Hello everyone. I tried to write this chapter today and I can say I'm very proud I made it (it rarely happens lol). This one is a bit longer than the previous ones. I felt like writing more and I wanted to write more because I feel like I needed to develop few things... I hope you like it!
….
You speak those favourite fables
Which I am yet to live
Blair had decided to text him although she knew she was probably worrying too much.
'Hope you are okay -B' she had simply written. She didn't want to sound too concerned yet not too much distant either. They were friends despite everything and she wouldn't try to get too far from him during those last two months she would be spending in New York before heading to Monaco. She knew she simply couldn't get away from her hometown like this.
Thing were already getting awkward when Serena had gotten back home, she had noticed something had changed while she was in Los Angeles this Summer and she hadn't any idea what. She was probably starting to see her less every week to get used to the fact that she won't probably see her best friend much once she'll get married?
Blair felt so stressed to also think about Serena so she decided to give it a rest for a while before actually ask her. She didn't want to act paranoid.
That day was being so stressful as well.
Dorota had called the designer Louis suggested so that Blair could tell her how she wanted her dress and the dress of her maids of honor. She wasn't clearly happy to do it today and her maid wasn't of any help.
"Got hours on phone to arrange this. Designer will arrive before lunch so be prepared" she had told her before she could have a shover which made her edgier than before.
The designer had been quite late to Blair's annoyance, but they made it before she had to go out with Louis' sister in the afternoon.
She had been running late because of that, she hoped that Martine wouldn't mind.
"I have been waiting for half a hour, Blair. Where have you been?" she asked when Blair approached.
She was sitting on a green bench and sipping a coffee at which Blair sent a death glare of disgust.
She sat next to her. "I've been meaning to call you. I had to tell the designer how I wanted the dressed and she lost hours debating on whether I should pick fuchsia or purple for the dresses for the maids" she sighed.
Martine didn't look quite happy of the news as she made a face.
"Is not too early? This wedding is happening too early" she commented.
Blair smiled awkwardly and folded her hands on her lap. She didn't know but she felt a nasty vibe coming from Louis' sister. They hadn't known each other if not for less than two weeks and every time she and Louis had talked about their wedding she never seemed pleased.
She thought that she might had prejudices towards her because she hadn't a title, but then she dropped the idea. She couldn't always suspect people acted the way they did because they didn't like her. Although she was Louis' sister and her future sister in law, above all her future sister in a way. Perhaps she was jealous of her brother?
"I can't wait to move to France" Blair continued. "This Summer has been great there, but I'm looking forward to pass more time there." She said with a false joy in her voice.
Louis's sister rose from her seat. "Not too soon" she said again, and Blair couldn't quite follow.
She stood up too and followed her. She had to start walking faster and it was too hot that day to keep that pace. She wondered why she was in a hurry.
She managed to reach her once she stopped in front of a hot dog stand.
The smell of those made her wrinkle her nose and for one second she thought she would vomit right there on the grass next to them.
"Do you want something to eat? I'm starving" she said and didn't wait for her again.
Blair struggled with her nose and the smell and stepped few paces back. She knew it had to happen sooner or later, but she didn't want it to happen this soon after the last time.
She wrinkled her nose before excusing herself and crossed the street. She knew for sure Louis's sister was watching her with attentive eyes from the hot dog stand so she tried not to be too fast once she entered in a low class bar to find a restroom.
She hoped Martine didn't follow her there.
She couldn't struggle with her too like she was struggling with Dorota at home.
The maid had noticed the change in her and the proof of it. Once Blair had left New York at the beginning of June, she soon called her to check if the test she had found in the bin was hers or Serena's.
Blair had denied it was hers because Louis was sitting not far from her on the couch of the private jet, and she didn't want him to listen to her conversation.
Once Blair had arrived to Louis house Dorota had called again like she had asked and Blair had admitted the truth to her maid. She needed to tell someone the truth until she would really feel bad about it.
