It's been awhile since I last updated this story. I wasn't able to find time to work on my fanfiction stories especially with how hectic my semester was. Being on winter break currently, I've been busily working on this story. I've made significant progress writing Living Life in the Fast Lane!
Here's my Christmas gift to all of you: the NEXT chapter of Living in the Fast Lane! This chapter primarily focuses Nate and Vanessa! This is the longest chapters for this story. This chapter is essentially a flashback to establish the events happening in present day.
I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Enjoy! R&R!
Part 3-New Beginnings from Past Mistakes
With a huge sigh of relief, Nate collapsed in the back seat of the yellow cab. The meeting with the New York Times editor, Stacy Gounk, dragged on way too long. All his energy has been sapped out of him. Even Stacey's assistant looked burned out by the end of their meeting.
"Where are you going?" the cab driver asked from the driver's seat.
Nate rattled off the address of the SoHo studio he was currently living with Vanessa. He was trying to slowly ease his girlfriend to moving to the Upper East Side. She still remained hesitant from her experiences with wealthy people on the UES. Vanessa was a stubborn person yet very determined to try to compromise with Nate. It had been five years since Nate lived in UES.
~Five years ago~
Nate sat at the table cradling his glass of whiskey. Nate had mailed in his RSVP for Dan and Serena's nuptial celebrations earlier that day. "All of my friends are in a relationship, engaged, or married and here I am still single," he murmured sullenly taking a huge gulp of his drink.
The bartender at Blue Moon Pub knew Nate Archibald was regular customer. "Dude, you've got to see the opportunity you've been granted by still being single and handsome. You've been given time to enjoy life before you get settled down with a wife and kids," Timmy commented while wiping down beer jugs.
"I've enjoyed my life enough. I'm sick of visiting bar after bar with woman shamelessly throwing themselves at me. There's got to be more to life than this." Nate downed the remaining contents of the glass and Timmy promptly refilled the glass with more Jack Daniels.
Nate and Timmy were busily chatting away about sport teams when Vanessa strolled through the entrance of Blue Moon Pub. She took a seat at table in the corner booth without even glancing who was sitting at the bar. Running her fingers through her newly dyed hair, Vanessa had returned back home to New York only last week after living in Brazil for the past five years. Her passion was filming and directing her own independent documentaries about the real world outside of the bubble of excessive wealth in foreign countries. Glancing casually at the plastic menu, she was trying to find their vegetarian food options. There was none. She sauntered up the bar and gestured to the bartender. "Excuse me but I didn't see any vegetarian food options listed on you menu," she plainly stated with a hint of irritation in her voice.
Only one person was sitting at the bar. She paid no attention to the bar patron. She was so damn hungry after attending this evening upscale art exhibit in Manhattan. The cater waiters at the art exhibit event only served endless glasses of champagne and appetizers. No substantially filling food items.
Timmy shifted his attention to the woman talking to him. Her wavy light brown hair hung messily around her oval face. A strapless sparkly dress clung to her curvy body. She was a very attractive woman. Hardly any woman came to Blue Moon Pub unless they arrived with a male friend or male significant other. It was rare to see a woman enter the bar by herself without the intention of finding someone to hook up with.
He had no clue what vegetarians ate so he pulled whatever he could out of his head to keep this beautiful female in the bar. "Unfortunately we don't offer any vegetarian dishes on the menu, but I could the kitchen to make up a chicken salad or sandwich," Timmy replied.
"Screw it. I'll take piña colada," Vanessa replied placing her purse on the bar counter as she climbed up on the stool. She had to be careful in her short strapless dress. "Why is this place empty on a Friday night? I thought bars in Manhattan were packed with people."
