I'll Be Seeing You
Rated: T
Title taken from "I'll Be Seeing You" by Billie Holiday
Chapter title taken from "Bella Bella Bambina" by Dean Martin
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, etc. You know the drill.
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The past few months have flown by quickly, and the relationship between Blair and Chuck has progressed just as rapidly. August brought the first day of college at NYU for our memory-challenged Blair, who has adapted rather well to university life considering her extraordinary circumstances. With September came Chuck and Blair's exclusivity, as well as Georgina Spark's admittance to the Singer Center on Riker's Island. Crime doesn't pay, kiddies, and neither did the undercover cop that busted G for selling cocaine! October brought with it Blair's slimmed-down figure, a result of a stringent diet she implemented upon herself after Eleanor casually suggested B lose a few pounds. With that, dear reader, we've finally come to the chilly month of November. I wonder what the holiday season will bring…
November 17, 2009, 5:45pm
Waldorf Penthouse
"Truly, Blair, I would love it if you took another hour so we could be late for dinner," Chuck complains from outside of Blair's bedroom door.
Blair leans into her vanity mirror and applies her favorite red lipstick, Rouge Allure by Chanel. "Shut it, Bass, perfection can't be rushed!" she yells back playfully.
Of course, Chuck doesn't really mind that Blair is taking her sweet time because he knows she will look stunning as usual. He is right, because when Blair opens up her bedroom door, Chuck's heart nearly stops. Blair spins around, showcasing her slim figure in a newly purchased Herve Leger dress that hugs her body in all the right places. Her porcelain skin divinely contrasts with the emerald color of the dress, and Chuck thinks that he may have just died and gone to heaven.
"You look absolutely breathtaking," Chuck whispers in her ear as he wraps Blair in his arms, "I might have to have you for dessert." He presses his lips against Blair's while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Mhm," Blair sighs contentedly into his neck before pulling away teasingly. "I would say dessert can come first tonight, but I couldn't possibly make us lose your precious reservations."
"Oh, you are pure evil, Waldorf," Chuck smirks as he takes Blair's hand in his own and leads her outside to his waiting limo.
The couple arrives at Masa right on time. The maître d' leads Chuck and Blair to a private table in the back of the elegant restaurant. Atop the table is a bottle of Dom Pérignon, with two champagne glasses and a flute of freshly chopped strawberries flanking the bottle's sides. Chuck pulls out a seat for Blair and then sits himself while a server approaches the table.
"Hello Mr. Bass, Miss Waldorf!" the server greets the pair boisterously, "My name is Ken, I'll be serving you this evening. Here are your menus; I'll be back soon to take your orders!" He's very excited for this particular table, for the bill is never cheap when Chuck Bass is a customer.
While Chuck pours the Dom into each champagne glass, Blair opens her menu and immediately eyes the salad options. Chuck knows what she is up to and takes the menu out of her tiny hands. "No rabbit food, Blair. Not tonight. It's your birthday and you are getting the most delicious and expensive items this restaurant has to offer, understand?" he says with a tone of finality.
Blair laughs, replying, "Yes sir. Would you like to tell me the proper way to fold my napkin, too?" In the past few weeks, Chuck has made mention of Blair's ever-shrinking figure, and she doesn't have any more excuses to offer him. For tonight, Blair decides, she will appease his concerns. I can do this, she thinks to herself.
The waiter returns and asks for their orders. Chuck answers, "Bring us the white truffle rice, the masa toro with caviar, the naked oyster in citrus sauce –" he throws a mischievous smile in Blair's direction before continuing, "and the chiba beef. Oh, add in the lobster and foie gras; that sounds decadent. I think that should be enough, thank you."
"Very good, Mr. Bass," Ken says, nodding his head before turning towards the kitchen.