She was getting married in less than two months and she was pregnant. Plus, the baby wasn't even Louis', she suspected.
The last time they had had sex was before she would be introduced to the French society, and that had been at the end of April. She remembered she wrote down the date of her last period and it was before that when Louis had arrived, so her period would've been on the second week of May at least. But it never arrived.
Blair had been edgy since then and now that it was the beginning of September she wasn't sure if she had settled to the idea of being pregnant or she was still hopeful to get her period, but when she had started to throw up few weeks before the ending of August, that probably proved the first option and that she had to get used to it.
She wasn't sure how to feel about it.
She was engaged with Louis and she wanted to marry Louis, or that is what she kept telling herself as the week passed and she was forced to prepare her wedding.
This would've sounded perfect if the baby was his. It would've been the life she had envisioned since she was a little child coming true.
A perfect boyfriend who happened to be also a Prince, and a baby on the way.
This was how she had wanted her life to be when she was also with Nate and she knew how it all ended up.
She fell in love with Chuck, never truly stopped loving him even when she wasn't with him.
Her future changed from the moment he had told her I love you. She had started to imagine a family with him with several kids running in a penthouse, twins perhaps. A girl with brown hair and a brunette boy, both with hazel eyes just like Chuck.
She still had that in mind although he had let her go in the spring.
The reality of the baby she was may carrying would make all of that come true, but she wasn't sure Chuck would want her back again.
He had let her go. He had told her he will always love her, but he knew she now belonged to someone else and she was sure he wouldn't interfere like in the past. He understood.
Yet the baby was real. What she was supposed to do?
She was careful enough not too touch anything in the restroom and then went out.
She had been there for more than fifteen minutes, hoping once she'd went out that Martine had decided to go home rather than wait for her there. For her relief, she did.
Blair sighed and kept holding her belly when she called a taxi to take her home.
She needed to figure out what to do before someone else could find out.
….
Chuck had been in bed the whole day after the party.
His bruise hurt too much but at least it stopped bleeding when he put some ice on it.
Blair had texted him to check if he was okay but he avoided answering her.
He hated she cared if he was hurt, but at the same time it warmed his heart knowing that she still thought about him and how he was feeling.
He wanted to answer so bad but he decided not to.
Answer her text would mean start whatever friendship between them or worse. Something that could led her to come to the wrong conclusions and he didn't want that. As much as he still loved Blair, she needed to go her own way. Facts proved him he could make her happy but he could not make her happy for the rest of her life, which depressed him.
He felt good for nothing and he knew the only way to grow and distract was to focus on work.
His new Hotel in Brooklyn was his main concern at the moment.
"Still sleeping?" Nate asked around four. He peeked inside and Chuck covered himself more. He didn't want any visits and he didn't want his friend to ask him questions about the bruise.
Chuck groaned when Nate sat on the bed. "I haven't seen you yesterday anymore. You called an early night?"
He slightly turned to look at him then. Not sure whether to be rude or not.
He settled for indifference. "I was bored."
Nate nodded in agreement and perhaps he believed his excuse, but Chuck knew he wouldn't give up. "How are you feeling today?" he asked like a concerned nurse.
"Ecstatic, thanks" Chuck said with sarcasm avoiding to look at him.
He moved a little in bed with a hand secured on the bruise. It started hurting again.
"Look I know you don't want to talk about this." Nate started. "But you gotta go to a Doctor. Serena told me you rejected her too yesterday. She could call her father."
Nate kept looking at Chuck but he received nothing but the nape of his neck to watch.
He didn't answer his question and couldn't think of something to do to make his friend believe he was sick or wanted to sleep to recover the hours he couldn't drift off because of the pain he had been feeling on his ribs.
He couldn't tell Nate how he had got that bruise nor that he bleed at the party after a cough. He couldn't risk him being involved furthermore and get in trouble. As much as he knew Nate was really strong and he was good at defending himself, he chose not to be selfish this time.