"This bar isn't known by most New Yorkers. Only wealthy business people tend to come to Blue Moon Pub. It's rather nice to not be stuck in a bar full of young hipsters who embrace the motto 'YOLO'. I'm sick and tired of dealing with that type of crowd at bars," the stranger at the bar responded without looking at her. He kept his gaze on the glass in front of him filled with whiskey. The stranger wore a crisp striped grey suit that was flattered his tall height exquisitely. His straight brown hair was neatly slicked back. The guy had a friendly face from the side.
She straightened the wrinkles from her sequined dress. Thank god the weather was very pleasant this evening. "That's comforting to know I guess. You could be anywhere else on a Friday night and you choose to hang out at Blue Moon Pub. I gather you're a regular customer at this establishment?" Vanessa inquired curiously. Although, there was something about his voice that gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. She could have sworn the voice of this stranger at the bar sounded like she knew someone many years ago. That is absolutely insane. There was no way she knew this random person sitting at the bar.
Timmy slid the piña colada drink over to Vanessa. Removing the decorative umbrella from her alcoholic drink, she took a long sip of the piña colada. An intense fusion of fruity flavors filled her mouth. "Timmy this is one of the best piña colada I've had. What a powerful blend of fruity flavors mixed with rum. This totally makes up for my horrible night," she admitted. There was no point in pretending that she had fantastic time tonight at the upscale art gallery exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Art galleries were never my thing. I respect people who are passionate about their artistic abilities, but I cannot stand the people who attend art exhibits. Every damn painting or sculpture requires intense analysis! That is completely unnecessary. Why can't people just enjoy the art displayed in an art exhibit?" Nate remarked. From the tone of his voice, Vanessa picked up that this random stranger had plenty of miserable experience attending fancy art exhibits. He must have been born and bred in the Upper East Side society.
"I agree with you. My purpose of going to different art gallery exhibits around New York is to enjoy other people's artwork. Hardcore analysis of art takes the joy out of seeing how people's artistic passions come to life," she firmly asserted while trying to get him to look at her. He hadn't gazed even once at her since they had started conversing. Timmy shook his head at Vanessa. Clearly, the bartender had already attempted to make continuous eye-contact with this customer while they chatted about sports.
Draining his glass of whiskey, he looked down at his watch to check the time. He jumped up an inch from the bar stool. "Oh shit! I didn't realize so many hours had gone. I better start heading home. Thanks for great time, Timmy. I'll see you around another time," Nate exclaimed while pulling out cash to pay for his drinks. He slid a fifty dollar bill on the countertop. He almost forgot to say goodbye to the random woman he was conversing with. "It was great meeting you. I'd recommend a dinner down the block if you're looking for vegetarian food..." he began to say but abruptly froze when he gazed at the woman's face.
His bright blue eyes pierced through her. Vanessa instantly recognized the man's face as he flashed a sexy boyish grin at her. "Nate?" she bellowed. Her brown eyes widened from the pure surprise of running into Nate Archibald. She wasn't sure if she was happy or not to see him.
"Vanessa...is that you?" He knew her voice sounded eerily familiar to him. Everything about her was the same except her shoulder-length auburn brown hair. Her face still looked youthful despite not seeing her in almost ten years! It was completely surreal that he would run into his friend and ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Abrams, at the Blue Moon Pub on a random Friday night in Manhattan. She usually stayed in the Brooklyn only venturing over to Manhattan for a few times during the year.
Timmy arched his eyebrow in curiosity. "You two know each other?" he asked very intrigued with a subtle smirk.
"Long story for another day," Nate tersely replied while trying to keep a neutral facial expression. He wasn't sure how he felt to see Vanessa again after all these years. So many conflicting emotions flooded through him that Nate didn't even check her out from head to toe.
Timmy resumed to cleaning off dirty beer mugs while subtly eavesdropping on this fascinating scene unfolding in front of him. Nate Archibald was full of intriguing secrets. This is why he was one of his favorite regular customers at Blue Moon Pub.
