AN

For those watching GG, I hope the last ep didn't ruin any love for DB.

Just in case you may not have noticed, I'm from Australia so I'm not 100% on all American college terminology (e.g. freshman, dorms, etc). I hope I get it right, but I apologise if I get confused or simply slip and write uni instead of college, since that's what I'm used to.

Thanks and enjoy :)

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

Being in love with Blair Waldorf is not easy. She's extremely stubborn and harder to read than a teen vampire novel. And yet Dan finds himself spending more time with her than he does with his family or with Vanessa.

When Vanessa questions where he's been lately, he simply states, 'I didn't know college would be so hard to manage'. It's not a complete lie. Replace 'college' with 'falling in love with Blair Waldorf', and you'd have the truth.

It's not that he's ashamed of his feelings or friendship with Blair. He's more scared that Blair is ashamed of him.

He walks into their Psychology lecture to find Blair already in conversation with someone sitting in his seat with the broken table. He walks up to them, glaring at the blonde-haired, green-eyed, perfect-built boy sitting next to Blair. She already has a coffee cup in her hand and he feels anger surge inside him.

Blair looks up and flashes him her hypnotic smile, 'Dan, this is Justin. He's in my Journalism class.'

'You take this class?' Dan asks Brad Pitt 2.0, not bothering with any pleasantries. What kind of name is Justin? Dan thinks; this guy belongs in a boy band. He hasn't seen the boy before, and will not be looking forward to seeing more of him in the future.

'Ah no, Blair and I ran into each other before class and I heard Psychology is awesome so I thought I'd check it out for kicks. Nice to meet you...?' Justin replies while putting his hand out for Dan to shake. (i)

He grumpily says, 'Dan', and doesn't bother shaking the future male model's hand, providing the excuse that his hands are full with his coffee, Blair's now unwanted coffee and his books.

He doesn't like sitting on the other side of Blair. The table works and the chair is more comfortable. He never tells her that the real reason he sits on her right side with the broken table is because it's the perfect excuse to be closer to her. He has never been more grateful to be left handed when it means he gets to share her table. (ii)

'I got your coffee', he says angrily to Blair, who has gone back to talking to Justin about how he made the top lacrosse team as a freshman.

Blair recognises the agitated tone in Dan's statement and looks at him with a confused face, 'Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Did Vanessa keep you up arguing that Juno should have won the Oscar?'

Justin laughs at Blair's comment and Dan feels his temperature rise. The guy, who has no idea who Vanessa is, laughs at a comment he has no right to laugh at. Dan would punch him... if he wasn't twice Dan's size.

'I got you a coffee like always. Every week I get you a coffee in this lecture. And this week you bring a coffee of your own. Like you totally forgot that I was going to get you a coffee. But of course you wouldn't care that I would get you a coffee because you decided to get your own coffee'. He knows he's making absolutely no sense, and he doesn't even think he's talking about coffee, but Blair bringing the perfect male specimen to class catches him off guard. And when Dan Humphrey is caught off guard, he rambles about nothing.

He's too scared to look at any of their faces. But he could predict that Blair would be glaring angrily at him. And Justin would be either trying to hold in laughter, or just looking at him strangely with his perfect eyes that Dan wants to make black.

Blair laughs at him and he doesn't know how to respond. He recognises that it's a real, genuine laugh and he is confused whether he should feel relieved that she's not mad at him, or angry because she doesn't take his coffee rant seriously.

'Humphrey, you are so melodramatic', she grabs the coffee from him, 'I'm going to be too full for lunch now. You're lucky college has made me a caffeine addict'. She takes a sip from the coffee he bought her and he can't help but stare at the way her ruby lipstick leaves a mark on the coffee cup.

'We're having lacrosse practice at lunch Blair. You should come watch', Prince Charming interrupts and Dan remembers why he has already started cracking his knuckles.

He's wallowing at the loft later that night, angry at himself for not making a move on Blair earlier. Coward, coward, coward, he repeats in his head.

He hears the door open and hope builds inside that it is Blair (he doesn't remember giving her a key, but he's sure she made one herself when she redecorated the place). He is disappointed to see Vanessa enter.

'Where were you during Lit class today?' She asks him, showing him that she brought Chinese take-out with her.

He lies that he had a paper due in the afternoon and didn't go to any of his classes.

'Why didn't you tell me yesterday? I wouldn't have kept you up talking about Juno', she says.

Dan can't stop the laugh that escapes him when he remembers Blair's comment earlier that day. He realises that he thinks about Blair way too much and concentrates on having a good night in with Vanessa and some egg rolls.

It's not long after when he hears someone else enter the apartment. He looks over expecting someone cloaked in a balaclava and holding a knife, but instead is greeted with the sight of Blair coming in with fresh sushi.

It's the first time Blair and Vanessa have been together since Blair found out that Vanessa had slept with Chuck.

'What are you doing here and why do you have a key?' Vanessa asks in an annoyed tone. Dan is wondering in the same thing, but he's feeling much more elated.

Blair is looking annoyed herself, but quickly puts on her fake smile and responds, 'Vanessa, how lovely to see you. Your hair is looking... long. I'm just here to see Dan but I see that you both are busy so I can find my own way out'.

He knows that he shouldn't encourage the awkwardness that would certainly arise with Blair and Vanessa together, but he can't pass the opportunity to spend more time with Blair so he quickly yells a little too loudly, 'STAY!'

'I mean, please stay...' he tries to recover, 'I like sushi'.

Vanessa gives him a weird look, like he has turned into an alien. And that is exactly as he feels.

Blair obliges, probably too shocked at his outburst to do anything else and sits on the spare seat, handing him some salmon sashimi and chopsticks. The silence pierces through the room and he wishes he told Vanessa that the paper was due tomorrow morning instead to get rid of her.

'What's your major?' Blair asks Vanessa to break the ice. And Dan can't help but recognise that it must be Blair's best conversation starter in awkward situations.

'Dramatic Lit', Vanessa replies, 'Dan and I are both going to try and get Tisch scholarships'.

'Good luck with that'.

'Have you decided on yours yet?' Dan asks Blair curiously.

'I'm trying to decide between Journalism and Psychology'.

And Dan could not think of a more reflective statement.

He prays that she chooses Psychology.

AN

(i) Justin has nothing to do with JT or boybands. It's just the name of the crush I had in first-year uni and I couldn't think of another name. Also, during my first year Psychology course, random people would come to lectures just because they wanted to check it out. I'm not going to lie - Psychology was fun (until the marks start counting).

(ii) I can't remember which episode but I remember noticing that Dan, or more accurately Penn Badgley, is left-handed so this is where the idea came from.

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