"I found your stained shirt from yesterday night..." Nate said after he received no answer. "You know that if blood flows from a bruise there's the high possibility that your bones may be broken? Or tendons and ligaments perhaps? Have you thought about that?"
He couldn't keep himself silent anymore as Nate started to talk as if he was a Doctor.
He sat down abruptly on the bed causing his ribs to feel more pain than before. He was lucky Nate had focused on his hands for a second if not he would've seen him.
"I can't believe you looked into my laundry." Chuck said shaking his head with a bewildered face. "I thought you and I were friends but I didn't think you as a stalker, Nathaniel."
He hoped Nate hadn't notice his hand on his ribs under the cover once he answered him.
He was getting serious.
"I am doing this because I care about you" he exclaimed, but he knew he wasn't accusing him. He knew how was hard for Chuck to confide to people. "Do you really want a an internal hemorrhage, Chuck? It can be hard to heal your ribs later."
"I have not such thing, Nate. I can assure you."
"Don't lie to me. I've been friends with you since kindergarten and I can read between the lines." He said with decision. "Those kind of bruises may be life-threatening. You would need your whole life to get yourself together again if you're lucky."
"I did not know you had a degree in medicine" he said bitterly.
Nate shook his head again and stood up.
"I got you don't want me to help but let me give you the number of my family's physician."
Chuck didn't answer and looked away with a frown.
He wanted the ache to end but he didn't want to ask for help. Nate and Serena worrying was already too much to take and he didn't want that. He wanted to be at peace and burden alone.
Nate left a tiny calling card with the name and the number of the Doctor and left.
He didn't say anything more considering Chuck was ignoring him on purpose, perhaps he could get that he didn't want to be bothered for the rest of the day.
….
Next day was Wednesday and he had to check on his new Hotel.
Last time he had been there it had been hell. He didn't dare to remember every painful minute of that day, and hoped things would go better today.
It had been four days he hadn't gone there to check the Hotel.
The truth was that he was seriously afraid that what happened could happen again, but he decided not too be too alarmed it will because it would've been worse.
He went out of his limo and entered the building. The man was standing next to a column where few guys were putting the carpet on the floor. That place would be where the living room of the Hotel would be.
He looked around him and was pleased that since the last time few decorations and wallpapers had been added. The Hotel would open in two months and he wanted everything to be perfect by that time, especially because he intended to open his Hotel on the day Blair would get married so he wouldn't have to attend.
He knew this wasn't the brightest choice to show her he was happy she was choosing to marry the Prince, but what guy actually swallows the woman they love getting married with another man?
He surely couldn't grasp to the fact that Blair getting married meant also her leaving forever.
He wasn't strong enough to be there at her wedding and then see her going away. He couldn't fathom that Blair getting married also meant he had lost her forever.
He had tried to be better for her and change and now she was about to marry someone else. Someone he clearly figured could make her happy unlike him, despite the great love Blair had told him they had.
He blinked to shield thoughts of Blair both leaving and marry the naïve Prince.
He couldn't let the director of the works worry for him too like his friend had.
"I didn't expect you today Mr Bass" the man sad as they shook hands.
Chuck gave him the coldest of smiles. He wasn't in a good mood.
"I had several problems these days and I couldn't come" he managed to say while looking at a young guy applying wallpaper on the nearest wall. "I hope the project is going just fine."
The man nodded. "Everything is more than fine, Mr Bass. The guys here have almost applied the wood wallpapers you wanted and the other guys of the first floor are doing the same. They are also setting the carpet in the room and applying things here and there" he explained.
"What about the problem with the drainpipes?"
"We have a plumber coming over in the noon. I'm sure in two days everything will be okay."
"Good. I'll check around and then I'll leave. Have a nice day." Chuck said as he walked towards the elevators and turned right to reach the stairs. His slow brain that day made him believe they already worked well which wasn't true.
He had to admit the Hotel was shaping really great.
As he just saw the carpet and the wallpapers of the future reception and ground floor area were almost finished.
