Friendly Encounters- Chapter Eight

Blair was a little stumped. What would be the best way to seduce Chuck? She had finally figured out that she wanted him and now that she did, he wanted to wait. It was so likely, but she never ever thought that he would deny her sex. He was Chuck Bass after all.
She was just so tired of fighting their attraction and she really did think now that they could have something special between them. But what could she do that would make him give into her? She had already tried the skimpy lingerie route and if they hadn’t worked, there wasn’t much that she could do. If he wanted her so much, how could he resist her?
She knew the answer though; he wanted to prove to her that he could go without sex and build a relationship without it. But right now her body was burning for it. She needed to know what it felt like and she desperately wanted Chuck in that experience. She just had to find a way to break him down and to break up with Nate. That was her next step. He deserved better than that.

XOXO
Blair was on her way to Mr. Flagler’s math class when she bumped into a hard body. She immediately knew who it was; she had taken special preference with her clothing this morning. Just to get him riled up. She had chosen a very prim and high white collared blouse and paired it with a short, navy plaid skirt. She knew that the outfit kind of made her look like a naughty school librarian and he would love that.
She felt his hard body pressed against hers and her temperature peaked instantly. Chuck always did this to her. He casually glanced at her body, like he didn’t really care what he saw but she saw his eyes heat and glaze over. That was the only sign of his desire for her until he pulled himself together. He was really trying to pull it together, but right now she didn’t want that and she had to convince him of that.
“You look nice, Blair.”
She smiled and let out a little chuckle of laughter. “Nice? Have you ever just told a woman that they look nice?”
He let a little smirk cross his face. “Never. You’re the first.”
“The first of many things, I hope.”
A scowl crossed Chuck’s face. “Are we back on this again?”
Blair gave him her best puppy dog face that she knew he couldn’t resist. “Have you given any more thought to what I said, about you being my first?”
“Blair.” He began softly. “I am going to be your first, but not yet. I want it more than anything in the world, but I want to prove to you that you mean more to me than just another careless fuck. And I know that you don’t think I’ll be able to resist you but I can and I will. It will just make it have all the more meaning and it proves a challenge to me, and we both know that I can’t resist taking a challenge.”
She sighed dramatically. “I will wear you down, Chuck.”
“You can try, but you’re not going to succeed. But I more than welcome any effort you put out.”
Blair smirked. “I don’t think you should be so cocky.”
This was his first task, to walk away from her and not give into both of their needs. He was this close to saying yes, and he knew that he couldn’t if he really wanted this thing to work out between the two of them. And as surprising as it was, he wanted that more than anything. Chuck wanted to pull her to him and kiss her senseless, but he put the necessary space between them.
“Do you want to meet up for a drink later at the Palace?”
She was sure that the surprise showed on her face, but she was shocked that he was asking her on somewhat of a date. “Sure. It only makes my part of the plan easier.”
He bit back a grin from forming on his face because Chuck Bass wasn’t supposed to look like this around a girl. He was so whipped and he knew it. But it didn’t scare him. He gave her a little wave and walked away before he did something stupid like take Blair up on her offer.