For several minutes, Vanessa and Nate stared at each other in utter shock. There weren't enough words to properly describe the unspoken emotions being silently exchanged between them. She wanted to express how much she had missed Nate these past 10 years. Vanessa had a few boyfriends since she left New York, but she never seemed compatible with them. Eventually, she had given up completely on dating. She remained single with the occasional one-night stand. Despite their growing up in completely different worlds, Vanessa and Nate somehow made a dynamically functional couple. The best of both worlds existed within their complex relationship.
Vanessa was truly speechless. This was a rarity with her very blunt personality. Even Nate, who was very suave with his words, was speechless too. It was Timmy who broke the awkward silence. "It seems you two are the last two customers tonight, so I'm going to close up. There's a 24 hour diner open down the block. That is only eatery open at 1:30 am...besides night clubs. It's great that you guys met each other again after many years! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!"
Silently, Nate and Vanessa walked out of the Blue Moon Pub. The sidewalks were bustling with vibrant nightlife activity. Nate broke the silence. "So when did you return to New York?" he inquired. The curiosity of how long she had been in New York was eating at him the most.
"Two weeks ago I decided to return back home to New York. I've been living in Brazil these past five years. I lived in Madrid for five years before moving to São Paulo. Travelling has given me a great opportunity to experience the beautiful world through the eyes of the unprivileged population. It hasn't been easy living far away from all my friends and family but I needed some time to explore who I was in a completely new environment away from New York," she explained. Knowing Nate, he wanted to know why she chose to be away for so long without saying a proper goodbye to her friends. There was no time to dwell in all her regret.
"Wow. You've surely been on an exciting adventure these past ten years. Each day must have been a fascinating experience," he remarked in a casual tone. The day he Dan told him Vanessa had unexpectedly left New York left Nate full of unanswered questions. Even Dan had no idea what caused her to suddenly move to Madrid, Spain.
Since neither of them felt comfortable talking about their complicated history tonight, Nate and Vanessa stuck with pleasantries about life in general. They didn't discuss any sensitive topics that would bring up their complex past. It was going to take a little time to get used to being themselves around each other.
It took almost three weeks before they could comfortably interact with each other without too much awkward tension. Being away from New York for 10 years, Vanessa had forgotten how much she enjoyed being around Nate. His very charming personality and interesting perspective on life hadn't changed over the years. Nate caught her up on what happened to the Blair, Chuck, Georgina, Uncle Jack, Dan, and Serena in the past 10 years. Also, he told the tumultuous yet fascinating story about the formation and development of his company, The NY Spectator. He had managed to forge his own path. Nathanial went against the destiny set in motion by his grandfather, William van der Bilt. She was very proud of him for creating his own future independent of his family's influence or political ties.
No one except him knew she returned back to New York. It was their little secret. Vanessa actively found art gallery exhibits that both of them would enjoy where there weren't too many snooty or excessively analytical people. Nate was one of the few Upper East Siders who had made an effort to understand her passionate hobby for visiting art galleries. He is the reason she slightly changed her opinion that all Upper East Siders disdainfully looked down on "poor" people who lived over in Brooklyn.
Three months later, it was almost impossible to believe they really struggled maintaining a continuous conversation that wasn't filled with uncomfortable silence. When neither of them had busy schedules, they made an effort to hang out. Nathaniel suggested Vanessa announced her arrival back to New York to their group of friends. Everyone still believed she was travelling the world to pursue her passion of directing and filming indie movies. Dan deserved not be kept completely in the dark. Ever since her departure from New York, he hadn't mentioned nor talked much about Vanessa. It was even more painful for him since Dan and Vanessa were longtime childhood friends. Nate felt horrible being the only person to enjoy her presence while blatantly lying to his friends particularly Dan Humphrey.
It wasn't until another two more months before Vanessa Abrams gained the courage to face her longtime friend, Dan. Nate accompanied her to mediate their conversations. You never knew what to expect with Dan. She was glad to have her friend as her support unit in this huge endeavor. Dan might still be super pissed off at her. Vanessa wanted to rebuild the bridges with her close friends she had burned many years ago upon leaving New York. Baby steps. It was better to ease into anything than jump in head first not knowing what to expect at the bottom. Nate was by her side the entire process of getting reacquainted to life in New York.
