Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Blair woke up, and sighed as she pulled the fleece blanket tighter about her body. Chuck was lying next to her on the soft carpet, still asleep. The events of the previous night ran through Blair’s head.
Chuck had held her there, upon the floor; just talking to her while she listened, curled up with him. He had explained about Nate, and explained that even though sometimes it didn’t seem like it, he really did care about her. But Blair really wasn’t all that interested in the words. She knew he meant it, without even needing to hear him talk. She could just feel the love when he embraced her. She could feel it with every breath he took; with every second that passed.
They hadn’t had sex. They had just been together. For the first time, Chuck was there for her, without the limo seats or diamond necklaces. He knew that all she wanted was him; and he gave her everything.
No perverted jokes, no sarcasm, just honest words and his hands gently rubbing her back. It was 100% the Soft Chuck, and Blair indulged in his sudden purity. Of course, he was no saint, but in that moment, Blair just wanted it to be perfect. And she would let no memories of Chuck’s past invade the soft thoughts drifting through her mind.
The buzzing of a vibrating cell phone pulled Blair from her deep thoughts. As she realized it was her own, she picked it up and pressed ‘talk’.
“Hello?” B said drowsily.
“Blair, I need to talk to you.”
Blair groaned. Serena. “What do you want, Serena?” she said coldly. “No, I don’t know where Nate is. Check your sheets, because I’m sure that’s where he was last night.”
Ignoring B’s remark, Serena said, “Please, Blair, just come have lunch with me. I can explain everything. Please.”
B sighed. She was in too good a mood today to be mean. “Fine. But I can’t stay long; I have plans.”
“The Paradise Café in half an hour?” Serena suggested.
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” B could hear the sincere gratitude in Serena’s voice.
The line clicked dead, and Blair set down her phone. Giving Chuck one last glance, she got up.
In the bathroom, Blair assessed how she looked. Her eye makeup was smudged and her curly chestnut locks had more knots than Jenny Humphrey’s hair in the morning. She was still dressed in yesterday’s cream-white blouse and blood red pencil skirt. Failing at her attempt to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothing, fix her hair, and wipe off the eyeliner smudges, Blair decided to just take a shower instead.
Quickly stripping and tossing her clothes in the laundry basket in the corner, Blair stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the hot water running down her bare body.
Wrapping an Egyptian cotton towel around her head, Blair stepped out of the bathroom. Chuck was still asleep on the floor.
Stepping around him, B went to her closet. Picking out a not-too-flashy pale yellow dress, she found a headband in a darker yellow to match it. In front of her vanity mirror, she applied some light makeup. She was no Serena van der Woodsen, after all; she couldn’t just wake up, throw on some short shorts, and head out the door. Blair Waldorf always had a put-together look of perfection. It was what the public expected, and demanded.
Finishing up with her Victoria’s Secret lip gloss, she threw the tube into a white handbag, along with her cell phone. She slipped on a matching pair of ballet flats, and walked quietly over to Chuck. Bending down, she kissed his cheek gently before heading out the door.
This better be good, she thought, as she slipped down the hallway.

The little bell above the door dinged as Serena hurried into the café.
“What the eff, Serena? Inviting me to lunch, and then being late?” Blair said as her best friend sat down across from her. “You’re hanging by a very thin string as is,” she warned.
“I know,” S said wearily, taking off her coat. “Blair, I’m sorry, but you’ve just got to listen to me.”
B stared at her friend, wondering if Serena’s story was worth her time.
“Well, it’s a good thing you still haven’t lost your good taste, or otherwise we’d be completely over.” Blair glanced around the fancy Manhattan café. The room was bright and airy, and extremely elegant. And, to top it off, their prices were twice that of Starbucks’.
Serena gave a little sigh of relief. B was in an unusual good mood; but S wasn’t one to complain. “Blair, you should know, I never kissed Nate.”
“And I never lost my virginity to Chuck Bass in a limo.” Blair took a sip from her low fat cappuccino.
“Seriously. Nate is revolting. Remember when I told you about him confessing his love? Well, a few days after that, he asked to meet with me. And out of the blue, he kissed me. I know the picture makes it look as though I’m the one kissing him, but I really don’t know how that is. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was edited.” Blair didn’t say a word. “Blair, you’ve got to try and believe me,” Serena added desperately.
Although she was testy with Serena, she was not being full on bitter, as any normal Blair Waldorf would have done. Instead, B offered her best friend the benefit of the doubt.
“That story seems a little odd,” she said slowly. “But you are my best friend, S, and I really want to be able to trust you.” A look of relief washed across Serena’s face. “But how could the picture possibly have been edited? We both know Nate’s not that smart. He must have had help.”
“But who? He has no friends.”
Blair stayed silent for a moment, racking her brain for possible explanations. “Maybe it wasn’t exactly a friend.”
S gave her a puzzled look.
“Maybe… maybe someone else planned this whole thing. Someone who wanted to screw up the Darena perfection. Maybe Nate has nothing to do with this at all. Well, he does, but perhaps getting you two together isn’t the main goal of this operation. Perhaps the goal is splitting up you and Dan.”
“But who would want to do that?”
Blair stared at her best friend, a serious expression on her face. “I think we both know exactly who would.”