XOXO
She walked out into the stone courtyard and saw who she needed to talk to. It wasn’t the best place to break up with somebody but she wanted to do it before she met up with Chuck, later on tonight. She walked silently up to Nate and tapped him on the shoulder.
She saw anger mar his perfect features, but he quickly transformed it into the grin he was famous for. “Blair. I didn’t think I was ever going to hear from you.”
Oh shit. She had actually forgotten that she had never called him after she had skipped out on making love with him. “I’m sorry, Nate. Everything’s been really hectic, but we really do need to talk.”
“Okay. I don’t think I’m going to like what you’re going to say, am I?”
A little hint of sadness crept into her heart, even though she knew that everyone thought she was an ice stone cold bitch. Nate was really a good guy; he just wasn’t the right guy for her. “I doubt it. I’m just going to come out and say it.” She took a seat on the bench next to him, although she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes. “I think it’s time we admit that this isn’t going to work between us.”
“I know things haven’t been great Blair, but don’t you think we can make it work somehow?”
She flipped back her hair and straightened her headband. “It just doesn’t feel right, Nate. And I’m going to be honest with you; I’m starting to really fall for somebody else.”
“Chuck. Right?”
For somebody that was usually so dense, his astuteness shocked Blair. She wasn’t going to lie to him. “Yes, it’s Chuck. But I didn’t know to recently and it’s just not fair to lead you on anymore.”
He focused his piercing eyes on her. “I always knew there was something else between you and Chuck, it wasn’t just friendship.”
“Actually it was. Only recently has it become something more, we’ve just been friends for eight years. I don’t know what’s changed but something certainly has.”
He brought her hand to his and clasped it. “Blair, I wish you all the best of luck but don’t you think in the end that Chuck is going to hurt you?”
“I know I should be worried and I was for a really long time. But now I just want everything to work out between us and I do know that he would never do anything to hurt me.”
“You do know of his reputation though right? And that he’s never been faithful to anybody.”
Blair felt her inner bitch coming back to her, her voice was hard as she spoke. “Of course I do. We’ve been friends forever, and he’s told me of his certain conquests. But this time it’s different.”
Nate shook his head sadly at her stupidity. “How can it be different? Chuck’s not going to change for you.”
Daggers flew out of her eyes as she spoke. “I know this time it’s different because he hasn’t been trying to sleep with me. And I do appreciate your concern, but this doesn’t feel like something you talk about with an ex-boyfriend.”
“Alright. I just want to make sure you know what you’re dealing with. I care about you and just want you to be happy.”
Her face softened a little, but only a little. “Thanks, but I’m going to take my chances Nate and see what it leads us. I want to say thank you also for being so understanding about this whole thing. You didn’t have to be and it makes it a lot easier on me.”
He smiled. “I understand you wanting to take a risk on something that feels right. Sometimes you have to take a giant leap forward to get something great in return.”
Blair smiled back. “That’s absolute correct.” They shared a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Chuck had seen everything from the shadows of the trees. And he had the complete wrong idea about what he had just seen.

XOXO
“I broke up with Nate, S.”
Serena was very pleased at hearing this news but she didn’t reveal why to Blair. “Really?”
A smile lit up her face. “Yeah, I had too. For his sake and I kind of figured that if I broke up with him that Chuck would be happy and might give into the temptation that is me.” She let out a laugh.
Serena chuckled with her. “I don’t even really know Chuck but I doubt he’s going to give into you Blair. You’re both too stubborn for your own good.”
“You’re probably right; I’ll have to wait it out. But I’m still going to try to do anything and everything to make him give into me. You should know that a Waldorf never gives up.”
She pulled back her long blond hair and tightened it into her fist, which was a sign of Serena’s nervousness. “Blair. I want to ask you something but I don’t want you to get mad either.”
Blair had a concerned look on her face. They might not have been friends for long, but she had misjudged Serena. She was everything she wanted in a friend. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s about Nate.” Serena started. “I wasn’t going to do anything about it but…” She swallowed quickly. “I’m attracted to Nate and I really like him.” She waited worriedly for Blair’s response.
Blair felt the shocked look on her face but quickly replaced it with one of amusement. “You like Nate?”
“Yeah, a lot. Are you mad?”
She let out a quick laugh. “No, I never liked Nate. He was just something that I used to distract myself from Chuck and we both know that never really worked out.”
Serena felt very relieved. “I was expecting the ice queen to come out when I told you.” She was afraid to talk to Blair about anything, but this was the one thing that she had been dreading.
They started to walk back to her house before Blair spoke. “I would have been furious if I was into him, but it was just never there so I can’t be mad at you. Go for it if you want too.”
“Thanks, B.”

XOXO
Was she still seeing Archibald behind his back? He hadn’t been spying on her before he always just naturally stayed away from everybody and sought the shadows that the trees provided. He had never expected to see her kiss and hug Nate when she claimed that all she wanted was him. Chuck didn’t let anybody play him for a fool and wasn’t about to let Blair start. And to think, he had been considering ending both of their misery and just going with the flow of things and to see where it took them.
He angrily ripped his school tie off, frustrated by the events of today. He was undeniably falling hard for Blair, and he wanted to try and toughen up, and shrug it off. The feelings he had for her were so strong and he knew without a doubt that he could never go back to his old ways. A life without Blair as his girlfriend seemed like no life at all to him now. If anyone ever found out that he was getting serious about someone that would laugh him out of St. Jude’s. Nobody expected him to have any feelings about anything but she had gotten him good.
What had happened to them? They had been friends for so long, so when did this attraction suddenly form? But if Chuck was honest with himself he would admit that it wasn’t so sudden. The first time he had felt an attraction to her was over a year ago and it had totally freaked him out.

