I'll Be Seeing You
Rated: T
Title taken from "I'll Be Seeing You" by Billie Holiday
Chapter title taken from "Good Day Sunshine" The Beatles
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, etc. You know the drill.
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The next morning, the tantalizing smell of french toast wafts throughout the suite, awaking Blair, who has been asleep for what, to her, seems like a week. She drags her fingers through her tangled curls and yawns, her hand instinctively reaching out for Chuck's. Nothing but air. Blair is more alert now, and snapping her head to the right, she sees that the space beside her is empty. "Chuck?" she calls out anxiously.
Dazzling brown eyes peek out from behind the kitchen door. "Sleeping Beauty awakens," he comments with an amused quirk of the eyebrow.
Blair bites her lip, trying to hide a beaming smile. "Yep. How long have I been sleeping?"
"Nearly fourteen hours. I was getting ready to have Dorota come over and shake you awake, although I'm not complaining about having a beautiful woman in my bed," Chuck replies, walking towards the bed with a tray full of breakfast - french toast, a bowl of fresh strawberries, and glasses of orange juice and water.
Blair can no longer mask her contentment as Chuck sets up the tray over her lap and sits down beside her. "You did this? It looks amazing!" she marvels.
"Well I had a personal chef make it," Chuck grins, shrugging. "but I set it all up on the tray. Give me a little credit, Waldorf."
Chuck stares at Blair as she bites into a strawberry, its sweet red juice staining her lips. She lets out a giggle as the juice trails down her chin. Chuck smiles, running his thumb beneath her lips. "Was the old me such a slob?" she asks, laughing again as Chuck tastes a strawberry and accidentally squirts juice all over himself.
"Damn it," Chuck curses.
Blair rolls her eyes. "Don't be a baby," she teases him, dipping a napkin in the glass of water and dabbing his shirt.
"I'm not," Chuck argues. "Now eat. I want to go out and breathe some fresh air today."
"Fine, fine," she replies, taking a bite of french toast and washing it down with a sip of orange juice. Blair takes a couple more bites before looking down at her plate and thinking of Georgina's words the other night. It's not healthy anyways, she figures, deciding to forgo the french toast.
Meanwhile, Chuck walks over to the closet and grabs a crisp green shirt off of its hanger. Blair, chewing on another strawberry, watches him silently as he unbuttons his stained white one, tossing it to the side. "Quit checking me out, Waldorf," he says, his turned back hiding a devilish smirk. Of course he knows she is looking at him but this is all part of his grand plan. First, he had to establish the friends connection. Done and done. Now he is establishing the physical connection. All that will soon be left is that last hurdle, making the romantic connection. Sure, Chuck is complicated, but he is also calculated; Bass Industries requires it of him.
Blair crosses her arms. "I wouldn't dream of it!" she says indignantly. Of course, she doesn't mean that, and her eyes sparkle as he removes his undershirt. Her breath hitches in her throat as he turns around, displaying his tanned, toned torso.
"Which pants should I wear? These," Chuck gestures to the black pants he is wearing now, "or these?" He holds up a pair of blue and green plaid ones.
For a second, Blair is speechless. By now, she knows exactly what he is doing. Oh yes, Chuck Bass is trying to seduce her! Chuck looks at her expectantly. One part of Blair wants to tell him to fuck off for thinking he can have her swooning over him just like that, and another part of her wants him out of those pants as quickly as possible. It is strange, she thinks, that in all the time she's been out of the hospital, the only time she's had a genuine smile on her face is when she is with Chuck. Perhaps he's not just trying to seduce her... Instead of answering his question, her lips betray her. "What are we, Bass?"
Chuck does not expect that. He drops the plaid slacks to the floor. "What do you mean, Blair?"
Blair sighs. "You know what I mean. It's obvious we have a connection. If I can see it, you can see it. Do you... do you want to be something?"
He remains silent. At this very moment, she reminds him of the old Blair, the Blair at the bar who had asked him for the last time if he loved her. It scares Chuck how her chocolate eyes seem to bore right into his soul. Things were not going according to plan. "Wh-what do you mean 'something?'"
"Something more, Chuck."
Fuck. His world is spinning right now. Thoughts are crashing into each other so fast that he can't translate them to words and all he can think about is how he failed her and put her in this position in the first place. His palms are sweating, his heart pounding, his legs tingling. Goddamn it, Chuck is not good in these situations. He feels his head begin to shake from left to right. Stop it, fool! Say yes! Chuck tells himself. Too late.
"Oh." Blair's face falls. "Okay. Well maybe I should be going. My mother's probably wondering where I'm at, anyways." She begins to place the tray beside her.
No, no, no, no, no. This cannot happen again. No. Chuck kneels against the bedside. "Wait, Blair." He grabs her tiny hand in desperation. She can't walk away from him again. "Listen, remember when I told you I was a mess around you? I'm not kidding. I say no when I mean yes. I push you away when I need you the most. I cause more trouble when I try to make things right. I'm sorry if I confused you, Waldorf . Let me be clear - I absolutely want to be with you."
Chuck's stomach remains in a knot, scared of Blair's reaction. He has never taken a leap like this but he's a Bass, and the Bass men aren't strangers to risk. Blair stays still for a moment, a solemn expression on her face. Suddenly, her strawberry-red lips curve upward. Blair reaches an empty hand out and takes Chuck's, pulling him of the ground and on top of her. "So, do you really mean it or is this one of your 'yes means no' things?" she asks playfully, touching his face gently.
Chuck brushes her dark curls back. "Very funny," he smirks.
Blair suddenly turns serious. "You know, I don't want you feeling sorry for me to be the only reason you are with me."
"Stop it, Waldorf. You're my dream girl, memory or no memory," Chuck assures her, leaning down and kissing her passionately before whispering with a grin, "So much for getting fresh air today."
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A/N: I know this is a very short chapter but I wanted it to be a fun, light read because the story in general is pretty heavy. Initially I intended to put in a Serena/Blair dialogue but I think this chapter can stand alone. B/S friendship will come next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one - thanks to my readers & reviewers!
carleymarie: That was really one of the best compliments a writer can get, to say that the characters are believeable - Thank you!
LetMeIn1812: Thank you! G being a bitch in the last chapter serves a bigger purpose, which you will see soon! And you know Chuck, like he would ever let B have a life without him, especially one involving G ;)
