was afraid that if given time to think Blair would change her mind. Her hand tightened around the ribbon handle of her shopping bag as she resisted the urge to crush her friend in another embrace.
Speaking of every inanity under the sun from the weather to the traffic to the garish new spring colors they made their way to Osaka. Serena was disappointed to note that while Blair hesitated before entering the restaurant, there was nothing in her expression to suggest that she had ever eaten there before. Serena was a familiar customer, well known for her generous tips, so they were quickly seated in a discrete corner far from the crowds. It wasn't until they had ordered that she took the first steps to untangle the knot, the enigma that was Audrey Hawthorne. Cunningly she put into practice the first lesson she had learned at the side of a queen; know your victim.
"Tell me about yourself, Audrey," she asked with great interest, a smile of spreading across her face. For once there was no need to fake the pleasantries usually reserved for new acquaintances.
"There isn't actually much to tell," Blair said evasively, looking down at her place setting.
Serena was not to be deterred. "Where do you live? Did you grow up here?"
"I'm from Conneticut originally, but I'm moving here permanently to be with my fiancé." Blair shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"You'll love it here. I can't imagine living anywhere else, but the Upper East Side."
"That's where we're looking to purchase. Right now were living out of a hotel. It just isn't the same as a home."
"You're so right." Serena nodded sagely. "Setting down roots is very important. Have you looked at any places yet?"
"No," Blair sighed. "Jack, my fiancé, is so busy with work all the time that house hunting never quite seems to fit into his schedule. I really need to put my foot down. I just hate living at The Carlyle. I'm not quite sure why, but it feels so wrong.
"Have you thought about looking yourself? Most men couldn't care less about where they live."
"I've suggested it, but he's so over-protective. It took forever to convince him to let me go shopping today. This is the first time I've been anywhere without him since I got here. He's so worried I might get taken advantage of, but if I'm going to live in the Upper East Side I need to familiarize myself with the area. You can only learn so much from guidebooks and the Internet," Blair said wryly.
Now it was Serena's turn to fiddle with the table, straightening her silverware and placing it in perpendicular angles. "Jack doesn't…I mean things are okay with him? It sounds like he might be a little controlling."
Blair flushed, color blossoming against the pale ivory of her cheeks. "It isn't like that. Besides, even if it was it would be no business of yours," she said hotly.
"I'm so sorry…Audrey." Her tongue stumbled over the name. "I never meant to imply anything. It's just you're new in town and I was trying to be helpful. I know we've just met, but I wouldn't want to see you hurt." The words were said with such honest sincerity that even Blair couldn't hold them against her.
"Thank you for your concern, but even though it drives me crazy Jack has good reason to be overly invested," she said wistfully, her face haunted. She lived a lonely existence, not by choice, but rather by necessity. She wanted more than anything to unburden herself, to confide in one of the only people she had ever met who so easily put her at ease, made her feel at home.
Serena knew her friend well enough to guess the turmoil that lay hidden behind her perfect façade. "I know you don't know anyone here in New York, Audrey. Let me be your first friend," she said holding out her small hand. She felt not the slightest prick of guilt at her cunning move as the scales were tipped in her favor.
"You must be hard up for friends if you've resorted to trolling Bendels' for them" Her contemptuous tone belied the hope and relief shadowed in her eyes that only Serena, who knew Blair so well, could see. Blair exhaled slowly, bravely steadying herself. "I was in a car accident a few years ago and I hit my head. It caused some kind of brain injury and it affected my long-term memory. I sometimes have these weird flashbacks and delusions and Jack is the only one who knows how to help me work through them. I know this all sounds like something out of a trashy soap opera, but it is very real to me." She waited for the mocking, the pitying condescension she was sure would come. Instead, to her surprise and relief, she was blessed with kindness and honest sympathy.
"Oh Sweetie, I'm so sorry. That must be awful." It took all of Serena's willpower not to cry. She was sure she knew how Jack helped Blair with her so-called delusions. The evidence of his help, or rather his deliberate failure to help, was the insecure scared shell left of a girl she once knew almost as well as she knew herself. The man deserved to die and right now she was thinking a bullet to the brain was a much better answer than Chuck's plans of revenge. "Can you remember anything from before the accident?"