It really cheered him up that at least one thing in his life was going well, but he knew it wouldn't last like everything lately. It seemed as if the pain was always around the corner.
When he arrived on ground one, he went to check the works. Nothing really new there since they started working on that area for a week that far and it was needed at least two weeks to finish every floor and decor it.
He went out of the building a hour later and safely got in his limo. He had decided to give the Archibald's doctor a call and try to see him before lunch so Nate would be happy and Serena as well and they won't bother him anymore for a while.
The man accepted to see him although he confessed he was about to go home. Probably the fact that he was Chuck Bass had triggered something in him.
What a pity.
He knew he had a name but he wished that he would say he couldn't see him today so that is masochistic instinct of feel the pain would be satisfied like when he accidentally found the study of the doctor of the medical center closed.
….
"Are you coming over S?" a rather annoyed Blair had asked her best friend the day after she went out with Louis' sister.
It was afternoon and for her benefit no one had to come over to try dresses and stuff like that. Louis was busy doing something at the consulate and they couldn't meet, so she figured she could use some time with her best friend.
"Hello to you too" she said on the other end. "Why the call?"
Blair rolled her eyes at the answer.
"We haven't seen each other for two months, Serena. How you doing?" she asked with a fake happiness. She wondered if Serena was busy.
Serena sighed audibly. "Can we please talk later, B? I can't be on the phone right now."
"Sure."
Serena hang on without adding more words and Blair sighed. She couldn't believe this was the first time after week that she had the chance to speak to Serena and tell her she had missed her best friend and she didn't want to talk. What the hell was more important than talking to her? Was she with somebody else? She had no idea nor want to know. She thought that if Serena wanted to talk she knew her number.
She sat back on the bed and tossed the phone not far.
She was annoyed. She was seriously annoyed and had no idea what to do. She decided that since Serena wasn't available she could perhaps take a walk outside.
She went to the bathroom one more time before getting ready for the stroll.
She only took her bag with her and nothing else. She wanted to ask Dorota if she wanted to come but the maid seemed rather busy in the kitchen and she didn't want to push.
Things with here were getting harder to handle as Dorota had seen Blair less and less lively from one day to another. She told her to go to a Doctor in the state she was and Blair had reminded her she had gone few days before and her gyno hadn't found anything she should worry about.
Blair knew she had lied. The gyno had told her explicitly that she needed to do a blood test just to check the h Cg levels. She couldn't just tell Dorota the truth because she knew the woman would get all protective and order her to tell Louis and Blair didn't want to.
Yet she could and pretend it was his baby to be safe, but she didn't want to lie.
She had already lied too much to him about Chuck, saying the two of them were over when it wasn't true. In her belly was probably growing a Bass, not a Grimaldi. Even if that baby would ever be recognized by Louis, it will always be Chuck's baby and she couldn't go on with the thought of letting their lovechild grow with a father that wasn't his.
She knew for sure Chuck would hate her if he found out the truth. He didn't have a father anymore and wouldn't want his own baby to not know his or her father ever.
Then what to do?
"Oops."
She raised her eyes from the floor while she was walking near Riverside Park and her heart skipped a beat at the sight.
"Hello, Blair."
Chuck spoke with the softer voice in the world. He had a light blue jacket with dark blue pants on, a pink tie finished the outfit. She had seen him two days before at her and Louis' party and he hadn't texted her back.
"Hi" she answered shyly.
"Going out for a stroll in the Upper West Side?" he asked and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
She bit her lip. "I figured I needed a new pair of shoes so I went out..." she started to say as she told him the first things that came to her mind. "You know, for the fashion show my mom is having tomorrow. She wants me to go on the runway for her!" she giggled nervously.
Chuck nodded. He had his hands closed at his sides and in one she spotted a yellow envelope.
"Great."
"What about you?"
He shrugged and looked at the envelope and put it in his other hand. "Nothing, really. I went to check my business at the Palace and at my new Hotel. Routines."
