Chapter Fourteen
Chuck ignored everyone as he made his way up to his rooms of the Palace Hotel. He knew half of them didn't care; they simply said 'hello' because he was the boss's son. And the ones who tried to start a conversation with him, he merely sent death glares at them. He really was not in the mood to be social…or accommodating in any way.
Finally escaping the masses he pushed his hotel door opened and closed it harder than necessary. This entire night was turning into a fucking disaster. Chuck walked over to the bar and got himself a drink, a drink that he could have used a good two hours ago. He closed his eyes and let the alcohol take effect.
Chuck then began pacing the width of his large common room, his drink still in hand. This had never happened to him before. He was at a complete loss not only at the fact that it had happened but also at the fact that he had no idea what to do about it. What was he supposed to do now? Jacob Van Leih hated Chuck Bass.
Chuck took another angry sip. How was it possible that someone could hate him? He brought his free hand up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He gave in and admitted to himself that many people did, in fact, hate Chuck Bass, but this was different. This time…
Charles leaned back against the wall and sank to the floor.
Fuck. This time… he cared.
This time he didn't want someone to hate him…specifically…he didn't want Jacob Van Leih to hate him.
This was not meant to happen! Chuck Bass cared about no one and nothing. So, why the hell was Jacob's opinion bothering him so much?
Involuntarily, the answer rose to Chuck's lips.
"Elizabeth."
He closed his eyes when he realized the truth of the revelation.
That's why Chuck was upset. Not because Jacob Van Leih hated him, but because Elizabeth's grandfather hated him.
Chuck reached a hand up and delved his fingers through his hair. Christ, this was getting complicated. Way too complicated for Chuck's taste.
Chuck found Elizabeth gorgeous and witty and fascinating and utterly irresistible. He found her more appealing and worth more of his time than any other girl he had ever come across before. She wasn't supposed to end up being such an important part of his life, and now… now, he found himself getting far more invested than he had ever thought he would find himself.
Women loved Chuck Bass and he loved women. That was how this was supposed to go. No tiny slip of a girl was supposed to come in and… Chuck shook his head.
He didn't even know what he and Liz were.
He was interested in her. More interested than he had been with anyone before, even Blair. But when was 'interested' too interested? Charles chuckled darkly.
And when was it too late to get out?
Chuck had no idea what to do. He had never been in this situation before. He had bailed on Blair because he was too invested in her, but he was so much farther past that point with Elizabeth now.
He needed to think clearly. He needed to speak with someone who had been here before.
Charles slipped his hand into his suit pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
"Nathaniel? Yes… I need you to come over… No, now… Because I'm having a fucking crisis!" Chuck snarled into his phone before viscously flipping his phone shut and throwing it across the room. He heard it slam into the bar counter, but was much more interested in sipping at his drink to care.
Eventually the scotch ran out and he was forced to stop his thinking and stand in order to go get another. As he poured himself another drink a knock sounded.
"It's open," Chuck yelled as he poured a second drink already knowing that it was Nate behind that door.
"What's going on?" Nate asked as he surveyed Chuck's appearance carefully while simultaneously collapsing on the couch, "No offense but you look like shit, what happened?"
Chuck moved to sit beside him as he handed over Nate's drink, "Elizabeth's family hates me."
Nate blinked in shock before quickly recovering, "You went to meet her family?"
Charles just glared. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with that issue. Sure he had never met with a girl's family before, but he figured that was the least of his issues at the moment.
"Right. Not the point," Nate coughed, "Okay, so what do you care if her family hates you? You don't care about anyone."
"Hence the crisis!" Chuck said obviously as he gestured with his hand causing some of his scotch to spill over.
"I have to ask, is it the fact that Jacob Van Leih doesn't like you or because Elizabeth's grandfather doesn't like you?" Nate asked with a raised eyebrow as he took a sip of his drink.
Chuck glared at his friend again, "Do you see where my crisis lies now? I could care less if Jacob Van Leih likes me or not! Yet, I can't stand that her grandfather hates me! Do you see my problem? This is not how I do things. This is not how Chuck Bass acts!"
"What? Like you care about Liz? That Chuck Bass doesn't get attached to a girl he actually cares about and then by extension cares what her family thinks? Newsflash, Chuck. I knew the second I saw you looking at her at that Gala that you cared about her more than the other girls you've been interested in. Hell you were looking at Elizabeth that night like you were looking at Blair before she left."
Chuck was silent as he thought about that. Had he really liked Elizabeth that long? Had he been more invested in this relationship longer than he thought? Did he… consider Elizabeth to be his… girlfriend?
Maybe, Nate was right. Maybe Liz had captured Chuck's interest a long time ago and Chuck was only realizing it now…
"Shit," Chuck muttered as he brought his hand to his face and ran his palm from his forehead to his chin and breathed deeply and tried to calm himself down a bit.
When that didn't work he got up from his seat next to Nathaniel and walked back over to the bar to pour himself another drink. All these revelations in one night could not be healthy for a guy his age. He was too young for stuff like this to be happening to him.
He could feel Nathaniel's gaze on him as he moved around the room with his newly poured scotch in hand; although now he had moved from pacing back and forth to doing laps around his common room. Had he not had so much on his mind he probably would have felt like a hamster in one of those hamster balls that just keep going around and around but they never really get anywhere.
"Is it really that bad that you found a girl that you care about, Chuck?" Nate asked from the couch.
Chuck stopped in his tracks and took in Nathaniel's question. Was it really bad that he had found someone that he cared about and seemed to care for him equally? Truthfully, he wasn't sure. He was a seventeen year old guy. He still had all of college to go through before he technically had to think about settling down with anyone and starting a family of his own…a thought that still made him shudder.
But then on the other hand she wasn't like the others that ran in his social circles. Sure she had money that surpassed his family's bankroll, but she didn't seem to care how much money she had, never mind how much money he had. She talked to him, not at him. She listen to him; she actually listened, she didn't just hear what she wanted to. And she wasn't with him because of the Bass name.
Sure when he had learned that her last name was Van Leih it has strengthened his interest in her, but if he was truthful with himself, her last name wasn't the reason that he kept going back to her.
In short, he was screwed because whether caring about her as much as he did was a bad thing or not…he did care about her and there was no getting around it anymore. At this point he wouldn't be able to get out. Even if he tried she would still be on his mind all the time.
He looked over at Nathaniel and was silent for a few moments, "Doesn't matter. She's not going anywhere any time soon."
There was an awkward silence for several long minutes before…
"So… I kind of made out with your sister."
Wow. Quite the startling revelation for our very own Bass. Hmm, it seems that love is floating in the air and it's going from Van Leih to Bass to Van der Woodson to Archibald. Wonder who's going to be struck with the love bug next? You'll have to keep your eyes peeled to get that answer…
What's my secret? Now, that's something I'll never give up
You Know You Love Me
XOXO
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