Blair shook her head. "No, it's all a blank. Don't worry about me not remembering you or this conversation. It doesn't
doesn't work like that. It isn't like that horrible movie 50 First Dates," she laughed shakily.
"That's good," Serena said encouragingly. "Are you okay, though? Will you ever get your memories back?"
"I don't know. Sometimes it's like they are on the tip of my tongue, like a person or a song that you know, but just can't place. They are so close I can almost taste them. Other times it feels like I'm another person and they aren't part of who I am anymore." Blair nervously smoothed her hair, patting nonexistent stray curls back in to place. "I can't believe I'm telling you this. I've never talked to anyone but Jack about this before. This urge to share with you is really rather annoying," she said rolling her eyes.
Serena laughed, "I'm so glad. Not about the accident and the whole memory loss thing, but that you feel like you can share with me."
Blair smiled, this time it reached all the way to her eyes.
"Tell me about Jack," Serena asked neutrally. "How did you two meet?"
"I can't really remember due to the memory problem, but he assures me it was quite romantic," Blair said jokingly. "I guess we met at a party, through friends, and he fell in love with me at first sight. Within weeks we were engaged and then there was the accident. I'm finally feeling well enough that we're going to get married next month. You should come," she offered.
"I'll be there." She promised. "What does Jack do that has you moving to New York?
"Well, he used to live in Australia, but since his brother died he's taken over the running of his company. He's the CEO of Bass Industries here in New York. Up until recently I was living in a private hospital, but now that I'm finally well enough I'm moving here," she hesitated. "I don't want you to think he neglected me by living here while I was in the hospital, because he didn't. He managed to come stay with me almost every weekend for the last few years while I was in recovery. "
"How thoughtful," Serena murmured.
"He is quite wonderful," Blair sighed. "He takes such good care of me. I'm certainly not the woman he got engaged to before the accident. Most guys would have left after that, but he has done nothing but try to help me get better."
"What a prince," Serena's internal bullshit filter, stretched to new levels of incredulity, didn't catch the sarcasm before it slipped from her lips. Thankfully, Blair didn't notice.
"He has been perfect. Just like a rescuing prince from a fairy-tale."
Serena couldn't take it any longer, quickly forcing another avenue of conversation. "This must be so hard on your friends and family. How are they handling this?"
"Actually, I don't have much of either. My parents died when I was in my teens so before I met Jack I lived alone and the few friends I had, understandably, stopped being my friends when I couldn't remember who they were."
"How awful! I would never stop being your friend even if you didn't remember me. We would just have to get to know each other all over again. So what do you say? Can we be friends? I should warn you ahead of time,though, I'm the kind of friend that you will never be able to get rid off. Not even memory loss will scare me away," she said half mockingly.
Blair looked at her in astonishment. "You do realize how creepy that sounds."
Serena nodded, laughing, "Kind of."
"After my experiences, the last few years, I suppose I'm not exactly the best judge of creepiness. I accept your weird and oddly sweet offer of friendship. God knows I need someone to shop with."
Serena looked at the waiter in irritation as their vows of friendship were interrupted by the arrival of their lunch. She couldn't help but notice the way Blair picked and played with her food. She allowed only the tiniest morsels of sushi to cross her lips. It looked like Audrey had some of the same issues with food that Blair used to have. Serena pretended not to notice as she rambled on about her life and shared stories of funny events and deeds, blatantly leaving out Blair's roles in them. She hoped that even if they didn't trigger something in her friend now, then maybe later they would gnaw away at her subconscious, becoming familiar and forcing the truth to the surface.
All to soon Blair was finished. She laid her chopsticks across her plate and carefully placed her folded napkin on the table. "If you will excuse me for a moment I need to fix my lipstick."
