No matter how many bubble baths she took or how many macaroons she consumed, the tension just wouldn't budge! Blair was wound up like a slinky on steroids, just waiting to go boing!
It was only mid-April, but the walls of her home office were already adorned with preliminary sketches from Waldorf Designs' highly anticipated fall collection.
She scrutinised each one with a critical eye, already envisioning how every dress, every pencil skirt, and every blazer would fit into the brand's formidable legacy of timeless sophistication with a contemporary flair. Blair had already identified three pieces that required further tweaking from her designers.
Although the collection provided a decent distraction, it wasn't the root of her frustration–the frustration that had her wide awake into the wee hours of the morning.
A lifetime ago, Serena had asked her what it would take for her to relax–and Blair's answer was the same then as it was now.
Chuck.
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Blair wrapped her husband's paisley robe more snugly around her shoulders, her fingers brushing the familiar aubergine and mustard silk
She missed him. Damn him!
Despite Chuck's efforts to keep his foreign business trips short, Blair couldn't help but feel his absence acutely.
Even with the constant calls and playful texts throughout the day, their bed still felt empty and cold without the familiar weight and warmth of him beside her. To Blair, it felt as though a piece of her was missing–the Clyde to her Bonnie.
"Is there a reason you're burning a track into the floor, Waldorf?"
Startled, Blair spun around to find him standing there – somewhat exhausted from jet lag but still wearing his signature crooked grin, undeniably handsome, and unequivocally hers.
The Basstard himself.
Blair's eyes instantly lit up at the sight, as if she had summoned him by the sheer force of her own determination.
"So, you couldn't stay away?", she taunted playfully.
"From you?", he asked, his grin mischievous but his eyes holding a profound seriousness as he closed the gap between them. "Impossible."
Her head on his chest, Blair breathed in the comforting smell of his Dior Eau Sauvage cologne and felt the tension that had been building in her body ease.
Chuck also appeared to relax, his shoulders loosening as she ran her fingers over his back, his body melting into the contours of hers.
Who would have expected such softness from two scheming corporate tyrants? Her mother's words echoed a response to that question somewhere in the back of Blair's mind–"Even moguls have hearts, my dear."
"We thought you were coming back tomorrow night," Blair purred, glancing up at him through her lashes.
"Business wrapped up earlier than expected, and I couldn't bear to spend another night away from my incredible wife," Chuck confessed, sealing his words with a gentle kiss on her lips. "And our amazing son," he added, dropping another on her shoulder.
Blair grinned, reaching out to loosen the knot of his tie. "Henry was asking for you again when I put him to bed. He'll be thrilled to see you in the morning."
Chuck eyes shone at the mention of their son, and Blair couldn't help but feel her heart swell at the sight.
"Not as thrilled as I'll be to see him."
Before Henry's birth, Chuck and Blair still carried the weight of their own challenging upbringings–making the idea of becoming parents seem like a huge, terrifying, and completely overwhelming task. However, their son's arrival had completely shattered their doubts and fears, revealing a love that knew no limits.
"And what about you?" Chuck asked with a mischievous smile. "Have you been missing me?"
Blair traced the contour of his jaw. "I think I may have to adjust my schedule for tomorrow," she informed him coyly.
Chuck arched an eyebrow, "What exactly am I being pencilled in for, Mrs. Bass?" he asked, shamelessly flirting.
Their reunions were always a long and passionate affair–and this one would be no different. The pulsing thrum of desire they felt for one another was never too far beneath the surface, needing only a spark to ignite.
"A proper welcome home," Blair replied smugly. "It's not often that I'm separated from my husband for almost two whole weeks."
"Is that so?" he whispered, his lips burning against the cartilage of her ear. His grip tightened on her waist. "Shall we commence this proper homecoming then? Because I have a few ideas of my own, and it seems like we have a lot of catching up to do."
Blair nodded against him, sensing the familiar surge of heat and rush of desire that transformed her insides into molten lava. "Mm-hmmmm."
"I missed you, Blair", Chuck lips were on the curve of her neck–his achilles heel. "Desperately."
"I missed you too."