Hi lovelies! I am in a funk, can't seem to get out of it. Fortunately, doesn't stop me from writing fanfictions so yay!
Absolutely nothing to say about this chapter, just the story continuing. Hope you're still with me on this one, and that you'll still like it.
Blair's fingers shake lightly as she takes the plastic stick and turns it over. It's a moment she has lived before, yet it is circumstantially different. The first time around, Nate wasn't there with her; the first time around, Nate wasn't either eager or expecting something particular, he was just blissfully oblivious until she broke the news to him.
Now he is in pajamas, waiting for her to tell him what she sees, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
What Blair sees is that it's negative. She is not pregnant, and she tries to ignore the fall in her stomach, one that feels more like relief than blunt disappointment. She stares down at the stick for longer than she intends, drawing scenarios in her head on how to tell Nate.
When she finally looks up, Nate's eyes are fixed on her, analyzing her expression.
"So?" he asks
Blair presses her lips together, and shakes her head. She sees Nate's shoulder drop. He sighs, standing up, taking the stick between her hands and dropping it in the bin without even looking at it. He takes Blair in his arms.
"It's okay. We'll keep trying"
Blair nods against his chest. She closes her eyes, and lets her body relax into his embrace. It's something that he has been doing more since they started trying. Nate wraps his arms around her, at any moment, unexpected and Blair always smiles, telling herself that this is them, and they are coming back to where they used to be. Finally something backward she doesn't dread in her life.
"I have to go get ready for work" he says "Let's meet for lunch, later"
"Actually, I'm busy today for lunch"
Nate frowns, taking off his pajamas.
"Serena?" he asks
It's like a slap across the face. She wants to scream to him that she doesn't intend to eat with his one-time mistress. Instead, she just shakes her head.
"Humphrey has an art gallery he wants me to check out"
Nate gets into the shower with a grunt.
"You two should make friendship bracelets"
The water starts running. Blair watches his silhouette through the glass doors.
"Are you jealous?" she asks, leaning against the sink.
"Not even a little"
"Ouch"
Blair frowns. She can't understand how she spending so much time with another man doesn't bother him. He cares about her, he loves her; she knows he does. Not matter what might have happened. Nate's laugh echoes above the stream of water.
"You're Blair Archibald. And he is from Brooklyn"
"Perhaps I've evolved" Blair frowns "Perhaps I am no longer prejudiced against people from that particular borough"
"And perhaps the Pope will convert to Judaism"
Blair doesn't know why it annoys her so much that Nate has trouble believing that she could actually be friends with Humphrey. He was friends with Humphrey, once.
She pushes off her nightgown and underwear, and gets into the shower. Nate turns to her, his eyebrows raised.
"No" he says
"Yes" Blair replies, pressing their wet bodies together.
"I'm going to be late for work"
"I can confirm that"
Nate leaves indeed twenty minutes late to work, and Blair calls in sick. She doesn't want to bother with her evil, stuck up boss today. Besides, it's Saturday and the museum is always so crowded. She wanders around her apartment, barefoot and in a robe. Enjoying time for herself is something she hasn't done in a while. She was always with Nate, or Humphrey. She had been reluctant to find herself alone with her thoughts, but it's better now. Nate loves her, and he tells her every day.
Right as she starts to get ready to meet Humphrey, the house phone rings. Blair doesn't pick up when she see Serena's number flicker. She stands there, however, watching the phone, picturing in her head Serena on the other line. Nate's voice clicks.
"You've reached the Archibalds, we're not in for the moment, so leave a message"
Usually, it makes Blair smile every time she hears it. But today, she knows whose voice is going to come and Nate's voice saying their last name stings.
"Hi, B, it's S" Serena's voice sounds wary "I stopped by your office, but they told me you were sick. Your cellphone seems to be off, so I might have caught the moment when you were at the doctor. Anyway, just call me back, it's been too long. I miss you"
Blair really doesn't know what possess her to reach out and grab the phone before Serena can hang up.
"Hello?" she says, frowning at herself.
"Blair!" Serena sounds glad "Finally, I've been trying to reach you for weeks! Where have you been?"
"I've been busy at work" Blair swallows before asking "Didn't Nate tell you?"
"He did, but no amount of work ever talked you out of a martini"
It's not a surprise that Nate and Serena are still talking. Blair just hates hearing one of them acknowledging it.
"Well, not anymore. People change" her tone is drier than she intends, but she doesn't regret it.
Serena is silent on the other end for a few seconds "Well, let me take you out to lunch"
"I'm busy for lunch, today"
"Dinner? Tomorrow night?" Serena sighs. Blair is satisfied to hear her annoyance.
She takes her time to answer "Sure. Why not"
Serena seems chipper when she hangs up, telling her she's taking care of the reservation, and Blair doesn't know what she is doing. She puts down the phone violently and starts getting dressed. Before leaving the apartment she grabs a bottle of red wine.
Blair never knocks anymore when she goes to Dan's. She just opens the door, expecting to find him in the kitchen or behind his desk, writing. Sure enough, that day, he is standing in the kitchen, still in pajamas, but not alone. There is a woman with him and Blair recognizes his agent, the one she saw him with on the night of her anniversary.