"Of course," Serena said politely even as her heart sank. She knew all of Blair's code words and signs and this one was the most familiar. Pain ripped away at her heart as she watched Blair make her way to the bathroom. While Blair would always have issues with food she had stopped purging soon after her and Chuck became a couple. While Serena frequently had issues with her stepbrother, she would always be grateful to him for making Blair feel beautiful enough that she could stop her cycle of abuse. It was no wonder Blair was back to old habits. As loving and protective as Jack supposedly was he had to be aware of her eating disorder. She couldn't believe he would deliberately ignore it allowing Blair to waste away, but then again the man was pure evil. It wasn't long before Blair returned, discretely eating a breath mint, her lips a fresh shade of crimson.
Even though Blair was a master when it came to deception, years of friendship gave Serena an advantage. Only she could see the shipwreck sunk underneath the calm, cold and still waters. She could offer no comfort knowing that if Blair knew she knew her secret, she would walk out on their budding friendship in an instant.
Serena searched for the ultimate weapon, the one that would counter, at least temporarily, the pain and guilt of Blair's latest purge. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Audrey Hepburn?" She congratulated herself on her brilliance when she saw the look of awe and pleasure on Blair's face.
"Really? You think I look like Audrey?" Blair asked amazed, her eyes shining like stars. "I know I share her name, but she's also my idol. I have watched every one of her films hundreds of times."
"I adore her. I swear I have spent most my life watching her on the screen." Serena said laughing. She didn't even have to embellish the truth. As Blair's dearest friend they had watched Audrey's movies so many times she could quote entire scenes. "If I could find a real-life place-" Serena started quoting, grinning like a crazy woman.
"That would make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!" Blair answered, smiling with delight. They were caught in a moment, the bonds of sisterhood re-forged once more. Their hearts recognized each other, and proved that years lost, or even permanent memory loss, couldn't destroy true friendship. Blair whipped out her phone adding Serena's name to her address book. "Give me your number," she demanded.
It happened so easily it seemed unreal to Serena. Numbers were exchanged and a day of shopping and lunch was arranged for the next day. Farewells given, Blair slung her purse over her shoulder, gaily waving behind her as she left the restaurant. Serena gathered her bag and purse, drawing all eyes to her, the waiters almost dropping their trays at the radiance of her smile. She glowed, her inner light dimmed since the news of Blair's death had burst into dancing flames. For the first time in years she experienced true happiness.
"I made a friend today," Blair said hesitantly, raising a glass of champagne to her lips.
Jack coughed, almost choking on his bite of steak tartar.
Glaring at him from over the white, starched linen-clothed dining table, Blair motioned for the servant to remove her dinner plate. "Don't act as if it's inconceivable for me to make friends. It's really quite insulting."
Taking a quick drink of scotch, Jack cleared his throat. "It's not that at all. I'm just surprised. You've only been in town for a few days and today is the first day you've ventured out without me. Did you meet someone here or while you were out shopping? You do realize you need to be careful? This city is filled with hanger-on's and shady types who prey on the rich."
"You make it sound like I'm practically provincial. I'm hardly the country mouse visiting the city for the first time," Blair sniffed, lifting her chin haughtily. "I can assure you that the person I met is quite up to our standards. Her appearance and her clothes, while sloppy and unkempt, are clearly of our class and she lives right here on the Upper East Side. We had such a good time we're meeting for lunch again tomorrow. " She clasped her hand to together in girlish glee before continuing, "The most important thing is she loves Audrey Hepburn and she can even quote her movies. "
"Well, if she is as big an Audreyphile as you, I have no grounds to object," Jack said sarcastically.
"You shouldn't mock. In a perfect world we would all be measured by our understanding and execution of the elegance and perfection that is Audrey," she replied half-jokingly.
"Does this perfect fantasy friend have a name?"
"Of course," she said. Sensing his anxiety she took her time, playfully drawing her answer out just long enough to take another drink. "Her name is Serena Van der Woodsen,"
Jack clutched his knife tightly, sawing aggressively into his meat. "What did you and this Serena person talk about? Did you tell her about your little disability?" He asked sharply.