XOXO
“Chuck! You’ll never guess what has happened!”
He had never seen the look of excitement she had on her face right now and he knew that something beyond belief must have happened to her. Her excitement brought a grin to his face. “Well, I have to ask then. What happened?”
Blair threw her arms around his neck, exuberant from the day’s events. “My mom finally agreed.”
Puzzlement was echoed on his face. “What did she agree to?”
A trace of annoyment marked her perfect features. “What I’ve been trying to get my mom to agree to all year. She finally said that I could spend the whole summer with my dad in France.” Her squealing had returned.
His heart stopped. “The whole summer?”
“Yes, isn’t that wonderful?”
“What am I going to do without you for that long, Blair?”
She looked up at his question. “You’ll b e fine. You’ll have plenty of girls to keep you company and that’s what you love more than anything.”
He didn’t correct her but he hadn’t even been thinking of sex or girls. He just didn’t want to not see her for so long, but he would never admit that to her. It would make him look like the ultimate mush. “I’m glad that everything’s working out for you, Blair. But I do have to admit that it won’t be the same without you here.”
Blair knew how hard that was for him to admit and that he would never tell anybody but her that. “Bass, I’ll miss you more than you think possible too.”
They shared an easy smile, the smile that they shared only with each other.

Three months later
He decided to meet her at the airport; he didn’t think he could go another minute without seeing her. Chuck had spent three long torturous months without her and he was basically checking his watch every second to see if her place was any closer to landing. When her plane finally did land and he saw her for the first time again in months, something changed.
Nothing big, but just a feeling that was different for him. Blair walked down the runway and he saw her laughing with delight. She looked different to him. Happy, light, and the joy on her face radiating through her body. Blair had always been his friend, but this was totally the opposite. He wanted to know her better and discover the woman inside of her. Maybe edge away from being friends and seeing where it took them. He shook his head rapidly to get rid of these thoughts; he chalked it up to not seeing her for so long. He wasn’t actually developing feelings for her. Or was he?
“Chuck!” She screamed in delight. She threw herself against him and squished him into a hug.
He knew in that instant, that these unwarranted feelings weren’t just from not seeing her for months. He had a feeling that this could have been building for months and now it had just snuck up on him when he didn’t realize he felt this way about his best friend. He decided the best course of action was to ignore it. It would go away in time.
“Blair.” He sniffed her hair discreetly. Then he cursed himself, this wasn’t ignoring these annoying feelings he had for her. “How was France?”
She proceeded to tell him all about it. “It was amazing, Chuck. But, I am a little homesick for New York and of course I missed you horribly. How was your summer?”
Miserable. “Oh, it was okay. I’m glad your back now.” He knew that it was going to be hard but he also knew that Blair didn’t return these feelings of lust for him. He had to forget her and was going to try his damndest. But he didn’t think he was going to succeed.

XOXO
Chuck realized now that he had never gotten over his feelings from that day. He had pushed them aside for awhile, but then they came roaring back a few weeks ago. And the rest was history. But if Blair was determined to keep Nate and string him along too, she was going to pay. He needed to find out what her game was and he would do that tonight.