It was New Year's Eve. Snow continued to fall gracefully from the sky making a thick blanket all over New York. Vanessa willingly agreed to accompany Nate to the New Year's party hosted by Dan and Serena. It had been many years since she had to worry about dressing up fancy for high-class society functions or charities. Serena was kind enough to take her shopping to Bergdorf Goodman to select an evening gown and shoes for the New Year's Eve gala held in Olmstead Boardroom at The Ritz-Carlton. She persistently reiterated how unnecessary it was, but Serena insisted on treating Vanessa to this shopping trip. Vanessa didn't even bother asking Serena how much her Donna Karan evening gown or Oscar de la Renta heels were. The mere thought of the price of this gorgeous dress and stiletto heels would make her hyperventilate. Serena was kind enough to drop Vanessa at her SoHo apartment using her mother's town car.
The party was only five hours away leaving very little time to get ready before Nate arrived at 9 pm. In only 4.5 hours, Vanessa was all dolled up for tonight's party. Her recently re-dyed dark brown hair was pulled back in a neat bun with a few strands falling into her face. She wore blue diamond stud earrings. Bare Minerals foundations covered her face with very light mascara and no eyeliner. The sparkly midnight eye shadow was the only bold splash of color on her face making her hazel eyes increasingly intense. She decided to keep the entire ensemble simple and elegant while simultaneously being a sexy bombshell. Vanessa straightened her gown while sitting down on the couch and slid her feet into her silver open-toe heels. She was fully ready to go into battle with the wealthy Upper East Siders. Cautiously propping her feet on the glass coffee, a red wine bottle and two wine glasses caught her attention. She poured two glasses of wine while waiting for Nate to pick her up for the party.
Nate opened the door using his spare key. Fixating his gaze on Vanessa, his eyes light up. The form-fitting midnight blue sequined strapless gown accentuated her curvy body, while showing off her toned arms. There weren't enough words to describe how stunningly gorgeous she was from head to toe. Drop dead sexy. "You look absolutely ravishing. It will be difficult keeping my hands off of you the entire night," he remarked with a devious glint in his piercing blue eyes.
"We better start making our way over before Serena unnecessarily worries I pull a disappearing act on her New Year's Eve party. We'll see how the night goes," she replied with seductive undertones.
It had been two weeks since they had last seen each other. The past several months of rekindling their close friendship had begun to stir romantic feelings she had buried deep down more than 10 years ago. Flirtatious remarks and banter had subtly become inserted into their conversational exchanges. Even though they were close friends, she was slightly anxious to suddenly jump into a relationship with Nate. This meant it would require more interaction with people on the Upper East Side. Spending too much time at their extravagant parties and charity functions, the thought made her skin crawl. Almost all of them knew Vanessa Abrahams, an outsider from Brooklyn, would never truly fit in the Upper East Side. Even Daniel Humphrey miraculously convinced everyone he belonged in the world of Upper East Side thanks to his association with the van der Woodsen family. Her mind was slightly comforted there were a few people attending this New Year's Eve party. Pulling her into a comforting embrace, Nate murmured softly in her ear, "Don't let anyone at this party intimidate you. They don't realize what they are missing out by not spending time with you. The cab driver is going to be furious if we keep him waiting any longer. You'll be fine, Vanessa." He lightly kissed the top of her forehead.
Sliding on a knee-length black winter coat to keep warm in the frigid winter weather, Vanessa grabbed her silver clutch purse and slammed the door shut. Luckily, there wasn't too much congestion on the road heading into NYC. Nate insisted on paying the cab fee as they exited the cab. Many people were piling into The Ritz Carlton as Vanessa and Nate skillfully moved with the crowd towards Olmstead Boardroom.