Blair looked at him wide-eyed and hurt, her stomach leaping dangerously to her throat. The small amount of food she'd eaten tickled the back of her mouth. "No, of course not. We talked about nothing of consequence. We mostly just shopped and chatted about girl stuff," she lied. A warning tug of self-preservation nipped at the heels of her consciousness. He had given her strict orders to never share her memory loss and accident with anyone and she had done both with a stranger she had just met. There was something about Serena that made it hard to lie, something which compelled her to confide the deepest and darkest rumblings of her heart. She had never kept secrets from Jack before, she couldn't afford too. Instinctively, with wisdom she didn't know she had, she wisely kept silent.
"While I'm pleased to see you out and about making friends I think you need to re-evaluate whether this is something you're ready for. You're still recovering from a very serious brain injury. I'm not sure now is the time to be spreading your wings in the wilds of Upper East Side society. It hasn't been that long since your last little episode and we certainly don't want a repeat of that incident."
"I see," she said quietly, all traces of her earlier playful spark now ashes in the wind. Pushing her chair aside she rose, leaving Jack to finish his dinner alone.
"Audrey…Wait, I didn't mean it like that." With a crash he flung his silverware on the table.
"Then how did you mean it?" Bristling in anger laced with despair, she was a study in contrasts. "I've gotten so much better! It's been months since my last little slip-up. I promise you it won't happen again. I have my emotions so much more under control now," she pleaded, near tears.
A quick stride and he was reaching for her hand, raising it to his lips in apology. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt. This is a big step and I guess I'm kind of like an old mother hen watching her little one take its first steps."
Her prickles and edges softened, his words calming her. She awkwardly stepped into his arms, and layed her head against his heart. He wasn't lying about his worry and anxiety; the frantic racing of his heart confirmed it.
"I'm used to having you all to myself. It's a bit daunting to realize that you need something outside of me," he said, placing a kiss atop her glossy curls.
"Jack," she sighed. "You know how I feel about you, but I need more. You're gone at work all day and I spend hours alone. In the hospital I dreamed of this, living here with you, and now I dream of a life outside the four walls of this hotel suite. While I love our discussions, fashion and the latest nail polish trends are hardly your forte. I want a state of normalcy in my life and my friendship with Serena can help with that. Look at it this way, she's a baby step in the right direction towards eventual social domination as wife of the CEO of one of New York's biggest firms," she teased, fluttering her lashes beseechingly.
"I guess I can't stand in your way when you so prettily put it that way." He tipped her chin up, his mouth meeting hers in a short simple kiss. "Cancel your luncheon date with her tomorrow."
"But I," she interrupted, indignantly
"Let me finish." He waited for her answering nod before continuing, "I'm going to look into Miss Van der Woodsen, make sure she's the right sort of person for you to be involved with. If everything looks good you can call her and re-schedule for another day. We don't want to hurt your chances of a smooth entry into society by investing in the wrong friendships. People here are especially cutthroat and I don't want you to destroy yourself socially by be being seen with the wrong types of people. I think it is best to wait until we have a bit more information before getting too involved with this woman. Don't see or talk to her until I can verify for sure who she is, what her background is." He stroked her velvet cheek, leaning in for a more intimate kiss, oblivious to the coldness seeping into her heart.
Never before had she questioned him, dutifully acceding to most of his wishes save one. This was one issue, however, she couldn't give in on. She couldn't risk the freedom, the treasured happiness that had come from just a few hours spent in the company of a female friend. She felt a stirring of something dark, something familiar as she committed herself to a second small sin of omission. She had no doubt that Jack would find nothing to prevent her friendship with Serena, so surely it wouldn't matter if she committed one more act of rebellion and saw Serena tomorrow as planned.
"Of course. If that's what you think is best, " she lied, smiling as sweetly as possibly. Her eyes looked passed his, focusing instead on the blank wall behind them. Pressed against the solid muscular wall of his body, she felt tiny and fragile, dwarfed by his power.