XOXO
Blair walked through the bar at the Palace, all the while delicately smoothing her fingers down her champagne colored Marchesa dress. She always seemed to try and dress for Chuck. She knew that he would like this certain number. She spotted him instantly and smiled to herself. He constantly made her smile, how could she have ever doubted this?
She went to sit on the bar stool next to him and ordered an apple martini from the bartender. “Hi.”
She waited for several moments but he didn’t look at her or say hello to her. Something was very much wrong. She hadn’t noticed when she had come in but he wasn’t wearing his signature bowtie. And when did Chuck Bass ever go without that? She saw him strumming his fingertips on the counter of the bar while he knocked back another glass of whiskey. He wasn’t drinking scotch either, that was another sign of trouble.
Blair tried again. “Chuck?”
He took him awhile but he finally let out a muttered, “Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
Chuck finally looked at her and she saw the dark circle under his eyes. “Who said anything was wrong?”
She gave him a condescending look. “I know when something is bothering you. Don’t you think I can tell?”
He said nothing again; he just took another sip of his drink.
“How many of those have you had?” She asked, pointing at his drink.
“What does it matter?”
This was when she really started to worry. She didn’t remember ever seeing him this depressed. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Nothing.” He snarled in reply.
Blair’s heart thudded nervously. Had he changed his mind about them? Was that why he was acting like this? He never had tried to push her away before and this was going to be a big problem, she would never let him give up on her. “Alright, I’ll play your game. What the fuck is your problem? Just come out and tell me, Chuck.”
The thin rein he had been holding over his temper snapped. He turned to her and feasted on her with angry eyes. “You really want to know what my problem is?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. My fucking problem is that I saw you kissing and hugging Nate today. If that’s what you want, tell me now because I’m not playing any of this shit with you. I thought we were finally communicating with each other and letting the other know how we feel. But I don’t like being played, Blair.” He noticed the smirk on her face. “Why the fuck are you laughing?!
She scooted her stool closer to his and gently placed her hand on his upper arm. He immediately flinched away from her touch. “Chuck, I’m grinning because you should hear how insane you sound.”
“Is that so?”
Blair smiled again. “It is. The reason you saw me hugging and kissing Nate was because I was saying goodbye to him. I broke up with him this afternoon.”
“You did?”
His voice sounded so vulnerable that she couldn’t help what she did next. “I did.” She leaned across her bar stool and mashed her lips against his. Chuck responded eagerly and his arms wrapped around her waist. Her tongue plundered inside of his mouth and his own tongue wrestled with hers. She knew she had to come up for air sooner or later, but she couldn’t resist his mouth any longer. She bit his bottom lip before breaking the kiss.
“Wow. That was some kiss, Bass. Now do you think I would have kissed you in front of all these people if I wasn’t serious about being with you? We both know that is going to wind up on Gossip Girl later tonight, so I think that should prove to you that I only want you.”
Instead of answering her, he brought his mouth back down to hers for another soul shattering kiss. The kisses they shared just became hotter and more passionate, and Blair knew that this had to be the last one or she was going to embarrass herself in public.
He brought her head down to his chest. “I’m sorry for being such a jealous maniac. That’s just what you do to me; I can’t stand to think of anybody else touching you.”
She grabbed his hand. “I feel the same way.” Blair couldn’t believe she was being so public with him; everybody was going to know that they were together now. But, oddly that didn’t bother her that much.
“So how was your day?” He asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “It was okay. I’ve actually been waiting to tell you something all day.”
His curiosity was piqued. “What?”
Blair’s smirk grew even wider that before. “I was talking to Serena before and she told me that she’s interested in Nate. What do you think about that?”
His eyes bore into hers. “I would say that Van Der Woodsen is one needy bitch.”
She let out a chuckle. “Serena’s my friend, but I have to say that I was shocked when she told me she was attracted to Nate. She just came right out and told me like it was nothing. I mean, I could care less but it was a little nervy.”
“It actually sounds like a Blair Waldorf move.”
They shared an easy laughter.
She pondered what he had just said. “You know you’re right, I would do something like that if it needed to be done.” She noticed that he was about to interrupt her, but she stalled him. “Not anymore, Chuck. You’re the only one for me and I think we both know that.”
Her answer sent a thrill through him but he never let that on. He was acting like a lovesick fool but he really couldn’t control his feeling for her anymore. “Well, I think phase one is complete.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The reason I asked you out for a drink was because I wanted to see if we could still be alone, and just talk and be friends. Phase one. I’m really glad that we still have that friendship, Blair.”
“So am I, Chuck.”
He placed his hand on her upper thigh. “Now it’s on to phase two.”

To Be Continued…

A/N: Whew. I have finally moved and I am back up and running. I do want to thank everyone who wished me luck and I know this chapter has been a long time coming. It’s extra long just for that reason. Now that I’m back, I can’t wait to hear your review s for this chapter, so don’t forget to leave me one. Thanks. Happy reading on this particular chapter. And all of my other stories should be updated in the next day or so, and there is a new story in progress. Should be out by tomorrow.

~Sam~