After locating their group of friends lingering amongst the throngs of people, the rest of the evening was really enjoyable. The extreme anxiety building inside of Vanessa quickly waned. Platters full of champagne glasses continuously offered to the party guests definitely helped everyone loosen up even the most pompous and uptight guests. Small circular tables lined the walls leaving a huge space in the middle of the room. Dan pushed through the crowd towards Vanessa and took several blinks to assure he wasn't hallucinating the person in front of his eyes. His longtime friend, Vanessa, actually decided to make it to their New Year's Eve gala. Dan was going to be able to enjoy their party more knowing his closest friend was here. With her back against him, he wanted to greet her using the element of surprise.
Serena and Jenny were so absorbed in their conversation they didn't notice Dan's sudden appearance. Stealthily snaking his toned yet muscular arms around her waist, Dan unexpectedly lifted Vanessa few inches from the ground. "Oh my god," Vanessa squealed an octave higher than her usual speaking tone. "You rascal...how dare you come up behind and scare the shit out of me! Warn me next time please. I would have dropped my champagne glass if your sister hadn't snatched it from my hand in time."
"I'm so fricken happy you decided to come to our New Year's Eve gala. We're both so busy that we hardly get to hang out!" Dan exclaimed jubilantly while slowly placing Vanessa back on solid ground.
Lightly smacking his arm, she replied with a wide grin, "Why would I celebrate New Year's Eve's festivities without my group of friends? Of course I wanted to come tonight. Serena and you planned a fantastic gala! I'm so proud of you, Dan!" She straightened out her dress and tucked the few strands of hair in her face behind her ears. Jenny handed the glass of champagne back to her.
"Who would have imagined that one day my big brother would join the world of the Upper East Side society along with planning and hosting extravagant events?!" Jenny remarked playfully.
"Oh shut up little sis. All three of us have changed over the years more than we could have ever imagined when we lived in Brooklyn. Upper East Side didn't necessarily transform us in a bad way. We now co-exist in two different worlds," Dan stated while lovingly punching her arm. Despite their difficulties being siblings, Jennifer and Daniel Humphrey still remained very close to each other and their father, Rufus.
Serena and Nathaniel moved through the masses of party guests absorbed in their own conversational exchanges. Rufus and Lily followed closely behind them while politely moving past people without rudely pushing them aside.
"Vanessa?" Rufus startlingly exclaimed. "I'm so glad you joined us tonight as we celebrate ringing in 2017! I haven't seen you in years. You look great. You still work at art galleries in Manhattan?"
"Actually I'm currently working on opening up my own art gallery. It is truly tiring to work with closed-minded art gallery owners who cannot see my perspective of art. I want to represent up and coming artists that reflect my artistic passion and perspective on life. Sometimes art gallery owners find them not sophisticated enough to be shown to the public. Working all those years at your gallery, it taught me how to find true talent among the massive horde of artistic talents available to us."
"I'm sure you'll find your own success with the art gallery. It makes me happy I passed on great wisdom in art to you all those years ago. Our family is so proud of what you've accomplished in life," Rufus stated while a huge smile. Rufus always considered Vanessa Abraham to be the second daughter he never had. She had spent so much time with the Humphreys she was practically part of their family.
"I see you took my wise advice to hold your New Year's Eve gala at The Ritz-Carlton. This is one the best places in New York to hold such a huge function. You and Daniel did a phenomenal job of planning, coordinating, and hosting tonight's festivities. I've trained you both very well," Lily stated proudly. Once known for being an extremely awkward outsider in their exclusively elite society, Daniel Humphrey surpassed the expectation of well-known wealthy families on the Upper East Side. He was just like his father. They never forgot where they came from. The Humphreys were still fairly down-to-earth even after their advancement in New York society. It took many years before Lily realized Dan was the best person for her daughter. She witnessed him transform from a free-spirited young adult into a reformed gentlemen who could simultaneously blended into the UES and Brooklyn.