He pressed his mouth to hers, his lips hard and firm against her closed ones. His mouth greedily fused to hers, his large hands moving up and down the sharp bones and planes of her back. Blair shivered even as her body stayed rigid, wariness flaring in her eyes
She let him kiss her, finally giving in, lulling him into complacency with her response. It wasn't until his hands journeyed down her back to cup her bottom and his mouth slid to her neck that she pushed him away. "Jack," she said warningly.
He licked his lips, his eyes heavy lidded with lust and want. "Audrey, let me love you just this once," he begged. "I need to know you still love me."
"Of course, I do." She reached for him, her fingers trailing over his jaw. "I just want my first time to be perfect. A girl only loses her virginity once, and I want our first time to be something fantasies are made of and not just a romp on the dining room table in front of the staff."
"Give me a chance and I will prove to you just how magical I can make your first time." His lips nipped at her earlobe, returning to her neck. He smirked as she trembled under his attentions. He was, with every kiss, every longing caress, daily getting closer to breaking through her resistance. He had never wanted anyone as much or waited as long as he had, in order to sample the beauty that was Blair Waldorf. She drove him wild, everything about her made him weak in the knees. He understood his nephew's obsession, but unlike Chuck he didn't push away the things he truly wanted. He drained them until there was nothing left to hold his attention.
"You know I've been saving myself for our wedding night. I want it to be just like a fairy-tale." Face pink and her breath labored she shoved him away, retreating to the other side of the room.
Jack groaned, her effect on him obvious. "I don't suppose you would be willing to move the wedding up to tomorrow."
"Not a chance. All the preparations have already been made for next month. It will be worth the wait," she promised desperately.
Smoothing his tie, Jack focused on the current stock prices, the memo's he needed to send tomorrow, anything to keep his mind off the delights he had planned for the wedding night. After all, how often did one get to deflower a virgin who was no longer a virgin? They both would receive pleasure without any of the pain inherent in breaking a virgin in.
"Do you remember meeting my nephew Chuck the other night?" He asked, failing at his play of nonchalance as he fiddled with his necktie.
"Of course," she said coldly, calmly making sure she gave nothing away as her head spun, her heart thumping manically in her chest. She remembered, with complete clarity, the guilt-ridden dreams she'd had ever since meeting the younger Bass. She was plagued during the day with the wisps of remembrances that remained of the nightmares that shadowed her evening sleep. Night after night since their meeting she dreamed of him. The things he did to her, the things she begged him to do, tormented her not only at night but also in the quiet moments of the day.
"I need you to stay away from him. He hasn't been the same since my brother died. Always kind of a fuck-up, but he's grown bitter and paranoid from dipping a little too frequently into the bottle and Columbia's finest. Ever since I tried to get him into rehab he's made it his goal to destroy me, he thinks he's owed some kind of vengeance and I want to make sure he doesn't use you to collect. If he speaks to you, or even looks at you I want you to tell me. " His face was a mask of control..
Blair swallowed hard. "Of, course," she said. Her lips felt heavy, paralyzed.
His expression changed as his gaze searched hers, whatever he saw there satisfied him.
"Don't worry, Audrey. I will make sure he leaves you alone. " His hands climbed up her arms, gently squeezing her trembling shoulders before reaching up to cup her face. "I know I'm your fiancé, but I'm your friend as well. If there is ever anything you need to tell me, anything that troubles or scares you, I'm here for you. I will always be here for you." Blair shivered reflexively as he touched the bare skin along the column of her swan like neck, his fingers lazily tracing the thin blue veins.
"I know," she whispered, pulling away slowly as he released her from his embrace.
Thanks to my reviewers: puresimplicity-xo, 24hrscout, :D, yngrllrcstr, SilkenBone922, Syrianora, Lee Rion, blair chuck fan, mary1415, odyjha, Crystal, nostalgiakills, SnowedUnderNJ, KelaBelle and Melena Gold.
Special thanks to PrettyYellow for searching for it and norrish for reminding me people were still reading this.
Much love to Camilla for her awesome beta skills. Any mistakes are my own.
FYI I will be on hiatus for the next few weeks as I am having a tonsillectomy done. :( I will update as soon as I start feeling better.