Chapter Three:
"Hey, you've reached my, uh, Nate's phone. Leave a message and I'll get back to ya." Beeeeep.
"Hey, Nate. It's me again," Blair said into her Blackberry. "Where are you? Remember, my family made reservations at Le Bernardin for six thirty. Call me back."
Blair hung up and tossed her phone onto her bed before shoving her face into her pillow, slightly irritated. She'd called Nate three times and texted twice since the hour of three thirty and he hadn't picked up or texted back once. It was almost six o'clock and Blair was still in her waistcoat-detail dress from earlier on that day. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was still close to make-up-free. She flipped herself over and looked down at her toes, which were painted a fresh shade of Ritzy by Napoleon. She wiggled them proudly then inspected her nails, which were painted the same russet-scarlet. She'd originally gone to get just a pedicure, but at last minute had decided to go all-out and just have a manicure too.
Sighing, Blair pushed herself up and stared blankly at her television screen, which was playing the Tiffany and Co. scene of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was her all-time favorite movie. But Nate's MIA-ness had been distracting her from enjoying it. She glanced at her phone, which lay still and unblinking on her bed, then headed for her closet to slip into her pre-selected teal Alberta Ferretti dress and her limited-edition Chanel kitten heels with the open-toe so she could show off her nails.
Just as Blair was zipping herself up, her phone buzzed and started vibrating. She left the zipper halfway down her back and jumped onto her bed, grabbing it and pressing the green button. "Hello?"
"Hey." Nate's sweet, easy voice made Blair's earlier irritation fade away immediately. "I got your messages. I'll be at the restaurant on time."
"Thanks, baby," Blair cooed. "Where were you all day?"
Nate paused for a split second, which was enough to make Blair a teeny bit nervous of his answer. "Oh, I was just hanging with the guys at the park. Then Serena stopped by for a bit. I helped her do a Barney's run."
Blair's ear buzzed a little from that information. Nate and Serena went shopping at Barney's together? That was why he hadn't been answering his phone? She forced herself to calm down. Nate and Serena were just friends. Nate was her boyfriend. And Serena was her best friend. They would never do anything behind her back. Don't worry about something that's not even real, Blair told herself.
"Oh. That's nice." Even as Blair tried to coax herself that nothing was amiss, her voice came out a little clipped.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nate asked, concerned. "I won't be late, I swear."
Blair let out a small, quiet breath. "Yes, I know. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, okay, I'm gonna get changed." Blair heard Nate shift his phone to his other ear. "I love you."
Hearing those three words spoken so sincerely, even through a phone, made all suspicions of Nate and Serena disappear. "I love you too," Blair answered.
"See you soon." Click.
Blair smiled to herself and reached behind her to continue zipping her dress up. Was there a boy in this world who could ever be as perfect as Nate?
Answer: no.
After putting her shoes on, applying make-up, and fixing her hair to look like she'd just let it tumble carelessly over her shoulders, Blair grabbed her phone and her small golden handbag-one of the most expensive purchases she'd ever made at Bendel's-and exited her room. She walked down the cream-coloured steps to the parlor, where her little brother Tyler sat, experimenting with unbuttoning his pale lavender shirt down to the point where it almost reached his bellybutton.
Blair rolled her eyes. Ever since Tyler had turned eleven, he'd been obsessed with trying to be a ladies' man, and had therefore emptied his closet of concert tees and ripped jeans, and had replaced it all with button-up shirts, polos, crisp Bermuda shorts, and clean, pressed jeans. Personally, Blair thought he looked a little gay, but every time she was out with her brother, little girls in too-short miniskirts showing off their skinny legs always looked at him with stars in their eyes, as if they'd never seen an eleven-year-old boy wear a polo shirt.
"Hey," Tyler said in the bored, deep tone Blair had heard him practicing once when she'd walked past his bedroom one night.
"Hey," Blair replied, going over and doing up two of them so that only the first and the collar button were popped.
"I liked it how it was before," Tyler complained, reaching to do it again.
"Don't." Blair stopped him with her hand. "You look like a little manwhore." She ignored the look on her brother's face that read 'that's the point' and went to sit on the chaise next to his armchair, just as her Blackberry buzzed.
Blair whipped it out and saw the screen flashing Serena repeatedly. She contemplated not answering for a second but let her thumb connect with the call answer button out of the goodness of her own heart. "Hello?"
"Oh my God, Blair, I've just hailed a cab and realized I don't know which restaurant you booked at." Serena's end of the line was loud and static-y and Blair held the phone a few inches away from her ear, but not before giving herself mental check. Had she invited Serena to dinner with her family and Nate? She was almost absolutely certain she hadn't and asked to make sure.
"Oh, um, no, you didn't exactly." Serena sounded a little apologetic. "But my dinner plans with my mom fell through and Nate said that you guys were having dinner in the city so I thought I could maybe come along too." A cab driver yelled, "Where to, missy?" in the background and Serena replied, "Sorry, I'm just asking my friend where we're going!" The cab driver gave a half-hearted amused chuckle before Serena returned to the phone. "So yeah. Where are we going?"
"I never invited you to come." Blair's hand was shaking. "You can't just suddenly call Le Bernardin and ask to change the number of guests."
"Le Bernardin, please," Serena told the cabbie. Blair heard her slam the cab door and Serena said, "I'm so sorry if I'm interfering, Blair, but I honestly thought you wouldn't mind. Come on, your family loves me."
Blair forced herself to be calm. It was just Serena coming to dinner, not some random Upper East Side skank who went to L'Ecole, the private girl's-only French school down the road from Constance Billard. "I guess we could pull up a chair."
Serena squealed. "Thanks so much, Blair. Oh, and don't worry, I'm totally wearing a dress. I figured you guys would be going somewhere fancy." She paused, as if waiting for Blair to comment, but when she didn't, ended the conversation by saying, "Well, I'll see you soon! Love you, 'bye!"
Blair stabbed her hang up button and tossed the phone into her bag. Tyler looked at his sister curiously. "Who was that?"
"Serena," Blair answered, the displeasure she was feeling showing in her voice. "She's coming to dinner with us."
"Cool." Tyler popped another button his shirt.
"Ready to go?" Eleanor Waldorf stood at the foot of the stairs, closely followed by Harold Waldorf. She was wearing a tasteful black dress whilst her husband wore a dark-blue button up and a silky white tie.
"Mom, Serena just called and asked if she could join us. Is that okay?" Blair stood up and looked at her mother, slightly wanting her to start screaming 'NO, IT IS NOT OKAY!'.
"Of course it's okay!" Eleanor said delightedly, breezing over to the elevator. "Serena is always welcome. And maybe you two could tell us about this party you're planning!"
"Yeah, totally." Blair agreed half-heartedly, following her family to the elevator.
"I wonder what she's wearing," Eleanor said thoughtfully. "Probably one of Lily's old dresses. She did say she was dressed for the occasion, right, Blair?"
"Yes," Blair grumbled. Didn't her mother think that her own daughter was dressed for the occasion? The dress looked fucking legend on her!
Tyler pulled out his iPhone and Blair saw him quickly type a text to one of his friends exclaiming that Serena van der Woodsen ('da hottest gurl alive, in case u've 4gotten') was coming to dinner with him. Blair slapped his shoulder and gave him a stern look. Tyler shrugged her off and stepped into the elevator.
Harold looked at his daughter and smiled as he pressed the G button. "You look nice, Blair Bear."
Blair smiled at her father. "Thanks, daddy."
At least someone liked her more than Serena.