Blair shoved through the crowd to her best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, regardless of the irritated glances from the party guests. Unfortunately, her husband was away on an impromptu business trip in Shanghai and would only return in four days. Chuck and Uncle Jack had to leave earlier this week to take care of an important business deal regarding Bass Industries. Their stressful duties as President and Vice President of Bass Industries sometimes took higher priority over their personal lives. He felt so guilty leaving Blair and Henry to celebrate New Year's festivities by themselves. Her mother and stepfather, Cyrus, were their babysitting their 8 month old grandson tonight. Spending the evening with her friends, it was a good distraction from sulking over Chuck not being by her side. She enthusiastically hugged Serena. Serena and Blair were busily chatting away they hardly noticed the bursting energy erupting from the crowd.
"Holy shit...only 20 minutes till the new year!" Jenny shouted loudly over the loud masses of people gathered within the room.
Her announcement garnered a reaction from the group.
"Wow...three and half hours flew by faster than I thought," Nate remarked. Despite losing track of how much champagne and whiskey was consumed, he was still semi-sober. It took quite an effort to become really drunk thanks to his high alcohol tolerance. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray nearby and handed one glass to Vanessa. "Let's all make a toast before we countdown to the new year!"
The rest of the group got another glass of champagne and directed their attention back to Nathaniel. "Life has given us our fair share of hardships over the years. We confronted these hardships head on and overcame them. Here's to 2017 being a year of adventures and prosperity!"
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Everyone toasted each other. Some drained the champagne in one chug, while others slowly savored their champagne. The highly celebratory mood of their environment could make a completely sober person drunk with a sense of happiness.
Ten minutes before midnight, Serena and Dan headed to the front of the room each of them grabbed a microphone.
Dan decided to test the microphone by tapping it. Loud, squealing feedback echoed from the speakers in all four corners as it reverberated through the entire room. Many party guests cringed as they looked around locating the origin of the sound. All heads turned to their attention to the front of the room.
"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you all. The New Year is almost upon us. My wife is going to make a quick toast before the New Year rings in. The floor is yours, Serena," Dan said while nervously running his hand through his curly hair. Some nervous habits never go away no matter how much you try. Despite his minor screw-ups, Dan had successfully hosted his first high society party. He was quite proud of this feat that seemed very rigorously exhausting three months ago.
The waiters passed out platters of more champagne glasses to guests who needed refills for the toast.
"We've had ups and downs this year but many of us are lucky to have support systems made up of family and friends no matter how dysfunctional it can be. Don't let your past mistakes or past histories rule your future. While it isn't easy to start with a clean slate, it is important to acknowledge your strengths. Do what you can that is within your power to not let your weaknesses decide how your life goes. Failure is not an option. I wish you all prosperity and perseverance through whatever storms in life throws at you. Let's toast to the new year!" Dan and Serena clanked their glasses together and took few sips of champagne.
Clink. Clink. This sound resonated through the entire room. Many were already semi-drunk at this point of the New Year's Eve party.
Everyone resumed their conversations waiting for the Times Square ball to drop. The room buzzed with excitement as people slowly started counting down from 60 seconds. Vanessa couldn't remember the last time the Humphreys peacefully co-existed in the same room let alone at a lavish Upper East Side festivity. Her friends surrounded her on all sides. Anxiety no longer thrived within her. A sense of optimism blossomed within her. It wouldn't necessarily be bad to re-blend back into Upper East Side society when her supportive friends had her back. She hardly paid attention as the party guests counted down from 20 seconds. For the first time in a long time, Vanessa Abrams was genuinely enjoying herself. Some people and things don't change despite being abroad for ten years.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!" Dan and Serena simultaneously exclaimed enthusiastically into their microphones.
