AN

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Summary

A story about how Dan and Blair fall in love.

This is set after Season 2. The only difference is that Chuck doesn't come back from Europe, so the Chair 'I love you too' scene never happens.

Disclaimer

I own nothing but the story.

True Love Waits

When Nate comes to visit him at NYU, Dan takes him to his favourite coffee shop.

It's the first day he hasn't seen Blair since she decided to redecorate the loft.

(Blair treats it as a project. Four steps, one day for each step; 1. Plan, 2. Design, 3. Implementation, and 4. Testing. If the change is not suitable to the subjects needs, the cycle begins again. Unfortunately, he loves everything that Blair brings to the apartment so the project is completed in only one cycle).

It's the first day he hasn't seen Blair and he misses her already. He misses the way she bosses him around while holding her clipboard to her chest. He misses the way she insults his flannel shirt because Blair Waldorf should never be seen in public next to flannel (he likes being out with her in public, but he also likes her playful annoyance when he continues to wear his flannel shirts). He misses how she –

'Dude... who's the girl?' Nate interrupts his thoughts.

'Girl? Huh?' Dan replies a bit too quickly. He hopes Nate isn't a mind-reader because all he'd hear would be Dan repeating Blair, Blair, Blair...

'You've practically been out of it all day. And when I mentioned some book about the American Dream I have to read by some dude named Gatsby, you told me that you "really like hydrangeas". What's going on with you man?'

'The Great Gatsby is written by Fitzgerald', Dan stresses, 'and there's no girl'.

'Ah, so I know her hey?'

'What? I just said there's no girl!' When it comes to girls, Nate somehow has a sixth sense. If college was about girls (which many guys actually do believe it is), Nate would finish at the top of every class, only by showing them his blue eyes.

'Look man, you've got this weird look when you're thinking about a girl'.

'This is my normal face'.

'Whatever, are you going to tell me who she is?'

Dan figures that Nate can actually give him some advice about it. But decides against naming Blair. That's just suicide.

'It's a girl in my Psychology class and she barely likes me. More like merely tolerates me'.

'Well first step is to try to make her like you, not just tolerate you'.

Dan takes his earlier thought back. Nate would not finish top of his class if college was about girls. Nate would finish top of his class if college was about stating the obvious.

He knows she's about to walk into the coffee shop before she actually comes in. He can smell her perfume from miles away (it's rose with a hint of honey, and he can't get it out of his mind).

When she enters, his eyes are already at the door and she spots him immediately, giving him her real, genuine smile he would like to think is only reserved for him. She walks up to them at their table simply greeting, 'Humphrey, Archibald'. And he feels a bit stupid at the way his stomach jumps when she says his name first.

'Blair, hey. Come join us', Nate tells her, and he's happy he doesn't have to invite her himself, that would be too obvious.

She orders her coffee and sits down at their table. He's disappointed when she sits a bit closer to Nate. He has a great urge to call Serena then and there to ask her if, when, how, and under what circumstances Blair and Nate broke up.

'What's your major?' She asks Nate. And Dan is relieved to know that the question implies that they haven't talked in a while.

'Political Science', he replies easily, 'You?'

'Still undecided'.

'Blair Waldorf undecided? Never thought I'd see the day'.

Blair laughs at Nate's reaction, 'I know. But I like it. Not having a definite plan; taking it as it comes. It's weird but I feel like I actually have control'.

An hour goes by too quickly, just like any time with Blair does, and she tells them she has to head off to her Journalism class.

'See you in Psychology on Tuesday', she says to Dan before she leaves and walks out the coffee shop.

Dan really, really hopes this is one of the times that Nate is not introspective, but starts to get anxious when Nate's face changes from confused to a smirk.

'Blair Waldorf from Psychology'. Nate simply says and Dan doesn't know if it's a Chuck Bass smirk which ends in a punch, or a Blair Waldorf's smirk which ends in humiliation.

Dan doesn't reply so Nate continues, 'if you're going to try to win over Blair Waldorf, you better be ready for a battle man. She's hard to keep up with'.

Dan realises that Nate is actually giving him advice on how to get Blair Waldorf.

Dan decides that the Nate Archibald smirk is the best one of all (but doesn't compare to the lips of a particular petite brunette).

Blair comes over to the loft that afternoon to ask Dan questions about their Psychology paper due in two weeks (Plan, Design, Implementation, and Testing).

'This place looks so perfect, I could live here. If it wasn't in Brooklyn', she says. And Dan nearly blurts out that she should move in.

'Have you seen Gossip Girl lately?' He asks her. The last few days have been ripe with pictures of Chuck Bass with stick-thin model, Russian model, Victoria's Secret model, Japanese twins, etc. And Dan needs to know if Blair still has feelings for Chuck.

'No. Did Hazel get caught in double denim again?' Blair says with a hint of boredom.

'Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about. Chuck has been on it a lot lately...'

'You're going to have to elaborate Humphrey. I don't read Gossip Girl anymore'.

'You don't read Gossip Girl?'

'I'm unsubscribed'.

'You're unsubscribed?'

Blair turns to him then, 'Are you 5 years old? Stop repeating me and get to your point'.

'I just want to know what you think about Chuck Bass and... girls'.

'Chuck Bass is a band-aid I ripped off a while ago. And I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not attracted to girls'.

She sounds so sure about Chuck Bass so he doesn't question her further.

He forces her to watch Jersey Shore instead and he can't help but laugh when he looks over and sees her shocked face, unblinking eyes, and her mouth wide open.

'Humphrey, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to look away'.

It's exactly the same way he feels about her (did he just compare her to Jersey Shore?)