"So, Mr. Bass," Blair teases, "is this your plan, to stuff me so full of food that I forget you haven't gotten me a birthday present?" She loves giving Chuck a hard time, particularly because Chuck hasn't gotten it through his head that this new Blair doesn't care about how expensive the food is or how exclusive the restaurant is. Truthfully, she doesn't even care about getting a birthday present. Really, Blair is just happy to be alive after that car accident, albeit a little damaged.
Chuck takes a long sip of his champagne. "Actually, your present hasn't arrived yet," he replies casually.
Blair's interest is immediately piqued. "What could you possibly have gotten me that I don't already have? If you're telling me you've found my memory in the hands of a Central Park hobo, I would be genuinely thrilled!" she joked.
"I don't know, Waldorf," Chuck shrugs with a smirk, "You're just going to have to see for yourself later tonight."
The two banter for nearly twenty more minutes before the server arrives with several plates of savory creations. The smell is heavenly, and Blair suddenly remembers why food is her enemy. Her promise lingers in the back of her mind. She will eat; no, she has to eat. Chuck observes Blair as she hesitantly takes a bite of the masa toro.
"Oh my God, Chuck, this is delicious," she marvels, the luxurious taste of the sushi roll immediately signaling to her stomach that it was finally about to be fed.
Chuck smiles, relieved. "Good, I'm glad you like it. I want tonight to be perfect for you." He takes a heaping spoonful of the white truffle rice into his mouth and washes it down with a swig of the Dom Pérignon. He doesn't pretend to ignore the fact that Blair is having issues with food, just as she did before the accident. For that reason, Chuck is vigilant about making sure her meals are frequent, as small as they may be. A sick part of him wants her to be ill again, if only for the fact that it might remind her of her old self. Chuck knows that the thought is selfish, but while Blair's seemed to accept the fact that her memory is lost, he has not.
In between desperate bites of the rice and the chiba beef, Blair finds time to finish a glass of ice water. She resumes eating and Chuck watches in patient fascination. He doesn't think he's ever seen Blair eat this fast (or this much, for that matter). All of a sudden, the feeding frenzy comes to a halt and Blair's cheeks flush pink with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she whispers, lowering her eyes to her plate.
Chuck leans across the table and tilts her chin upwards, making her eyes meet his. "You didn't do anything wrong, Blair. You ate. It's human. And this human wants more lobster," Chuck grins, dipping the soft white lobster meat in golden butter and devouring it gluttonously.
"I know, I know. And I really do appreciate you taking me out. In fact, I appreciate it so much that I may just make it up to you tonight," she says flirtatiously
Chuck smirks. "You're making me want to bring this date home sooner than later, Waldorf."
"Relax, Bass. Good things come to those who wait," Blair reminds him jovially, standing up and giving him a full view of her form. "I'm going to freshen up, okay?" Chuck nods and takes out his cell phone to text Nate while he waits for Blair's return.
Meanwhile, Blair enters the ladies' room hurriedly. She studies herself in the mirror, carefully and thoroughly. Poking at her stomach, which is protruding slightly due to the amount of food she has eaten, Blair suddenly has an idea. It's a bad idea, she knows, but it is perhaps the key to relief. Timidly, Blair enters a stall and kneels down on the marble floor. It's okay, she thinks, I'll only do it this once. She urgently shoves a finger in the back of her throat, and to her surprise, the contents of her stomach come up easily – too easily, in fact. Her eyes begin to water, but Blair can't stop, she realizes. As the food rises up, the tears begin to fall, and Blair is now aware that she is crying.
Soon, nothing more can be purged, and Blair rests her back on the stall door, exhausted and upset. She closes her eyes and tries to take a deep breath, but it is no use; the tears keep spilling. "Come on, B, get it together," she coaches herself, "Count to ten… one… two… three… four… f –" Abruptly, Blair becomes silent. She could swear she's calmed herself down this way before in the same position in which she now sat. But this is my first time doing it... right? "Of course it is," she answers herself aloud. Blair stands up on shaky legs and moves to the bathroom sink to reapply her make-up. "Okay, Blair, keep it to yourself. You don't know that you've done this before so you can't make a big deal out of it. Nobody likes a drama queen," she commands audibly, making sure she looks as immaculate as she did before she entered the ladies' room.