People were hugging and kissing all around her. Before Vanessa had the opportunity to wish her friends Happy New Years, two strong hands grasped her waist, spun her around, and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Startled by the surprise kiss, Vanessa broke the kiss to glance at the person's face. The first thing she saw was piercing blue eyes and a seductively boyish grin. His irresistibly fresh cologne filled her nostrils. Nathaniel Archibald. There were so many things she wanted to say but struggled to coherently form proper sentences. Very few guys could make her swoon with a mere kiss.
"Happy New Year, Nate," Vanessa spoke without fumbling over her words. Her beaming smile grew wider. For some unknown reason, it felt right being with Nate. There was no way to explain why.
"Happy New Year, Vanessa Abrahams. I'm glad you decided to accompany me to tonight's party. Welcome back home to New York," Nate whispered in her ear as he hugged Vanessa.
Without hesitation, she hugged him back while gently resting her head on his chest. Vanessa didn't feel like an outsider tonight at her friend's New Year Eve Celebration at The Ritz-Carlton.
Their intimate moment was interrupted as Jenny playfully smacked Nate's shoulder. "You can't hog Vanessa all to yourself, lover boy. We would like to spent time with her too."
"For now but later she is all mine," he suggestively remarked with a devious glint in his blue eyes.
"What you do in your free-time in your business entirely," Jenny quipped with a neutral facial expression.
No one saw the light blush spreading across Vanessa's face as it was buried in Nate's chest. Nate let go of Vanessa. She straightened out her dress. Jenny firmly grabbed Vanessa's wrist and slowly guided through the crowd.
Dan and Serena weaved through the crowd back to their friends and family. Dan hugged Vanessa. "Great job planning and hosting your own Upper East Side extravaganza, Dan! The kid from Brooklyn has adapted well to UES society. Just don't ever let that Brooklyn kid disappear," she said with a light chuckle.
"How could I ever forget that Brooklyn kid? My family is a constant reminder that I can never escape it. It keeps me humble so I don't get an inflated ego," he replied with a huge grin.
The party livened more after midnight. Another hour flew by as Vanessa caught up with the gang and guzzled down a few more glasses of champagne. There was much laughter and smiles. Everyone looked like they genuinely having a blast. The ballroom was still buzzing with vibrant energy despite half of the party guest remaining. The DJ blasted upbeat songs all throughout the early morning hours. Dan and Serena joined the other party guests on the dance floor. Jenny, Blair, Nate, and Vanessa slowly got on the dance floor. Vanessa couldn't recall the last time she had this much fun.
Back during their high school and college years, she didn't particularly like Chuck or Blair. It seems that time had made them much more likeable. Miracles can happen. It was hard to believe that these people were very unbearable to deal with almost ten years ago. Blair had even generously offered Vanessa the opportunity to join Serena and her for their monthly brunch. It felt almost surreal.
Not too long afterwards, Vanessa decided it was time to head back to her apartment. She wasn't completely drunk but was soon reaching that point. There was very little soberness remaining. Yet, she hadn't felt this much clarity about her life in many years. It was undeniable to ignore her intense chemistry with Nate. Whenever his hands ran along her bare shoulders and back, it sent an electrifying shudder through her body. His glances devoured her without trying to deny his strong desire. She'd been hesitant about jumping into a relationship too early after returning back home to New York. Whatever happened after this party, Vanessa refused to overthink things. Living in the moment was going to be her new motto this year.
The Humphreys, van der Woodsens, Nate, and Vanessa were the last ones to leave the Ritz-Carlton ballroom. Confetti was sprinkled all over the floor. Nothing was broken luckily so Dan and Serena weren't liable for any damages. All party guests definitely enjoyed themselves at tonight's New Year festivity. Numerous glasses sat on the small circular tables around the edges of the room. Snaking his arm around Vanessa's waist, he escorted her out of the Ritz-Carlton to flag down a cab. There wasn't too much demand for cabs at 2:30 am since most New Year celebrators were still out partying or already back home.