"What can you say if we walk?" she proposed, and Chuck eagerly smiled.
They started walking in silence like few days before. Chuck keeping the envelope in his hand, Blair her bag in hers.
It felt awkward like at the hospital to just be there and be silent, just glancing at each other every once in a while.
Blair had noticed him eying her and she couldn't help but do the same. It was nice for her that Chuck seemed to still glance as if he was in love. He probably still was, like her. But since she wasn't his anymore he was trying to also be discreet.
She wondered if he had told her the truth. Being there to check on his business and that's it. Just doing the same routines like he said, and then do nothing.
She also asked herself if he had been happy after they last met before the Summer.
She knew it had been difficult for him to let her go, but she knew it had to happen. She would be jealous if he would get a new girl to love, but the truth was that she had to accept as much as Chuck was hardly trying to accept that she was getting married with Louis.
When he was next to her she let herself travel in a parallel universe which were her dreams.
She started imagining how it would be like if they were walking there next to the park, as a couple, an engaged couple.
He was really close to her and she had an engagement ring on her fourth finger.
If people didn't know who they were they would probably think they were together.
She smiled at the thought but hoped he hadn't seen her. She couldn't let him ask why she was smiling and her answering that she was happy she was getting married. It would've been a lie and it would hurt his feelings.
As much as she told herself she had to act like a friend, she knew how much Chuck was weak for that matter and he needed to know that she didn't want to brag that she was marrying a Prince.
In her heart she knew what she really wanted, but her mind told her she had to stick with her choice.
He had let her go, and now she was following the path he had let her go to.
"How are you feeling?" she asked out of the blue.
She couldn't forget how he looked like on the balcony two days before.
Chuck frowned but then acted indifferent with the question. "Why?" he asked, trying to keep his facade on. He knew he had made the wrong question though it went out impulsive.
Blair sighed. "While we were on the balcony, you... Perhaps it was something you ate the the party?" she tried to guess not to seem too much intrusive. "I can give you the name of a good doctor if you got a food infection."
He smiled widely and stopped by a tree.
"How do you think I feel?" he asked casually.
"You look good" she said, really sure he seemed okay.
He nodded. "See? You said it yourself. No food poisoning happened. You can tell your Prince his food was alright" he said with really small interest. "I am having the time of my life." He lied.
He would never dare to tell her the truth. He had a big bruise on his torso and it bled at the party. He had gone to the doctor already and he told him he had to have a chest X-ray to determine whether or not he had broken ribs.
He frowned in his mind at the thought.
Blair smiled and lowered her head for a second, not really sure of what to say.
"Why did we stop?"
Chuck barely tilted his head. "I am arrived. The Empire is not far from here and I have something to do when I get there" he waved the yellow envelope.
She didn't want to say goodbye just yet, but she felt like she had passed already too much time with him that day. It didn't felt right.
She forced a smile. "Yeah, is late. Well, goodbye Chuck."
"Goodbye, Blair."
He smirked at her and then started walking.
"Chuck" she called again before he was about to cross the street. He looked at her with a confused face. "Will you come tomorrow to the show?" she asked hoping he would say yes.
He just nodded his head and added "See you tomorrow" and crossed the street once the traffic lights turned green.
Blair kept looking at him until he disappeared into the crowd.
Seeing him made her happy and made up a bit for how Serena had treated her on the phone earlier.
She couldn't deny the way she felt about Chuck yet she had to. As much as she wanted him, she had made a decision and she couldn't move back again because that was the one and only chance she'd got at this, and she couldn't drop it.
Next thing she knew after he disappeared, she needed to go to the restroom again.
….
Here we are. What did you think? As you can see I tried to use picture set material. I won't always do it, it was just to create a path. I won't surely use spoilers if we got them, but set pictures are a whole other thing since I can just guess like you what may happen. Hope it's okay. Gonna upload this fic more. ;)
Reviews are love :)