A/N Shocked by the speedy update?! ;)
I'm on a roll here! Your reviews are extremely motivating and I appreciate each and every one of them beyond words! Thank you so much!
"a", thank you for taking the time and letting me know what you think of my story. I'm sorry you feel like I'm not being " very creative" for writing Serena and Nate as a couple. I do it simply because I love the idea of the two of them together, and they will play a big role in this story. On the other hand, writing a C/B story to begin with isn't all that creative either..just saying :)
"pincky" thank you so much for reviewing, and for being honest with me! and look! I did keep my promise! ;)
and "Maria", thank you so much! I'm glad you like it, and you have some interesting thoughts, I'll give you that ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, there would be no effing mid-season hiatus, believe me!
As always - a gazillion thank you's to Abby for the beta-ing!!! (and the Dorota-translating. lol)
She wakes up from a knock at the door.
"Ms. Blair?" It is Dorota, standing in the doorway. "Breakfast served, and your mother would like to see you before she leaves."
The information has her wanting nothing more than to bury herself underneath the covers and stay there. Facing Eleanor is definitely at the bottom of the list of things she wants to do right now; however, she can still hear herself reply with the words that are expected from her.
"I will be right down."
Once the maid is gone and the door closes again, she gets out of bed with a tired sigh and wraps a silk robe around her frame. Splashing some water on her face and pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she avoids looking at her reflection in the mirror. She should probably get dressed, put some make up on, do her hair – but she simply doesn't care enough to muster up the energy.
*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*
Her mother is seated at the big dining room table, and as she walks in the door Eleanor gets to her feet.
"Mother."
"Blair," Eleanor states and leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek that doesn't come close to touching her skin, then pulls back and examines her thoroughly. "You look tired."
"I am fine." She lies, not going into detail as is expected.
"Alright." Eleanor nods. "I have to get going, I will call Teresa for you - you look like you could use a facial."
And with those words Eleanor is out the door, her heels clicking against the floor and a waft of expensive perfume being left in her wake.
*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*
Her mother's words echo in her head as she sits down at the table. Ignoring her usual manners, she puts her feet up on the chair next to hers and reaches for the grapes that are neatly arranged on a platter in front of her on the table. Knowing that she will have to eat something to avoid getting the third degree from Dorota and being ratted out to her mother, she picks off a grape.
Plopping the grapes in her mouth mechanically, one after the other, she is lost in thought when the elevator dings. She can hear Dorota greet the visitor and say something that has the other person laughing.
She knows that laugh so well, and is just getting to her feet when Serena walks in the door.
"B!" Serena smiles broadly. The young woman is running up to her and throwing herself around her neck in a long-awaited embrace, and for the first time since she got home she can honestly say that it feels good to be back.
"How are you doing?"
"Look at you, S. You look great." She smiles, and the gesture feels so fake she thinks that her face might split right open. But her friend doesn't notice the change of subject or the lack of authenticity in her smile.
"Thank you!" Serena laughs. "I have an important pitch today, but I just wanted to come by and see you. Oh! There's a party tonight; the company is throwing it to celebrate getting this huge deal," Serena rants on as the two of them walk out of the dining room and head for the elevator.
"B, please say that you will be there. I haven't seen you in ages and I would love to get the chance to spend some time with you."
She can easily think of a thousand things she would rather do besides attending some party in celebration of her best friend's glorious career, but she knows that declining the invitation will cause more than a thousand questions to be asked and worried glances to be given. She doesn't know – or want to know, for that matter – if she can handle that.
"I guess I could make an appearance…It's not as if my social calendar is fully booked at the moment," She replies, not able to keep some of the bitterness she feels out of her words.
Her reply brings Serena to a halt, and the blonde looks down at her with a worried look on her face, offering her a comforting smile.
"I would love to have you there, B." Serena repeats, squeezing her arm. "But I don't want you to feel forced to come..."
"Nonsense," she interrupts her friend, "I will be there. But what will Nate say when I come and steal his beloved girlfriend away from him for the evening?"
"That is so great! We are going to have such a good time! And Nate will be thrilled to see you." Serena smiles "I really have to get going now; I will text you the details later." Hugging her tight again, she steps into the elevator.
"We have missed you, you know," she adds before she leaves.
As the doors close on her friend she can finally let out a deep breath, almost laughing at how relieved and exhausted she feels. Wondering how it is that she seems to always get run over by the bulldozer of happiness and success that is her perfect best friend.
*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*
The vast room is dimly lit and there is an orchestra playing that creates a nice background to the buzz of the people gathered inside. The evening is warm and there are big glass doors opened to allow the guests access to a balcony decorated in twinkling lights. Waiters are passing around trays of canapés and champagne, and there is a bar in the far corner of the room.
Serena and Nate are standing side by side near the entrance when she walks in the room, and they spot her almost immediately. Both of their faces light up from the sight of her, and there is a tug in her chest. They look so deliriously happy that it would be nauseating if she didn't love them as much as she does.
Accepting a champagne flute as she walks up to them, she greets the blonde couple with the same fake smile as earlier; she tries her best to not feel as if half the people in the room are staring at her and whispering about her 'outrageous scandal'.
They all know that you don't belong here.
"Blair!" Nate calls out, pulling her into a welcoming hug, and she feels at ease for the first time in days. Now that she no longer sees him as her knight in shining armour – with all the drama and insecurities it used to bring to the table – Nate is safety, normalcy and home.
"You look great," Nate smiles as they part, and she ignores the voice inside her head that disagrees.
Her black cocktail dress is beautiful; her make-up is perfect and her hair in an extravagant up-do. She knows that what he says is true - that there is nothing wrong or flawed with the picture she portrays – because she has done this so many times. She is always putting on such a sparkling, flawless façade so that no one notices the ugliness that is hiding underneath.
They talk for a little while about Nate's new job, their families and the party, before Nate excuses himself and leaves Serena and her to catch up.
They are busy gushing over Serena's emerald dress when an uneasy feeling creeps up on her, and she can feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Serena doesn't seem to notice that anything is wrong, and as she turns her head and looks straight into an all too familiar pair of eyes - she knows exactly why she is feeling the way that she is.
*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*
I love each and every one of you that takes the time to let me know what you think! Your reviews are what keeps me motivated!
I can't promise you an update as speedy as this one, but since this one ended with somewhat of a cliffhanger, I'll try my hardest to get the next part up asap! :)
Thank's for reading!
Camilla