Vanessa and Nate slid into backseat of the yellow cab. She didn't make eye contact too long with Nate. She wasn't sure whether to invite or not invite him up to her apartment. Resting her head comfortably on his shoulder, Nate told her interesting stories about running his own company, The Spectator. It was truly fascinating to hear each other talk about their line of work especially considering their drastically stark contrasts.
Nate paused momentarily to gaze at Vanessa. Her hazel eyes sparkled full of joy as her fingers intertwined with his. She wasn't going to wait until some other girl stole Nate from her. Nate took this as a good indication. Brushing some stray hairs falling into her eyes, he leaned in slowly closing the space between them. Vanessa reciprocated and leaned in until only a few inches separated their faces. "You sure you want this, Vanessa?" Nate inquired with a serious undertone in his voice. "If you need more time I'm willing to wait because you're worth it."
"I'm tired of over thinking everything I do. I've missed out on many wonderful opportunities in my life because of it. It feels right to be with you," she responded while maintaining steady eye contact with him. Without hesitation, Vanessa kissed Nate. The cab driver paid no attention to what was happening behind him as Broadway tunes continued playing on the radio.
Twenty minutes later, the yellow cab stopped right in front of Vanessa's SoHo apartment. Nate paid the cab fare and followed closely behind Vanessa. Grabbing his hand, she guided him through the main lobby towards the elevator. As the elevator doors closed behind them, Nate pinned her against the wall with a firm grasp on her waist. There was no space between their bodies. She snaked her arms around his neck as Nate softly kissed her neck. Neither of them cared if the elevator had cameras that security guards were monitoring. Vanessa dashed out of the elevator as the doors opened as Nate casually sauntered behind her. He admired her body in her form-fitting strapless gown.
Once the apartment door shut behind them, Nate slide off his tuxedo jacket along with his tie tossing it on the couch and Vanessa slipped out of her silver open-toe Oscar de la Renta stilettos. Her neat bun had become a messy bun within the past hour especially after her brief make-out session in the back seat of the cab. Giving up on keeping her neat bun, Vanessa let her wavy shoulder hair loose. She seductively unzipped her strapless dress until it fell to the ground in a puddle. She was now only wearing a black lacy bra with matching panties. Nate flashed his famous sexy boyish grin and lustfully scanned her from head to toe. He effortlessly picked her up in his arms carrying her off to the bedroom.
She wasted no time to get on top and straddle him when Nate laid her on the bed. His hands caressed her thighs. Nate still hadn't lost his touch. "You still have too much clothes on," she remarked with a devious smirk. Vanessa proceeded to unbutton his shirt when he grasped her hand and rolled on top of her. Nate undid rest of the buttons and threw his shirt haphazardly on the ground. Vanessa ran her hands along his muscular chest exploring all of its concaves and ridges. Nathaniel Archibald was still smoking hot as if time had hardly affected his physique. Not holding back anything back Nate passionately kissed Vanessa while letting his hands explore her body. Their bodies molded to each other perfectly. Their blazing chemistry proved that even ten years apart couldn't fizzle their feelings for each other. Hours later, their sweaty naked bodies were entwined in the bed sheets. Her head rested comfortably against his shoulder as Nate instinctively wrapped his arms around Vanessa.
"I'm glad that you were the first person I unexpectedly encountered upon my arrival back to New York. We've been given another chance to be together. No matter what happens I know you will be there by my side and I'll always be here for you, Nate Archibald," Vanessa whispered in his ear. Nate grinned from ear to ear then tenderly kissed the top of her forehead while stroking her soft hair.
Check out my author page at the section dedicated to this Gossip Girl fanfiction story for a link to see what the Donna Karan evening gown Vanessa wore looks like!
The next chapter focuses on Nate and Vanessa again... it picks back up with present day five years after this flashback!
I'll do my best to update the next chapter of Living Life in the Fast Lane as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience! Stay tuned!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)