Exiting the bathroom, Blair opens her cell phone and begins to text the one person who knows everything about her: Serena.
I might have had a potential br8kthru, S.
Ur kiddin me! Wat happened???
IDK if I can say!
Y?
I'm embarrassed! It mite not mean nething neways.
… Call u in 10, B?
Cant talk now. W/ Chuck. Call u wen I can.
Hopefully Serena can help Blair figure out what has just happened to her in the bathroom of Masa, because Blair sure as hell does not want to tell Chuck what she just did.
Chuck watches as Blair walks back to the table in that sexy green dress of hers. "Are you ready to go, gorgeous?" he asks, standing up. The bill has already been paid; Ken is sure to get a fantastic tip as it had cost over five hundred dollars to eat at this particular restaurant.
"Yes," Blair replies, linking her arm with his. "What's next on Bass' Birthday Itinerary?" Chuck doesn't respond, but merely leads her outside of Masa, where two beautiful white horses are standing harnessed to a luxurious carriage. Blair gasps. "Is this for us?"
"No, Blair, it's only for me," Chuck kids as Blair crosses her arms in mock anger. "Of course it's for us."
She smiles happily as the carriage driver assists her into the carriage's velvety backseat. Chuck quickly joins her and the driver begins guiding the horses into motion. A little radio on the floor of the carriage is playing Dean Martin, one of Chuck's favorite singers. Resting her head on Chuck's shoulder, Blair whispers, "Thank you for tonight. I needed it more than you know."
Chuck looks down at Blair curiously. "Anything for you, Blair, though I'm inclined to wonder why you needed it so much. Everything is good between us, right?" he inquiries, suddenly nervous he might have done something wrong.
"Oh, of course everything is fine, Chuck! I just meant that tonight was the first night I realized I can have a future without knowing my past, that's all. You don't ever have to worry about us," Blair convinced him. Obviously, Blair doesn't want to tell Chuck that she might have found a piece of the puzzle because this particular piece comes with consequences she doesn't want to deal with right now. Now that she knows she can hope for her past again, there is no way Blair can go back to accepting this new version of herself.
"I have something for you," Chuck says, breaking Blair's train of thought.
She lifts her head off of Chuck's shoulder and eyes him inquisitively. "You do? And what would that be? You're already making my night perfect."
As the horses guide the carriage through Central Park, Chuck pulls something long and thin out of one of his trench-coat's deep pockets. Blair immediately recognizes the item as an envelope. Taking it gently from Chuck, Blair opens the envelope and gasps at its contents. "Tell me these aren't tickets to Paris. I've been dying to meet my father ever since the accident. You didn't have to do this, Chuck, you really didn't. I – I don't know how to thank you."
"Tell me you love me and maybe I'll take you with me," Chuck smiles, leaning down to kiss Blair.
"Oh God, Chuck, I love you so much," she breathes into his ear before snaking her left hand around the nape of Chuck's neck. She pulls him down closer to her as she sinks further down into the plush velvet of the carriage seat, the kiss deepening. Grabbing Blair's dark curls in one hand, Chuck runs the other one up her milky bare thighs, which haven't been clothed by stockings since the accident; Chuck doesn't mind as it makes moments like these much easier.
Blair's breath hitches in her throat as Chuck's fingers stray dangerously close to her panties. She wonders when Chuck will realize that even he can't get away with having sex in a carriage.
"I know what you're thinking, Blair," Chuck whispers huskily as her panties are pushed to the side and two fingers urgently enter her. "He's on my payroll."
A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated since August! Circumstances didn't allow me to write but I found inspiration to write a happy chapter after writing a depressing one for a different story. I also found it appropriate to use the "One Tree Hill" jump-ahead formula (albeit I only jumped months, not years) because I feel the story can progress much better from this point. If anyone still reads this story, THANK YOU!