They both turn to Blair. The agent seems surprised to see someone –and probably a woman –come in so freely, but Blair cannot go pass the fact that Humphrey is still wearing his pajamas.
"You're disgusting" she tells him.
Dan laughs "Alessandra, meet Blair Archibald. Blair, this is my agent, Alessandra"
Alessandra comes forward, holding out her hand.
"Blair Archibald, wow" she says "Pleased to meet you"
Blair glances down at her hand then back up with a still smile.
"Pleasure"
She sees Dan giving her a warning look. Alessandra seems taken aback by the animosity, and much more when Dan says "Alessandra was just leaving"
"Sure" she nods, picking up her purse "I'll see you tonight" she tells Dan. Then she turns to Blair and looks slightly down when she nods "Mrs. Archibald".
Blair doesn't move until she hears the door closing behind her. She takes off her coat, and puts the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter.
"Who has a booty call in the middle of the day?" she asks.
Dan laughs "We stayed up pretty late last night, actually" he glances down at his watch "And you are about half an hour late"
"Thank God. Was I meant to walk in on you pounding your agent on the kitchen counter?"
Dan cringes "That's not very hygienic"
"It being hygienic is not the point" Blair rolls her eyes "It's supposed to be sexy. I still have so much to teach you"
"Sure you do"
Dan leans lift the lid of a stewing pot on the stove, and a spicy aroma gets to Blair's nostrils. She restrains herself from humming in delight.
"It's almost ready" Dan says "Decant the wine while I'll take a shower"
"Please do so"
"And don't mess with it" Dan warns her "I'll know if you did"
Blair holds up her hand "I'll be good, I promise"
Once Dan disappears in the bathroom, Blair walks carefully to the stove and lifts the lid. It is the best part of being friends with Humphrey. He cooks for her. No one other than Dorota had ever cooked for Blair. And then, there is Dan, cooking Italian, Indian, French, and a whole bunch of East Asian cuisines that Blair had never even heard of before. It becomes less and less surprising that he swings both ways, to Blair.
She stands there, watching the red mixture making bubbles that release a spicy scent each time they pop. She can see peas and meat, but she has no idea what it is supposed to be. Even so, she already is eager to taste it.
"Did you touch it?"
Blair jumps, gasping, and turning around to find Dan standing there. His hair is wet, and he is wearing a plaid shirt with a simple pair of jeans.
"You're disgusting" Blair tells him again "And no, I didn't touch it"
"Then why is the lid off?"
"I wanted to see what it was" Blair shrugs apologetically under his scolding glare "It smelled good"
Dan shakes his head. He goes to stand next to her.
"Pour us some wine, will you?" he starts stirring the mixture
"I am not your maid, Humphrey"
She moves anyway to fetch two wine glasses, and pour them drinks.
"I didn't know what we would be eating, so I took the last bottle from Chile we had" Blair hands him a glass, and sits on the counter, right next to the stove.
Dan takes a sip "It's perfect with chili con carne"
"Oh, is that what this is?" Blair peeks curiously.
Dan nods. He moves to the sink to start washing the kitchenware he's been using.
When she can bring herself to be really honest, Blair admits that she is happy Humphrey is not like he used to be anymore. Being friends with him now doesn't make Blair regret they actually were, back in high school. That kid was a real bum.
Humphrey now knows about much more than being a scholarship kid and an aspiring writer. Humphrey now is an established writer, and spends his free time watching old movies, and visiting museums, trying out new recipes and discovering new wines countries. Blair has never met someone who knows about French viticulture like he does.
She dismisses in her head the thought that perhaps, he was already this way in high school.
Dan comes back next to her to turn off the stove, stirring again the chili.
"I hear you're not supposed to stir chili" Blair tells him, just to tease a little.
"That's something Americans invented to make it look like they know anything about it"
Blair rolls her eyes "Alright, Mr. South American culture"
"Don't be jealous I know more about everything than you do"
Blair snorts into her glass "You've never had sex in a kitchen"
"I am a Humphrey. The kitchen is a sacred place that shall not be profaned"
"Did Rufus make you take an oath over the waffle-maker?"
"And then he dubbed me with a wooden spoon" Dan nods.
Blair laughs out loud. Then she tilts her head and looks at him with intent.
"I did other things with a wooden spoon, in a kitchen"
Dan cringes, shaking his head "You're the one who's disgusting"
Blair laughs again "Come on, Humphrey! Never?" she bites her lip "Not even with Gaspard?"
Dan shakes his head once more "We're not talking about Gaspard"
"You never want to talk about him" Blair finishes her glass "You know, I bet you were always the one on your knees" she whispers.
"And I bet you don't actually know what you're talking about"
Blair shoves him softly "Then tell me"
Dan doesn't reply. He takes out a spoon and dips it in the chili. Blair watches him blow on it before he takes it to her mouth.
"Here" he says "Taste it"
Blair leans down slightly to open her mouth and close it around the spoon. It's still a bit too hot, but emphasizes the spice. She leans back up with a sigh of content. Dan looks at her, then reaches to wipe a remaining trail under her lip with his thumb that he licks afterward.
Blair breath itches as he brings his hand back down.
"I guess the kitchen can be a little sexy" Dan smirks, still looking at her.
Blair feels herself blush a little.
After they eat, Dan leads her to the gallery he wants her to see. It's by the piers, and Blair keeps looking up suspiciously, waiting for birds to attack her. The owner of the gallery is a middle aged woman who claps like a teenager as soon as she sees Dan coming in. She looks at Blair with interest.
"You've replaced me, have you?" she tells Dan, shaking Blair's hand. "Got tired of my old ass"
Dan laughs "Please, I would never. Blair this is Marcella. Blair is the 17th and 18th century art manager at the Met" Dan says.
Marcella laughs out loud, throwing her head back before poking Dan with a finger.
"I see, now that you're a best-selling author, you only hang with the big people. What's next, a penthouse on 5th avenue?" she turns to Blair "Well congratulations, you're very young"
"I'm very good" Blair says.
Marcella laughs again "I don't doubt it! I'll leave you two on your date, just make yourself at home"
Blair stretches her eyes when Marcella says "date". She has no time to correct any kind of misunderstanding before Marcella has to greet someone else coming in. Blair turns to Dan.
"She is…sparkly" Blair herself doesn't even know if it's a compliment or not.
"She is" Dan says.
They start walking to the paintings.
"Did you sleep with her?" Blair asks
"What?" Dan almost shouts "Are you crazy, I've known her since I was fourteen"
"She'd like to" Blair shrugs
"Shut up, and look at this" Dan points at a painting.
They move together, Dan showing her his favorite pieces of the moment and Blair criticizing his taste half the time. Marcella walks by them once or twice, giving them a little wink each time. Some guy interrupts them to talk to Dan about his novel, and tell him how excited he is for the movie adaptation coming out. Blair has never felt so much out of her element. Watching Humphrey in his is however, a bit fascinating. He looks so naturally at ease around everyone and everything.
When they leave the gallery –after Marcella hugged them for about five minutes –Dan takes Blair to get a bagel. Blair protests, because she is not from Brooklyn for Christ's sake, and Dan gets her one anyway.
Blair nips at it, while not listening to Humphrey telling her about a photograph he's just discovered as they walk on the piers.
"I agreed to go to dinner with Serena tomorrow" she blurts out.
Dan stops talking. He looks at Blair for a while, then smiles.
"It's good" he says "It means that you are ready to move forward and forgive her"
Blair sighs, and Dan frowns.
"That is why you agreed, right?" he asks "Because whatever you're planning to do, remember that we are not in high school anymore"
"We're twenty-five, high school isn't so far behind"
"You're married, you have a job and an apartment. Believe me, high school couldn't be further. Unless you had a kid"
Blair makes a little noise. She feels Dan put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"You're not pregnant, are you?"
Blair pushes his hand away from her coat. He was just touching a bagel.
"I'm not" she snaps "Nate wants to have a baby but I…"
She trails off. She doesn't know what she was going to say next, anyway. She doesn't know what she wants.
"You what?" Dan asks.
Of course, he would want to know more.
"I'm not sure I'm ready" Blair says.
"So tell him"
Blair barely restrains from stomping her foot in annoyance.
"It's not that simple, Humphrey!" She throws the bagel in the water, ignoring his outraged cry "I was pregnant before, and he freaked out and then I lost the baby, and now he wants to have one but I am not sure I want to, and I shouldn't have to if I'm not sure because I'm not a fucking hen who's supposed to lay whenever farmer Archibald wants her to"
Dan blinks several times, before laughing a little.
"That's the best metaphor I've heard in years" he says
Blair doesn't want to laugh with him, but she does, a little. Dan puts a hand on her shoulder. Blair doesn't push it away this time.
"Blair, you need to talk to Nate"
"Talking is always your solution"
"Because it's often the best one" Dan shrugs.
Blair thinks about it.
"Then why don't you want to talk about Gaspard?" she asks, her voice barely audible.
But Dan hears her. His hand leaves her shoulder to go back in his coat pocket.
"It's an entirely different situation, Blair"
"How would I know? You never talk about it"
Dan sighs "Just talk to Nate, and drop this, okay?" he turns around and starts walking "Come on, let's go"
Blair watches him walk away. She can't help the disappointment creep up in her. There is a unique story somewhere there, and she has always been a bit too curious. There is a part of Humphrey's life, between the time he left to England and his return that he only lets her in when he wants to. Blair walks rapidly to catch up with him. As she links one of her arm with his and he lets her, Blair decides that she is going to get to the bottom of the whole Gaspard mystery, and crack his emotional shell open if it's the last thing she does.
I'm gonna stop making promises about updating this fic soon and stuff, because I find Blair too hard to write. It's only from her POV and I've never worked with such a bipolar character. Anyway, I started working on the sequel to La Bohème, so yay that too. Hope I'll finish the first chapter soon.
I don't have any ideas for oneshots, these days, but hopefully, it'll come.
Love xo